Duel Academy Stories: Society of Light
by The Duelist of Dawn
Summary: After the events of season 1, new students come to Duel Academy. However, it also means a new threat is looming with it based on cleansing the world of its dark impurities. The enemy is Light?
1. Welcome Back!

Alright, it's time to get this thing back on track. Since people are wanting this thing quicker, I can only revamp some chapters as opposed to the ones I wanted. So, this one hasn't change aside from the loss of lyrics and such. Now restart the season!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 1: Welcome Back!

" _Here we are back at Duel Academy!"_ Jaden narrates. _"I somehow passed all my finals and got to chill in the Slifer Red Dorm again!"_

" _Jaden, uh, who are you talking to?" Syrus asked._

" _My fans, I guess..."_

" _Shouldn't the readers read for themselves, hero boy?" Claudio got in._

" _Oh right..."_

(Duel Academy Docks)

Right now, the scene shifts to two people waiting on the docks. One was Dr. Vellian Crowler, head of the Obelisk Blue Dorm. And another was a short, fat, bald person wearing a greenish blazer and had short brown hair in the back of his head. Having a thin, curled mustache, it matched his eyebrows.

"Hurry up you Swedish meatball! We've wasted enough time already!" The man in blue exclaimed.

"Pardoné moi 'Chancellor'! It's not my fault I got petit legs!" Bonaparte replied.

(Pause Scene)

 _"Hold up! Crowler's the Chancellor!" Claudio exclaimed. "Oh you've got to be kidding me! How he got to be head of the school... Anyway, that short man in green is Vice Chancellor Bonaparte?" He further explained but also questioned to himself. "I didn't even know about someone being Vice Chancellor..."_

 _"Claudio, now you're the one narrating," Melody interrupted._

 _"Oops. Sorry!"_

(Play Scene)

"What are we running for anyway?" Bonaparte asked.

"A special new student is enrolling here at Duel Academy and we need to be there to greet him," Crowler replied as he held up a magazine.

The Vice Chancellor gasped. "Are you joking?"

"Are you calling Aster Phoenix a joke?" Crowler opened up the magazine and showed a picture of a young man in a white tuxedo. Having gray hair and blue eyes, he looked to be quite the ladykiller.

"He's ranked number one in the Pro League! Why in the world would he enroll here at our school?" Bonaparte gasped.

"Who knows, but if he comes here, he'll make our school world-famous!" The new Chancellor squealed. "After all everyone knows Aster Phoenix!"

* * *

(Slifer Red Dorm-Beach)

"I don't know who you are, freshman, but let's duel..." A brunette boy in a Slifer Red Jacket, known as Jaden Yuki said to the person across from him, who he did know was the pro Aster Phoenix. "Wrong catchphrase, let's get our game on!"

On top of the cliff three Slifer boys, a blue haired boy named Syrus, a sandy blonde cowboy named Jethro, and a brown, wavy haired boy named Jeremy were watching the duel about to commence.

"It's not even the first official day, and Jaden's got a duel going on!" Jethro exclaimed.

"Yeah, but who is this guy?" Jeremy asked.

"Beats me, but he does look familiar..." Syrus pondered.

"So, what's your name freshman?" Jaden asked his opponent.

"You can call me AP." He greeted.

"Well then, AP, let's throwdown!" Jaden said.

Both players activated their duel disks and got their opening hands.

Aster: 8000

Jaden: 8000

As 'AP' was drawing his first card, two more people approached the spectators. One was the black coat wearing, black haired kid named Chazz Princeton. The other was an Obelisk girl named Alexis Rhodes.

"Wow, Jaden doesn't waste anytime..." Alexis stated.

"Figures he go after the freshman." Chazz scoffed.

"Actually..." Syrus interrupted, pointing to Jaden's opponent. "He just showed up at our doorstep wanting to 'battle the best duelist on the island.' And that's what brings us here."

"Yeah, but do any of you know about Jaden's opponent?" Jethro asked.

"Okay, he's starting to look familiar to me..." Jeremy pondered. "Still can't put a name on him, though..."

"Yeah, he does look familiar!" Alexis agreed.

"Maybe he's like Chazz, a stuck-up rich kid!" Syrus grinned.

"Zip it shrimp!" Chazz yelled. "He's nothing like me!"

"I play Ojama Yellow in defense mode!"

Chazz did a face-fault as 'AP' summoned one of Chazz's known monsters, a yellow creature with eyestalks wearing red bikini briefs appeared, crossing his arms. (2/0/1000)

"Ojama Yellow?" Jaden wondered. "Why'd you start with that? Take lessons from Chazz?"

The spectators snickered at that.

"I would never start with a lame card like that!" Chazz said.

Suddenly, a spirit version of Ojama Yellow popped up near the angry Slifer's shoulder.

" _That's right, boss!"_ He said. _"You save the best cards for last!"_

"Zip it, you idiot!"

" _Oh, I know you don't mean it!"_ Yellow exclaimed before disappearing.

"What was that!" Alexis growled at Chazz. Unable to see duel monster spirits, she couldn't see Ojama Yellow.

"Uh... nothing..." Chazz said full of fear.

"Whatevs..." She shrugged, before turning back to the duel. "But I wonder what else this guy has..."

"But you know something..." Syrus wondered. "Even with Ojama Yellow, I bet there are a ton of cards he can use."

"Right!" Jethro snapped his fingers. "And if Chazz can do a lot with the Ojama's, just think what this new guy has..."

"Not much of anything, really..."

The spectators saw Ms. Dorothy, the owner of the card shack in the island holding a fat brown cat named Pharaoh. Along with her, an Obelisk Blue boy with jet black hair appeared with silver eyes. He is the ninja duelist, Kenji Yuuyami.

"Hey Kenji!" Alexis greeted.

"What's up?" He replied as he looked over the ledge. "So Jaden's dueling already, man..."

"When did you get your haircut?" Chazz asked, gruffly.

Everyone looked to see that Kenji's hair was now spiked forward at an upward angle.

"Over the summer," Kenji replied. "Figured a new year, needs a new look."

"Looks nice." Alexis stated, making Chazz growl.

' _What the-? Why's he trying to make a move on Alexis!'_ Chazz yelled in his mind.

"Anyway, what do you mean by not much of anything?" Jeremy asked.

"He came by the card shack this morning..." Dorothy replied. "I didn't even stack the shelves with new cards, but he asked for any leftovers and bought eight packs worth of cards and created a 40-card deck from them."

"You mean Jaden's dueling a guy with mix-matched cards!" Syrus whined.

"That's weak..." Chazz muttered.

"Unless it's all from the same pack." Kenji added. "They always have compatible cards."

"Okay, my move!" Jaden drew his sixth card. "Looks like school's in session, so meet your teacher! I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat in Attack mode!"

A female E-Hero appeared. She was a blonde and light-skinned woman, wearing a white and red body suit, with an orange and red skirt. (4/1300/1000)

"Now, I play H-Heated Heart giving her 500 ATK points and the ability to pierce through defense!"

A blue H fused into the heroine, giving her power. (4/1300-1800/1000)

"Time for your first lesson! Lady Heat attack with Burning Soul!"

Lady Heat gathered fire into the palm of her hands and then threw it at the helpless Ojama, and burned through at 'AP's' life points.

Aster: 7200

Jaden: 8000

"Some things you gotta learn the hard way!" Jaden said as Lady Heat came back to his side. "But then again, I could teach you a lot of things during a duel other than a school lecture!"

'AP' pretended to look impressed. "Wow! I guess you are as good as everyone says!"

"Thanks for the props, but you really need to play better cards than Ojama Yellow!" Jaden told. "Oh, and it's your turn, meaning Lady Heat's points returned to normal and you get it for 200 points!"

Lady Heat's points returned to 1300 as she threw a fireball at her opponent.

Aster: 7000

Jaden: 8000

'AP' drew and looked over his hand. _'Soon I'll learn all of Jaden's strategies! All I have to do is play another round of weak cards before I can play the big ones...'_ He then turned his attention back to the duel, "What about this?" The next card he summoned was a gold-skinned angel with two golden wings. (3/1600/0) "This is the Agent of Creation – Venus! And I'll bring out more of her friends, by paying 500 life points, I can summon a Mystical Shine Ball to join her, and I'll bring out two!"

Aster: 6000

Jaden: 8000

Like coming out of the air, two clear orbs of light appeared. (2/500/500) x2

"Now let's attack, destroy Lady Heat with Shining Orb of Light!" He announced as Venus created another orb of pure light and fired it at the E-Hero, blasting her off the field.

Aster: 6000

Jaden: 7700

"Now, I attack directly with both of my Mystical Shine Balls!" He continued as now E-Hero duelist braced for impact as the clear orbs tackled him into the ground.

Aster: 6000

Jaden: 6700

"I'll toss this card facedown and end my turn!" 'AP' set a reversed card. "So how's that?"

"A lot better!" Jaden exclaimed. "Now I'm the one catching up."

"See what I meant earlier?" Kenji asked.

"Yeah, you were right..." Jethro replied.

"That slacker's letting someone with a mishmash deck get the best of him..." Chazz stated. "How this wimp beat me?"

"My move!" Jaden drew.

"And I'll activate this, my Solar Ray trap card!" 'AP' activated his trap card. "Now I can deal 600 points of damage for every LIGHT monster on the field, and with three that's 1800!"

A ray of light shot out from the card, making Jaden shield himself again.

Aster: 6000

Jaden: 4900

"That was a major drop!" Jethro exclaimed. "A big hit if I've never seen one this far!"

"But why activate it now?" Alexis wondered. "He's wide open for Jaden to attack now."

"I play this my Elemental Hero Bubbleman!"

A blue armored hero appeared with a matching cape and two water hoses attached to his gloves appeared. (4/800/1200)

"And since he's alone on the field, I can draw two cards!"

Jaden drew twice.

"And now, I play Polymerization to fuse Elemental Hero Sparkman along with Elemental Hero Avian to form Elemental Hero Great Tornado!"

Sparkman and Avian disappeared through the fusion portal that merged them into one another. From the portal, a wind rushed through the field as a blue Elemental Hero appeared, wearing white and gold armor with a blue cape covering it. (8/2800/2200)

"And with his effect, lets me cut all of your monster's strength in half!"

A tornado surrounded Venus and the shine balls weakening them. AoCV (3/1600-800/0), MSB (2/500-250/500)

"That's a little overkill, don't you think?" 'AP' asked.

"Yeah... but it'll also show you that no one's gonna take it easy on ya in the school!" Jaden shrugged. "Now Bubbleman attack a Mystical Shine Ball!"

The water hero shot a sharp stream of water, knocking out the shining orb.

Aster: 5450

Jaden: 4900

"And I attack your Venus with Great Tornado! Fury Wind Cutter!"

Great Tornado removed his cape and stretched out his arms, creating another tornado that caught Venus in the storm and blew her into pixels.

Aster: 3450

Jaden: 4900

"Awesome! Jaden took the lead!" Syrus cheered.

"So what?" Chazz said. "That new kid's deck is nothing special... this should be easy for him!"

"Come on..." Jethro interjected. "If he bought 8 of the same pack, he's bound to grab some powerful cards of the set, like Kenji said."

"You may be right..." Alexis added.

"I wonder why he did it in the first place..." Kenji muttered.

"Alright Freshman, it's your move!" Jaden exclaimed. "Let's see what you do this time!"

"Okay!" 'AP' drew and looked over his hand. _'Good!'_ He took the card he just drew. "I play the..."

Suddenly, a ring tone goes off...

"What's that sound?" Jaden asked.

"Just a sec!" He says, pulling out a cell phone. "I gotta take this!" While he was on the phone... "Hello? Oh no, I'm free to talk now, I'm not busy..."

Jaden was about to freak out, but calmed himself down. "Just chill Jaden, you were a freshman, too... you were a just a kid, last year..."

"Who whips out a cell phone in the middle of a duel?" Chazz asked angrily. "That's obnoxious!"

"No joke!" Syrus added. "He is like you Chazz!"

"I wonder what that's about..." Jethro wondered.

"That's right, I'm dueling him as we speak..." 'AP' talked to the person on the phone.

* * *

And the person on the phone, was inside a white room in an unknown place. He wore a white cloak and had some tarot cards on a table in front of him.

"Excellent!" He replied.

" _So any last minute advice?"_ 'AP' asked.

The cloaked man turned over a card. It was a picture of a grim reaper with a long scythe. But the card was upside down.

"The Reaper of Souls is upright." He said. "You know what must be done!"

* * *

Back at Duel Academy...

"Cool, thanks for the call!" 'AP' replied as he shut off his phone and turned his attention to Jaden.

"Now get your cell phone off and your game back on!" Jaden exclaimed as 'AP' did just that. "So you're gonna play a better card, right?"

"Now I activate Reload! By playing this card, I can reshuffle my hand and draw a new one!"

'AP' shuffled his four card hand into his deck and drew another three cards.

"What was that about?" Jaden asked.

"You said a needed a better card, I'm just following your advice!"

"Oh, cool! Way to follow my advice, freshman!" The E-Hero duelist sighed. "So tell me, what have you learned by dueling against an upperclassman like me?"

"This, I play the Sanctuary in the Sky!"

The beach scenery was replaced by a floor of clouds, and right behind 'AP' is a white temple.

"A big building on some clouds, huh?" Jaden wondered. "Exactly what would've done!"

"Then you know I would summon Warrior of Zera in attack mode!"

A warrior with a green armored chest plate, helmet and arm guards and blue pants appeared. He held blue sword that seemed to be fashioned out of Zera the Mant. (4/1600/1600)

"Jaden's in trouble with this combo in play..." Kenji stated.

"And now since Warrior of Zera is on the field with Sanctuary in the Sky, I can sacrifice him to summon his ascended form, Archlord Zerato!"

Zera was taken in by a light pillar and then came out from the sky wearing a red scarf with large white wings and a mask over his face. He now carried a cutlass sword with him. (8/2800/2300)

"And here's something else you might not have expected; I send another LIGHT monster, like my final Mystical Shine Ball to the grave to activate Zerato's effect!" 'AP' explained. "And it destroys all of your monsters!"

The doors opened from the Sanctuary, expending a light flash that eradicated Jaden's Elemental Heroes!

"Now Archlord Zerato, attack Jaden's life points directly with Sacred Surge!"

Zerato's wings started to glow and he fired glowing feathers around Jaden who braced himself.

Aster: 3450

Jaden: 2100

"That's gonna leave a mark!" Jethro said.

"Yeah, it was like this one time at duel camp, the same thing happened to me..."

"Just zip it..." Chazz interrupted Syrus.

As they were arguing, Zerato descended to the ground next to the Mystical Shine Ball.

"I switch Mystical Shine Ball in defense mode and that'll be all." 'AP' declared as he saw Jaden kneeling. "Are you okay?"

Jaden grinned. "Are you kidding? I'm having loads of fun! I've been waiting on a great match all summer!" He drew. "First, I'll play Legacy of the Hero! Since I have at least 2 level 4 or higher Elemental Heroes in my grave, I can draw three cards!" He drew three times. "Now I summon Elemental Hero Clayman!"

A round man of clay and mud appeared on the field, arms crossed, the red dome of a head shining in the light of the arena. (4/800/2000)

"Next, I discard Metamorphosis along with Clayman to special summon the Elemental Hero Clay Guardian!"

Clayman's form changed into a something nearly resembling a football player as per the helmet on his head. He now had additional armor like shoulder guards plus a red shield to block with. (4/0/2800)

"Now activate your special ability: Patrol Penalty!"

Clay Guardian slid over to 'AP's' side and rammed him with the shield.

"What gives!" He asked when he got back to his feet.

"When Clay Guardian's special summoned, you lose 200 points for every card on your field! So say goodbye to 600 of them!"

Aster: 2850

Jaden: 2100

"Next, I throw down a face-down! And take a break."

"That new guy's in trouble." Dorothy noticed.

"Yeah, he's forced to top-deck thanks to all he's done to get Zerato out." Alexis added.

"Plus, Clay Guardian can defend Jaden against Zerato since they have the same points in their current modes." Jethro stated.

"Now, since you hardly have anything to stop my defense, your chances of winning, is 95%." Jaden told his opponent.

"Aren't those good odds, O Wise One?" 'AP' asked.

When he realized the Slifer laughed. "Oh, I was testing ya!"

"Smooth move..." Alexis said, sweat dropping.

"How'd he get past the review board?" Chazz wondered.

"Hey, he's better in dueling than putting pen or pencil to paper." Jethro shrugged.

"My draw!" 'AP' drew. "I summon Rocket Jumper!"

A floating rock monster appeared with a giant red rocket on its back. (3/1000/800)

"Since all of your monsters are in defense mode, my new monster can attack directly! Rockets Away!"

Rocket Jumper launched itself over Clay Guardian and rammed against Jaden.

Aster: 2850

Jaden: 1100

"That's it for now!"

"The Ancient Sanctuary packs..." Kenji figured out.

"Huh?" Alexis asked.

"The booster packs he bought..." The ninja duelist said. "The new guy bought Ancient Sanctuary packs, and Archlord Zerato is the headliner of that deck. Plus, I seen a card list and with the exception of Ojama Yellow, that's what he's using..."

"Then, I go!" Jaden drew. "I summon Elemental Hero Heat!"

Another hero appeared with the same color scheme as Lady Heat, and had huge muscles that he flexed. (4/1600/1200)

"And for each Elemental Hero on the field, he gains 200 ATK!"

The flames roared around him as they seeped into the red center of his suit. (1600-2000/1200)

"Now attack Rocket Jumper with Flaming Fists!"

Igniting his fists, Heat flew over to the rock monster and slammed it with an axe-handle slam.

Aster: 1850

Jaden: 1100

"Now its your turn!"

"Then let's see what fate has in store for me." 'AP' stated. "I need a LIGHT monster to defeat you, and fate's got my back!"

"It's not about fate, bro..." Jaden said. "It's about listening to your cards. And it's done me good!"

"Now you're crazy!" 'AP' retorted. "You expect me to have a conversation with my cards!"

"Hey, try calling them on your cell!" Jaden offered. "They might just answer!"

" _Cooo..."_

A transparent brown furry monster with white wings appeared on Jaden's shoulder and answered him. And while that was going on 'AP' was having some thoughts of his own...

" _Gives bad advice, can't do basic math, and to top it off, hears voices in his head.' He thought. "Jaden's not what I expected in being the best of this Academy... Time to end this duel and move on with my life..."_

* * *

Back in the white room, the cloaked man flipped over another tarot card. It was a knight riding a white two headed snake horse hybrid.

"Ah, the inverted chariot!" He said. "The end is near..."

* * *

Back at Duel Academy...

"Remember, listen to your deck!" Jaden called out to his opponent.

"Whatever..." 'AP' drew. He looked at the card, with disdain.

"Bad card, huh?" Jaden asked. "You might want to work on that poker face a bit..."

"Maybe I want you to think that..." He shrugged. "Or maybe I don't want to win... Cause think about it, when you accept my challenge have you ever thought about my wants, the reason to come to the Academy, or why out of everyone that's here now, I challenged you? Because I heard you were the best, so I came to test you!"

"You can't be serious..." Jaden groaned. "They give enough tests here already, but they're not as sweet as old fashioned dueling!"

"OF course, but this isn't about grades, it's about destiny. 'AP' said, confusing Jaden still. "Maybe this will show you, I actually drew a LIGHT monster known as Atomic Firefly! And by discarding it you're wide open!"

The Sanctuary opened up and shot its light and Jaden's heroes.

"Wow, not bad!" Jaden praised.

"Then let's see how you like it when Zerato finish you off!"

The winged Archlord flew in the sky ready to strike...

"I activate Flute of Summoning Kuriboh, which as you know, summons a Kuriboh! My Winged Kuriboh!"

Jaden's spirit monster appeared. (1/300/200)

Zerato launched its feathers at the furball destroying it.

"Thanks for taking the hit, pal..." Jaden whispered to his monster, then turned back to his opponent. "Now what was you saying about destiny?"

"It's simple, everything that happens in our lives is predetermined," 'AP' explained. "Losers born to be losers and legends are born to legends!"

"Legend? Me?" Jaden chuckled a bit. "Hero maybe or teen idol..."

Alexis sighed. "Someone stop him..."

"He's getting a big head..." Kenji mumbled.

"Well he's having fun..." Syrus added.

"At least..." Jethro said.

"Whatever..." Chazz groaned.

Jaden stopped laughing for a bit, "I'm a superstar, who knew?"

'AP' was thinking back to his conversation to the white cloaked man he was talking to on the phone earlier...

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Aster was sitting in front of the table with the Chariot card upside down._

 _"When you find this Jaden, he's to defeat you in a duel, understood?" He asked. "It's the only way to see if he's one of the two we've been looking for! Trust me it's for the best..."_

 _"But there is gotta be another way," Aster exclaimed. "I never thrown a duel!"_

 _"Aster, have I ever steered you wrong?" The cloaked man asked. "Or any of my protégés for that matter? Trust me, it's for the best..."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

' _How can a manager tell his star player to lose?'_ Aster thought.

"Alright, it's the legend's turn! So stand back!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card, "I play the Warrior Returning Alive to bring Bubbleman back... alive... like the card?" He joked as his discard slot brought out the Bubbleman card, returning it to his hand. "Then, I'll summon him to the field!" Bubbleman reappeared as Jaden drew two cards for the effect. (4/800/1200)

"Next, I play Dark Factory of Mass Production to bring Elemental Heroes Clayman and Avian back to my hand!" Next, the two Normal E-Hero cards were ejected out of the discard slot, letting them return to Jaden's hand next. "Then, Fusion Recovery bringing Polymerization and Sparkman back to my hand!"

"Man, Jaden's really getting everything back," Kenji noted as Jaden collected his signature card plus another E-Hero cards afrom the grave.

"Now I play Polymerization to fuse Avian, Sparkman and Bubbleman to form Elemental Hero Tempest!" Jaden announced as three of the returning heroes formed into a blue armored hero with wild green hair, a glass visor over his eyes, and green wings with white metallic feathers. And his right arm, a sliver cannon. (8/2800/2800)

"Next, I'll throw down a facedown and sacrifice it to make it so that Tempest can't be destroyed in battle!" As soon as Jaden's facedown appeared, it disappeared into Tempest in a blue aura. "Now, I'll have Tempest attack Zerato with Glider Strike!" Tempest charged his cannon and fired a stream of blue energy at Zerato, who couldn't retaliate in time to fire a shot and was blasted into pixels.

"Now, I activate De-Fusion to separate Tempest!" Jaden continued as his spell card undid the Fusion of Tempest, splitting him apart into Avian, Sparkman and Bubbleman again. (4/1000/1000), (4/1600/1400), (4/800/1200)

"Alright, Jaden just won!" Jethro cheered. "Bubbleman, destroy his last Mystical Shine Ball!" Bubbleman fired a shot of water that destroyed it.

"Now Avian, Sparkman finish him off with Wing Strike and Static Shockwave!"

The two heroes combined their powers and with several sharp feathers and an electrical flash, took down their opponent that ended the game.

Aster: 0

Jaden: 1100, Winner

"That's game!" Jaden did signature two-finger salute. "I hope my triple threat did rock ya too bad!"

"Nah, I'm fine!" Aster said. "Nice game!"

"Yeah, you had some sweet moves!" Jaden praised. "Not bad for a freshman! Just keep on practicing and maybe you'll become a legend like me!"

* * *

Back on the balcony, they watched as Jaden was still going on with advice...

"What a duel, don't you think guys?" Dorothy asked. "And that new student is quite the looker... did anyone catch his name?"

"I think he said it was AP." Jeremy said.

"AP?" Kenji pondered. "Sound familiar..."

Then they noticed the two duelist coming up the hill, still talking. "Guess I'll see you around, AP!"

As Aster walked away, he contemplated on Jaden's actions.

' _I don't get it...'_ He thought. _'Sure Jaden's a decent duelist, but I don't see why my manager is so obsessed with this one. I still don't understand how joining this school is going to help my career. But I guess Sartorius knows best. As for the other duelist he wants to know about, I'll let Masaki take care of him, he actually has to go to school...'_

He took a glance at the spectators, Dorothy was the one that waved back, which he smiled and nodded.

"Don't be a stranger, stranger!" She waved back as Aster left.

"So guys... what do you think about my first duel of the second year?" Jaden asked. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"You rocked, Jay!" Syrus praised.

"Yeah, never lost your touch over the summer!" Jethro said.

"Impressive!" Jeremy added.

"Anyone who thinks you're a legend isn't a sharpest tool in the toolbox," Chazz stated.

"Maybe..." Alexis noted.

"Glad to see you're still a strong player." Kenji added.

"Well, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of AP." Jaden wondered.

"Wait a sec... AP..." Syrus pulled out a magazine with Aster's picture on it. "I knew it, that was Aster Phoenix!"

"So, he's got a weird name, big deal..." Jaden shrugged.

"Think Jaden, Aster Phoenix is one of the best Duelists today!" Alexis stated. "From the Pro League, no doubt!"

"Of course I knew that..." Chazz added.

"You were just as clueless as the rest of us for the time being..." Jethro said.

"You know that means, Jaden," Jeremy stated. "You beat a pro!"

"Yeah!" Jaden cheered. "A student beating a pro!"

"Uh, Jaden," Dorothy interrupted. "That wasn't Aster's real deck, it was just a mishmash deck."

"You mean I dueled a guy using leftover cards?" He sulked.

"At least you won..." Syrus said.

"Right!" Jaden got back up. "Aster, this duel is still on!"

* * *

(Meanwhile, at the Ra Yellow Dorm)

"So, you're a new student here?" Asked a black haired young man, styled in dreadlocks wearing a Ra Yellow Jacket, known as Claudio Osbourne. "Nice to meet ya!"

Across from him was a kid in a Slifer Red Jacket, with messy brown hair. "Likewise! Name's Masaki Oda! Are you ready to duel?"

"More than ready!"

The thing about this duel was, it was on top of the Ra Yellow Dorm! Strange, I know.

"Claudio!"

The Ra Yellow smiled hearing a familiar, and to him, heavenly voice as he turned to the source. A black haired girl styled like the monster, Dark Magician Girls, wearing the girl version of the Ra Yellow Uniform ran up to the dorm with a big smile on her face. Her name is Melody Hikarii, Claudio's girlfriend.

"Alright, there she is!" Claudio grinned. "How you doing, sweetie!"

"Great seeing you!" She replied. "But what're you doing up there?"

"About to duel Masaki, a new kid!" He replied.

"On top of the roof?" She asked.

"It's been done, have you seen that Broadway play Duelist on the Roof? Good play!"

Melody shook her head seeing her boyfriend go through with this. "You're a crazy kid..."

"But I'm your crazy kid!" Claudio grinned, making Melody giggle a bit. He turned back to Masaki. "Sorry pal, I'm gonna win with my girlfriend watching!"

"We'll see!" Masaki said as both players activated their duel disks.

"DUEL!" They both drew their opening five-card hands.

"Hey Melody!"

The Ra Yellow Girl turned around to see three people run up to the Ra Yellow Dorm. The first was another Ra Yellow guy with neat, black hair; Bastion Misawa. The second, another Ra Yellow Student, with brown eyes, had shaggy, dark hair with a scar running down his left cheek; Alex Jacobs, another one of the 4 people once lost from the Abandoned Dorm. Finally, an Obelisk Blue girl with white blond hair and green eyes was Lily Rose Lee, also from the Abandoned Dorm.

"Hey guys!" Melody greeted them. "Glad to see you!"

"You too!" Lily replied.

"And we're ready to get back on track!" Alex grinned.

"As he says," Bastion added. "So what's Claudio doing up on the roof with that Slifer Student?"

"Dueling him..." Melody replied.

"On the roof?"

"On the roof."

Masaki: 8000

Claudio: 8000

"New guys, first!" Claudio told his opponent.

"Thanks!" Masaki drew. "I'll start off with Sonic Maid in attack mode!"

A woman with red hair in a pink dress with gold bracelets and headband stepped out from behind the rocks. She had a harp in one hand and a huge musical note-shaped scythe in the other. (3/1200/800)

' _A Sonic Maid?'_ Claudio thought. _'He's setting me up for a fall...'_

"And I'll end it here." Masaki declared.

"What?" Melody wondered. "He's summoning a monster with nothing to use in attack mode?"

"Maybe he's got something else in mind?" Lily wondered.

"Well whatever, Claudio's got an upper hand already." Alex shrugged.

"Maybe, but we don't know what Masaki has in store for that deck." Bastion stated.

"Alright, my move!" Claudio drew. "I summon Singing Superstar in attack mode!"

In a flash of light, a brown haired man appeared. He wore a plain, white shirt and carried a microphone. (4/1700/1300)

"Now, sing his maid a little lullaby! Attack!"

The superstar screamed into his mic making a sound wave storm blowing away Masaki's monster.

Masaki: 7500

Claudio: 8000

"And I'll stop here." Claudio stated.

"Now he's doing it too?" Lily asked.

"I think he's playing his game..." Alex thought. "A wait and see approach."

"Yeah, I guess Claudio's wanting Masaki to step up..." Melody thought out loud.

"My turn!" Masaki drew. "I summon Hibikime in attack mode!"

The next monster appearing looked like the Sonic Maid, but she was blue haired woman wearing a green sleeveless dress, carrying a blue musical note. (4/1450/1000)

"That's all for now!"

"Another one?" Bastion wondered.

"Now it's getting crazy..." Lily muttered.

"Okay, but you really should try something else..." Claudio drew. "I summon Guitarist Superstar!"

A man in a white muscle shirt and blue jeans appeared with an electric guitar. (4/1800/1000)

"I don't know what your game is, new guy, but I'm putting it down before you get it out!" Claudio declared. "I attack Hibikime with Singing Superstar!"

Another sound wave storm from the singer shattered the Sonic Maid's counterpart.

Masaki: 7150

Claudio: 8000

"And here's a direct attack from my Guitarist Superstar, Battle Cry!"

The guitarist played the guitar making sound like a cry as it slammed into Masaki.

Masaki: 5350

Claudio: 8000

"Now I place one card facedown." Claudio set a reverse card. "And not to be rude... but can you fight back?"

' _I plan on it...'_ Masaki smiled inwardly as he drew. _'Perfect!'_ "I play the Spell Summoning Song and it lets us summon a level 4 or below monster from our decks, but they must be summoned in defense mode." A card slid out of Masaki's deck. "I pick Spirit of the Harp!"

A lady in gold colored cloak appeared with a large harp as she strums the strings. (4/800/2000)

"Then I summon Drummer Superstar!"

Claudio summoned a blonde, wild-haired man playing on a drum set appeared. (4/500/2000)

"Now I play Bait Doll to force your facedown card to flip over!"

"Okay now I'm lost..." Claudio muttered as a tiny doll dropped on his face down card, followed by a tiny scythe that stuck the doll and card, forcing it to activate. "You activated the trap Superstar Band Power. And you just lost your only monster since I have all of my Superstar monsters here on the field..." He sounded confused to be saying that even though he wanted it to happen. "So boys rock 'em!"

The superstar monsters started playing and singing together perfectly. The force of the music snapped the harp's strings and shattered the harp player.

"Now I got my plan laid out!" Masaki grinned.

"He did have a plan for those cards!" Bastion said.

"This is bad!" Melody added.

"Now I can remove the three monsters from the grave to special summon a new monster, Songstress of Rock!"

Coming out of a light pillar was another female monster, only she didn't look anything like the previous three. She looked to be more of the rocker as per her name with a white jacket that was left open to expose the black halter top that showed off her midriff and pants with boots. (7/2400/1900)

"Wow, never seen a monster like that!" Claudio said.

"And you won't forget it!" Masaki smirked. "Her special ability allows her to strike every one of your monsters!"

"Oh boy..."

"Songstress of Rock, take it to his band!"

The songstress pulled out a white guitar from thin air and strummed it wildly, making all of Claudio's monsters bite the dust.

Masaki: 5350

Claudio: 6700

"And then I play this card facedown." A reversed card was set. "How's that for more?"

"Wow, you really got me!" Claudio said, smiling. "And you're using monsters of music no doubt! I'm going to have some fun!"

"Claudio gets his butt whipped, and then he asks for more?" Alex asked.

"One heck of a guy you got, Melody." Lily said.

"You know it!" She replied cheerfully.

"Okay, I got the stage!" Claudio drew. "Now I know you're done playing, let me step up with Jukebox Hero Modest Mouse!"

A two-foot mouse appeared wearing a black tie suit, with a banjo in hand appeared. (4/800/1200)

"And since he's alone on the field, I draw two cards from the deck!"

Claudio drew two cards. "I place a card facedown and let you go."

"Bad hand, huh?" Masaki said as he drew. "I play Dimension Fusion to pay 2000 life points to get back the monsters we've removed from the game!"

Masaki: 3350

Claudio: 6700

A dimensional gate ripped open as Sonic Maid, Hibikime, and Spirit of the Harp returned. (3/1200/900), (4/1450/1200), (4/800/2000)

"Claudio's staring down four monsters to one!" Melody said worriedly.

"No wonder he was so confident!" Bastion said.

"And now, Hibikime attack Modest Mouse! Note Slash #2!"

The blue haired woman flew over to the mouse, slicing him to pixels.

"Now, Sonic Maid attack! Note Slash #1!"

The maid sliced the air, making the force push Claudio back.

Masaki: 3350

Claudio: 5500

"Now, Songstress of Rock attack him directly!"

Instead of using the guitar, the songstress dashed over to Claudio and knocked him down with kick.

Masaki: 3350

Claudio: 3100

"Ow, that was big drop..." Claudio muttered. "But well worth the pain to activate Damage Condenser!"

"So you've set me up as well!" Masaki said.

"That's right, by discarding one card I can summon a monster with the amount of damage I just took from your last attack, up to 2400!" A card slid out of his deck. "And I pick Jukebox Hero Kill Master!"

A cowboy-looking man appeared with a symbol that resembled a plus (A/N: Motorhead symbol). He also had black shades, covering his eyes completely and a bass guitar. (6/2400/1700)

" _Feels good to be back at Duel Academy, eh Osbourne?"_ The Spellcaster asked.

"Oh yeah, dueling, my friends, my girlfriend all in the same place!" Claudio smiled. "Happy days, man..."

Masaki was listening to the whole thing. ' _So, Sartorius was right...'_

* * *

(Flashback)

Masaki was in the same white room with the cloaked man, now known as Sartorius.

" _When you find this Claudio, he's to defeat you in a duel, understood?" He asked as he showed Masaki. "I have to see if he's one of the chosen ones!"_

" _Chosen ones," Masaki wondered. "Don't you have enough protégés? I'm not jealous or anything, but why this guy?"_

" _Have I ever steered you wrong?" The cloaked man asked. "Even for some with your... qualifications?"_

" _Okay, but I'm dueling with my old deck..." Masaki said. "I need to see if I'm ready to let it go..."_

" _But of course, Mr. Oda..."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

" _But he let himself get fallen into the oldest trick in the book in the early turns of the duel...'_ Masaki thought. _'I'm not sure if he's that great...'_

"Hey, are you okay in there?" Claudio shouted, bring Masaki's attention back to the duel. "Is it my turn?"

"Oh yeah... spaced out a bit, sorry!" He replied.

"Well, don't fall asleep man!" Claudio drew. "I'm about to summon another monster, meet Jukebox Hero Goth Heroine!"

The next Jukebox Hero was now a woman! She had black hair down to mid back wearing a long black skirt with knee high boots and carried a black microphone, making her look like a goth. (4/1900/1600)

"It's about time you summoned a Jukebox Hero that's a girl!" Melody called down to her boyfriend.

"Sorry it took so long, baby!" Claudio shouted back. "Never got around to summoning her!"

" _And you took your sweet time..."_ The new lady Jukebox Hero replied.

"I said I was sorry!" Claudio returned. "But let's just get back to the duel, shall we?"

" _Fine..."_

"I play Goth Heroine's effect! I can switch a monster's mode from attack to defense!"

Goth Heroine screamed, spreading a dark mist on the Songstress of Rock, making her kneel.

"Next, I add Clementine to Jukebox Hero Kill Master giving him 600 ATK points!"

A black, flying V guitar was strapped to Kill Master's back. (6/2400-3000/1700)

"Now Kill Master, attack Songstress of Rock with Motor Bass!"

" _Rock out!"_ He replied as he played a fast bass groove that surrounded the Songstress with sparkles before she shattered.

"Now, Goth Heroine will attack Sonic Maid with Gothic Voice!"

The gothic heroine shouted into her mic again, surrounding Sonic Maid in darkness.

Masaki: 2650

Claudio: 3100

"Back in the game!" Lily cheered.

"Keep it up Claudio!" Melody added.

Claudio nodded. "It's the end but now, Kill Master's effect gives me 600 life points!"

Kill Master played his bass solo again, surrounding Claudio in a white wind, restoring his life points.

Masaki: 2650

Claudio: 3700

"Now my move!" Masaki drew. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew two more and smiled at that. "It's time to bring out my star monster, so I play Witch of the Black Forest!"

A three-eyed woman, in a black dress appeared, crouching and crossing her arms. (4/1100/1200)

"Now I play Polymerization to fuse her and the Lady of Faith together to form the first ever rock and roll monster! The Musician King!"

The witch and a blue-haired woman in colorful robes appeared inside a vortex, but the person that came out next was nothing like them. It was a guy with spiky blond hair and blue jeans carrying a red electric guitar. (5/1750/1500)

"Two girls..." Lily started.

"... fused together..." Melody continued.

"... created a dude?" Alex finished.

"NO WAY!" They all shouted.

"That has to be the strangest fusion ever..." Bastion muttered.

"It may have the strangest fusion, but I like him..." Claudio shrugged.

Everyone besides Masaki groaned.

"Anyway, since Witch of the Black Forest was sent to the field I can get a monster with up to 1500 DEF!" Masaki collected a card from his deck. "Like my Sonic Duck! But I'll put that on hold for my facedown card Metalmorph to equip onto Musician King!"

A metal covering slid over the guitarist. (5/1750-2050/1500-1800)

"Now I can sacrifice him to bring out the Heavy Metal King!"

The metal covering solidified, making Musician King more hardcore. He now wore a black leather jacket and pants with two large shoulder spikes on them. (6/2050/1800)

"Next, I activate the Pump Up Spell Card letting my Hibikime double her attack points until the end of the turn!" The blue haired woman smiled a little evilly as she felt her power rise. (4/1450-2900/1200)

"Now, attack Goth Heroine with Note Slash #2!"

Hibikime shouted as she floated over to Goth Heroine and slashed her into pixels.

Masaki: 2650

Claudio: 2700

"And the best thing about Heavy Metal King is his effect is like Metalmorph!" The new Slifer grinned. "When he attacks, it adds half of the attack points of the monster he attacks! Heavy Metal Rock!"

Amplifying his guitar, Heavy Metal King strummed wildly on his guitar sending sound waves across the field. (6/2050-3550/1800) Kill Master couldn't take it as he shattered into pixels.

Masaki: 2650

Claudio: 2150

"And that ends my turn!" Masaki said.

"Man, for a Slifer you sure don't play like a beginner!" Claudio said.

"Well thanks!" Masaki said. "Hearing that from the strongest Ra Yellow duelist on the island is a big honor!"

"I'm really the greatest Ra Yellow duelist?" Claudio asked, "Never knew that... I'm just playing the game with the card I like."

"Well, your dueling skills last year are testament to that." Bastion said.

"Yeah, you should be proud!" Lily said.

"But don't get too cocky with it..." Melody teased in a sing song voice.

"When have I ever got cocky?" Claudio asked.

"Try when Jaden kicked your butt in the final week of last year..." the Magician stated with a smirk.

"Oh right... you had your moments too, beating an undefeated duelist, even though we know his background..." the J-Hero duelist returned with a mock look of excitement.

"I still ended it..." The Ra Yellow girl stuck out her tongue at her boyfriend.

"Claudio, it's your turn!" Masaki interrupted.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Claudio said as he drew his next card, "I play Pts. Of Authority drawing five cards, but having to pay 200 points for each one!" As Claudio drew, he had to endure the electric shocks while drawing his five cards.

Masaki: 2650

Claudio: 1150

"Now I summon Jukebox Hero LP Angel!" He announced, placing the card on his disk. Descending from the field; was a winged, blonde man in black dress shirt and jeans. He carried a microphone that he raised to the sky. (4/2100/0)

"Next, I play Polymerization to fuse the Jukebox Heroes JB and KG in my hand to form Jukebox Hero Tenacious D!"

Two men, both in plain, everyday clothing with acoustic guitars jumped into the fusion vortex. When they came out they were in more hardcore, black leather clothing. (8/2600/2600)

" _We are the D!" JB said._

" _Let's lay down a nice, tasty jam!" KG replied._

"Why don't we?" Claudio grinned. "Next, I'll add Double Summon to play Jukebox Hero- Bon Fire!"

A flaming microphone dropped to the ground as another man followed and swung it around by the cord. He had brown hair down to his neck and wore only blue jeans and black shoes. (4/1800/500)

"Now let's take out Spirit of the Harp with Smashing Ground!"

A massive fist crushed the harp player.

"Now, from one rock and roll fan to another, let me play you a little something..."

(Play Hello There by Cheap Trick)

Immediately, Claudio pulled out his guitar and started strumming the strings along with the rest of his band of J-Heroes. Once he started the first set of lyrics, Tenacious D stormed the field and struck down Heavy Metal King with their guitars.

Masaki: 2100

Claudio: 1150

Next, LP Angel flew to the sky and did a diving kick at Hibkime, knocking her down. All the while, the band got faster with the addition of drums out of nowhere.

Masaki: 1450

Claudio: 1150

Finally, Bon-Fire ignited his microphone and threw it at Masaki, ending the game and the song.

Masaki: 0

Claudio: 1150, Winner.

(End music)

"Thank you very much!" Claudio bowed as the holograms disappeared of the field. "Hope you're not sore about losing..."

"Nah, it was a fun duel!" Masaki stated. "I guess you're the one with the better rock and roll deck."

"In this duel maybe... we could have another duel later in the year..." The Ra offered.

"Not with this deck..." Masaki then took out his deck and handed over to Claudio. "Here..."

"Uh, dude... you need a deck in this school, otherwise you're as good as done at this school!" Claudio warned him.

"It's alright, I have another," Masaki explained. "I planned to let go of this deck sometime, and who better than someone who'd know its uses."

Claudio accepted the deck, though still looked reluctant, "Thanks, I guess... are you sure?"

"Positive..." Masaki said as he got down from the roof. "I duel you with my main deck next time!" With that, he walked off towards the direction of the Slifer Dorm.

"Look forward to it!" Claudio waved to him.

' _I guess he could be what Sartorius wants...'_ Masaki said as he kept walking. _'But the only way is to duel him with my real deck...'_

Claudio got down from the roof and turned around to accept a hug and kiss from Melody.

"Haven't lost your touch..." She smiled.

"As if there was any doubt..." He smiled back.

"Good show, old friend!" Bastion praised.

"Thanks, Einstein!" Claudio said. "Lily, Alex what's up?"

"Taking the time to walk around campus before the island's overrun by new students." Alex said.

"And also, making sure we get our second year credit that was stolen from us, Jeremy and Atticus." Lily added.

"Bet your folks were thrilled to see you all." Melody said.

"Yeah!" Lily said. "Dad and my sister Layla were more than thrilled to see me. It was hard for them to let me go, but I did want to see these last years through."

"My mom was smothering me, the entire time." Alex added. "My dad was happy too, but at least he didn't attack me with hugs after I come back home from somewhere."

"She really missed you." Bastion stated.

"I know..." Alex then turned to Claudio. "So, I guess you got another duel to look forward to, and another deck the next time you and Masaki scrap!"

"Yup, but right now let's just hang out." Claudio replied. "Got a bunch of summer stories to tell ya..."

* * *

Back at the docks, Bonaparte and Crowler were sitting down in a slump waiting for Aster to show up off the boat, but all that came were new student that weren't worth recognizing... to them...

"I can't believe he's not here! We've been stood up!" Crowler complained, "This school needs a star, not more slackers!"

He and Bonaparte then noticed some more students coming down the boat ramp. The first was a pale-skinned girl dressed in a long black coat, black shirt and black knee-length skirt, carrying a black umbrella. Her eyes are dark green, and her hair is a very dark brown, bordering on the color black.

"When did we start a goth convention?" Crowler quipped.

Unfortunately, the girl heard his comment and turned to him, making the new Chancellor cringe.

"It's the lifestyle I chose, deal with it..." She said in a monotone voice as she walked off.

"Who was that?" Crowler asked as Bonaparte check the list and found a profile on the girl.

"That was Lyra Raines, a new Ra Yellow student." Bonaparte reported. "At least it's not a slacker..."

The next person that came off was young man with long messy blond hair that pasts down his tan shoulders, almost six foot but really he's about half way towards six foot. And he also had an earring on both ears; small hoop earrings. He wore an Obelisk Blue Blazer.

"Aloha, sirs!" The man greeted. "Where may I find the Obelisk Blue Dorm to unpack?"

"Uh... down there and follow path until you see a giant blue building..." Bonaparte pointed out.

"Thank you! Aloha!" He said as he walked off.

"Good! Another Obelisk!" Crowler cheered. "Who is he, hmm?"

"Alright, keep your pantaloons on!" Bonaparte thumbed through papers. "Here we are... Allen 'Seung Joon' Kamakawiwo'ole."

"Say what?" Crowler sweat dropped.

"He has a Korean and Hawaiian background."

"Oh, I knew that..."

Before the short Vice Chancellor could groan, another Obelisk Blue student walked down the ramp, dressed in the same attire as all girls at the academy. She was a 5' 4'' tall teen with long golden blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes.

"Another Obelisk Blue student!" Crowler praised as he ran over to girl and shook her hand. "Welcome to Duel Academy, young lady!"

"Uh... thanks..." The girl replied. "I was told to see the headmistress of the Obelisk Blue to check in..."

"Oh, just follow the path down that way and there's a rowboat that'll take you there!" Crowler pointed out.

"Thanks, Mr..."

"Chancellor Crowler, at your service..."

"Good to meet you, bye..." She walked off in the direction Crowler pointed.

"Allyson Anderson." Bonaparte said. "Unusual deck style for one so talented..."

"Oh who cares! We have another star in the making!" Crowler rejoiced.

"Don't look now, but we have two more!" Bonaparte pointed to two more people walking down the ramp. The first was a jet black haired man with dark red highlights wearing a t-shirt with a coat of arms on the back, tan cargo shorts, black and red sneakers. The second was a honey blonde haired woman wearing a white tank top under a blue jean jacket, white jeans with blue and black shoes.

"That's Alister Gates and Erika Parks!" Crowler exclaimed.

"They're Pro League icons!" Bonaparte added with a cheer of his own. "This school will surely gain success with them enrolled!"

"Glad to be relaxing away from the pro dueling circuit, eh Erika?" Alister said.

"Very," She replied. "I hope this year will be great, especially what's happening at the end of it..." She stared dreamily at the ring on her finger, a stunning diamond ring.

"Oh yeah..." Alister wrapped an arm around her, which she leaned onto him. "And after that, it'll be nothing but smooth sailing for the both of us..."

"Yeah," Erika replied.

"Bonjour! Monsieur and Mademoiselle!" Bonaparte greeted. "I'm your Vice Chancellor of this fine Academy you've enrolled here!"

"Well nice to meet you, but we're in hurry to get to our rooms." Alister interrupted.

"And we know the way so, see you guys later!" Erika added as the couple left out, leaving the Chancellors speechless.

"That was strange..." Crowler stated. "We didn't even get to the publicity marketing..."

Next up was a Ra Yellow student with a black shirt under his blazer and grey cargo pants. He also had white hair and orange eyes. This was Vincent Merchet of Ra Yellow. He breathed in the evening air.

"Good to know I can be here without being possessed next time." He said as he stretched out. "Now, let me find the dorm before he comes back with that military talk..."

"Who's he talking about?" Bonaparte wondered.

"Left, Right! Left, Right!"

It was then a dark-skinned student walked down the gangplank, a military issue backpack at his back. Tied around his head was a yellow bandana, made to look like a dinosaur's head. Sticking out the back of it were black dreadlocks that shot out in all directions. The yellow blazer he wore had no sleeves, showing off thick muscles. Around his legs were a pair of tan khakis and he walked in thick steel-toed boots.

"Hey ladies! Can you direct me to who's in charge around here?" The boy asked.

"I'm in charge around…" But the man seizing the collar of his jacket halted Crowler's sentence.

"I demand to know why I'm stuck in the yellow barracks! I want blue!" The man demanded.

"Bonaparte… Anytime you want to jump in…" Crowler muttered to the short man.

"What my partner here is trying to say is that you don't want to be an Obelisk Blue. You're way too daring," the vice chancellor explained.

"Yes, that's right! You're way too daring!" Crowler agreed.

"Oh really? That's mighty neighborly for you to say that. You ladies are alright!" And like a commando, he marched off.

"Now as I was saying, we need a star like Aster Phoenix, not more slackers," Crowler sighed. For a moment, Bonaparte crossed his arms in thought when an idea hit him.

"Why do we need Aster Phoenix when we can have a school full of stars?" Bonaparte asked.

"I'm not sure I follow."

"I mean we eliminate the Slifer Red dorm. With all of the slackers gone, we can focus on turning our other students into stars!" For a moment, Crowler stared at his colleague in confusion then smiled. The smile grew wider as the two began to laugh. But despite the laughter that filled the bay, there was one person who was not smiling...

"I'm sorry but the Slifer dorm won't be going down..."

Bonaparte and Crowler turned to see a man wearing a Slifer Red Jacket, looking as long as the Obelisk Blue Blazers, come up to them. He had neat brown hair, carrying a suitcase with Duel Academy's logo on it.

"And just who are you!" Bonaparte demanded.

"I'm Spencer Sojourner." The man greeted, "I'm the new headmaster of Slifer Red."

"WHAT!?" Crowler shrieked. "I haven't authorized that!"

"Me neither!" Bonaparte added. "And we never will, so beat it!"

"Actually, I was hired by the owner of Duel Academy before the last year was out..." Spencer opened the suitcase and pulled out a contract. "See here... this shows I was hired for the job and you have no authority over firing me for a year since I am new! So if you plan on doing that, give him a call."

Crowler snatched the contract from the new guy's hands and looked it over. He then grumbled at the signature of the previous Chancellor Sheppard, and the owner of Duel Academy, and saw the date was indeed before Crowler was appointed Chancellor.

"He's right..." Crowler threw the contract back at Spencer, who caught it effortlessly.

"Why do the slackers need another slacker teacher!?" Bonaparte shouted.

"Because, the rules do state that every dorm at Duel Academy is required to have a Headmaster." Spencer stated. "Plus, I do know my way around being a graduate of the Academy, I also have PhD in Dueling Arts."

"Alright fine, carry on!" The Vice Chancellor grumbled.

"Thank you!" Spencer proceeded to leave the docks after the children. "Oh and don't get any ideas about messing with the residents of MY dorm." With that he left...

"Now what do we do?" Crowler whined. "The slackers now have an authority figure in charge!"

"Calm down!" Bonaparte shouted. "All we have to do, is promote enough of the better students out of that dorm, then we CAN take it down and focus on the stars!"

Finally, the two men begin to laugh.

* * *

First chapter of the second season done, people! I hope you enjoyed it! It'll be tough having all these new guys joining in, but that won't stop me! Plus, the reason for two duels at once was to reintroduce the cast of first season in one go!

Songstress of Rock

Level 7

2400/1900

Spellcaster/Effect

This monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by Removing 1 of each of these monsters: "Sonic Maid, Hibikime, and Spirit of the Harp." This monster can attack all of your opponent's monsters at once.

(Created by me, inspiration goes to Square Enix for being based off of Paine's Songstress Garment)

Heavy Metal King

Level 6

2050/1800

Machine/Effect

This monster can only be Special Summoned from your Deck to your side of the field by offering "Machine King" equipped with "Metalmorph" as a Tribute. When this monster attacks, it gains additional ATK, during damage calculation only, equal to half the ATK of the attack target.

(Played by Johnny Steps in the episode Steppin' Out. All rights to the creators.)

Jukebox Hero Goth Heroine (Amy Lee of Evanescence)

Level 4

1900/1600

Warrior/Effect

When this card is summoned, switch 1 of your opponent's monsters from Attack to Defense mode.

(Created by Lily Truesdale. All rights to her.)

Next Time: Crowler's and Bonaparte's plan for promoting stars begin with Chazz Princeton and Jethro Cartwright facing the top two freshman of Obelisk Blue. Will they get in?

Read and Review! Later!


	2. The Good, the Bad, the Ojama

Alright, here's Chapter two again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 2: The Good, the Bad, the Ojama

* * *

It was the first official day of Duel Academy and everyone was currently at the main duel arena. There were two people currently on the dueling platform now, shuffling each other's' decks. One of them was the Desperado/Tribal Warrior duelist himself, Jethro Cartwright. Facing him was an Obelisk Blue student who had a similar fashion style to Jethro's. For one thing, he wore a brown cowboy hat and brown cowboy boots nearly similar to Jethro's. The contrast was that this guy's blond hair wasn't as long as Jethro's and just when to his shoulders.

"Well, nice to see a fellow countryman 'round this Academy!" He greeted in a country accent as well. "But I wouldn't get too comfortable about winning..."

"I hear a challenge!" Jethro smiled. "Then let's make this a proper duel!"

* * *

Meanwhile, heading over to the duel were Jaden, Syrus, Jeremy and Alexis.

"We're gonna be late for the first two official duels of the year!" Jaden claimed.

"How come you don't run this fast going into classes?" Syrus asked.

"Because he saves the energy running out of class!" Alexis answered.

"That's strange..." Jeremy added. "It's a wonder he's named a top ranking duelist on the field."

As soon as they came in, they saw Jethro on the arena about to face a new Obelisk Blue.

"Attention!" They saw Bonaparte with a microphone and another older man in a Slifer Blazer like the Obelisks wore. "I'm sure you know me!"

"Who is that?" Syrus asked.

"The tall guy in the Slifer Blazer, or the short one with the microphone?" Jeremy asked.

"For those who don't know me, I'm your Vice-Chancellor Jean Louis Bonaparte!" He introduced as the red blazer wearing man took the mic from him.

"And I'm the new Headmaster of Slifer Red, Spencer Sojourner!" He announced. "And it makes me proud to know that two of these fine students are getting a chance to be promoted to Obelisk Blue!" He pointed to the two in question. "Going first will be Jethro Cartwright, and after him will be Chazz Princeton, who is a former Obelisk in his own right!"

"Finally Jethro's getting the chance to get to be an Obelisk!" Jaden cheered. "After what Banner said last year

"Yeah, but Chazz's having the chance as well?" Jeremy wondered. "I would've bet on Jaden... and lost..."

"But Jaden's one of the best duelists in Slifer, so why not give him a chance?" Syrus wondered.

"Because that wouldn't look good for this Academy's standards!"

The three Slifer boys and Obelisk girl saw the Headmaster of Obelisk come up to them.

"Dr. Crowler!"

"It's Chancellor Crowler, now!" He corrected Syrus, "There's a reason I chose Chazz, a brilliant one!"

"Somehow I doubt that..." Alexis muttered.

"What was that?" Crowler glared. "Do you have any idea who joined the freshman class? The dueling league all-star Aster Phoenix!"

"He enrolled here?" Alexis gasped. "But wouldn't that be a step backwards for someone of his skill?"

"But where is he?" Jeremy looked around in the audience. Despite some new faces among the crowd, he didn't see the Pro Duelist.

"That's just it!" Crowler chewed at his handkerchief. "For some reason he never showed up!" He then stopped his freak out. "So instead, I decided to make some stars out of the students here. And Chazz is the perfect candidate!"

"But where did Jethro come in?" Jaden asked.

"Your new Headmaster reviewed your cowboy friend's transcript and made sure he was added into the mix," Crowler replied with a scoff. But then he perked up as he said, "Oh well, at least I'll get another star out of the deal!"

"That's the most, selfish, egotistical thing I've ever heard!" Alexis shouted.

"Thank you!" The Chancellor grinned.

"Now let me introduce to you, Jethro's opponent!" Bonaparte announced. "He's one of our two top ranking freshman, Mr. Dorian Marston!"

The audience cheered as Dorian waved to the crowd.

"We should get a seat, it's about to start." Jaden suggested.

"But where?" Syrus looked around.

"Hey guys, over here!"

The four of them turned to see Claudio, Melody, Lily, Alex, Kenji and Bastion sitting in the front row, waving them over.

"Looks we found our spot, let's go." Alexis said as she and the Slifer's went over there to sit.

"Alright, it'll be an 8000-point match!" Spencer announced. "So turn on your duel disks and start!"

Dorian shut on his Academy issued duel disk, while Jethro had custom made duel disk. It was fashioned like a double barrel in which the barrels slid away from each other to reveal the duel tray between them. The deck holder was where the shooter would load the shells, and the shoulder rest twists around to make it flatter.

"Nice disk!" Dorian said.

"Thanks, my dad made it!" Jethro replied. "But I think we should stop with the formalities..."

"Right!"

Both players drew their opening five card hands.

"DUEL!"

Jethro: 8000

Dorian: 8000

"I'll start this duel!" Dorian announced, drawing his sixth card, "I summon Gatling Ogre!" Once he placed his monster on the field, a fiend in red coat appeared. The strange thing about him was that it had a mechanical arm that doubled as a bullet holder while the belt held a six-barrel shooter. (3/800/800) "Next, I'll send two cards facedown and activate Gatling Ogre's effect!"

"What's that?" Jethro wondered.

"By sending a facedown card of mine to the graveyard, I can deal 800 points of damage to ya, partner!" Dorian grinned. "I'll even throw in my other one to deal up to 1600 points this round!"

"Oh no..." Jethro muttered as Gatling Ogre loaded up his holder with bullets and places his hand on the crank.

"Fire!" Dorian commanded.

The ogre turned the crank launching the bullets at Jethro who blocked with his duel disk in the nick of time.

Jethro: 6400

Dorian: 8000

The audience gasped as the life point loss.

"Jethro's behind and it's the very first turn!" Jaden said.

"This looks very bad!" Syrus added.

"And to think, Dorian can keep doing that for the number of spells and traps in his deck!" Jeremy said.

"Looks like I caused quite a stir with my deck!" Dorian grinned, "And to let you in on a little secret, if I had the cards, I could OTK you in a heartbeat! But the luck of the draw wasn't on my side today. So I'll continue to show that my quick draw is better than yours! I set two more cards facedown and end my turn!"

"We'll see about that!" Jethro announced, drawing his next card. "Now let's have a showdown! Desperado Six Shooter, come on out!"

The monster wore a brown cowboy hat over his black hair and had a moustache. Along with the blue jeans, the wardrobe consisted of a red handkerchief around the neck, brown boots, white shirt and a brown vest over it. He loaded his Colt .45 gun and got it ready to fire. (4/1400/1200)

"Ah, the Desperadoes!" Dorian smiled, "A pleasure!"

"Thanks! Now see them in action!" Jethro replied as a white die appeared in the air. "Some of my Desperadoes require a dice roll for the attack! Whatever the number is, my monster gains 100 times the number rolled." The die rolled around the field until it came up three.

"Yes! Now my monster's attack points are increased by 300!"

The Desperado twirled his gun, feeling the urge to fire... (4/1400-1700/1200)

"Now fire!" Six-Shooter aimed at the Ogre, unleashing a flurry of bullets...

"Sorry!" Dorian interrupted, revealing his facedown card. "I activate Absolute End!"

The trap card shined as the gun shots passed by the Ogre and headed for Dorian who blocked with his duel disk.

Jethro: 6400

Dorian: 6300

"He turned it into a direct attack!" Claudio said.

"But why?" Melody asked.

"I think it's because of that Gatling Ogre's effect." Alex added.

"As you saw, Absolute End made your attack a direct one!" Dorian explained.

"Hmm, not sure what you're planning but I'll prepare with two face downs of my own!" Jethro declared, inserting the two cards into his disk. "It's all you!" He concluded as Six-Shooter's ATK went back to 1400.

"Thanks!" Dorian said as he drew his next card. "I'll sacrifice my Gatling Ogre to summon the Full Armor Ogre!"

Gatling Ogre vanished as another one took his place. This ogre was like the name suggested, fully protected in armor plates around his limbs, torso, arms and shoulders. It also wore an armored mask with two gun arms. (5/1600/1600) "Next, I'll play the equip spell Fighting Spirit, adding 300 more points for every monster you control!"

A spiral ring was about to set itself onto the ogre when...

"I activate one of my facedown cards, Disarming Shot," Jethro countered revealing his facedown card, "By discarding one of my cards in my hand, I can destroy that Equip Spell and deal 500 points of damage to you!"

Six-Shooter quickly fired a bullet at the ring, destroying it and grazing the Ogre's arm and Dorian's disk.

Jethro: 6400

Dorian: 5800

"Guess I'll just have to hit you the old fashioned way..." Dorian shrugged, "Full Armor Ogre, destroy Desperado Six-Shooter with Full Blaster!"

The ogre aimed its right gun arm at the Desperado and unloaded a shot into him, destroying him.

Jethro: 6200

Dorian: 5800

"And now since Full Armor Ogre destroys a monster in battle, he deals an extra 1000 points of damage to you, Jethro!"

Jethro watched as the ogre aimed its left arm this time and fired another shot.

"I activate Barrel behind the Door to send the effect damage back at you!" Jethro countered, revealing his other facedown card. A yellow barrel gun appeared and fired a shot negating the ogre's and continued on hitting Dorian's left side.

Jethro: 6200

Dorian: 4800

"Looks like you got me..." Dorian chuckled, despite the loss he took, "But I wouldn't get a big head about it!"

"Not at all!" Jethro returned.

"You know, when Jethro gets into Obelisk Blue, he'll actually have another friend to hang around." Kenji said.

"Yeah, we can clearly see he's getting along with a new student." Alexis nodded.

"Plus, they could make a great tag team!" Lily added. "Both of them have those Wild West theme decks."

"But let's get back to the duel," Dorian said, drawing his next card and activated it on the spot, "I activate my facedown card the Treasure of Buried Spells! I remove Fighting Spirit, Reload and Misfortune from my graveyard and it allows me to draw two cards!" The Obelisk removed the three named spells and pocketed them and drew two cards more from his deck. "I then place one card facedown and let you go."

Jethro drew his next card, and activated it as well. "I'll start by activating Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew twice as the grinning pot appeared. "Next up, it is Monster Reborn to bring back my Six-Shooter!" Another Spell Card flashed, bringing about the return of Six-Shooter to the field. (4/1400/1200)

"Then I activate Star Blast! It lets me pay any multiples of 500 to let a monster in my hand lose one level!" Jethro showed up one of his Spells, with a red aura draining his life points. "I pay 500 life points to make the Desperado Outlaw in my hand go from level 7 to level 6!

Jethro: 5700

Dorian: 4800

"Desperado Outlaw?" Syrus asked.

"Guess he got a new monster." Jeremy shrugged.

"Now let's see it in action as after Six-Shooter makes way for him!" Jethro announced as Six Shooter vanished to let the new Desperado out. He wore a black cowboy hat under his brown hair with a coat and pants to match, and a brown belt with gun holsters strapped to it. His face had a stubble and black handkerchief around his neck. The man let out a "Yeehaw!" as he waved his hat. (7-6/2300/1700)

"New one, eh?" Dorian asked.

"Yup, now see what he does!" Jethro grinned. "Outlaw, use Quickdraw Shot!"

Outlaw opened his coat and quickly drew his pistols and fired them shooting down the armored Ogre.

Jethro: 5700

Dorian: 4100

"Then, my Outlaw's effect activates as he makes a little withdrawal!" the Desperado Duelist smirked, "Half the damage you took comes to my life points!"

The remnants of the ogre turned into a moneybag, which the Outlaw took and gave to Jethro.

Jethro: 6050

Dorian: 4100

"Well, you also helped me!" Dorian countered, revealing his facedown card. "First, I activate Option Hunter! Since I lost my monster by battle, I get life points out of his ATK!" The trap card filled the Ogre user with life.

Jethro: 6050

Dorian: 5700

"Next, since my Full Armor Ogre went to the grave, Gatling Ogre comes right back!" In a flash, the first Ogre reappeared, reassembling his gear. (3/800/800) "You won't get rid of me, that easily!"

"I hope not!" Jethro replied as he set his final card facedown. "It's your move!"

"Here goes!" Dorian said, drawing his next card. "I first play the Equip Spell Double Arms to my Ogre!" Appearing from the sky, was another bullet holder attaching itself to the first. "Now with this card, I can deal twice the damage I normally would!" Everyone gasped as that realization.

"That's 1600 points of damage per card!" Bastion exclaimed. "My word..."

"I think this new kid is ready to stop playing around," Alex added, "If he this new guy said he can create an OTK out of those cards, I do not question that logic!"

"But my ammo's running low, like yours is now Jethro." Dorian admitted, playing the last card in his hand, "Let's reload with Card of Sanctity, letting us both draw until we have 6 cards!" The crowd started to get worried as both players drew their cards until they held the six required. "Now, let's load up! I place three cards facedown!"

Three reversed cards appeared at Dorian's feet.

"Here it comes!" Jaden shouted.

"Gatling Ogre, activate your effect! I'll send all three cards on my field!" Gatling Ogre loaded up his holder with even more bullets than before and places his hand on the crank.

"He's gonna deal 4800 points of damage!" Alexis gasped.

"Fire!" Dorian commanded. The ogre turned the crank launching the bullets at Jethro.

"I activate Half Shield to cut the damage in half this turn!" Jethro countered as a heart shaped shield appeared in front of him. It was hard steel on the left, but glass on the right. Once the bullets reached the shield, the steel half stopped some of it while the rest broke the glass half and hit Jethro dead on, leaving him kneeling.

Jethro: 3650

Dorian: 5700

"You saved yourself from a big fall," The Obelisk stated, as he played another "But it won't be for long! Since my Full Armor Ogre's in the graveyard, I can sacrifice my Gatling Ogre for my Big Cannon Ogre!" Gatling Ogre vanished once more letting out another one who was dressed as an old army uniform with some sort of cannon on its back. (7/2400/2400)

"Look at the size of that thing," Crowler shouted, freaking out.

"That slacker's gonna get it now!" Bonaparte grinned.

"Oh don't count out Mr. Cartwright yet, Vice Chancellor." Spencer stated, not feeling the least bit worried, "There's a reason he was nominated for promotion... he's not out yet."

"We'll see..."

"Now Big Cannon Ogre, destroy his Desperado!" Dorian Commanded as the Ogre lowered himself down and charged up his cannon and fired a massive blow to the Outlaw, obliterating him from the field. "And when this Ogre deals battle damage it doubles, but it's only 200... But every little bit helps!"

Jethro: 3450

Dorian: 5700

"I end with a facedown," Dorian concluded.

"My draw!" Jethro announced, drawing and having seven cards to his name. "First I'll play the Continuous Spell, Frontline Base! It lets me summon a low level union monster! Meet one of the spirits of the Desperadoes, Red-Tail!" Jethro brought out a brown-colored hawk that flew around, calling out and landed next to him. (1/300/500) "And that was special summoning! So get ready for another, and I'll play the Desperado Mustang!" Leaping from out of nowhere, a brown horse wearing a saddle appeared next to the Red-Tailed Hawk. (3/800/300)

"Now I know what you're thinking... 'What's with the horse?'" Jethro stated, as he played another Spell. "But Monster Gate will change that as I sacrifice it!" The horse vanished into a wide gate onto the ground. "Now I'll pick up the top card of my deck and keep going through them until I reach a monster that can be normal summoned. So let's see if Lady Luck's with me!" Jethro picked up Wild West City, Polymerization and sent them to the grave. But the third one was a monster.

"Alright a monster! And it can be normal summoned, but because of Monster Gate, I can special summon it so say howdy, to my Desperado Stranger!" He declared as the gate launched another Desperado onto the field. He wore an outfit consisting of brown vest over a white shirt with a brown sash around his neck. He had dark blue jeans with a gun holster on his belt and a brown cowboy hat. In his bearded mouth was toothpick lazing out. (7/2650/2150)

"Another new guy, let's see what he can do!" Dorian wondered with a challenging grin.

"I will, but not until I activate my Red-Tail's union effect!" Jethro stated as the hawk flew on top of the Stranger's shoulder. "Once equipped with a Desperado monster, he gains 300 ATK!" The Desperado stared down the Ogre across from him. (7/2650-2950/2150) "And for the final piece, the Bowie Knife!" He stated, activating his Equip Spell. Appearing in Stranger's hands was a large knife, bigger than anyone has ever seen.

"That knife is huge!" Crowler shrieked.

"At least we're up here!" Bonaparte was even shocked at the size.

"I told you, Jethro's a man on mission to step up." Spencer smiled. "He won't be a Slifer for long! And that saddens me, but we do want the kids to grow as duelists and people..."

"Now the Bowie Knife affords the Desperado Warriors an extra effect." Jethro stated. "When they destroy a monster in battle, half of that monster's DEF come out of your score!"

"Uh oh..." Dorian muttered.

"Now I'll have him attack your Big Cannon Ogre with Bowie Knife Throw!" Stranger took his knife and launched it at the Ogre's Cannon, making it explode and destroying the Ogre with it. Dorian had to shield himself from the resulting shockwaves.

Jethro: 3450

Dorian: 5150

"And now, half of that monster points are dealt to you as damage! Plus Desperado Red Tail's effect caused you to lose 300 more points and a card from your hand!"

"That means he lost 1500 points!" Lily calculated.

Dorian then dodged a gun shot from the Desperado and a strike from the Red-Tail, yet he lost a card.

Jethro: 3450

Dorian: 3650

"I still got a shot!" Dorian declared, "Since Big Cannon Ogre was destroyed, I get Full Armor Ogre from the grave!" The armored ogre returned, blocking with his gun arms. (5/1600/1600)

"And I'll end my turn with a facedown!" Jethro declared, inserting another spell card.

"My move," Dorian declared, drawing his next card, "I play another Treasure of the Buried Spells removing Pot of Avarice, Double Arms and Double Summon to draw two cards!" The Obelisk drew his two cards after pocketing his three Spells from his grave. "Now, I play Fiend's Sanctuary to summon a Metal Fiend token!" A small monster made out of sliver marbles appeared. (1/0/0)

"Next, since Gatling Ogre is in my graveyard, I can sacrifice my two monsters to summon the great Longbarrel Ogre in attack mode!"

The ogre and token vanished as another ogre appeared. This one was wearing some other old cowboy uniform. But this one carried a giant sniper rifle on his shoulder. (7/0/3000)

"Look at the size of that gun!" Jethro gasped.

"And with it come a great special ability, I can destroy a monster on your side of the field with the highest and deal half of its ATK as damage to you!" Dorian explained. "Or, I can equip another Double Arms to it and make your entire ATK!"

Another giant sniper rifle appeared on the ogre's shoulder, and surprisingly he was holding it up!

"For a short guy, he can carry a lot of weight..." Jaden quipped.

"Now let's fire!"

Using one of the sniper rifles, the ogre fired a giant bullet at the Desperado. But he didn't count on red-tail taking the fall as it bravely took the shot. (7/2950-2650/2150)

"Since my monster was equipped with a union monster, he can't be destroyed." Jethro said.

"But he can't do it again, like how my Longbarrel Ogre can use his effect again!" Dorian smirked, wagging his finger.

"He can!" Jethro gasped.

Dorian nodded as the ogre used its other sniper rifle and destroyed the Desperado and exploded in front of Jethro.

Jethro: 800

Dorian: 3650

"Sorry that you can't join the Obelisks, but here it comes my final card," Dorian stated as he played another card, "I activate Shield Attack! By flipping the ATK and DEF of my monster around, your Life Points will reach 0!" Everyone gasped as the Ogre felt a surge of power coursing through it, making him even stronger. (7/0-3000/3000-0) "Fire!"

The Ogre fired both rifles, unleashing two more bullets that headed straight for the rising Slifer...

"No you don't," Jethro announced, revealing his facedown card, "I activate the Trap, Magic Cylinder to transfer the damage to you!" The mystic cylinders appeared transferring the bullets into one and out the other and shot down in front of Dorian's feet.

Jethro: 800

Dorian: 650

"Shoot!" Dorian exclaimed, snapping his fingers, "All these bullets and not one can keep you down!"

"Sorry to say, I'm one not to give up easily," Jethro shrugged.

"Then let's see, it's your last move!" the Ogre Duelist stated, signaling the end of his turn.

"I'll make it count!" Jethro announced, drawing his next card. "Yes! I summon the Desperado Sharpshooter!"

A new Desperado showed up to the field. Along with his blue jeans, white shirt and leather vest, he wore a white cowboy hat under his black hair, handkerchief and brown boots. He had a short moustache over his lip and a Colt Revolving Rifle in his hands. (3/1200/900)

"Hate to burst your bubble, partner, but he doesn't even come close to the Longbarrel Ogre's ATK after I got don with him." Dorian pointed out.

"Well, hold your horses until I play the final card, the Equip Spell Winchester Rifle," Jethro replied, playing another Spell. "It gives my Sharpshooter 700 more ATK!"

The sharpshooter's original rifle was replaced by a Winchester model. (3/1200-1900/900)

"Now for the final touch, Sharpshooter can cut his original attack points in half and deal a direct attack!" Jethro grinned as Dorian gasped. "Sharpshooter, take that rifle and show him why it's the Gun that Won the West! Yeehaw!"

The sharpshooter loaded up the gun and took aim at Dorian... (3/1200-600-1300/900)

*BAM!*

One shot went past the ogre and grazed Dorian's duel disk, ending the game.

Jethro: 800, Winner

Dorian: 0

The crowd cheered as the holograms turned off.

"The winner, Jethro Cartwright!" Spencer announced.

That's when Crowler stole the mic and added, "And he now advances to Obelisk Blue, welcome!"

Dorian and Jethro walked up to each other and shook hands.

"I don't have much to say other than welcome to Obelisk Blue!" Dorian congratulated.

"Thank you kindly!" Jethro replied. "Heck, I could've been an Obelisk if I didn't transfer midway through last year!"

"Then think of it as a gift of patience!" The Obelisk replied, with a smile. "Come on, they said I had to get you outfitted for a blazer if I lost."

"Lead the way!" Jethro said as he followed his now fellow Obelisk.

"Finally, he made it!" Claudio said.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." Kenji said.

"I'll say!"

Both him and the rest of their group turned to see some familiar faces and a new one.

"Alister, Erika, you made it!" Melody greeted.

"Hey everybody!" Alister said.

"Hi guys, we just got here in time to see Jethro win his promotion duel." Erika added. "I guess Alister we'll be seeing him."

"I figured you two would be Obelisks!" Jaden said.

"Well it'll great seeing around the dorms, Erika." Alexis added. She then noticed another Obelisk girl with them, but staring at a certain brunette Slifer. "Oh and you are..."

"Hmm..." That comment broke her out of the stare. "Oh, excuse me! My name's Allyson, I'm new here..."

"Nice to meet you!" Melody greeted.

"Glad that I see another set of friendly faces." The new Obelisk girl replied. "I saw this one girl in black clothing, couldn't get a word out of her."

"Oh... you mean Lyra?" Claudio asked. "Yeah, me and Mel tried to talk with her but you couldn't get a word out of her."

"Same here." Alex said. "But she's probably not used to friendly faces or something..."

"All right, time for the next duel!" Bonaparte announced. "Will our next two participants come forward?"

Chazz walked up to the arena next and across from him was a spiky brown haired Obelisk kid. When they met, they exchanged decks and shuffled them.

"Chazz Princeton!" The young Obelisk exclaimed, "It's an honor to duel with you!"

"You're that happy about the thought of being crushed by me?" Chazz smirked as both players returned each other's decks. "I'll teach you your place when you mess with the Chazz!"

"Alright, it's now Chazz's turn to see if he goes back to the Blue Dorm!" Bonaparte said as the two boys returned their decks and walked back to their sides. "Now, his opponent... our other top ranking freshman, Reginald Van Howell III!"

The crowd cheered again as the Obelisk raised his arm.

"Okay, the new student will make the first move!" The small Vice-Chancellor stated as he left the dueling platform.

"You were the strongest in your prep school last year!" Reggie said as he pointed to black coat Slifer. "There's something wrong with this school if they put you down at Slifer Red!"

"I wasn't sent there," Chazz replied nonchalantly. Everyone that knew Chazz from the previous year looked at him like he grew a second head. They also sweatdropped when he continued with, "Jaden refused to come up to my level, so I went to Slifer Red with the intention of conquering both Slifer and Obelisk!"

Claudio scoffed, "Who's he kidding? That's like saying he doesn't need to duel to go back to Obelisk."

"That's weird coming from him," Syrus agreed.

Soon both players activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Chazz: 8000

Reggie: 8000

"Me first!" Reggie announced, drawing his sixth card. "I start with my Marauding Captain!" In a flash, a soldier with sandy blonde hair wearing silver armor and a cape. In his hands were two silver blades. (3/1200/400) "And when this monster's summoned to the field, I can summon another monster up to Level 4 from my hand!" He pulled out another warrior monster card from his hand and played it. "Meet Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!" Next, a beautiful brunette woman wearing a brown hat and tattered cape over a green halter top, skirt and boots appeared, drawing her sword. (4/1100/1200)

"All the minor monsters in the world won't help you here," Chazz stated, unimpressed at his opponent's play.

"But I'm not done yet!" Reggie stated as he took another card from his hand, "I hook up Marauding Captain with Jeweled Sword!" A sword with a diamond hilt replaced one of the swords in the captain's hands. (3/1200-1500/400) "Then, I give my Warrior Lady the Divine Sword – Phoenix Blade!" With another card played, another sword with a phoenix-crafted hilt appeared in Warrior Lady's hands. (4/1100-1400/1200)

"Not bad!" Syrus said.

"This Reggie kid's making sure Chazz doesn't one up him." Jaden added.

"I throw this card facedown and call it a turn!" Reggie concluded, inserting a reversed card into his disk, "Now you're up! I'm anxious to see what you can do now! I've always admired you back in prep school! Your careful card selection, your battle tactics, your proud way of conducting yourself is what drove me to become the best! I want you to show me that ultimate duel!"

' _That arrogance of the elite,'_ Chazz thought as he took in everything his opponent said, _'You could have been me a year ago. But can you arrive at the same level as I have now?'_ He then drew his sixth card and announced, "I won't hold back! I summon X-Head Cannon!" A blue machine with a spike ball lower region and two cannon barrels on its shoulders appeared. (4/1800/1500) "Then, I'll add Graceful Charity to the mix! I draw three cards, and then get rid of two!" He drew out his three cards, and then fanned out two of them. "And one of the two cards I'll discard is Ojamagic!"

"Say what!?" Reggie bugged out, "Ojamagic!?"

Chazz discarded and collected three cards from the deck, "When Ojamagic is sent to the graveyardd, it adds Ojamas Yellow, Black and Green from my hand!"

 _"Where the Party at!?"_ The three normal Ojamas shouted in spirit form.

"Can I attack first, boss?" Yellow asked floating up to his partner who growled at him.

"I don't get it?" The Obelisk asked, confused. "Why play with those weak cards!?" Chazz answered by turning over a spell card showing Ojama Yellow, Black and Green riding in machines. "Ojama Get Ride!?"

"I'm guessing you know what it's does right?" Chazz grinned, "I get to summon 3 Machine Union monsters in defense mode... after discarding these freaks!"

 _"Say it ain't so!"_ The Ojamas cried.

But Chazz discarded them anyway as he collected three more cards from his deck. If you could see Monster Spirits, you could also see the Ojamas being sucked into the graveyard by a vacuum force.

"With Ojama Get Ride, I'll summon Y-Dragon Head, Z-Metal Tank and W-Wing Catapult!" Chazz announced, placing all three monsters horizontally on his disk.

The first machine was a red metallic dragon. (4/1500/1600)

The second was a yellow tank that looked more like some kind of cruiser. (4/1500/1300)

The last was a blue jet platform appeared. (4/1300/1500)

"Now I combine X, Y and Z to form the XYZ Dragon Cannon!" Chazz announced as three of the new monsters flew up and began to lock on to one another, with X taking the top, Y in the middle and Z on the bottom. (8/2800/2600)

"This is bad!" Reggie shouted, taking a step back.

"I agree," Chazz said as he discarded two more Spell Cards from his hand. "Now I activate XYZ – Dragon Cannon's effect! By discarding two of my cards, I can destroy your monsters to the graveyard!" The machine loaded up its cannons and fired them at the two warriors, taking them down into pixels.

"Well, thanks to Jeweled Sword being destroyed, I draw one card!" The Obelisk stated as he drew a card.

"Now, XYZ Dragon Cannon attack directly!" Reggie braced himself as the massive fusion monster launched another cannon blast in front of him.

Chazz: 8000

Reggie: 5200

"Still think you have a shot being the best?" The Slifer taunted. "That ends my turn!"

"This Mr. Princeton is doing well," Bonaparte smirked. "I figured he wouldn't be able to rise to the challenge."

"You sound surprised, dear Bonaparte," Crowler remarked with smirk. "Remember, I chose him to lead our school to fame for a reason."

"To get you more publicity..." Spencer interjected, "We're supposed be help out our kids, not have personal gains."

"Who asked you!?" The new Chancellor snapped.

"Chazz is taking it to the new guy!" Claudio smiled.

"When he stops being annoying, he can actually duel." Alex added.

"I hear ya!" Melody giggled.

"Here I come, Chazz!" Reggie said as he drew his next card. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew two more cards after the grinning pot made its appearance. He grinned himself as he played another card. "Then I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Swords of Concealing Light!"

"Concealing Light!?" Chazz gasped.

"That's right!" the freshman Obelisk said, "I play this and all of your monsters are switched to facedown Defense Position! And all your monsters can't switch modes until the end my 2nd turn!"

Everyone watched as three pitch-black swords, with the hilts made of out of skulls, came down and stabbed both machines. Both monsters flashed until they were replaced with Set Monster cards with the swords pinning them down.

"Good, but it's not going to be easy taking down Chazz's Dragon Cannon," Alexis noted, "With 2600 DEF, Reggie will need a bunch of Equip Cards onto his low-level monsters to even make a mark on it."

"Plus, within those in two turns, Chazz may get something to stop him from doing so," Erika added, "After all, Swords of Concealing Light can't stop him from attacking like the Swords of Revealing Light."

"Time to go to work," Reggie announced, playing another card, "I'll summon another Marauding Captain!" And just as he said, another Captain appeared. (3/1200/400) "And with his effect, I can summon Mystic Swordsman LV 4!" This time, a swordsman appeared wearing a white and purple cloak. He wielded a double bladed sword. (4/1900/1600)

"You know neither of those warriors can touch my Dragon Cannon!" Chazz stated, "Even in defense mode!"

"Let's test that then shall we?" Reggie smirked. "Mystic Swordsman, attack his facedown cannon!"

Chazz was in shock when the swordsman ran up to the card and cut it half, not even revealing the monster! "That's not possible!"

"Oh it is! My Swordsman can destroy all facedown monsters without breaking a sweat!" The freshman cheered.

"I hope Chazz has a plan this time," Kenji wondered. "He won't be able to get his second monster out with the Swords still pinning him down."

"But what?" Alexis wondered. "He lost a major monster and he can't bring it back that easily."

"Depends on what else Chazz put into that deck of his..." Lily added.

"I end my turn, Chazz," Reggie concluded. "Now show me what else you got!"

"You asked for it!" Chazz shouted as he drew his next card. He then placed on the duel tray, "Ojama Blue, get out here!"

A blue colored monster with a very slim body wearing bikini briefs appeared. Its flat face carried a sort of laid-back expression, but it looks it could still cause trouble without a moment's glance. (2/0/1000)

 _"Looks like I'm defending... again..."_ He replied.

"I end my turn," Chazz said, ignoring his spirit monster.

"Another Ojama?" Reggie shouted in disappointment as he drew his card, "Why are you playing with these weak monsters!? Unlike my next monster the Command Knight!" Once he played his next card, another warrior, this time his second female, appeared clad in red armor. She drew her sword, poised at Ojama Blue. (4/1200/1900) "And she gives all warrior monsters 400 ATK points and she's immune to battle if another monsters out." Command Knight covered all the warriors in a red aura as she let out a battle cry (4/1200-1600/1900), (3/1200-1600/400), (4/1900-2300/1600) "Now I won't have to use my Mystic Swordsman's effect to destroy your facedown Catapult! I'll have Marauding Captain to take care of him!"

On Reggie's command, Marauding Captain rushed the field and chopped down the machine as soon as it was revealed.

"Now, Command Knight, take out his Blue weirdo!"

 _"Why me!?"_ Ojama Blue screamed as he got chopped down to size.

"I activate Ojama Blue's effect, letting me take any two Ojama cards from my deck!" Chazz announced as he took two cards from his deck, revealing them to his opponent, "I pick Ojamadala and Ojama Country!"

"More lame Ojama cards?" the warrior duelist frowned before signaling his last monster to move, "Mystic Swordsman, show him how a real monster attacks!"

The white cloaked swordsman spun his double blade and cut Chazz down the middle, making him cry out.

Chazz: 5700

Reggie: 5200

"He got nailed..." Alister muttered.

"Big time..." Erika added.

"What do you think he has to combat those Warriors?" Allyson wondered.

"You're up again!" Reggie declared, but this time he kept the frown. Swords of Concealing Light had vanished by then.

Chazz chuckled as he drew his next card, "This is where I take control! I play Ojamadala! I pay 1000 life points to bring back Ojama Yellow, Black and Green to the field! Say hi Reggie!" A red aura surrounded the Slifer, translating the payment.

Chazz: 4700

Reggie: 5200

 _"It's good to be back folks!"_ The brothers cheered as they appeared in a flash of light, and sat on the field. (2/0/1000) x3

"These three misfits may not look like much... but they're about to take you down!"

"With what!?" Reggie demanded, "They all have 0 ATK!"

"Relax, you'll see..." Chazz smirked, making the freshman growl again.

"You're bluffing! There's no way those freaks without ATK or effects can beat my monsters!"

"Let's see what my card says... Ojama Delta Hurricane! When each of these goofballs is on the field, I can destroy every card on the field!"

"No way!"

The spell image appeared behind the brothers as Chazz said, "Rough 'em him up, boys!"

"Sure boss!" They said as the leapt into action.

"Let's shake..." Yellow started.

"...rattle..." Black followed.

"...and roll!" Green added.

"OJAMA STYLE!" They finished as they combine their bikini clad rears and then started to spin rapidly in a triple colored hurricane as they surrounded Reggie's warriors and within seconds, a loud boom was heard, and the three monsters had vanished into a thick cloud of smoke.

"Now what do you have to say about that?" Chazz smirked.

"That revenge is dish best served cold!" Reggie replied.

"Huh?" That's when it hit Chazz, when the smoke cleared, only Ojama Yellow and Green came back! "What the-?"

 _"Hey! What happened to Black!?"_ Yellow shouted, frantically looking around the arena.

 _"You think we left him back in the hurricane?"_ Green wondered, scratching his head.

"When you activated your Hurricane, I activate Blast with Chain!" Reggie explained, fishing out the named Trap card from his discard slot, "It equipped onto one of my warriors."

"But it doesn't explain how Ojama Black got destroyed!" Chazz stated.

"Simple, when Blast with Chain's destroyed, one card on your field is as well!"

"So he took Ojama Black down..." Spencer said. "Not bad..."

"You see how those monsters can't help you?" Reggie said, "You should keep more monsters like those V-Z series cards you had earlier!"

"Let me show you they can help, I play Polymerization!" Chazz announced, playing the signature fusion Spell card into his disk.

"But how? He doesn't have enough monsters to summon Ojama King!" Jaden said.

"Yeah, what's up?" Jeremy added.

"I fuse Ojama Yellow and Green to form Ojama Knight in attack mode!" Chazz announced.

"Ojama Knight!?" Some of the spectators and Reggie exclaimed as the two Ojamas were sucked into the fusion vortex.

They got their answer as a new Ojama emerged. It was a bigger version of Ojama Yellow, wearing sliver armor and wielding a blue targe shield and a yellow sword. And like all the Ojamas, he wore a pair of red bikini briefs over the armor.

 _"I am ready to serve you, my liege!"_ The Knight said in a British accent, voice sounding like Ojama Yellow's as he raised his sword. (5/0/2500)

"Next, when this monster's out on the field, two of your monster zones are occupied!" Chazz explained.

Reggie jumped when two puffs of smoke erupted near his feet. From them, two more Ojamas appeared on his field. Except they were wearing old versions of Ojama Yellow and Green sitting in ceremonial robes, drinking tea.

"Who are these weirdoes?" Reggie asked.

 _"Weirdoes?" The old green Ojama grandfather asked. "Looked in a mirror lately..."_

 _"Kids today, no respect for their elders..." The old yellow Ojama grandmother added._

"They're the Ojama's grandparents, and they're the markers that take up your spots!" Chazz informed the Obelisk.

"Doesn't matter, your knight doesn't have any attack points either!" Reggie protested.

"Not yet..." Chazz opened his Field Spell slot on his disk and placed a card inside. "I activate the Ojama Country Field Spell!"

The arena was now transported to a small village. The houses were shaped like Ojama Yellow's head, among a hill. And it was really small as Chazz, Reggie, even Ojama Knight and the audiences were giants among the field!

"Now they have a field spell!?" the Obelisk gasped.

"That's right, and with an Ojama on the field, all monsters' original ATK and DEF are swapped!" Chazz stated as Ojama Knight started to glow golden.

 _"Now I feel fit to fight!"_ Ojama's Knight's voice got deeper and more heroic as he felt more powerful. (5/0-2500/2500-0)

"Now attack Reggie directly!" Chazz commanded.

 _"For the Ojama Country!"_ The knight shouted and charged. He drew his sword and smacked Reggie with the flat end, knocking him down.

Chazz: 4700

Reggie: 2700

 _"This is a great dinner theater!"_ The Yellow Grandmother exclaimed.

" _Do you think they're in town next year?"_ The Green Grandfather asked.

"I place my last card facedown." Chazz declared, signaling the end of his turn.

Once Reggie stood up from his attacked, he let out a frustrated yell, "I can't believe you! You're not the same Chazz I've looked up to! When did you start using all of those lame cards!?

"It's your turn, Reggie," Chazz stated.

Reggie growled as he drew his next card and immediately played it, "And I'll show you how by playing this monster card facedown! I end my turn!"

"That's it?" Chazz scoffed as he drew his next card. Without even looking at it, he just pointed to his opponent's facedown monster, "Ojama Knight, take him out!"

 _"At once my lord!"_ The knight went into action and struck his sword at the facedown monster.

*CLANK!*

But it ended up crossing swords with an elf swordsman wearing green and brown armor who blocked the knight's attack. (4/1400-1200/1200-1400)

"Sorry, but my Obnoxious Celtic Guard can't be destroyed by a monster with 1900 ATK or more!" Reggie smirked.

"Fine, just go!" Chazz said, miffed at his move being a failure.

"Be happy to!" Reggie said as he drew his next card. "First, I play the Spell Akashic Record drawing two cards extra." He drew two more cards from his deck and checked them. "And I haven't used these before, so I'll boost my Guardian with a Grade Sword, giving him some points!"

The elf's sword was replaced by a silver sword. (4/1200-1500/1400)

"You only gave him 300 points!" Chazz stated. "You can't defeat my Knight!"

"That's why I plan to sacrifice him since Grade Sword made my monster count as two summonings for a Warrior-Type monster!" Reggie stated as the Celtic Guard disappeared. "Now meet my ultimate monster, Gilford the Legend!" Appearing now was a masked, red-headed swordsman decked out in silver armor, red cape and three swords, one of which he held. (8/2600-2000/2000-2600)

"Still not enough!"

"Oh, it gets better! Since Gilford was Normal Summoned, I get access to every Equip Spell card in my graveyard and give it to him!"

Chazz gasped as Reggie announced the transformation of Gilford's blade.

"First, Divine Sword-Phoenix Blade!"

Gilford's sword transformed into the phoenix hilted blade. (8/2000-2300/2600)

"Next, Jeweled Sword!"

It then changed into the diamond sword. (8/2300-2600/2600)

"Finally, the Grade Sword!"

The sword then changed into a silver sword. (8/2600-2900/2600)

Reggie then discarded another card and activated yet another Equip Spell. "Now, I'll discard one card in my hand to activate the Wicked-Breaking Flamberge-Baou, adding 500 more points and negates any destroyed monster's effect!"

Finally, the sword transformed into a dark sword with black edged as and a sinister aura around it. (8/2900-3400/2600)

"That sword needs its own zip code!" Syrus cringed, seeing the sword's massive size.

"Destroy that fake knight!" Reggie commanded as Gilford raised his giant sword and brought it down the yellow knight and made the grandparents disappeared in two puffs of smoke.

Chazz: 3600

Reggie: 2700

"And without your Ojama, the original ATK and DEF return to normal!" Reggie added as Gilford's stats changed. (8/3400-4000/2600-2000) "Your turn!"

"Chazz's needs a miracle draw right about now..." Alister stated.

"Yeah, but what in his deck should help him?" Erika wondered.

Chazz drew his next card, revealing it to his opponent before playing it, "First, I play Card of Demise letting me draw until I have five cards, but I have to get rid of my hand in my fifth standby phase!" He drew out his desired hand and then revealed his facedown card. "Then, I activate my facedown card Backup Soldier! When I have at least five monsters in my graveyard, I can return three of my normal monsters in there to my hand as long as their ATK are 1500 or less!"

"Let me guess, the three Original Ojamas?" Reggie frowned.

"How'd you guess," Chazz mocked gasped as he collected the three Ojama brothers once more from his graveyard.

"Maybe because you built the majority of your deck around those Ojama freaks!" the Obelisk replied angrily.

"I'll show you what these freaks can do, I play Ojama Red in defense mode!" Chazz announced, playing a different card.

The next Ojama was a small red monster, with a slightly chubby body, the same bikini briefs, but it stood out more with a yellow handkerchief around its neck and onion shaped head. He had an angry look to him. (2/0-1000/1000-0)

 _"Yes! I have returned!"_ Ojama Red shouted as Gilford's stats flipped over once more. (8/4000-3400/2000-2600)

"And since he's summoned, I can summon up to four Ojama monsters, but I only have three in my hand!" Chazz stated as he held up his three Ojamas before placing them back on the field.

 _"It's good to be back folks!"_ They shouted. (2/0-1000/1000-0) x3

 _"I've been waiting on you three!" Red said to them. "Ready to kick some butt!"_

 _"Just point us in the direction!" Green replied._

 _"And we won't lose!" Black said._

 _"Cause the boss has got our back!" Yellow finished. "So what do we do now, boss?"_

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." Chazz announced, ignoring the Ojama's face-faulting.

"Nothing good?" Reggie grinned as he drew his next card. But then pointed to Gilford, "More for fun for me, attack Yellow and end this!"

"Oh no!" Yellow cried as the sword was raised in his direction...

"Quit your whining," Chazz scoffed as he revealed his facedown card, "I activate the Trap Card, Justi-Break! It has the ability of destroying all monsters on the Field, but leaving all the Normal Monsters in attack mode!"

 _"That's great!"_ Yellow, Black and Green cheered.

 _"That's not great!"_ Red shouted in horror. _"I'm an effect monster!"_ Lightning emitted from Chazz's trap blocking Gilford's attempt at striking the yellow Ojama and destroyed. But unfortunately, Ojama Red was also caught in the crossfire _. "Oh the horror!"_ He cried as he shattered as well.

"It's like Chazz doesn't care about his monsters." Allyson stated, having a sour look at Chazz.

"Trust me," Jaden assured her. "He likes them more than you think..."

"Like a love-hate relationship." Kenji added.

"The strongest monster in my deck," Reggie muttered, but he quickly shook it off as he drew a new card. "I activate Jeweled Sword's effect to draw one card!" He then placed a Set monster on the field. "Then, I place a monster in defense mode!"

"You're defending?" Chazz wondered as he drew his next card, "I can do better; I set two cards facedown and switch my Ojamas to defense mode to end my turn." He said as all the Ojamas took a knee with two reversed cards behind him.

Reggie drew his next card for his turn. "First, I flip over my facedown monster! I call Armed Samurai-Ben Kei!" A samurai in a white hood and green tunic appeared carry various weapons on his back. He looked like he was in a very tough battle as arrows were in his limbs, yet still able to fight. (4/500-800/800-500)

"Next, I'll remove two warriors from my graveyard to bring back my Divine Sword-Phoenix Blade!" Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, Marauding Captain, and Divine Sword was ejected from the discard slot, letting Reggie pocket the warriors and having the sword returned to his hand. He then fanned out three Spell Cards, one of them being the Divine Sword. "Now I'll take Lighting Blade, Fusion Sword Murasame Blade and Divine Sword to hook him up!"

The samurai's initial weapons were replaced by the Phoenix Blade on his back and then two other swords brimming with electricity and a more mystic blade. (4/800-2700/500)

"2700!" The Ojamas cried out.

"Now destroy that Yellow pipsqueak!" Reggie shouted as Yellow cried out when Ben-Kei struck him with the Lightning Blade. "And don't think I'm done; my warrior now gets another attack for every card he's equipped with!"

"That means three more attacks!" Jaden gasped.

"But there're only two monsters left!" Allyson pointed out.

"One!"

Black was cut down by the Murasame Blade...

"Two!"

Green was hit by the Lightning Blade. And as Ben Kei closed in on Chazz, the samurai gotten weaker due to the lack of Ojamas on the field. (4/2700-2400/500-800) Also, Chazz briefly looked to his facedown card.

 _'I could block his direct attack with my trap, but I'd lose an Ojama...'_ He thought. _'Oh well... no pain, no gain!'_

"Three!"

Ben Kei's swords hit home, sending Chazz staggering back.

Chazz: 1200

Reggie: 2700

"Now that's how you duel with power" Reggie declared. "You can't use garbage cards that are unable to protect you properly!"

"You haven't seen anything yet," The Slifer groaned as he finally revealed his facedown card, "I'll activate the Trap Card, Ojama Delta Wear!"

"What!?"

"Since Ojama Yellow, Black and Green were destroyed in battle in the same turn, I can bring them back!" Chazz explained as the Ojama Trio rose from the grave, yet again...

 _"I think you missed us!"_ They said. (2/0-1000/1000-0) x3, (4/2400-2700/800-500) Then they started crying tears of joy.

 _"I think I'm tearing up..." Black said._

 _"He likes us, he really likes us!" Green added._

 _"Oh happy day!" Yellow rejoiced._

"You keep bringing those freaks back!" The Obelisk complained. "Now I see why you belong in Slifer! I guess that the Academy made the right call! You're an underachiever like the rest of them!"

"'Underachiever', eh?" Chazz replied.

"I've heard all about the Slifer Red dorm," Reggie grinned. "The building's in ruins, the food's terrible. The rooms are tiny, and if it weren't for the new headmaster, the rumors said your dorm leader would have been a cat!"

"Pharaoh as a Dorm Leader!?" Jaden, Syrus, and Jeremy gasped.

"Not only that, but the duelists are small-time!" Reggie shouted, finishing his rant.

Spencer sighed, "So, it's like that... I guess nothing changed in three years... Well, the people of Obelisk Blue towards those of lower standards..."

"That's true," Chazz replied to Reggie's outbursts. "Slifer Red is horrible and the duelists are all small-time. But I've learned from them that there's a layer below 'bottom of the barrel'!" Syrus and Jeremy really took offense to that, causing Jaden and Alexis to try and pull them back from mauling the black coat duelist. "However..." The anger stopped at Chazz's next words, "Going down to their level showed me things that you can't see from the heights of the elite." He then drew his next card. "I activate another Polymerization! I merge the three Ojamas to form Ojama King!"

The three original Ojamas grabbed hold of one another and flew into the air, spinning faster and faster until finally, all three of disappeared and in their place, the very large, and overweight royal Ojama appeared on Chazz's field, his cape fluttering behind him while his bikini briefs stuck to both forehead and lower areas.

 _"Bow down to the king!"_ He praised as he held up two peace signs. (6/0-3000/3000-0)

Reggie gulped. "At least I'll have next turn to show you up!"

"If you had it, but you don't!" Chazz interrupted, activating another card. "I activate Re-Fusion! By paying 800 points, I can summon a Fusion Monster from my graveyard and Equip with this card! Guess who?" The red aura surrounded Chazz to make his Life Point payment.

Chazz: 400

Reggie: 2700

In a flash, Ojama Knight returned and raised his sword. (5/0-2500/2500-0)

"That means..." Reggie muttered seeing the two Ojama fusions tower over him and Ben Kei.

"You lose!" Chazz smirked, "Welcome to Duel Academy... freshman!"

 _"Belly flop!"_ Ojama King jumped high into the air and flew over the samurai. Then, he fell from the sky like a rock and landed on top of the warrior.

Chazz: 400

Reggie: 2400

"Now end this!" Chazz told the knight.

 _"At once my lord!"_ The knight drew his sword and slashed down the Obelisk, sending him to his knees.

Chazz: 400, Winner

Reggie: 0

"Looks like slumming it with the Slifer's hasn't hurt my game! Maybe next time, you'd stop judging people by their rank." Chazz stated. "Because an Obelisk Blue, who's supposed to be the best of the best, just got schooled by Slifer Red!"

The Slifers were staring at him at awe, including the audience.

"Face it, no matter what color we wear, you'll be the same loser! And I'll always be the Chazz!"

"CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!" The crowd cheered, even Jaden and the gang joined in. Spencer was amused at the cheer while Bonaparte was covering his ears as Crowler joined in the cheer.

"The Chazz has spoken!"

It was then Jaden jumped out of the crowd and gave him a friendly hug.

"Way to win one for the reds!" He exclaimed. "I always knew you were one of us!"

"Get off me!" Chazz protested. "I never said that!"

Soon, the entire Slifer student body gathered around Chazz in a mosh pit and threw him in the air despite his demands to stop. It was then Crowler picked up a microphone and spoke up.

"There seems to be a change of plans!" He announced. "Chazz Princeton shall remain in Slifer Red! So Jethro Cartwright will be the only one promoted to Obelisk Blue!"

Chazz eyes bugged out at the announcement, "But..."

"No need to thank me Chazz, I'm just doing my job." Crowler interrupted.

"At this rate, it won't be for very longer..." Bonaparte grumbled.

Later that afternoon, Syrus was walking by a room until he heard someone talking behind it...

"But this we'll make a better story for the press..." It was Crowler. "'Country cowboy defeats another cowboy in a duel showdown and becomes top Obelisk!"

"Forget about the press!" Another voice came about. And it was Bonaparte's, "If you want the school to rise, we need to cut the Slifers from the island!"

"You were serious!?" Crowler asked.

"I don't kid, Crowler! It's high time to bid the Slifers, adieu!"

"Tear down the Slifer Dorm!" Syrus freaked out and ran back to his dorm...

"WHAT!?" Jaden shouted, as his roommate got finished telling him what he heard the Chancellors talk about. "TEAR DOWN THE SLIFER DORM!"

"It's true!" Syrus replied. "I thought with Professor Sojourner here, they wouldn't do anything like that!"

"You gotta be kidding me!" Jeremy said. "We better tell the headmaster about this..."

Suddenly, the whole room started shaking!

"Oh no, it's happening now!" Jaden freaked.

"I can't believe they're doing this!" Syrus added.

"Let's get out of here!" Jeremy suggested as the three Slifers left the dorm.

But once they ran outside safely to the ground, all they saw was a construction crew... adding on to the dorm...

"What's going on?" Jaden asked.

"I'll tell you..." Chazz came up to them. "Since I'm going to be staying in this dump, I'll be making a private room to live in style."

"At least it's coming out of your money, Mr. Princeton." Spencer said, overlooking the construction. "The Slifer dorm really needs a touch up."

"I guess you were wrong, Sy..." Jeremy said.

"Yeah, sorry for scaring you guys..." Syrus apologized.

"Now that looks nice!" Everyone turned to see Jethro walking up to the group, now sporting a new Obelisk Blue Blazer. "I think I got promoted at a bad time. "He said with a proud smile.

"You got a lot of nerve coming here, lone ranger!" Chazz snapped. "I should be in Obelisk Blue, too!"

"Calm down... at least I'm giving you the go ahead on this construction." Spencer shook his head, before turning to the newly crowned Obelisk, "Anyway, congratulations on becoming an Obelisk, Jethro."

"Thank you kindly sir!" Jethro replied, tipping his hat to headmaster. "I know my folks will be thrilled to know I moved on up!"

"They should!" Syrus and Jeremy stated.

"Hey, you should've been in Obelisk after hearing how good you were last year when you came!" Jaden added.

"I'm glad Mr. Sojourner gave me the opportunity." The cowboy replied.

"It should've happened last year, but I guess Sheppard had his reasons..." Spencer stated.

"Well then, guess I need to head over to the dorm." Jethro said as he turned round "I'll be sure to visit now and then." He then tipped his hat as he walked away. "Be seeing ya, boys!"

However, Jaden was still worried about Syrus' earlier comments.

' _Will they still tear down the Slifer Dorm, even with Mr. Sojourner here?'_

* * *

Desperado Outlaw

EARTH LV: 7

(Warrior/Effect)

When this card successfully deals damage to your Opponent's Life Points, add half the amount of the damage to your Life Points.

ATK: 2300 DEF: 1700

(Basis: Jesse James as he was played in the Deadliest Warriors)

Desperado Stranger

EARTH LV: 7

(Warrior/Effect)

If this card would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed. This effect can only be used once while it is face-up on your side of the field. If you use this effect, decrease this card's DEF by 1000

ATK: 2650 DEF: 2150

(Basis: Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name)

(These two monsters were created by Rocket Knight 777. All rights go to him.)

Gatling Ogre

Level 3

FIRE

Fiend/Effect

800/800

You can send 1 face-down card from your Spell & Trap Card Zone to the Graveyard to inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent.

Full Armor Ogre

Level 5

FIRE

Fiend/Effect

1600/1600

When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 "Gatling Ogre" from your Graveyard.

Big Cannon Ogre

Level 7

FIRE

Fiend/Effect

2400/2400

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned excepted by Tributing 1 "Gatling Ogre" while there is a "Full Armor Ogre" in your Graveyard. Double all Battle Damage this card inflicts to your opponent. When this card is destroyed, Special Summon 1 "Full Armor Ogre" from your Graveyard.

Longbarrel Ogre

Level 8

FIRE

Fiend/Effect

2400/3000

You can only Normal Summon this card when you have 1 "Gatling Ogre" in your Graveyard. Up to twice per turn, you can destroy the monster your opponent controls with the highest ATK, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the destroyed monster's ATK.

(The above four monsters were used by Lotten in the 5D's Crashtown arc of season 2. All rights to the creators.)

Double Arms

Equip Spell

Double the Effect Damage dealt by the equipped monster.

Treasure of the Buried Spells

Normal Spell

Remove from play 3 Spell cards in your graveyard. Draw two cards.

(The above two spells were used by Lotten in the 5D's Crashtown arc of season 2. All rights to the creators.)

Bowie Knife

Equip Spell

Equip only to a "Desperado" Warrior type monster. When the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster in battle, inflict damage equal half the destroyed monster's DEF.

Winchester Rifle

Equip Spell

Equip only to a "Desperado" Warrior type monster. The equipped monster gains 700 ATK.

(The above two spells were created by me.)

Half Shield

Normal Trap

Any Battle Damage or Effect Damage this turn is halved.

(Used by Yusei in the 5D's Crashtown arc of Season 2. All rights to the creators.

Ojama Ride

Normal Spell

Send 1 each of "Ojama Yellow", "Ojama Black" and "Ojama Green" from your hand to the Graveyard. Special Summon up to 3 Level 4 or lower Machine-Type Union monsters from your Deck in Defense Positon.

Ojamandala

Normal Spell

Pay 1000 Life Points. Special Summon 1 each of "Ojama Yellow", "Ojama Green" and "Ojama Black" from your Graveyard.

Ojama Delta Wear

Normal Trap

Activate if 1 each of "Ojama Yellow", "Ojama Green" and "Ojama Black" that you control are all destroyed by battle this turn. Special Summon 1 each of "Ojama Yellow", "Ojama Green" and "Ojama Black" from your Graveyard.

(The three above cards were used by Chazz Princeton in the GX episode Champion or Chazz-Been? All rights to the creators.)

I extremely enjoyed doing Jethro's duel after watching the mentioned 5D's arc where the Ogres came from!

* * *

Next time: It's time we get to know the new kids at the Academy! First we have a very shy Slifer who faces off against the Obelisks who still carries the views of them being elite.

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	3. Light Days Ahead

Here's Chapter 3! A short chapter, but it's really to introduce a new character for the SOL.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 3: Light Days Ahead

* * *

The scene opens up into the white room where the white cloaked tarot reader, Sartorius, was drawing cards and laying them out on his clear table.

"Aster and Masaki have done well in getting the answers I seek!" He said as he had three cards on the table. "But let's see what the cards have in store for today!"

He flipped over the middle one showing a wheel on a tree trunk with three winged beast sitting on the top and on both sides.

"Ah, the Wheel of Fortune is upright!" He exclaimed as he marveled at the sight of the card," Another power is among Duel Academy!" He then rubbed his chin as he thought about it, "Hmm, I should have someone be my eyes while I'm currently not there so, let's see who it is..."

He guided his hand to the left side and flipped the card over. It depicted a man in royal clothing holding a sword in his right hand. The card was upright as well.

"Justice!" He smiled, "A smart soul... yet a weak hearted one due to constant severity of contact. He shall be my eyes and the beginning of a new era! And if I'm correct, my power should reach him even from a long distance!""

Sartorius let out an evil laugh as a light tendril phased out of him and left the room.

* * *

"Alright class, let's talk duel history!" Spencer told his class, ready to get his lecture started.

A new day started at Duel Academy. After the first official day, classes went along smoothly... including the ones with the new Professor Sojourner in it. He was no Banner, but he certainly brought out a greater influence to this year's and the older generation of Slifer Red.

"Okay, we'll talk about the last major tournament 10 years ago... the Grand Championship or as Seto Kaiba first called it, the KC Grand Prix." He brought up a picture of the amusement park Kaibaland during its opening day. "It consisted of the 16 best duelists from around the world, rather than the usual regional championships, and the winner of that tournament was to face off against the King of Games himself, Yugi Moto. Now, can anyone tell me who won that 16-man tournament?"

A bunch of hands rose up, prompting him to scan the room and choose a person.

"Let's see... Ms. Anderson..." He chose one of the new Obelisks.

"His name is Leon von Schroeder." Allyson answered. "But he got there because of Kaiba disqualifying his older brother."

"Very good, now someone else, what kind of deck did he run? Mr. Oda?" Spencer continued, pointing to the one of the new Slifers.

"It was a Fairy Tale Deck, which had cards to really disrupt their opponents' decks from counterattacking or using their routine strategies." Masaki replied. "It also had many low-level monsters that he could bring out to defend himself almost every turn."

"Thank you. Now, let's hear from someone else... hmm," He looked around the ones who didn't talk. "How about you, Mr. Hutchins?" The boy in question was another Slifer Red student named Jason. He had short black hair, giant bang with a grey highlight in the middle, running from his forehead to the right side of his head. "How about this... what was the deck archetype of Rebecca Hawkins?"

"Oh... umm..." Jason started stammering. _'Come on... it's a trick question! She didn't use an archetype! Say something!'_

"Pick up the pace, slacker!" An Obelisk girl shouted from behind him in the higher seats. "You're holding up the class!" It caused the girls around her to laugh as well, making Jason look like a fool. He sighed knowing who it was.

"Quiet!"

Everyone snapped to attention when their teacher shouted.

"I don't remember giving anyone else permission to speak when I requested Jason to," He stated with a stern look, causing everyone to calm down. He then looked back to Jason. "Now Jason, do you know the answer?"

"She... never used an archetype..." He barely uttered the sentence, but then quickly blurted. "It was a Burn/Dragon deck."

"Very good..." Spencer nodded, but his eyes shown some form of worry at the Slifer, knowing that he was already shaken from the earlier taunts.

As he continued on his lecture, Jason had a thought in his mind...

 _"Phew... almost blew it..."_ He thought and sighed as he stole a glance at the Obelisk girl group who was mocking him. _"It's always the same way... the 'superiors' always looking down on me. And I can't believe Shion became part of that group...'_

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Jason was walking around the island, taking in what Duel Academy had to offer so he knew where to go and what was there to do after classes and work. As he headed over to the main building, he saw an Obelisk Blue girl with short red hair talking with another Obelisk girl with dark hair styled in two horn-like bangs. He knew the red headed one as his new friend Shion whom he met on the boat ride to the island. Seeing another opportunity to meet a friend of a friend, he walked up to the girls to greet them._

 _"Hey Shion, it's me Jason," He shouted, getting their attention as he ran up to them. "What's up!?" But as soon as he reached the girls, he found himself on the ground by the dark haired girl pushing him. He glared at the girl in question, "What you do that for?"_

 _"Why is a Slifer addressing an Obelisk?" The girl asked with scoff. "Go away loser; I rather not have your kind rub off on me!" She then turned to Shion and said, "Let's go, Shion."_

 _But before they could leave, Jason still addressed the familiar Obelisk to him, "Hey Shion, what's wrong with her?" The Slifer asked._

 _"Do you know this trash, Shion?" The brown-haired girl asked the red-haired girl._

 _"Yeah, we met at the boat ride here," Shion replied, "He's a pretty nice guy."_

 _"Then forget him! If everyone knew that an Obelisk hung out with a Slifer, the teachers would look down on you." The girl told her. "You need to think about your status since your parents came from a well-known background! I mean, you're a high-class! That's why you're an Obelisk!"_

 _"What!?" Jason gasped, "The teachers here don't do that!?"_

 _"Come on, Juli..." Shion said, frowning at the discomfort Jason was going through, "No teacher should look down on someone because of current status. I heard there are girls in Ra Yellow that can keep up with us girls in Obelisk."_

 _"Tell that to Crowler, and he's the Chancellor," Juli said, waving off Shion's words, "And I hear that the Slifers could be history this year since they're future dropouts anyway. So do yourself a favor and cut your ties with the kid... he's not worth remembering." Juli then left expecting Shion to follow._

 _Shion sighed as she turned to Jason, "Sorry, Jason... I do have to worry about my grades since my parents do check up on me."_

 _The Slifer gasped as Shion turned her back to him and left._

(End Flashback)

* * *

 _'She didn't have to shun me away like that...'_ He thought. _'And I bet that whole thing about the Slifers' dorm being torn down is false as well. I mean, we even got a new headmaster._ '

Elsewhere in the classroom, Claudio and Melody looked on at the depressed Slifer.

"Man, it's like déjà vu with Slifer/Obelisk conflict..." Claudio muttered. "Except Syrus isn't the target."

"I know," Melody agreed. "Poor guy must feel bad..."

"Maybe I should show off the power of the Ra Yellows..." Alex grinned. "Make sure they don't start with us!"

"Alex, simmer down." Bastion reprimanded his fellow Ra. "We don't need a dorm war coming about..."

Jethro was also feeling disgusted at how it was going as well. He used to be a Slifer and yet had an Obelisk potential and he showed that since day one. "It's not very great if most of these Obelisks harass the Slifers." He muttered to himself.

"Welcome to the club." Kenji said. "They have lower grades coming into the fray... so what?"

"I bet he's another talented duelist, despite his rank." Alexis added, "Just had trouble in the written fields."

"That means he'll beat down those rich idiots, sooner or later if they pick on him again." Lily stated.

Even the Slifers, of course, hated the disdain Jason was getting.

"It feels like my first day..." Syrus sighed.

"Don't worry about it, Sy." Jaden replied. "Those days are way behind ya!"

"I think he meant Jason, Jay," Jeremy said, pointing out the new Slifer, "Guy almost got humiliated if it wasn't for Professor Sojourner butting in."

"Yeah, Crowler would just let all that taunting slide," The Vehichroid duelist added, "Maybe there's a silver lining to Crowler being Chancellor."

* * *

After classes, Jason was heading straight to the Slifer Dorm ready to get started on his homework. He figured he had enough to do before some free time on his deck.

"Hey, Jason!"

Breaking his chain of thought was Jaden Yuki.

"Hi... Jaden..." Jason greeted meekly, he heard that despite his status, Jaden was nearly unrivaled in a duel. The only won who could beat him was the top graduate of last year, Zane Truesdale. So being around someone like Jaden was a treat to him.

"You gotta check this out! You know Claudio Osbourne, right?" The E-Hero duelist asked. The new Slifer nodded in response, "He's doing a concert to welcome everyone back and the new students!" Jaden exclaimed. "Everyone's at the gym, wanna come?"

"Sorry... I have to get this work done..." Jason said with a smile, "I'll catch up afterwards and check it out."

"Okay then... see you there!" Jaden shouted as he ran off.

Seeing this Jason sighed as he pondered over his schedule, "Maybe I will take a break... I mean, maybe some music will calm my nerves..."

"Or, so you say!"

Jason groaned as heard the familiar voice of the Obelisk girl, Juli who tried to ridicule him. When he turned around, he saw some other Obelisk girls around her. And one of them was Shion!

"We were just looking for you..." Juli grinned.

"For what?" Jason asked with a glare at the Obelisk girl, "You already stole my friend from me, what more do you want?"

"I'm gonna let your 'friend' see how weak you are by defeating you in a duel now," The haughty Obelisk said as she tossed a duel disk at his feet.

"I don't have time for that." The Slifer stated. "I'll duel some other time, like tomorrow maybe, right now I got some homework to finish and a concert to look forward to afterwards." He was planning to leave afterwards until he heard the familiar sound of laughter at his expense.

"Look at that girls, he's afraid of a girl!" Juli sneered. "Then again, he probably wouldn't last long anyway! After all, the Obelisk vs. the Slifer? The victor is obvious!"

Jason winced at the roaring laughter from the girls. They saw him as weak, but he knew he wasn't. But for tormentors like Juli, there's only one way to deal with them. He picked up the duel disk and inserted his duel disk.

"Fine, let's duel!" He shouted.

"Now he gets a backbone..." Juli shook her head and turned on her duel disk. "This won't take long..." She then smirked and thought, _'But it will be fun to toy with him during the duel... Let's see everything you have before I crush you!'_

Both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Jason: 8000

Juli: 8000

"Ladies first," Juli said as she drew her sixth card. "I'll start with Grand Tiki Elder in attack mode!" In shroud of dark smoke, a purple masked, robed monster appeared. It waved its arms in an eerie manner and moaned as if it was a ghost. (4/1500/800) "My turn's over!"

"Alright, I go!" Jason announced as he drew his sixth card, "I start with a defense position monster as well!" He stated as a Set Monster appeared at his feet.

The Obelisk girls around Juil started to laugh at Jason's move.

"You see, Shion?" One of the girls told her. "You used to hang around a coward who's afraid to show his skills!"

Jason growled a bit before continuing, inserting another card into his disk behind his Set Monster, "I place one card facedown and end my turn!"

"Time to see you cringe!" Juli grinned as she drew her next card. "I play the Shining Abyss in attack mode!" Descending from the sky was a golden winged, blue monster that shined with both light and darkness. (4/1600/1800) She then inserted another Spell, familiar to all duelists. A knight that held up his shield, but had a white X stamped over it, "And let's bring your monster out of his hiding place with Stop Defense!"

Jason gasped as his monster was revealed. It was angel with giant wings in a white toga. (4/1400/800)

"A Shining Angel," The Obelisk smirked, "Well then, let me clip his wings! Grand Tiki Elder, attack with Tiki Curse!"

The fiend chanted a mystic cursed that put the dark smoke inside the angel. The elder clapped his hands, as the darkness ripped the angel from the inside out.

Jason: 7900

Juli: 8000

"You activated Shining Angel's effect!" Jason announced. "It lets me summon another LIGHT monster with 1500 ATK or less from my deck!" His duel disk shot out a card for him to pick up, letting him place it on the field. "And I'll bring another Shining Angel!" Soon another angel appeared to defend his master. (4/1400/800)

"Won't make a difference, little Slifer!" Juli barked, pointing to her next monster, "Shining Abyss, you attack it!" The monster collected light and gathered it into a bright orb. It then thrust the orb in its hands at the angel, breaking him apart as well.

Jason: 7700

Juli: 8000

"What are you going to summon?" the Obelisk girl smirked, "Another wimpy angel to thrash!? It'll be fun to keep doing that!"

"No, since the angels are just support!" Jason smiled as he drew out another card from his deck.

"For what?"

"This, my Space Sprocket!" Jason announced as he placed it on the field. The next monster was a simple, orange machine gear. (2/0/0) The Obelisk girls, minus Shion, laughed again seeing the weak monster card summoned.

"You summoned all those angels and summon that!" One of the girls said. "That's a weak deck if I ever seen them!"

Shion didn't want to say anything right now. But she knew how strong Jason's deck was, she just didn't want to voice it.

"Don't you think he's pathetic Shion?" Juli called back to her, "I'm glad we got you away from this loser!"

"Shut up!" Jason snapped, stopping the laughter and shocking Shion, "Are you ending your turn or not!?"

"Ooh, he's got a temper, girls!" Juli taunted. "Fine, let's see what other stupid monsters you have!"

Jason drew his next card and then took another one with a smile, "Gladly, I'll sacrifice the Space Sprocket and summon the Metal Shooter!" The gear vanished and it let out a small, floating machine. It had sliver, sleek color with green outlines and its arms had two lasers on it. (5/800/800)

"Another weak monster?" Juli grinned. "You must want to lose!"

"I guess you must be one of those Obelisk who don't study..." The Slifer stated with a proud look on his face.

"This coming from a Slifer?" Another Obelisk girl asked with scoff.

"I guess I deserve that," Jason shrugged. "But I know my cards and when Metal Shooter's Normal Summoned to the field, he gains two counters!" Metal Shooter's 'eyes' lit up, showing the counters.

"So?" Juli said, shrugging her shoulders.

"It gives it 800 ATK each!" The Slifer stated. Juli's eyes widened as Metal Shooter's power tripled. (5/800-2400/800) "Now, take out the Tiki Elder with Space Blaster!" Metal Shooter leveled his blasters and fired at the masked fiend, vaporizing it.

Jason: 7700

Juli: 7100

"Guess you didn't suspect that one?" Jason smiled as he inserted another card facedown, "Then, I set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"Lucky shot!" Juli growled as she drew her next card, "I activate Mask of Brutality and Equip it to Shining Abyss! It will give it 1000 ATK, but take 1000 DEF away!" A scary mask that had a demon's face with claws coming out of the eyes placed itself onto Shining Abyss, making it more ferocious. (4/1600-2600/1800-800)

"But there's more to come; I summon Rogue Doll in attack mode!" A doll that appeared to be a woman's face with large purple hair appeared with two arms holding a scepter. (4/1600/1000) "Now to break that machine! Shining Abyss, attack with your Shining Orb!"

As it gathered up the light, Jason saw it was time to activate his card. "I activate the Trap Spacegate! As soon as you attack, I'll gain Gate Counters for it!"

Juli looked at her opponent with a smirk, "I don't see anything that says you'll negate it, so Shining Abyss, attack and destroy Metal Shooter!" Instead of using its orb attack, as it diffused it, Shining Abyss moved in and tackled the Shooter into the ground.

Jason: 7500

Juli: 7100

However, when Shining Abyss went back to Juli's side, the Metal Shooter recovered! "What's it still doing alive?" One of the girls shouted.

"That would be the effect of my Space Sprocket!" Jason replied, "When I sacrificed it for a LIGHT Machine monster, it made it so Metal Shooter can't be destroyed by battle on the first attack! Told you I knew my cards enough to make it into the Academy!"

"Fine, I'll play the Equip Spell, Mask of the Accursed!" The Obelisk girl growled as she inserted another Equip Spell into her disk. Jason gasped as another mask with nails sticking out of it attached itself to the Metal Shooter. "Now that thing can't attack and on every one of your Standby Phases, you lose 500 life points! And to finish, another card facedown!" She concluded as she inserted another card into her disk.

"My draw," Jason announced, drawing his next card. But afterwards, Mask of the Accursed kicked in and damaged his points as Metal Shooter started to screech in pain.

Jason: 7000

Juli: 7100

"And to make sure it stays like that," Juli then revealed the card she just put face down, showing off another mask that had a bone near the mouth, "I activate Mask of Restrict preventing both of us from Monster Tributes! So no Tribute Summons, tributes as costs, none of them!"

"Well, too bad cause I don't need it," Jason declared as he showed off an Equip Spell of his own, "But since you have something to prevent my monster from attacking, I'll return the favor by playing the Equip Spell Flint on your monster!"

Juli gasped as a stone ball with three chains attached itself to Rogue Doll. "What!?"

"Now, it can't move and it loses 300 ATK," Jason explained as a yellow aura absorbed energy from the living doll. (4/1600-1300/1000) "And to follow up, I summon Flint Lock in attack mode!" He continued, playing his next monster. Over his head, a small, silver space fighter jet appeared shooting down from space. (4/1500/800) "Now strike down her Rogue Doll with Laser Shot!"

Flint Lock let loose its laser from its rear wings, vaporizing the doll. But after the destruction, the Flint was sent spinning into mid-air.

Jason: 7000

Juli: 6900

"And as per Flint's effect, I have to equip it to somebody else, and who better than Shining Abyss!?" Jason explained as the Flint now latched itself onto the masked monster. (4/2600-2300/800) "I'll finish with one card facedown!"

"This won't keep me down!" Juli stated as she drew her next card, "First, the side effect of Mask of Brutality! If I don't pay 1000 Life Points for it, I have to get rid of it. Thanks to your Flint card, I'll have to do that!" The fiendish mask shattered from the Shining Abyss, weakening it even further. (4/2300-1300/800-1800) "Next, I activate Magic Planter, destroying a Continuous Trap on my side of the field to draw two cards!" The dark, bone mask was destroyed as Juli drew two cards extra.

' _Oh great, she must be planning some tributes now for stronger monsters,'_ Jason thought, bracing himself for the next move.

"I now summon Djinn Presider of Rituals in attack mode!" Juli announced as she played her next card. A purple, overweight fiend appeared. It wore a Spartan helmet and carried a shield and a sword with a skull on the hilt. (4/1800/1400) "Now, beat down that space trash!"

The Djinn rushed over to Flint Lock with a loud roar...

"Reveal the Quick-Play Spell, Flint Missile!" Jason called out, letting his facedown card flip over, "It destroys any monster equipped with the Flint Card!" Flint started beeping loudly before crushing Shining Abyss into pixels, leaving it to fly around. "Flint, Equip to the Djinn!"

The Flint quickly attached itself to the fat fiend and made it drop to the ground. (4/1800-1500/1400) Juli growled loudly. "You're move!" She shouted.

"Thanks!" Jason exclaimed as he drew his next card. When Mask of the Accursed struck again, he didn't pay it any mind as he focused on his next move.

Jason: 6500

Juli: 6900

"Now let's get something going with Blue Thunder T-45!" He announced as another spaceship materialized in an aura of light. This one looked more like an actual spacecraft than Flint Lock with a blue windshield. (4/1700/1000) "Now, use Thunder Blast on that fiend!" Blue Thunder shot a bolt of burning energy, and the Presider of Rituals was reduced to a smoldering scorch mark on the ground.

Jason: 6500

Juli: 6700

"And because it destroyed a monster in battle, I get to summon a Thunder Option Token!" He continued as a small, silver machine drone flew next to Blue Thunder. (4/1500/1500)

"I would be worried if I had anymore monsters on my field," Juli smirked. "With that last attack, Flint can only Equip to _your_ monsters now! You could use it on that Blue Thunder monster of yours, but that'll stop you from creating more drones. Also, you can't get rid of it unless you use a card effect!"

"Thanks for telling me how my own card works," Jason sighed, but then smirked, "And that's why Flint will hook up to Flint Lock!"

As Flint wrapped around the space fighter's back wings, the girls laughed once more.

"Stupid!" Juli grinned. "Now you can't attack with it when you had the chance!"

"Actually, I can!" Jason returned the grin, "Or did you see that Flint Lock never lost any points?"

"Hey, he's right!" One the Obelisk girls said as Flint Lock wasn't even hindered in its flight pattern!

"Yeah, what gives!?" Another one shouted.

"Think about it... Flint and Flint Lock... they must be compatible right?" Jason asked, but received no answer. "It's like this, Flint Lock is unaffected by Flint's effects, because it can properly control it! Not to mention he can't be destroyed in battle!"

Juli growled. _'Apparently, the little squirt knows more than he let's on...'_

"Now it's time for a double direct attack from my Flint Lock and my Thunder Option Token!" Jason announced. Juli braced herself as both machines fired off their lasers that hit her dead on.

Jason: 6500

Juli: 3700

"Yeah!" Jason cheered. "Way ahead of the game now!"

"Come on, Juli!" One of her friends said, "He's just an amateur!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Juli shouted back. "Now watch!"

"Before you go, I place one card facedown!" Jason quickly stated, placing another Set card.

"Good!" Juli stated as she drew her next card. "I play the Spell, Card of Sanctity to make us draw until we have six cards!" Both players kept drawing until they had the desired number underneath shower of coins. She then played another Spell card. "Next up is Card Destruction! So say goodbye to everything in our hands!"

Jason raised an eyebrow before he discarded and redrew six cards, plus Juli discarded and drew five.

"Now, I got you right where I want you!" Juli grinned as she chose another card to play "I play the Spell Ritual of Destruction! This Ritual Spell card lets Tribute Monsters up to 7 stars or more!" An altar appeared with a dark orb with horns being held by chains. "The best part about this is more of the Djinn monsters I had earlier!" She showed off one more monster in her hand, while the Presider of Rituals had ejected itself from her graveyard. "First, I'll send Djinn Prognosticator of Rituals to my hand and activate my Djinn Presider of Rituals in my graveyard, allow him to be removed from play and count as a sacrifice for a ritual monster!"

"What!?" Jason gasped as the Presider appeared at the altar along with another overweight fiend carrying a mace with a skull as the weapon appeared and was pulled into the orb.

"Now meet Garlandolph, King of Destruction!" Juli rejoiced as the orb pulsated with energy and broke apart the chains. Emerging from it was a purple, demonic fiend with long claws and horns starting down Jason's field with malice. (7/2500/1400) "And now it's effect activates! It lets me destroy all monsters with DEF equal to or lesser than my King's ATK, meaning all of your monsters are done for!" Garlandolph unleashed a dark shock wave upon all three of Jason's monsters. "And for each monster destroyed, it gains 100 ATK points!"

The remnants of the shock wave seeped into the King and powered him up. (7/2500-2800/1400)

"Wait, how did my Metal Shooter get destroyed," Jason gasped, "It can give up its counters to save itself!"

"Because I used Forbidden Chalice earlier," Juli smirked, revealing the Spell she used. "It negates your monster's effect in return for 400 ATK. But it didn't need them!"

"Well, you forgot about my Flint since it comes back and attaches to your new monster!" the Slifer countered as the Flint spun rapidly towards the Ritual Monster.

"And already know how to counter it with Mystical Space Typhoon!" Juli smirked as the harsh winds from her card ripped apart the Flint. Seeing the shock on her opponent's face made her want to up the ante as she played another card. "And finally, I summon Djinn Releaser of Rituals in attack mode!"

A chubby, female fiend appeared, wearing a purple dress with gold trim. It wore a headdress with the same design as the trim, and held a golden scepter. (3/1200/2000)

"Now Garandolph, attack him directly!" She announced as the fiend slashed downwards with its claws, giving Jason a big shock.

Jason: 3700

Juli: 3700

"And now since Djinn Prognosticator was used in part of Garandolph's summoning, you have to discard one card to your grave every time I deal Battle Damage with my Ritual Monster!" Juli explained as Jason complied with the effects. "Now Releaser of Rituals, direct attack!" The chubby fiend jumped and smacked Jason down with the scepter.

Jason: 2500

Juli: 3700

"I think I did enough Damage for one turn..." Juli stated, pleased with her move. "Like you can come out of this anyway!"

"We'll see about that!" Jason announced, drawing his next card, "Now's the time I use Spacegate's effect! After all you've done with your attacks, you given me enough counters to send it to the grave to Special summon X-Head Cannon from my hand in attack mode!" The Obelisk Girls gasped as the saw the familiar blue machine appeared. (4/1800/1500) "Chazz isn't the only one with the V-Z machines!"

"Too bad you can only summon one at a time!" Juli's friends stated.

"It's because they're in the graveyard thanks to Card Destruction," The Slifer replied as he showed another Spell Card from his hand, "And I'll banish them from there with Soul Release to send the V, W, Y, and Z monsters out of the game along with your Prognosticator so you don't get ideas about another Ritual Summoning!" The five monsters were ejected from the players' respective graveyards and pocketed by their owners. "And before you mock me again, I activate Return from the Different Dimension!"

A dimensional rip opened in the sky in a vortex...

"By Paying half my life points, I can summon all the monsters I want from my removed from play zone for the turn!" He declared as a red aura surrounded him to translate the payment.

Jason: 1250

Juli: 3700

"Now comeback, Y-Dragon Head!" The red dragon machine appeared. (4/1500/1600)

"Z-Metal Tank!" The yellow tank cruiser dropped down. (4/1500/1300)

"V-Tiger Jet!" A yellow mechanical tiger, shaped like a fighter jet appeared. (4/1600/1800)

"And W-Wing Catapult!" The Blue jet platform shot down.

"Now, let's combine some monsters! Starting with XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" He announced as the XYZ monsters locked onto each other in formation creating the devastating machine. (8/2800/2600) "Next, bring out the next one! VW-Tiger Catapult!"

The two other machines flew up to the sky. The Catapult revealed two missile launchers and the Tiger Jet landed on top of it. Thruster units appeared on the back of both the machines. (6/2000/2100)

"Now thanks to Card of Sanctity, you gave me a lot of ammo to use!" Jason grinned triumphantly. "And I'll discard two of my cards to destroy your two monsters with XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect!" As he discarded his cards, the machine loaded up its blaster and fired them at the two fiend monsters, taking them down.

"Now you're wide open! XYZ Dragon Cannon attack!" The Obelisk braced herself as the cannons and lasers combined firepower obliterated monster of her Life Points.

Jason: 1250

Juli: 900

"Now it's game over," Jason stated, "VW Tiger Catapult, attack!" The fighter jet ignited the thrusters and charged in.

"No you don't!" Juli shouted, revealing a card from her hand, "I Special Summon Battle Fader from my hand, negating your direct attack and ending the Battle Phase!" A strange Fiend like a clock's pendulum with a bell on one of its arms appeared, shrieking from its bat-like face. (1/0/0)

Then Battle Fader began to strike its pendulum to its bell, creating immense sound-waves that knocked the machine back.

"Almost had me there!" the Obelisk girl smirked. "But don't count on a victory!"

"Then, I better step up with this," Jason announced, "I remove both of my machines from play to now summon the VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon!"

The two monsters flew into the air and split apart, only to re-connect again in different combinations until a single, giant humanoid machine with wings stood on the field. (8/3000/2800)

"Now, I activate its effect to remove Battle Fader from the game!" He announced as his machine fired its lasers, vaporizing the bat pendulum. "And to end my turn, my final two cards facedown!" He concluded as the two reversed cards appeared at his feet.

 _'I got two cards to take out anything she'll throw at me!'_ Jason went through it his head. _'Magic Cylinder can take her attack back at her and if she gets around that, my other facedown Hyper Coat can stop any chances of her taking down my monster!'_

Juli drew her next card, looking triumphant, confusing the Slifer, "Now, I let you have your glory… I'll steal it away by playing Heavy Storm!" Harsher winds than the Typhoon came in blew away Jason's face down cards. "Finally, I play Brain Control to pay 800 points and take control of your machine!"

Jason: 1250

Juli: 100

Jason was speechless as he saw his machine disappear than reappear on his opponent's side. He then felt crushed as he heard the next move...

"Finish him..." Juli said without remorse.

The Cannon launched its cannons and took out the rest of Jason's life points.

Jason: 0

Juli: 100, Winner

The holograms disappeared from the field leaving Jason shocked as he fell to his knees as Juli turned around and walked over to the girls.

"You see that, Shion?" She told her new accomplice, "Slifers are weak, and hanging around them will make you the same way. You start sympathizing with them, and you'll end up with worse grades that will disappoint your parents. Now let's go! "

Shion nodded as she left with the group of girls, leaving the defeated Slifer by himself.

* * *

Later on, Jason sat down in his bed in the Slifer Dorm mulling over the loss.

 _'Why... why...'_ Jason thought to himself, nearly losing it. _'I lose one friend because of some stupid superiority complex and then lose a duel to show off the chance to nullify that!'_ Tears started to leak from his eyes, but he quickly dried them. He then took on an angrier look, _'No more... if everyone's going to be like that... then I'll just stop anyone who stands in my way, from now on! I'll be stronger than anyone ever could be!'_

It was then, a light tendril shot through the ceiling of his room and then into to his body, making him gasp from the foreign sensation.

 _ **"Then, you'll need better cards... from the Light!"**_

Jason was now engulfed in a powerful light and his cards suddenly changed form and sinister light radiated from it. Even the grey bang on his head started to turn white. He then looked over his new cards. Gone were his Machines and transformed into cards that looked like they were never seen in the public.

 _'I don't know what this all about..._ ' Jason thought as he finished his once over. And then he grinned evilly as the white aura changed him from the inside, _'But I like it! I don't know who you are, but thank you!'_ He looked up at the mirror in his room and saw himself, but with a more vindictive look on his face.

 _ **'Now go find out about the ones I seek! But stay isolated, for now...'**_ His reflection said to him. _**'With these new cards, you are a new enforcer of the Light! Go now!'**_

Jason gave a sinister smirk as he turned away from the mirror, "Finally, someone who understands me!" He rejoiced. "I'll make sure I earn this new power by crushing those in my way when the time is right!" He then raised his hands and shouted.

"ALL GLORY TO THE LIGHT!"

* * *

Next Chapter: More of the new students will show their stuff in front of the Academy! What kind of decks and what kind of skill will they show us?

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	4. New Generation Dueling

Wow, took me two nights to edit! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 4: New Generation Dueling

* * *

The next day opens at the Ra Yellow Dorm with Claudio lying on the roof, holding his guitar. Actually it wasn't even daylight yet, and was a little while away. Yawning, he strummed a few notes on his guitar, before taking him to an instrumental.

(Play the Godfather theme- played by Slash)

As Claudio played, he started feel relaxed. This is one solo he loved to play as it was a theme of one of the most iconic movies ever. Also, the one who played it was Slash himself and he continued to feel ecstatic that he continued to have music icons in his deck.

 _'Ah, playing this theme never gets old!'_ He thought with a smile on his face, _'Great tune to wake up to! And after that last concert, I feel great as well!'_

"You really are music fanatic, huh?"

Claudio turned down the volume on his guitar, now playing a lower version of the solo as he heard someone's voice over the music. He looked down from the roof and saw Lyra sitting on the steps, her black umbrella over her head, just staring out at the distance.

"Hey there, Lyra." Claudio greeted, "Taking in the night sky before sunrise?"

"You could say that..." She replied softly. "I always enjoyed this time of day. Never knew anyone else to do so..."

"So, I guess you had high marks on your entrance exams to get to Ra?" He asked. "Can't wait to see the deck that got you here!"

"You may see it sooner or later..." Lyra replied and shrugged, "I'll have to duel sometime..." She then saw that the sun was now coming up over the horizon and stood up, "Anyway, sun's coming up, and I'm going back inside."

"What no watching the sunrise? You're not a vampire, are you?" The J-Hero duelist cracked as the Goth walked up the stairs.

"I've been asked that before," She bluntly stated. "But I can tell you don't mean any ill will by it... later..."

"Good talking to you!" Claudio said as Lyra walked back inside the dorm. He then went back to strumming more songs, "She seems nice..." He stated leaning back on the roof. "Anyway, back to my music..."

"I knew you'd be up here..." The J-Hero Duelist turned to see Melody come up and sit right by him. "But then again, the times we spent last year, up to your duel with Masaki earlier this week, I should've known..."

"It's becoming a good place to laze about, playing solos until I'm bored..." Claudio shrugged.

"Which would be never..." Melody added with a smirk.

"I gotta sleep sometime. Other than that, I was also talking to one of our newest Ras."

"Lyra? I mean, I saw her come in the dorm before I came out. She said she was talking to you."

"Yup. She may have that Goth thing going on, but I can tell she's good people."

"I bet most people would see her as just one of the girls who are moody and dark," Melody figured. "She's just different from the rest of us."

"Yeah, it's like Lulu told me: that darkness is misunderstood."

"Oh, how are your sisters?"

"Great, but let me tell you after hearing how I'm dating you and add in them telling my parents... there was no stopping the praise from my dad." Claudio chuckled. "Solana kept pestering me about it, while Lulu and Mary just teased me about it. Finally, my mom was just happy I found someone. But then again, I chalked that up to growing up around my sisters... Learning to be polite."

Melody giggled. "My mom knew we were getting together since seeing us during last year's school duel. She's happy you were the one to make me more outgoing."

"Yeah, how are your mom and dad?" Claudio asked.

"Great as ever!" She replied. "My dad's going to fall into the habit of broadcasting the duels from the Pro League."

"Cool, he could be on the lookout for Zane's big debut."

"Hey, Claudio, Melody!"

The Ra couple looked down from the roof and saw Vincent waving from the bottom.

"Vincent, what's up?" Claudio greeted.

"Yeah, you alright?" Melody added.

"What do you mean?" Vincent asked.

"I mean, how you been since being brainwashed last year?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm fine!" He said, scratching the back of his head. "Although, I have had strange dreams lately..."

"What about?" Claudio asked.

"Like, I was in a distant future where dueling really gets intense," The Dragon and Rider duelist stated. "I dueled this girl using Plant-Type monsters, way better than ones in the past mind you. And also, she had cards that could fuse with other monsters without Polymerization cards!"

"You mean like the VWXYZ monsters?" Melody asked.

"Nowhere near those monsters," Vincent exclaimed, really getting into the explanation, "I forgot what they called them, but remember seeing some monsters become these green circles and making other monsters become bright stars and then create a monster unlike any of them most of the time. But that's only if they weren't the same Archetype."

Claudio and Melody both arched an eyebrow and shrugged.

"How many of those suckers you've had in the past day?" Claudio asked, "You know those things gives you one heck of an imagination."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be great if Industrial Illusions made those kinds of cards?" Vincent asked.

"It would be cool..." Melody pondered. "Maybe you should send a letter to Pegasus about this idea."

"You think they'd be interested?" He wondered.

"Pegasus created Fairy Tale monsters for someone on a request, Toon Monsters for himself, and even created Erika's Mavericks and Claudio's Jukebox Hero monsters..." The Magician duelist continued.

"Which I am grateful by the way..."

"This could make dueling a bit more challenging..." Claudio concluded. "And think about it, Duel Monsters originally based their cards of the Egyptian past monsters..."

After seeing the possibilities, Vincent shrugged. "Hey, what the heck? But it'll have to wait..."

"Why?" Claudio asked.

"Gotta shower and get ready for class in a couple of hours! Later!" Vincent said running back into the dorm.

"Good thing I already did!" The J-Hero duelist said with a grin.

"Yeah, but now you have to get your books." Melody added.

"Oh yeah," Claudio said as he gave a quick kiss to Melody. "Off the roof with me!" He then ran towards the ladder with Melody laughing as she followed him.

* * *

Later, at the Obelisk Blue Boys Dorm, two of them, Kenji Yuuyami and Jethro Cartwright just came out the dorm stretching out their limbs.

"Another new day to look forward to," Kenji stated, "And it kinda feels weird without Zane to pal around."

"Yeah, but we got to move on..." Jethro stated, "And besides, there are memories..."

The ninja duelist nodded as he looked around the dorm lobby, "This is where I first dueled him and became the first duelist to ever damage his life points in his entire three-year period."

"You mean no one's ever touched his life points at the school before you?" The cowboy asked with a shocked look, "Shoot, I've seen that unless it's one turn kill moves, or a first turn kill..."

"A first turn kill?" Kenji mused, "I nearly had the cards to do that once during when they had 4000 point duels. But I never did it."

"Well Dorian had, remember his Gatling Ogre's effect?" Jethro asked. "He even told me that if his hand was any different during our duel, it would have been curtains for me!"

Kenji pondered and then his eyes bugged out. "Oh, I can see that!"

"Aloha kakahiaka!" The two boys saw one of the new Obelisks, Allen run up and greet them.

"Uh, excuse me?" Jethro asked, not understanding the language.

"Oh, sorry! I meant to say 'Good Morning' but it came out in Hawaiian." Allen said, sheepishly.

"Oh, then good morning to you too, Allen right?" Jethro asked.

"That's my name!" the new Obelisk boy said. "Good to find people to talk to."

"Why? Is nobody up this morning?" Kenji asked.

"Pretty much, but it is still the early morning." The new Obelisk stated.

"Figures... with classes coming in, everyone wants to sleep their time away before hitting the books." Jethro figured. "Anyway, Kenji and I were just about to get breakfast, wanna join us?"

"Sure, mahalo!" Allen said, and after seeing the two Obelisks raise eyebrows. "I meant 'thank you!'"

"No problem, everyone needs a friend." Kenji said, "And don't worry about breaking into other languages at times; there's been many a time Americans did that in Japan."

* * *

And over at the Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm, another new face at the dorms, Allyson was having breakfast at her cafeteria reading her schedule on her Duel Pilot.

 _"So far, it's been pretty eventful at this school."_ She thought with a smile. _"And that's exactly how I like it! They were right about this school; it really houses the best! I can't wait for my turn to show them what I got!"_

"Hey, Allyson!"

She was then greeted by Lily and Alexis who pulled up a chair and sat at the table.

"Hey, good morning!" the new Obelisk girl greeted. "What's new?"

"Aside from all the new arrivals coming in and Crowler's plan of publicity, nothing much..." Alexis replied. "Any plans after class?"

"Not really, aside from finding a duel once they're over," Allyson scoffed, "The proctors make the duels too easy, I need a challenge! I was planning on find a duel around here!"

"Wow, you sound like Jaden does!" Alexis exclaimed.

"Jaden?"

"The best duelist in Slifer and technically the best duelist on the island, despite what Crowler and Bonaparte want to believe." Lily explained.

"Oh yeah, no wonder they were so nice to me when I got off the boat..." The new girl pondered. "So they only favor Obelisks?"

"That and anyone who they can hope to gain recognition from..." Alexis replied. "That was why Chazz was going to be promoted the other day; Jethro was added because of the new Slifer Headmaster, Professor Sojourner."

"I hear he's nice..." Lily smiled. "And I heard he was never a Slifer Red or Ra Yellow. And with all the elitists still cluttering up the school, it's nice to see a former Obelisk who's nice."

"It's starting make me wish he'd be our headmaster..." Allyson added. "But anyway, I wonder what's going on for class? It says here there are going to be some more duels in the main arena..."

"Hmm..." Alexis checked her Duel Pilot. "Oh... it's another set of duels set up by Crowler."

"He just never learns..." Lily sighed, shaking her head. "We might as well get it over with, it's almost time for the duels..."

* * *

At the duel arena, Crowler was standing in the middle of the platform with the microphone in hand. All the students and faculty attended the assembly, as per the instructions on their Duel Pilots or any other forms of messaging.

"Attention students, we shall now have a couple duels featuring some of our newest dueling freshman!" The Chancellor announced as every new student present waited for their names to be called. "Our first match shall be Lyra of Ra Yellow vs. Allen of Obelisk Blue!"

Hearing their names both students got up from their seats, brought out their dueling gear and proceeded to the arena platform as they met face to face.

"Alright, both of you cut and shuffle your opponents' decks," Crowler told them as they followed suit.

"Nice to meet you," Allen greeted as she started to shuffle the Ra girl's deck.

"Hello..." Lyra replied as she shuffled the deck in her hands.

The Obelisk raised an eyebrow as he finished shuffling, "Not much of a talker, are you?"

"You'll hear more..." Lyra stated as she handed back his deck as Allen did the same with hers. "When we duel..."

"Gotcha!" the Obelisk grinned as they both walked to the opposite sides and turned on their duel disks on.

"Are the competitors ready!?" Crowler asked.

"Ready to go!" Allen replied.

Lyra nodded.

"Then start!" Crowler headed back to his seat.

"DUEL!" Both players shouted as they drew their opening hands.

Lyra: 8000

Allen: 8000

"You can have the first move, Lyra!" Allen offered.

"If you insist..." Lyra announced, drawing her sixth card. "I summon the Infernity Guardian in defense mode!" A dark portal ripped open beside her and a black shield monster. But it also had a skull head covered in flames attached to it. (4/1200/1700)

"Infernity?" Alex mused before snapping his fingers, "Hey, I've seen these cards."

"Are they any good?" Claudio asked.

"When she gets their strategy on, watch out!" The Gemini duelist stated. "Let's say that their requirements are one you'd never expect from a duelist... Ever!"

"Hey a DARK Archetype deck!" Allen exclaimed, "I can have fun with this!"

"Really? Well let's see what happens after I set two cards facedown and end my turn with the card Soul Absorption." Lyra said as she set her cards and activated a Continuous Spell Card.

"All right, my turn," Allen announced, drawing his sixth card, "Now, I'll have to take care of that defense position monster with this Spell card: Shield Crush!" He inserted the spell card, conjuring a yellow beam that headed straight for the shield.

"I activate my Continuous Trap, Phantom Hand!" Lyra countered, revealing her facedown card. It depicted a duelist holding transparent cards. The Goth started to hold out hers. "Now, until my next standby phase, I don't have a hand!" Thanks to the holograms of the arena, the two cards she had left became transparent.

The blast from Shield Crush shot against the Guardian, but it came out unscathed!

"And since I have no cards in my hand, Infernity Guardian can't be destroyed by card effects or by battle!" She informed her opponent, "But, since Soul Absorption's in play, I gain 500 Life Points each since these cards are considered to be Removed from Play."

Lyra: 9000

Allen: 8000

"And there it is..." Alex mused.

"Then, I summon the Bountiful Artemis in defense mode!" Allen announced, playing his Monster card. Shining with light was a white Synthetic Angel outlined with light green, giant wings and a purple cape. (4/1600/1700) "I then set two cards to end my turn!" He concluded, as reversed cards appeared by his feet.

"My move..." Lyra announced, drawing her next card and her other two cards became solid. "I play the Spell, Foolish Burial! With it, I can send the Monster Card, Infernity Destroyer, to the graveyard!"

The deck pulled out the mentioned monster card letting the Infernity duelist place it in the grave.

"I activate the Continuous Trap, Synthetic Seraphim!" Allen announced, revealing one of his facedown cards, "You'll find out what happens when certain conditions are met!"

 _'Then let me bring out a monster, who won't fall for those...'_ Lyra thought as she another card from her hand and played it. "I now summon Infernity Beast in attack mode!"

Jumping out from another dark portal, was jet-black Doberman with emerald orbs to either side of its neck, and blood red eyes. (3/1600/1200)

Allen then revealed his other facedown card, a Counter Trap, "Sorry, but I'll play Forced Back! When you Summon a Monster, it'll put it right back to your hand!" The beast howled as an unknown force kicked it back to its card, making Lyra place it back in her hand.

"Not bad..." She mused. She then noticed that Bountiful Artemis started glowing. "Hmm?"

"Now for the effects of Bountiful Artemis, letting me draw 1 card!" Allen continued, drawing his card. "Then the effect of Synthetic Seraphim activates! Like Bountiful Artemis, when a Counter Trap activates, I can summon a Synthetic Token in defense mode!"

The Trap Card flashed, bringing out a small, blue synthetic angel landing next to Artemis. (1/300/300)

"Counter Fairies," Lyra mused as she pulled another card out to play, "I'll activate the Continuous Spell, Infernity Launcher!"

"I'll counter with the effect of Herald of Green Light from my hand!" The Obelisk interrupted as a small, green pixels appeared by his head. He then revealed another Monster card as he explained his move, "By sending this Monster and another Fairy-Type, like my Spirit of the Pot of Greed to the grave, your Spell card's destroyed!"

Lyra could only watch as the Herald combined with a green spirit to take the spell card and carry it to the heavens with them. _'So, he's a powerful Obelisk... Good... Alright Allen, you have my attention!'_ She then held up her hand once more. "Then, I'll activate Handless Fake to remove my cards from play which leads to Soul Absorption's effect to increase my Life Points!" Lyra's cards became transparent again.

Lyra: 10000

Allen: 8000

"I end my turn..." She concluded.

"Nothing but disrupting the other players card effects for now." Melody stated. "They're feeling each other out."

"It's just a matter of one trying to outsmart the other." Vincent figured. "Lyra's more on the defensive, increasing her Life Points. And Allen's building up monsters and getting more cards."

"My turn!" Allen announced, drawing his next card. "I don't have anything to stop your Guardian yet, so I'll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn!" He concluded as a Set Monster appeared on his field.

"I draw!" Lyra announced, drawing her next card and her ghost cards reappeared. "I Set one card facedown." She stated as a facedown card revealed. "Next, I summon Infernity Necromancer in attack mode!"

A dark portal ripped open letting a skeletal monster clad in dark purple robes appear. Its face like a horse's skull and its hair made of grey feathers. It pulled apart the robes on its chest, revealing a purple gate in place of its ribcage. (3/0/2000)

"When summoned it shifts to defense mode..." She explained as the monster closed its cape. "Then, Phantom Hand activates!" Lyra's one card became clear, increasing her Life Points.

Lyra: 10500

Allen: 8000

"Now I can activate Necromancer's hidden effect," She continued, "Without any cards in my hand, I can Special Summon an Infernity monster from the grave, provided it's not another Necromancer..." Necromancer pulled apart the cape, revealing the gate again. "From the dead, comes my Infernity Destroyer!" A black-skinned demon with baleful yellow eyes dragged itself from the gate wearing dark metal armor. (6/2300/1000) "Now destroy Bountiful Artemis with Hell Inferno!"

Everyone one gasped as Destroyer covered itself in dark red flames and ripped apart at the angel, but they were more shocked for the next move…

"And without any cards in my hand, you lose 1600 life points since it defeated a monster in battle and sent it to the grave." Lyra shouted as her Destroyer continued its attack.

"Whoa!" The spectators shouted as the flames extended to the Fairy user.

Lyra: 10500

Allen: 6400

"Without a hand, that monster can deal 20% of the base 8000!" Bastion figured. "My word, it's powerful!"

"You took the words from my mouth!" Claudio added with a gasp.

Allen waved off the flames, keeping a smile on his face, "That was pretty good! Now it's my turn!"

That sentence made Lyra raised an eyebrow, _'He's not even shocked!?'_

"Let's start with Spellbook Inside the Pot," Allen stated as he inserted the Spell Card. "This let's us both draw three cards each! With your hand full of cards, those monsters won't be so tough anymore!" Both players drew out their three cards.

"Well, it is increasingly obviously that Lyra needs her hand to be empty, but at the same time get some cards on the field." Jethro noted.

"She should have ways other than Handless Fake to clear her hand." Lily added.

"Next, I sacrifice a facedown monster who is Gellenduo!" Allen announced as his Set monster revealed two monsters: a pink angel with pigtails and a green angel with a ponytail and had halos around them. (4/1700/0) "And for a LIGHT Fairy monster, it becomes 2 sacrifices! So I can summon Guardian Angel Joan!" The angels vanished and summoned out a beautiful angel with short red hair and flowing white dress with clear wings and a halo. (7/2800/2000)

"Now, attack the Infernity Destroyer with Heaven's Light!"

Joan gathered massive orb of light and launched it as a laser at the demon and completely obliterated. Lyra also covered her eyes with her duel disk.

Lyra: 10000

Allen: 6400

"Next, Joan's power activates giving me life points equal to Destroyer's ATK!" Allen explained as Joan gathered the remnants of light from her attack and bathed the Obelisk with it.

Lyra: 10000

Allen: 8700

"That's going to be tough for Lyra..." Jaden said. "Joan's now the strongest monster on the field!

"I knew Fairies mainly have the power of healing," Masaki said. "But seeing Lyra use the effects of Phantom Hand to power her monsters and use Soul Absorption in tandem to keep her points strong is good strategy. It's a pretty close match so far."

"I place two cards facedown," Allen concluded. "Now let's see what you have!"

"Gladly," Lyra nodded as she revealed her facedown card, "But I activate the trap Full Salvo to discard my hand to send the three cards you let me draw into the grave, and you lose 200 points for each one!" When she discarded her hand, the graveyard shot three blasts of fire at Allen who blocked with his disk.

Lyra: 10000

Allen: 8100

"Now I start my Draw Phase," She continued, drawing her card and got her other card back. "I'll set a Monster and play a spell known as Wave-Motion Inferno!" The spell card had another Infernity monster inside a towering Inferno. Also a Set Monster appeared next to Necromancer. This set off her spell card letting out red energy surround her two Infernity monsters. "With no cards in my hand, all Infernity monsters gain 400 ATK and DEF from Wave-Motion Inferno!" (3/1200-1600/1700-2100), (3/0-400/2000-2400)

"So even her Spells and possibly Traps need the same effect," Kenji noted.

"Now, I use Infernity Necromancer's effect, to revive Infernity Destroyer!" Lyra announced as the Necromancer was uncovering its cape...

"I activate another Counter Trap, Divine Wrath!" Allen countered, revealing his facedown card. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate the effect of Necromancer and destroy it!" The fairy duelist discarded his last card, another Spirit of the Pot of Greed, as a bolt of lightning struck Lyra's monster where it floated, reducing it to ashes. "And since another Counter Trap's been activated, I get another Token!"

Another synthetic angel token appeared. (1/300/300)

"I end my turn." Lyra declared.

"My move!" Allen announced, drawing his next card. Once he saw it, he immediately played it, "I play Big Bang Shot and Equip it to Joan giving her 400 ATK and the trample effect!" Joan's hands sparkled with a red, starry aura. (7/2800-3200/2000) "Now, I'll take out the facedown monster!"

When Joan attacked with her light laser, a red tint was added in as the facedown monster was revealed to be Infernity Beast. (3/1600-2000/1200-1600) But it was helpless in defending itself as it was purged by the light.

Lyra: 8400

Allen: 9600

"Ouch, major point reversal!" Claudio exclaimed.

"Now, what's Lyra going to do?" Melody wondered.

"It's your turn!" Allen said.

Lyra nodded as she drew her next card, and played it. "I play the Spell Pot of Greed!" The grinning pot appeared, letting her draw two more cards. She then played them, "I place one card facedown and summon the Infernity Dwarf in attack mode!" Along with a reversed card, a short, squat dwarf clad in green overalls over a white shirt and grey trousers appeared from a dark portal, wielding a flaming battleaxe. (2/800-1200/500-900)

"Okay, I'm afraid of what that thing is going to do..." Allen said, bracing himself for the next move.

"As you should, my Dwarf allows my entire monster group on the field the ability to trample!" The dark girl smirked, "And I'll switch Infernity Guardian in attack mode!" The shield ignited its entire self in flames. "Now, you might have a plan for those tokens, so I'll get rid of them, Infernity Dwarf attack with Hell Axe!" The dwarf rushed the small angel and chopped it down in flames.

Lyra: 8400

Allen: 8700

"Infernity Guardian, Hell Blitz!" The flaming shield dashed the other angel, shattering it.

Lyra: 8400

Allen: 7500

"She's taken the lead again." Syrus said.

"But it won't be long before Guardian Angel Joan takes out the Dwarf and gathers more points and destroys more of Lyra's." Jeremy added.

"I end my turn," Lyra concluded.

"Well, make the best out of what you got!" Allen said as he drew his next card. "Now, Guardian Angel Joan takes out the Dwarf!"

"Afraid not, go Infernity Break!" Lyra shouted, activating her hidden trap card. "I remove any card with Infernity in the grave, like the spell Infernity Inferno and I can destroy a card on the field, and I pick Big Bang Shot!"

"Why that one?" Jaden asked. "If I were her, I'd take out the monster."

"Actually, she's got the right idea..." Masaki stated. "When Big Bang Shot leaves the field, the equipped monster is removed from play. Unless Allen's got ways of retrieving them, Joan's gone!"

Lyra pocketed her spell as a lightning bolt surrounded Joan and dragged her to nowhere.

"Bad luck on my case..." The Obelisk told himself, setting another card. "I set a facedown and end my turn."

"And starts mine!" Lyra she announced, drawing her next card and playing it. "I summon Infernity Mirage!" A strange witch-doctor like monster glided from darkness, its blue robes marked with unknown designs, its face pale white. Its crimson hair was made of feathers. (1/0-400/0-400) "Now, I can send it to the graveyard for its effect, by bringing out 2 Infernity Monsters from the graveyard, so I'll bring back Infernity Beast in attack mode and Infernity Necromancer in attack mode!"

The monster erupted into darkness unleashing the demonic dog, who howled for its return. (3/1600-2000/1200-1600)

It also let loose the caped caller from the dead. (3/0-400/2000-2400)

"Now I activate Necromancer's effect to unleash Infernity Destroyer!" She continued as Destroyer dragged itself from the Necromancer's portal again. (6/2300-2700/1000-1400)

All five of the Infernity monsters gave a menacing glare Allen.

"It's going to be catastrophic when all of those monsters' attack hits!" Bastion said.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either!" Melody added. "It'll send Allen down to 0!"

"Infernity Beast, you haven't had an attack all day, so sic him, Hell Howling!" Lyra commanded as the Beast's emeralds shined and then it let out shock of hellish power, pushing the Obelisk back a few feet.

Lyra: 8400

Allen: 5500

"Now, let me introduce you to the rest of them! Infernity Destroyer, continue the destruction!"

"Afraid not, I activate my trap Mirror Force!" Allen countered, revealing one of the most famous Traps in the game.

Lyra gasped as her Destroyer scratched out a barrier, which shattered into numerous pieces of glass impaling all of the Infernites and taking them out. But Infernity Guardian's flames blew the glass shard off of it.

Allen breathed a big sigh of relief, "Good thing, I had that stashed in my deck when I did, otherwise that would've been bad!" He then thought _, 'I even saw how that Infernity Beast did something to my facedown card while it attacked. But it stopped when Destroyer attacked...'_

"Yes, but you overlooked someone..." Lyra pointed to the Guardian who dashed across the field and tackled Allen. "My Guardian was still unaffected by effect destruction."

Lyra: 8400

Allen: 3900

"Now it's your turn..." Lyra concluded. "So I wonder what you're going to do...?"

"Let's see..." Allen mused, drawing his next card. He then smiled. "Now, it all comes down! Go Consecrated Light!"

A burst of bright light appeared and from it, a pink sphere with a peaceful look on its face and a glowing halo around it. (1/0/0)

"He has that card!?" Lyra shouted.

"The ultimate anti-Dark card..." Spencer stated. "Lyra's locked down unless she can get rid of it..."

"Yup, no more summons or attacks from your DARK monsters!" Allen smiled as he signaled the end of his turn. "Of course you have your Guardian to defend you, but for how long?"

Lyra growled, knowing how much trouble she was in now. She then drew her next card. "I use Phantom Hand and end my turn..." Lyra's card became transparent, activating the Soul Absorption.

Lyra: 8900

Allen: 3900

"And my turn!" Allen said, drawing his next card. "Yes! I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Phantom Hand!" The harsh wind sliced apart the Continuous Trap. "I end my turn!"

"I draw!" Lyra drew her next card and her one card became visible, "I set one card and destroy Wave-Motion Inferno!" The spell card exploded and a reversed card appeared at its place. "And when that spell is sent to the grave, my hand is discarded!" She discarded the last card in her hand. "That's my turn."

"She really kept it together at the end." Bastion noted. "Now Lyra can still defend with her only monster."

Allen drew his next card, "I play Pot of Avarice returning five monsters in my graveyard back to my deck and draw two cards." He chose Gellenduo, Guardian Angel Joan, Spirit of the Pot of Greed, Herald of Green Light and Bountiful Artemis as they slid out of his graveyard, letting Allen reshuffle them into his deck and he drew two cards. "But I'll stop right here for now."

Lyra drew her next card, "Since I can't summon anything because of your Consecrated Light, I have no choice but to pass.

By declaring that, Infernity Guardian's powers now dwindled as Lyra's only card drained them. (4/1600-1200/2100-1700)

"Now's my chance," Allen announced, drawing his next card, "I summon Nova Summoner in attack mode!" He then brought out a monster that resembled an orange wreath with green ribbons around it. It also carried a green circlet with the wings sprouting out of the sides. (4/1400/800) "Now, I'll attack the Infernity Guardian!" The wreath beat its wings rapidly, charging for the skull shield.

"Not all of my cards require me to be handless," Lyra interjected as she revealed her facedown card, "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card Rush Recklessly to increase my Guardian's attack by 700!"

Infernity Guardian gained a green aura, increasing its power. (3/1200-1900/1700) The flying angel tackled itself into the Guardian, only to take itself out.

Lyra: 8900

Allen: 3400

"However, the Nova Summoner's effect activates letting me summon a LIGHT Fairy monster on the field with an ATK of 1500 or less, and I choose my Spirit of the Pot of Greed!" the fairy duelist explained as a strange sight appeared at the arena. It was the Pot of Greed itself! But suddenly, a little grinning spirit came out as well. (1/100/100) "But then, I can chain it to the Inferno Reckless Summoning to bring out my other two from my deck!" Two more grinning spirits appeared from both sides of the first. (1/100/100) x2

"And those monsters wouldn't be complete without the signature card..." Lyra stated as her opponent showed off final card.

"That's right, I activate the Pot of Greed itself, and it also activate the Spirits' effects!" Allen said as the mentioned monsters flew into the deck. "Normally, I draw the two cards but now I can draw 1 additional card for every Spirit on the field in attack mode! So that means five cards in my hand!" He drew the five needed and then inserted two of them into his disk. "It's your move."

"Even with the Life Point gap, Allen is not discouraged," Spencer stated with smile. "He keeps fighting and holding on for a miracle."

"I draw," Lyra announced, drawing her next card and smirked at what she had. "I figured something would happen, so I have this card Lightning Vortex, to discard my last card and destroy all face up monsters on your field!" A thundercloud hovered over Allen's side of the field and unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts.

"I'll chain it to Magic Jammer by discarding one card of my own!" Allen discarded once and then the lightning fizzled out from a magic circle that erected on the ground. "And by using that Counter Trap and having it resolve, I can sacrifice all my monsters to summon the big guy!"

"But if he does that, Consecrated Light won't hold up Lyra anymore!" Kenji realized.

"But do you remember who's summoning requirements are those?" Alexis asked as all four of Allen's monsters floated up to the clouds, brightening up the skies.

"I bring out Voltanis the Adjudicator!" Allen announced as from the clouds, descended a giant purple Synthetic Angel carrying a large staff. It's clothes were reminiscent of a holy judge. (8/2800/1400) "By summoning him this way, I can destroy any number of your cards equal to the number of Fairy-Types Tributed to bring him out! Since four Fairies were sacrificed, I can destroy up to four of your field cards!"

"And she only has three cards!" Jaden pointed out. "Lyra's in trouble!"

"But Lyra has no cards in her hand," Syrus noted, "So how can Voltanis destroy Infernity Guardian!?"

"Voltanis, now!" Allen commanded as the Adjudicator slammed its staff, sending shockwaves to destroy Soul Absorption, Wave Motion Inferno and Infernity Guardian to Lyra's surprise!

"I had no cards in my hand!" She protested. "Why was my Guardian destroyed?"

"It's because while Voltanis struck, I activated my other Trap Card," Allen replied, showing off his other revealed card, "The Gift of Greed gave you two cards! It's my pleasure really!" Lyra narrowed her eyes at the two cards she now noticed her left hand. "Also back when Magic Jammer was activated, I bring out another token from Synthetic Seraphim!" Another Synthetic angel flew out of the trap. (1/300/300)

"I set these cards and end my turn." Lyra concluded, inserting the only two cards she had.

"My move!" Allen announced, drawing his next card. "I summon Meltiel, the Sage of the Sky!" Another angel in a white gown outlined with oranges appeared. She also had a giant halo around her form. (4/1600/1200) "Now let's treat you to a double attack!"

Votanis charged up its staff and fired lightning at the Ra Goth, and Meltiel followed up with using the halo to strike her, pushing her back a few feet and making her fall to her knees.

Lyra: 4500

Allen: 3400

"And with a facedown that ends my turn!" He concluded.

"Man, he really caught up with that one!" Claudio noted, "One minute he's really trailing by over 4000, the next he shut it down with two monsters."

"I draw," Lyra announced drawing her lone card. She then turned over the card and explained, "I activate the effect of my Infernity Archfiend! Since I drew him without a hand, I can Special Summon it to the field!" Infernity Archfiend was a demonic flare erupted beside him, forming into a tall, skeletally thin purple-skinned demon with four amber eyes, clad in a grey shroud. (4/1800/1200) "And since I have no cards in my hand when he was Special Summoned, I can move an Infernity monster from my deck to my hand!"

Her facedown card also activated. "Then, I'll chain that effect with the Transmigration Prophecy to send Infernity Mirage and Guardian to the deck!" She collected her cards from the grave and shuffled into the deck. "Now I can choose Infernity Mirage!" The card slid out of her deck into her hand.

"Oh man," Allen moaned.

"That's right, I'll summon him to activate his special ability, bringing Infernity Necromancer and Destroyer!" Lyra smiled as Mirage appeared on the field, only to vanish into thin air. Necromancer and Destroyer then erupted from the grave. (4/0/2000), (6/2300/1000) "And with Necromancer's effect, Infernity Dwarf!" The dwarf jumped out of Necromancer's portal. (2/800/500)

"Now, I send Infernity Destroyer, take out the sage!" The giant fiend struck down the angel in a vicious tackle. "And don't forget the special ability of taking the extra 1600 points!" The flames erupted from Destroyer's body, hitting the Fairy Duelist once more.

Lyra: 3500

Allen: 2700-1100

"And since I have the ability to trample, say goodbye to your token and the rest of your Life Points!" She stated as she turned to her final monster, "Archfiend, now Hell Pressure!"

The Archfiend chanted in a demonic voice, creating a fiery seal above Allen. A clawed, demonic hand burst from the seal and prepared to smash down onto him.

"I activate Dimension Wall, to send all damage to you!" Allen countered, revealing his facedown card. A dimension rip opened from under the token as it was smashed. The next rip came from behind Lyra, scattering the token's pixels around her.

Lyra: 3000

Allen: 1100

"Not bad, trying to keep things close." The Ra praised as she signaled the end of her turn. "But I will win!"

"Well, I'll try my luck!" Allen said as he drew his next card. "I activate Stop Defense on Infernity Necromancer!" Once his Spell was inserted to his disk, Necromancer was forced to float closer to battle front. "Now attack!" Voltanis conjured up another bolt of lightning and let it loose...

"Well, you just lost that battle," Lyra countered, revealing her facedown card, "I activate Infernity Force to destroy it!"

"Actually not," Allen smiled as he showed off two more cards in his hand, "I activate Herald of Purple Light to send it and Spirit of the Breeze to take down your Trap!" A small, purple synthetic angel along with a green fairy in a long white dress carried the trap card to the heavens, letting Voltanis take out Archfiend in a bolt of lightning.

Lyra: 200

Allen: 1100

Lyra drew her next card. She looked at it and nodded, revealing the card. "I win! Infernity Burst takes out 800 points of damage for every Infernity monster I have on the field!"

Allen braced himself as dark shadows erupted from the Spell's holo-image struck him down, leaving him kneeling.

Lyra: 200, Winner

Allen: 0

The audience cheered as the holograms were turned off.

"Not a bad match..." Spencer praised. "Then again, Light and Dark Attributes monster are naturally opposing elements... so Crowler, you made a good match."

"Finally, some praise from you..." Crowler said, feeling proud of himself.

"Were you planning on using these students for more of your fame and fortune?" The Slifer Headmaster added, making the Chancellor growl.

Back down at the arena, the two players were collecting their cards out of the graveyard.

"I gotta say, you really brought out a great duel!" Allen praised. "I mean, people usually need a hand to survive a duel, so those Infernities were something else!"

"Thank you..." Lyra replied. "You had... interesting moves as well..."

"You seem different outside of a duel." The Fairy duelist noted. "I felt so much intensity from you the whole way, even when you were calm."

"I have to announce the moves, like everyone else..."

"No, I mean you were way more lively!" The Obelisk grinned. "You should show that off more often."

"Maybe..." She muttered before leaving the duel platform.

Allen sighed, "Oh well... better get off the arena, sounds like another duels happening..."

And sure enough, Crowler picked up the mic again.

"Alright, settle down children, it's time for our second match of today." He announced. "Vincent of Ra Yellow and Allyson of Obelisk Blue!"

Syrus groaned. "Figures he wouldn't choose a Slifer..."

"Why not?" Alister asked. "From the e-mails Claudio sent me over the summer, aside from Jaden, some of your year's Slifers should've been Ras by now."

"Here's the thing..." Alexis interjected, "Crowler doesn't like the Slifers ever since Jaden beat him during last year's entrance exams. In fact, he's always had a low standard for them just because they are the most likely to drop out of the Academy."

"And Crowler prides himself as being high ranking teacher," Kenji added. "And so far, the only Obelisks that actually stay high ranked are ones who don't underestimate the opponents. It's how Chazz was knocked down, but only because he rushed into the fray with a bunch of power combos and leaving nothing to defend himself."

"So the school's now being run by someone who plays favorites?" Erika asked, receiving a number of affirmatives. "Alister, were definitely next on his 'favorites' list, considering how great we were in the pros."

"No doubt..." Her fiancé agreed.

Both Allyson and Vincent met each other on the duel platform, already shuffling each other's' decks.

"I heard about you during the boat ride here." Vincent started up the conversation. "Winning your entrance duel in two turns, now I know those proctors really need to stop using those lame exam decks and fight with their own."

"Let's just say, they thought too much from my deck." Allyson replied. "But once you see it, you'll understand!"

Both players returned their decks and walked over to the opposite sides of the field.

"Are both contestants ready?" Crowler asked.

The duelists cut on their duel disks. "Ready!"

"DUEL!" Both players drew their opening hands.

Allyson: 8000

Vincent: 8000

"I'll begin!" Allyson announced, drawing her sixth card. "I set one monster in defense mode and a card facedown." A reversed card and a Set monster appeared on her field. "You're turn!"

"Alright, let's get this going!" Vincent he exclaimed, drawing his sixth card. "I set monster as well and place a card facedown, too!" Now his field produced the same results as Allyson.

"So we're doing the same thing?" The new Obelisk stated as she drew her next card, "But I got something different! I flip summon my monster... Maharaghi!" The set monster flipped over, revealing a brown Dogu with ancient markings all over it. (4/1200/1700)

"A Spirit Monster?" Kenji wondered. "So, she'll deal with monsters that gets returned to the hand, but leaving herself wide open."

"But don't forget..." Alexis interjected, "Even if Allyson runs a deck like that, she must have various advantages and loopholes to benefit over them. And there are some present..."

"And I'll introduce you to another, meet Susa Soldier!" Allyson continued, playing another monster card. A warrior appeared with a brown cloak and silver armor. He had thunder markings on his face and a sword shimmering with red lightning. (4/2000/1600) "Now let me introduce it to your facedown monster, Susa Soldier use your Thunder Sword!"

The spirit flew to the facedown card and stabbed it down, revealing a teenage armored warrior who was wiped out by the lightning.

"By destroying Apprentice Rider, I can add any 'Rider' monster in my deck to my hand!" Vincent explained as a card slid out of the Ra's deck. "My Electro Rider!"

"Before you summon that, I attack you directly with Maharaghi!" The eyes of the Dogu shined with white light and blasted light rays at Vincent.

Allyson: 8000

Vincent: 6800

"Before, I end my turn; I play the spell Dimensionhole to send Susa Soldier away until my next standby phase!" The Obelisk girl said as a dimensional gate opened and sucked in the Spirit monster. She played a Continuous Spell. "Then, I play Spring of Rebirth! It lets me gain 500 life points whenever monsters return to the owners' hands! And, I'll end my turn, causing Maharaghi to return to my hand!"

The rock monster became a light orb and returned to Allyson's hand.

Allyson: 8500

Vincent: 6800

"Okay, it's my go," Vincent said, drawing his next card. _'Okay, no trap cards now... meaning I can take out some major lifepoints early!"_ He chose a card and activated it, "I play a Continuous Spell of my own, Frontline Base! I can Special summon Union Monsters up to level 4! And there's no better than the card I just pulled, Electro Rider!"

A man in blue armor with lightning bolt designs on it jumped onto the field, in his hand was a spear shaped like a bolt of lightning. (4/1700/1400)

"Then, I'll activate the Demise of the Land spell card," Allyson announced as her facedown was revealed, "When you Special Summon a monster, I can activate a Field Spell from my deck!" A card slipped out of her deck. "And I choose Future Visions!" Once the Field Spell slot closed, the arena was now covered in psychedelic energy.

"In Future Visions, any monster Normal Summoned is removed from play until its controller's next Standby Phase." Melody explained. "So, everyone would have to think twice on any Normal Summons!"

"Well, I'll worry about the details later, as I summon Flame Rider in attack mode!" Vincent continued, bringing out a man in cherry red armor holding a broad sword appeared. (4/1400/1100) Then, he vanished into an aura of light. "He may be gone for the moment, but I can make a direct attack on your life points with my Electro Rider!"

The warrior spun his weapon around and hurled it at Allyson. She moved out of her way, but the disk was still grazed.

Allyson: 6800

Vincent: 6800

"All tied up, now!" Vincent exclaimed, setting a facedown card and signaled the end of his turn, _'Now, I have to rely on special summoning to keep something on the field or setting my monsters...'_ He spoke in his mind.

"My turn, and before I draw, I have to activate the effect of Maharaghi." Allyson noted as the spirit rock monster appeared behind her in transparent form. "Since he was summoned last turn, I can look at my deck's top card before the start of the Draw Phase and see if I put it at the top or bottom of my deck." She picked up her top card. It was a card called Sword of Kusanagi. "I'll keep this card, so I'll draw it. And in my standby phase, Susa Soldier comes back from Dimensionhole!" The dimensional rip opened up, letting the spirit soldier come back. (4/2000/1600) "Next, I'll play this monster facedown and command Susa Soldier to attack the Electro Rider!"

"I activate DNA Surgery!" Vincent declared, revealing his facedown card into the Continuous Trap, "Seeing you change the field, I'll change all the monsters to Dragons!" Both monsters quickly took on a dragon-like appearance, but without wings. It was then a battle of electricity as both monsters crossed weapons, but in the end, Susa Soldier prevailed. "And I remembered that Susa Soldier's damage is halved during battle.

Allyson: 6800

Vincent: 6650

"But you activated a trap of my own!" Vincent declared showing off a card depicting many Needle Worms burrowing in the ground. "It's called Needlebug Nest and it sends the top 5 card of my deck to the grave!"

Everyone wondered what was up with him sending his cards to the grave.

"I don't see any way for him to benefit that." Lily said.

"There could be since he has a few cards that summons the Dragons of his deck as well." Claudio figured, "And he does come out as a tough opponent."

"I end my turn with a facedown card." Allyson declared.

"Wait a sec, how come Susa Soldier didn't go back to her hand?" Jaden wondered.

"It's actually written on the card!" Allyson called back to the E-Hero duelist, "Spirit monsters only go back to the hand during the End Phase of the turn that they are Normal Summoned or flipped face-up."

"Right!" Melody realized. "That's why she played Dimensionhole, and from the effects, Future Visions as well! It's the loophole of the Spirits!"

"I guess that's why she's high ranked: a tough deck to maintain field control and assembling her deck to counter it." Alex stated.

"Alright, my draw!" Vincent announced, drawing his next card. "Now Flame Rider comes back!" The red armored warrior made his return. (4/1400/1100) "Next, I play the Dragon's Revival Spell!" The spell showed a Felgrand Dragon and Darkblaze Dragon bursting out of the ground. "Once per turn, by paying 1000 Life Points plus giving up Normal Summons for the turn, I can bring a Dragon-Type monster to the field from my graveyard!"

Allyson: 6800

Vincent: 5650

"I bring out Adamantine Dragon in attack mode!" A large Dragon in opaque armor appeared behind Vincent. (5/2300/1000) "And when summoned, I can bring out his Rider Counterpart, the Adamantine Rider! The next Rider wore armor like the dragon and wielded a spear and shield. It quickly took on a dragonic appearance. (3/1300/1200) "Next, I use Dragon Draw! Since I have nothing but dragons on the field, I draw two cards!" Vincent drew his two cards. "Next, I'll have them form a union!"

"Yeah, this is Vincent at work," Claudio nodded as Adamantine Rider hopped onto the dragon's back. "He's a master of Union Monsters."

"Now, let's take out the Susa Soldier with Adamantine Storm!" Vincent announced as the Dragon stretched out its wings and unleashed a barrage of crystals that shredded the Spirit monster to pixels.

Allyson: 6500

Vincent: 5650

"And while it's Equipped to its rider, Adamantine Dragon deals you 100 times the level of the monster destroyed, so 400 more points are shaved off your score!" The Ra grinned.

Allyson braced herself as the rider jumped off the dragon and slashed down on her disk before returning to the dragon.

Allyson: 6100

Vincent: 5650

"Then, I'll attack your facedown monster with Flame Rider!" He continued as the armored soldier sliced down on the facedown card... only to be stopped by the spirit monster Maharaghi! (4/1200/1700)

Allyson: 6100

Vincent: 5350

"Aw man, forgot that was in your hand," The Ra groaned as he slapped his forehead. "Dealing with Future Visions' effect and all..."

"Yup, sorry!" The Spirit duelist said with a sweet smile.

Vincent sighed as he inserted a card into his disk, "Anyway, I'll set a facedown and end my turn!"

"Okay, that means Maharaghi comes back to my hand and Spring of Rebirth gives me 500 life points!" Allyson noted as the rock monster vanished back into her hand while the spring replenished her points.

Allyson: 6600

Vincent: 5350

"I was thinking he was going to use that Combination Attack card." Claudio mused. "I remember how he nearly took me apart with all that attacking last year."

"My turn! And since, Maharaghi was revealed, I get to see my top card again." Allyson announced as she checked her top card, showing it to be Spiritual Energy Settle Machine. "For this, it'll be at the bottom!" She set the card at the bottom and drew a new card for her Draw Phase. "I'll set another monster in defense mode and end my turn!"

"Okay, my draw!" Vincent announced, drawing his next card and revealed his face down card. "And then, I'll activate the Continuous Trap Dragon's Rage! All my dragons have piercing effects, so Adamantine Dragon, strike her face down monster!" The crystal storm hit the facedown monster, revealing a long, purple-haired woman in a light blue ceremonial robe before she vanished. (4/1100/1400) "And not only do you lose 900 points for the battle damage, but 400 because of the level of your monster!"

Allyson: 5300

Vincent: 5350

"But the monster you revealed was Tsukuyomi," Allyson interjected, "And her effect causes one monster on the field to be flipped face down, so your Adamantine Dragon goes to sleep for a bit, and you lose the rider!"

The Dragon roared as it was replaced by the facedown card image, while the rider vanished into the grave.

"I then attack your directly with Flame Rider!" Vincent announced as the Rider ignited his sword and slashed down on Allyson's duel disk.

Allyson: 3900

Vincent: 5350

"Then, on my Main Phase 2, I sacrifice Flame Rider to summon Electro Dragon!" He continued as the Rider vanished in a burst of electricity. Then, a Dragon with dark blue scales and a lightning bolt shaped horn appeared. (6/2400/1600) "Before Future Visions goes off, I can draw a card since I summoned my dragon without the Rider in my hand." He drew his card as Future Visions sent the dragon in a vortex. "It's your move!"

"Okay, here goes," Allyson drew her next card. She then replaced her Field Spells. "I'll say goodbye to Future Visions by playing Mausoleum of the Emperor!" The energy around the field died out, and was replaced by an ancient mausoleum behind her while standing on a stone bridge. And right under the bridge were stone guard statues. "In this field, we both can pay 1000 life points for a monster with one needed tribute or 2000 for one with two needed tributes, so I choose the latter!" Two of the statues below vanished.

Allyson: 1900

Vincent: 5350

"Now, I can summon the Yamata Dragon!" Descending to the field was now a gigantic, eight-headed, snake-like dragon. (7/2600/3100) "Then by removing Maharaghi from my hand, I can special summon a monster known as Izanagi!" The rock monster appeared once last time before vanishing, letting a white haired man in white garments and shoulder armor plates appear. He carried a brown staff with a blue fabric tied at the top. (6/2200/1000)

"She's getting serious," Jeremy noted.

"No doubt, dude," Alex added.

"And I'll activate this Equip spell, the Sword of Kusanagi!" Allyson announced as a sword with red lighting appeared in front the dragon and one of the heads swallowed it!

"Yuck!" Vincent cringed.

"I know; I tell him not to do that every time..." Allyson groaned as she shook her head. The Yamata Dragon growled in annoyance, "Anyway, with the sword equipped, he can now pierce through your defenses so he can now take out the Adamantine Dragon and some of your Life Points!" The eight headed dragon breathed fire at the facedown Adamantine Dragon who disintegrated into ashes.

Allyson: 1900

Vincent: 3750

"And when Yamata Dragon deals battle damage, I get to draw until I have five cards in my hand!" She explained as she drew her cards. "Now, Izanagi will attack directly!" The man charged the staff and sent a white bolt at him...

"Time to win," Vincent smirked as her revealed his facedown card, "I activate Dimension Wall to make sure you take the battle damage!" A dimensional rip opened up in front of Vincent and absorbed the lightning bolt...

"Then, I'll activate Spirit Barrier to negate all battle damage! Fitting for girl like me with Spirit monsters!" Allyson giggled as the bolt was fired back at her, but was blocked by a barrier. "Next, I'll activate Emergency Provisions to send Spring of Rebirth to the grave and get 1000 points!" The continuous spell vanished into sparkles.

Allyson: 2900

Vincent: 3750

"Next, I set two cards facedown and end my turn!" She concluded. Everyone expected Yamata Dragon to go back to the hand as soon as she said that, but it wasn't happening!

"Okay... why's the big guy not going now?" Jaden wondered.

None of the kids could answer it, but with the faculty, one had the answer...

"It's Izanagi's effect..." Spencer mused, "Now, she doesn't have to temporary remove her cards from the field."

 _'I can't catch a break against this girl...'_ The Dragon/Rider duelist thought. _'She's got everything to keep the Spirit Monsters in play! But I can't let up now!_ ' He drew his next card and then his Electro Dragon came back to the field. (6/2400/1600) "I play Magic Planter, sending DNA Surgery to the grave and draw two cards!" The trap disappeared as Vincent drew his cards. And by using your Field Spell, I give up 1000 points, I'll summon my Hydro Dragon!" A statue from below bridge vanished.

Allyson: 2900

Vincent: 2750

Then, another dragon appeared that was as blue as the ocean, and had armor made of coral. (6/2400/1600)

"And his effect summons Hydro Rider from my hand!" The rider was also wearing the same coral armor, and wielded a shield and trident. (3/1300/800) And like the riders before him, he mounted his dragon.

"Now let's attack Izanagi with Pressure Pump Breath!"

The dragon fired a high-powered blast of water that surged over Izanagi, destroying it.

"You do know, I'm not taking battle damage, right?" Allyson asked.

"Yeah, but you'll be taking effect damage equal to your monster's ATK!" Vincent smirked.

The Spirit Duelist gasped as the Hydro Rider jumped off his dragon and slashed down at her's disk.

Allyson: 700

Vincent: 2750

"Now, I'll stop this duel with Combination Attack and Rush Recklessly," the Union Duelist grinned as he fanned out two Quick-Play Spells, "By letting Hydro Rider become a monster again, I can let Hydro Dragon attack again, but with 700 more ATK!" Hydro Rider dismounted the dragon as it gained more power. (6/2400-3100/1600)"Now take out Yamata Dragon!" The water based dragon let out another water blast at the eight-headed one, crushing it. "Now, Hydro Rider, end this duel!"

"Hold on," Allyson interrupted, revealing her facedown card, "I activate the Trap Vessel of Illusions! It allows me to summon a Spirit Token out of the monster you just destroyed!" A transparent version of the Yamata Dragon appeared. (7/2600/3100)

"Darn, that's it for me..." Vincent sighed.

"Almost had her..." Melody snapped her fingers.

"My draw!" Allyson announced, drawing her next card. "I summon Inaba White Rabbit in attack mode!" A small white rabbit appeared with a strange device it was hanging on to. But its eyes had a purple glare. (3/700/500)"And to end this, Gift of the Martyr to sacrifice the token to give my cute little bunny it's ATK!" The Spirit Token vanished and the aura surrounded the rabbit. (3/700-3300/500)

"And now, he'll attack directly!"

Suddenly, the device Inaba White Rabbit hung onto started to launch itself, carrying the rabbit with him and straight into Vincent, ending the duel.

Allyson: 700, Winner

Vincent: 0

The holograms disappeared as the duel disks were shut down, letting crowd cheer again.

"Finally, a win for the Obelisks!" Crowler rejoiced.

"As a Chancellor, you really shouldn't play favorites." Spencer told him sternly "Besides, Vincent fought hard despite being hindered a bit by Future Visions a bit. Plus, with more work, I bet he becomes an Obelisk."

 _'What we should be doing is moving out the Slifers..._ ' Bonaparte thought in anger. _'Even if it means promoting more of the 'talented' ones...'_

"Hey a good duel!" Vincent said, as he met Allyson in the middle and shaking her hand, "You really exploited the loopholes of the Spirit monsters really well, even bringing one of the higher leveled monsters."

"Believe me, it wasn't easy in the past." She replied, "I had to keep my Life Points really high then, since I had only two cards to keep the Spirits on the field."

"Time changes all decks!" The Ra stated. "Good that you're not someone who flaunts their power like I seen most of the other Obelisks I heard."

"Yeah, I try to stay away from that crowd." The Spirit duelist proclaimed. "I just duel to have fun! And suppose get good grades if I going to an academy!"

"I totally gotta duel one of those new duelists!" Jaden exclaimed. "And there's even someone else who duels for fun!"

"If I didn't know better, I think found his soulmate in dueling..." Jeremy stated.

"I don't think he'll notice it..." Alexis added. "He still thinks a fiancé as being a friend."

"What?" Alister and Erika said.

"He's dense..." Erika said.

"Uh-huh..." Alister added.

"Oh yeah..." Claudio said. "But explaining it to him is just a big headache."

* * *

Infernity Burst

Normal Spell

Inflict 800 damage to your opponent for each "Infernity" monster you control.

(Used by Kalin/Kiryu in the Crashtown Arc of 5D's. All rights to the creators.)

Vessel of Illusions

Normal Trap

Activate only when a Spirit monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. Special Summon 1 "Spirit Token". The "Spirit Token" has the same Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, and DEF as the destroyed Spirit monster.

(Used by Noah Kaiba in the second series anime episode Noah's Final Threat. All rights to the creators.)

Next time: A rematch from last season pits Alister and Erika vs. Claudio and Melody! Also, face from Chazz's past come to Duel Academy!

Please rate and review! Later!


	5. Personas and Rematch

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 5: Persona and Rematch!

Aside from Academy Island having the school, dormitories, card shack and deep forest, it had some secret entrances known to only by the faculty members. One of these was a vault holding some valuable cards, money, rare items from the beginning days of dueling, etc. But the person, who was there now, wasn't a faculty member, or one of the normal people on the island for that matter.

In the dead of night, that someone was making an illegal withdrawal, loading up the loot in a large bag. He had green curly hair and wore white face paint with two black stars outlining the eyes. His clothing style was of a black jumpsuit to get around the night.

"He-He-He-He! Vaults, safes, high security storages…" The man laughed. "They always have their ways of the locking up the merchandise. But the problem with that is they can't keep it out my hands!"

He then pulled out an old playing card with the Joker card with some writing on it and placed it inside the now empty vault.

"From the clown with laughs! – Joker."

The clown thief took his loot and ran away from the vault.

* * *

At the docks, another boat came to the island carrying one passenger. A young Chinese teen wearing a red shirt with white pants and shoes walked off the boat with a large bag of his belongings.

"Thanks for the lift," He said to the ferryman.

"No problem." The ferryman replied, "I would question a kid coming to a Duel Academy boat without a chaperone at night, but you look responsible enough. Just make sure you check in with the faculty before you get settled."

"For years now, I've been looking out for myself even with some adult help," The teen replied with a smile. "Anyway, I'll take your words to heart and see if anyone's up so I can at least get a decent bed, otherwise it's the hammock for me."

"Alright be safe then," The ferryman took the boat and sailed back to the mainland.

The boy then looked at the alignment of the moon and frowned, "Judging from the time now... I may have to use the hammock. Better set it up and talk to the guys in the morning..."

He then heard footsteps approaching the docks and saw a person, dressed like a clown come up with a sack full of something.

"I got a big score today!" The clown exclaimed, "Always brings a smile to my face after a great steal!"

"Stealing?" the boy interrupted, getting the thief's attention. "I was aware that stealing is a crime, even on an island."

"Beat it kid, this doesn't concern you!" Joker sneered.

"It does when you stole from the school I'm about to attend!" The teen snapped. "But I'll give you a fighting chance." He reached into his bag and pulled out the Kaiba Corporation's second edition Duel Disk with his deck already inside. "You probably stole a Duel Disk among the loot and you're probably a duelist, maybe not a good one..."

"Get real, junior!" Joker shouted, "I'm not a Pro Duelist, but I could duel circles around them!"

"Then prove it, beat me in a duel, and I won't say anything about this night..." The new arrival said strapping on the duel disk and turning it on. "But if I win, it's straight to jail!"

Joker cackled as he dug into his backpack and pulled out an Academy Issued Duel Disk. "You're on! And I won't need the cards I stole to beat you..."

"You're funeral..." the teen stated as both players drew out their opening hands.

* * *

While the duel was getting underway, walking through the night also was a tired Chazz Princeton. He had just woken up from another 'Spirit Party'. After visiting a dried out well last year that was filled with abandoned cards that seemingly had no uses to duelists, he had used them to defeat his older brothers for control of the school by representing its owner. But every day, Chazz had to sleep with earplugs to drown out the many cries of Duel Spirits that inhabited his dorm room.

"How's a guy supposed to get any sleep with all those annoying spirits keeping you up!?" He growled as walked towards the docks to cool off, "I should throw them back in the well..."

"DUEL!"

He then heard the sounds of two people starting a duel over in the direction of the docks.

"Who's dueling at this time of night?" The black coat Slifer wondered as he headed over to the docks. Once there, he found someone that looked a like a sinister clown and saw an opened sack of cards and other valuables inside. Chazz was about to pull out his Duel Pilot to report the theft until he saw the Chinese kid who was opposing the clown. He gasped as he was hit with a sudden memory.

* * *

(Flashback)

 _It was about a year before his first day in Dueling Prep School; Chazz had to enter numerous junior tournaments on behalf his brothers signing him up. It was so that their world domination plan would succeed in the later years for Chazz's attendance at Duel Academy. After winning another tournament to the point where it became too easy, he walked back to his family business at the Princeton Corporation. He had to tell his brothers, who were running things while their dad was doing business away from home, that he won another trophy. But he knew it was the same song and dance: Chazz wins a tournament, and either Slade or Jagger will say, "At this rate, world domination will be within our grasps in the future!"_

 _He walked into a tall skyscraper building where the flagship building of the Princeton Corp. was located at, but only found the receptionist there. She was actually a nice person, the only one who'd acknowledged his accomplishments without looking at it in a big way._

 _"Hello, Mr. Princeton." She greeted, "I see you're still doing great in the tournaments!"_

 _"Thanks, but I wish I didn't have to go to every single one my brothers can find." Chazz replied with a tired sigh, "Speaking of them, where are they?"_

 _"Oh they're in the basement and they brought another kid your age with them..." She answered. "I think your brothers are getting nicer for a change..."_

 _"How's that?"_

 _"They're training him for dueling skills, even though it puzzles me on how they've never dueled..."_

 _"I'll just talk to them about it," Chazz said as he went towards the elevator to the basement._

 _He remembered the dueling room that they setup to put him through his training for the top of the dueling world. Once the elevator reached the basement, and walked to the dueling room, he was met with an unbelievable sight._

 _"Do it again!" He heard Slade shout at a young kid who was breathing heavily and had some tattered school clothes on. "And this time, make sure it's destroyed!"_

 _"I know you don't want to be abused your whole life," Jagger added with a glare, "Think of all those people who shunned you because of what you can do... even your father wanted nothing to do with you because of it. Once you duel and unleash that power of yours, you'll be unstoppable!"_

 _The boy who was in tears after all he heard, played the spell card Raigeki and fried a Duel Computer's Monster army, which also shocked the computer itself to almost malfunctioning. Then he summoned an unknown monster and commanded it for a direct attack, completely destroying the computer and causing it to explode!_

 _Chazz's eyes bugged out seeing what took place. It even terrified him that another kid like him could do that._

 _"There, you see what you're capable of?" Slade grinned at the little boy who was on his knees, "You could help us run this world!"_

 _"Hell, he could help Chazz speed up ruling Duel Monsters!" Jagger added with a smirk, "If he can beat duelists like this, he could be the only one standing so that Duel Monster's greatest will already be run by the Princeton Corp.!"_

 _Both brothers shared a deep laugh, ignoring the kid they were training and oblivious to their youngest brother who witnessed it all._

(End Flashback)

* * *

 _'So they sent Jachin here?_ ' Chazz wondered as both duelists he saw drew their opening hands. _'Should have known after all they did last year...'_

Jachin: 8000

Joker: 8000

"I'll start this duel," The thief announced, drawing his sixth card. "I play these four cards facedown!" Four cards were laid in front of Joker's feet. "And that's all!"

 _'That's nothing but traps...'_ Jachin thought as he was sure of himself while drawing his sixth card. _'But I'll play it safe...'_ He then announced, "I start by playing Double Summon! This let's me make two Normal Summons on this turn." He then fanned out two monster cards from his hand, "So I'll summon Sangan and Witch of the Black Forest, both in attack mode!"

In a flash, a three-eyed furry fiend appeared along with a three-eyed woman in a black dress standing next to it. (3/1000/600), (4/1100/1200)

"Now, I'll attack directly!" Jachin announced as both monsters ran across the field to strike.

"Sorry, kid!" Joker grinned as he revealed his first Trap, "I activate Imperial Manners on your attack! Since I have no monsters on the field, I can destroy all Attack Position monsters on your field!"

Jachin smiled as he inserted another Spell card into his disk, "I figured that would happen, so I activate the Quick Play Spell Urgent Fusion! During the Battle Phase, I can fuse Sangan and the Witch into the monster Sanwitch!"

Before the Imperial Manners shined, a fusion portal sucked in both of Jachin's monsters. Appearing out of the portal now, was small green goblin in white robes, yellow shoes and a bronze staff. It was just staring at the light with a puzzled look. (6/2100/1800)

"So what? You're still losing that thing!" Joker grinned.

"Actually, not since I placed Sanwitch in defense mode!" Jachin replied, showing off his duel disk and Sanwitch's horizontal placement, "Looks like you don't even look at your own cards, too!" Joker growled. "Also, since both of my monsters went to the graveyard, I can choose two monsters from my deck and they come to my hand; one with up to 1500 ATK and another with up to 1500 DEF." Two cards slid out of Jachin's deck, letting him place them to his hand. "And trust me when I say; you haven't experience monsters like mine..." The kid said as he placed two cards facedown and signaled the end of his turn.

"With a wimpy monster like that fusion one? Please!" Joker said as he drew his next card and activated it on the spot, "I'll first play Shield Crush from my hand to destroy your Sanwitch!" The Spell unleashed a giant beam at the small goblin, obliterating it from the field. "Now, we're gonna have some fun times with Jester Lord!"

A prominence of dark flame erupted before him and a fiendish figure leapt from it, a thin man in tight, colorful clothes, juggling two fireballs. Jester Lord gave a cackle as he landed before landing on the field. (1/0/0)

"What does he do?" Jachin wondered with a puzzled look on his face.

"You're not scared of my monster?" Joker asked, genuinely confused.

"Should I?"

"You will! Since Jester Lord's the only monster on the field, he gains 1000 ATK for every Spell/Trap card on the field, so doing the math, I'll have 5000 ATK of power!" The Jester Lord chuckled even more as the two fireballs he juggled became five! (1/0-5000/0)

"I figured it'd be something serious..." The Chinese teen sighed as shook his head.

"Here's something for ya, Jester Lord direct attack!" Joker commanded as Jester Lord flung the fireballs one by one at Jachin, who didn't even flinch when they bounced of his body and came back to the jester, reforming his juggling act.

Jachin: 3000

Joker: 8000

"Now you see the danger?" the clown grinned.

"Yeah, for you!" Jachin smirked as he activated his Traps, "First, Shock Draw will let me draw once for every 1000 points of damage I've taken! Then my other trap card, Crime and Punishment is a fitting card for one of your type! It destroys a monster on the field after a direct attack and lets me summon a level 4 or lower monster from my hand! Let's start the chain!"

Crime and Punishment shined with a brilliant light that shattered Jester Lord.

"Now I summon my monster that I got from Sangan!" The teen announced, playing his monster, "Meet Persona – Phaeton the Falling Star!" In a blaze of flames, came a young brunette boy in a white toga, holding on to flaming horse reigns. (4/1000/1000) The monster took one look at Joker and smirked. He then turned to Jachin...

 _"Well, well!"_ The monster suddenly spoke up, _"Dealing with a criminal, are we?"_

"Yup, I haven't even started explore the campus yet. Can you believe it?" Jachin replied, scratching his head.

 _"Who knew a criminal could find his way on the island?"_ Phaeton wondered, shaking his head.

"Okay, kid..." Joker interrupted. "Obviously, I'm dealing with a little boy who talks with imaginary friends. Do it on your own time!"

Both Jachin and Phaeton sighed.

"Well moving along, Shock Draw gives me five cards since I took 5000 points of damage." Jachin continued as he drew five cards from his deck.

"Good, now I end my turn!" Joker concluded.

"And you're the one left wide open now..." Jachin announced, drawing his next card. "Since there's another monster on the field, your Jester Lord loses those ATK!"

Jester Lord suddenly felt tired, dropping the flaming balls and got down on his knees. (1/5000-0/0)

However, the clown was not discouraged. "Hold that thought, I activate the next Trap Card Gravity Bind!" Joker announced as he activated his card, having the trap card sent out energy waves which locked Jachin's monster in place. "I noticed that your monster is at level 4 and to stop any major attack you might have involving that monster with any traps or spell, I'll stop it from attacking!" The thief cackling.

"Cautious, but it won't matter." The kid noted as he played another monster card. "Here's another friend of mine dear to my heart: Persona – Konohana Sayuka, Priestess of the Flames!"

Inside a veil of flames came a raven-haired young woman wearing a white priestess robe with cherry blossoms emblazoned on it. (4/1000/1000) And just like Phaeton, she spoke up in a soft, yet warm voice.

 _"Got into trouble again, Jachin?"_ Konohana asked in mock anger.

"Actually, I kind of found it..." He replied with a shrug. "Soon as I got off the boat, I ran into him..."

 _"I know, just kidding..."_ She said while giggling _. "I saw everything from the deck!"_

A faint blush grew on the teen duelist's cheeks before composing himself, "Okay, first I'm going to activate the special effect of my priestess. I discard one monster in my hand, and I gain 400 life points for each of the stars it has!" He held up one card, a blond, dark-skinned woman in a pink dress, "I have Marie the Fallen One and with a level five monster, I gain 2000 life points!"

The Priestess held a holographic version of Marie the Fallen One's card and turned it into cherry blossom petals that surround Jachin and healed him.

Jachin: 5000

Joker: 8000

"And it gets better, once I activate Phaeton's power, I can discard a monster in my hand and you lose 400 points for every star it has!" He revealed his next card, "And this would be Illusionist Faceless Mage a level 5 monster and meaning 2000 points down for you!"

Phaeton straightened his reigns like if a horse were attached to him as the card image of the discarded was bathing in flames. Next, the flames shot out from it and blasted the card thief a few feet as he cried out in pain.

Jachin: 5000

Joker: 6000

"And I can do both effects once per round without attacking too!" The young duelist stated as he inserted another card into his disk. "So, no matter what you're trying to do as fall as stalling my attacks, it just went down the drain. And I'll end with another facedown." The Persona monsters stared down their opponent with a glare.

"Tch..." Joker scoffed as he drew his next card. He nodded at his find and activated it, "This will be good, I play the Spell Card of Demise!" He drew from his deck until he had five cards. "Now, I set one card facedown and summon Jester Queen!" After a reversed card was played, another Jester monster appeared, this time a female. She wore tight, colorful clothes like the Jester Lord did and did a playful bow. (2/800/800)

"Now for the special ability, she destroys all my spell and trap cards!" He then grinned wider watching what was happening next. Creating three knives, Jester Queen threw them behind her to impale the cards behind her. "And the facedown cards I destroyed were all Fuhma Shuriken cards, dealing 700 points of damage for each of them!"

Three shuriken struck Jachin, but he was able to swat them away with his disk.

Jachin: 2900

Joker: 6000

"Now, I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards while the grinning pot appeared over his head. "Next, I play Distrain Card, on your left facedown!" He continued as a shard of crystal slammed down, impaling through the said card.

"Now you can't use that card this turn, and if you try to use that other one, you'll lose 800 life points!" Joker cackled. "And with what I'm about to do it'll be over, by next turn, as I play Secret Passage!" A Continuous Spell card appeared on his side.

"Secret Passage?" Jachin asked.

"It allows one of my monsters with an ATK lower than your monsters on the field to initiate a direct attack," Joker cackled, "AND thanks to Jester Queen's effect, she's able to attack you for each of my spells and traps I control, so I'll add this facedown and play the Continuous spell card Burning Land, to inflict 500 points of damage on your next standby phase after my Queen's direct attacks." He then turned to his monster and announced, "Take it away Queen!"

Once the Jester heard the command she took out three more knives and threw them at the young boy.

However, Jachin countered by revealing his facedown card that wasn't tied down, "Sorry, I activate my right facedown Ojama Trio to summon three Ojama Tokens on your side of the field! And when destroyed, you lose 300 points for each one." Suddenly, the Ojamas Yellow, Green and Black dropped in next to the Jester Queen, crossing their arms. (2/0/1000) x3

"The Ojama Trio!?" Chazz said, not expecting to see a card played by him in another duelist deck. He thought it was only for when Aster used that mishmash deck.

"So what, you're losing your points; by Distrain card and Jester Queen's three attacks, meaning I win!" Joker cackled. The crystal shot of lighting that shocked Jachin and then he was hit by the Jester's knives.

Jachin: 2100-1300

Joker: 6000

The Persona monsters looked at their friend as he recovered from the attacks.

 _"Hey, Jachin, you okay!?"_ Phaeton asked.

 _"I can heal your injuries next turn!"_ Konohana added, also seeing her master's pain.

"No need..." Jachin replied, standing up "He can't hurt me anymore..."

"What are you talking about!?" Joker shouted. "I have two more attacks, enough to shut you up and make my getaway!"

"Actually, you don't..." The Chinese boy replied. "Jester Queen's numerous attacks only happen if she's the only monster on the field, and look who crashed the party?"

Joker gasped seeing the Ojama tokens waving at him coyly. He growled as he signaled the end of his turn. "No matter, next turn, I got you beat... and that'll be one Hell of a Punch Line!"

"Let's see... my draw," Jachin announced as he drew his next card, and then suffered the Burning Land card's effect when a flame from the Spell fired at him.

Jachin: 800

Joker: 6000

"But now Marie the Fallen One gives me 200 life points since she's in the graveyard!" The boy announced as white sparkles came out of the graveyard, surrounding Jachin.

Jachin: 1000

Joker: 6000

"First, I'll play the Card Rotator Spell," Jachin announced, discarding a card from his hand, "By sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, your monsters' modes are switched!" Joker watched as a clown, having similar face paint to his, attached puppet strings to all of his monsters, making Jester Queen kneel and the Ojama tokens stand up. "Now it's time to end this! By summoning Persona Take-Mikazuchi!"

A thunderbolt zapped down releasing a red skinned demon in a white outfit and held a lightning bolt as a sword. His yellow eyes glared at Jachin's form. (4/1000/1000)

 _"Who has harmed you, my Lord?"_ He asked Jachin in a deep voice, trying to hold in his anger.

"The guys across the field." The young duelist stated, "He tried to steal from this Academy and decided to rough me up in this duel."

Suddenly, Take's form was surrounded by lightning. _"UNACCEPTABLE!"_

"Now, he's mad..." Jachin muttered with a smirk, "When Take-Mikazuchi's on the field, all Persona monsters gain 1000 ATK and DEF!" Phaeton's and Konohana's form were emblazoned by flames as they stood by their angered friend. (4/1000-2000/1000-2000) x3 "Now, attack the Ojama Trio!"

Take when into the fray first, slicing Yellow with his thunderbolt and caused an extra bolt to strike Joker.

Jachin: 800

Joker: 4000-3700

"Konohana, Fanning Flames!" Pulling out a red fan, she floated towards Ojama Green, but not without turning around first and winking at Jachin while holding the opened fan up to her mouth, and then created a flame strike, blowing up Green.

Jachin: 800

Joker: 1700-1400

"Now Phaeton, end this with Solar Blaze!"

"No you don't," Joker growled, activating one of his facedown cards, "I activate the Swift Equip Trap card!" He then pulled out an Equip Spell from his deck and inserted it into his disk, "I'm giving the Ojama Black Token the Axe of Despair, giving him 1000 ATK! Enough to save my Life Points!"

Ojama Black Token held up a giant dark axe. (2/0-1000/1000) He tried to swing it around to stop the flames...

But it wasn't enough as Phaeton's reins sent out another flame wave, burning Ojama Black down.

Jachin: 800

Joker: 400-100

"There, you see!?" Joker said as he laughed hysterically. "I still win! All have to do is have my Jester attack you and I'll get away with all the loot I stole!"

"I end my turn..." Jachin declared with a bored tone.

"Say your prayers, kid!" Joker announced, drawing his next card. But as he moved his hand to his Jester Queen card, his Burning Land card started to glow. "Huh?"

"You forgot that Burning Land hurts both players, didn't you?" the boy stated as he and the Persona Monsters glared at him. "You're through..."

The thief gulped as the Burning Land card blew out the flames, engulfing him and ending the game.

"AAAHHH!"

Jachin: 800, Winner

Joker: 0

 _"So he's gotten better..."_ Chazz thought, looking at Jachin while all of the holograms faded and Joker was left sitting on his butt when Jachin approached the thief.

"Now, give back the cards and money," Jachin demanded.

Joker then chuckled darkly, "You really thought I'd keep my word?" He asked as he slowly stood up. "I'll take them and make sure you have a good laugh about it!" He was about to pull out a gun when...

"Chain Energy!"

Suddenly, Joker found himself tied up in white bindings of energy.

"Ah! What the Hell!?" He shouted, struggling to get free. "What is this?" He then looked up to see that Jachin's disk was still on, having the named Spell active. "Huh!?"

 _"So, I wasn't seeing things all those years ago!?"_ Chazz shouted in his head, _"He can make the cards come to life!"_

"Something that will make sure you don't steal from anyone ever again..." Jachin replied to Joker as he held up another card, "Give my regards to the authorities..."

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Chazz winced as he saw whatever came out of Jachin's next card and blanket him into a blinding light.

* * *

The next morning, students were crowding around the main building.

"Alright, alright..." Coming through the students was Spencer after seeing the crowd. "What's going... on...?" He saw Joker, wrapped up in ropes and cringing in the fetal position.

"Monsters are real... Monsters are real..." The crazed thief kept muttering with tears running down his cheeks.

"Looks like we caught ourselves a crook," The Slifer Headmaster stated as he clicked into his Duel Pilot and contacted the proper authorities.

* * *

"WHAT!?" Crowler yelled as he heard the news in his office, "A thief in MY school!?"

"That's what we've found this morning." The head of the Disciplinary Action Squad stated. "The Police have already taken the criminal into custody and off the island. We've also recovered everything that was stolen from the island."

The Chancellor breathed a sigh of relief hearing that, "At least there was no Press was here to see this..."

"Yeah, but think about the interrogation of the suspect," Bonaparte taunted with a grin, "It'll probably make you look bad!"

"No, it will not!" Crowler retorted, getting into his Vice-Chancellor's face, "It'll make it better, as soon as we find the person who caught that nefarious Joker!" He then stood up glee, "We'll really have some stars if we can show our students as expert criminal catchers!"

"Do that, and the island we'll be overrun by them trying to improve their rep," Spencer stated firmly as he walked into the Chancellor's office. "That would really be bad for the school, don't you think?"

Crowler gulped as the thought of more criminals, even those labeled as murderers would come to the island, "Good point..." He then shook off the bad thought and looked to the new Headmaster, "So what brings you here?"

"New arrival..." Spencer stepped aside to show Jachin now wearing a Slifer Red Jacket, "This is Jachin Chong. He's come to check in with us so he can be enrolled."

 _'Another Slacker to take in!_ ' Bonaparte shouted in his head. _'At this rate, this school's going under... unless we just say we're full up and...'_

"All done, Mr. Chong!" Bonaparte frantically looked around and saw Crowler signing a document confirming the new student's right to be at the school. "Although, I must say you have an impressive record to be in Ra right now."

"Thanks, but I'll work my way up," Jachin stated with smile, "I don't want to see this school playing favorites just because of my skills."

"Man of morals..." Spencer patted his new student on the shoulder, "Looks like a great man in the making. Come on, I'll introduce you to the other Slifers."

"Yes sir," the new Slifer nodded as he followed his Headmaster out of the office. And as soon as they left, Bonaparte struck.

"Are you crazy!?" He shouted, "You wanna improve this school, and then you just let another Slacker in? If he's as good as you say he is, just make him a Ra already!"

"Calm down, I can't change every rule just because you want the Slifer Dorm gone," Crowler stated as he sat down in the chair, "Remember, I'm only Chancellor until Sheppard comes back and we could get into legal trouble with the man who provided the money for the Academy, its facilities and its dorms!"

"You're just scared of taking action!" The short Vice-Chancellor stated, "I'll bet he'll be thrilled to see the weak duelists weeded out!"

"Will you just shut up!?" The Chancellor snapped as he pulled up another document, "I'm getting ready for our next project..."

"You mean YOUR next project!" Bonaparte corrected, "Remember the last one bombed! Although, it succeeded in getting one of the Slifers away from the dorm..."

"Exactly! You remember our new arrivals from the Pro League, Alister Gates and Erika Parks, right?"

The short man smirked as he turned to his 'superior', "I'm listening..."

"Sure, they didn't give us a chance to talk about some of the perks of being in Obelisk Blue, but what if we set them up in a tag duel?" the Chancellor stated, "It could bring more of the Pro League stars to Academy to see what my tutelage has done to improve their skills!"

"You're not teaching them, you fool!" Bonaparte pointed out.

"Yes, but I am running the school; and that very fact outweighs all of that!" Crowler cheered.

Bonaparte sighed. "But who's dueling them? Being Pros, they'll wipe the floor with anyone! Also, I heard they made some appearances last year and that could spook most of the duelists."

Crowler snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Who better to duel Alister and Erika than our tag team duo that defeated North Academy's team last year!?"

"And who might that be?"

"Claudio Osbourne and Melody Hikarii... it was televised worldwide; you should've known them before starting this job!" Crowler snapped, he then grinned. "And we could promote this for all the dueling couples!"

"It's official, you've lost it..." Bonaparte groaned. "Forget about the last part, and I would have agreed with you..."

* * *

Over at the Slifer Dorm, Spencer introduced Jachin to the Slifer students.

"Everyone this is Jachin Chong, transferring in." He announced.

"Hello everyone," The new Slifer bowed. Once he got done, he saw a familiar face... "Chazz?"

Suddenly, everyone turned to the black coat Slifer eating his breakfast until he noticed all eyes on him. "What!?" He snapped.

"You know Jachin?" Syrus asked.

"Yeah... so..." Chazz shrugged.

"I was taken in by his family at a young age..." Jachin stated. "Chazz was practically my roommate..."

"Wow, Chazz's brothers being nice?" Jaden wondered.

"Believe me, I had a luxury before meeting those two..." The Persona duelist groaned before waving it off. "But I won't go into detail..."

"Well, you can stay with Jeremy since Jethro moved to Obelisk, but Jeremy might be leaving soon." Spencer noted.

"Really?" The Alien duelist asked.

"I'm trying to get through to Chancellor to see if you can get your rightful test to being Ra Yellow." The Headmaster replied. "Seeing your record shoot up to where it was, they should promote you!"

"And he should be, after seeing him duel with those Aliens last year!" Jaden added.

"Well, you guys can get acquainted until..." Spencer suddenly got a beep from his Duel Pilot and read the message and groaned.

"Crowler wants us at the duel arena, guys," He announced. He then looked at Jachin and said, "And we'll make sure to get you some food after whatever the Chancellor wants..."

"Cool with me..." Jachin shrugged as the entire Slifer class headed out except one in particular. He found this chance to talk with him, "Hey Chazz..."

"I'm wondering what you did to that clown last night, when you came..." Chazz said with a look that wanted answers

"Let's just say, he's seen the error of his ways," Jachin replied, "And if you're wondering why I'm here, it's because of your brothers' are trying to strong arm you into being their best once more."

"So you wanna duel me?" The black coat duelist scoffed.

"Not at all, I don't have any intentions of following orders," The Chinese teen said as he turned around, "I hate them as much as you do; at least you didn't give me a hard time, unless you were taunting me in a duel."

"Who cares about your stupid powers anyway?" Chazz scoffed again, "If that's all the reason they wanted you to become the top of Duel Monsters, then they're wasting their time."

"Exactly... I'm not using my powers to injure people or bend them to my will," Jachin stated. "Heck if I wanted, I'll stop the criminals like Joker with them."

"Do what you want... I'm here to become to the best period," Chazz said as he left the room, "And if my brothers contact you, the strong arming tactics won't work; I already know what you're capable of..."

Jachin had a soft smile on his face after hearing that, "Thanks..."

* * *

Leaving from the Ra Yellow Dorm, Claudio and Melody were looking at the messages from Crowler telling them about a duel they were to participate in.

"Finally, we're getting a chance at Alister and Erika again!" Claudio exclaimed, "I got a lot of new cards to show them!"

"Me too!" Melody added with excitement in her voice as well. She then frowned, looking thoughtful, "But you know with Crowler, he has a personal reason for this duel. After what Alexis told me about Chazz's chance to get into Obelisk, it's a wonder why he's interested in the Slifers."

"Well, I have noticed that most of the matches and events being made are mainly involving Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue students." The J-Hero duelist said, "But he got Jethro into the Blues."

"I heard Jethro got in because Professor Sojourner interfered." The magician duelist answered. "And he's trying to help Jeremy get into Ra as well."

"Wow, he really is a nice guy," The Jukebox Hero duelist smiled. "At least the Slifers will start to get the respect they deserve if Jaden hasn't beaten it into enough people yet."

"Please," Melody waved off, "It'll take an entire lifetime to beat that philosophy of anyone beating anyone into Crowler, and from the sound of it, Bonaparte."

"I hear ya; they're probably kissing up to Alister and Erika, being Pro League material and all."

* * *

Alister and Erika were talking about the same thing as the entire Obelisk Blue students were leaving the dorms for the arena.

"Man, could most of these Obelisks get any shallow on money?" Alister groaned.

"That's why I'm only talking to Alexis, Lily and Allyson among the girls." Erika added with a frown of her own. "I heard one particular group of girls basically forced a Slifer into dueling him and played him the entire time!"

"Oh boy... it's like high school; having all kinds of factions that thinks they are better than everyone else. And with some people having less self-esteem than others... not good."

"Oh, I gave them a piece of my mind on that one," the machine duelist stated, "Not only I told them about Jethro being a Slifer that forced me into a draw, but I took them out in a heartbeat..."

"Yeah, I remember your anger before we hooked up," Alister grinned, "All the people saying how you couldn't make it out of the amateurs and into the pros." He then wrapped his arm around his fiancée, "Birl, did you tear it up when you made it!"

"And you calmed me afterwards," Erika smiled as she wrapped her arms around her fiancé's. "Thank you..."

"Anytime! You set me straight a number of times I might add," Alister added. "I was too cocky after my first tournament win."

"I remember that..."

* * *

At the duel arena, Crowler had his trusty microphone in hand.

"Alright students! This duel will not only strengthen the Academy standards, but it'll strengthen the bond between the loves of tag team partners!" He announced.

"You really have lost it..." Bonaparte grumbled.

"From the Obelisk Dorm, our famous students and celebrity couple from the Pro League: Alister Gates and Erika Parks!" The engaged couple stood out into the duel platform, as most the students cheered for them.

"Did he say 'celebrity couple'?" Erika whispered. "He thinks he knows it all..."

"He's putting a lot of words in others' mouths," Alister whispered back.

"And their opponents from Ra Yellow, and soon to be celebrity couple, Claudio Osbourne and Melody Hikarii!" The Ra couple came out and met with admiration from their friends and a bunch of Ra Yellows as well.

"Okay, he really needs to shut up," Claudio whispered.

"I'm thinking he's seen too much Hollywood," Melody groaned.

The four duelists met each other in the middle of the arena and exchanged decks to shuffle.

"I bet you two hated the 'celebrity couple' line," Melody asked the Obelisks.

"And we've heard it before," Erika sighed, shaking her head. "But let's not focus on celebrity talk."

"Yeah, Mel and I been waiting on a rematch against you two, so that's the only plus that Crowler made!" Claudio grinned.

Alister chuckled as he winked, "Well, you may see Eatos again if you force our hands again!"

"And maybe something more." Erika added with wink of her own.

The players returned their decks and walked to the opposite sides and turned on their duel disks on.

"Are the competitors ready!?"

Alister and Claudio grinned, while Melody and Erika nodded and smiled.

All four players drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Alister/Erika: 8000

Claudio/Melody: 8000

"Let's do the same thing as last time, ladies first starting with Erika," Claudio said.

"Alright then, time to go!" Erika shouted, drawing her next card. "This time, it'll be a tad different from the past as I set a monster in defense mode and place one card facedown!" A facedown monster and Set card appeared on the field. "Over to you, Melody!"

"Thanks!" Melody nodded as she drew her next card, "I activate the Continuous Spell, Arcane Barrier!" A small seal appeared at Melody's feet. "Next, I summon Apprentice Magician in defense mode!"

From a purple flash, a blonde woman in a purple outfit appeared. It consisted of a cloak, boots and armguards. She also had a red headband and a white belt and a magician's staff that she defended herself with. (2/400/800)

"Since Apprentice Magician's been summoned, I can place a Spell Counter on a card that needs them, and my Arcane Barrier needs one!" Melody explained as one of the counters lit up on the corners of the seal. (AB: 1SC) "And that's all from me!"

"Just that?" Alister said as he drew his next card, "First, I play Double Summon! You know the drill on this card, so let's get right to it!" He inserted the card and let its image flash, "So the first will be a demon you all know as Backup Guardna!" The first flash brought out a blue demon with wild red hair appeared. (4/500/2200)

"You're playing it face up?" Claudio asked.

"Hey, I knew I couldn't hide this guy from ya so, I'll just let him out for the moment," The Guardian duelist stated as he showed off another Spell card, "Anyway, I'll introduce you to a Guardian now by playing the Rod of Silence-Kay'est!" A blue staff with a floral pattern on top appeared in Backup Guardna's hands. (4/500/2200-2700) "This spell gives my monster 500 extra DEF giving him just enough to counteract anything, really! But as you worry about that, I'll introduce Guardian Kay'est!"

Appearing now was a blue-haired mermaid in a yellow, long sleeved shirt and had eyes of aquamarine color. (4/1000/1800)

"A mermaid, that's cool." Melody exclaimed. Kay'est gave a soft smile at the Ra girl's comment

"One of first Guardian cards, by the way!" Alister stated as he inserted another card into his disk, "And to end, I'll place this facedown!"

"Showtime!" Claudio announced, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Jukebox Hero Man in the Box!" Forming in front of Claudio was a man in a dark cloak. In his hands was a black, long neck bass guitar. (4/1500/1600) "Now, since I'm the last one going, so my monster attacks your Backup Guardna, Alister!"

"Oh no..." Melody moaned as she turned away.

The cloaked hero rushed the demon, but Backup Guardna retaliated by decking him in the gut. And as Man in the Box was sent back, Alister and Erika got a glimpse under the hood and saw that the hero's eyes were sewn shut!

"Whoa!"

"Oh my God!"

Needless to say, the soon-to-be-married couple was spooked until Man in the Box put his cloak back on.

"Freaked out huh?" Claudio asked.

"Uh, yeah!" They said.

"I never thought I'd see that monster again," Melody shuddered.

"Sorry ladies and Alister!" The J-Hero duelist said sheepishly, "It's all on the effect of Man in the Box, making all the damage I was supposed to take your problem!"

Alister/Erika: 6800

Claudio/Melody: 8000

"Where did he get the idea for a monster like that?" Lily asked.

"A song, for the most part." Alex shrugged.

"I think she meant the guy with the cloak." Jeremy wondered.

"Oh," the Gemini Duelist moaned, until he said, "A song, for the most part..." That made his two friends groan as well.

"Anyway, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn!" Claudio concluded.

"That was foul," Erika shuddered as she drew her. "But I'll quickly forget about that monster by playing this monster, Shreddder!"

A strange looking monster appeared. It looked like a large, industrial-strength paper-shredder, with a small pair of arms and legs, and two glowing eyes in the front. (4/1600/1000)

"It's official, every machine is a monster..." Alex said.

"Even the ones you see in corporate offices..." Jeremy added.

"What's next? A duel disk monster?" Jethro asked.

"It could happen," Vincent shrugged. "In my opinion, bring it on!"

"Looks like my new guy is getting quite the buzz," The Machine duelist stated. "But to move on to his special ability, I can discard any monster in my hand and destroy a face-up monster on the field whose level is equal to or less than the discarded one, once per turn!" She then showed off her Monster card. "And I'll make good on my promise by discarding Maverick Axel to take out Man in the Box!"

Shredder's eyes glowed, and it shot a blast of razor-sharp blades at the cloaked hero, destroying him.

"Next, I'll flip up my facedown monster, Searchlightman!" Erika continued as her monster card turned vertical and flipped over. A strange robot made entirely out of searchlights appeared. (3/1000/1000) "And I know about Apprentice Magician's effect, so when Searchlightman's been flipped up, no cards can be set by the opponents for the rest of the turn!" Claudio and Melody gasped. "Now, let's take down Apprentice Magician, attack with Flash Ray!"

The machine turned on its lights firing a burning beam that destroyed the young mage.

"Now the effect of Arcane Barrier activates giving it a Spell Counter since a Spellcaster was destroyed," Melody announced as another Spell Counter lit up the barrier's shield. (AB: 2SPC)

"Let's see you get out of this, Shreddder attack their life points directly!" Erika continued as the Shreddder's blades whirred to life again and shot more blades at the Ra duo, taking down some points.

Alister/Erika: 6800

Claudio/Melody: 6400

"And after a facedown, that'll do it for me!" Erika concluded, inserting a card into her disk.

"My move," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "I summon Crusader of Endymion in attack mode!" A blue armored spellcaster appeared, staring down the opposition. (4/1900/1500)

"And I'll activate this, Taunt!" Alister countered, revealing his Trap Card. Its light flashed on Guardian Kay'est. "Now, the only monster you can attack is my Guardian, and she can't be selected as an attack target!" He stated. "Them's the breaks!"

"Darn..." Melody stomped her foot, inserting two cards into her disk, "I end my turn with two facedowns."

"Alright, my turn!" Alister announced, drawing her next card. "I'll give Backup Guardna the Shooting Star Bow-Ceal! It may decrease his ATK by 1000, but I'll never let him into attack mode!" A giant bow was strapped to the demon's back. (4/500-0/2700)"But now I can bring out its owner, Guardian Ceal!" Next, a strange looking lizard appeared. It looks as if the green skinned body was fused with some kind of red weapon. (4/1700/1400)

"That's a weird-looking Guardian," Jaden said. "Wonder what happened to him?"

"Please don't speak ill will of my pal here," Alister warned the spectators, "Ceal's got feelings, too. And anyone who messes with him, will get hurt by his special ability, but in order for that I'll have to activate Backup Guardna's effect of giving the Bow to his proper owner. The wild haired demon tossed the bow back to Ceal. (4/0-500/2700), (4/1700-700/1400)

"Now, I could attack you directly with him since the Bow grants him that effect," He admitted, "But I'll use the Special Ability he has, sacrificing the Equip Spell to destroy the Crusader!" Ceal grabbed an arrow and pulled back on the bow's string and struck the monster right through the armor. "Now let's have a direct attack! Ceal, attack Claudio!"

The Guardian ran across the field, about to ram the Ra with the red weapon on its back.

"I activate my Trap card," Claudio declared as the card showed a picture of Jukebox Hero Aerosmith giving a Mystical Beast Serket a kick to the chin. "Sweet Chin Music! Kiss and goodbye!" Once Ceal got close enough, Claudio sidestepped to the left and then dealt a kick to the Guardian, destroying it. "And not only it destroys a monster dealing a direct attack, it deals you guys 500 points of damage!"

Alister/Erika: 6300

Claudio/Melody: 6400

"Nice, but Kay'est will get her attack in!" Alister continued as the mermaid fired a sharp water blast at Claudio's feet making him jump.

Alister/Erika: 6300

Claudio/Melody: 5400

"And that does it for me!" He concluded.

"My turn," Claudio announced, drawing his next card, "I'll activate Call of the Haunted to bring back Man in the Box!" The cloaked hero came back. (4/1500/1600) "And seeing as you won't fall for the same tricks; I'll sacrifice him to bring out a new face!" Man in the Box disappeared once again. "Say hello to Jukebox Hero Mississippi Queen!" Spinning onto the field was a red-headed woman in a stunning red dress and heels. (6/2300/1600)

"You finally got some ladies for the archetype?" Erika asked in surprise.

"Man, am I hit up by every girl that didn't see any of the ladies of my deck?" Claudio sighed. He then shook his head, "Anyway, attack the Shreddder! Queen Kick!" As soon as she danced her way towards the paper-shredding machine, Mississippi Queen gave it and shattering kick to the midsection.

Alister/Erika: 5600

Claudio/Melody: 6400

"Now, I activate her effect: I can draw one card, provided that it's not played during this turn" Claudio explained as he drew the card. "But I'll set a different card to end my turn!"

"Not bad," Erika said as she drew her card, while Searchlightman vanished, "Now I have to summon my Mavericks on you! I'll sacrifice Searchlightman to summon Maverick Spider!" Jumping from the ceiling was a green and yellow mechanical spider. Aside from the four normal spider legs, the back two were boots while the front where white gloved hands. (5/2000/2500) "Now, we get to the special effect! When it's summoned, one of my opponent's monsters loses 100 ATK times their level, meaning Mississippi Queen's losing 600 of them!"

The spider shot out thread that wrapped around the lady hero, unable to move. (6/2300-1700/1600)

"Let's kick her off the field, shall we?" Erika pointed to her spider. "Attack with Rajingeki!"

"Hold on!" Melody interrupted, revealing her facedown card. "I activate Shadow Spell to lock down your Spider and causing it to lose 700 ATK points!" Dark chains bound the spider to the ground as it charged at Mississippi Queen only to fail. (5/2000-1300/2500)

"Lucky, but let's see what my facedown card Needlebug Nest says about this!" Erika announced, revealing her facedown card. She then sent the top five cards in her deck to the grave. She smiled at what she saw and played another card, "And I found some good cards, so I'll play Prototype Development! It sacrifices a Machine Type monster to summon another one from the graveyard." Maverick Spider disappeared, breaking the chains. "Come out, Maverick Anteater!"

A giant mechanical anteater stormed onto the battlefield. Aside from the claws he could use for an attack, the weapon of choice was oblivious if you saw the giant cannon onto its back. (8/2750/2100)

"That's big!" Allyson gasped.

"And they forced Melody's hand by using up that trap card!" Vincent added.

"These two used to be pros, no students could stand up to them." Lyra noted.

"Still doesn't mean they can't be beat." Allen replied.

"Now Anteater, strike down Mississippi Queen. Hiejin!" Erika commanded.

From the machine's mouth, a blue missile fired at the Queen's feet, ejecting her from the field.

Alister/Erika: 5600

Claudio/Melody: 4950

"Now my trap activates," Claudio declared, revealing his Trap Card. "The Saints Are Coming!" The trap depicted a group of priests, but revealing underneath their robes, AC/DC shirts. "This activates when a Jukebox Hero's destroyed! It lets me summon Jukebox Heroes from my hand equal to the level of the destroyed monster." Two people in priests' robes appeared on Claudio's field. "Now, let's welcome Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire and Jukebox Hero Spoonman!"

Ripping off the robes, the priest revealed themselves to be the two heroes in question. The first was Bon-Fire stringing up his microphone. (4/1800/500)

The second was a man with black hair line the top of his head, vertically wearing white sweat-pants and shirt with the words "Save Your Self" on it. But instead of a microphone, guitar or even drumsticks, he carried two silver spoons. (2/0/0)

"And Spoonman's effect, gives him 300 ATK and DEF for every Jukebox Hero in the graveyard! Only two, but it helps with defense!" Spoonman took in a blue aura as he clacked the spoons. (2/0-600/0-600)

"But you'll lose a monster thanks to Anteater's effect!" Erika stated as she pulled out a coin, "By flipping a coin three times, if two of them come out heads, I get to destroy an opponent's card!"

The machine duelist flipped the coin into the air and caught on her back hand. "Tails."

Flipping it again, she got a different result. "Heads!"

Once more, Erika flipped the coin. "Sorry, Heads again! So Bon-Fire goes bye-bye! Sniper Missile!"

Using the cannon on its back, Anteater fired a giant missile at the shirtless hero, obliterating him from the field. (2/600-900/600-900)

"And that's it for me." Erika concluded.

"Time to change things!" Melody announced, staring her next card. "And it starts with Pitch-Black Power Stone!" Melody's trap activated bringing out a black stone with three counters creating a triangle. (PBPS: 3SPC) "It has three Spell Counters on it, and once per turn, I can take one of its counters and place it on other that needs it, so I'll give one to Arcane Barrier!"

One of the counters disappeared from the stone. (PBPS: 2SPC)

It then appeared on the seal around Melody's feet. (AB: 3SPC)

"Next, I play Spell Power Grasp to give Arcane Barrier another one, filling it up and giving me another Spell Power Grasp from the deck!" She announced as another spell counter appeared on the seal, letting her take out another spell. (AB: 4SPC) "Now let's activate it, I can send it to the grave to draw one card for every Spell Counter on it!" The seal disappeared, letting Melody draw four cards. She smiled at what she had and played it, "I activate the Spell, Incandescent Ordeal! By sacrificing my Dark Magician, a level 7 monster, I can summon Legendary Flame Lord!"

After discarding Dark Magician, giant flames shot up onto the field releasing another spellcaster. He wore a purple cloak, mage hat and a red cape and carried a purple scepter with a flame on it. (7/2400/2000)

"And I'll add Defender, the Magical Knight!" In a blue flash, a robed knight appeared with giant blue shield with a red ruby in the center and a crystal sword appeared. (4/1600/2000)

"And finally, I'll add Black Pendant to Legendary Flame Lord to increase his power by 500!" Around the Spellcaster's neck was a black jewel necklace, boosting his power. (7/2400-2900/2000)

"Now attack Anteater with Raining Flame Storm!" The flame lord pointed his staff towards the air and created storm cloud over the Maverick and it started to rain fire, burning the machine to destruction.

Alister/Erika: 5600

Claudio/Melody: 4800

"And with one card facedown, I end my turn!" Melody concluded.

"Nice one, Mel!" Claudio praised. "So far, we're holding our own!"

"You're welcome, but let's not celebrate just yet," She said as Alister drew his next card.

"Good that my hand's empty, I'll use Card of Sanctity!" He said as he played the Spell Card, "Let's draw everyone!"

Every player drew from their decks until they had six cards in their hands.

"And its time," the Guardian duelist said, activating another Spell, "First, I'll activate the Spell called Guardian Revival, paying 500 life points to revive Guardian Ceal and give him 500 ATK!"

Alister/Erika: 5100

Claudio/Melody: 4800

Ceal brought himself out of the graveyard and stood by Kay'est. (4/1700-2200/1400)

"And guess what guys, my graveyard's free of monsters!" Alister smiled, holding up another card. Claudio and Melody gasped. "You know who is coming! Time to play, Guardian Eatos!"

Light shined from the sky, letting an eagle fly down. As it called, it transformed into a beautiful, blonde woman who looked Native American with the style of dress she wore, particularly the brown skin shirt and ankle length skirt. She also wore an eagle headdress and two large white wings behind her. (8/2500/2000)

"Claudio and Melody have their work cut out for them." Kenji stated. "Aside from the signature equip spell, Eatos gains power by giving up one as well."

"She'll get more powerful every time it's Alister's turn!" Alexis added.

"And knowing him, Alister has enough equip spells for his deck." Lily deduced.

"Now, luckily Celestial Sword isn't in my hand but I can make do by playing Sliver Bow and Arrow since Eatos is a Fairy..." Alister stated, playing the Spell card, letting Eatos carry the silver weapon. (8/2500-2800/2000-2300) "Next, I'll send it to the graveyard to activate her own effect; she let's me remove three monsters from the opponent's graveyard to gain 500 attack points each! So say goodbye to Man in the Box, Mississippi Queen and Dark Magician!"

The Ra team grudgingly pocketed the selected cards as Eatos grew even stronger when the bow and arrow vanished. (8/2500-4000/2000)

"Now Eatos strike down the Legendary Flame Lord!" Spreading her wings, Eatos conjured up a tornado that pushed up against the ritual monster, but then Defender pointed his shield and unleashed the spell counter inside to dispel the tornado! "Hey, he should've been gone!"

"Thanks to Defender's effect, he was spared being taken down!" Melody explained. "By giving up a Spell Counter on my side of the field, I can prevent a Spellcaster from being destroyed in battle."

"You still lost the battle damage to your life points though," Alister countered as a red aura surrounded Melody.

Alister/Erika: 5100

Claudio/Melody: 3700

"Also, Ceal attacks Defender!" He continued as the revived Guardian rammed the armored mage with his red weapon.

Alister/Erika: 5100

Claudio/Melody: 3100

"And Kay'est attack Spoonman!" Another water blast from the mermaid shot at the spoon player, taking him out. "And to make sure nothing else happens, I'll play these cards facedown."Two facedown cards appeared at Alister's feet.

"And that's it for me..."

"Good!" Claudio announced, drawing his next card. He then played his monster card, "I summon Jukebox Hero Li!"

In blaze of fire, an Asian guitar player with long, brown hair jumped out wearing armor made up of dragon scales. The Hero played a fast guitar solo with his dragon-scaled guitar that ended with a flame ring around his feet. (4/1600/1200)

"Now, I'll send him to the grave to special summon Soul Guitar!" The flame ring went back around Li and transformed into a golden guitar. (5/1000/300) "And it gains the attack points of the Warrior monster used as tribute!" The guitar shined with more light. (5/1000-2600/300)

"I remember this instrument," Erika smiled.

"Next, I play Monster Reborn to revive Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire!" Claudio continued as the Spell's Light brought back flaming vocalist returned to the field. (4/1800/500) "Now, I play Polymerization!"

"So you're creating the Metal again?" Alister said.

"Not this time..." Claudio shook his head. The audience gasped.

"But wait, doesn't he usually play Soul Guitar when he's summoning that monster?" Syrus thought out.

"Yeah, you're right," Jethro replied.

"Does he have another monster for it?" Allyson wondered.

"I hope so!" Jaden exclaimed, feeling pumped for whatever's coming. "There's nothing like seeing new monsters!"

"I'll be passing the mic today, by fusing Soul Guitar, Soul Drums and for the first time, Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire!" Claudio announced as he gave Bon-Fire the Soul Guitar. "Take it and rock on!"

(Play War Machine by ACDC)

A silver drum set appeared with a flaming aura, playing the beats. The Bon-Fire added with his guitar playing, which surprisingly came naturally to him. Suddenly, the Drums and Guitar melted to the ground with all the intense flames of the instruments and the Jukebox Hero combined.

Finally, it started form itself into the same metal armor Claudio wore last year, with new additions large missile launchers on each of his shoulders and enough to recreate Soul Guitar! (11/3800/3000)

(End music)

"Meet Jukebox Hero War Machine!" Claudio introduced.

"Oh man, you really went all out for this one!" Alister said, impressed with the new look of Bon-Fire.

"Claudio came out with another armored monster?" Alexis asked.

"Only this time, he's got one of his own monsters wearing it." Vincent added.

"Now for the effect, I flip three coins and the number of how many becomes heads determines the effect!" Claudio said as he took up a coin and started to flip it. Once caught, it became heads.

The second flip... Tails...

"Looks like I can't get the third effect, so I'd better get the second..." Claudio said as he flipped it over once more and caught it.

It was heads!

"Whew!" Claudio sighed with relief. "I'd hate for the first effect, which would have made him weaker, but for the second effect I can have War Machine negate the effect of a target monster..."

"Uh oh…" Alister gasped, looking to his mermaid.

"Yep, Kay'est is open," Claudio grinned, "War Machine attack with AC Missile Rocker!" The armored hero started to play a solo that activated the missile launchers to fire and take down the mermaid Guardian.

Alister/Erika: 2800

Claudio/Melody: 3100

"Next, I play this facedown and that does it for me!" Claudio concluded.

"Glad you have new monsters too!" Melody praised her boyfriend.

"Getting the chance to play my new cards is all worth it!" He replied.

Erika drew her next card as she said, "But looks like we'll win again! But first, I'll activate Foolish Burial to send my Jinzo #7 to the grave!" A card slipped out of her deck, letting her put it in the graveyard. "Now we get to the fun part, by removing Maverick Spider a LIGHT monster and Jinzo #7, a DARK monster to summon this Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End!"

Everyone bugged out as a black dragon with massive wings, powerful arms, legs, and a tail, and an orange mane of hair on its head appeared with a mighty roar. (8/3000/2500)

"Mel, tell me I'm not seeing Envoy of the End on the field," Claudio said, feeling overwhelmed.

"Don't worry, I won't," Melody added, feeling the same.

"I'll now place this card facedown and activate the special ability of my dragon," Erika announced as a red aura drained her Life Points, "Giving up 1000 life points, I'll destroy every card on the field and in everyone's hands to deal 300 points of damage to my opponents!"

Alister/Erika: 1800

Claudio/Melody: 3100

"And how many cards does everyone have in the hand and field?" Jacinth wondered.

"Claudio has three, Alister has five, Melody has nine and Erika has six counting her dragon." Chazz counted.

"Multiplying that by 300 is 6900!" Bastion calculated with shock.

"That's overkill!" Lyra added, now showing her shock as well.

"They're done!" Allen shouted, "It's like they had no chance at all to beat those Pros!"

"But since we don't want our monsters to join in the blaze," Alister stated, revealing his facedown cards, "I'll activate two copies of Interdimensional Matter Transporter to send our monsters out of play before the blast!"

"But that's still 6100 points of damage coming in!" Alexis stated.

"Actually, this isn't how it's going to end!" Claudio said as he activated his trap card, "I'll use the trap Munchies Run!" The trap card showed some of the known Jukebox Heroes buying up food at a store. "This gives me 1000 points for every card in my hand!" He then activated his other facedown card. "And I'll add on to that by playing my Emergency Care Package by sending three spells/traps to the grave and gain 3000 life points!" He discarded his three cards into the graveyard.

"They chained their cards together, and with the number life points gained, Melody and Claudio saved themselves!" Bastion praised.

Alister/Erika: 1800

Claudio/Melody: 7100

Finally, the dragon let out its flames before the Interdimensional Matter Transporters digitized it and Eatos as it destroyed everything else, kicking up a massive smoke cloud and damaging the opponent's points.

Alister/Erika: 1800

Claudio/Melody: 1000

"Don't forget..." Melody announced, coughing up smoke from the effects. "Black Pendant went to the grave so you lose 500 points!"

Alister/Erika: 1300

Claudio/Melody: 1000

"Now, everyone has nothing on their side..." Masaki stated.

"Oh, did I mention the card I set was Dummy Marker?" Erika asked. "It lets me draw one card when destroyed." She drew her next card. "I place it facedown and end my turn!"

As she ended her turn, both Eatos and the emperor dragon returned to the field. (8/2500/2000), (8/3000/2500)

"Now the plot thickens," Spencer said. "Two monsters plus a facedown card against nothing. What's Melody going to do?"

"I draw!" Melody announced, drawing her next card, "I play Pot of Greed!" She drew out two more cards and played one. "I summon Illusion Magician!" A small Magician in purple robes appeared. Though his face wasn't visible but two green eye dots, he looked strangely familiar... (4/1100/1900)

"Hey, we haven't seen him in a while!" Claudio smiled, remembering his first duel with Melody.

"And you remember what he does?" Melody added. "His name is counted as the Dark Magician, meaning I can play cards like this: Knight's Title to send my mage to the grave and summon Dark Magician Knight!" The Illusion Magician glowed and then reappeared as the original Dark Magician except instead of robes, he wore a purple suit of armor with a black cape. In addition, the scepter became a sword brimming with magic. (7/2500/2100)

"I take it you got my gift over the mail!" Claudio grinned.

"And thank you, by the way!" She smiled sweetly before turning to the opponents. "And once this knight is special summoned, I can destroy one card on the field, so slay that dragon!" The knight ran into the fray and slashed the dragon to pixels. "And that'll be it!"

"My move!" Alister said, drawing his card. He smiled and played it. "I'll play this card Guardian Shield and equip it to Eatos!" A butterfly shield appeared on Eatos' arm. (8/2500/2000-2300) "Now, I'll send it to the grave to remove War Machine and Illusion Magician to give her 1000 points, enough to win!" The shield vanished from the Guardian's arm, yet gave her power. (8/2500-3500/2300-2000) "Sorry guys, Eatos take out the knight!"

"Step off, Alister," Claudio interrupted as a Monster card ejected from his graveyard, "Necro Guardna, block him!"

A card slipped out of Claudio's grave and Eatos was blocked by a transparent image of a warrior dressed in grey, maroon, and black armor with long white hair that fell to his knees. He vanished after the attack.

"Necro Guardna?" Erika gasped.

"Yup! I figured it'll be good to have him after seeing it save Jaden last year," Claudio explained as he pocketed said card, "And it negates an attack by removing himself from the graveyard."

"Then you got your turn," Alister sighed.

"Then let's hope it's a game changer!" Claudio prayed as he drew his card. "Hey, I get to draw two cards with Pot of Greed!" He drew two his cards and played them both, "Now let's summon Soul Mic!" A microphone with a stand appeared in front of Claudio. (1/300/200) "And now I can finally say we won, by activating Unstable Evolution! This is sort of like Megamorph only it has a set number of ATK on the card, when the Life Points are lower like Melody's and mine are, the ATK points of the monster become 2400!"

The microphone went through a rapid amount of changes before settling on its original appearance. (1/300-2400/200)

"And this can attack directly, good thing since I don't want to destroy Eatos..." He stated.

 _'Great... because I absolutely hate having to use her other form on a friend...'_ Alister thought, looking at his prized monster.

"Looks like we're beat..." Erika said, looking at her Set card, "My facedown card was to protect Eatos from being attacked.

"Yup, bound to happen," Alister replied with smile.

Claudio kicked the stand away to reveal a ball and chain attached to the microphone. "Thank you and good night!" He announced as he threw the chain and swung it at Alister's feet, ending the game.

Alister/Erika: 0

Claudio/Melody: 1000, Winners

The audience cheered as the holograms disappeared.

"Well, I see the win-loss ration is tied up." Claudio said as he and Melody high-fived each other.

"Meaning a tie breaker will happen sometime," Melody added with a smile.

"They beat the pros!" Bonaparte gasped as he freaked out. "Impossible!"

"Bonaparte, anyone can defeat anyone." Spencer stated, impressed with the duel. "It's a matter of drawing the right cards, strategy and some luck!"

Crowler sighed. "Oh well... I didn't see this coming..."

"That was totally awesome!" Jaden exclaimed.

"I know!" Allyson added. "Seeing intense duels like this are exciting!"

"Are all the duels are going to be like this?" Jachin asked.

"Not likely." Chazz replied.

Amongst the crowd, Jason was leaning against the exit with his eyes shining white.

 _'Claudio's getting pretty powerful...'_ He thought to himself. _'I wonder if Jaden will be worth Master Sartorius's time... I'll pay attention to his next duel!'_

* * *

They're you have it, a new dude plus a tag team rematch! I hoped you enjoyed!

Imperial Manners

Normal Trap

Image: A member of Goblin Attack Force and a Chthonian Soldier leading a chained Abaki up to the emperor depicted on Imperial Order.

Activate only if your opponent declares an attack while you control no monsters. Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.

(Used by Lazar in the 5D's Episode Surely, You Jest. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Urgent Fusion

Quick-Play Spell

Send, from your side of the field to the Graveyard, monsters that are listed as Fusion Material Monsters on a Fusion Monster Card, and Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon).

(This is the remade version of the GX version of Instant Fusion from episode 72. Creative Credit goes to the writers of GX.)

Shock Draw

Normal Trap Card

Image: A duelist surrounded by blazing energy as he holds up two cards.

Draw 1 card for each 1000 points of damage you took this turn.

(Shock Draw was first used by Yusei in the 5D's manga ride 'The Master of the Underworld!' Creative credit for it goes to the writers of the 5D's manga.)

Crime and Punishment

Normal Trap Card

Image: A demon hand carrying a candelabrum with two lit candles.

Activate only when you take Battle Damage from a direct attack. Destroy 1 monster on the field. At the end of the Battle Phase, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand.

(Used by Commander Koda in the 5D's episode The Profiler. All rights to the creators of 5D's.)

Jester Queen

Level 2

DARK

Spellcaster/Effect

800/800

When this card is Summoned, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards you control. If you control no other monsters, this card can attack once for each Spell and Trap Card you control.

Card of Demise

Normal Spell

Image: A man cutting his cut by a guillotine.

Draw cards until you have 5 cards in your hand. During your fifth Standby Phase after activation, send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard.

Used by Seto Kaiba first in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie. All creative rights and credit go to the owner.

Distrain Card

Normal Spell Card

Image: Three face-down cards side-by-side, with a shard of purple crystal impaled through the centre card.

Activate only when there are 2 or more Set Spell or Trap Cards in your opponent's Spell & Trap Card Zone. Select 1 of them. It cannot be activated this turn. Inflict 800 damage to your opponent if they activate another face-down card.

(Distrain Card was first used by Lazar in the Episode 44 of 5D's. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Secret Passage

Continuous Spell

Image: Dark Scorpion- Chick the Yellow about to enter an underground passage.

Once per turn, if the ATK of each of your face-up monsters is lower than your opponent's monster with lowest ATK, 1 monster you control can attack your opponent directly.

(First used by Lazar in 5D's episode 114. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Jukebox Hero Mississippi Queen

WATER

Warrior/Effect

and high heels, dancing on stage.

When this card destroys a monster in battle, draw one card. You cannot activate or set it in the turn this card's effect was activated.

(Creative credit goes to me!)

Maverick Spider

Type: Machine

Attribute: Light

Level: 5

Attack: 2000

Defense: 2500

Effect: Once summoned select one monster on opponent's side of the field and decrease the ATK by 100 times the stars of the monster.

Art: Here's the link to the picture ( megaman.)

Maverick Anteater

Type: Machine

Attribute: Earth

Level: 8

Attack: 2750

Defense: 2100

Effect: Once per turn, flip three coins and if two out of three land on heads destroy any card on opponent's side of field.

Art: ( megaman.)

(Top two cards created by ZaneKazama001. Creative credit goes to him.)

Prototype Development

Quick-Play Spell

Tribute 1 Machine-Type monster you control to Special Summon 1 Machine-Type monster from your Graveyard.

Image: A worker opening a storage hangar.

(Used by David Rabb in the GX manga. All rights to the creators.)

The Saints are Coming

Counter Trap

This trap can only activate when a Jukebox Hero is sent to the graveyard, summon every Jukebox hero from your hand onto the field with the level equal to the monster that destroyed the card.

Picture: A group of priests; taking off of their robes, revealing AC/DC shirts.

(Created by Joshua Chung. All rights go to him.)

Name: JukeBox Hero War Machine

Art: Jukebox Hero Bon-fire in The Metal armor with two large missile launchers on each of his shoulders and he is welding the Soul Guitar.

Attribute: Fire

Level: 11

Type: Machine/Fusion/Effect

Atk:3800

Def:3000

"JukeBox Hero Bon-fire" + "Soul Guitar" + "Soul Drums"

Info: This monster cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon and having a "Soul Guitar" with over 2000 ATK on the field. This monster's effect is based on the number of heads coin toss when it is summoned:

1 Head: ATK/DEF will be halved.

2 Heads: Negate the effect of one monster on your opponent's side of the field until the End Phase.

3 Heads: This card is unaffected by Spell and Trap Effects by your opponent(s). This card is allowed to attack everything on the field.

(Created by x-knight20 with a little help from me on effects. Rights go to him and me.)

Normal Trap: Munchies Run!

Art: In a store, Jukebox Heroes JB and KG each have their arms full of bags of chips. Freaknik, in his large form, has 10 casts of different drinks in each hand. Coheed Cambria is at the store's deli, talking to the order taker with a tall sack of sandwiches on the counter and the cook on the grill, in the back, has a huge sweat drop on his head. Prince of Darkness appears to be pointing a bag of chips and screaming at what appears to the manager of the store, the manager has anime tries going down his face and the girl behind the register has a huge sweat drop on her head.

Info: For each card in your hand, increase your life points by 1000 for each card.

(Created by x-knight20. All rights go to him!)

Guardian Shield

Equip Spell

Equip only to a "Guardian" monster. It gains 300 DEF. If a monster you control would be destroyed by battle, you can send this equipped card to the Graveyard instead.

Image: A red-yellow butterfly shaped shield worn by Guardian Elma.

(Used by Rafael in the second series episode Grappling with a Guardian. All rights to the creators.)

Guardian Revival

Normal Spell

At the cost of 500 life points, the player can revive any Guardian from the graveyard, ignoring the Summoning Conditions and boost the monster's attack points by 500.

Picture: Shows Guardian Grarl's hand coming out of the grave.

(Created by ZaneKazama001, all rights to him)

For the Persona Cards, I've updated the OC page on the first chapter. Those cards are created by Trickymander. All rights go to him.

* * *

Next time: Jaden gets into with a new student with love of dinosaurs. Also, the students get to watch one of Zane's matches in the Pro League. (And no, it's not against Aster... yet...)


	6. Dinomania and Promania

Back to canon with a little addition, baby!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 6: Dinomania and Pro-mania

* * *

In the afternoon, classes were over and most people went about their business. They were studying, doing homework, in duels, or hanging out with their friends. But for four boys, that was not likely...

"OK, explain to me one more time why we're lugging these duel disks around?" Jeremy groaned, shouldering the backpack he wore, strapped with several duel disks.

"Because our dorm didn't have enough duel disks in storage," Jaden replied with a smile, "So we came to the main building, picked up some new ones and now we're on our way back."

"I thought it was because of you sleeping in class, Hero boy." Claudio grinned, "Once again, Crowler called you out with this punishment and logged Syrus and Jeremy with you."

"It is," Syrus groaned, "And besides, Jaden's right about the storage being cleaned out of Duel Disks."

"Why's everyone losing their disks anyway?" The E-Hero duelist asked.

"Well..."

All eyes were turning to Syrus who had a guilty look on his face.

"What's wrong, Syrus?" Jeremy asked. "Is it about the disappearances?"

The Vehicroid duelist sighed. "You know the man-made river with a bridge over it at the exit of this forest? I heard a guy has been blocking the path lately. You have to duel him and when he wins, he takes your duel disk."

"Sounds like last year with the Duel Giant," Claudio mused, "But it can't be the same guys..."

"Oh really? Then where's your duel disk?" Jeremy asked, glancing at Syrus' bare arm, "Did you duel this guy?"

"Yes!" Syrus cried and broke down, "And I was the 99th duelist he's beaten."

"Sounds like an old-fashioned bully to me," Claudio sighed, shaking his head. "He's trying to make a name for himself by hazing any duelist he finds."

"It better not be another Obelisk who needs to get a life," the Alien duelist muttered.

"Then I say we take the long way home," Jaden declared, "We can't let these guys get away with stealing duel disks!" "Let's go guys!" And with that, Jaden and the others took off into the deep forest, leaving Syrus behind.

"You guys..." the small Slifer groaned as he chased after the three.

* * *

After some walking, or running in Syrus' case, they reached a large clearing with a small river running through it. Spanning the river was a large yellow bridge and standing on it were six Ra Yellow students in sleeveless blazers. Standing in the center of them was the duelist that had hassled Chancellor Crowler the opening night with some duel disks strapped to his back. There were others packed in bags that the other Ras were carrying.

"Hold it right there, civilians!" He commanded in a drill sergeant-esque tone, "Drop your duel disks and let's duel!"

"Sure!" Jaden grinned as he shucked the load off his back, save for his own.

"Hang on a minute!" the lead Ra interjected. "You guys aren't afraid?"

"Of a duel? No way! It's what we do after all," Claudio answered, noticing the another six bags of duel disks that sat on the bridge, "We want the duel disks you guys stole."

"But I haven't even given my introduction! The name's Sergeant Hassleberry: Code named Tyranno! I'm a first year Ra Yellow!" The Ra announced, "And if you want the duel disks, you gotta wager your own in combat!"

"Oh, one of the new guys," Claudio stated, "Kept trying to chase this guy for an introduction but he keeps slipping away."

"Oh come on," Jaden whined, "Forget all that and let's just duel!"

"Hey, this kid is disrespectful!" One of the Ra Yellows exclaimed. "Want us to beat him up for you?"

"He doesn't even know how great you are," another Ra said to Hassleberry. "Because we are..."

The other Ras joined in and shouted, "THE EVER-INTIMINDATING TYRANNO GANG!"

"Hold on," The fifth Ra looked at Syrus. "You look like the kid we beat the other day..."

"Yeah! So what!?" Syrus yelled at them.

"These guys are a few cards short of a deck," Claudio mumbled. "All of them..."

"Anyway," Jeremy interrupted. "The point is we want a duel to get those duel disks you took!"

"Fine, but if I win, I get your duel disks!" Tyranno replied.

"That's fine by us!" Jaden said.

"Now seeing as how only one of you has a duel disk, I'll face him," the sergeant announced, pointing at Jaden, "And judging by the look of your blazer, you'll be easy prey. Four of your kind took me on yesterday at the same time and I whooped them and sent them back to your dorm in tears!"

"If you're trying to intimidate us, it ain't working!" Syrus replied, "So let's just get on with this duel already!" Jaden, Claudio and Jeremy winced at their pal's sudden outburst.

"Control your support!" One of the troops commanded, "Or else we will!"

"I don't blame him," Claudio stated.

* * *

A few seconds later, Hassleberry's group, Claudio, Jeremy and Syrus stood on the bridge while Hassleberry and Jaden stood across from each other with the river separating them. Then, Hassleberry's group pulled out several musical instruments and a crimson bullhorn.

"Now that my battalion is ready, we can begin this war!" Tyranno smiled, slipping on his duel disk.

"Alright then General! Get your game on!" Jaden grinned, his duel disk powering up.

Tyranno: 8000

Jaden: 8000

"Are you mocking me boy? I ain't no General and this ain't no game! This is combat!" Tyranno corrected as he and Jaden drew their opening hands.

"Then get your combat on!" Jaden announced, drawing his sixth card. "I start by summoning Elemental Hero Stratos in attack mode!" The first hero summoned wore blue armor with two turbine wings attached to his back. (4/1800/300) "And when summoned, I can bring an Elemental Hero from the deck to my hand." He took the desired card he wanted. "Like Elemental Hero Ice Edge! And I'll call it a turn!"

"Not a bad start." Claudio stated.

"Yeah, an 1800 ATK monster and some more backup for his next turn!" Jeremy added.

"Beat them down, Jaden!" Syrus cheered. "Show that new kid who's boss!"

All that did was spark the pep in Hassleberry's follows as they started playing their instruments and waving a yellow flag with a T-Rex head on it.

"Fight hard, boss!" They shouted.

"If that's all you got, then this'll be a short match!" Tyranno insisted, drawing his sixth card, "Gilasaurus, front and center!" Jaden watched in astonishment as a thin, brown dinosaur appeared on the field. (3/1400/400)

"And that right there was a special summon!" The dino duelist declared. "And if you had a monster in the grave, you could summon one. But too bad you don't, so I'll dismiss Gilasaurus so Frostosaurus can report for duty in attack mode!"

The brown dino vanished as a Brachiosaur encased in ice appeared. But despite dinosaurs being cold-blooded, heavily affected by the ice, it was actually moving around! (5/2600/1700)

"Not bad!" Jaden praised. "A 2600 ATK monster on the first turn!"

"This is war! Don't give the enemy any props!" Syrus shouted.

"Cool it Sy! Jaden's got things under control here," Claudio said with confidence.

"Yeah, even if the dino's more powerful than Stratos." Jeremy shrugged.

"Now it's time to engage the enemy," the new Ra shouted, "Frostosaurus, attack with Winter Breath!" The dino breathed out an icy wave that froze Jaden's hero and broke it apart with its long tail, knocking Jaden down.

Tyranno: 8000

Jaden: 7200

"Take that!" Hassleberry laughed, "I heard Jaden Yuki was the icon of the Academy, but I got first blood against him!"

"Hey Jaden, you cool?" Claudio asked.

"Get up, son!" The Ra 'sergeant' taunted as he placed a facedown card, "I'm not done wiping the floor with you!"

"Way to go Sarge!" The flag bearer called.

"Who's the best?" The megaphone-bearing Ra shouted.

"Jaden!" Syrus countered, shouting at the cheer section, "Now turn it down a decibel!"

"Sorry little man, but the Sarge needs support!" Ra shouted through the megaphone. Syrus winced as the megaphone was right next to his ears, "If you don't like it, you can leave!"

"Jaden! Hurry and beat the khaki pants of this guy so we can shut these guys up!" Jeremy added.

"What do you think I'm trying to do? Lose on purpose?" Jaden asked as he drew his next card, "Alright Lieutenant, my turn!"

"It's Sergeant! Now play something!" Hassleberry shouted.

"You got it," Jaden grinned, showing off the Polymerization card he drew, "I'm fusing Elemental Heroes Clayman and Hero Kid to summon Elemental Hero Gaia!"

Clayman and a little boy in a space suit, wearing a red mask and high-tech looking gear jumped into the fusion vortex. From it, an E-Hero fully encased with a tough metal armor stared down the ice encased dinosaur. (6/2200/2600)

"You sure you want that wimp in attack mode?" Hasselberry smirked, seeing the stats on Gaia "He's better defending your troops!

"Sure I do! When Gaia hits the field, I can take half of a monster's attack points and add them to his!" Jaden informed.

"Sam Hill!" The Ra cried out when the Hero slammed his fist to the ground, using the earth's power to drain Frostosaurus's power. (5/2600-1300/1700) All at the same time, Gaia was gaining the amount lost! (6/2200-3500/2600)

"Now Gaia, attack with Gaia Force!" Jaden commanded, letting Gaia slam his fist into the ground again, but this time a fist made from the earth came out and gave the frozen dino an uppercut!

Tyranno: 5800

Jaden: 7200

"And with a facedown, I'll call it turn!" the Slifer concluded.

"Nice one, Jaden!" Jeremy cheered.

"You haven't lost your touch, Hero Boy!" Claudio smiled.

"And I see the cheer squad doesn't have good comeback!" Syrus grinned at Hassleberry's group. "What, speechless already?"

The group just looked at each other.

 _'So he's stronger than I thought...'_ Hassleberry thought, _'But this sarge's got a few tactics up his sleeve as well!_ ' And when he looked towards his group, they quickly went back to their cheers _. 'They try so hard, them boys. But I gotta show how even though we're not the top ranked dorm, we still can duel with the best!'_

Hassleberry remembered having some of the top scores of his entrance exams, written and duel and thought he was set for Obelisk. But when registration gave him a yellow vest, he was disappointed.

"But I made due, became a true leader for this freshmen crew! And let it be known that Sgt. Tyranno Hassleberry is a giant among men! And I guard this bridge to prove no matter what, I won't stand down!"

"Could you cut the monologue?" Claudio interrupted. "It's your turn, dino soldier!"

The dino duelist gasped, "Was I thinking out loud again?" His group nodded.

"You're funny guy, Bumbleberry!" Jaden said.

"It's Hassleberry! Sgt. Hassleberry!" the dinosaur duelist shouted as he drew his next card. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew two more cards underneath the grinning pot. "Excellent! Terrain advantage! I activate the field spell Jurassic World!" The bridge and river was changed to a forest filled with palm trees and volcanoes. In the distance, the roars of ferocious beasts echoed.

"Oh boy, Jaden's going to have a rough time now," Jeremy noted. "You can't have dinosaurs without their environment..."

"With this in play, all my dinosaur cards gain 300 ATK and DEF!" Hassleberry explained as he inserted another Spell Card into his disk, "And next, I'll activate Living Fossil to return Gilasaurus to the field, negating its effect and losing 1000 ATK!" The brown dino reappeared. (3/1400-400-700/400-700) "But he won't be here for long as I play my own Polymerization, fusing him with Kaitoptera to create Horned Saurus!"

Another dinosaur, a brown, pterodactyl, was sucked into a fusion vortex with Gilasaurus and formed into a giant purple pterodactyl. (6/2000-2300/1000-1300)

"Next, I'll summon Giant Rex!" He continued, bringing out a giant Tyrannosaurus with a green fin on its back. (4/2000-2300/1200-1500)

"Powerhouse lineup!" Jeremy said, staring at the two dinosaur monsters.

"No kidding, Dinosaur monsters are big on it," Claudio added.

"Now once during a duel, Horned Saurus can bypass your monsters and attack directly!" Hassleberry grinned.

"No way!" Jaden gasped.

"Horned Saurus, relieve the enemy of some his points! Dino dive-bomb!" the Ra shouted as the flying dino soared over Gaia and wing slapped Jaden.

Tyranno: 5800

Jaden: 4900

"Now Giant Rex, crush that hero!" The dinosaur took Gaia in his mouth and threw it around like a rag doll before slamming him to the ground.

Tyranno: 5800

Jaden: 4800

"I activate Hero Signal!" Jaden countered, revealing his facedown Trap. The trap card emitted a searchlight with the symbol of the Elemental Heroes, a black 'H.' "This lets me summon an Elemental Hero that's level 4 or below from my hand or deck." A card slipped out of his deck, letting him pick it up and play it "And I pick Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" The caped hero of water appeared in defense. (4/800/1200)

"And since he's alone, I draw two cards!" Jaden announced, drawing two cards.

"And you activated my trap card, Hunting Instinct!" Hassleberry's trap showed a food chain among Jurassic World: The dinosaur hunting the snake, the snake hunting the frog and the frog is hunting the Butterfly. "When you brought out your hero by way of Special Summon, I can do the same thing with my dinos in my hand!" He played the last card he held. "Dark Driceratops, report to the field!" A giant, green triceratops swooped in with purple wings and a yellow beak. (6/2400-2700/1500-1800) "And this soldier can pierce your defenses! So attack that Bubble Boy! Flying Phantom Nosedive!"

The new dino flew towards the hero and gave a diving peck to the hero.

Tyranno: 5800

Jaden: 3300

"Jaden's getting hammered!" Claudio exclaimed. "Heck, I never knew of any cards that Special Summon Dinosaurs like that!"

"Well now you know!" The dino duelist boasted. "Maybe you should join my platoon, once I win! Having a second year as my second-in-command, we'll be unstoppable!"

"No thanks, I'm not cut out for the army," The Jukebox Hero duelist waved off.

"Your loss," The new Ra said as he turned to Jaden, "With just one more round to go and three monsters to your zip, you'll be extinct! Then your duel disks will be all ours right troops?" But as he glanced over to his pals, he nearly fell over in astonishment. All of them were sitting on the ground, yawning. "You guys were supposed to be cheering on that one!"

"Uh, sorry Sarge," One of the Ra grinned sheepishly, "We were moved internally. We'll have a more outward expression next time!"

"Uh yeah and we'll cheer too," Another added with a small cheer through the megaphone.

"What am I gonna do with you guys?" Tyranno groaned.

"Hey Admiral! Keep your eyes on the prize," Jaden grinned.

"For the last time, it's sergeant! Goodness gracious boy, get it right!"

"Chill out," Jaden protested, drawing his next card. "I play the Spell Card Fusion Recovery! It brings Polymerization and Clayman back to my hand!" The two cards were ejected from his discard slot, letting him pick them up. "Time to bring in the ice age by playing Polymerization one more time fusing Elemental Heroes Clayman and Ice Edge!" Clayman this time fused with a young hero with ice armor. Then a new Elemental Hero land on the field with snow blowing behind him; it was a pure white armored hero with a cape flowing behind him. (8/2500/2000) "Here he is! The Elemental Hero Absolute Zero! And he's about to stop your Horned Saurus in his tracks, go Super Frozen Shock!"

The ice hero flew to the air and threw a giant icicle at the dino. It pierced through torso and froze the giant, before breaking into pieces.

Tyranno: 5600

Jaden: 3300

"Next, I'll throwdown a facedown and call it a turn." Jaden concluded, inserting another card into his disk.

"Alright, my turn now!" Hassleberry announced, drawing his next card, "You take down one of my troops, only for another one to avenge him! Now Dark Driceratops destroy that hero!"

"Hold on, I have a trap card Element Change!" Jaden countered, revealing a trap that showed some land with a volcano erupting. "With this trap, I can change the attribute of all monsters on the field on this turn only! And I pick WATER!"

"Why choose that?" One of Tyranno's followers asked.

"It's because of Absolute Zero's effect!" Jeremy said. "He gains 500 ATK for every WATER monster on the field!"

The dino duelist bugged out seeing Jaden's Hero get more powerful. (8/2500-3500/2000)

"Now counterattack!" Jaden called out as Dark Driceratops dove for Absolute Zero, it met a frozen wind that stopped it dead in his tracks and destroyed it into frozen pixels.

Tyranno: 4800

Jaden: 3300

"Guess the dinos can't stand the cold!" Syrus grinned in triumph.

"You're enjoying this a little too much," Claudio noted. "I know that guy beat you, but getting a rise out of someone else beat him is getting crazy."

Hassleberry growled, "I'll set a card facedown!"

"Alright, my move!" Jaden exclaimed, drawing his next card. "I summon Elemental Hero Prisma!" The next Elemental Hero was a crystal-shaped monster that looked like it had wings. (4/1700/1100)

"Hey, a new guy," the J-Hero duelist whistled.

"And with his effect, I can show one Fusion monster and then send one of the monsters that form it to the graveyard." Jaden explained as he opened the Fusion Deck portion of his disk and revealed one of his Fusion Monsters, "And when that happens, Prisma's name becomes that monster! So I show you Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman, and I'll send Necroshade to graveyard." He then had his choice ejected from his deck, letting him send that hero to the grave. "Now Absolute Zero, attack his dino!"

"Halt there," Hassleberry countered, revealing another Trap, "I activate Threatening Roar!" Giant Rex let out a massive roar that told Jaden's heroes to back off. "This stops your attack phase dead in his tracks!"

"Guess that'll teach me!" Jaden said sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"He's smiling?"

"Sure, Jaden always has a good time dueling." Syrus told Hassleberry's troops. "Unlike the sarge!" That line got a laugh out of the guys but earning a glare from the dino duelist.

 _'Deserted again...'_ He thought. _'Every time I find a group of loyal soldiers, they end up siding with the enemy!_ ' He then growled as he drew for his turn. "I play Card of Demise to draw five cards!" He drew from his deck until he had his desired hand. "Excellent! I play Earthquake forcing all monsters to dig into the trenches and switch to defense mode!" The area began to rumble as the duelists struggled to keep on their feet. Amidst the brief quake, Jaden's heroes got down on their knees in defense mode.

"Now I sacrifice Giant Rex to play Big Evolution Pill!" He continued as Giant Rex disappeared as a spell card showed off three dinos surrounding three boosting pills. "With this in play, I can summon any dinos without sacrifices until the end of your third turn, but you won't last that long!" He chose another card. "Black Tyranno, front and center!" A giant and deadly black tyrannosaurus came out to the field. (7/2600-2900/1800-2100) "Now since all you have are your monsters are in defense mode, Black Tyranno can directly!"

"That's going to be real pain to the Life Points!" Syrus gasped.

"Now Black Tyranno, sic 'em boy!" the Ra shouted, letting the giant dino roar as it stomped towards Jaden and took down a large chuck of points with forceful tail strike!

Tyranno: 4800

Jaden: 400

"Almost completed my mission!" Hassleberry cheered, inserting another facedown card, "Now one card facedown and it's back to you!"

"Alright, let's see if I can get out of this jam!" Jaden said, drawing his next card. He then cheered as he saw the card, "Oh yeah! I activate De-Fusion! Separating the Absolute Zero into Clayman and Ice Edge again!"

The fusion separated into the heroes that made him and stood... in attack mode? (4/800/2000), (3/800/900)

"What the-?" The Ra with the megaphone shouted as he turned to Syrus. "Why would he..."

"Lose the horn!" Syrus yelled back

"Sorry," The Ra dropped the horn, "Why would he give up a powerful monster for two weak ones?"

"Much better! Just don't question Jaden's moves, he's the best on the island for a reason." Syrus explained.

"Besides, it's his deck and nobody knows Elemental Heroes like Jaden does," Claudio added. "Also, trying to figure out how he plays will just encourage him."

"And by having Absolute Zero leave the field, his second effect activates." Jeremy added. "He destroys every monster on the opponent's field field!"

A harsh blizzard kicked up after Zero's leave causing problems for the dino as it froze to a glacier and shattered.

"This is bad!" The dino duelist exclaimed as he saw the Elemental Heroes prepare for attack.

"Next, I switch Elemental Hero Prisma to attack mode and have my monsters attack directly," Jaden announced as he pointed to Hassleberry, "Triple Hero Attack!"

Prisma reflected the light from his body and blinded Hassleberry while Ice Edge threw ice block at him. Bringing up the rear, Clayman gave a shoulder charge to the sarge, knocking him on his back.

Tyranno: 3100-2300-1500

Jaden: 400

"Awesome, he's caught up!" Syrus cheered.

"What a comeback!" Claudio added.

"Sergeant Jaden is the best!" The other Ras cheered.

Hearing that was a big blow to Hassleberry's pride as he sat down on the ground, looking defeated, "This always happens; I guess the only person I can trust is myself. I don't get it, I'm a great leader and I always win! Even though I'm behind now, I've beaten twelve other guys with the same moves, yet no one's cheering..."

"Maybe they're bored?" Claudio pondered as Hassleberry looked his way. "I hate to use the same moves every single duel, I like to use different strategies every now and then when presented to me."

"That's crazy talk!" He replied.

"Think about it," Jaden said, getting the first-year Ra's attention. "From what you were saying and how your guys are acting, you used the same cards twelve duels in a row. Don't you think you should evolve?"

"A dino reference?" Jeremy asked and then moaned, "How come no one's impressed with my Alien reference?"

"Because you say them every time in a duel." Syrus replied.

"Well, I throwdown two facedowns and activate Prisma's effect, showing Necroid Shaman again and send Wildheart to the grave and end my turn!" Jaden concluded, showing off the Fusion Monster and then seding another Hero to the Graveyard. "So let's see you change up your tactics!"

Hasselberry announced, drawing his next card. He perked up after seeing it, "Hey, I never used this monster in my twelve duels! With Big Evolution Pill still on the field, I summon Ultimate Tyranno!" A more dangerous and hard scaled version of the Black Tyranno appeared, roaring in the jungle. (8/3000-3300/2200-2500) "And he'll get to all of your monsters since he gets to attack every single one of them! So even if your facedown cards can stop one attack, you won't be able to stop it him for good! Attack Prisma!" Ultimate Tyranno proceeded to charge at the Heroes.

"Sorry, but I activate my facedown cards," Jaden shouted, activating his facedown cards. "The first is Alternate Fusion and the second is Elemental Recharge!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot he had those trap fusion cards," Claudio noted, "This will be something!"

"First, Elemental Recharge will give me 1000 life points for every Elemental Hero on my field!" Jaden explained as the Trap unleashed a blue light towards the Slifer, restoring his life points.

Tyranno: 1500

Jaden: 3400

Prisma was then crushed into tiny diamonds by Ultimate Tyranno's teeth.

Tyranno: 1500

Jaden: 1800

"Now Alternate Fusion will fuse Clayman and Ice Edge back into the Elemental Hero Absolute Zero one more time in defense mode!" The two heroes fused back into the giant hero of ice again. (8/2500/2000) "And from what you were saying, it has to attack!" And then the ice hero was met with tail swipe to the chest. "But now Absolute Zero destroys your monster through his effect!"

The blizzard kicked up and destroyed the dino.

"Now, I got my reserves as I activate my facedown card Double Summon!" Hassleberry countered, revealing his facedown card. "Now I can Normal Summon again, and I'll bring out Sauropod Brachion from my hand in attack!" Appearing now was a large armored Brachiosaurus kneeling down. (8/1500-1800/3000-3300) "Now I got some defense ready for anything you can come up with! Bring it on!"

"You want it, you got it!" Jaden shouted, drawing his next card. "I summon Elemental Hero Avian!" He announced as Avian swooped down from the field. (3/1000/1000)

"Too bad, my defenses are too strong!" The dino duelist continued to boast.

"Then, I'll just do this; activate the field spell I just drew! Skyscraper!" Jaden announced, opening his Field Slot and activating it. Suddenly, the field started to advance to the Ice Age as the plant life started to freeze up. Then, tall city buildings erupted from the ground. "Without Jurassic World, your dino loses power!"

Brachion looked around the buildings in curiosity. (8/1800-1500/3300-3000)

"It still has more defense!" the Ra countered.

However, Jaden had another retort with a Fusion Spell Card, "Now, I play Miracle Fusion to remove Necroshade and Wlidheart to fusion summon Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman!" Finally appearing after being mentioned twice, was Necroid Shaman. It was the hero Wildheart now wearing white face paint, wore tan pants and became a red-head. He also carried white ropes around his limbs and carried a golden scepter with many rings linking together. (6/1900/1800) "Now, for Shaman's effect, I can send your monster to the grave and replace it with another from it! So good bye Brachion and hello Gilasaurus!"

Shaking his scepter, Necroid Shaman swapped the spirits of Hassleberry's dinosaurs making Gilasaurus appear to the field! (3/1400/400)

Seeing this, Hassleberry saw his defeat but couldn't feel disappointed at all.

"And with Skyscraper out, when Elemental Hero battles a monster stronger than him, he gains a 1000 ATK!" Jaden explained, "So Avian, Quill Cascade!" Avian took to the dark skies and flapped his wings, releasing the feathers. (3/1000-2000/1000) Gilasaurus was cut to pixels. "Now Necroid Shaman, finish the job!"

Before the attack, Hassleberry smiled. "Jaden, you got spirit soldier." He said to himself as his eyes developed dinosaur slit pupils.

The shaman rushed across the city and smacked the dino duelist with his staff, ending the duel.

Tyranno: 0

Jaden: 1800, Winner.

That's game!" Jaden grinned.

"Yeah, you beat me fair and…" the freshman Ra then stumbled into the river, forgetting the hologram of Skyscaper disappearing with the bridge and river reappearing.

"Oh no! Huckleberry!" Jaden cried, kneeling over the side.

"I owe you some duel disks," The Ra grinned.

"Oh yeah. I was having such a great time I forgot what we came here to do," the Slifer admitted.

* * *

Back at the Slifer Dorm, Chazz's construction crew was almost finished with the additions to the right side of the dorm. Spying on the crew was Crowler and Bonaparte with binoculars.

"I see that Red Dorm is almost done with the renovations," The Chancellor stated. "This should catch the eye of the paparazzi."

"We should be tearing down that dorm, not making it better!" The Vice-Chancellor argued. "And how did that rich kid get approval anyway? I swear since that Slifer Headmaster had to show up, our plans are being interrupted."

Suddenly, his view was blocked by a large green bag carried by Hassleberry as he walked towards the Slifer Red Dorm, more specifically Jaden's and Syrus's room.

* * *

Once inside, the Ra dino duelist dumped his stuff in the middle of the room. It was mainly full of pots, pans, canteens and cups.

"Hey!" Syrus protested. "Any idea why you're dumping your stuff in here!? You're not moving in here!"

"Yeah, this place is cramped enough." Chazz was also there, lying down on the top bunk. "No need for freeloaders."

"And you should know all about that!" The little Slifer replied.

"My mind's made up!" Everyone turned to Hassleberry. "Dueling Jaden, showed me I have a lot to learn!"

"Oh no you don't!" Syrus yelled, knowing where this was heading "Jaden already has a best friend!"

"Besides, you should follow the Chazz around for real support," The black coat Slifer smirked. "I'm actually the best one on the island!"

However, he was ignored when the Ra then stood up and offered a handshake to the E-Hero duelist. "Hassleberry, reporting for duty, sergeant."

"You can just call me Jaden." He replied, shaking his new friend's hand.

Suddenly, Jeremy and Claudio busted in the door.

"Hey guys!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"Don't you know how to knock!" Chazz yelled.

"Whatever, Chazz." Claudio scoffed, waved off. "Anyway, we got the Pro League on TV at the Yellow Dorm and Zane's got a match coming up!"

"For real!" Syrus exclaimed.

"What are we waiting for?" Jaden said as he dashed out of his room, hopped over the rail and went straight for the Yellow Dorm.

"Who's Zane?" Hassleberry asked.

"Nobody important..." Chazz said as he jumped off his bunk and walked outside with the others.

"My older brother who graduated last year," Syrus explained. "Once you see him, you'll know how great I am!"

It was then Syrus went after Jaden.

"Come on, before we lose a spot to sit." Claudio shouted to the stragglers.

* * *

The scene now changes to the Kaiba Dome where people were getting into their seats waiting for the exciting match to start others were getting things from the concessions stand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Kaiba Dome of the theme park Kaiba Land!" One of the commentators said. "I'm Ronald Harris alongside my broadcast partner, Tristan Taylor!"

"Well, Ron we have an exciting match introducing a new face to the Pros." Tristan stated, "Straight out of Duel Academy is Zane Truesdale, and looking at his stats he's already looking to be a strong favorite."

"Utilizing a deck to its fullest potential and make it come naturally is a must for all duelists." Ronald noted, "And Zane looks like he has just that and it's his first match in the Pros."

"And his dueling opponent's name is Kirk Dixon, one of the members of the Card Professors Group," Tristan continued, turning to his colleague, "Have I ever told you about my run-in with those guys?"

"No, I don't believe you have," Ronald shrugged, "But talk about that later, we have a duel to commentate as we head on over to our announcer down below in the duel platform, Andrew Buffer."

* * *

The announcer was a brown haired man dressed in black tuxedo, he carried a microphone as he announced the upcoming match.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Kaiba Dome! Tonight's match is an exhibition of 8000 life points and is contested under a single duel!" The audience cheered. "So let's meet our contestants! First, hailing from San Francisco, California! He's one of the members of the Card Professors! Kirk Dixon!"

Rising from a ground entrance was a blonde man in a red jumpsuit and cap with small glasses, carrying his duel disk on his right arm.

"And his opponent! Making his debut here in the Kaiba Dome, Zane Truesdale!"

From the opposite ground entrance, Zane Truesdale popped up. A taller boy with blue hair, also down to the neck but had some bangs near his blue eyes. He was dressed in his long white coat with blue outlines, from Duel Academy. Added to his wardrobe were two black sleeveless gloves.

"Alright boys, meet at the center of the ring and shuffle each other's' decks!" Andrew stated as both players met at the center of the arena and exchanged decks.

"So, new kid huh?" Kirk asked, "I hope you give me an excellent match! I'd hate to cut your time in the Pros short."

"Don't be so cocky, you might be surprised." Zane stated as both players returned their decks and walked to the opposite side of the arena.

"I guess it was true that Zane keeps his cool no matter what." Tristan said.

"I hear ya." Ronald replied.

"Alright, to determine the starting turn," Andrew took out a coin. "Zane, since this is your first duel here, you choose the outcome."

"Tails." The graduate said.

Andrew flipped the coin and caught it. "And it his Heads, so Kirk who's going first?"

"I'll let the new kid go." Kirk replied.

"Then gentlemen, start your duel disks and draw your cards!"

The audience cheered as the players drew out their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Zane: 8000

Kirk: 8000

Zane drew his sixth card and announced, "I start with two facedown cards and summon Cyber Larva in attack mode!" After two reversed cards, Zane brought out a small metal worm appeared at his feet. (1/400/600) "That's my turn."

"Is Zane trying to call a bluff?" Tristan asked. "That's obviously a trap."

"Which one?" Ronald replied. "The monster or the facedown cards."

"Alright, kid," Kirk said as he drew his next card, "I see your game. First, I'll summon the Machina Gearframe in attack mode!" A tall, thin orange and white robot appeared, its upper arms spindly, a single crimson optical sensor glowing on its head. (4/1800/0) "Once summoned, I can move a Machina monster from my deck to the hand, provided it's not another Gearframe." A card slipped out of his deck, letting him adding it to his hand. "Now, attack his Cyber Larva!"

Gearframe dashed to the small metal machine and shattered it with a punch. But despite being in attack mode, Zane's life points were untouched!

"What's going on with your points?" The Machina duelist asked.

"Nothing, since Cyber Larva's special ability prevents all battle damage done to me in its battle." Zane explained as he took a new card from his deck, "Plus, I get to summon another to the field." Another larva appeared. (1/400/600)

"Surprise, surprise!" Ronald exclaimed. "A small monster that can prevent damage and be re-summoned, nice!"

"I can see that!" Tristan added. "That was definitely eye-opener for me."

Kirk sighed as he continued. "To end my turn, I place one card facedown and activate the spell card Machina Armored Unit!" A continuous spell appeared showing a green machine emerging from an explosion. "And that's my turn!"

"Alright, my draw!" Zane announced, drawing his next card. "I'll summon Cyber Alnair!" Descending from the field was a machine that looked like a crane with jet wings. (4/1600/400)

"A new one for the Cyber monsters." Tristan mused. "But with a monster weaker than Gearframe, let's see what he plans to do with it..."

"I activate my facedown card, Cyber Roar and equip it to my monster," Zane countered, revealing his facedown card, "It gives my Cyber Monster 300 ATK and lets me draw a card!" As Zane drew his card, Alnair's wings were outfitted with two small lasers. (4/1600-1900/400) "Now Alnair, attack with Cyber Roar!"

With a loud shriek, the cyber crane flew up and fired its new lasers at the Machina monster, blasting it off the face of the earth.

Zane: 8000

Kirk: 7900

"Hell, I'm not worried about 100 life points, but now the effect of Machina Armored Unit activates!" The Card Professor shrugged, "I can summon another machine with the same attribute as the one destroyed, but with a lower ATK!" A card slid out of Kirk's deck, letting him take it. "I'll bring out Machina Soldier!" Now out was the same machine on the picture of the continuous spell. (4/1600/1500)

"And I'll activate my facedown card!" Zane declared, revealing other facedown card, "It's called Quick Summon, letting me play Cyber Struve! But since it's counted as a normal summon, I'll sacrifice Cyber Larva!" Cyber Larva vanished in bright light, bringing forth a white metal dragon. (6/2300/1300) "And his effect, let's me bring any Cyber monster to my hand from the deck!" He stated as he took another card from his deck. "Now attack his Soldier! Binary Blast!"

Light particles gathered in the machine's mouth and then fired a laser.

"I activate the trap card, Intruder Alarm – Yellow Alert!" Kirk announced.

Suddenly, a yellow siren went off as Kirk's trap flipped up.

"Sounds like a loud car alarm!" Ronald exclaimed. "Either that, or Kirk's bringing out something big..."

"When you attack I can summon any monster from my hand to intercept your attack, and I pick Caterpillar Tank!" Kirk explained as a small green war tank appeared, ready to fire. (7/2700/2000)

"Now Zane's in trouble!" Tristan said. "His Struve is now forced to battle that tank thanks to Alarm trap!"

The tank took the blow for Machina Soldier and then retaliated with two blasts of the cannon, destroying the metal dragon.

Zane: 7600

Kirk: 7900

"I'll end my turn with one facedown." Zane declared, concluding his turn.

"Caterpillar Tank is now returned to my hand due to my trap's effect," Kirk stated as tank vanished back into the card. He then drew his next card. "Now I activate the Ties of the Brethren spell card!" The spell showed three identical lizard warriors side by side. "By paying 1000 life points, I can summon two level 4 or below monsters that has the same attribute as the one on the field! Problem is, they can't attack."

Zane: 7600

Kirk: 6900

"Now since my soldier's an EARTH attribute monster, that's what I'm working towards," the Card Professor took out his choice cards and placed them on the disk, "And it's a no brainer as I summon Machina Sniper and Machina Defender!" The first machine that appeared was a brown and sliver model with laser leaning on its right shoulder. (4/1800/800) The second was a blue cruiser with lasers on top. (4/1200/1800) "Then, I summon Commander Covington!" Now a small orange robot dressed like a militant appeared, crossing its right arm in a salute. (4/1000/600) "Now, I'll show you the reason why I'm a Card Professor! Commander Covington, bring him in!"

The robot took out a small whistle and blew it. It caused the other machines to move about and reform themselves. First, Machina Solider bent over backwards making a pair of legs. Next, Sniper locked itself on top, making the torso. Finally, Defender spread apart making the shoulder armor and missile launcher. The combination monster moved around ready to roll! (10/4600/4100)

"It's Machina Force!" Ronald announced. "And with almost 5000 ATK, Zane's gonna have a hard time getting around this machine!"

"But with that amount of power Ron, that machine has to have a price." Tristan added. "Every time it attacks it will cost the user 1000 Life Points."

"And, I'll be happy to pay them since Zane's gonna lose a lot more once his metal bird bites the dust!" Kirk shouted. "Go Machina Demolition!"

Aiming the missiles Alnair, when they made impact Zane, had to brace himself for the wind trying to blow him of.

Zane: 4600

Kirk: 5900

"And now, Commander Covington attack!" The commander pulled out a small laser and fired it at Zane from its standing point.

Zane: 3600

Kirk: 5900

The audience was astonished to see how far Zane's life points went down.

"Whoa, Zane just went down four grand," Tristan exclaimed. "Truesdale better watch out or his first trip to the pros maybe his last!"

"I activate my trap Shock Draw!" Zane activated his face down card. "This lets me draw 1 card for each 1000 points of lost, and I current lost 4000 so four cards for me!" He drew out his four cards.

"It's like those attacks didn't pay any mind to our new arrival." Ronald said, "But since he was expecting to lose so much, he turned it into a strength."

"I'll set a facedown and end my turn!" Kirk concluded, "Let's see what else you can do, rookie!"

"Gladly," Zane said as he drew his next card, "Now I special summon Cyber Dragon to the field!" He stated as brought his signature monster: a large metallic serpent-like dragon. (5/2100/1000) "Since my field was clear of monsters while yours wasn't, I can summon him out. And then I'll add the spell Evolution Burst! It can destroy a monster, but Cyber Dragon's not allowed to attack. I choose Machina Force!"

Cyber Dragon charged up and fired its signature destroying move.

"I activate Roll Out," Kirk countered, "This lets me attach one of my union monsters from the graveyard and attach it to a compatible monster! And I think you remember Machina Gearframe?" Gearframe appeared and latched on Machina Force's torso and took the blow.

Zane gave a slight sigh before playing two more cards. "I set two cards facedown... and that'll be all..."

"Bummer for Truesdale, Tristan." Ronald looked on.

"Yeah, he was looking to knock off the strongest threat to him!" Tristan added. "But Kirk showed his skill by having a counter card."

"Too bad, that move didn't work out for ya!" Kirk said he drew his next card. "But let me end it for ya!" He then showed off his Spell Card, "Since you're a Machine user, Limiter Removal should be a no brainer for what I'm going to do ya!"

The audience gasped at the amount of power surging through the mech! (10/4600-9200/4100)

"He's looking to put this away!" Tristan shouted. "Limiter Removal will destroy his monster, but after this attack its game over for Zane!"

"You gave me a show, new kid!" Kirk smirked, "But I have to bump you back to school! Machina Force, destroy Cyber Dragon and the rest of his life points!" He had his Life Points drained again by Machina Force's side effect.

Zane: 3600

Kirk: 4900

Then Machina Force unleashed all of its weapons, heading straight for Zane's monster...

"Not so fast!" Zane shouted as he activated one of his facedown cards. "I use the Trap, Attack Reflector Unit!" The trap showed a Cyber Dragon in a factory being outfitted with reflective metal plates. "I can sacrifice a Cyber Dragon and create a defensive type!" Zane's trap shined on Cyber Dragon, making it vanish. "Now be born, Cyber Barrier Dragon!" In a flash, Cyber Dragon reappeared. But this time it was outfitted with a bulky collar, outlined with small electrodes. (6/800/2800) "Then once per turn, it can negate an attack while in Attack Mode!"

Kirk gasped as the Barrier Dragon's color stretched out and activated the electrodes. Together they created a large, plasma barrier that blocked every single missile Machina Force threw at it. The audience cheered.

"Listen to that crowd!" Tristan noted. "Zane's got quite a fan base on his side after that one!"

"Yeah, they seem to know he's good guy!" Ronald added.

"Alright," Kirk sighed, "Before I end my turn, I'll discard Caterpillar Tank and another Machina Defender so that I can summon the Machina Fortress!"

An explosion followed letting out a towering dark blue tank of a Machine, with three caterpillar tracks, immense arms emerging from the sides, topped by a helmeted head with two crimson optical sensors. A massive cannon was built into its left shoulder, the weapon angling towards Zane. (7/2500/1600)

"And that'll be my turn!"

Once declared, Machina Force exploded due to the side effect of Limiter Removal.

"We're looking at one of the newest innovations of the Machina Archetype." Ronald declared.

"It may look weaker than the Machina Force, but I bet it has some other tricks up its sleeve..." Tristan said.

"My move," Zane declared as he drew his next card. "I play Cyber Valley in attack mode!" He announced as a small spiked lizard appeared. (1/0/0)

"What are you planning?" Kirk asked.

"Just wait and see," The Cyber duelist concluded, adding another Spell, "I activate Machine Duplication to summon two more from my deck!" Two more Cyber Valleys stood up, (1/0/0) x2

"Three nothings on the field?" The Machina Duelist asked, feeling confused.

"That has a special effect; I'll send two of them out of play to draw two cards!" Two of the Cyber Valleys vanished off the field, letting Zane draw out two cards. "And then I'll place one of them facedown."

"Okay, more to them than meets the eye huh?" Kirk mused as he drew his next card. "Here's Pot of Greed!" He drew two more underneath the grinning pot. "Then I activate two copies of the Forbidden Chalice! And both your monsters can have a drink giving them 400 points, but any other effects they have are done!"

"Then, I'll activate Inverse Universe!" Zane activated a trap that had two monsters being warped around. "This switches all effect monsters' ATK and DEF!"

"Oh no," Kirk gasped, "That Cyber Barrier Dragon's still in attack mode!"

The final Cyber Valley was drenched in holy water yet unaffected by the trap's warping power. (1/0-400/0) However, Cyber Barrier Dragon was getting a power boost like no other as it was ready to counterattack. (6/800-2800-3200/2800-800)

"Yes, but I can't vouch for your machines." Zane smirked.

The warp shifted the Machina monster's power. (7/2500-1600/1600-2500)

"Looks like Zane thought ahead!" Tristan announced.

"Yeah, I sure didn't see that one coming!" Ronald added.

Kirk then activated another Spell card, "I activate the Spell System Down! By paying 1000 Life Points, all Machine Monsters on your field and your graveyard will bite the big one!"

The audience gasped as Cyber Valley and Cyber Barrier Dragon was struck by a blue electrical surge, draining them of their power and made them vanished. Zane also saw all of his Machine monsters being ejected from his graveyard, forcing him to pocket them.

Zane: 3600

Kirk: 3900

"That was a huge blow to Zane's deck!" Ronald gasped, "Zane doesn't have anything to work with now!"

"Now an attack from my monster to you!" Machina Fortress fired up its laser and let loose a barrage that had Zane blocking with his disk.

Zane: 2000

Kirk: 3900

"That's my move!" Kirk concluded.

"Zane may have saved him from losing this round," Tristan said. "But he needs the win right now or else, bye-bye to the future pro matches!"

"I agree, but hearing this crowd, they don't want big Truesdale to go!" Ronald smiled as the crowd was shouting Zane's name. "He needs that miracle draw to fulfill those wishes!"

"Alright, here goes!" Zane announced, drawing his next card, "This is it, I start with Proto Cyber Dragon!" He announced as a miniature version of the Cyber Dragon appeared with cables around its form. (3/1100/800)

"It doesn't hold a candle to my Fortress, even if weakened." Kirk stated.

"Then, I guess it'll help if I have this, the spell card Power Bond!" Zane countered, revealing his signature Fusion Spell Card, "With my monster's effect being treated as the original Cyber Dragon, I can combine it with the other two in my hand!"

"It looks like Zane's throwing in the fusions, Tristan!" Ronald exclaimed.

"Yup, a Polymerization exclusive for Machines." Tristan said.

The other two dragons emerged onto the field and then static was created between them and fusing them inside a bright light. Then, the three dragons emerged into one entity; a three headed Cyber Dragon with destructive power! (10/4000/2800)

"Impressive... but I'll still survive!" Kirk yelled.

"Actually it's over," Zane countered, "Power Bond doubles the ATK of the fusion monster summoned!" More electricity surged through the machine. (10/4000-8000/2800)

"Not 8000 points! There's gotta be a catch!" The Card Professor gasped.

"I would take damage equal to the fusion monster's original ATK points, but only at the end of my turn, but we're not reaching that." Zane stated as his dragon charged the power in their mouths. "Thanks for the match, Cyber End Dragon use Super Strident Blaze!"

Kirk braced himself as his Machina monsters met a destructive end, and he was sent onto his back.

Zane: 2000, Winner

Kirk: 0

The audience chanted 'Truesdale' as the hologram of the Cyber End Dragon vanished.

"Here is your winner, by depletion of Life Points, Zane Truesdale!" Andrew announced.

Zane walked up to Kirk who was groaning and offered him a hand.

"You okay?" He asked.

The Machina duelist looked at his hand strangely before taking and being pulled up.

"Yeah..." He replied. "Damn, I haven't been hit that hard since Yugi Moto blasted my monsters and made me fall into a can."

"Yugi did that?" Zane asked.

"It was the impact mainly and I was startled by the blast," The card professor sighed, "But no big. You got a taste of the Pro League, rookie. "But they're tougher challenges ahead. Better keep up your skill."

"I'll be ready," The Academy graduate stated. "Thanks for great match!"

"You bet..."

Both duelist shook hands, meeting with admiration from the crowd.

"A stunning victory by newcomer Zane and a great duel by both players!" Tristan said.

"Sure was, Tristan!" Ronald said. "Well, for all duel results for tonight check out the Kaiba Dome's website!"

"For all of us at the Kaiba Land, I'm Tristan Taylor..."

"... And I'm Ronald Harris..."

"Good night everybody!" The both said as they went off the air.

* * *

Not only I got back on track to the canon, but got around for Zane's Pro League start. Cause, no one wants to start with a loss!

Living Fossil

Equip Spell

Image: A bipedal dinosaur in a tuxedo, hat and cane.

Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard, and equip it with this card. It loses 1000 ATK and its effects are negated. When this card is destroyed, destroy the equipped monster.

(First used by Bastion Misawa in the GX episode The Duel Off. All rights to the creators.)

Kaitoptera

WIND

Dinosaur/Effect

1400/700

Level 3

If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate the effects of Effect Monsters until the end of the Damage Step.

Horned Saurus

DARK

Dinosaur/Fusion/Effect

2000/1000

Level 6

"Kaitoptera" + "Gilasaurus"

Once per Duel, this card can attack your opponent directly.

(The above two cards were used by Rex Raptor in the episode On the Wrong Track. All rights to the creators.)

Giant Rex

EARTH

Dinosaur/Effect

Level 4

2000/1200

While your opponent controls no monsters, this card cannot attack.

(First used by Noah Kaiba in the episode Brothers in Arms. All rights to the creators.)

Alternate Fusion

Normal Trap

Image: Elemental Heroes Burstinatrix and Avian floating into the portal to create Flame Wingman.

Send Fusion Material Monsters you control that are listed on a Fusion Monster to the Graveyard and Special Summon that Fusion monster from your Extra Deck (this Special Summon is treated a Fusion Summon). That Fusion Monster is sent to the Graveyard at the end of the turn.

(First used by Jaden Yuki in the GX Manga. All rights to the creators.)

Cyber Alnair

LIGHT

Machine/Effect

Level 4

1600/400

When this card is special summoned, draw 1 card.

Cyber Roar

Equip Spell

Image: Two small lasers.

Equip only to a "Cyber" monster. It gains 300 ATK. Once, you can draw 1 card.

Cyber Struve

LIGHT

Machine/Effect

Level 6

2300/1300

When this card is Tribute Summoned, add 1 "Cyber" monster from your deck to your hand with up to 1500 DEF.

(The top three cards were used and seen by Zane Truesdale in the GX manga. The effects and stats of Cyber Alnair and Struve are truly unknown, effects made by me. All above cards' rights go to the creators)

Intruder Alarm – Yellow Alert

Normal Trap

Image: A soldier blowing a whistle to alert comrades to incoming enemies.

Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Special Summon 1 monster from your hand and target it with the attack. At the end of the Battle Phase, the Summoned monster is returned to the hand.

Caterpillar Tank

EARTH

Machine

Level 7

2700/2000

(The above two cards were used by Kirk Dixon in the Yu-Gi-Oh! R manga. All rights to the creators.)

Element Change

Normal Trap

Image: A volcano erupted on a peaceful.

Declare one Attribute. Until the end of the turn this card was activated, all monsters become that selected Attibute.

(First used by Jaden Yuki in the GX manga. All rights to the creators.)

Next Chapter: Syrus and Jeremy finally get their due for Ra Yellow facing off against more Obelisks.

Please read and review! Later!


	7. Movin' On Up!

Time now for one of my favorite episodes of Syrus dueling, with Jeremy included into the mix. Enjoy happy people!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 7: Movin' On Up

* * *

The morning of next day came as Chazz came up with a video camera and taking it around the Slifer Dorm. After making his additions to the old dorm, he decided to state his reasons for upgrading on tape.

"Unrefined architecture, a dangerous staircase that could break at any second, having a Headmaster is an improvement." He said, knowing the camera would record the voice. Then, he opened one room in particular with three people having a conversation.

Inside, Syrus and the new roommate Hassleberry was having a falling out with Jaden sitting at the desk, watching it unfold.

"Will you just leave, Hassleberry," The little Slifer yelled at the new yellow. "You're in Ra Yellow! You shouldn't be in here!"

"I'm here to learn from the Sarge," Hassleberry shouted, gesturing to Jaden, "I must learn from his charisma! If I stay at the Ra Yellow Dorm, it'll be like going to the Ice Age... I'll die out!"

"Hey, hey!" Jaden interjected, deciding to get this fight to end. "Think about it, even with Headmaster Sojourner here, Crowler and Bonaparte wants to get rid of the Slifer Dorm. With more great duelists like Hassleberry occupying it, they wouldn't dare! Besides, it's nice to have more friends around."

"Syrus is never going to be my friend!" Hassleberry stated.

"The feeling's mutual," Syrus growled. That's when all three of them noticed Chazz recording the whole conversation.

"...And finally, its sad, small-minded residents." Chazz said, finishing his recording.

"What's with the camera, Chazz?" Jaden asked.

"My new room is complete," The black coat Slifer declared. "Wide-living space and a sun-bathed spa room... High-quality living, bringing tranquility and enrichment back to my life!" He then grinned to his dorm mates. "Ask nicely and I'll let you see the inside..."

"He's acting like he's doing us a favor," Syrus muttered with a smirk.

"Cool! I'll check it out!" Jaden exclaimed, "I especially want to see your sparring room!"

"Oh, if I must," Chazz boasted. "Follow me."

"Are we interrupting?" The boys turned to see Alexis and Melody standing inside the door.

"Alexis?" Chazz gasped.

"Melody?" Syrus wondered.

"Who are they?" Hassleberry asked.

Jaden noticed the girls with giant bags in their hands. "What's up, girls?"

"We left our dorms, so can you spare three more rooms?" Melody asked.

"WHAT!?" the boys shouted.

"Wait a sec," Jaden stopped. "Who's the third?"

"Me!"

Claudio came in with a large bag and his guitar.

"How come you're here?" Chazz scoffed at the J-Hero duelist

"Crowler..." All three new arrivals stated.

* * *

Speaking of Crowler, he and Bonaparte were in a dark room with candles lit, doing their scheming again...

"So tell me, how goes your star-finding project?" Bonaparte asked. "Having problems choosing?"

"I'm sensing sarcasm," The Chancellor waved off. "But don't worry, there's not a problem!" He pulled out a picture of a Slifer student. "This is our ticket to fame, Syrus Truesdale, younger brother of the Dueling League professional, Zane! We'll have him duel a Obelisk and if our little Slifer wins, he gets promoted to Ra Yellow!" And he added this as an afterthought _. 'All eyes will be on our school for training the first ever pro family!'_

 _'If this Syrus kid gets promoted, there will be one less follower of the Slifers to deal with,'_ Bonaparte thought as well, _'Bringing moi, one step closer to bidding the Red dorm, adieu!'_

Suddenly, the lights clicked on as the room revealed to be the library. When the two men turned to see who turned on the switch, they found Spencer Sojourner in the doorway with the finger on the light switch.

"Why were the lights off?" The Slifer headmaster stepped into view.

"We were too busy planning!" Crowler shouted. "Do you mind!?"

"I wouldn't if I didn't have your approval on something," Spencer laid down a file on a Slifer student. The Alien Duelists, "Jeremy Roswell's been recommended for Ra Yellow since the ending of his opening year, and looking at his rising stats, I think it's high time he gets that promotion."

"And why should we listen to you?" Bonaparte asked. "You don't make the rules."

"If you think for a moment, I am trying to make sure that my students get everything they deserve," The Slifer headmaster stated. "Even if they get promoted out of my dorm..."

Hearing that last sentence, got something sparked in the Vice Chancellor's head. "You know something, he's right! We've had Chazz and Jethro duel for two promotions in a day... why not?

"Really?" Spencer asked, but with a tone that said otherwise. "You're happy about something I'm doing for a change?"

"Yes, the children should really get their due," Bonaparte said as he turned to the Chancellor, "Crowler, go ahead and make the matches..."

"Fine, I got the perfect Obelisks in mind for the Slifers." Crowler smiled as he set to work.

* * *

Back at the Slifer Dorm, everyone was at the new addition to the Slifer Dorm. And it was practically the best room out of the entire dorm!

"I give you ladies and slackers, the ultimate dorm room living experience!" Chazz introduced. "First, the bedroom!"

The bedroom was very spacious having four queen-sized beds as bunks, but they weren't cramped together as they were separated by a ceiling with ladders. There was also a space to sit down and read with a small shelf of books with two lounge chairs.

"Man, this room is overkill on the living!" Claudio exclaimed. "This is too sweet!"

"He even knocked out the wall between two second-floor rooms!" Syrus stated. "Amazing!"

The next room they visited was a various spacious air bath, having warm water being poured in at the moment.

"A HOT AIR BATH!?" Everyone exclaimed as Chazz smirked.

"Well, this is my private bathroom..." He stated.

"Yet, the outside hasn't changed one bit," Hassleberry noted.

"That's the point," Chazz continued as he led everyone to the common room. Another spacious room that had a couches lined up in the middle of the room, small tables to sit around in, and a large television!

"This is very beautiful!" Alexis exclaimed. "You outdone yourself, Chazz."

"Yeah, tons of space and looks comfortable, too!" Melody added. "Alexis and I could crash here!"

"Wait, I thought this was Chazz's room?" Jaden stated in confusion.

"I don't mind at all." Chazz grinned

"I guess I gotta bunk with you, Chazz." Claudio shrugged. "With the girls taking over the spot... But at least we don't have to put up with the business that Crowler tried to land us in."

"By the way, how come you three are coming over to this dorm?" Jaden asked.

"Check this out hero boy and friends..."

He, Alexis and Melody pulled out some clothes. For Claudio it was a blue lounge suit similar to Atticus' suit from that concert he had a few days back. While Alexis and Melody pulled out red dress that had puffy shoulder sleeves and a frilly bottom that went down mid-thigh.

"Nice... uh... uniforms..."

"Oh please, this was Crowler's idea!" Alexis scoffed.

"Along with Atticus, he wanted me, Alexis and Claudio to become pop idols that sing while we duel." Melody added.

Jaden and Syrus looked at the J-Hero duelist confusingly.

"Claudio, you turned it down?" Jaden asked. "I mean, that's your thing."

"I don't like being used for someone else's gain." Claudio stated. "He wanted me to just break into song every waking moment. Plus, wearing this suit... oh no!" He threw the suit on the ground.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing this outfit!" Melody said, throwing away the red dress.

"No joke! Can you even picture me wearing this?" Alexis said, throwing away her dress.

Apparently, Chazz was as he imaged the Obelisk girl in the dress. But the other three were debatable...

"But if you guys don't like the outfits, why bring them with you?" Jaden asked.

"It's evidence, dude," Claudio replied.

"Because Crowler's Chancellor, he's more dangerous!" Melody said. "We're nobody's puppets!"

"He's just using us to further his career!" Alexis added. "We need to put a stop to this!"

"Add in him trying to take out the Slifer Dorm, we couldn't agree with you more," Syrus noted.

Then, the door to the new space opened and Bastion, Jeremy and Jachin.

"Syrus, there you are!" Bastion said.

"You're looking for me?" Syrus asked.

"Guess what, Sy? We got a couple of duels for us!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"With who?" The little Slifer asked.

"For you, a girl in Obelisk Blue named Missy." Jachin explained. "If you win, you'll be promoted to Ra Yellow."

"Missy?" Alexis asked. "She's called the Insect Princess around the Girls' Dorm. She's a powerful duelist."

"And I got a girl named Ripley using a cosmic themed deck," Jeremy said, with a grin, "And this might be fun for my Aliens!"

"Well congrats Slackers, you two are Crowler's next victims..." Chazz stated.

"But this might be cool for once!" Melody said. "Jeremy's been a shoo-in for Ra Yellow since his disappearance."

"And you Syrus," Jaden added. "You getting a strong opponent to show your skills! Plus, getting a promotion is a totally sweet! Get out there and show them how tough you are!"

"I can't do it," Syrus muttered started to shake. "There's no way I can be a Blue! I'll just lose and look pathetic in front of the whole school!" Then, he ran out of the room in heartbeat.

"Hey Syrus!?" Bastion tried to catch him, but to no avail.

"Get back here, soldier!" Hassleberry gave chase to the little Slifer and ran out the door as well.

* * *

Later, Claudio and Melody went outside the Dorm, hearing Hasselberry trying to talk some sense into Syrus.

"Whoa, I didn't think he'd freak out like that!" Claudio said. "What Jethro and Lily's been saying was Syrus was getting better last year."

"I think it's the fact he never faced an Obelisk before." Melody said. "Either that, or he has some kind of fear about this promotion."

Then the Spirit of Dark Magician Girl came out, _"Poor Sy... I wish he'd be a lot braver..."_

"Duel Spirit?"

The Ras and Duel Spirit turned to see Jachin staring directly them.

"Hey Jachin..." Claudio said.

"You guys can see duel spirits?" He asked again.

"You can see them, too?" Melody asked.

"Yeah, I mean I know Dark Magician Girl and I'm guessing some of your Jukebox Heroes are some." The Persona duelist noted.

"Yup," Claudio nodded. "Man, we've got people with special connections coming out of the blue."

"I'm a special case," The Persona duelist stated, earning puzzling looks from bother Ras, "Come to my room, I'll explain."

* * *

Jachin ended up in Chazz's old room which cleared out of the black coated Slifer's things and the door repaired. Instead of the giant king sized bed was a moderate sized one, built for two people. The standard desk and chair for each dorm, posters of duelists like Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler and even monsters like Winged Kuriboh and Two-Headed Jackal Warrior. Also, above the desk was a mirror.

"You did this room better than Chazz did!" Melody said.

"Yeah, the dude's bed basically took up the entire room." Claudio added. "Learn to turn things down a notch."

"Anyway, let's get to the talk about that you're a 'special case' in seeing Duel Spirits," The magician duelist said.

"Right." Jachin replied. "You remember a criminal was caught before I enrolled here, right?"

"Yeah, kudos to the guy that decided to help out." Claudio said.

The Slifer smiled, "You're welcome."

"You caught him!?" Claudio and Melody exclaimed.

"Yeah, I dueled this guy named Joker and beat him." Jachin said. "With help of my own power."

"Power?"

"This," Jachin said as he turned on his duel disk and placed a Monster Card on his disk, "Konohana, come on out." One he placed the monster card on the disk, one of the Persona monsters, the Priestess appeared in front of Jachin.

"Hello, my name is Konohana Sakuya." The priestess said as she bowed to the Ra Yellows, "Honored to meet you both."

"Hi," Melody waved slightly. "So what's so special about a spirit talking to us in holographic form?" Jachin just answered by taking the Priestess' hand, shocking the Ras. "Whoa!"

"It's my power of a psychic, but it can only be used while dueling." The Slifer explained. "Hence the name, I call Psychic Duelist."

"Psychic duelist huh?" Claudio wondered.

"How long have you had this power?" Melody asked.

"Since at least ten years ago, but it's been tough since then," Jachin admitted, but with a solemn face. "I found out about this power on a whim, but I rather not talk about it... not just yet..."

Konohana hugged him from behind. "It's alright you can tell them when you're ready." Jachin nodded and smiled.

"You're really close with your spirits, huh?" Claudio smiled.

"To me, they're more human than most." The Persona duelist shrugged. "And I've had them for years now..."

Dark Magician Girl was suddenly struck with an idea. _"Hey, you can make other cards become real, right?"_ She asked.

"Sure, what's up?" Jachin asked.

* * *

Later that night, Syrus was overlooking the ocean behind the Slifer Dorm thinking about his talk with Hassleberry.

 _"This is your chance to evolve and adapt with this duel! If you can't evolve, you'll die out and never make it anywhere,"_ The Dino duelist's words ran through the little Slifer's head. It was then he pulled out his deck and took out a certain card from it. It was the Power Bond card.

' _Last year, Zane graduated and he's making it out in the Pro League. Chumley also found his way with Industrial Illusions,'_ He thought to himself. _'One way or another, all of my friends are getting stronger,'_ He then gasped. _'That's my biggest fear! That I won't make it and be left behind!_ ' He then put on a more determined look, "I have to do something! I can't be left behind!"

"That's what you should be saying everyday!"

Syrus gasped and blushed hearing a familiar voice behind him. "It can't be..." He then turned around to see a young woman dressed as... "D-Dark Magician Girl!"

"Hi, Sy!" She greeted with a smile, "And it's Mana, okay?

"Okay... but wait, I thought you left last year," The little Slifer said and then sighed. "I bet someone's playing a joke on me... There's no way the real Dark Magician Girl would come around again." His thought was quickly shoved out the window when his card crush came up to him and gave him a hug, creating a red colored face. "Wow..."

"I told you we'd see each other again," She whispered. Once she released the hug, she sat right by him. "I heard you're dueling to be promoted to Ra Yellow tomorrow."

"You know about the ranks?" The Vehicroid Duelist asked.

"Of course silly!" Mana replied. "I've actually been around longer than you think as a Duel Spirit."

"That explains your appearance at the Duel Monster Spirit Festival," Syrus figured out. Mana nodded. "But I might not be good enough to beat an Obelisk... I mean, there's a reason I was placed at Slifer."

"Don't say things like that!" Mana scolded. "I know you're a great duelist! You just need to have some confidence in yourself!" She then smiled, "Also some added motivation..."

"Like what?"

"How about this?" She then planted a kiss on his cheek, making Syrus blush again. "And they're could be more... when you win..."

The Slifer snapped out of his daze, hearing her comment. "'When?'"

"I know you can do it..." She then walked off.

All of those things got the small Slifer pumped up as he stood up _, 'If she believes it, then I can!'_ He thought. _'But I need to do one thing before my duel...'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Mana walked off to Jachin's room where he, Claudio and Melody were waiting.

"How is everything, Mana?" Melody asked her spirit.

"He'll be just fine," Mana said with a smile.

"Cool! Syrus should be pumped for the match tomorrow, Claudio said as he turned to the Psychic Duelist. "Thanks, Jachin."

"No problem! I'm happy to help," Jachin smiled.

* * *

The next day, Chazz and Jachin were walking through the hallways to the main arena for the Slifers' promotion duels.

"Hey Chazz, Jachin!"

The boys turned to see Syrus run up to him and extended them an envelope.

"Can you two give this to Jaden?" He asked.

"Decided to write your will?" Chazz scoffed.

"Just give it to him, please!" He shouted as he ran off.

But despite all that, Chazz opened it up and saw the card. He gasped as he knew the identity of the card while Jachin was confused.

"I heard of his deck and he has some monsters that work with it," the Psychic Duelist stated, "Why would he take it out of his deck?"

* * *

Now in the main arena, all the students and faculty were coming in to see the duels get underway.

"The attention is certainly high today," Bonaparte said.

"It certainly is," Crowler said with smirk. "Syrus Truesdale is the younger brother of Zane! He's a subject worthy of talk!"

"Besides, he and Jeremy have improved beyond your knowing, Bonaparte." Spencer stated as he stared down at the arena. "That's why we're setting up these duels."

Finally, Chazz and Jachin sat near the gang as the first duel was going to start.

"Where'd you guys go?" Kenji asked.

"Nowhere," Chazz said as he placed the envelope in his pocket.

"Aren't you going to give that to Jaden?" Jachin whispered.

"Not yet..."

Down at the arena, Syrus was up first against his opponent, Missy. She had magenta colored hair, styled in two long tails. She wore the standard Obelisk uniform but she was tall enough for the shirt to show off her midriff. She wore a black shirt underneath and black tights underneath her skirt. And around her neck was a silver locket.

"So you're Syrus Truesdale, huh?" She asked, looking him over. "You're not exactly what I'm expecting; you're so plain," She then opened up her locket showing a picture of Zane, letting her stare at it with infatuation. "I mean just look at him... It's hard to believe that you're Zane's little brother."

"That was low," Claudio muttered.

"She's unpleasant," Hassleberry added.

"Yeah, she's a big fan of Zane," Alexis groaned.

"Who cares?" Jaden asked, "That's no excuse to put Syrus down."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not too thrilled in beating a dropout," Missy said to the young Slifer, "But when I win, Crowler said I'll be moving on to the Pro League!"

"So you'll be in the same place my brother's in?" Syrus asked.

"That's right, so I'm not going to hold back." Missy stated. "No hard feelings, okay, little boy?"

"It's like my match, last year with that jerk Jared." Lily stated with a growl. "He's dueling skills were Pro Material, but his attitude was atrocious!"

"I bet this ends like it did with your match then," Alex added, "Shown up by someone who's greater!" He then yelled out. "Go get 'em, Syrus!"

"Alright, let's go!" Syrus said as both players activated their duel disks.

"GAME ON!" They shouted drawing their opening hands.

Syrus: 8000

Missy: 8000

"I start this off!" Missy announced, drawing her sixth card, "I summon Flying Kamakiri #1 in attack mode!" She declared playing her monster card. It unleashed a green, bipedal dragonfly with four arms. It stared down Syrus with its many eyes. (4/1400/900) "Then, I add the Continuous Spell Verdant Sanctuary!" A spell showing a forest with numerous bug nests appeared. "And that's all for now! Let's see what you got, dweeb!"

Syrus took a deep breath, calming himself from Missy's constant insults as he drew his next card, "My move! I summon Steamroid in attack mode!" He declared, playing his monster card. It created a cartoonish-looking steam locomotive glaring down the Obelisk and her Insect. (4/1800/1800) Then, he opened up the side slot in his duel disk and placed another card inside. "Now, I activate the Field Spell March of Roid!"

After a flash of light, the arena into a loading dock for airplanes.

"While this card's out on the field, I can summon another 'roid' monster as long as I have one on the field!" the Slifer explained as he took another Monster card from his hand, "So meet Tankroid!" Next, a green tank with the same cartoon look appeared. (4/1500/1900) "Now let's fight, Tankroid, fire!"

Tankroid aimed his cannon nose at the dragonfly and fired a missile that destroyed the Kamakiri into pixels.

Syrus: 8000

Missy: 7900

"Now the effects of Verdant Sanctuary and Flying Kamakiri both activate!" Missy announced as she took two Monster cards from her deck, "First, Verdant Sanctuary lets me bring an Insect Monster on my field with the same level as the destroyed one!" She added one of them to her hand while revealing the other card, "Then, when Flying Kamakiri is sent to the graveyard by battle, I can summon a WIND monster to the field, and who better than another Flying Kamakiri #1!"

In a flash, another four-armed dragonfly appeared with a loud buzz. (4/1400/900)

"He'll get beaten, too! Steamroid, attack Flying Kamakiri," The vehicroid duelist announced as he pointed at his monster, "And when he battles another monster, he gains 500 ATK!"

As Steamroid blew its whistle, it got more powerful from the steam surrounding it. (4/1800-2300/1800) It then steamrolled over to the Kamakiri and then ran it over. When it stopped, it blew steam at the Insect Duelist, making her cover her face with her duel disk.

Syrus: 8000

Missy: 7000

"Alright, he took off 1000 points" Jaden cheered.

"Good job, Syrus!" Alexis added with a smile.

Soon the whole crowd was on Syrus' side chanting 'Truesdale!' all over. The young Slifer looked around, genuinely excited at the praise.

 _'People are cheering for me! I finally have fans now!_ ' He thought excitedly. He then laughed out loud, "You hear that Missy! The crowd loves me!"

"The fame's gotten to him..." Jachin shook his head.

 _"Only on the first turn,"_ Konohana added as she appeared next to him in spirit. _"A new record..."_

"Someone's very happy," Jethro grinned at Syrus' soaking up the cheers.

"What would you expect from someone's who's been moving up?" Lily smiled. "Let him have his moment."

"But he'd better watch it," Melody pointed out as Missy recovered, "He's not done with the duel."

"Don't write your victory speech, little boy," the Insect Duelist scoffed as she took out another two cards from her deck, "I get two more insects now because of Verdant Sanctuary adding one to my hand, and then Flying Kamakiri will bring out Ultimate Insect Lv. 3!" After adding one card to her hand, she then played another card which brought out a purple and red caterpillar standing on its hind legs. (4/1400/900)

"Oh great, return of the Level Monsters!" Claudio groaned, remembering his match against North Academy.

"And I bet you they have some nasty tricks of their own!" Melody added with a frown of her own.

"I'll put this facedown and let you go," Syrus declared as a facedown card appeared at his feet.

"Took you long enough!" Missy said as she drew her next card. "Now on my Standby Phase, my Ultimate Insect's effect levels it up to 5!" Now the caterpillar wrapped itself up in some kind of special thread, making most of them thinking it'll be a cocoon. But the end result was a large flea with a metal looking body and six, long legs sticking out from it. (5/2300/900)

"So your bug is stronger, but it's not scaring me one bit!" Syrus boasted. "I'm ready for it!"

"Are you," the Insect girl smirked, "When my Ultimate Insect Level 5 is summoned by leveling up, he can now drain 500 ATK from your monsters!" Now Syrus gasped as the bug emitted spores that covered his monsters. (4/1800-1300/1800), (4/1500-1000/1900) "Now to kick both of your monsters off the field, I summon Insect Knight!"

A humanoid insect appeared wielding a shield and sword. (4/1900/1500)

"Now my knight, attack that Tankroid!" Missy commanded. "Swarming Sword!" The knight dashed across the field, raising its sword.

"I activate the Trap Supercharge," the Slifer interjected, revealing his facedown card, "This lets me draw two cards for your attack on my Tankroid!" Syrus drew two cards as the insect drove his sword into the tank, creating an explosion.

Syrus: 7100

Missy: 7000

"When Tankroid is destroyed and sent to the grave, I can draw another card!" Syrus continued, drawing another card.

"But let's see you save your Steamroid, since I know it gets weaker due if it gets attacked!" Missy continued as her other monster scraped the ground with its feet, "Ultimate Insect, attack!" The giant insect crawled over to steam engine, towering over it and made it cower. (4/1300-800/1800) It then planted a skinny leg into it, destroying it in another explosion.

Syrus: 5600

Missy: 7000

"A bit rough, wouldn't you say?" Bastion stated.

"She just wants to get to Zane, at the cost of trashing his family." Vincent said with a frown.

"Sad, ain't it?" Allen asked.

"I place one card facedown," Missy concluded. "Your turn, shrimp!"

Syrus growled at the comment and drew his next card, "I summon Expressroid in defense mode!" The next roid was a white subway train appeared with many cars attached. (4/400-0/1600) "And once summoned, I can get two 'roid' monsters back from the grave, and it's a no brainer for which ones!" He stated as Steamroid and Tankroid were ejected from the graveyard, letting him collect it. He then played another monster. "Next, I use my Field Spell's effect to summon Jetroid in attack mode!" A red fighter jet appeared with the same cartoonish looks. (4/1200-700/1800)

"In attack mode?" Jaden wondered, "But that insect still has that effect in play!"

"No, wait a minute," Kenji interjected. "Doesn't Jetroid have a special ability to use?"

"I think that's what Syrus is going for," Allyson said, realizing it as well.

"I then activate Roid Bomber!" Syrus announced, showing off a Spell Card depicting Strikeroid dropping a bomb onto the ground with a couple of Spells and Traps being flung away by the explosion. "For every 'roid' monster on my field, I can destroy the same number of your Spells and Traps!"

Missy growled as she saw Verdant Sanctuary and her facedown card explode into pixels.

"And that's my turn." The Slifer concluded.

"Destroying my cards won't do anything." Missy stated, drawing her next card, "And it gets even worse for you as I level up my Ultimate Insect to Lv. 7!"

The insect was moving around violently and then started to change into a blue color with its underbelly becoming red. Finally, the back of it flew open revealing wings that were beating rapidly to fly and the skinny legs turned blue and got hairy. It snarled menacingly at Syrus' monsters that shivered in fright. (7/2600/1200)

"It looks like the Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!" Syrus shouted.

"And with it out on the field your monsters' ATK are now reduced by 700!" Missy boasted.

Expressroid couldn't get any weaker, yet Jetroid was feeling even worse than it was summoned. (4/1200-500/1800)

"Now to sweeten the pot, I'll summon the Cross-Sword Beetle in attack mode!" She continued as she played a giant brown beetle appeared with four yellow, long and sharp pincers. It snapped them for the chance to strike. (4/1800/1200) "And since I have other Insects other than this one, they can pierce through your defenses and damage you!"

"Not sweet!" Jaden gasped.

"Let's take out that wimpy train," Missy announced, "Go get it, my Knight!"

Insect Knight dashed to the opponent's side again and sliced one of the cars causing a chain reaction to blow the whole thing up.

Syrus: 5300

Missy: 7000

"Now, Ultimate Insect will go after that toy plane!" She continued as her evolved bug charged at Jetroid with killer intent.

"Sorry, but my Jetroid has the ability to activate a trap card from my hand when attacked!" Syrus turned over one of the cards in his hand. "And this is the perfect one, Radiant Mirror Force! I figured an Insect duelist like you would summon more of those bugs to the field, so with this Trap and three of your monsters in attack mode, they're all destroyed!"

Missy gasped as her insect crashed into a red barrier like a bug zapper and exploded, sending the broken glass shards to the other insect destroying them on the spot!

"Oh yeah! Syrus should have 'bug exterminator' on his resume!" Jeremy cheered from the lower seats.

"That's right, soldier!" Hassleberry shouted. "Keep fighting the good fight!"

"I place this card face down and let you go!" Missy declared, placing a card face down on her field. "You only got lucky!"

"We'll see bout that," Syrus announced, drawing his next card. "I first use March of Roid's effect and summon Turboroid!" He declared, bringing out a white shuttle with the cartoonish face. (4/1400/1800) "Now, I sacrifice it and Jetroid to summon Armoroid!"

Both monsters vanished letting a bigger shuttle than Turboroid appear. But instead of staying like that, it started to transform! It folded itself out to look like a large fighter robot with legs, arms and head. (8/2700/2000)

"Syrus is ready to take it to this girl!" Jethro grinned.

"I see it now!" Lily added.

"And when is Tribute Summoned by sacrificing another 'roid' monster, all Spell and Traps are removed from the game!" Syrus explained, "I may be losing the Field Spell, but I bet that facedown card could have stopped me!" Missy gasped as her facedown Spider Egg disappeared along with the field spell, making the arena appear normal.

"Now Armoroid will attack you directly, Roid Barrage!" The eyes of the giant roid lit up, and fired lasers from its arms that shook the insect duelist for a loop.

Syrus: 5300

Missy: 4300

"Man, Sy is tearing it up!" Alex grinned. "If I need a partner in a Tag Duel, I'll call him up!"

"I wouldn't mind partnering up with him either." Vincent clapped for the Vehicroid duelist.

"...I'm starting to think Slifers have more worth than what the higher ups think..." Lyra stated, looking stoic as ever.

"That's it, Syrus," Spencer said, clapping for his student's playing.

"My plan is working!" Crowler cheered. "We'll be known for training the Truesdale lineage to greatness..."

"Just as long as that kid gets to Ra Yellow, I couldn't care less," Bonaparte muttered as he looked on.

"I place this facedown and let you go!" Syrus concluded with a Set card near his feet.

Missy was seething now, glaring at the Slifer across from her, "You won't beat me on my way to Zane! And I will get to the Pro League!" She practically snatched the top card of her deck during Draw Phase. "I'll set this facedown card and a monster and end my turn!"

"That still won't help you out!" Syrus said as he drew his next card. "Tankroid, come on back buddy!" He announced as the cartoon tank reappeared. (4/1500/1900) "Now I'll send Armoroid to attack!" The giant roid blasted its lasers at the Set Monster, revealing a blue cricket before it shattered.

"That was my Howling Insect," Missy stated as she took another Monster card from her deck, "It's effect lets me summon an Insect Monster with up to 1500 ATK from my deck. And I choose Pinch Hopper in attack mode!"

In a flash, a giant green grasshopper appeared. (4/1000/1200)

 _'She must be setting me up for an attack..._ ' Syrus thought, staring at the new Insect with hesitation. He then shook his head and glared at it, _'But then again even if she destroys Tankroid again, I'll get to draw a card. Plus, I can't hesitate all the time...'_ He then declared, "Tankroid, attack!"

The tank fired another cannon blast, blowing apart the bug.

Syrus: 5300

Missy: 3800

Missy then gave out a triumphant laugh. "I knew you couldn't resist attacking a monster in attack mode! Especially my Pinch Hopper! When it goes to the graveyard, I can summon any Insect monster in my hand!" Syrus groaned for his mistake. "Meet the diva of my deck!" She pulled the card from her hand and played it on her disk. "She's sweet, she's strong, she's Insect Princess!"

Making a dazzling appearance, a six-armed insect that looked like a green teenage girl flew up with colorful butterfly wings. (6/1900/1200)

"I end my turn with a facedown card!" Syrus concluded.

"Good!" Missy said, drawing her next card. "I first activate Spellbook Inside the Pot!" Both players drew three cards per its rules, "Now, I'll let you in on a little secret: When my Insect Princess destroys an Insect monster in battle she gains 500 ATK. So she may be weaker than your big tin can, but wait until she gains more power!"

"Uh, hello!" Syrus smirked as he held up his duel disk. "My deck doesn't have any Insect monsters!"

"That's about to change, since I activate the commonly used DNA Surgery!" Missy announced, letting her trap activate. "Now I'll change all monsters into the Insect Type!" Suddenly, Armoroid grew out antennae from its head and large wings on its back. Tankroid grew six legs as well as antennae.

"This just got bad," Melody gasped, "She can use the full extent of her monster now!

"Now, I'll summon Skull Mark Ladybug!" Missy continued bringing out a ladybug with some skull and crossbones on its back. (4/500/1500) "Also, I activate the Field Spell card Insect Garden!" The arena flashed again, transporting it to a large garden. All monsters were like the size of normal insects to the field.

"I see what she's doing!" Alexis figured out. "Insect Garden gives control of the Insect Monsters that's Level 4 or below to the opponent!"

"Then not only she's making all of Syrus' monsters Insects, by giving him weak ones, she'll be able to topple Armoroid in a matter of time!" Kenji added with shock.

"Time to see how my insects see how the other half lives!" Missy announced as the ladybug crawled over to Syrus and then faced its former mistress. She then smirked as she inserted another Spell, "Finally, I equip my Princess with Insect Pheromone!" Insect Princess gave off a sweet smell that all the insects were being drawn to. "Now, attack Skull Mark Ladybug!"

The princess flapped her wings that blew a windstorm with scales. The ladybug was shattered to pieces in moments.

Syrus: 3900

Missy: 3800

Insect Princess hummed as she gained more power. (6/1900-2400/1200)

"The effect of Skull Mark Ladybug gives me 1000 life points when its destroyed and sent to my graveyard!" Missy stated as sparkles emitted from the graveyard, refilling the Insect duelist's points.

Syrus: 3900

Missy: 4800

"Now thanks to Insect Pheromone, Tankroid's forced to attack!" She continued as the pheromone caused the now Insect Tankroid to move towards the Princess. But it only to meet its end at the Princess's scale windstorm, making Syrus draw from its effect.

Syrus: 3000

Missy: 4800

Insect Princess once again gained more power from defeating another Insect (6/2400-2900/1200)

"Darn, it gotten stronger than my Armoroid!" Syrus growled.

"Hey Truesdale!" Hassleberry shouted. "Don't underestimate those Insects!"

"Chill out, Hassleberry," Jaden stated, "When he gets right to it, Syrus can get the job done! He also has a big ace up his sleeve." Chazz and Jachin turned to the E-Hero duelist when he said that.

 _'Oh man, I forgot my brother's teachings,'_ The little Slifer thought, _'I'm supposed to respect my opponent and give them the ultimate duel.'_

"You're not good enough, dweeb!" Missy taunted. "So just surrender!"

' _But he also told me never to give up!'_ Syrus then drew his next card, "I set one card facedown and summon Shuttleroid!" After his Set card, a cartoonish-looking, white space shuttle appeared. (4/1000/1200) It then grew bug wings and antennae.

"It won't be able to touch my Princess!" Missy said, laughing at the weaker monster.

"It won't matter since I'm using the Spell Secret Pass to the Treasure to attack directly!" the Slifer countered, inserting the names Spell Card. Shuttleroid activated its thrusters and rammed itself into Missy.

Syrus: 3000

Missy: 3800

"Not bad, but Syrus better get some more monsters together to use Power Bond," Jaden said, feeling concerned for his friend.

"Too bad it's not in his deck." Chazz stated.

"What do you mean?" Melody asked.

Chazz held up the white envelope and gave it to Jaden. When he opened it...

"Power Bond!" Jaden gasped and then snapped at Chazz. "How could you!?"

"You better have an explanation!" Hassleberry growled.

"He's a jerk, what else?" Alexis glared.

"Hold up!" Jachin interrupted, getting in between Chazz and the others "Syrus came up to us before the duel and told us to give it to you, Jaden."

"Why would he do that?" Claudio asked.

Back at the arena, Missy drew her next card. "I have to win! I won't let you get in between me and Zane!" She then played her new Monster Card, "I play Magical Longicorn!" A small purple roach appeared with glowing antennae. (4/600/600) "With Insect Garden's effect, I'll give it to you!" The new bug scurried over to Syrus' side.

"Again?" Bonaparte wondered.

"If this works, my plan is ruined!" Crowler cried.

"Once I take out your Shuttleroid and that roach, it'll be all over!" Missy declared as Insect Princess rushed over to Shuttleroid, who activated its engines and flew into a portal leading to space, leaving a twinkle.

"When Shuttleroid's attacked, I can remove it from play until my next turn!" The little Slifer explained.

"Then, I'll settle for your Armoroid!" She countered as the Princess shattered the giant robot with another giant gust of wind.

Syrus: 2800

Missy: 3800

Insect Princess gained another power boost. (6/2900-3400/1200)

"Now Magical Longicorn, time to go!"

"Not so fast!" Syrus countered, revealing his facedown card. "I activate No Entry!" The trap showed a gate being guarded by two guards. "It switches all monsters to defense mode!" Both Insects stopped their battle, gettting into defending stances.

"This duel is stressful," Bonaparte groaned.

"Oui, oui," Crowler sighed.

"Keep it up, Sy!" Jaden cheered.

"Lucky break!" Missy scoffed. "But then again, that's all you have being Jaden's lackey!"

"What are you talking about?" Syrus asked.

"You can practice all you want, but you'll never be as good as Zane!" The Insect Duelist continued to taunt. "You should just stay behind him and the others like a good lackey should!"

That was the final straw for Syrus as he shouted, "SHUT UP!"

That comment shocked the whole arena.

"I lived in Zane's shadow my entire life." He said. "He's always getting good grades and became a Pro." He then sighed, "Then I followed Jaden because he never let anything get him down. But no more! Instead of following them, I'll walk alongside them and continue to grow!" He drew his next card. "First, the effect Shuttleroid brings it back to the field and takes 1000 Life Points!" Another twinkle shot out as the shuttle dove back to the field and flew right through the Insect girl.

Syrus: 2800

Missy: 2800

"Next, I'll set monster in defense mode and end my turn!" He concluded as a set monster appeared on the field.

"You're nothing but talk!" Missy scoffed, drawing her next card. "I'll switch Insect Princess to attack mode and attack your facedown monster!" The facedown monster turned out to be a large fighter jet with another cartoonish look before it was destroyed by Insect Princess' windstorm. (6/3400-3900/1200) "Now, I can activate..."

"Nothing," Syrus shouted, revealing his facedown card, "Mystical Space Typhoon will destroy your Insect Pheromone!" The harsh wind kicked up and blew off the sweet smell.

"I end my turn by playing Insect Barrier!" Missy concluded as yellow lines crisscrossed in between the players' field. "Now since your monsters are all Insects, you can't attack me!"

"My draw!" Syrus drew his next card. "First, I'll sacrifice your Magical Longicorn and summon UFOroid in defense mode!" The bug vanished letting a small saucer appeared floating around him, with the same cartoonish look as his other monsters. (6/1200/1200) "Then I place one card facedown!" A reversed card appeared afterwards.

"I'm starting to get bored," Missy groaned, drawing her next card. She then smirked, "And it's great that my Princess will have an escort as I remove Pinch Hopper and Howling Insect to summon Doom Dozer!" As the two Monsters were ejected from the graveyard, a large, red centipede burrowed out of the ground screeching loudly. (8/2800/2600) "Attack his saucer!"

The giant bug roared once more as it crushed UFOroid in its mandibles.

"When UFOroid's destroyed, he summons another machine, and I pick Stealthroid!" Syrus announced, taking another Monster card from his deck and playing it in attack mode. From it, a small black fighter plane appeared. (4/1200/0)

"But since it's in attack mode, I can demolish it with Insect Princess!" Missy stated as her signature monster prepared to strike.

"Actually, I'll activate Shift to make Shuttleroid your target!" The Slifer countered, revealing his facedown card and made Shuttleroid glow. Once Shuttleroid saw the attack coming, it shot off into space again.

"That move was pointless, since I can still go after Stealthroid due to replay!" Missy stated as Insect Princess turned back around and struck the machine with a kick.

Syrus: 100

Missy: 2800

"Almost down," Claudio groaned.

"Come on, Syrus," Melody cheered, "You're still in this!"

"Now make your final move!" Missy declared.

"Okay, but you asked for it," Syrus grinned and drew his next card. Shuttleroid came back and fired through her again.

Syrus: 100

Missy: 1800

"Now, here's the fun part," the Slifer announced, "I had you destroy three of my monsters to get one of my best ready!" He then showed off his disk as three Monster Cards were ejected from the graveyard, "I remove Stealthroid, Turboroid and Strikeroid to fusion summon Solidroid Beta!" After pocketing the monster cards, the three machines appeared on the field and combined into another mech like Armoroid with a giant, black shield. (7/2500/1900) "And once summoned, I can destroy one of your monsters, like Insect Princess!" Using the shield, the Solidroid rammed it into the bug princess, putting her down for good.

"You still can't attack," Missy stated, "And even if you could, Doom Dozer would destroy you!"

"Then, let me discard Steamroid to bring back my Roid Bomber due to its second effect!" Syrus stated as he discarded his Monster Card to retrieve his Spell Card. "And then I'll play it destroy DNA Surgery!" Another bomb destroyed the trap card making all of Syrus' monster lose all their bug appendages. "And finally, Limiter Removal to double my monster's ATK!"

Beta and Shuttleroid felt the surge of power, sending them both into overdrive. (7/2500-5000/1900), (4/1000-2000/1200)

"Now take down her Doom Dozer!" He commanded as Beta charged across the field.

"But if I lose, I'll never meet my sweet Zane!" Missy cried. "It's not fair!"

With another crushing attack from the shield, Doom Dozer shattered into pixels and a massive explosion!

Syrus: 100, Winner

Missy: 0

Once the smoke cleared, Syrus tried to act cool and struck a pose while holding up the peace sign with his fingers.

"The winner, Syrus Truesdale" Crowler announced.

Syrus sighed as he felt the loss of adrenaline, breathing heavily. "Wow... I did it..."

"Nice job, Syrus!" His friends cheered.

"Soldier, I knew you had it in you," Hassleberry said with a proud smile.

"Alright, clear the field for the next match between Jeremy Roswell and Ripley Weaver!" Bonaparte shouted causing Syrus and a weeping Missy to leave the field. Jeremy met Syrus halfway from the path in the crowd.

"Good job, Syrus." Jeremy praised. "Can't wait to see you in those Ra Yellow colors!"

"Thanks," the Vehicroid duelist smiled. "Now you should get your promotion!"

"Waited too long for it," the Alien duelist nodded as he continued his way down.

* * *

As Jeremy reached the duel platform, he saw his opponent, another Obelisk Blue girl. She wore the blouse, but opting to wear tan pants and boots. Her hair style was short and red, making her look like a tomboy.

"Jeremy Roswell," She said in a soft, yet firm tone. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," He replied. "I was afraid you'd..."

"Act like Missy? She only focused on getting to the Pro League and not the strength of her opponent." She stated. "But enough on the past, let's see if you go to Ra Yellow like you should've been."

Both players activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!" They shouted.

Jeremy: 8000

Ripley: 8000

"I'll start!" Ripley announced, drawing her sixth card, "For my first move, I summon Mystic Tomato in attack mode!" In a flash, a red tomato with a menacing look appeared. (4/1400/1100) "And that'll be it for now."

 _'This is how Missy started off, with a deck searcher,_ ' Jeremy thought as he drew his sixth card, _'I wonder what it has in store for me...'_ He then played his card, "I start with Alien Hunter in attack mode!" A green alien appeared with grey body armor and carried a light green spear. (4/1600/800)

"So these are the Alien monsters, eh?" Ripley said. "I'm intrigued by how much you squeeze out of it..."

"Well, let me add some more to the table by activating Alien Dog's effect in my hand," Jeremy continued, holding up another Monster card, "When I summon an Alien successfully, he comes out to play!" Jumping out to the field, was a small white and blue otherworldly dog appeared with a bone in its mouth. (3/1500/1000) "And once Special Summoned, I place two A-Counters on your monsters, and since you only have one, he'll be getting both of them!"

The dog threw the bone at the tomato that exploded into two A-Counters, sickly purple blobs that stuck themselves on the top of it.

"Now I'll attack with Alien Hunter! Spear Shock!" He announced as the Hunter charged its spear with electricity. It then the stabbed tomato, splattering its pixels all over the field.

Jeremy: 8000

Ripley: 7800

"With Mystic Tomato defeated in battle, I can summon a DARK monster with 1500 ATK or less." Ripley announced as a card slid out of her deck. "And I choose another Mystic Tomato!" Another red fruit appeared. (4/1400/1100)

"I wonder why it didn't get weaker like those other duels," Claudio mused. "I thought those A-Counters drained the ATK of the monsters attached to them."

"That's because Jeremy didn't have a monster that specifically states the power decrease." Lyra stated.

"You may have another monster, but when Alien Hunter destroys a monster with A-Counter's on it, it can attack again!" Jeremy continued as the Hunter struck again, splattering another tomato.

Jeremy: 8000

Ripley: 7600

"I summon my final tomato!" Ripley announced, taking the monster card from her deck and bringing out another Mystic Tomato. (4/1400/1100)

"Déjà vu," Jaden muttered.

"Now Alien Dog, attack her final Tomato!" Jeremy announced as his dog pounced and squashed the last fruit.

Jeremy: 8000

Ripley: 7500

Ripley smiled as she took another card from her deck and played it. "Now, I can summon a new monster, meet Eva Abductor!" Appearing now, happened to be another alien! It was smaller, green-colored monster and had large eyes and arms. (4/1000/500)

"Another alien duelist, huh?" Chazz scoffed. "We'll be dealing with a battle of sci-fi nerds."

"Calm down, Chazz," Jachin said. "I want to see what this other 'Alien' duelist is all about."

 _"Especially with a monster with low stats for its level."_ Konohana added.

"I place one card facedown and its back to you!" Jeremy concluded. "Wow, another sci-fi duelist! I'm honored there's someone like me in the school."

"Thank you, now it's ny draw!" Ripley drew. "Now I activate the effect of Eva Abductor!" She discarded a card from her hand. "By sending one of my cards to the graveyard like my Zeta Reticulant, I can take control of one of your monsters, and I have Alien Hunter in my sights!" The eyes of the Eva Abductor shined with blinding light making Alien Hunter walk over to Ripley's side, unwillingly.

"Uh oh, sounds like Jeremy's getting a taste of his own medicine," Jethro said.

"That's gotta be a big blow to him right now," Lily muttered sadly.

"Finally, a great match to see if really ready to be in Ra Yellow!" Jeremy exclaimed, making his friends fall out in their chairs. "And it's against another alien group! It may be the duel equivalent to the Alien vs. Predator battle!"

"And there's the sci-fi reference," Alexis groaned.

"Well then, let me summon something from another dimension, the D.D. Warrior Lady!" Ripley continued, bringing out a blonde woman clad in black appeared with a glowing sword. (4/1500/1600) "She may not be alien, but it helps with my current plan by attacking your dog!" Both monsters rushed at each other, Alien Dog biting and the Warrior Lady slicing down on it. "Now her effect activates, removing both monsters from play!"

A portal opened up above them sending both of them to who knows where.

"Now, the effect of the Zeta Reticulant in my graveyard activates, summoning an Eva Token to the field!" A small alien appeared in a shining light. (2/500/500) "Now that you're wide open, I'll attack with your Alien Hunter!" The alien roared as it stabbed and shocked its former master.

Jeremy: 6400

Ripley: 7500

"Now I can activate my facedown card Cross Heart!" Jeremy announced as his trap activated showing a black silhouette and a white silhouette of two men. "It's a good thing I came across this trap when I did! After I take battle damage from an opponent's monster, I can take control of it!"

Alien Hunter seemed to wake up from a trance and jumped back to Jeremy's side.

"Impressive. Then again, you would have cards that switch control of monsters." Ripley stated. "I'll place two facedown cards and end my turn." She concluded.

"My draw," Jeremy announced, drawing his next card. "I activate Code A Ancient Rules!" Rising from behind Jeremy was a stone tablet with unknown language on it. "Next, I attack your Abductor with my Alien!"

"And I'll stop it with Negate Attack!" Ripley countered, as a swirling vortex blocked the Hunter's spear attack.

"I'll end my turn with this," Jeremy concluded, placing a facedown card on his field.

"Let's see," Ripley muttered, drawing her next card. "Now I sacrifice my Eva Token and summon a second Zeta Reticulant!" The small alien disappeared, and was replaced by a white alien monster with purple armor. (7/2400/2100) "When I use an Eva Token, it counts as a special summoning so I can play Eva Epsilon!" Now a fiendish looking alien appeared with long claws. (4/1500/1600) "Now I send Zeta Reticulant to attack the hunter!"

The large alien roared and swiped its claws at the Hunter, wiping it out.

Jeremy: 5600

Ripley: 7600

"But now I get an A-Counter stuck to my Spell card!" Jeremy announced, showiing the A-Counter that disappeared inside the tablet.

"I send Epsilon to attack your facedown monster!" Ripley continued as her fiend scratched down on the card, by what it got was Alien Grey's short skinny form. (2/300/800) Then another A-Counter was planted inside the tablet.

"Alien Grey's effect activates planting an A-Counter on your Zeta Reticulant!" the Alien duelist said as an A-Counter splattered on the large beast. (ZR: 1AC) "Also because it was destroyed, I draw 1 card!" He drew another card from his deck.

"But now Eva Abductor can attack directly!" Ripley announced as Abductor charged the field...

"If I didn't have this," Jeremy countered as he revealed a Continuous Spell card, "Brainwashing Beam takes control of your Zeta Reticulant since he has a A-Counter on it!" A blinding flash came from the trap bringing the giant alien to Jeremy's side.

"I'll end my turn," Ripley announced, causing Abductor to float back to her side.

"Time to take control!" Jeremy exclaimed, drawing his next card. "First, I play Spellbook Inside the Pot!" Both players drew three cards. The Slifer smiled at his find. "Hey, I can't believe I got this early!" He turned to Ripley. "Since this is originally your monster, I can sacrifice it and its fair game for Cosmic Horror Gangi'el!"

The beast vanished along with the trap card and set loose a monster that could pass of as an Alien fused into a saucer descended from space. It was lined with wall to wall tentacles and had a crazy looking face on it. (7/2600/2000)

"He finally brought that guy since last year," Claudio stated. "At least it's not trying kill anything but other Aliens."

"Next, I activate my Ruins' effect, to sacrifice the two A-Counters to bring back Alien Hunter!" Jeremy continued as the blobs vanished off the field, bringing back Alien Hunter with an eerie glow. (4/1600/800)

"And this activates my facedown card, Demise of the Land!" Ripley countered, revealing her Quick-Play Spell. "This lets me activate the Field Spell Cosmic Space from my deck!" Once she retrieved her Field Spell, she inserted it into her side slot. Suddenly, the whole arena was transported to the vastness of space!

"They really took this duel out of this world," Spencer smirked.

"Watch the puns, monsieur," Bonaparte groaned.

"From now on, every monster's level will become Life Star Counters!" Ripley explained as bright stars appeared on top of every monster indicating the counters. "As the duel progresses, you'll find out its purpose."

"You do that," Jeremy nodded, "I'll activate Gangi'el's effect to place an A-Counter on your monster!" The giant monster spat out an A-Counter on Eva Epsilon. "Now, Gangi'el will attack Eva Abductor!"

The monster shot out a blast of sludge from out of nowhere and melted the small alien in it.

Jeremy: 5600

Ripley: 6000

"Next, Alien Hunter will strike! First, Eva Epsilon!" He continued as the Hunter sliced through the small alien.

Jeremy: 5600

Ripley: 5900

"Then, because it had an A-Counter when destroyed, it attacks you directly!" Ripley was then struck in her stomach which made her step back a few feet.

Jeremy: 5600

Ripley: 4300

"And seeing as you're done I can end my turn with another facedown." Jeremy concluded

"Which now activates the effect of my Field Spell!" Ripley shouted, "All monsters lose one Life Star during the End Phase!"

"I wonder what happens when those monsters run out of life stars," Erika said as both Aliens were reduced a level. (7-6/2600/2000), (4-3/1600/800)

"Probably the same thing that happens, if you don't have protection in space." Alister added.

"Now it's my turn!" Ripley announced, drawing her next card. "Let's start with Foolish Burial to send one monster from my deck to the graveyard!" After her Spell card activated, she took a Monster card from it and placed it into her graveyard. She then played another Spell, a familiar one. "Now I'll revive it with Monster Reborn! Now come forward, Greed Quasar!"

Appearing from a wormhole was a giant skeletal-like alien with large arms, six small purple legs and a huge mouth serving as the body. (7/?/?)

"Quasar?" Jeremy wondered.

"A very energetic and distant type of galaxy with an active galactic nucleus," Ripley explained. "Or in longer terms, a quasi-stellar radio source."

"Never seen one of those," The alien duelist admitted, staring up at the new monster, "And I doubt it looks like your friend here. So what's the catch of the undetermined scores?"

"For every level it has, it gains 300 ATK and DEF," the Obelisk explained, "Since its level 7, it currently has 2100 ATK and DEF." (7/?-2100/?-2100)

"Well, it can't beat my Cosmic Horror." Jeremy shrugged.

"Then I'll settle for your Alien Hunter!" Ripley announced as her monster struck. Greed Quasar opened its mouth and sucked in the Alien with a black hole and devoured it.

Jeremy: 5100

Ripley: 4300

"And what's more, like a real quasar, it can expand by the level of the monster it destroys in battle! And Alien Hunter had three before it left and it also gains 900 ATK!" Ripley continued as her monster grew in size as well! (7-10/2100-3000/2100-3000)

"That thing can get even stronger by destroying more monsters!?" Jachin gasped. "Jeremy better find a way to take it down and fast!"

Ripley played two cards, a Continuous Spell and a set card. "I activate the Field Barrier spell. It keeps another Field Spell from being played and the current one from being destroyed. And then I set this facedown to end my turn while Cosmic Space strikes again!"

Cosmic Space started to steals some stars from the Greed Quasar and the Cosmic Horror (10-9/3000-2700/3000-2700), (6-5/2600/2000)

"My draw!" Jeremy announced, drawing his next card, _'At least there's some silver lining to it; I'll have to hold on to my monsters and that thing gets weaker every End Phase. But I still have a bad feeling about what happens when my monster runs out of Life Stars. Cause if it's like being in space without oxygen supply... Just focus on getting that monster off the field... or rather make it your own...'_ He then played his Monster card. "I first summon Alien Psychic!"

A white alien with purple crystals on the side of the head appeared. (1/200/100)

He then showed off another Spell, "Now I activate Creature Swap to switch control of a monster on each other sides of the field! So Alien Psychic will go to your side and I'll take Greed Quasar since that's the only choice you can make!"

"Awesome maneuvers, Private Roswell!" Hassleberry cheered. "Now you have control of the strongest monster!"

"Not quite, being prepared for an Alien user, I brought this!" Ripley announced as a trap card revealed itself, showing a woman being freed of mind control. "Remove Brainwashing! This trap causes all monsters to stay with their original owners!"

Both Greed Quasar and Alien Psychic stopped in mid-air and switched back to the original owners.

"Darn," Jeremy scoffed as he inserted another card into his disk, "I'll end my turn by playing the Equip Spell Molting Escape on Cosmic Horror Gangi'el and activating its effect!" Gangi'el roared as it spat out an A-Counter on Quasar. (9-8/2700-2400/2700-2400) (A: 1), (5-4/2600/2000), (1-0/200/100)

Suddenly, Alien Psychic evaporated into nothing!

"Where's my monster!?" Jeremy cried out.

"When monsters run out of Life Star Counters, they are destroyed." Ripley replied as she drew her next card. "Now I'll bring out Lyra the Giver to the field!" A giant mouth of an alien appeared with a small monster hooked to the upper lip. (4/1800/1500) "And then I'll sacrifice it to activate its effect, giving all the Life Star Counters it had and give them to Greed Quasar, meaning 1200 more ATK and DEF!"

The new alien evaporated into space and its remains were sucked up by the Quasar. (8-12/2400-3600/2400-3600)

"Now, let's take your Alien down a little early!" Ripley announced as Greed Quasar began sucking in Jeremy's Alien who tried to endure the force.

"I activate the effect of Molting Escape!" Jeremy countered. "Once per turn, he can't be destroyed in battle and it adds 300 ATK after one!"

Gangi'el suddenly shed its skin as it was sucked into Quasar. (4/2600-2900/2000)

Jeremy: 4100

Ripley: 4300

"Nice move," Ripley praised, "Unless I can bring out another strong monster to strike 2900 ATK, Greed Quasar can't attack it. So I'll end my turn with this facedown." She concluded as the Life Stars were drained from the monsters. (12-11/3600-3300/3600-3300), (4-3/2900/2000)

"Good, Molting Escape can keep his alien for a while longer until it's stronger enough for Jeremy to destroy." Kenji nodded.

"But he's got three turns to figure something out before Cosmic Space destroys it instead," Alexis added with worry.

"My turn," Jeremy said, drawing his next card. "I play a facedown card and switch Gangi'el to defense mode while activating its effect!" Jeremy's reversed card appeared as Gangi'el covered itself with more tentacles while spitting an A-Counter on Quasar again. "Your move!"

(11-10/3300-3000/3300-3000) (A: 2)

(3-2/2900/2000)

"My move," Ripley announced, drawing her next card. "Looks like the end! I play the Equip Spell Demotion on your monster, robbing it of two levels, which essentially means its robbed of its two Life Stars!"

Jeremy gasped as the two stars over his monster's head vanished! (2-0/2900/2000) And then the giant alien/spaceship vanished!

"Jeremy's wide open!" Syrus shouted

"And I'll activate Premature Burial to summon Lyra the Giver once again and equip it with this card!" Ripley continued as one of her aliens returned. (4/1800/1500)

Jeremy: 4100

Ripley: 3300

"And I'll sacrifice it again to power up Quasar!" She announced as Quasar absorbed the alien into itself. (10-14/3000-4200/3000-4200) "Now, finish off Jeremy with a direct attack!" The giant Alien roared as it charged at the Slifer...

"You know, gaining power's one thing," The alien duelist stated. "But too much can be bad!" He then revealed his facedown card, the Continuous Trap Gravity Bind! Quasar was repelled by a green energy waves.

"I'm impressed, without being able to take control of monsters, you're holding up pretty well," Ripley replied. "But you won't stop me for long; go ahead." (14-13/4200-3900/4200-3900)

"Here goes!" Jeremy said, drawing his next card. "It all rides on this move! First, I play Magic Planter to send Gravity Bind to the graveyard and draw two cards!"

"He must be banking on his deck now." Alister stated. "Because of Greed Quasar's high level, Ripley would have to wait a long time before being able to attack, but it would have 900 ATK and DEF."

"Well here's hoping he gets into the Yellows," Kenji added.

Jeremy drew his two cards and looked at them with a big smile. "There's only one duelist who's going to invade this Academy! Time to stop yours with Deepest Impact! It's destroys all monsters on the field and cuts our life points in half!"

Ripley and the audience gasped as the area was now littered with a meteor shower that collided with Greed Quasar and demolished it.

Jeremy: 2050

Ripley: 1650

"And now, I summon Alien Warrior!" Jeremy shouted as one of his monstrous grey aliens appeared, floating in space. (4/1800/1000) "Now, attack directly!"

Ripley gasped, putting up her duel disk in defense right before she was hit by the alien's claw.

Jeremy: 2050, Winner

Ripley: 0

The audience cheered again.

"The winner... Jeremy Roswell!" Crowler announced.

Jeremy smiled and gave a thumbs up to his friends.

"Alright, another Ra for the Academy!" Claudio cheered.

"He's going to be greater as the years go by!" Melody added.

* * *

Later that night, everyone showed up at Chazz's new room, congratulating the two former Slifers on a job well done in their promotion duels.

"You guys must be feeling proud that you're in Ra Yellow now." Spencer said.

"Yup!" Syrus and Jeremy nodded.

"I still can't believe you two get to move out and I'm still stuck in this dump!" Chazz grumbled.

"At least you got to build the room." Melody stated. "Stop whining!"

"Even though, it costs him money and a lot of it," Kenji stated.

"Looks like you two get to move up in rank." Hassleberry said to the new Ra Yellows.

"And you'll get to see the nice stuff we have at the dorm!" Alex grinned, patting both of them on the back.

"Not to mention the soft beds and great food!" Vincent added.

"Suffice it to say, it's a big step up!" Melody concluded.

"At least you won't get stuck wearing some ridiculous outfits." Claudio added.

"Good to know!" Jeremy said.

"What about you, Syrus?" Jachin said. "Feels good to be a Ra, huh?"

"Yeah, you're moving up in the world pal!" Jaden added. "And here..." He pulled out the Power Bond card and tossed it back to him. "Can't leave without that!"

"At first, I thought I needed this card to be as good as Zane." Syrus said looking at the card. "But I realized I was clinging to this card. That's why I didn't need to carry around this card. I'm not ready for it yet."

"Well, keep it to remind you of your goals." The E-Hero duelist said.

"Time to get your Yellow on!" Bastion said. All he got was a bunch of puzzled looks on everyone's faces.

"That only works when Jaden says it, Bastion," Syrus groaned.

"Alright fine..."

Everyone had a good laugh. Later on, everyone wished Syrus and Jeremy good luck as they saw them off to the Ra Yellow Dorm.

* * *

Later that night at the Slifer Red Cafeteria, everyone at the dorm was eating their dinner peacefully, until...

"You're in my seat, Hassleberry!" Syrus was there, now in his new Ra Yellow blazer arguing with the other Ra.

"But you moved to the Yellow Barracks!" The Dino Duelist proclaimed with a mouth full of shrimp.

"So what? I'll always be a Slifer at heart!" The new Ra said as he took his plate of food. "And I expect my seat to be empty next time with my food untouched!"

"When did you get so tough!?" The Hassleberry scoffed.

"Since I took your advice, Sarge!" Syrus grinned as blew a raspberry at him.

"Let's take it outside!"

As the two Ras kept arguing, Chazz had enough.

"Will you two keep it down!? I'm losing my appetite here!" He shouted.

"Really? Thanks Chazz!" Jaden said as he proceeded to take the last bit of Chazz's food.

"Drop that shrimp!" Chazz yelled.

"Who you calling a shrimp!?" Syrus sent back.

"One battle at a time soldier!" Hassleberry shouted.

* * *

Finally, some Slifers moved on up! Hope I made Syrus' duel better and gave Jeremy a great opponent and duel as well!

Roid Bomber

Normal Spell

Image: Strikeroid trying to lift some bombs off the ground.

Destroy Spell or Trap Cards equal to the number of face-up "roid" cards you control.

(My own creation. All creative rights to me.)

March of Roid

Field Spell

Image: Numerous 'roids' monsters riding out to battle.

When you control a "roid" monster, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "roid" monster from your hand.

Tankroid

Machine/Effect/EARTH

1500/1900

Level 4

Effect: When this card on your side of the field is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, draw 1 card.

Strikeroid

Machine/Effect/WIND

1600/400

Level 4

Effect: When this card is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, you can pay 800 Life Points to add this card to your hand.

Turboroid

Machine/WIND

1400/1800

Level 4

Solidroid Beta

WIND

Machine/Fusion/Effect

Level 7

2500/1900

Stealthroid + Turboroid + Strikeroid

This card can only be Special Summoned from your Extra Deck by discarding the above cards from your hand. (You do not use "Polymerization") During the turn in which this card was Special Summoned, destroy 1 of your opponent's monsters.

(The cards listed above were used by Syrus in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators.)

Insect Garden

Field Spell

Image: A giant forest with white flowers.

Control of all Level 4 or lower Insect-Type monsters controlled by this card's controller is switched to their opponent.

Insect Pheromone

Equip Spell

Image: Insect Princess giving an alluring smile.

Equip only to "Insect Princess". If the equipped monster destroys a monster by battle, you can force 1 of your opponent's face-up Insect-Type monsters to battle the equipped monster during the same Battle Phase.

Magical Longicorn

Insect/Effect

EARTH

Level 4

600/600

Negate the effects of this card's controller's Normal Spell Cards.

(The cards listed above were used by Missy in the GX episode Sad but Truesdale. All rights go to the creators.)

Eva Abductor

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 4

1000/500

Once per turn, you can discard 1 card to select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Take control of that monster while you control this face-up card. When this card changes its Battle Position, change the Battle Positions of all monsters controlled by this effect. If this card attacks, the controlled monster(s) must also attack that turn.

Eva Epsilon

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 4

1500/1600

When this card with a Life Star Counter(s) is sent to the Graveyard, you can place its Life Star Counters on 1 other face-up monster.

Lyra the Giver

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 4

1800/1500

You can send this face-up card to the Graveyard to place the Life Star Counters on this card on 1 other face-up monster.

Cosmic Space

Field Spell

Image: An area in outer space with four planets around it.

(The above four cards were used by Depre Scott in the Yu-Gi-Oh! R manga. All rights to the creators.)

When you activate this card, place Life Star Counters on each face-up monster equal to its own Level. Each time a monster(s) is Summoned or flipped face-up, place Life Star Counters on that monster equal to its own Level. During each player's End Phase, remove 1 Life Star Counter from each face-up monster on the field. If a monster has no Life Star Counter, destroy it.

Cross Heart

Normal Trap

Image: Black and white silhouettes of two men.

Activate only after you take Battle Damage from 1 attack. Take control of the monster that inflicted the Battle Damage

(Used by Jaden in the GX episode A Duel with a Vampire Pt. 3. All rights to the creators.)

Deepest Impact

Normal Spell

Image: A meteor shower moving in space.

Destroy all monsters on the field and halve both players' Life Points.

(Used by Noah Kaiba in the episode Brothers in Arms. All rights to the creators.)

Next Chapter: We now see the new deck debuts of Masaki and Aster as they finally show off their current dueling skills.

Please read and review! Later!


	8. Revealing Strategies

Time to see Masaki's current deck and Aster's pro duel!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 8: Revealing Strategies

* * *

The next day, all classes were done and then brought everyone to the duel arena. Why you ask? Because of Crowler, a no-brainer really... Still with his schemes of making Duel Academy (and himself) rise to fame and fortune, he wasted no time in trying to pick out candidates. And they were at the arena right now shuffling each other's' decks. The first was Lily, one of the better and nicer Obelisks and the other was one of the new students, Slifer Red's Masaki Oda, the kid who battled Claudio before opening day. Now the reason for Masaki's appearance dates back to a meeting yesterday, after Syrus and Jeremy were promoted to the Yellow Dorm.

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Crowler was doing one of the things he hated the most in his new Chancellor position... Signing huge stacks of documents. From the rate he was going, he never once looked at the papers or was far from over with them. He then was interrupted by his own sidekick, so to speak..._

 _"Crowler! You will not believe this!" Bonaparte shouted as he rushed to the desk._

 _"Do you mind!?" The Chancellor shouted. "I'm trying to finish some work here... especially since our two new Ra Yellows becoming stars was a bust to the news crew. I even told them we had the younger brother of Zane, for Pete's sake!"_

 _"Well I got some big news!" The Vice Chancellor grinned. "One of our slackers isn't really a slacker!"_

 _"What are you getting at?" Crowler asked, as he looked over his stack of documents._

 _"Masaki Oda, he's a client of Sartorius!" Bonaparte exclaimed. "Sartorius is Aster Phoenix's manager!"_

 _"WHAT!" Crowler's outburst caused the entire stacks of papers, both signed and unsigned to fall into a huge pile on top of Bonaparte. He grumbled as he started to pick up the fallen pages, "Now I've got to sort these out! In the meantime, Mr. Oda's going to come out of hiding his true colors!"_

 _The Vice Chancellor popped out of pile and rushed to the phone. "You sort and file, I'll get to finally going to get this school to greatness!" He started to dial a number as Crowler, by miraculous speed, restocked the files in proper order. Finally, Bonaparte got through to the other line. "Hello, listen this is the Chancellor of Duel Academy..."_

 _"CHANCELLOR!" Crowler yelled causing the short man to push the chair into the taller man's legs, causing him to fall._

 _"Ignore that outburst," Bonaparte laughed sheepishly. "Anyway, we feel it's in our best interest to bring Aster Phoenix to Duel Academy so..." He was interrupted with a negative and a waiting period as Crowler got up leaning against the desk. "Listen to me, s'il vous plait! We can't wait a year! We need Aster, now; we'll pay anything you want!"_

 _"Aren't you being hasty?" Crowler growled, still feeling the pain from the chair._

 _"Quiet!" Bonaparte shouted to him. "You had your chance, now let me take of things!" He then went back to the phone, "Sorry, that was directed to my secretary."_

 _"In your dreams!"_

 _"Quiet! The whole school's going down the toilet! Now I'm going to have to clean up behind you!" The Vice Chancellor scoffed._

 _"At least, I'm doing something!" Crowler yelled back. "And they'll notice when Masaki's rising to stardom!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"This had better work," Bonaparte grumbled from the sidelines.

"Relax, I've got this all covered!" Crowler smiled as he pulled out a video recorder. "Once I send this recording, plus a copy of hard proof he's with Sartorius, Duel Academy will be filled with glory!"

As for the arena, Masaki and Lily were done shuffling decks.

"Do you know why we're dueling?" Lily asked. "Not that I'm complaining on the dueling."

"Don't know, I'm not lined for any promotions." Masaki shrugged. "But hey, gives me the chance to use my real deck!"

"Oh yeah, let's see them!" The Dragon duelist smiled. "After seeing you give your old deck to Claudio, I was wondering what kind of deck you'd use since you never dueled out in the open, like this."

"Trust me, you'll be blown away!" the Slifer grinned as both players walked to the opening sides and cut on their duel disks.

"GAME ON!" They both drew their opening hands.

Masaki: 8000

Lily: 8000

"I'll start off!" Masaki announced, drawing his sixth card. "Time to see my cards of today! Shonen Hero Rubberman start us off!" He announced, playing his Monster card. Jumping out of the holo-card was a teen wearing an open red sleeveless jacket with nothing underneath, blue jean shorts and sandals. (4/1500/1500)

Noticing something missing he patted his short black hair and became quickly alarmed. To everyone's surprise, he stretched out right arm into the holo-card and pulled out a straw hat and placed it on his head and made a monkeyish grin.

"Shonen Hero?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, cool huh?" Masaki grinned.

"So this is his real deck?" Claudio wondered. "Another deck of Heroes?"

"Looks like it." Melody added.

"Well still, it's totally sweet!" Jaden exclaimed. "I'd like to take him on, I need a challenge!"

"But you need some good grades as well," Bastion stated. "If you plan to be a professional, that is."

"Who needs grades when the duels are where it's at?" The E-Hero duelist stated with a frown to his friend.

"Yeah, but wouldn't your parents be angry?" Allyson asked.

"They'll understand," Jaden smiled.

"I hope they do." Jachin added. "It's not good to be so low on grades."

"And then, I'll place this facedown and end my turn." Masaki concluded as a reversed card appeared at his feet.

"Good," Lily said as she drew her next card, "I start with Lancer Lindwurm in attack mode!" From her card, a blue-green armored, bipedal dragon appeared that held a blue lance. (4/1800/1500) "Now attack his Rubberman!" The dragon flew in and stabbed the hero in the stomach, getting a grunting sound from the hero.

Masaki: 7700

Lily: 8000

But as the dragon kept trying to pierce the opponent, all it did was to make Rubberman stretch out farther!

"What's going on?" Lily said.

"Rubberman's effect, he can't be destroyed in battle!" Masaki replied with a smile as the Shonen Hero bounced Lindwurm back to its mistress.

"I'll place two cards facedown." She concluded, "That was a surprise. Let's see what else you have in store."

"Let's see what we can do about this," Masaki said as he drew his next card, "Cool! I sacrifice Rubberman and bring out Shonen Hero Dimension Cutter!" Rubberman vanished and letting out a tougher looking man with an old punkish hairstyle and angular face. His style of clothing was a full length white military overcoat, with his family name emblazoned on the back in kanji, white pants tucked into black jackboots, and bandages wrapped around his abs. (5/1800/1800)

"So he traded in a monster that can't be destroyed for a monster that has the attack points of a Level 4 monster?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Jeremy said, feeling puzzled.

"To clear any confusion, I'll use his Special Ability!" The Slifer announced. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon one of my Shonen Heroes from the graveyard! So, let's welcome back Rubberman!"

Dimension Cutter created a blade of pure spirit energy, giving it a blue glow. He slashed downward, creating a portal from the graveyard and let Rubberman jump back on the field, ready to rumble. (4/1500/1500)

"Next, I play the spell Banner of Courage to juice up my monster's ATK by 200 during the Battle Phase!" He continued as a banner with a symbol for courage appeared behind him. "Now Dimension Cutter, go attack Lancer Lindwurm with Spirit Sword!"

Focusing his power, Dimension Cutter made another sword of blue energy. (5/1800-2000/1800) He then took it and struck down the dragon lancer with a powerful slice.

Masaki: 7700

Lily: 7800

"Now I'll attack directly with Rubberman! Gum-Gum Pistol!" He continued as Rubberman threw his fist back and shot it straight at the Dragon duelist. (4/1500-1700/1500)

"I activate my trap card, Dragon's Descent!" Lily countered, revealing her trap card, "This lets me summon a level 4 or below Dragon-Type Monster from my hand, and I pick Totem Dragon in defense mode!" The dragon that appeared had a small body with a huge neck. It had markings on it that made its namesake of a totem. (2/400/200)

"Why that one?" Allyson asked. "There could've been more choice her hand..."

Rubberman then knocked the small dragon out of the park with his fist, shattering it to pixels.

"And that'll do it for me!" Masaki concluded.

"My turn!" Lily said, drawing her sixth card, "And first, since all the monsters in my graveyard are Dragons I can bring back Totem Dragon on my Standby Phase!" Totem Dragon reappeared with a small roar (2/400/200)

"I activate Triggered Summon!" Masaki announced, revealing his facedown card, "Now we both summon a level 4 or below Monster from our hands!" He then took out another card and placed it horizontally. "I pick Shonen Hero Taijutsu Fighter in defense mode!" The next hero that came was a boy with a black bowl-cut hair dressed in a tight green jumpsuit and had bushy black eyebrows. (4/1900/1900)

"I'll summon Twin-Headed Behemoth in defense mode!" Lily announced as she brought out a purple, two-headed dragon that was standing on two legs. (3/1500/1200) "I'll now sacrifice Totem Dragon, which counts as two sacrifices for another Dragon, for my Felgrand Dragon!" The small dragon disappeared, making way for a giant, golden dragon with a silver underbelly. It let out a more menacing roar than its predecessor (8/2800/2800)

Masaki whistled. "I'm in trouble..."

"Take out his Dimension Cutter with Golden Flames!" Lily commanded her giant dragon. The golden dragon burst out flames from its mouth, burning down the warrior to ashes.

Masaki: 6700

Lily: 7800

"I'll then place my final card facedown and end my turn!" Lily declared, emptying her hand.

"A few turns in, and it's already in the hype." Claudio exclaimed, "Those heroes of Masaki look great as well!"

"Yeah, I'm noticing a pattern as well." Jachin deduced.

"Like what?" Kenji asked.

"All of his heroes seemed to have the same ATK and DEF scores." The Persona duelist stated.

"So?" Chazz scoffed.

"Meaning, he has more of choice sticking them in attack mode and the supplementing them with cards like Banner of Courage. Or he could have them in defense mode and have cards to boost that stat."

"I see," Claudio nodded.

"Impressive dragon," Masaki said as he drew his next card. He then inserted a Spell card, "Really hate to destroy it, but I use Book of Moon to place it facedown in defense mode!" Felgrand Dragon was replaced by the image of a facedown monster. "Now, I'll summon Shonen Hero Blind Bandit!"

Stepping out from the card image was young girl with hair that covered her eyes a bit that was completely pale. She was dressed in a green and yellow shirt and shorts and opted to be barefoot seeing that her feet were dusty from sand. (4/1800/1800)

"She's basically the same as Dimension Cutter." Lily said.

"Aside from level, yeah," The Shonen Hero duelist replied. "But her effect is different, attack her facedown monster!"

"Is he for real?" Jaden exclaimed.

"Unless," Kenji's thought came about as Blind Bandit shifted her feet against the ground and kicked, causing the earth underneath the card to pierce and destroy it without revealing the dragon! "I knew it, that card has the power to destroy facedown cards regardless of the monster's power." Kenji nodded.

"That'll be tough now." Alexis said.

"Now, I send Rubberman to destroy Twin-Headed Behemoth!" Masaki continued as Rubberman pulled back and launched his fist at the dragon, shattering it to pixels. "And here's where it gets interesting, Taijustu Fighter can attack while in defense mode! So go, direct attack!"

The young fighter dashed from his kneeling point and did a spinning kick to the Obelisk girl, stumbling her a bit. (4/1900-2100/1900)

Masaki: 6700

Lily: 5700

"He cut down the gap in a heartbeat!" Jeremy stated.

"He's got a big field advantage and he's hardly tribute summoned!" Allen added.

Spencer was impressed, turning to the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, "And you say the Slifers are all slackers? I say we just drop the whole rank system!"

"That's because this slacker was advised by Sartorius." Bonaparte grinned.

"I know." Spencer stated.

"Then why didn't you tell us earlier!?" Crowler yelled.

"I thought you'd know from his files, so I didn't bother," Spencer shrugged. "And besides, you should really take notice that the all the Slifers are great despite how they got in. I mean, the written exams are really what placed the kids in the dorms, not the duels. And that's where _all_ students of this Academy excel."

"I'll end my turn with a facedown card," Masaki concluded.

"And that's my cue to activate the trap, Reverse-Time!" Lily announced as her Trap Card activated, where it showed a bunch of warped clocks in a vortex. "This activates on your End Phase! First, it removes monsters that were summoned or set from the game!" Blind Bandit gasped as she vanished into a vortex. "Next, it summons all the monsters we controlled last turn, meaning I get back my Felgrand Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth!" From another vortex, both of Lily's dragons descended onto the field with mighty roars. (8/2800/2800), (3/1500/1200)

"That means, this is all I have!" Masaki realized as he looked at his monsters.

"That's right! And guess what else?" Lily smiled. "Since Felgrand Dragon was Special Summoned from the Graveyard, after being sent there from the field, I get to select a onster in the graveyard. And whatever monster I select, Felgrand Dragon gains 200 ATK times their level!"

"She's finally gotten around to using that dragon's effect!" Alex said.

"And I pick my level 4 Lancer Lindwurm giving Felgrand Dragon 800 ATK!" Lily announced as the golden dragon roared in its surge of power. (8/2800-3600/2800)

"3600 ATK, incredible!" Bastion exclaimed.

"Now it's my turn!" The Obelisk girl exclaimed as she drew her next card. "I'll first activate Card of Sanctity!" The Spell flashed as both players drew their six cards. "Next, here comes Stamping Destruction destroying that facedown card you have when I have a Dragon out and deal 500 points!"

Twin-Headed Behemoth stomped Masaki's facedown card and shattered its pixels over the Slifer's face.

Masaki: 6200

Lily: 5700

However, the Slifer recovered with a grin when he showed off the card, "You activated the facedown card known as Shonen Blast!" The card showed one of the Shonen Heroes firing a blue wave at a white alien who looked in shock. "By destroying this facedown card while I have a number Shonen Heroes on the field equal to yours, you lose a monster and its current attack points come out of your life points!"

"Well think again!" Lily countered, "By sending Felgrand Dragon to the Graveyard myself, I can summon Dragonic Knight to the field and make you miss your target!" Her quick thinking made her powerful dragon vanish and brought about a pale green dragon in sliver armor carrying a sliver sword and shield. (7/2800/2300) The blast was repelled by the new dragon that used its shield.

"That was close!" Jeremy breathed.

"I may not be able to use my Felgrand Dragon's upgraded form so I'll just settle on him and a little present from my dad," the Dragon Duelist smiled, "I'll sacrifice Twin-Headed Behemoth to summon Handcuffs Dragon!"

The behemoth vanished letting a brown-scaled Dragon appear. Its four wings adorned with crimson membranes and its eyes the same crimson. Both its head and tail ended into loops of steel like those used in handcuffs, hence the name. (5/1800/1800)

"Handcuffs?" Masaki asked.

"Yeah, my dad used to be a cop and he gave this to me before I came back," She explained. "And now I'll attack Taijustu Fighter with Dragonic Knight!" The knight charged and slashed his sword against the young warrior, driving him down into pixels. "Now Handcuffs Dragon will attack Rubberman!" The dragon clamped its front cuffs to crush the kid but all it did was make him laugh like the dragon was tickling him. It let go eventually.

Masaki: 5900

Lily: 5200

"And after this facedown that's it for me!" She concluded.

"You're tough, now I really need to kick it up," Masaki stated as he drew his next card. He then nodded, "Good, I play Premature Burial to bring back Shonen Hero Dimension Cutter!" Dimension Cutter came back cracking his knuckles. (5/1800/1800)

Masaki: 5100

Lily: 5200

"Next, I use his special ability to summon Taijutsu Fighter from the graveyard!" He announced as the bushy browed Shonen Hero returned kneeling again. (4/1900/1900) "Now, I summon Shonen Hero Cat Burglar!"

Jumping out from the card was a young woman with short-red hair carrying a blue staff. She wore a dark blue shirt, yellow skirt and brown short heel sandals. Once Rubberman spotted her, he gave a happy wave which she returned with a light one. (3/800/800)

"Three monsters!?" Lily gasped.

"Yup and I'll raise you a Spell that's compatible with one of them," Masaki grinned, revealing a Spell card, "I'll activate the Spell Primary Lotus! This card lets Taijustu Fighter gain ATK equal to his DEF!" The young ninja felt a surge of energy unlock in him as his chakra surged in around him. (4/1900-3800/1900) "Next, I activate Half Shut with cuts Dragonic Warrior's power in half but keeps it from being destroyed in battle!"

Dragonic Knight kneeled feeling its power waning. (7/2800-1400/2300)

"Uh oh," the Dragon duelist gasped.

"And these attacks will be even harder with Banner of Courage still in play!" The Shonen Hero duelist declared. "First up, Dimension Cutter attacks!" Creating another spirit sword, Dimension Cutter slashed the armored dragon, making it roar in pain. (5/1800-2000/1800)

Masaki: 5100

Lily: 4600

"Next, Rubberman attacks!" The straw hat kid launched another Gum-Gum Pistol against the weakened Dragon. (4/1500-1700/1500)

Masaki: 5100

Lily: 4300

"Now Taijustu Fighter attacks your Handcuffs Dragon with Primary Lotus!" First, the powered-up hero dealt a kick to the dragon's chin, sending it to the sky. (4/3800-4000/1900) Suddenly, the Shonen Hero appeared in the air behind him and unhooked his bandages around its captor. Finally, Bushbrow sent the wrapped up dragon into the ground with a spin yelling: "Primary Lotus!" A smoke cloud kicked up on impact of the attack.

Masaki: 5100

Lily: 2100

"No way, he took her down to almost 2000 Life Points in those attacks!" Melody gasped.

"Man, what power!" Claudio added.

"There is a problem, though," Lyra pointed out as the smoke cloud went away. Everyone saw that that the Handcuffs Dragon locked itself around Shonen Hero. (4/3800-2000/1900) "Since Handcuffs Dragon was destroyed in battle, it becomes an Equip Spell to the monster responsible and loses 1800 ATK."

"Now I see why it's called Handcuffs Dragon." Jaden said, "Sweet..."

"I think it's cool," Syrus added.

"But still, Lily needs to make a big play on her next turn if she wants to win." Bastion noted. "It's going to take a lot of skill to come back from this one."

"Our girl can handle it," Alex grinned. "She came back from the clutches of Brightveil just show she's still got it!"

"I'll place two cards facedown and then the side effect of Primary Lotus activates," Masaki concluded as he explained, "It causes affected monsters to drop his ATK to 0 until my next turn, but it's good that he's in defense mode." The young ninja felt the strain of his muscles after his attack. (4/2000-0/1900)

Also, Dragonic Warrior felt his power returning as he rose up to the skies. (7/1400-2800/2300)

"My draw!" Lily announced, drawing her next card. "First, I'll use Graceful Charity!" She continued as she drew three more cards, and sent two the grave. She then revealed her facedown card, "Next, the Trap Immortal Dragon will bring back my Felgrand Dragon!" Lily's golden dragon returned to the field. (8/2800/2800) "I just sent my level 7 Seiyaryu into the Graveyard! And if you remember Felgrand's effect, that's 1400 more ATK!" The golden dragon felt more empowered by the boost. (8/2800-4200/2800)

"Whoa!" Masaki gasped. "I'm glad she can't put a level 12 monster in there, otherwise I'd be in the doghouse!"

"And if you think that's all, I've got Stop Defense for your Fighter!" Lily continued, playing one of the most known Spells in the days of old. The Spell got Handcuffs Dragon to force its prisoner to his feet. "Then, I'll add the Equip Spell Dragons Unite to my Dragonic Knight giving him 400 ATK and DEF for every Dragon monster I have!"

Dragonic Knight's muscles bulged as it roared proudly. (7/2800-3600/2300)

"She's got match up she needs!" Allen said.

"Now Felgrand Dragon attack his Taijustu Fighter! Golden Flames!" Lily commanded as the dragon inhaled the air...

"I activate Equip Shot," Masaki announced, revealing his facedown card, "It takes an Equip card off my monster and equips it to one of yours, and I'll equip it to Felgrand Dragon!"

Taijustu Fighter was able to get some feeling out of his muscles, expertly unhooking himself from the Handcuffs Dragon. He then kicked it to the Felgrand Dragon causing Handcuffs Dragon to lock on to it. (8/4200-2400/2800) It was still able to unleash its flames at the freed hero destroying him.

Masaki: 2700

Lily: 2100

"Now, I'll send Dragonic Knight to attack Dimension Cutter!" Lily continued as her knight slashed the spirit sword wielder back to the graveyard in pixels.

Masaki: 900

Lily: 2100

"And next, I'll activate Duality!" The quick-play spell showed darkness in light, and light in darkness. "By sacrificing my LIGHT monster, I can summon a DARK monster and that'll bring out my Tri-Horned Dragon!" Felgrand Dragon vanished and unleashed a giant blue dragon with a red underbelly with sharp claws and the namesake on his head, three long, sharp horns. (8/2850/2350) "Now attack Cat Burglar and end this duel!"

"Hold on, I activate Thunderbolt Tempo!" Masaki countered as his next card revealed itself. The spell card showed Shonen Hero Cat Burglar using her staff to create a yellow ball of thunder. "During Damage Step when Shonen Hero Cat Burglar's in a battle, she gains 2000 ATK!"

Breaking her staff into three pieces, Cat Burglar created a thunder orb from one amplifying her power. (3/800-2800/800)

"But it won't save her!" Lily said as her dragon fought through the shocks and slashed the hero to pixels.

Masaki: 850

Lily: 2100

"That was pretty good," Lily smiled as she signaled the end of her turn, "Guess I'll have to get you next time."

"Then it's my move," Masaki said as he drew his next card, "Sorry, but I'll to stop you here! I sacrifice Rubberman and summon Shonen Hero Saiyan!" Rubberman vanished letting out a tall and muscular black haired man with an orange gi with a blue shirt underneath it and a blue belt and shoes. (6/2400/2400)

"I bet your next card is one that helps you out." Lily deduced as she eyed the last card in his hand.

"You are correct," the Slifer smiled, activating the card, "I activate Fighting Spirit giving him 300 ATK for every monster you have!" The hero made his power surged to incredible heights as he gave a smile. (6/2400-3000/2400) "Now attack Tri-Horned Dragon with Dragon Fist!"

Saiyan flew at incredible speed and drove a fist into the dragon, taking it out of the fight.

Masaki: 850

Lily: 1950

"But then his effect activates," Masaki added, "when he destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to your destroyed monster's ATK since it was in that mode."

Lily gasped as Saiyan flew right front of her. The Obelisk was expected a big blast or some other form of giant attack...

Instead, the Shonen Hero opted for a smile and a light punch to her duel disk.

Masaki: 850, Winner

Lily: 0

The audience cheered for the outcome as the holograms disappeared.

"Lily put up a good fight," Alexis said.

"And Masaki's monsters are something else." Kenji added. "Not to mention that last monster he had was nice to pull his punches on Lily."

Masaki and Lily met at the middle of the arena and shook hands.

"I need to say this, what are you doing in Slifer Red?" Lily asked.

"Hey, for these cards, it's better to start from the bottom," Masaki grinned. "Besides, a Slifer getting recognition with powerful cards sounds more noticeable, don't you think?"

"You may be right." The Dragon duelist nodded. "It's about time the faculty let the Slifers show their stuff."

"Thanks for the support." Masaki then looked up to where Claudio was sitting at and smiled before leaving the arena.

"Now I need to duel this guy." Claudio said, acknowledging the Slifer's look, "Seeing those guys against mine, will truly be great."

"I can't wait either!" Jaden exclaimed.

"I'll be there to see that." Melody nodded.

"A deck that's never been seen before defeating high level dragons!" Bonaparte exclaimed, as he turned to Crowler. "Please tell me, you got the footage!"

"Of course!" Crowler held up the camera.

"Uh, what is that?" The Vice Chancellor pointed to the lens of the camera. Crowler turned it around and saw that...

"I LEFT THE LENS CAP ON!"

* * *

In the city, night had fallen. Coming out of a hotel was Zane Truesdale and his manager, Mr. Wright approaching a limousine.

"I hope you're ready for tonight's match, kid." He said to his client. "You've been winning matches left and right, and we expected to keep it that way."

"You can count on me," Zane said confidently. "I don't plan on losing yet."

"With all the money invested in you, I hope it stays that way." The manager said, getting into his limo. "Need a ride?"

"I'll walk, thank you." The Pro duelist respectfully declined. "Especially before a big match..."

"Suit yourself," Mr. Wright closed the door but opened the window. "By the way, you should be careful out there; they say a Demon's been sighted in the neighborhood."

"Demon?"

"Don't you read the papers?" Zane was given a newspaper with a silhouette of a monster unknown to him. The Kaiser gave it back to his manager.

"Sorry, I don't believe in those kinds of stories." Zane said.

"Well, don't forget we want a victory." The limo drove off, leaving Zane to his nightly walk.

* * *

As he walked through the city, he kept his mind focused on one thing. His match against another rising star, Aster Phoenix.

 _'I have bigger things to worry about other than a figment of someone's imagination,'_ He thought, _'Like what kind of deck Aster will use against me.'_

"AAAHH! Help!"

A man screaming alerting him to the alleyway; he saw someone get beaten down by something... bizarre...

"You can't hide from destiny!" The figure said in a deep voice before dropping some cards, presumably the defeated guy's deck, and took off.

Zane ran up to the man and lifted him up. "You alright?" He asked.

"That... thing... he wasn't... human…" The guy managed to say before falling unconscious.

Zane then heard something up above and looked up. It was the same figure of the Demon he saw in the papers before it took off. Soon, a couple of policeman came seeing the man on the ground with Zane.

"What happened to this guy?" One of the policemen asked.

Zane's only response was, "A Demon..."

* * *

The scene now turns to the white room where Sartorius was setting his cards on the clear table in front of him. Without even turning around he greeted with "Welcome back, Aster. I trust your evening was fruitful?" The cloaked man asked.

"You could say that," Aster replied. "So what's up?"

"I wish you spend less time on these juvenile games and more time preparing for your upcoming match." Sartorius stated. "I even got a call from our friend, Masaki."

"Okay, one: you'll know I'll win. Two: Masaki and I are not friends." Aster said. "What was his call about?"

"He's won his match with true deck," The tarot reader replied. "He's also grateful you decide to duel with your own as well..."

"Please, he's on that again?" The pro asked with a scoff. "Unlike him, I duel the real opponents."

Sartorius picked up the upright Chariot card and showed it to Aster, "Well, be thankful that your victory is near. However, Zane's only a small step towards your true destiny. As was Masaki's match."

"And when are you going to tell me of what this destiny is?" Aster asked.

"You'll find out in due time. But until then, put your full faith in me." The tarot reader stated.

"Okay, but what about Jaden? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was to throw that match?" Aster asked. "It's bad enough you enrolled me into the school like Masaki, but insisting I lose to that Jaden kid?"

"It was the only way to test him." Sartorius replied. "Mr. Oda wondered about Claudio as well, and I told him the same thing. He understood. They have more ability than you know."

"But they're not Pro Duelists and they aren't in my League!"

The tarot reader chuckled. "Power can be found even in the most unlikely of places. Now after your match with Zane, you will return to Duel Academy and meet up with Masaki to duel Jaden and Claudio."

"Alright, but do I get to win this time?" Aster asked.

Sartorius looked back to his protégé. "Of course, now go... your public awaits..."

"And you know, I'll will show off my real deck," Aster said as he left the room, "It'll finally stop Oda's ranting about it."

* * *

Back at Duel Academy, everyone was in one of the classrooms watching the Pro League. They've watched numerous matches of many pros, until they were finally rewarded with the main event: Aster Phoenix vs. Zane Truesdale.

"I still can't believe Crowler sprung for cable." Alexis noted.

"Hey, it's his money, not ours right?" Kenji asked. "I mean, my mother would hate for me to use up money, even for pay-per-view events."

"That's true." She said. "My father would watch what Atticus and I did before we became responsible with it."

"Look at us now, responsible young adults!" The ninja duelist shrugged.

"I agree." Alexis nodded.

 _'Why's she paying attention to him?'_ Chazz growled in his mind, _'What's he got!?'_

* * *

At the Kaiba Dome, everyone was getting ready for the upcoming match.

"Hello duel fans! Ron Harris here! If you're just tuning in, then you're in luck!" One of the commentators, Ronald announced.

"That's right!" The second commentator, Tristan added. "Live from the Kaiba Dome, everyone is split down the middle for today's competitors! It's the Zane Truesdale vs Aster Phoenix! Let's head down to Andrew for the start of our main event!"

* * *

"This duel is scheduled for 8000 life points!" Andrew announced pumping up the crowd. "Introducing first, he's our rising rookie of the pro league, the Cyber duelist, Zane Truesdale!"

Rising up from an elevated platform came Zane popped up, meeting the roar of the crowd. Especially, the ladies on his side of the audience.

* * *

"What does he have, that I don't!?" Chazz growled making Jaden laugh.

"A career, personality and a good-looking little brother!" Syrus cracked.

"Ha! Nice one, Sy!" Alex grinned, slapping the small Ra on the back. "I didn't know you had it in you!"

* * *

"His opponent, our youngest undefeated Pro, the child of destiny, Aster Phoenix!" Andrew continued as from the other side, Aster rose up from his platform meeting with his own admiration of the crowd, even his lady fan club!

* * *

"Looks like Zane isn't the only lady killer." Hassleberry noted as Chazz kept growling.

"Cool it, Chazz." Alister said.

"Yeah, graduate and you'll get all the fame, fortune and fans." Erika added.

"Tonight's big mystery: What's in Aster's deck tonight?" Tristan said. "I hear he's going to wow us with his real one!"

"Looks like we're about to find out!" Ronald announced.

 _'Hopefully his real deck...'_ Masaki thought.

As Aster and Zane got to prepare their duel disks, they started to talk.

"I've heard a lot about you," Zane broke the ice. "30 professional duels, and not one loss... impressive for a little kid!"

Aster inserted his deck and replied, "You're too kind... For a rookie!"

That comment made Zane growl. "Let's do this..."

Both players activated their duel disk and drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Zane: 8000

Aster: 8000

"Beauty before age!" Aster stated as he drew his next card. He then turned over one and showed it off, "I think I'll start by summoning this one!"

Everyone at the Academy gasped at the artwork of the card.

"Hold on, that's mine," Jaden finally let out with a soft tone.

 _'Your 'real' deck, huh?'_ Masaki thought grimly. 'What the heck is wrong with you?'

"Go Elemental Hero Avian!" Aster announced as the winged hero of the E-Heroes appeared, but had a slightly dark tint to him. (3/1000/1000)

"A deck of heroes?" Zane gasped as even he was surprised.

"That's right! Like your Academy pal, Jaden!" Aster smirked. "Like the surprise?"

"Come on, bro. Show some originality..." Jaden said into the screen.

"It'll be tough to do because of all the cards that need them," Claudio said.

"Still, he calls it his real deck?" Melody asked. "That's just wrong..."

"I then play two cards facedown and end my turn!" Aster concluded with his Set card at his feet.

"A stunning opening move by Phoenix." Ronald stated.

"And a sneak peek into his mystery deck, also Ron." Tristan added.

After shaking off the shock, Zane smiled.

"He's smiling?" Syrus said.

"And for good reason," Bastion added. "Zane's dueled against Jaden, knows all about the Elemental Heroes and beaten them."

"Which means Zane's got a clear advantage." Alexis said.

"And it'll serve Aster right for copycatting someone's deck." Allyson stated. "He'll probably call it his real one since Jaden hasn't graduated yet."

"It's my turn!" Zane said as he drew his sixth card, "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon from my hand while you have a monster out when I don't!" He stated as his metallic dragon appeared. (5/2100/1000) "And also since it was a Special Summon, I've got the Cyber Thuban in attack mode as well!" Another machine appeared, like the Cyber Dragon except it was a cobra with its hood flaring out. (4/1500/1500) "Now, I send Cyber Dragon to destroy Avian! Strident Blast!" The machine complied with the orders and launched its flames Avian.

"Don't think so, I activate Hero Barrier," Aster countered, revealing one of his facedown cards, "IT blocks your attack when I have an Elemental Hero out!" As a wind barrier was about to produce, Zane activate a card from his hand.

"I'll play Trap Booster!" He announced as the Quick-Play Spell had a picture of a bear trap with rocket boosters attached. "I can discard one card to use a trap from my hand." He discarded Photon Generator Unit. "I activate Trap Jammer to negate that Hero Barrier!"

"Go ahead, I'll just activate Negate Attack and not only it still stops your attack, it stops your Battle Phase!" The seasoned pro stated, revealing his facedown card. "And after all that hard work, too..."

A spiral barrier moved in front of the Hero Barrier and blocked the Cyber Dragon's attack.

"An even match." Lyra said.

"Yeah, neck and neck," Hassleberry added. "This is what I call combat!"

"I wonder what else Aster has in his deck." Jaden said.

"Probably some other cards, he's not being true to..." Masaki grumbled.

"You alright, Masaki?" Jachin asked, hearing his fellow Slifer's tone of voice.

"Yeah, you're kinda hating Aster a little much." Jeremy added.

"Nothing much." The Shonen Hero duelist stated.

"It's getting tense between these two, folks." Tristan said.

"You know it." Ronald added. "But it'll break soon, because Aster has the floor."

"Alright Zane, it's my turn!" Aster announced, drawing his next card. "I play Spellbook Inside the Pot! See, I'm a nice guy!" Zane narrowed his eyes as both players drew theri three cards. "Now I play Polymerization!" A fusion portal appeared behind him. "I'll fuse Avian with his partner Burstinatrix from my hand!" Burstinatrix, also in darker colors, fused with Avian in the portal. "Give a Kaiba Dome welcome to Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer!"

Whoever expected Flame Wingman was either disappointed or surprised as a hero with human face with a green helmet, wings, and right claw added to his black and flaming body paint and red legs and tail appeared instead. (6/2100/1200)

"Phoenix Enforcer?" Lily wondered. "That's new..."

"Yeah, what happened to Flame Wingman?" Syrus asked.

"Someone tell him," Chazz scoffed.

"With fusing Elemental Heroes, you can bring out different choices." Alex stated. "Either what they usually bring out, or one of those Nature based Heroes Jaden's been rocking lately."

"I can?" Jaden asked dumbly, causing most people to fall out.

"You've been doing that since your match with me!" Kenji snapped, "How could you forget that!?"

"Pretty rad outfit, right?" Aster taunted as he pointed to the metal cobra. "Now check out his attack on your Cyber Thuban! Go Phoenix Flame!" Phoenix Enforcer gathered some flames in his hands as it charged at the snake.

"Sorry, when Cyber Thuban's attacked, the attacking monster loses 300 points!" Zane countered as Thuban flashed a light from its mouth, blinding the E-Hero. (6/2100-1800/1200)

But it still didn't stop him from scratching out the metal snake in flames.

Zane: 7700

Aster: 8000

"Then, I place one card facedown and end my turn!" Aster concluded.

"Aster gets first blood, in the battle with his new hero." Ronald said. "How will Zane retaliate?"

"My move!" Zane announced, drawing his next card. "I play Pot of Greed!" He stated as drew two more cards. "Now, I sacrifice Cyber Dragon and summon Cyber Alsafi!" As the dragon disappeared, a giant metal crab appeared with two giant sliver pincers. (5/2250/1250) "Next, I play Power Bond!"

"Alright!" Jaden cheered. "He's getting serious!"

"Yeah, with Zane's best card, Aster's in trouble!" Syrus added.

"It's time!" The Academy Graduate proclaimed. "I'll send two of the Cyber Dragons in my hand to create the Cyber Twin Dragon!" Two Cyber Dragons appeared swirled together in an electric orb. Then, they came out in one body with a yellow and blue head. (8/2800/2100) "And since Power Bond was used for the fusion, its attack points double!"

An electric energy surged through the mechanical dragon. (8/2800-5600/2100)

"Looks like Zane's wanting to shut down Aster right now for Power Bond to be used!" Tristan said.

"Yeah, he'll be dealing with some damage afterwards." Ronald added. "But then again, reviewing the scores of the upcoming battles, Zane'll win if this move works!"

"Now Twin Dragon can attack twice in a row, but I'll start with Cyber Alsafi, attack Phoenix Enforcer with Strident Claw!" Zane announced as his metal crab moved in first. Gathering energy in its claws, Alsafi fired a blue beam that caused the E-Hero to block with his wings.

Zane: 7700

Aster: 7550

"Sorry to disappoint you," Aster smirked, "Unlike Flame Wingman, Phoenix Enforcer can't be destroyed in battle!"

"But I have two more attacks," Zane countered. "Cyber Twin Dragon, attack with Double Strident Blast!" One of the heads fired off blue flames that engulfed the E-Hero who had difficulty blocking it. Even Aster had to block with his disk.

Zane: 7700

Aster: 3750

"Now Cyber Twin Dragon, attack again and end this duel!" Zane announced as the second head unleashed its attack as well.

"I knew Phoenix would lose..." Chazz smirked.

"I just never expected to be this easy." Kenji said. "Then again, except for his second duel with Jaden, every time he's used Power Bond, he's won."

Once the blast fired at Aster, and the smoke cloud rose up, people assumed the duel was over since the difference would have made it otherwise...

"Good night, Mr. Phoenix!" Ronald proclaimed.

But when the smoke cleared, Aster was standing with a smug look on his face, plus a glass dome was around him, indicating he was still in the game. But looking at the scores, he became far from losing now!

Zane: 7700

Aster: 9350

"No way!" Zane shouted.

"Yes way, I used Draining Shield on your second attack!" Aster said, holding up the copy of trap card. "Not only your attack is negated, but I gain life points equal to your monster's ATK! And 5600, gotta say nice payment for your other two attacks! Have you ever heard the expression: 'The Duel Monster card is quicker than the eye'?"

"That was pretty unexpected!" Jethro said.

"He led Zane around again." Alexis said.

"I end my turn." Zane said bitterly.

"Yeah, and thanks to your Power Bond you lose 2800 points, the same amount as your Twin Dragon's original attack points!" Aster smirked as Zane and Cyber Twin Dragon felt a shock in their heads.

Zane: 4900

Aster: 9350

"Wow, Zane's fallen way behind!" Ronald exclaimed. "And all from one card!"

"He may life point disadvantage, but at least with a 5600 ATK monster, it still could be in Zane's favor." Tristan said.

"My move!" Aster announced as he drew his next card, "Now say hello to Elemental Hero Sparkman!" A darker colored version of Sparkman appeared. (4/1600/1400) "Next, I'll use the Equip Spell Spark Blaster!" Sparkman was now equipped with a black pulse gun, with three cords hooked to his wrist.

"Another familiar move," Claudio noted.

"Now, I'll use Guard Penalty!" Aster continued as his next Quick-Play Spell showed a boxer using the referee as a shield against another boxer. "Now, I choose any monster and should it change to defense mode, I can draw an extra card so I'll pick your Twin Dragon. And seeing as how I have the Spark Blaster out, I think I'll use its effect to switch your dragon to defense mode."

Sparkman let out a stream of lightning from its gun that forced the dragon to bow down.

"And now that it's in defense mode, I can draw a card." Aster stated as he drew his card. "But for the sake of those who missed that move, how about having my Sparkman give us an instant replay? I'll switch your dragon to attack mode, and then back to sleep in defense mode!"

The crowd watched in awe as the dragon was forced to straighten up and then bow back down again. Fans began to laugh as the hero's gun vanished.

"In my years of commentating in the Pros and even dueling in them, I have never heard a crowd laugh due to the mode change of a monster." Ronald stated.

"With how Aster used Spark Blaster, Zane's dragon got played with like a puppy on a leash." Tristan said. "And I know my old pal Joey hated being called that by Kaiba in the old days."

"This is too rich. Everybody knows you're a joke now," Aster smiled as he drew another card from his Spell's effect

"Enough!" Zane shouted, "Just continue your turn!"

"Zane's losing his cool." Allen said with a frown.

"Wouldn't you be after your monster was made into someone's play thing?" Allyson asked.

"It's going to be dark days ahead, if this continues." Lyra stated.

"Oh what's the matter? You getting a little distressed that I played with your dragon? Well allow me to clear the field of that metallic menace with my second Polymerization spell card!" Aster grinned as he played another fusion card, "Now I can fuse my Phoenix Enforcer and my Sparkman together to summon Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer!"

Combining with the Sparkman, Phoenix Enforcer got metallic upgrade as his wings were encased in steel and wore a new green suit. (8/2500/2100)

"Oh great," Zane muttered.

"Those guys are way bigger than the heroes you got, Jaden!" Hassleberry said.

"And it doesn't stop there, Zane!" Aster mocked. "Shining Phoenix Enforcer gains 300 ATK for every Elemental Hero in my graveyard, meaning 1200 more points!" The new hero sparked with electricity and light as the images of Avian, Burstinatrix, Sparkman, and Phoenix Enforcer appeared in spirit. (8/2500-3700/2100) "Now Hero Phoenix Enforcer! Destroy Twin Dragon with Shining Enforcement!" The hero became encased in light as it plowed through the twin dragon like it was nothing! "Now, one card facedown and its back to you!"

"Aster's been playing like a true Pro thus far." Tristan said.

"But it looks like Zane will need a miracle draw to make a comeback!" Ronald added. "I hate to see someone's Pro career cut short..."

"If I were you, I'd probably summon that Cyber End Dragon that's been helping you win..." Aster suggested, but with cockiness. "Then you may have a chance!"

"Laugh it up, but the joke will be on you soon enough," Zane stated as he drew his next card. "I activate the Spell Emergency Cyber! This lets me add a level 8 or higher 'Cyber' monster to my hand from the deck!" A card slipped out of Zane's deck letting him take it. "But now, I'll discard Cyber Alnair to bring back Emergency Cyber via its second effect!" He discarded his monster letting him take back his Spell card. He then inserted two more cards into his disk. "Now I'll place two cards facedown. All yours..."

"Why thank you!" Aster said as he drew his. "First, I'll play Foolish Burial to send my Elemental Hero Necroshade into the graveyard!" Necroshade slid out of the deck, letting Aster put it in his graveyard. "And you know what that means, right? 300 extra ATK for my Shining Phoenix Enforcer!" The hero shined once again. (8/3700-4000/2100) "And next, since Necroshade's in the graveyard, I can summon Elemental Hero Bladedge without a sacrifice!" A darker gold version of Bladedge appeared. (7/2600/1800)

"I activate my trap Call of the Haunted," Zane interrupted, revealing one his facedown card. "I choose to bring back Cyber Alnair!" The cyber crane appeared cawing at its opposition. (4/1600/400) "When this card is special summoned, I can draw one card." He stated as he drew his next card.

"A lot of good that will do you!" Aster gloated. "I would've summoned a Cyber Dragon or something! But hey, humiliate yourself even further... Go Bladedge attack with Slice and Dice attack!" The dark golden Hero flew across the arena, brandishing his blades...

"Now looks like, I'll take the lead and with this next Trap card!" Zane countered as his next card revealed itself. The Trap showed the constellation of Draco in space. "I activate the trap, Born from Draconis! This trap card lets me remove all "Cyber" monsters on the field and in my graveyard in order to summon Cyber Eltanin! I normally would have used the original method, but this trap shows off a nice surprise!"

Cyber Alnair vanished in a wide bright light also removing all of Zane's Cyber Monsters in the graveyard. Once the light died out, a massive Cyber Dragon head appeared with shining yellow eyes. (10/? /?)

"And it gains 500 ATK and DEF for each LIGHT Machine monster when summoned via its effect or Born from Draconis! And I had 6 removed, meaning 3000 ATK and DEF!" 6 small floating heads appeared fueling the giant one. (10/3000/3000) "Plus, when it's summoned, it sends all face-up monsters on the field to the grave, other than itself!"

A light flashed under the heroes, obliterating them from the field.

"A stunning comeback from Truesdale!" Tristan announced.

"And you know what, he could've done that last turn but thanks to his trap, he was able to special summon it and still rack up the stats!" Ronald said.

"Now Zane can make a comeback with his next turn!" Alexis said.

"He's got that chance to make a big hit to Aster's life points." Kenji stated. "Time to make that move..."

"Take your best shot, Zane!" Aster taunted as he signaled the end of his turn.

"Don't worry, I will!" Zane announced as he drew his next card. "First, I summon Heavy Mech Support Platform!" Appearing from the sky, was a large platform with red wings and thrusters on the back. (2/500/500) "And I'll equip it to Eltanin, giving it 500 ATK and DEF!" The platform latched itself on to the back of the metal dragon head, charging it with power. (10/3000-3500/3000-3500) He then activated another card from his hand. "Then, Cyber Roar equips to my monster, giving him 300 extra attack points and letting me draw a card!" Eltanin grew more power from the lasers attached to the main head as Zane drew a card. (10/3500-3800/3500)

He smiled as the next card was something he could use again and activated it.

"Now I play Limiter Removal which doubles his attack strength!" He announced as Eltanin felt its power overload its systems. (10/3800-7600/3500) "Now I'll attack you directly! Go Draconis Ascension!"

All the small heads sent energy to the giant one who let out a massive blast at Aster, engulfing him.

Zane: 4900

Aster: 1750

The crowd of the Kaiba Dome roared in cheers.

"Listen to that crowd!" Tristan said. "Zane's fans have come back to cheer the rising Pro back to the top!"

"And with that big of a hit, he only needs his next turn to win," Ronald announced. "Because if Aster can't make a good draw or is unable to use the facedown card on his field, Aster will suffer his first loss!"

"What a hit!" Melody exclaimed.

"Aster's got a death wish right about now!" Claudio added.

"I wouldn't say that." Alister stated.

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

"Alister and I both got the chance to duel him, and he gets unpredictable every time since he's never used his real deck." Erika added. "That's why he's so good. Plus, he's more into the drama of the move. That card may have been something, but since that move wasn't enough to beat him..."

"He's leading Zane on," the Guardian Duelist finished for his fiancée.

"I end my turn here, which means Limiter Removal destroys my monster," Zane said, but removed his Union Monster from his disk. "But I have my union monster equipped meaning it takes the fall before Eltanin does!" The machine platform shattered off Eltanin. (10/7600-3300/3500-3000)

However, the younger Pro Duelist just smiled. "And now ladies and gentlemen, Zane's helped me in unleashing some real heroes!" Aster announced.

"What?" Zane gasped.

"Just watch Zane!" Aster said as he drew his next card and then revealed his facedown card. "And it starts with this, the trap Soul Fusion! By paying 1000 life points, I get to summon a fusion monster by removing the correct kind of fusion material monsters in my graveyard!"

Zane: 4900

Aster: 750

"Now he's got Nature Heroes, too?" Jaden asked with growl, "Come on..."

"I'll remove Elemental Heroes Avian, Burstinatrix and Sparkman from the game!" Aster announced as the named monsters removed themselves from the discard slot.

"WHAT!?" the Academy Kids shouted.

"There's no Elemental Hero with that combination!" Zane protested.

"You're right; there is no _Elemental Hero_ that fits these materials." Aster smirked. "But there is a different hero that fits the requirements!"

All three heroes swirled into a vortex. But once done, it resulted in something very different. It wasn't even an Elemental Hero! It was a red armored warrior that was covered head to toe with many mirros. He also had sharp blades on its forearms. (8/2500/2000)

"Meet my Vision Hero Trinity!" Aster introduced.

Everyone at the Kaiba Dome and at Duel Academy gasped.

"Vision Heroes!" They all said.

 _'Finally, something original...'_ Masaki thought. _'But I wouldn't play around like that for suspense, Aster...'_

"Speechless, are we?" Aster asked. "Well let me break it; when Trinity is fusion summoned, he doubles his ATK!" Zane gasped seeing hero grow higher than his Cyber Eltanin. (8/2500-5000/2000) "Plus, being a hero made by three Heroes he can attack three times! But the downside is that he can't attack directly!"

"So with all that power, he can't beat Zane this turn," Alexis figured.

"All that fanfare for nothing," Kenji added.

The Hero Pro Duelist grinned as he activated another card from his hand, "But I have a way to fix that, by using Mist Body on your monster!" Zane saw his monster covered in a veil of mist.

"And with Eltanin unable to be destroyed, Aster has this move in the bag!" Ronald said.

"I should've told you this early Zane," Aster continued. "You talk an awful lot, but it's only going to get you two things: beaten and fast! Trinity, attack with Triple Slice and Dice!"

Trinity dashed his way to Eltanin and swiped it with the left blade.

Zane: 3200

Aster: 750

Then, he sliced with the right blade...

Zane: 1500

Aster: 750

Finally, Trinity flew into the sky and dive bombed the Cyber monster with both blades.

Zane: 0

Aster: 750, Winner

"Unbelievable, Zane Truesdale has finally lost!" Tristan announced. "And history has been made at the Kaiba Dome!"

Everyone at Duel Academy was shocked.

Zane fell down to one knee, unable to stomach what just happened to him. "How can this be...?" He said.

"Simple," Aster replied as he turned around and left, "You can't hide from destiny!"

The Academy Graduate gasped, as he remembered that line from the alleyway yesterday where that guy was attacked.

"The Demon! It's you!" He said.

* * *

"I can't believe Zane lost!" Syrus said.

"He defeated the best duelist that ever graduated!" Bastion said.

"We'll see..." Jaden replied.

"Yeah, and what was up with that last hero?" Claudio said. "Are they more heroes besides Jaden's, Masaki's and mine?"

 _'More than you know, Claudio...'_ Masaki thought with a stern look in his face, _'But my question is if Aster's ever going to show his real ones the next time he duels, or is he going to keep hiding from his past?'_

* * *

Lancer Lindwurm

WIND

Dragon/Effect

Level 4

1800/1200

During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

Dragon's Descent

Normal Trap

Image: A dragon perching on top of a statue.

Special Summon 1 level 4 or lower Dragon type monster from your hand.

Reverse-Time

Normal Trap

Image: Numerous warped clocks.

Activate only during your opponent's End Phase. All monsters on the field that were Normal Summoned, Special Summoned or Set during this turn are removed from play. After that, each player Special Summons all of their monsters that they controlled the previous turn, from their hand, Deck and Graveyard.

Immortal Dragon

Normal Dragon

Image: A silhouette of a dragon rising from the ground.

Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from your Graveyard or that you have removed from play.

Duality

Quick-Play Spell

Image: Darkness in light, and light in darkness.

Activate 1 of the following effects:

●Tribute 1 LIGHT monster to Special Summon 1 DARK monster from your hand.

●Tribute 1 DARK monster to Special Summon 1 LIGHT monster from your hand.

(The above 5 five cards were used by Chazz Princeton in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators.)

Shonen Blast

Normal Trap

Image: Shonen Hero The Greatest firing a blue wave blast at a white alien.

When this card is destroy by a card effect your opponent controls, and the number of Shonen Heroes on your field is equal to the number monsters on your opponent's field, destroy one of your opponent's monsters and inflict damage equal to the ATK points of the destroyed monster.

Primary Lotus

Normal Spell

Image: Shonen Hero Bushbrow unlocking his inner power.

Increase the ATK of 1 face-up Shonen Hero Bushbrow on the field by an amount equal to its DEF. Decrease the monster's ATK to 0 during the End Phase of the turn that this card is activated until your next standby phase.

(The above two cards were created by me. All creative rights to me.)

Cyber Thuban

Level 4

1500/1500

Effect: If this face up monster is attacked, the attacking monster loses 300 ATK.

Cyber Alsafi

Level 5

2250/1250

Effect: This card can deal piercing damage. If this card is destroyed by a card effect, Special Summon 1 level 5 or below "Cyber" from your graveyard.

Emergency Cyber

Normal Spell

Image: A rocket diving into Earth past some dragons

Add 1 Level 8 or higher "Cyber" monster from your Deck to your hand. You can discard 1 card to return this card from your Graveyard to your hand.

Born from Draconis

Normal Trap

Image: The constellation Draco.

Remove from play all "Cyber" monsters from your side of the field and your Graveyard. Special Summon 1 Level 10 or higher "Cyber" monster from your hand.

(The top four cards were used and seen by Zane Truesdale in the GX manga. The effects and stats of Cyber Thuban and Alsafi are truly unknown and made up by me. All above cards' rights go to the creators.)

Next time: Claudio and Masaki finally meet in the battle of heroes, but can his music triumph over the variety that is the Shonen Heroes?


	9. The Light Flashes

Once 2 Chapters, becomes 1!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs © original creators.

S2: Chapter 9: The Light Flashes

* * *

Right after his victory over Zane, Aster was met by various reporters and photographers wanting to get a word or photo of him.

"What an impressive victory, Mr. Phoenix!" One of them said. "What's your secret?"

"Like I tell all my fans: it's easy when destiny's got your back!" Aster replied coolly.

"Please tell us about this new deck of yours!" The reporter asked.

"Well there's a reason I unveiled it today," He replied, "A week ago, I paid a visit to Duel Academy to check out some of the up and coming duelists that could pose a threat. Get this; I found one guy who totally ripped off my deck!"

"What?" Jaden gasped. "How'd I do that!?"

"Okay, he's really pushing it." Hassleberry growled.

"I don't blame him," Aster continued with a shrug, "Who wouldn't wanna be me, right? But before this wannabe took all the credit, I had to reveal my deck. And I don't want a prep-school punk taking credit for all my hard work!"

"Anyone up for beating this guy down if he comes back?" Alex asked.

"I wouldn't mind." Allyson added with a frown.

"There's one fact I want to dispute," Aster said. "I'm the best and I can't be beat. To prove it, I'm going down to Duel Academy and challenging this school boy!" He turned directly to the cameras. "You hear me kid? You think your Aster rip-off deck is so great, prove it by dueling my original!"

"Aster's coming!" Crowler exclaimed.

"Aster will beat the pantaloons off of Jaden!" Bonaparte grinned. "Meaning one less slacker duelist to deal with... Especially if it's the strongest!"

"And what does that mean?" Spencer wondered, with a glare to the Vice-Chancellor. "This better not be a part of your stupid plan against the Slifers."

"Au contraire; I'm not even a part of this," Bonaparte waved off, "It's just good fortune in my favor!"

"Even if Jaden loses, there's no reason to do anything to the Slifer Dorm," the Slifer Headmaster stated again, "I'm the authority over them and I'll handle the Slifer duelists accordingly should they step out of line. As far as I'm concerned no one, especially Jaden has done nothing but come here to become better duelists.

"Hey Jaden, you think you can beat him again?" Syrus wondered.

"But this time Aster using his real deck." Alexis added.

"Yeah, it won't be easy since he clearly does different strategies with them." Kenji stated.

Jaden just smiled and exclaimed, "This is the match I want, a rematch against the best of the pros!"

"I hope you do beat that snob..."

Everyone saw Masaki leaving the room with a mean look on his face.

"Masaki?" Claudio wondered.

"What's eating him?" Melody wondered.

"He was angry during the whole duel." Lily noted. "Every move Aster made just set him off."

"Yeah, it was directed at those Elemental Heroes Aster used." Vincent pointed out.

"You think he hates those cards?" Jeremy thought.

"Can't be," The J-Hero duelist replied. "He relished seeing mine and even made his Shonen Heroes come out strong. I think it may be something deeper..."

* * *

The scene changes to Sartorius' white room where the white cloaked man himself was shuffling his tarot cards across the table. Aster then came in on cue...

"A wise choice..." Sartorius said.

"Yeah, I have to beat that Jaden kid." Aster nodded. "My entire career could be on the line here."

Sartorius turned to his protégé. "Glad you agree, but dueling Jaden was not my idea." He stacked his cards and set one down. "It was determined by the hands of fate!"

"True, but fate's already chosen me to be the best." The Pro stated. "Not even Masaki can hold a candle to me!"

"Your pride is both a strength and a weakness," The tarot reader stated with a frown. "You won't admit that you may need Masaki in the future because he can be as great a duelist as you are!"

"You're joking right?" Aster scoffed. "He has to go to a school to become better, unlike me who was trained since childhood."

"I never joke," Sartorius replied as he raised his hand, "Mow hand me your cards, I like to peer through the doors of destiny!"

Aster walked up to his manager and handed him his deck. Unseen by the Pro Duelist, Sartorius started to infuse dark tendrils of light, the same as when Jason was possessed. Once finished, he gave Aster his deck back.

"So what did you see?" Aster asked.

"It seems you already knew the future." The tarot reader smiled.

"Then don't wish me luck," Aster said as he left. "Save it for Masaki..."

Suddenly, ringtone went off near Sartorius letting him pick up a white cell phone and answered.

"Hello Masaki..."

Aster stopped for a moment, listening to the conversation...

"Yes, Aster will meet you at Duel Academy." Sartorius said. "You may talk with him then..."

 _'I already know what he wants..._ ' Aster thought as he left the room. _'Fine, let's talk...'_

* * *

Back at Duel Academy, Crowler and Bonaparte were waiting on Aster's arrival at the docks at night. Too bad they forgot to wear some jackets as they shivered to the bone.

"W-w-when is he supposed to be here?" Crowler wondered.

"H-h-he bettered not stand us up again!" Bonaparte added.

* * *

Somewhere around the skies above Academy Island a plane flew over with a special passenger... Aster Phoenix...

"Okay, we are at our target Mr. Phoenix!" The pilot said as the pro Put on some eyewear and stepped into an air board.

The crewman on board next to him got ready to open the hatch. "Are you ready?"

Aster gave a thumbs up as the hatched open and slid out of the plane, sky surfing to Duel Academy.

* * *

At Bastion's room in the Yellow Dorm, he, Jaden, Syrus, Claudio and Melody were around as the intellectual pulled up some info on Aster showing his picture of him participating in various sports.

"According to this, there isn't a sport Aster hasn't mastered." Bastion said. "And there's more; he has two PhD's in unknown subjects as well as a photographic memory."

"Me too, when I remember to load the film." Syrus added with smirk.

"Sounds like pro athlete and brain other than just a pro duelist." Claudio said. "He must have a lot of free time..."

"What do you expect from a kid starting out in the real world instead of school?" Melody said.

"Good point," Claudio nodded.

Jaden's yawning drew everyone's attention as he rearranged his deck on Bastion's bed.

"You guys need to chill out," He said. "If you wanna do some research, I've got some homework that needs to be done. Otherwise, cool it with the spy mission!"

"But this is serious!" Syrus exclaimed with worry.

"I'm trying to find a weakness to Aster's deck," Bastion said. "And so far none has been seen."

"You know, Jaden's right." Claudio interjected, "You guys need to chill out on this one. I mean, the only thing different about that deck is the fusion monsters. So far we've seen that Flame Wingman has a counterpart and that Elemental Heroes can also fuse into that Vision Hero we saw."

"You sure you want to leave it up to chance?" Melody asked Jaden.

"Doing this research stuff is taking the fun out of the duel." The E-Hero Slifer said before he stretched out and lay down. "Gotta love these Ra Yellow Beds..." He then started to sleep.

"Okay, I do see a point." Melody mused. "The last time Jaden tried to strategize based on the cards of someone, Zane almost whipped him bad."

"Yeah," Syrus said, remembering the last duel of the first year for Jaden.

* * *

Somewhere in main building, another criminal was helping himself to some card packs and then tried to make off with them. Until he heard a maniacal laughter...

"What's the rush, pal?" A voice said, making the thief look around for the source. "Now that you stole those cards, don't you wanna use them?"

The thief turned around to see a dark looking, wearing a black caped over his high-collared suit. He had large claws and a white head with red eyes.

"What do you want!?" The guy yelled at the figure.

"Just a guy looking for a friendly duel..."

The thief turned on his duel disk and prepared for battle.

* * *

Minutes later...

An explosion covered the field, knocking the thief down and scared out of his mind. During that time, Aster revealed himself sitting nonchalantly on a stone.

"I have a little saying that goes something like this: you can't hide from destiny!"

The dark monster leapt into the sky and pounced...

"AAAAHHHH!"

The thief was left sprawled all over the ground as Aster searched his deck.

"Not here," The Pro Duelist dropped the cards all over the criminal. "But at least you'll be able to chill in prison!"

"It's Aster!"

He turned to see Crowler, Bonaparte, Jaden, Syrus, Bastion, Claudio and Melody running up to the scene.

"What the heck happened here?" Claudio asked. "And who's that on the ground?"

"Just a punk who thought crime paid off," Aster smirked. "Turns out he was wrong!" He then turned to Jaden. "How you've been, Jaden?"

"You got a lotta nerve after that whole 'Aster rip-off deck' stunt you pulled!" Melody cut in.

"Yeah, what's your problem?" Jaden asked.

"Save it for the duel," Aster waved off, ignoring the jeers.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Phoenix!" Bonaparte greeted. "Welcome to our school! I'm Chancellor Bonaparte!" The comment got Crowler shocked.

"Sorry, but I'm not supposed to talk with management." Aster said. "All business goes through my agent. I don't have time to deal with all the little people." Bonaparte growled. "And I'll see you bright and early for our duel Jaden. And other than your friends, no spectators allowed."

"You're really going to deny all of your fans a chance to see you duel in the flesh?" Bastion asked.

"People usually pay money to see me duel, so I'm not giving a free show to a bunch of amateurs." The Pro duelist shrugged.

"That's not cool, bro!" Jaden said. "A lot of these students look up to you!"

"How selfish can this guy get?" Melody asked.

"Very." Claudio shook his head.

"And you guys gotta lot to learn about the biz." Aster said as he left the group to their own accord.

"You have a lotta nerve... Aster..."

The Pro turned to see Masaki Oda glaring at him.

"Sartorius said you'd be here waiting," Aster smiled as he walked up to the Slifer. "What no card with my name on it? Where's the respect for a Pro?"

"Cut the smart talk!" Masaki growled. "You're using your 'real' deck, huh?"

"I knew you'd talk about that," Aster scoffed. "Save it..."

"I won't if you keep hiding like this to the public." The Slifer said.

The pro duelist frowned, "Hiding?"

"The one chance to show off your real skills comes along and you back out," Masaki shouted, "At least I came out with my cards!"

"And let me guess; you can beat Claudio with them?" Aster asked and shrugged, "I see that kid with Jaden, he doesn't look much..."

"The way you are now, you putting yourself in the same boat." Masaki replied as Aster was going to walk off. However, his next comment stopped him. "I thought you want to honor your father's last wishes with his cards..."

Aster turned around and shouted. "You leave him out of this! You know exactly why I duel!"

"Then I expect to see your real monsters when you battle Jaden," Masaki challenged, "Show me why you are better duelist to not come to Duel Academy for learning!"

The Pro Duelist sighed, "Fine! On one condition..."

"And that is..."

* * *

In the morning, Masaki ran up to the main buliding, running late. But instead of wearing the Slifer uniform, he now dressed in a black coat with red flame patterns, a blue t shirt, and blue jeans. And on top of his forehead was a pair of sunglasses with triangular shades.

"That breakfast had to be too good for 4 more helpings of it!" Masaki exclaimed with worry. "Now I'm going to miss the duel!" He ran down the hallways for a bit before he fell to the ground, "If only I remembered where the duel arena was..."

"You're right next to the door..."

Masaki looked up to see Jason Hutchins offering him a hand up.

"Oh thanks!" The S-Hero duelist said. He then saw his deck sprawled out on the ground. "Oh man, my deck!"

Jason looked around as saw the cards as well. "Let me help..."

As he picked up his deck, the secret society member started to infuse a Dark Light in one of the cards. _'It's been done, master!'_ He said, projecting his thoughts to another.

 _'Excellent!_ ' Sartorius said in the young man's mind. _'I've already done to same to Aster's deck. Soon Jaden and Claudio will see the Light!'_

After both boys collected the cards, Masaki was able to reassemble and shuffle his deck.

"Thanks a lot, Jason." Masaki said. "Glad to see you over that Obelisk hazing thing."

"Yeah, it blew over after making some real friends." The Slifer said with genuine smile.

"Well, I'm about to see Jaden and Aster dueling." The Shonen Hero duelist said as he turned to the arena doors. "Hopefully, someone's being true in there." He walked through the doors, missing the devious smirk on Jason's face.

* * *

Inside the arena, all of Jaden's friends came to see the match. The maintenance people were putting the finishing touches on arena floor to enhance the holograms as Jaden walked onto it.

"The duel's about to start." Alexis said.

"Here's hoping Jaden can deal with Aster." Allyson added.

"Your backup troops are right here, Sarge!" Hassleberry called out.

"Good luck!" Syrus said.

Once Aster came on to the scene, he decided to take a seat opposite Jaden's friends.

"What the-?" Jaden said. "I thought we were dueling!"

"We are..." Aster said, "After the opening match... In fact, one of the guys is already here now..."

"Who?" Claudio asked.

"You!" Aster said, pointing to the Ra.

"Me!" The Ra said as everyone looked at him.

"Who's his opponent?" Kenji asked.

"Here I come!"

Everyone saw Masaki running on top of the arena, catching his breath.

"Sorry... I'm late..." He said. "Got... lost..."

"At least you're here..." Aster said. "Now get this duel over with so I can beat Jaden and with my real cards! Just make sure to keep the spot warm for me!"

"Claudio's dueling Masaki?" Melody asked.

"Yeah!" The Shonen Hero duelist said. "How about it, Claudio? You did want a rematch with my real deck anyway, right?"

"Uh sure," Claudio said as he took out his deck. "Never thought it'd be this soon because I don't even have my duel disk..."

"You can use mine!" Jaden ran up to the stands and gave him his duel disk. "I like to see two different sets of Heroes go at again!"

"You mean you'll wait?" Lily asked. "That's a switch!"

"I wanna see a great duel before I get my game on!" The Slifer exclaimed.

Claudio shrugged and took the disk. "Sure, let's go!"

Melody kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "Good luck."

"Thank you for it!" The J-Hero said as he rushed down the stairs and hopped onto the arena. While that happened, Jason hid near the entrance and had a little meeting of the minds with his superior...

 _'Master, Masaki and Claudio are dueling sooner than we expected.'_ Jason said.

* * *

"Excellent! It's only a matter of time before two more members join our group..." Sartorius said, cutting his link from Jason. "Jaden Yuki, Claudio Osbourne... once you two are defeated, you both will see the Light!"

He stood up out of his chair, letting the cloak flow off of him showing off his long dark blue hair with a white part on top of his forehead. He also wore something similar to the Obelisk Blue Elite Blazer like Zane wore.

"Just like the whole universe will once I'm done with it!"

* * *

When Masaki inserted his deck into his duel disk, he didn't notice the dark tendrils seeping out from it.

Claudio inserted his deck as well. He then took a good look at his opponent's wardrobe, "Any particular reason you're not wearing the Slifer jacket?"

"This is me just being me!" Masaki replied, "Besides, the people know I'm a Slifer already, why keep it?

"Alright then," The Ra shrugged. "Ready?"

"As I ever will be!"

Both players cut on their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Claudio: 8000

Masaki: 8000

"Time to have some fun!" Masaki announced, drawing his sixth card, "And it starts with Shonen Hero Spirit Detective!" In a flash, a young man with short black hair appeared wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt and blue jeans appeared. (4/1200/1200) "And that's all for now!"

"You're playing the same game as the last time." Claudio said as he drew his next card, "And l won't bite this time! One monster facedown and another facedown as well." He then played his two cards, a Set monster and a reversed card.

"I wonder what Claudio's got planned," Jaden asked.

"Seeing as we figured there are more Shonen Heroes in Masaki's deck, Claudio probably wants to draw them out." Bastion deduced.

"Hope it works out for the best." Melody added.

"Looks like you got the small fry, Masaki." Aster said with a smirk, "He clearly doesn't have enough skill to take down one measly 1200 ATK monster."

"Who's dueling Aster?" Masaki asked as he drew his next card and turned back to Claudio. "Ignore the peanut gallery behind me, now I'll summon Shonen Hero Sword Marimo!"

Stepping out of the holo-image of the card, was a man with short green hair wearing a white shirt, black pants with a dark green outline and carried three swords and their scabbards in his sash over his right hip. He then takes the green bandana around his left arm and wears it over his head, almost covering his eyes. Then he draws his swords, putting one in his mouth by the handle and holding the other two in his hands. (4/1500/1500)

"Three swords?" The Jukebox Hero duelist asked.

"Yup," Masaki smiled as he inserted another card, "And here's more! I play the Equip Spell, Drain Strike and equip to my Sword Marimo!" He announced as the card image of a demon draining energy from another one appeared behind his monster. "When my swordsman strikes a monster in defense mode, whatever difference comes out of it, half is inflicted to you as damage, the other I get for Life Points." He then turned to his monster. "Strike now, Oni Giri!"

Sword Marimo crossed his two swords across his chest and places the blade in his mouth horizontally behind them. He then approaches the target card and cuts through by swinging the swords across his chest, resulting in a descending diagonal-crossing slash from both swords while the mouth blade performs a horizontal cut from the left. The facedown card revealed to be a young, brunette boy in a brown tunic and tan shorts. (3/900/900) The boy screamed as he shattered into pixels.

"Now since the difference was 700, you lose 350 and I gain 350!" Masaki said as a blue aura surrounded him while Claudio had a red aura, hurting him.

Claudio: 7650

Masaki: 8350

"But the monster you revealed was Jukebox Hero Wayward Son." Claudio announced, showing off his monster before sending it to the discard slot, "When revealed, I choose a card on the field and the owner loses 500 life points! And I'll choose Drain Strike!"

A red aura surged through the S-Hero duelist, taking his Life Points.

Claudio: 7650

Masaki: 7850

"Then, I get to set another one on the field!" The J-Hero continued as another Set monster appeared on his field.

"Even though I'll get damaged, I'll still strike again with Sword Marimo since he can attack twice!" Masaki stated as the swordsman just performed a double slash attack, destroying another Wayward Son while healing and damaging the players due to Drain Strike.

Claudio: 7300

Masaki: 8200

"I select Drain Strike again!" Claudio countered as he reset another Wayward Son and damaged Masaki's points again.

Claudio: 7300

Masaki: 7700

"I'll now activate the spell card Tailor of the Fickle," Masaki held up another card, a Quick-Play Spell, "It'll make Drain Strike equip to Spirit Detective now!" The equip spell image moved behind the other Shonen Hero. "Now Spirit Detective strike with Spirit Gun!" Pointing his index finger like a gun, the hero expended blue energy and fired it the last Wayward Son. "This time, the difference is 300, so 150 to you as damage, and 150 for me as LP gain."

Claudio: 7150

Masaki: 7850

"And I'll select Drain Strike again to damage you for another 500 points!" Claudio countered.

Claudio: 7150

Masaki: 7350

"I see, Masaki wanted Claudio's monsters off the field," Lily stated. "So he got Drain Strike to buffer his life points enough."

"Normally, revealing all Wayward Sons would cause a total of 1500 points of damage." Kenji noted. "But Masaki turned it into only 650 points."

"This is looking to be tough and it's only the opening move." Vincent added.

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." Masaki concluded.

"My draw!" Claudio announced as he drew his next card, "I activate my facedown card! I Need a Hero!" Claudio's trap revealed having a picture of Jukebox Hero Coheed Cambria saving a blonde woman from a burning building. "When I don't have a monster on my field, I can special summon Jukebox Hero from my hand, but I'm not allow to attack with it for the turn." He selected a card from his hand. "And I think Jethro will like this one, as I summon Jukebox Hero Mullet Hounddog!"

The hero that came was a cowboy looking man with a mullet hairstyle. He carried a brown guitar with him. (5/1700/1500)

"He's right, I do like this one!" The Desperado duelist exclaimed.

"He won't be able to attack, due to my trap but he's got effect that would've stopped him from attacking anyway, so I'll do that now." He turned to his J-Hero. "Remove Sword Marimo from play!" Hounddog started to play a country tune with his guitar. Hearing the music, Sword Marimo gasped as he suddenly vanished.

"Well that's one hero down!" Jethro said, pleased with the music.

"Now to take down the other," Jeremy added, eyeing the Spirit Detective.

"I summon Jukebox Hero- Johnny B. Goode!" Claudio announced, playing another Monster card. Coming to the field was a dark-skinned man wearing overalls with a red guitar, and played it as if he learned it for years, despite looking like he just held a guitar for the first time. (4/1950/1500) "Now let's get down to it, take 'em down Johnny!"

Johnny grinned as he played the guitar so quick, Spirit Detective did not notice a sound wave smashing into him and reduced him to pixels.

Claudio: 7150

Masaki: 6600

"When Spirit Detective goes to the graveyard, I get to bring another from my deck!" Masaki announced, taking out another copy of the Shonen Hero Monster and played it, "And for each one in the graveyard, he'll gain 500 ATK!" Spirit Detective reformed from the pixels with more power. (4/1200-1700/1200)

"I'll place a facedown and that's it." Claudio concluded.

"My draw then!" Masaki announced, drawing his next card. "I summon Shonen Hero Lone Samurai." A brown-haired samurai appeared with an X-shaped scar on his left cheek, wore a magenta kimono, and carried a sword in his right hand. (4/1500/1500) "This hero gains 300 ATK for every Shonen Hero in the graveyard, and there's currently one inside." The Samurai drew his sword. (4/1500-1800/1500) "Now I'll send Spirit Detective to attack Mullet Hounddog!"

"But they have the same ATK!" Syrus gasped.

"Remember, Spirit Detective will come back even stronger." Chazz said.

"He's also stopping someone who'll remove his monster from the game." Jachin added. "Not to mention it'll make Lone Samurai powerful as well."

Everyone watched as Spirit Detective threw a punch covered in blue energy and deck the J-Hero in the heart who retaliated by bashing him back with his guitar, destroying both of them. However, Spirit Detective came back with even more power. (4/1200-2200/1200) It also served to make Lone Samurai more powerful as well. (4/1800-2100/1500) "Now time to take down Johnny B. Goode attack with Spirit Gun!"

"You want an attack? I'll activate the Trap Card, Spolin' For a Fight!" Claudio countered, revealing his facedown Trap. "It'll cause all your monsters to attack, and cause them to lose ATK equal their level times 100!"

"I would, if I didn't have Trap Jammer!" Masaki countered back, revealing his own Trap Card, "Since it's the Battle Phase, I can negate the effect of your trap card and destroy it!"

Claudio gasped as his trap shattered. Next, Spirit Detective fired a blast at Johnny destroying him.

Claudio: 6900

Masaki: 6600

"Now, Lone Samurai direct attack!" Masaki commanded. The samurai leapt towards Claudio and slashed diagonally across him in a fast pace.

Claudio: 4800

Masaki: 6600

"Looks like Claudio's plan went down the toilet." Chazz stated.

"He hasn't been taken down like this since his duel with Panik." Jaden noted.

"Well, I'm sure getting my butt handed to me," Claudio grinned as he drew his next card. "Let's see if the tables can't be turned, I'll place two cards facedown and then activate Card of Demise to draw five cards!"

"He used up his hand to draw out the maximum." Lyra said as the J-Hero duelist played two reversed cards and then activated his Spell. "Very smart..."

Claudio drew out his five cards. He then opened his side slot while taking one of his facedown cards and placing it inside. "Now, I can activate one of the facedowns cards, the Field Spell Live Stage-Starship City!"

The inside of the arena changed into a nighttime city filled with buildings with neon signs around them. The prominent building was behind Claudio, with neon lights saying, "We built this city!"

"Home to the Jukebox Heroes!" Claudio announced, "And since I am the original creator of the archetype, you can say I built this city on rock and roll!"

"I knew he's was going to say that." Melody sighed, "I remember him playing this song one day...

"Now since I have my three Wayward Sons in the graveyard, I can Special Summon Jukebox Hero Celine in defense mode!" The Ra continued, playing another monster card on his disk. Appearing from the sky was a shining orb of light that materialized into a honey-blonde woman in a red dress, carrying a microphone in her hands. (6/0/3000) "And next, I'll summon Jukebox Hero Tom Sawyer!"

White fog rolled around and a warrior with a stern look appeared in silver battle armor. He had brown hair that reached his shoulders and carried a guitar that looked like a spear point at the neck. (4/1900/1000)

"Now let's get to it, attack Lone Samurai with Pride Spear!" He announced as Sawyer got his spear ready.

"But Lone Samurai's stronger!" Masaki protested.

"Which is good!" Claudio smiled, "Because in this Field Spell of mine, Jukebox Heroes gain 1000 ATK during my Battle Phases if they are weaker than the monster they attacked!"

Sawyer dashed his way towards Lone Samurai with the neon lights of the field shining. (4/1900-2900/1000) Knocking the sword out of Lone Samurai's hands, the J-Hero strummed his guitar emitting sound waves that shattered the S-Hero on the spot.

Claudio: 4800

Masaki: 5800

"And it's all you!" Claudio concluded.

"Good shot!" Masaki praised as he drew his next card. "Now let's get more serious, but first I'll place this card facedown and activate Double Spell!" A reversed card appeared along with a spell card. "Now, by discarding this other spell card in my hand I can use a spell from your graveyard, and Card of Demise looks tempting!" After discarding, Masaki retrieved Claudio's Card of Demise letting him draw out five cards as well.

"Now he has more chances as well," Melody stated as the S-Hero duelist made his move.

"Next, I'll use my facedown card," Masaki continued as it revealed itself, "The spell card Double Summon to have two Normal Summons this turn! And first up, Shonen Hero Clone Force!" Flipping over to the field was a young blonde kid wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and with a brighter grin on his face. (3/1000/1000)

"A ninja?" Kenji wondered.

"And I'll use his special ability to pay 1000 for a Bushin Token!" The Slifer announced as a red aura drained his Life Points

Claudio: 4800

Masaki: 4800

A puff of smoke let out creating another copy of Clone Force. (3/1000/1000)

"Now I'll sacrifice that token to introduce Shonen Hero Snake Empress!"

The Token vanished letting a beautiful, black-haired woman appear in its place. She wore a very revealing red blouse and a loose sarong that exposed her long, slender legs with a green symbol adorned on it, along with a white cape with shoulder pads. She gave off a very alluring smile and even let out loud laugh. (6/2200/2200)

"Whoa! Look at her!" Syrus exclaimed with a giant blush.

"She's gorgeous!" Bastion added.

"She's what?" Jaden asked.

"One look at a woman dressed like that and they fall over like love-struck monkeys." Alexis shook her head.

"Except Jaden," Allyson said noticing the clueless look he displayed.

"Aster too." Lily pointed out the Pro just chuckling.

"Claudio better not being looking her like that!" Melody grumbled. Mana appeared in spirit form.

 _"I don't think he is..."_ The DMG said. _"He's looking at her but not like Syrus and the other boys are..."_

The magician duelist looked over at her boyfriend and found Mana's words to be true. Just deep in thought...

 _'Does this monster have some power like Belowski's Mokey Mokey?'_ The J-Hero duelist thought. _'One foot on the field and the guys are love-struck.'_

"Back to the duel," Masaki interjected as he activated another Spell, "I'll equip Snake Empress with Malevolent Nuzzler to give her 700 ATK!" Snake Empress' right hand now adorned with rings with purple jewels. She looked at them with a fascination. (6/2200-2900/2200) "Now Snake Empress, attack Tom Sawyer!"

Snake Empress created a giant, pink heart and sent it right into the J-Hero and turned him into stone! Finally, she snapped her fingers making her opponent crumble.

Claudio: 3800

Masaki: 4800

"I knew Masaki would be great!" Crowler stated.

"I just now struck myself with a brilliant idea!" Bonaparte said. "Why not make him an Obelisk if he wins?"

"Finally, an idea I can cooperate with!" The Chancellor stated.

"No thanks!" The faculty members stared at Masaki with confusion. "I'm fine with Slifer with right now. Besides, we're in the middle of a duel."

"Just like you to turn down a big offer," Aster scoffed. "I know the ranking system of this place; even though I question you becoming an Obelisk with your morals."

"Whatever," The S-Hero replied as he turned back to his opponent. "It's your move, Claudio."

"2900 ATK eh?" Claudio said as he drew his next card. "Tough, but I'm not giving up on beating her down! First, the effect of Jukebox Hero Celine activates giving me 200 life points for every Jukebox Hero in my graveyard. And I currently have 6, meaning 1200 more for me!"

Celine harmonized with her voice surrounding Claudio with white sparkles.

Claudio: 5000

Masaki: 4800

"Now, I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back Tom Sawyer!" He announced as the spear-wielding guitarist returned. (4/1900/1000) "Next, since I have two Jukebox Heroes on the field, I can send one of them to the graveyard to summon Jukebox Hero Black Angus!" Tom Sawyer vanished as a man jumped out to the field wearing a black school uniform with shorts and a hat playing on a black guitar. (6/2400/1500)

"Cool," Masaki smiled.

"This is even cooler! By using his special ability, I can bring a Jukebox Hero from my graveyard!" He continued, "So welcome back, Tom Sawyer!" The spear/guitar hero once again returned to the field. (4/1900/1000) "And since we're still in the same field spell, Black Angus has enough attack points to take out your lady! And I don't mean to dinner, attack!"

But despite the call for an attack, Black Angus didn't move! He just stood there with a blush on his face!

"Hey, Angus... I said attack!" Claudio said again, still his hero did not move. "What's going on?"

"It's Snake Empress' effect, I'm afraid." Masaki said as he brought his opponent's attention. "All men won't attack a pretty face like hers, and your biggest problem is that most of your monsters are guys!"

"So he's saying Claudio just lost the advantage as soon as Snake Empress on the field?" Jethro asked as Snake Empress smiled alluring once more.

"Yup, now Claudio's going to pay for it unless he brings the few girls he has in that deck." Erika added.

"True, Celine has the defense to protect Claudio for now," Alister said. "But everything doesn't last forever..."

"I end my turn with two facedown cards," The Ra muttered. "Crud..."

"My draw!" Masaki announced as he drew his next card. "I'll sacrifice Clone Force to summon Shonen Hero Saiyan!" The young ninja vanished letting the hero that defeated Lily yesterday appear. (6/2400/2400) "Now let's go, first Snake Empress attacks your Black Angus!" Snake Empress charged straight for the rocker.

"Hold on, I activate the trap card Feathers!" The trap card showed a picture of a man walking away from a woman with black, feathered wings, unaware that he's about to be attacked with a hammer. "This stops your monster from attacking, plus drains her of 800 ATK!"

Snake Empress was stopped by a pair of black-feathered wings, feeling bad about herself. (6/2900-2100/2200)

"Dodged one bullet," Masaki pointed to his other monster. "Only to be shot with another! Saiyan, attack Tom Sawyer!"

The super-powered hero dashed across the field and drove a fist into the J-Hero's gut shattering him to pixels.

Claudio: 4500

Masaki: 4800

"And Saiyan now deals damage equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster since Tom Sawyer was in attack mode!" The hero charged up power in the palms of his hands and fired a massive blue energy wave causing Claudio to shield with his duel disk.

Claudio: 2600

Masaki: 4800

"Not pleasant." Claudio grumbled.

"And it gets even tougher since I play Shield Crush to destroy Celine!" Masaki continued as he played his next Spell Card. It unleashed a white blast vaporized the Ra's defending monster!

"Claudio really needs a miracle draw coming up unless he's finished right here!" Alex said.

"And it won't be long until Claudio's defenses will be shot down." Bastion said.

"All right, I activate the quick-play spell Amazing Grace!" Claudio announced, revealing his facedown card. It showed Jukebox Hero Celine's spirit singing over the three Wayward Sons. "I'm not done yet! Destroying Celine now brings out a Level 6 or below monster from my graveyard, and I don't have any other choice but bringing out one of my Wayward Sons..." One of the Wayward Sons appeared in defense mode. (3/900/900)

"I'll end my turn by playing Heavy Storm to destroy all Spell and Trap cards!" Masaki continued as violent storm was conjured, shattering every spell and trap on the field.

"I got no other choice but to activate the trap card: Coming to the Stage!" Claudio shouted, revealing his other facedown card. The trap showed Jukebox Hero Prince of Darkness rising up from a dark stage, greeted by cheering fans.

"This lets me pick up the top card of my deck, and if it's a Jukebox Hero Monster, I can summon it to the field!" Claudio said as he placed his fingertips on the deck and took the top card from the deck. "All right, Jukebox Hero JB!"

JB appeared in a flash as he knelt on the field. (4/1400/1200)

The harsh winds subsided, leaving Snake Empress to her original power. (6/2100-2200/2200)

"It's your turn, but unless you draw a female monster that can step up to 2200 ATK, I could win this hands down." The S-Hero duelist stated.

"Well let's see what I got!" Claudio said as he drew his next card, "I play Pot of Greed!" Claudio drew again underneath the grinning pot and smiled at his find. "I sacrifice JB and Wayward Son to summon Jukebox Hero Wild Ford!"

Both mentioned heroes left the field, bringing out a tall woman with blond hair wearing a black halter-top and tight black leather pants. She carried a guitar in her hands, which surprisingly had no strings. (7/2500/1800)

"Now she's the coolest hero I've seen outta Claudio's deck!" Melody exclaimed.

"I knew you'd love it; especially after that song during the Duel Monster Spirit Festival!" Claudio grinned as turned back around to Masaki. "And its bad news for you dude! I activate Black Angus' other effect: by giving up his chance to attack this turn, he allows another Jukebox Hero to attack twice!"

 _'Uh oh...'_ The S-Hero Slifer thought.

"Miss Ford, attack both his heroes! Runaway Knockout!"

Wild Ford started to swing her guitar by the neck, ran over to Snake Empress, and struck her down with a wide swing.

Claudio: 2600

Masaki: 4500

"And I gotta say, you should've saved that Heavy Storm!" The J-Hero duelist grinned, "Because any monster that Wild Ford destroys in battle becomes an equip card giving her 200 extra ATK!" Wild Ford guitar added a string to it. (7/2500-2700/1800)

Next, the female J-Hero did a handstand and kicked down Saiyan by the heel of her boots, shattering him to pixels as well.

Claudio: 2600

Masaki: 4200

Another string added to the Jukebox Hero's guitar. (7/2700-2900/1800)

"Claudio regained control of the field!" Alex cheered.

"Still, with his life points low, he'll have to close the gap and quick." Jaden added.

"And with two monsters and the abilities they carry he could pull it off." Hassleberry stated.

"I end my turn!" Claudio declared.

"Let's see," Masaki said as he drew his next card. "Shonen Hero Shadow Binder in defense mode!" Appearing on the field was a kid with his black hair tied up in short tail. He wore a grey jacket with a mesh shirt underneath, shorts and sandals. (4/600/600) "And even if he has low stats, his special ability can make for it as he can make the monster across from him unable to attack!"

Shadow Binder made a few hand signs that extended his shadow to Wild Ford's shadow and connected them together, causing the latter to make the same kneeling stance as her opponent.

"Next, I play the spell Nightmare Steel Cage to prevent us from attacking until the end of your 2nd turn!" He continued as a steel cage surrounded Claudio's preventing anything to break in or break out.

"I wonder why he played a card that prevents both players from attacking." Alexis said.

"Search me," Kenji replied. "I'm just as baffled as you are at this point."

"My draw," Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "I use Black Angus' effect to summon Tom Sawyer to the field!" Tom Sawyer made his third appearance to the field. (4/1900/1000) "Then, I summon Jukebox Hero KG in defense mode!" KG kneeled on to the field next. (4/1200/1400) "And when summoned, JB comes back from the graveyard!" JB made his second appearance to the field. (4/1400/1200) "And that's all from me."

"And I get to go!" Masaki said as he drew his next card. "I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards underneath his grinning pot. "I set this monster facedown and another card as well and end my turn!"

"My move!" Claudio said as he drew his card. He then showed off his card, "I first play the Spell card: Storming the Burning Fields!" Claudio's spell revealed Jukebox Hero Li leading warriors across a burning battlefield. "I could only play this as the first card during a Main Phase 1. When I do, I can activate one of two effects: The first would destroy every spell, trap and non-Warrior monster card on the field. But seeing as we all have Warriors here, I'll go with the latter; dealing you 500 points of damage for every Warrior monster I have, and that's the maximum of 2500!"

Claudio's heroes held up their guitars and started playing. It caused flames to surround Masaki, making him cover his face from the image.

Claudio: 2600

Masaki: 1700

"Now I'll end my turn by sending KG and JB to the grave to summon Jukebox Hero Coheed Cambria!" As two of the heroes vanished, a man with brown hair reaching down to his shoulders appeared holding a red double-neck guitar. He wore black shirt with a symbol of blue triangle with three big circles and four smaller circles in a formation, along with black jeans and shoes. (8/3300/3000)

"His favorite monster!" Syrus exclaimed.

"And with 3300 ATK, a great way to end this duel!" Jeremy added.

"I know Claudio's going to win with him out on the field!" Melody said, remembering the first match that monster appeared. That Jukebox Hero saved him from expulsion, an unjust one in her mind since she was the reason he was being punished.

Masaki stared down Claudio's monster line up and even admitted it was going to be tough. "I hope I can get something good," He said as drew his next card. He then sighed with relief. "Okay, I sacrifice both of my monsters to summon forth the Shonen Hero Yellow Flash!"

Both of Masaki's monsters left the field to let a new face jump onto the field. He was a blonde male that wore a short-sleeve long white coat with red flame edges and the kanji "Fourth Hokage" written vertically down on the back. Underneath it was a green vest and blue pants with black sandals. (7/2600/2600)

 _'He's finally going in for the kill...'_ Jason thought with a sinister smirk _. 'Once Masaki strikes Claudio's life points to zero, Master Sartorius will have a new servant of the Light!'_

"Nice monster, but Claudio will survive this round and hit Masaki with everything else." Spencer said. "It must have a special ability he can rely on right now to play it while a stronger monster is currently in play."

"I can't believe this!" Aster scoffed as he shook his head. "Are you losing this on purpose, Masaki?"

"Hey Claudio," Masaki said to his opponent, ignoring the Pro Duelist. "Before I continue this turn, do you know why I favor these monsters instead of the old deck I gave you?"

"Actually, I am curious," The Ra replied. "Didn't know a story was behind on how you got these..."

Masaki nodded as he lowered his duel disk arm. "Alright... you remember that deck I gave you, right?"

"Yeah..."

"That happens to be my original deck that I used around my hometown." The S-Hero duelist stated. "I won some regional tournaments with it, nothing real special to win aside from booster packs and prize money that pales in comparison to the big time tourneys. Then one day, I met my match... a kid I had never seen before came up to duel me on the spot. Never the one to turn down a challenge, I dueled him and lost... badly."

"Was he that good?"

"He was incredible!" Masaki exclaimed. "Ever since that defeat, I wanted know a lot about him and duel against his deck. Despite enough close calls, he still defeated me. He and I became fast friends as well as good rivals and even told me about these hero monsters that he got as a request from Maximillion Pegasus himself!"

"Hero monsters?" Then Claudio clicked it together. "You mean the Shonen Heroes?"

"Yup, the very same!"

"But then how did you come to own them?" Lily asked.

Masaki sighed. "That's where this story gets sad. The last duel I had with him, he collapsed during the middle of it."

Everyone, including Crowler and Bonaparte gasped. Aster even raised an eyebrow to it.

"I had the same reaction as you all did," Masaki continued, seeing the expressions he created. "I went to visit him at the hospital... he told me he had a terminal disease and he got that deck as part of Make A Wish program. He wanted to become a great duelist with the Shonen Heroes. But since it was out of his reach, he gave them to me hoping I could make his monsters become the best archetype out there. Ever since then, I did that every day against stronger opponents until Pegasus came to me and asked for the deck back."

"Why did he want it back?" Jaden asked.

"He said since the original duelist couldn't hold them, it was best that he'd take them back." Masaki said, but shook his head. "But I didn't want that, I told him about how I wanted to make the Shonen Heroes great in dueling and I even challenged him for the chance to keep them."

"And let me guess," Chazz cut in. "You lost..."

"I think he won, he has the deck now." Jachin said.

"Actually, even I don't know if I won." Masaki admitted. "The duel was all a blur with those Toon monsters of his. I doubt I could've beaten him, but if I did lose, I'm glad I can still use them to fulfill my friend's wish..."

"Pretty noble of you." Claudio smiled. "But still, I don't lie down to any duelist; you can either knock down my life points, run out my deck or get beaten to end a duel in my eyes."

"Wouldn't have it any other way!" Masaki smiled as he revealed his facedown card, "Now, I activate my facedown card, Premature Burial! I play 800 life points..."

Claudio: 2600

Masaki: 900

"And I bring, Shonen Hero Clone Force!" The blonde ninja kid reappeared. (4/1000/1000)

"Why him?" Claudio wondered. "You don't have any more cards in your hand, plus not enough life points for the effect thanks to your Spell."

"Actually, I have one last effect to play: the effect of Shonen Hero Yellow Flash." Masaki said. "And it spells the end of this duel. With another Shonen Hero out, Yellow Flash can bypass your monsters and attack directly!"

Everyone gasped.

"That hero has enough to take him out!" Vincent said.

"Looks like Claudio's lost his first duel this year." Melody said. She smiled seeing Claudio taking it well. "At least it's not like last year..."

"Yeah, we had enough of Shadow Games." Kenji added.

"Oh well." Claudio said, putting his duel disk up as a shield. "The duel's yours, so give me your best shot!"

Unknown to both players, Shonen Hero Yellow Flash's card started to glow white.

"You want, you got it!" Masaki said. "Yellow Flash, show him how you got your name!"

The tall man pulled out a three-pronged kunai out of his coat and threw it near Claudio's feet. Afterwards, Yellow Flash moved so fast, that was all anyone saw... a yellow flash passing by Claudio as he was struck, yet he was still standing...

Claudio: 0

Masaki: 900, Winner

"There it is!" Jason grinned.

"That was another great duel, Claudio!" Masaki said as all the holograms vanished. "It'll be cool to have a rivalry with your..."

He was then cut off by the Jukebox Hero duelist's sudden gasp and then collapsed right on the spot!

"Claudio!"

Melody, Bastion and Jaden rushed down to the stands to help up the fallen Ra. Masaki himself was stunned seeing what befell his opponent.

"What's going on?" the S-Hero duelist muttered as he looked at the last cards on his duel tray. "It's just like how he collapsed..."

"Claudio, say something!" Melody said as she lifted Clauido's face. She saw that Claudio's eyes were still open, but it was like he was looking in a faraway place. "Claudio?"

"I think he's in shock." Bastion said.

Jaden picked up Claudio's cards and glared at Masaki. "What did you do!?"

"Whoa, hold on!" Masaki gasped as he backed up from Jaden's glare. "I didn't have anything to do with this!"

"Yeah, right." Melody said sarcastically. "Your monster caused this!"

"I'm serious!" The S-Hero duelist protested. "Think about it; it would've happened to Lily after my duel with her!"

"He's right." Lily called out. "Even though his monster hit me at the end, I was fine."

"I think it may be a problem with the duel disk Masaki had and its connection to the arena's holo-projectors." Spencer said as he stepped onto the arena. "Sometimes the holograms do make it seem too realistic and emit shockwaves that could hurt the opponent. We should have it checked out."

Masaki handed over the duel disk to the Slifer Headmaster and let him inspect it...

"Hmm... it's fine now." Spencer said. "Must have just been glitches that happened during the last attack." He turned to Melody and Bastion. "Just get Claudio to the infirmary and have Ms. Fontaine look at him, Masaki's not a fault." He turned back to Masaki. "I'll have the maintenance look at this further to see what's up with the duel disk..."

Melody and Bastion had helped Claudio to his feet and walked him out of the arena.

"My... cards..."

The Ras stopped hearing the J-Hero duelist speak weakly...

"I can't... see... cards..."

Melody and Bastion shared worried looks before continuing out of the arena.

"Hold on to Claudio's cards, Jaden." Spencer said as he walked backed up to the stands.

"Okay, Professor." The E-Hero duelist said.

"Alright, alright!" Aster shouted as he walked up to arena floor, "Everyone off the field except Jaden!"

"Not now, Aster." Masaki said.

"Unlike you, I have a schedule to keep, so move outta of the way." The Pro Duelist scoffed. "You beat that wannabe rocker to the ground and you surprised even me."

"That's enough!" Jaden shouted. "Let's just duel alright!"

"See, Jaden has the right frame of mind." Aster said to the S-Hero duelist.

"I want to end this so I can see how Claudio's dueling." The Slifer said. "That's my friend you badmouthed!"

"Maybe not." Aster sighed.

Masaki grumbled as he left the stage and sat near the bottom seats where Jaden's friends were seated.

"Alright." Bonaparte yelled into a microphone. "We will now start this duel featuring Aster Phoenix, our much welcomed guest!"

"And an ego to match." Crowler muttered.

"I hope Jaden beats this guy." Allyson said.

"You and me, both." Alexis added.

"Face it." Vincent shrugged. "Aster's losing some fan club members..."

 _'Hey Phaeton...'_ Jachin called to one of his monsters.

Phaeton appeared by his side. _'What's up?'_

 _'I want you to check out Masaki's deck...' The Persona duelist said. 'I think something was tainted in his deck, and from Masaki's eyes he truly didn't know about what happened to Claudio.'_

 _'Gotcha... see ya later, pal!'_

Jachin's deck shined and Phaeton's spirit zoomed its way into Masaki's deck.

"What was that?"

The Persona duelist looked to see Chazz staring at him.

"What can I say? Some of my spirits are as mischievous as yours." Jachin shrugged.

Jason, still in his hiding place, had his conversation with the tarot reader...

 _'Master, I think something's wrong...'_

 _'What is it?' Sartorius asked. 'Is Claudio under our control?'_

 _'I can't tell..." Jason replied. 'The power that was expelled within that deck struck him, but I sense that it's... delayed...'_

 _'Hmm... yes, I can sense it too.' The tarot reader said. 'See to it later; right now watch as Aster delivers Jaden into the Light!'_

 _'Yes sir...'_

Both players inserted their decks into their duel decks, with Aster's deck emitting the same dark tendrils as Masaki's.

Then Jaden was met with Winged Kuriboh's spirit.

' _Kuri!'_

"Don't worry about a thing, pal." Jaden said. "I beat Aster before, and I can do it again." He then turned to his opponent. "Let's go, Aster!"

Jaden drew his opening hand.

"I can't wait to show you how real heroes are played!" Aster replied as he drew his opening hand as well.

"DUEL!"

Jaden: 8000

Aster: 8000

"The Pro will start!" Aster announced as drew his sixth card. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in defense mode!" From the card he played, a darker version of Bubbleman appeared, kneeling in defense. (4/800/1200)

 _'You're still using them!'_ Masaki yelled in his mind.

"And since he's alone, I draw two cards!" Aster stated as he drew two more. "And I'll think I'll end it here, letting me send one of my cards from my hand to the grave!" He discarded one of his cards, letting him have six.

"No doubt he sent a card that actually belongs in the graveyard." Kenji said.

"Or one that he plans to retrieve later." Jethro added.

"Alright, my turn!" Jaden announced, drawing his sixth card. "I summon my Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!" The normal colored Bubbleman appeared standing at attention. (4/800/1200) Jaden drew two more cards from his hand.

"I knew they end up using the same cards right after each other eventually." Alexis said.

"Yeah, but not this soon." Lily added.

"Next, I'll activate Bubble Blaster which gives my Bubbleman another 800 ATK!" Jaden announced, playing his Spell. Appearing from the sky, a giant blue cannon with a visor shield appeared as the water-themed hero took a knee and hoisted it over his shoulder. (4/800-1600/1200) "Now, I'll have my Bubbleman attack yours! Bombarding Bubble Barrage!"

Jaden's Bubbleman fired its cannon at Aster's Bubbleman wiping it from the field.

"I'll throwdown a facedown and call it a turn!" Jaden concluded as a reversed card appeared at his feet.

"So predictable," Aster said as he drew his next card. "But then again, it is my deck."

"You know I used these before you did." The Slifer stated. "Why lie to the press?"

"Yeah, yeah." The pro shrugged. "Anyway, the card I discarded last turn was Elemental Hero Necroshade!" Necroshade appeared in transparent form. "And that means I can summon my Elemental Hero Bladedge without any cost!" The dark golden armored hero appeared. (7/2600/1800) "And next, I'll add Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Bubble Blaster!"

A harsh windstorm destroyed the blaster. (4/1600-800/1200)

"Now then, Bladedge destroy hero Bubbleman! Slice and Dice attack!" Aster commanded as Bladedge flew over to the Jaden's side to attack his hero...

"No chance, go Bubble Shuffle!" Jaden's facedown activated showing a bunch of bubbles shifting around. "When I have Bubbleman in attack mode, I can switch him and one of your monsters into defense mode! And you only have one!" Both heroes kneeled down. "Next, I can sacrifice Bubbleman and summon another Elemental Hero! Like MY Bladedge!"

Bubbleman vanished as the original colored Bladedge appeared. (7/2600/1800)

"I'm starting to think that they have the same monsters in their hand." Jeremy said, scratching his head. "Did someone copy minds or what?"

"Yeah, it's starting to become more than just the same deck types." Syrus added.

"But if you look closely, they're both bringing them out and using them in different ways." Vincent pointed out.

"I'll guess I set this down and let you go," Aster said as he set a reversed card.

"Whatevs!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "Now I can take the lead, by having my Elemental Hero Bladedge attack yours!" Jaden's hero cut his dark counterpart into pixels.

Jaden: 8000

Aster: 7200

"Looks like the pro took the first blow!" Chazz smirked.

"I don't think Aster's phased by it though," Jachin pointed out.

"I activate Hero Signal!" The pro duelist activated his trap, signaling the spotlight. "Now here comes Elemental Hero Avian!" The dark winged hero appeared. (3/1000/1000)

"I'll end by summoning Elemental Hero Woodsman in defense!" Jaden concluded as the E-Hero with tree limbs knelt in defense. (4/1000/2000)

"How about we try something else?" Aster asked as he drew his next card. "To begin, I'll use the Different Dimension Gate Spell card!" A machine appeared causing the multicolored gate to reveal itself. "Now I can remove a monster from each side of the field and keep it there for as long as this spell is active. So I remove my Avian and your Woodsman!" The Gate sucked in the two monsters without resistance.

"Why didn't he choose Bladedge?" Alex wondered.

"Yeah, he could've removed one of Jaden's best monsters off the field!" Allyson added.

"Next, I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart!" Aster announced as Wildheart appeared with the same darker shade of Aster's heroes. (4/1500/1600) He then played another Spell card. "Now I'll use Creature Swap to switch control of one monster we own, and we only have one each!" Jaden gasped as both heroes vanished and reappeared to the other side. "Now Bladedge, cut apart Wildheart!" The armored hero shattered the wild hero into pixels with multiple slashes.

Jaden: 6900

Aster: 7200

"That was too good." Spencer said. "Getting rid of Jaden's choices so he'd have to give up his best monster... I can see why he's a Pro Duelist."

"So Jaden, had enough yet?" Aster smirked as he placed two facedown cards and signaled the end of his turn.

"Don't think so!" Jaden said as he drew his next card. He immediately played, "I play Mystical Space Typhoon on my Draw Phase and target your gate!"

The harsh winds destroyed the dimensional gate, releasing Avian back to Aster... (3/1000/1000)

...and Woodsman back to Jaden. (4/1000/2000)

"And now on my Standby Phase, Woodsman's effect adds a Polymerization to my deck!" the Slifer continued as collected a Polymerization from his deck. He then activated it. "Now I'll play it to fuse him with Elemental Hero Ocean to form Elemental Hero Terra Firma!"

Woodsman jumped into the vortex with a blue, fishlike warrior with a white lance. As the two heroes vanished, a towering figure crashed onto the field, rising up to well more than ten feet tall. It had skin made of sheer white stone, with purple gemstones on its shoulders and head, and a red one on its chest. It also possessed spikes on its hips and shoulders. (8/2500/2000)

"Next, I'll summon Elemental Hero Stratos!" He announced as Stratos appeared flying over Terra Firma. (4/1800/300) "And it activates his special ability to add Elemental Hero Sparkman to my hand!" The Slifer collected his next Monster card. "Finally, I'll sacrifice him to give Terra Firma his ATK!" Stratos and Terra Firma locked hands in a handshake, which led to the latter absorbing former's form and power. (8/2500-4300/2000) "And now, Terra Firma will attack Bladedge with Might of the Earth!" Terra Firma charged at his fellow hero and nailed him with a clothesline.

Jaden: 6900

Aster: 5500

"And that brings me to my Trap Card, Card of Last Will!" Aster announced as his Trap card activated, revealing a human hand sticking out of a grave holding five cards. "By destroying my monster I can draw until I'm holding five cards in my hand! And since I don't have a hand..." Aster was allowed to draw the full five.

"And I toss this down and take a break!" Jaden declared as Terra Firma's power returned to 2500 while a Set card appeared at his feet.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Alister said.

"With Jaden bringing out the bigger heroes quicker than Aster, it'll go a lot smoother." Erika nodded.

"Enjoy the lead while you can." Aster said as he drew his next card. "But I'll have a better time with Polymerization to fuse Avian on the field with Burstinatrix in my hand and form the Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer!" Both heroes fused into the hero that Zane faced yesterday. (6/2100/1200) "And that's not all; I'll use H-Heated Heart to have my hero gain 500 ATK for the turn!" A blue H energized the fusion hero. (6/2100-2600/1200)

"Now attack Terra Firma with Phoenix Flame!" Phoenix Enforcer gathered some flames in his hands as it charged at Terra Firma...

"Go trap card, Invincible Hero!" Jaden activated his facedown card, "For this round, my hero can't be destroyed in battle!"

Phoenix Enforcer struck Terra Firma with his claw, leaving a mark on its chest.

Jaden: 6800

Aster: 5500

"And that's it from me." Aster concluded as Phoenix Enforcer's power returned to 2100.

"And my turn starts!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "Terra Firma, attack Phoenix Enforcer!" The white stone hero decked the Enforcer in the stomach.

Jaden: 6800

Aster: 5100

"It's a good thing Aster still takes damage even if that monster can't be destroyed." Alexis said.

"I'll put this facedown and call it a turn." Jaden concluded.

"It'd be better if that Phoenix Enforcer was destroyed though," Jachin said.

"Well too bad, since it can't be destroyed in battle." Lyra said.

"At least all Jaden has to do his keep his monsters' points high to keep control until he does destroy it with a spell or trap card." Lily added.

"I draw!" Aster announced. He then activated the card he drew, "And I'll play another Polymerization to fuse Phoenix Enforcer and the Sparkman in my hand to create Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Enforcer!" Sparkman and Phoenix Enforcer jumped into another vortex, creating the bright armored hero. (8/2500/2100) "And as you know, he gains 300 ATK for every Elemental Hero in my graveyard!"

Images of Bubbleman, Necroshade, Bladedge, Avian, Burstinatrix and Phoenix Enforcer appeared, powering up the current hero. (8/2500-4300/2100)

"Now destroy his Terra Firma for good with Shining Enforcement!" Aster commanded. The hero shined in light as it plowed through Jaden's hero and broke it apart to rubble.

Jaden: 5000

Aster: 5100

"I activate Hero Signal," Jaden countered, revealing his facedown card, "I'm bringing out Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!" After the spotlight made the signal of the E-Heroes, Burstinatrix made her appearance and knelt in defense mode. (3/1200/800)

 _'You see Masaki! These heroes are truly mine to own!'_ Aster said in his mind as he looked to Shonen Hero duelist who just rolled his eyes. _'And Jaden doesn't have clue how to really use them!_ '

"Come on, Jaden!" Allyson cheered. "You can still make a comeback!"

"She's right, Sarge!" Hassleberry added. "Keep fighting the battle!"

"And that's what's exactly I'm gonna do!" Jaden said as he drew his next card. "First, I play Legacy of a Hero! Since I have at least 2 Elemental Heroes that are level 4 and above, I can draw three cards!" He drew another three cards. He then smiled. "Sweetness, its Double Fusion!" The spell card in question showed two fusion vortexes linking together.

"Where does Jaden get all of these fusion cards?" Lyra asked.

"Who cares?" Allen added. "Sounds like Jaden will bring out something to turn the tables!"

"First, I'll pay 500 life points..."

Jaden: 4500

Aster: 5100

"And this card will allow me to perform two Fusion Summons on this turn!" Jaden grinned as first Avian appeared next to Burstinatrix, fused together in the first vortex, and came out with Jaden's signature monster. (6/2100/1200)

"And if you like Flame Wingman, then Sparkman will make him even greater!" The Slifer continued as Sparkman appeared next and fused with Flame Wingman into the other vortex. Now appearing from the vortex was a brightly armored warrior with metal wings and helmet covering his form. (8/2500/2100) "And like your Shining Phoenix Enforcer, he gains 300 ATK for every Elemental Hero in my graveyard!"

Images of Bubbleman, Bladedge, Stratos, Woodsman, Ocean, Terra Firma, Avian, Burstinatrix and Flame Wingman passed by giving Jaden's hero more power. (8/2500-5200/2100)

"5200 ATK, alright!" Jethro cheered.

"But he still can't destroy Phoenix Enforcer." Chazz added.

"And to get around your monster's effect, I'm outfitting Phoenix Enforcer with Light Laser!" Jaden announced as a black handle-guard materialized around Flare Wingman's right hand. "Now when my monster attacks, I can remove your monster from the game!" Jaden declared. "Now go attack Shining Phoenix Enforcer!"

Jaden's armored hero activated his new weapon creating a laser blade from it. He then slashed across his enemy's chest making him vanish into nothing.

Jaden: 4500

Aster: 4200

"Now Jaden took out one of Aster's best monsters!" Syrus cheered.

"And even if he brought out that Vision Hero Trinity, it wouldn't have enough points to combat Shining Flare Wingman!" Jeremy added.

"Looks like Jaden's got this one in the bag." Alister said.

"Yup, Aster's headed for his first loss." Erika nodded.

"This has been a sweet duel!" Jaden exclaimed. "Elemental Hero monsters battling each other... who could ask for a better match?"

For some reason, that comment made Aster furious and shouted. "What's with you!? You think this is a big joke!?" It left Jaden puzzled.

"Well I got news for you, joy boy... dueling isn't about having fun, at least not for me..." The pro duelist closed his eyes. "But someone like you wouldn't know about that. And that fun-loving personality is what got Claudio beat by someone under his league!"

"You take that back!"

Everyone saw Melody and Bastion return to the arena.

"It's that fun-loving personality is what makes Duel Monsters enjoyable!" She shouted. "Even if it becomes a job like you have! Plus, I won't have you talking to my boyfriend like that!"

"Please." Aster scoffed. "He's probably still whining after his loss! I do feel sorry that he lost to someone like him," He looked to Masaki. "You're even worse in that 'joy' department!"

"Aster, shut up!" Masaki stood up from his seat, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but you need to stop with this hatred you have of fun. It makes me wonder why you duel in the first place!"

"You know good and well! I fight for justice and revenge!" Aster said crossly. "But someone like you wouldn't understand, even with that sob story of how you came across your lame excuse for hero monsters."

"Too late, bro." Jaden said with a frown. "We're all ears. And lay off talking about other people's monsters..."

"Look, I chose my hero cards for a reason." The pro said, "And punks like you who use them because they look cool or Claudio, who makes some knockoff band cards of his own, make me sick."

Melody and Masaki narrowed their eyes at the pro, while Jaden looked at him indifferently.

"Chill out..."

"These cards are my life and mean everything to me. So you chill out!" Aster shot back "I was destined to build this deck! And here's proof, I activate my D-Time trap card!" Aster trap revealed a teacup with a white D inside. He then collected one card in his deck. "You triggered this Trap when my Hero left the field, unleashing a new breed of heroes known as the Destiny Heroes!"

"Destiny Heroes?" Jaden asked.

"So you finally listened to me for once and used your real cards." Masaki said.

"You mean he never used his real deck against Zane?" Kenji wondered.

"No... He doesn't want to admit it, but he's hidden them every time he was in a Pro duel." The Shonen Hero duelist stated. "He calls himself the best, but he doesn't prove it... and even though he's about showing his real cards, I'm not sure he can be called a true duelist on how he's going about it."

"It's time to open your eyes to the true power of the Elemental Heroes!" Aster declared. "A secret society of heroes never released to the public by Industrial Illusions known as the D-Series!" He then drew his next card on his Draw Phase. "But why don't I just show you? First. I play Spellbook Inside the Pot!" Both players drew three cards. Then, Aster opened up his side slot and placed a card inside. "Then I'll play my Clock Tower Prison field spell!" Rising from the ground around the two duelists, a large stone square wall was built. And right behind Aster was a giant clock tower.

"Next, I summon Elemental Hero Stratos!" Stratos appeared on the field with a darker shade of color. (4/1800/300) "And even though I could bring another Elemental Hero to my hand, I'll opt for another Destiny Hero instead!"

"He can do that?" Vincent asked.

"Of course, if Jaden gotten the newer version of Stratos!" The pro stated as he collected another Monster card. "Next up is Double Summon, so you finally meet my one of my Destiny Heroes!"

The hands of the clock tower moved from six o' clock straight to twelve. The bell rang moving the fog away from the very top and standing where the fog was, a shadow figure appeared.

"Who is that monster up there?" Lyra asked.

"Jaden, meet Destiny Hero Doom Lord!" Aster declared. The monster was dark looking, wearing a black caped over his high-collared suit. He had large claws and a white head with red eyes. (3/600/800)

"Your monster's not too big on points." Jaden declared.

"And this is why I'm the Pro." Aster said. "My monster has a special ability... take it away, Doom Lord!"

The dark caped hero hopped off the top of the clock tower, landed on the ground and then launched himself over to Shining Flare Wingman, gripping him with the claws tightly. Suddenly, the E-Hero gasped as he vanished, dropping the Light Laser to the ground letting it shatter.

"W-What happened?" Jaden gasped. "Was he destroyed?"

"No, he's been sent into the future." The pro stated. "In two turns, you'll see him again. But for now, I'll end with a facedown card." He concluded.

"Okay, my move!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card.

"Hold on a sec," Aster interrupted. "You should know that my Clock Tower Prison activates!" The clock tower's hands spun forward until it reached 3:00.

"I wonder what's up with that clock." Allen said.

"No idea." Bastion replied.

"And let me tell you... when this bell tolls, it tolls for thee!" Aster said.

"Anyway," Jaden said as he played his next card, "I play the Warrior Returning Alive to bring back Stratos and summon him!" He collected his hero from the grave and placed him on the field. (4/1800/300) "And I'll bring out Elemental Hero Voltic to my hand!" He collected his second hero from his deck. "Next, I'll have Stratos attack Doom Lord with Turbine Blast!"

The turbines on the hero's wings spun at high speed, creating tornadoes that smashed into the Destiny Hero shattering him.

Jaden: 4500

Aster: 3000

"You just triggered my trap card, Destiny Signal!" Aster declared, flipping up his facedown card. Like Hero Signal, it flashed a spotlight signal in the sky above Jaden's head, but it had a black 'D' in the light. "Since a monster was destroyed in battle, I can summon a Destiny Hero to the field, like my Captain Tenacious!"

Answering the signal, a muscular, orange haired man appeared with only some black pants and two armguards. (3/800/800)

"More of them?" Hassleberry asked.

"With such low attack points, they all must have extraordinary effects like Doom Lord had." Lyra mused.

"I end my turn." Jaden concluded.

"Good." Aster said as he drew his next card. "Now the effect of my Captain Tenacious takes effect!" A small sliver gear with a D on it appeared on the ground next to the hero. "During my Standby Phase, I can re-summon a Destiny Hero who was just destroyed on your last turn. So guess who is back?" The gear started to turn and opened a gate from the graveyard letting Destiny Hero – Doom Lord return. (3/600/800)

"Aw man, he's back!" Syrus gasped.

"And my heroes will be joined by my Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude!" In a flash, a black-clad warrior who had diamonds embedded in its flesh in a green cape appeared. (4/1400/1600) "And here's his effect, I can flip the top card of my deck and if it's a normal spell card, I can send it to the graveyard and use its effects next turn." Aster took his top card and then revealed it. "It's my spell card Lightning Vortex!" He then sent that card to the graveyard.

"That means Jaden's monsters will be destroyed next turn!" Allyson realized.

"And the worst part of is that Shining Flare Wingman will come back when Aster uses it." Kenji added.

"Now then, I'll send my Stratos to attack yours!" Aster commanded. Everyone gasped as the two heroes struck each other in mid-flight, destroying them both.

"Why would you do that!?" Jaden demanded.

"I got tired of using those heroes to show you." Aster replied without remorse. "Plus it leaves your vulnerable to my triple direct attack! Doom Lord, Captain Tenacious and Diamond Dude go!"

Doom Lord slashed with his claws, Captain Tenacious struck with his armguard and Diamond Dude sent a flurry of diamonds into Jaden, leaving him kneeling on the ground.

Jaden: 1700

Aster: 3000

"Those direct attacks were a big blow to Jaden's points!" Melody exclaimed.

"And what's worse is he won't have a monster to defend him!" Bastion added.

"If I know Jaden, he won't give up that easily." Spencer added.

"I place another card facedown and let you have your final turn!" The pro duelist smirked.

"Don't write your victory speech just yet!" Jaden stated as he drew his next card.

"And you need to wait until it's the proper time!" Aster smirked as he pointed to the clock, turning the hands to 6 o'clock.

"Now, I'm gonna play Elemental Hero Heat!" Jaden announced as he played his muscular hero of fire. (4/1600/1200) "And then he gains 200 ATK for each Elemental Hero out!" Heat roared as the flames around him grew. (4/1600-1800/1200) "And I'm about to use this new guy on your Captain Tenacious!"

"My Destiny Heroes never go anywhere without this," Aster countered, revealing his facedown card, "The Trap Card, D-Shield!" A dark blue aura surrounded the Destiny Hero and it caused some rocks to kick up in front of him. The Hero of fire could only strike the rocks in the way before it retreated. "When D-Shield's activated I can treat it as an equipment card that protects a Destiny Hero by switching it to defense mode and prevents him from being destroyed in battle!"

"Now Captain Tenacious can keep using that effect to revive the others." Erika said.

"It's not looking good, even with some new monsters." Alister added.

"I'll throwdown two facedowns and end my turn." Jaden concluded.

"Now I go!" Aster announced as he drew his next card. "Now your Shining Flare Wingman returns to your field!" Sure enough, Jaden's bright fusion hero returned. (8/2500-5200/2100), (4/1600-2000/1200)

"But he and your so-called Masked Hero won't be around for long, since I can now activate the effects of Lightning Vortex now!" Everyone gasped seeing the image of the spell card appear.

"Jaden's gonna lose..." Hassleberry cried out.

"I couldn't believe that slacker left that new monster out in the open!" Chazz said. "It would have saved him!"

"Time to lose Jaden!" Aster said as lightning bolts rained down on Jaden's side. Both monsters exploded leaving a puff of smoke covering the Slifer Red duelist.

"Finally, we can see that slacker go down and the Academy can rise to greatness!" Bonaparte exclaimed.

"Wait a second!?" Spencer growled. "You mean that's the reason why Aster's here? Not just because he's an acquaintance of Masaki!?"

"That's right!" The Vice-Chancellor grinned. "A Slifer as the face of our school is embarrassing!"

The Slifer Headmaster's expression turned from slight anger to much! "I can't believe this... are you still planning on dumping the Slifers without a reasonable explanation?" He then turned to Crowler. "You're supposed to be Chancellor of the entire student body; you can't allow this!"

"He had his chance!" Bonaparte said. "Once Jaden loses, the Slifers won't have a reason to be the best!"

Jachin overheard this thanks to a little help from one of his monsters.

 _'Konohana, are they really trying to tear down the dorm?"_ Masaki asked the spirit in his mind.

 _'I guess...' The Persona monster explained. 'I'm guessing Crowler's not doing anything to stop this either...'_

'This is insane! We still have some Slifer duelists there! And I didn't come here just to be blocked off!"

"Hold on!" Allyson snapped him out of his thoughts. "Look!"

She pointed to the clearing of Jaden's side. Shining Flare Wingman and Elemental Hero Heat were unharmed!

"How did you keep those monsters out!?" Aster demanded.

"It was thanks to this!" Jaden held up a Trap Card depicting Sparkman amongst a shattered mirror. "My Elemental Mirage card activates when my Elemental Heroes are destroyed by your card effect! Thanks to it, I can bring back my cards without the proper Summoning Requirments!"

"You couldn't just stay down!" The Pro growled.

Jaden's friends let out a big exhale.

"He loves doing this to us." Lily said. "Leave us in suspense."

"At least he's still in the game." Jeremy stated.

"Well not for long!" Aster said, playing another Spell card. "I first play the spell, Misfortune letting me choose one of your monsters and deal damage equal to half of his ATK!" A dark beam flashed through the Shining Flare Wingman...

"I activate Elemental Recharge!" Jaden countered, revealing his other facedown card. "I gain 2000 Life Points for my two Heroes on the field!"

Jaden: 3700

Aster: 3000

Then the blast hit Jaden right in the chest, draining his points.

Jaden: 1100

Aster: 3000

"Now Doom Lord, send his Fusion Hero two turns into the future!" The hero in question gripped onto Shining Flare Wingman, making him vanish again. "Make your move!"

"Okay," Jaden announced as he drew his next card.

"But first, time sure does fly when you're having fun!" Aster pointed to the clock again, showing it was 9 o'clock.

"What is the purpose of that clock other than showing off time?" Melody wondered.

"It won't matter if Jaden slaps down Aster beforehand," Alex said. "Because the way he's been acting, really ticks me off!"

"Ditto..." Lyra added.

"I summon Elemental Hero Voltic!" Jaden announced, playing his next card. In a lightning flash, a hero dressed in a similar suit to Sparkman's appeared only with more lightning bolts on them. (4/1000/1500), (4/1800-2000/1200) "Next, I use the Voltic Spear! When equipped to an Elemental Hero Voltic, it raises his power by 1000!" A long lightning bolt shaped like a spear appeared in Voltic's hands. (4/1000-2000/1500) "Since I can't destroy Captain Tenacious, I might as well take out Doom Lord again!" Voltic threw his spear straight through Doom Lord's body, destroying him.

Jaden: 1100

Aster: 1600

"Now Heat, attack his Diamond Dude with Flaming Fist!" Heat then charged across the field, smashing Diamond Dude with fiery fist to the chest.

Jaden: 1100

Aster: 1000

"He caught up!" Alexis cheered.

"All he needs is one big hit and he's got it!" Kenji added.

"And now because of Jaden being able to destroy both Doom Lord and Diamond Dude, he now has to choose one of them to activate." Bastion said.

"It's your move, Aster!" Jaden said.

"You gotten lucky this far!" Aster stated as drew his next card. "But that's far enough! First, I'll use the effect of Captain Tenacious to bring back Doom Lord!" Doom Lord reappeared for the third time by Captain Tenacious' gear. (3/600/800) "Next, I'll equip Captain Tenacious with Ring of Magnetism!"

A ring of magnets appeared around the shield arm wielding hero, but weakening him, (3/800-300/800-300)

"It weakened his hero!" Crowler stated.

"But it makes the user become the only target you can touch." Spencer added.

"And with D-Shield protecting it from being destroyed in battle, it's invincible!" Bonaparte finished with a grin.

"Now I use Doom Lord's effect to send Voltic into future!" Aster announced as Doom Lord grabbed the lightning hero, sending him away. "Now it's your turn!"

"Here goes!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card.

"And finally the time has come!" Aster shouted as he pointed to the clock that spun forward reaching the midnight mark.

*GONG!**GONG!**GONG!*

Suddenly, the whole field warped by the sound of the bells.

"Okay... this ringing... very irritating..." Lyra said, covering her ears.

"No kidding!" Allen said, covering his ears.

"I'll activate Graceful Charity!" Jaden announced as drew three cards, smiled at his find and sent two to the grave. "Next, I use Miracle Fusion to fuse the two monsters I sent to the graveyard, Elemental Heroes Necroshade and Wildheart to form Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman!" Both heroes fused into the shaman hero. (6/1900/1800) "I then use his effect, swapping your Captain Tenacious with your Elemental Hero Avian!"

Aster watched his Destiny Hero vanished and the Elemental Hero appear. (3/1000/1000)

"And now that your defender's gone, Necroid Shaman can end this duel!" Jaden grinned as his shaman used the staff and smashed into Doom Lord for the final time...

"Jaden won!" Syrus cheered.

"No... wait!" Jachin pointed out.

The smoke coming from Doom Lord's destruction was somehow irepelled from touching Aster by an invisible force!

"Sorry, but it's been four of your Standby Phases since my Clock Tower Prison's been on the field." Aster said with a smirk. "Now I won't suffer any damage from battle!"

"So that's why he wasn't worried what Jaden would do." Alister noted. "He's been biding his time with his monsters until the field spell kicked with the effect."

"But it's easy to get rid of," Erika added. "If Jaden adds another field spell, he can get rid of that effect for good."

"With your silence, I guess I'll go!" Aster stated as he drew his next card. "And I'll summon Destiny Hero – Fear Monger and end my turn." Another Destiny Hero clad in all dark green body armor with a blaster on his right arm appeared. (4/1000/1000)

"My draw!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "I activate the Field Spell card Fusion Gate! That means your prison field spell has to go!" The prison broke down leaving the field normal again. Next, the arena became a green, digital grid

Aster just chuckled, leaving everyone speechless again. "Thanks for destroying my Field Spell! You just unlocked its final ability! Releasing the monster inside! Come out Destiny Hero-Dreadmaster!"

From the rubble of the prison, a giant, muscular man roared as he broke out. He wore an iron mask, purple shorts with a golden lock chain with the Destiny Heroes symbol on it. He also carried shackles on his wrists and ankles maybe signifying that he was a prisoner of the demolished field spell. (8/?/?)

"And now that he's out, I can activate is effects! First, all monsters on my field, other than Destiny Heroes are destroyed! They're not worthy to be in his presence!" Avian shattered into pixels. "Next, I can summon two more Destiny Heroes from my graveyard, and I'll choose Captain Tenacious and Diamond Dude!" The two Destiny Heroes rose up from the ground. (3/800/800), (4/1400/1600)

"And if you're worried about the non-existent ATK and DEF of my Destiny Hero, it becomes the combined to the ATK of all my other Destiny Heroes on the field!"

Dreadmaster roared again as he felt the power of his fellow heroes. (8/?-3200/?-3200)

"You may have some cool monsters, but all I have to do is to attack your Fear Monger and I win!" Jaden stated. "Necroid Shaman, go get him!"

The Shaman launched a mystic smoke at Fear Monger that begun to wrap around him. Just when it was about to suffocate him, Dreadmaster launched his chains at the E-Hero and strangled him tightly, making the smoke disappeared.

"That would be my Dreadmaster's final ability!" Aster countered. "My monsters can't be destroyed or damaged during the turn it was Special Summoned by Clock Tower Prison!"

"Oh great." Jaden muttered.

"It's hopeless!" The Pro Duelist stated. "You may have some decent skills, but I have something you don't. A purpose, a reason to duel besides having fun!"

"What else is there?"

"Typical, you just proven my point," Aster sighed. "I duel to bring justice to people who think they're above the law!" His expression then got softer. "My father was a card designer for Pegasus, he was my hero."

"What happened?"

"He was killed by some punk who wanted to steal his cards! He's gone!"

"That's awful." Jaden said. He then gasped. "Did he..."

"That's right, he created the Destiny Heroes!" Aster admitted. "The last cards he ever made! My father taught me that justice would prevail... but it's a lie! The authorities haven't found his killer... that's why I duel... in honor of my father, I use the Destiny Heroes for bringing down the criminals! I will find the person responsible for taking my father away from me, I'll know him as soon as I find him because he'll have another Destiny Hero card... the one he stole from my dad... whoever has it will regret the day they were born!"

"Wait a sec, Aster!" Jaden shouted. "Your dad created those cards, so people could use them for fun! Not for revenge!"

"Butt out!" Aster shouted as he drew his next card. "And it is time I ended this duel, Dreadmaster take him out!"

Like Masaki's card, Dreadmaster glowed deep purple as the monster itself jumped in front of Necroid Shaman and dealt a giant slap across the chest, making him explode to nothing.

"Told ya... you can't hide from destiny!" Aster said as he turned around and left the arena.

Jaden: 0

Aster: 1000, Winner

"Jaden lost!" His friends gasped.

Suddenly Jaden started to collapse like Claudio did, also his cards came flying out of his deck.

And they did, he saw each of his cards losing color until they were blank! Seconds later, he fell unconscious...

This is just great... Sartorius is making his move people!

* * *

Double Fusion

Normal Spell

Pay 500 Life Points. Send, from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard, Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on a Fusion Monster Card, and Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. You can use this effect up to two times this turn.

(Used by Jaden Yuki in the GX episode Hands of Justice. All rights to the creators.)

Voltic Spear

Equip Spell

Equip only to a Warrior-Type monster. It gains 300 ATK. If it is "Elemental Hero Voltic", it gains 1000 ATK instead.

(The above four cards were used by Jaden Yuki in the GX manga. All rights to the creators, and I've made changes with the Masked Heroes in Attribute and Type as they are unknown.)

Drain Strike

Equip Spell

If the equipped monster attacks a Defense Position monster and its ATK is higher than the DEF of that monster, inflict half the difference as damage to your opponent and gain Life Points equal to that amount.

(Used by Dick Pitt in the 5D's episode A Web of Deceit. All rights to the creators)

Jukebox Hero Celine

LV: 6

Attribute: Light

Type: Spellcaster/Effect

Attack: 0

Defense: 3000

This card cannot be tribute summoned nor normal summoned, it can only be special summoned with three Jukebox Hero Wayward Son in the grave. For every Jukebox Hero in the grave, increase your life points by 200 during your standby phase; you can send one magic card from your hand instead of destroying her.

Amazing Grace

Quick-Play Spell

This card can only activate with Jukebox Hero Celine is destroyed, special summon one Lv. 6 or below Jukebox hero onto the field, from the grave.

Picture: Shows Celine's spirit singing above Wayward Son

I Need a Hero!

Trap Card

When there is no monster on your side of the field, special summon one Jukebox Hero from your hand onto the field, for this turn that monster cannot attack.

Picture: Shows Jukebox Hero Coheed Cambria saving a blond woman.

(The above three cards were created by Joshua Chung. All rights go to him.) (Sorry about the mixup) :(

Shonen Hero Lone Samurai

Level 4

Warrior/Effect

1500/1500

DARK

This card gains 300 ATK for every Shonen Hero in the graveyard.

(Created by cooking samurai. All rights go to him.)

Jukebox Hero Wild Ford

Level 7

Warrior/Effect

2600/1800

EARTH

A monster destroyed by this card as a result of battle becomes an Equip Card at the end of the Battle Phase that increases the ATK of this card by 200 points.

(Created by me!)

Next Chapter: Crowler's plan of getting Alexis into pop diva stardom comes back as Atticus duels against her.

Please Rate and Review!


	10. Path to Stardom

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 10: Heading to Stardom

* * *

"Hey, did you hear about Jaden and Claudio?"

"Yeah, they can't duel anymore!"

"You think they'll get kicked out?"

A bunch of Slifers and Ras gathered around the infirmary door, talking among themselves; apparently word got out about Hero duelists' condition about them.

"Outta the way!"

"Yeah, let's us through!"

Syrus and Jeremy pushed themselves into the crowd trying to get the infirmary. But that's when the doors slid open, causing the entire group to fall in a big pile with the new Ras on the bottom.

"What do you all want!?"

The group looked up to see Chazz looming over them.

"This is getting heavy," Syrus groaned underneath the pile of students.

"Yeah, a little breathing room could do it for me," Jeremy added with a grunt.

The entire group, save for Syrus and Jeremy, jumped up and left in a hurry. Once they got up, they saw Jaden being checked out by the school nurse, Ms. Fontaine and Claudio leaning against the wall. With them were Alexis, Allyson, Bastion, Hassleberry, Kenji and Melody.

"Hey guys, it isn't true, right?" Syrus asked.

"Yeah, those guys outside said Jaden and Claudio can't duel anymore." Jeremy said.

"Too bad, it's true." Chazz said as he reached in his coat pocket and handed Syrus Jaden's deck. "Jaden said he couldn't see any of his cards. They all looked like blank paper to him."

"Claudio was saying the same thing when Bastion and I walked him here." Melody added, handing Claudio's deck to Jeremy. When both Ras skimmed them, they all had their artwork on them. "Not to mention both of them can't hear the spirits' voices."

"These cards are fine. Jeremy said.

"Jaden's too." Syrus added.

"There's no problem physically," Ms. Fontaine stated as she finished checking Jaden, "Something must have happened to the boys during their last duels that made it traumatic for them."

"Are you messing with us?" The vehicroid duelist asked them.

Jaden laughed a bit. "Not this time..."

"Yeah, sucks to be us," Claudio said, with the same sad smile as the both of them took their decks back.

"Where are you guys going?" Melody asked.

"We need to chill by ourselves for a moment, Mel." Claudio said as he and Jaden left with his friends worried for them.

* * *

Back at the new room Chazz set up, he and the rest of the gang at the infirmary sat down, mulling over what just happened.

 _"It's so horrible!"_ Ojama Yellow cried as he popped out near his partner. _"Jaden and Claudio can't talk to their cards anymore! I would hate if it happened to you, boss!"_ Chazz's reply was to swat the little monster away.

"I hate to say this, but they might take down this dorm without Jaden." Bastion stated, "Without the Slifer's key player, it gives them an incentive."

"He's right guys, we're doomed." Syrus added.

"Yeah, looks like Professor Sojourner being here doesn't make a difference to Bonaparte." Kenji said.

"Our headquarters... gone..." Hassleberry muttered.

"And Claudio can't help us." Melody added, solemnly. "Not in the state he's in..."

"Yeah, he could've helped out." Jeremy added.

As the room hit an all-time low, the person who started to pep them up was the last person they suspected...

"Don't despair, everyone!" Chazz shouted. "You still got the Chazz with you!"

"Here, here!" Bastion praised.

"You said it!" Kenji said.

"I'm in!" Melody said.

"Count me in!" Allyson said.

"I'll stand by as well!" Syrus said.

"Looks like we're all in agreement!" Jeremy concluded.

"Yeah, I like to see them tear down this dorm with all of us, standing together!" Hassleberry declared.

"Exactly!" Alexis replied. "All for one, right guys?"

"Does anyone hear singing?" Chazz interrupted again.

* * *

Everybody ran out of the dorm room, to see a tall, brown-haired teen wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, on a boat playing on an ukulele.

"Hey, sis!"

"Atticus?" Alexis wondered.

"Who's that!?" Hassleberry said.

"He's one of the elder students here," Kenji explained to the new Ra. "Also, he's Alexis' older brother."

* * *

Minutes Later, Atticus met the group on the hill near the Slifer Dorm.

"So, what brings you to this side of the campus?" Alexis asked her brother.

"Come on, you know." Atticus said with a frown. "Crowler's plan! I came to take you back to the Blue Dorm."

"Oh no." Melody slapped her forehead. "Not this again..."

"You must be joking!" Alexis protested.

"He sounds pretty serious to me!" A voice called out from the cliff. And everyone saw a familiar someone in a black wetsuit with a snorkeling mask over his forehead climbing on top of the cliff with the boat strapped to his back.

"Chancellor Crowler?"

"Nice day for snorkeling, isn't it?" He greeted, trying to keep his balance with the load on his back. "By the way Alexis, have you and Miss Hikarii come to your senses?"

"Our senses!?" Alexis crossed her arms. "I'm not the one in a wetsuit with a boat strapped to my back!"

"Come on, sis." Atticus protested while Crowler was a having a fight with the boat, causing him to fall and drop it. "Give this idea a chance, please? What's wrong with becoming loved by the whole school?"

"What idea?" Syrus asked Melody.

"Remember the reason, Claudio, Alexis and I came to the Slifer Dorm?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, that pop idol group not even Claudio wanted to do." Kenji remembered.

"What's so bad about that?" Crowler asked. "I get free publicity and you and Alexis get free dresses! A win-win situation!"

Suddenly, Chazz got that image of Alexis in that red dress she showed when she first got to the Slifer Dorm. He then blushed and had hearts for eyes as he shouted, "Yeah!"

"That's not a good idea!" Alexis glared at the black coat Slifer.

"Yeah, Chazz! You know she can't carry a tune!" Bastion joked. "Not to mention, Alexis is far on the border when it comes to age!"

*WHAP!*

Unfortunately, Alexis didn't find it funny when she slapped him to the ground.

"You deserved it." Allyson said.

"You gotta know when to hold it, soldier." Hassleberry added.

"I was just being helpful," Bastion mumbled as he sported a red hand mark on his right cheek. "Girls... so complex..."

"Don't make me give you a matching mark!" Melody warned with a scowl, shutting him up.

"Hey, if you don't like the first outfits, why not these!?" Atticus pulled out some cutouts of Alexis and Melody wearing another set of short, sleeveless red dresses along with pink scarves around their necks.

"You just don't get it!" Alexis yelled.

"How 'bout these!" The next set had the girls wearing orange and red overall dresses.

"Give it up, Atticus!" Melody glared. "We're staying!"

"You two are stubborn." The elder Rhodes stated with a shake of his head. "Hey Chazz, try to knock some sense into them..."

"Me!?" The Slifer asked.

"Yeah, we could take the pop charts by storm! And Alexis would be adored by many fans!"

"And I'd be your groupie!?" Chazz asked, hopefully.

"Chazz, we got more important things than this!" Kenji interrupted.

"Kenji's right," Alexis agreed. "We need to save our dorm!"

"I-I was getting to that." Chazz stammered.

"Don't listen to her, Chazz!"

"Tell him, Chazz!"

"Tell him/her!"

Being in the middle of the siblings' spat broke up the youngest Princeton's mind-making as he shouted. "I can't take it! I can't choose between you two! The pressure too much!" Then he broke down on his knees.

"Conflicted allegiance!" Hassleberry scoffed.

"Yeah, so much for our pact of keeping the dorm safe." Jeremy said with a frown.

"Looks like we have to settle this, the old-fashioned way," Atticus stated. "Our feelings run parallel to one another. Like train tracks, they'll never meet."

Alexis saw where this was headed and said, "A duel right? You win, I'll sing. I win, you drop this whole thing!"

"You're on; I mean we can take the stage by ourselves other than Claudio and Melody!" Atticus accepted.

Everyone except Crowler groaned...

* * *

Later that day...

"Thank you for coming today, to see the Academy's Got Talent Duel." A female announcer's voice over the intercom announced, "Please wait for the duel to begin." Sure enough, everyone was filling up the arena floor and even a section of girls took up cheering section for Atticus.

In the audience, Syrus and Melody sat near their friends.

"No Jaden or Claudio?" Bastion asked them.

They shook their heads.

"Jaden never misses a duel." Syrus said with a frown. "This is the first time he's ever refused to watch one..."

"And Claudio still feels like the life was sucked out of him." Melody added.

Suddenly, the lights cut off, bringing their attention to the arena.

In another part of the crowd, Bonaparte was grumbling as he sat down near Crowler who had a microphone.

"Out of all of your plans, this one takes the cake." He said. "Students who refuse to do as they are told must be expelled on the spot!"

Crowler then stood up and spoke into the mic again and shouted, ""Ladies and Gentlemen, it's show duel time! So give it up for our first star! Atticus Rhodes!"

Hanging from bungee cords was Atticus wearing the same outfit from the first concert into Duel Academy. The audience cheered as he starts to fly around the arena, even blowing kisses to the special fan club which had Jasmine and Mindy as members, as well as many Obelisk Blue girls.

"Guy knows how to make an entrance." Hassleberry said.

"Sure, if you can ignore how stupid he looks in that outfit." Melody added. "He tried to get Claudio in those ridiculous clothes!"

"Now that I think about, he could've just opted for his Hawaiian getup." Allen shrugged.

As Atticus took off the cords, he announced, "I dedicate this duel to the ladies!" Soon most of the girls started cheering.

"I don't want any part of this." Allyson scoffed.

"Please shut him up." Lyra added. "This is why I hate those superficial boy bands and pop idols..."

"Now for his opponent, and sister, Alexis Rhodes!"

Fog came out of the other side of the arena as Alexis proceeded to the duel. Except instead of walking, she was on a swan wagon. And from the look on her face, she was embarrassed, annoyed or a mixture of the two.

Then suddenly, Chazz pops out wearing some pink jacket and started to cheer, "L to the E to the X to I! Lexi rules and that's no lie!"

"Shut up and sit down!" Kenji yelled.

Jachin sighed. "Dude, you're embarrassing yourself and us..."

Once Alexis met her brother on the duel platform.

"Before you know it, we'll have a platinum album, be on every teen magazine and have our own reality show!" Atticus said. "And we could even have Claudio and Melody join up with us or even better; have a challenge in the biz!"

"Slow down hot shot, you have to win first!" Alexis said. "And when I win, I'm going back to the Red Dorm!"

"I even named our band in the event it's just us," Atticus continued, ignoring his sister's outburst. "We're called Bro-Bro and Sissy!"

"What kind of stupid names are those!?" Lyra scoffed.

"I was going to ask the same thing." Alex said.

Kenji and Jachin sweatdropped when Chazz held up a banner with the name of Atticus' and Alexis' 'new' band with the latter's stage name being in more colorful and bigger letters.

Atticus and Alexis activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!"

Alexis: 8000

Atticus: 8000

"Alright sis, I'll go first!" Atticus announced as drew his sixth card. "I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" Once he played his card, it unleashed a purple bipedal panther decked out in armor. It carried a shield fashioned out of the same material as the armor and a curved sword. (4/2000/1600)

He then inserted a Continuous Spell, showing a rock start with a spotlight shining on him. "And then I'll use the spell Spotlight, raising his ATK by 300 points!" A spotlight shined on Panther Warrior. (4/2000-2300/1600)

"I then place one card facedown and give the mic to you!" He concluded as a reversed card appeared near his feet.

"It's my turn now," Alexis announced as he drew his next card, "First, I'll summon Command Knight in attack mode!" Her first card brought out a female warrior wearing red armor with a black cape and holding a longsword on the field. (4/1200/1900) "And with her effect, all Warrior-type monsters on my side of the field gain 400 ATK, including herself." The female knight felt a rush of power, letting out a battle cry. (4/1200-1600/1900)

"Next, I play the Spell Card Double Summon!" She continued, activating her Spell card. "With this, I can make a second Normal Summon this turn! And I'll use it set a monster facedown." A Set Monster appeared next to Command Knight. "And as long as I have one other monster on my field, Command Knight can't be attacked!" She concluded.

"A good opening move." Bastion praised. "Now Atticus will have to attack the facedown monster which will keep Command Knight safe."

"Very smart!" Lily noted. "It's probably a Searcher-type Monster to keep Panther Warrior away from her Knight, even if the monster's destroyed."

"And if I know Alexis, she'll probably have something else waiting in the wings that'll keep Atticus away from her knight." Kenji added.

"I see what you're doing, sis," Atticus said as he drew his next card, "But it ain't gonna work!" He then activated his Spell card, "First, I'll use the Quick-Play Spell Scapegoat creating Four Sheep tokens on my field!" In a puff of smoke, four different colored sheep appeared, unaware of their surroundings. (1/0/0) x4 "Next, I'll bust out the Equip Spell Card Path to Destiny! It allows a Beast-Warrior to attack directly!"

"Oh no!" Alexis gasped as Panther Warrior gained a blue aura.

"Now due to Panther Warrior's effect, I have to sacrifice a monster in order for him to attack." The elder brother stated. "But like in the showbiz, when that light hits you, everything behind is sacrificed to the shadows!" A Sheep Token vanished into a light that went into Panther Warrior. "This is where I teach you the entertainment's savagery! Panther Warrior, attack directly!"

The beast-warrior dashed by the knight and Set Monster, slashing across Alexis' stomach, making her stagger.

Alexis: 5700

Atticus: 8000

"Leave Sissy alone!" Chazz cried out.

"Oh man." Jachin sighed as he tried to hide himself from embarrassment.

Take-Mikazuchi appeared in spirit form. _'Does this strange individual trouble you, my Lord?'_

 _'Don't worry, it's not hurting me... it's just annoying... it'll pass, I'm sure...'_ Jachin groaned

"I gotta admit," Hassleberry said. "Atticus may be strange, but he's got great tactics."

"And if you think about it," Bastion added. "With Zane's graduation, Atticus is our top duelist at this point. He was one of the only duelists to rival him."

"Really?" Melody asked.

"My brother was replaced by some two-bit lounge singer!?" Syrus groaned.

"Crazy, I know," Alex said as he shook his head, "But Bastion speaks the truth; I respect him in his duels."

"And I'll end this right here," Atticus concluded.

"Okay, my draw!" Alexis announced as she drew her next card, "I'll flip-summon my monster, Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!" The Set card turned vertical and revealed the warrior lady clad in green as she drew her sword. (4/1100-1500/1200) "Next, I'll send both of my girls to attack two of your Scapegoats!" Both ladies charged into the fray and sliced down on two of docile goats, destroying them. "I'll finish with one card facedown." Alexis concluded.

"Now that she revealed her monster, Atticus will have more of a choice to attack directly." Lyra stated.

"Too bad you didn't have another monster on the field," Atticus said as he drew his next card. "Otherwise you'd stop this next attack!"

The final scapegoat vanished as Panther Warrior charged in for the strike...

"I will, with Spirit Barrier!" Alexis announced as she activated her Continuous Trap card. It made a clear barrier powered by her monsters' aura. Once Panther Warrior slashed, it bounced off the barrier back to Atticus' field. "As long as I have monsters on the field, you can't strike my monsters!" The younger Rhodes smirked.

"I guess this facedown monster will have you change your tune," The elder Obelisk concluded as a Set monster appeared next to Panther Warrior.

"We'll see about that." Alexis said as she drew her next card. She smiled as she announced, "Now meet a new monster in my deck, Street Fighter Schoolgirl!"

A teenage girl with short, brown hair appeared. Like the name implied, she wore the typical Japanese school uniform for girls: short-skirted sailor fuku with the collar popped and also sported some red boxing gloves, and a white headband. (4/1700-2100/1000)

"A Street Fighter?" Alex asked. "Cool!"

"Next, I activate the spell card Fighting Spirit to my fighter," Alexis continued, playing her next Equip Spell, "It'll give her 300 ATK for every monster you have on the field!" The new girl gave a sharp grin as she felt her power grow. (4/2100-2700/1000)

"She's really putting it together, and without using the Cyber Girls this early!" Bastion praised.

"Maybe it's a good thing that I helped her out with her deck." Kenji said.

Everyone looked to the ninja duelist.

"When was this?" Jethro asked.

"After first day of class, we were going over each other's decks and talked about upgrading them with all the new cards coming out." Kenji explained. "I talked about how she needed to include more monsters that are non-ritual related and pretty soon she found these monsters."

"You two are getting a lot helpful of each other." Allyson smiled.

"Along with Zane, we were a pretty close-knit group of friends." The ninja duelist said. "We all are rivals, so that what makes us strive to make our decks better."

"I know that feeling," Melody said, but sighed as the thoughts turned to Claudio. "Claudio and I made our decks better the night after he helped find me a Dark Magician card..."

"I knew I should've helped her," Chazz growled until he went back to cheering on Alexis with his banners with a lot more zeal.

"Now Street Fighter Schoolgirl, attack his Panther Warrior!" Alexis commanded as thee young girl rushed towards the Panther.

"I activate the trap card, Cursed Ring!" Atticus countered as the trap revealed, placing a skull ring on the unsuspecting fighter. When Schoolgirl gave an uppercut to the panther, it stood strong! Seeing this, the girl kept trying to knock her opponent down with no avail.

"What?" Alexis gasped

"Sorry, sis!" Atticus grinned. "With Cursed Ring, I can equip it onto one of your monsters and that monster can't destroy any monsters in battle!"

"Yeah, but there's one problem with your plan." Alexis smirked. "Your life points still go down!"

Schoolgirl turned her attention to the elder Rhodes and decked him with a right hand.

Alexis: 5700

Atticus: 7600

"No, he's too cute to lose!" Mindy whined.

"Don't worry girls! With your support, I'll never lose hope!" Atticus exclaimed as he turned to his fan club, who all swooned over his words.

"Hey bro, over here!" Alexis shouted, gaining her brother's attention. "Command Knight, attack his facedown monster!"

The knight slashed down on the facedown monster, revealing a blacksmith wearing a green hat and cloak before it was destroyed. (2/500/500)

"That was Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu, letting me bring 1 equip spell card to my hand from my deck." Atticus explained as a card slipped out of his deck, letting him retrieve it.

"I end my turn." Alexis concluded as her Schoolgirl powered down after taking out one of her opponents. (4/2700-2400/1000)

"Then let's get to the next show!" Atticus said as he drew his next card, "I play Spellbook Inside the Pot!" Both players drew three cards, letting him set two of them. "I'll play two cards facedown and end my turn."

"My move!" Alexis announced as drew her next card, "Street Fighter Schoolgirl, attack Panther Warrior again!" She announced as the Street Fighter ran across the field once more...

"I'll now activate Skill Successor," Atticus countered, revealing his Trap Card, "It'll add 400 ATK to my monster! Which is enough to stop your new girl!"

Panther Warrior gained a red aura from the trap card. (4/2300-2700/1600) It then used its shield to knock the schoolgirl back to Alexis who lost her own power. (4/2400-2100/1000)

"Lucky you don't lose any points, but your monster can be destroyed now!" The elder Rhodes pointed out.

"But unless you destroy my Spirit Barrier, you can't damage me until I lose all of my monsters." Alexis returned.

"And with the way Alexis has setup her field, she's not making it easy for Atticus to get at them." Melody said.

"I place a facedown, and let you go." Alexis concluded as a Set card appeared by his feet.

"Good," Atticus nodded as he drew another card and then played one, "Now, I play Stray Lambs to summon two more Tokens to the field, but I can't summon any monsters this turn!" Two more Sheep Tokens appeared by the Panther Warrior once more. (1/0/0) x2

"Now he's got more ammunition to fight with," Hassleberry stated.

"Yeah, but with only Panther Warrior it'll still take time to get Alexis' Life Points down." Alex added.

"I then use the spell card Impact Set I got from Kotetsu," Atticus announced, "And equip it to one of my tokens!" The spell image showed a Harpie Lady that struck a monster into a facedown card. It appeared behind one of the sheep tokens. "This lets me flip one monster facedown, like your Command Knight!"

The knight was replaced by a facedown card, leaving Alexis' other two monsters weaker. (4/2100-1700/1000), (4/1500-1100/1200)

"Now, I'll sacrifice that same token to strike your schoolgirl!"

The equipped token vanished along with the Equip Spell letting the panther come in to strike...

"I didn't think you'd forget this card!" Alexis shouted as she started to reveal one of her known traps...

"Doble Passé!" Atticus gasped and then slapped his forehead. "How I could I forget that!?"

"That's right, meaning Panther Warrior has to attack me instead!" Alexis smirked. "And then the monster you were trying to attack will hit you directly!"

Passing by the schoolgirl, Panther Warrior struck the Spirit Barrier that protected the Obelisk girl. Then, the Schoolgirl gave a roundhouse kick to the idol seeker and left him staggering.

Alexis: 5700

Atticus: 5900

"Yeah, she caught up!" Allyson cheered.

"And she used a great combo that really helped protect herself from the direct attack!" Erika added.

"Alexis is known for taking damage and paying them back with more," Kenji smiled as he nodded. "It's how she's one of the best duelist in Obelisk!"

"And with only a 200 Life Point gap, she can close in and win the duel." Alister said.

"Okay, both of us get to draw a card since Impact Set was sent to the grave." Atticus explained as he and Alexis drew a card. "And then, while I can't summon because of Stray Lambs, I can still sacrifice my last token to set a facedown monster!" The Token vanished as a Set Monster card appeared in its place. "To finish, a card behind it!" He concluded as a reversed card appeared behind his Set monster.

"Now she has to contend with a possible strong level 5 or 6 monster." Spencer said. "A smart move to exploit from his card."

"Okay," Alexis said as she her drew next card. Looking over her cards, she thought, _'I can't be sure about the DEF of the monster he Tribute Summoned, I'll just settle on taking out Panther Warrior...'_

She then took the card she drew and played it.

"I play Cyber Petit Angel!" She announced as a small, machine appeared as a pink angel with blue wings and a halo. (2/300/200) "When my angel is summoned, I can take the Machine Angel Ritual card from my deck to my hand." She declared, adding the named card from her deck into her hand. "Now, I'll play it!"

Suddenly, the whole room became encased in metal.

"She's about to summon her Cyber Angels!" Bastion said with a grin.

"I now sacrifice my angel and my schoolgirl to summon Cyber Angel Bishamonten!" She announced as both of the mentioned monsters vanished along with the metal room. Appearing was a black-haired woman clad in heavy armor and wielding an equally heavy-looking sword. (6/1700/1400)

"All that flash just to summon her?" Atticus asked. "Talk about a letdown, sis! You've shown that you have lower level monsters with that kind of power. When are you going to learn, Sissy?"

"Stop calling me that!" Alexis shouted. "When she's summoned Bishamonten can let me search for an Equip Spell in my deck and add it to my hand!" A card slipped out of her deck, letting her reveal it. "And I choose this: Ritual Weapon, letting my Cyber Angel gain 1500 ATK and DEF!" Bishamonten's sword changed into a lighter yet more powerful silver blade. (6/1700-3200/1400-2900)

"Whoa, her strength almost doubled!" Atticus gasped.

"Now watch what she can do with it!" His sister declared as Bishamonten slashed down with her sword, sending a giant blast destroying the Panther Warrior.

Alexis: 5700

Atticus: 5000

"Okay, I'll activate the trap card, Miracle Moment!" Atticus countered, revealing a Trap Card showed Panther Warrior's spirit with a broken sword. "When a monster equipped with Path to Destiny is destroyed, I can summon Bronze Warrior to the field in defense mode!" A bald warrior appeared handling two short blades as he defended within his cape. (4/500/1800) "And Spotlight's still on the field making his ATK 300 points higher!" The spotlight shined on Bronze Warrior. (4/500-800/1800)

"Your move, bro!" Alexis concluded.

"Thanks!" Atticus said as he drew his next card. "First, my Bronze Warrior's effect can move a Beast-Warrior from my deck to my hand! And I choose my Beast King Barbaros!" The named card slipped out of Atticus' deck. "Next, I Flip Summon my monster, Manticore of Darkness!"

Rising out the facedown card was a giant chimera monster with the head of lion, tail of a scorpion and the black wings of a vulture who let out a powerful roar. (6/2300/1000)

"Then I summon the Beast King Barbaros in attack mode!" He continued as a beast warrior with a four-legged body, half on the bottom and a muscular lion on top, carried a lance and blue shield. (8/3000/1200)

"Hey, that's not fair!" Chazz whined. "How can he summon a monster that powerful against my poor Lexi!"

"You're even more pathetic than I am!" Syrus yelled.

"To answer your question," Jachin sighed as stepped in between the two. "He can summon it without a sacrifice, only its ATK becomes 1900." As he said, Barbaros' power was restrained by a blue aura (8/3000-1900/1200)

"And with Bronze Warrior on the field and I switch him to attack mode, all my Beast-Warriors get 400 ATK!" Atticus continued as switched his Warrior-Type's mode, letting Barbaros and Manticore gather more power from him. (8/1900-2300/1200), (6/2300-2700/1000) "But, I'll also use my facedown spell card Forbidden Chalice to negate the effect of Barbaros and give him 400 more ATK!"

"That means Barbaros' original ATK will go back to 3000!" Allen shouted.

"Then it'll gain more power afterwards!" Alex added.

The beast-warrior drank from the chalice, feeling its power return and then some! (8/2300-3800/1200)

"Finally, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Spirit Barrier!" Atticus smirked. Alexis gasped as her trap card shattered. "Now take it away, Barbaros!"

Barbaros charged at Bishamonten striking her with his lance, shattering her into pixels.

Alexis: 5100

Atticus: 5000

"Manticore, attack Warrior Lady of the Wasteland with Powerful Roar!" He continued as the chimera let out a loud roar that the warrior lady couldn't take, making her shatter as well.

Alexis: 3500

Atticus: 5000

"I activate the effect of my Warrior Lady letting me bring out an EARTH Warrior monster with 1500 ATK or less!" Alexis announced as a card slipped out of her deck, letting her summon it to the field. "And I choose another Warrior Lady!" A second Warrior Lady of the Wasteland appeared. (4/1100/1200)

"It still won't stop Bronze Warrior!" Atticus grinned. "Remember Skill Successor in my graveyard? I can remove it from play to give him 800 ATK until the end of the turn!" Bronze Warrior roared triumphantly for his boost. (4/800-1600/1800) "Now attack her!" Spinning his small blades, Bronze Warrior slashed the second Warrior Lady into pixels as well.

Alexis: 3000

Atticus: 5000

"Now I use that Warrior Lady's effect, to summon Cyber Gymnast!" Alexis countered as a new woman, one in tight dark clothes, long blonde hair, and a white mask appeared on the field. (4/800/1800)

"I'll end my turn here." Atticus stated as Beast King Barbaros' power dropped down. (8/3800-2300/1200) "It's a long way to the top, Asuryn! Can you keep up with Bucky?"

"Enough, Atticus." Alexis muttered as she drew her next. "Now I activate Cyber Gymnast's effect, by discarding one of my cards I can destroy one of your Attack position monsters, and I choose Bronze Warrior!" As Alexis discarded, Bronze Warrior shattered after a swift kick from the Gymnast. "And without him, your monsters lose their attack points!"

Barbaros and the Manticore growled as they lost their power boost. (8/2300-1900/1200), (6/2700-2300/1000)

"But because of Spotlight, I have to choose another monster like Manticore of Darkness!" Atticus explained as the spotlight shined on the chimera. (6/2300-2600/1000)

"Alright, I equip my Gymnast with Heart of Clear Water and switch her to defense mode!" Alexis continued as a teardrop shaped jewel necklace appeared around the cyber girl's neck as she took a knee and guarded with her strong arms.

"Now she can keep her monster and destroy Atticus' frontline everyone!" Hassleberry praised.

"Then, I place one card facedown and end my turn!" Alexis concluded.

"Yeah! Take him down, Alexis!" Chazz shouted.

"Will you shut up!?" Kenji said, pushing the black coat Slifer back down to his seat. "How many times are you gonna do this?"

"I'm just showing support to the woman l love." Chazz said, smugly.

"Then you're doing a bad job of it," The ninja duelist said, shaking his head. "You can give her support without the yells and the stupid signs. And lay off the love-struck mess, she only views you as a friend."

"Oh, I know what you're doing," Chazz growled, getting in the ninja's face. "You want me to back out so you can have her to yourself!"

Kenji looked at him strangely. "You gotta be kidding me..."

"Don't play dumb! I noticed how you look at her whenever you two talk alone." The Slifer pressed. "Since Zane's gone, you're trying to move in as the only guy she talks to at that lighthouse!"

"Tch," Kenji scoffed. "Whatever..."

"What's with you guys?" Jeremy asked.

Both Kenji and Chazz didn't reply.

Back down to the duel, Atticus drew his next card for his turn. "Alright! I play Enraged Battle Ox!" He announced as he brought out a bipedal ox in red armor and carried a sharp double-bladed axe. (4/1700/1000) "I can't destroy your monster right now, but I can sure damage her since my new band member allows all my Beast-Warrior monsters to pierce through your defenses! So Manticore, go get her!"

The chimera clawed at the gymnast who stood her ground, yet the excess damage made it to Alexis as a red aura translated the damage around her.

Alexis: 2200

Atticus: 5000

"Next, Beast King Barbaros attacks her!" The centaur beast rushed the field and stabbed the Gymnast with its lance.

Alexis: 2100

Atticus: 5000

"It's getting bleak for her," Jeremy said.

"Yeah, but at least she can keep Cyber Gymnast on the field." Kenji said. "That way if she has cards to spare, she can sacrifice them and destroy Atticus' monsters."

"I'll place this facedown and let you have a shot!" Atticus declared.

Alexis drew her next card for her turn and announced, "Time for a change of scenery with the field spell, Ritual Sanctuary!"

When the Spell was inserted into the field slot, the arena was changed into the inside of a church.

"She played that for me!" Chazz blushed. "My Alexis..."

"Chazz, stop yelling my name!" The Obelisk girl shouted.

"Get used to it sis!" Atticus stated. "That's what being a pop idol is all about! Fans cheering your name, after mine of course! Not to mention being a bride is the dream of all idol girls!"

"Forget it, Atticus." Alexis sighed as she shook her head. "And this move will help, I can discard one of my spells to retrieve a Ritual Spell card from my graveyard!" She discarded Ritual Weapon and added Machine Angel Ritual to her hand. "Next, I'll replay it again!"

The church soon got a metallic sheen to it. "Now I can send Cyber Prima from my hand to the graveyard to summon Cyber Angel Idaten!" The form of Cyber Prima vanished as another Cyber Angel appeared. This magenta-haired angel had purple skin and was clad in a black bikini with a clear veil on her hips and magenta boots. (6/1600/2000)

"And when she's special summoned, I can take any spell card from my graveyard and add it to my hand... and I choose Ritual Weapon!" The spell she discarded slid out of Alexis' graveyard, letting her retrieve it once more. "Now I equip it to Idaten, and you know what that means!" Idaten gained a sparkling purple aura as her stats rose. (6/1600-3100/3500)

"3100 ATK!?" Atticus gasped

"And every point aimed at you, but first, I'll discard another card to activate Cyber Gymnast's effect to destroy Manticore of Darkness!" As Alexis discarded her Polymerization card, Gymnast held the Manticore by the scorpion tail and swung it to the ground, breaking it to pixels.

"Then, I'll put Beast King Barbaros in the Spotlight!" Atticus stated as the spotlight shined on the Beast King. (8/1900-2200/1200)

"Next, I'll have Idaten attack Enraged Battle Ox!" Alexis announced as Idaten stormed down the aisle and gave the ox a swift double uppercut, destroying it.

Alexis: 2100

Atticus: 3600

"I'll end my turn." Alexis concluded.

"Hold on, sis!" Atticus interjected. "My Manticore of Darkness' effect comes into play! I can send another Beast-Warrior to the graveyard, in order to bring him back and put the Spotlight back on him!" Barbaros vanished letting the chimera return. (6/2300-2600/1000)

"Then, I use Call of the Haunted to bring back Bronze Warrior!" He continued as the bald, tan-skinned warrior returned for the dead as well (4/500/1800) With his presence, he powered up Manticore of Darkness. (6/2600-3000/1000) "Now to draw!" Atticus drew his next card. "And with Bronze Warrior, I can move Akz, the Pumer to my hand!" He collected the desired card from his deck. "Now, by removing Panther Warrior and Enraged Battle Ox from the grave and summon him!"

Akz, the Pumer was a humanoid snow leopard dressed in a red cape and tan tights under his sliver wrap around skirt. He also carried a double bladed axe with a lion grafted onto it. (6/1500-1900/1000)

"Then, I use Card of Demise!" He continued as he drew the full five cards from his hand. "Time to win this! I use Double Cyclone to destroy Spotlight and Heart of Clear Water!"

A yellow cyclone took out Spotlight, weakening his Manticore. (6/3000-2700/1000)

Then a red cyclone took the necklace off Cyber Gymnast, making her stagger back.

"Also, I got another card for the occasion!" Atticus exclaimed as he turned to the audience and shouted. "Are you people ready for a Field Spell!?"

"YEAH!"

"I can't hear you!"

"YEAH!"

During the cheers, Ritual Sanctuary was demolished as somehow Bronze Warrior came out wearing a giant butterfly-looking costume as he stood on a platform.

"What the heck is that?" Chazz asked.

"This is the Ultimate Stage Costume, giving Bronze Warrior a 3000 ATK and DEF point boost!" Atticus said with grin. (4/500-3500/1800-4800)

"No way!" Alexis said.

"Finally, I'll discard a Beast-Warrior like Vorse Raider to double Akz's ATK!" He added as Akz roared as his power soared. (6/1900-3800/1000) "Time for the grand finale! Manticore, Akz, attack her Gymnast and facedown monster!"

Manticore of Darkness charged at Cyber Gymnast, destroying her with a massive pounce. Akz sliced his axe onto the forgotten Command Knight. (4/1200-1600/1900) She let out a cry before she shattered into pixels.

"Encore time! My glitzed out Bronze Warrior attacks you directly!" Atticus cheered.

Bronze Warrior roared, but Alexis paid it no mind.

"NO!" Chazz cried. "I can't watch! I'm sorry Alexis! I couldn't support you with my love!"

*POW!*

Kenji delivered a back hand to the black coat Slifer.

"Thank you for shutting him up." Lyra said.

"You're welcome." Kenji replied as he dusted off his hands.

"And he shouldn't be whining anyway," Alister said. "It's not over..."

Everyone saw that the Bronze Warrior was having trouble to move his upper body with that outfit on.

"The outfit's too big." Syrus sighed as the warrior slipped out of his outfit. (4/3500-500/4800-1800)

"I forgot the stats are normal when the he attacks," Atticus said sheepishly. "My bad folks!"

The audience fell out of their seats as Bronze Warrior slapped Alexis on the head.

"OW! What's your problem!" She shouted.

Alexis: 1600

Atticus: 3600

"I wouldn't want to attacked dressed like that either." Hassleberry said.

"So the only thing that card is good for is to scare people." Alex scoffed. "That's just lame!"

"I'm with you!" Jeremy added.

"Me three!" Lily said.

Atticus just laughed as Bronze Warrior went back into the costume. (4/500-3500/1800-4800) Also Akz, the Pumer's power returned to 1900 as well.

"Laugh it up bro!" Alexis said as she drew her next card. "But I'm about to have the last laugh! First, I play Pot of Greed!" She her drew two cards. "Next, I play Preparation of Rites to bring Machine Angel Ritual from the graveyard and Cyber Angel Benten from my deck and add them to my hand!" Both mentioned cards were added to Alexis' hand. "Now I play Fulfillment of the Contract to pay 800 life points and bring back Idaten!"

In a flash, Idaten returned to the field and flexed her muscles. (6/1600/2000)

Alexis: 800

Atticus: 3600

"And her effect brings back Ritual Weapon again!" Alexis countered as her equip card returned from her discard slot as well.

"Looks like she knows how to recycle her cards." Spencer nodded. "Very good."

"Now Machine Angel Ritual will sacrifice Idaten for Cyber Angel Benten!" the Obelis girl announced as the metal sheen covered the Field Spell. Idaten vanished as another Cyber Angel descended. She wore a tight suit, red and white colors mixed in while a golden tiara adorned her head. Her glowing green eyes staring straight at her opposition as she spun her chained nunchaku around before coming to a halt, the ends of the weapons spreading out into a fan. (6/1800/1500) "Then Ritual Weapon gives her 1500 ATK and DEF!"

Benten had the same purple sparkled aura around her. (6/1800-3300/1500-3000)

"Finally, the Spells Shrink to cut Akz the Pumer's ATK in half and Angel Wing equipped to my Cyber Angel!" She said as Benten sprouted a pair of beautiful white wings while Akz shrunk to half his size. (6/1500-750/1000) "Now attack Akz, the Pumer!"

The Cyber Angel used her fans and smacked down the beast-warrior, slapping him down for good.

Alexis: 800

Atticus: 1050

"And since I've done battle damage, you lose and extra 300 points!" Benten hit Atticus with her new wings.

Alexis: 800

Atticus: 750

"And finally, when Benten destroys a monster in battle, lose life points equal to the DEF of the destroyed monster!"

Atticus gasped, "But wait, Akz had 1000 DEF, so that means..."

"Shows over!" Alexis smiled as she finished her brother's sentence.

Then, a sparkly light enveloped Atticus as his Life Points were reduced to nothing.

Alexis: 800, Winner

Atticus: 0

"We could've been a hit!" The elder Obelisk dropped to his knees.

"We still love you!" Atticus' fan club shouted.

The audience cheered when the holograms disappeared.

"Alright, Alexis!" Kenji cheered.

"Good going!" Lily added.

"Uh... what did I miss...?" Chazz finally got back up. When he saw the end of the duel, he gasped. "I missed it!" He turned to Kenji. "You made me miss it!"

"I told you to tone it down, but you never listen." The ninja duelist said.

"Well who won?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it, Alexis won." Jachin said.

"But my record deal!" Crowler whined.

"Oh well," Spencer shrugged, "Besides, it's her choice for her future..."

Soon everyone else left the arena until it was only Alexis, Atticus and the rest of the gang.

"That was a great duel, Sissy!" Atticus praised.

"Thanks, but stop calling me 'Sissy.'" Alexis replied.

"Fair enough," the older brother sighed, "Anyway, I did all of this because I thought it was best for you. After all, you're my little sis and I want people to love you."

"And that's where I come in!" Chazz exclaimed as he jumped up. "I'll love her until death do us part!"

"And that's why we're doing this!" Kenji and Jachin shouted as he picked up the black coat Slifer and took him away from the conversation.

"I know you're trying to look out for me," Alexis stated. "But belong here with my friends..."

Atticus looked over to the group. Despite the number, he felt something was missing...

"Speaking of friends, you're two heads short," He said. "Oh yeah, what happened to Jaden and Claudio?"

That's when the group stopped the cheery mood...

"Long story..."

* * *

I know there was another scene about Jaden saying he was leaving Duel Academy, but he didn't leave until the next episode, so I stopped here. Also since I noticed mostly Beast-Warriors in Atticus' deck, why not make it that?

Spotlight

Continuous Spell

Select 1 monster you control. It gains 300 ATK. If the selected monster is removed from the field, you must select 1 other face-up monster you control.

Path to Destiny

Equip Spell

Equip only to a Beast-Warrior-Type monster. It can attack your opponent directly.

Cursed Ring

Normal Trap

Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Equip this card to the attacking monster. It cannot destroy a monster by battle.

Miracle Moment

Normal Trap

Activate only when a Beast-Warrior-Type monster you control equipped with "Path to Destiny" is destroyed. Special Summon 1 Bronze Warrior from your hand or Deck.

Bronze Warrior

EARTH

Level 4

500/1800

Once per turn, you can add 1 Beast-Warrior-Type monster from your Deck to your hand. While this face-up card is in Attack Position, all Beast-Warrior-Type monsters gain 400 ATK.

Ultimate Stage Costume

Field Spell

When you activate this card, select 1 face-up monster you control. It gains 3000 ATK and DEF. If that monster attacks, its ATK and DEF become their original values during the Damage Step only. If that monster is removed from the field, select 1 face-up monster you control and apply this card's effects to it.

(The above 7 cards were used by Atticus Rhodes in the GX episode: Pop Goes the Duel, all rights go to the creators.)

Cyber Angel Idaten

EARTH

Level 6

1600/2000

Fairy/Ritual/Effect

This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card "Machine Angel Ritual". When this card is Special Summoned, you can add 1 Spell Card from your graveyard to your hand.

(Used by Alexis Rhodes in the GX episode: Pop Goes the Duel. All rights go to the creators)

Double Cyclone

Quick-Play Spell

Destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card you control. Destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card your opponent controls.

(Used by Yusei in the 5D's episode: Yusei Fudo: 100% Chance of Defeat! All rights to the creators)

Impact Set

Equip Spell

Once per turn, you can flip 1 face-up monster your opponent controls face-down. (Flip Effects are not activated at this time). If you do, the equipped monster cannot declare an attack during this turn. When the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, send the top card of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, both players draw 1 card.

(Created by me and based off the effects of the spell Impact Flip.)

Cyber Angel Bishamonten (Based off the Seven Lucky Gods as are the rest of the Cyber Angel Set)

EARTH

Level 6

1700/1400

Fairy/Ritual/Effect

This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card "Machine Angel Ritual". When this card is Special Summoned, you can add 1 Equip Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.

Street Fighter Schoolgirl (Based off of Sakura from Street Fighter series)

EARTH

Level 4

1700/1000

Warrior

Text: A schoolgirl who took up fighting after watching a street fighting tournament. A little clumsy, but she still becomes a powerful fighter.

(The above two cards were created by me. All creative rights reserved to me.)

* * *

Next time: Chazz is fed up with all the attention Alexis gives to Kenji, and he decides to do something about it...

Please Read and Review! Later!


	11. The Fight for Her Heart

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 11: A Fight for Her Heart

The next day at class, Spencer Sojourner was doing roll call at his class...

"Syrus..."

"Here!"

"Melody..."

"Here!"

"Jaden..."

"..."

"Jaden?"

"..."

"Out of class," Spencer mused as he marked it on his attendance sheet. "Claudio..."

"..."

"Him too?" He frowned as he marked the sheet once more again. "What's going on with those two?"

Syrus let out a sigh, "Poor Jaden..."

Hassleberry then let out a sigh of his own. "Poor Jaden..."

Syrus let an even bigger sigh. "I miss him..."

Hassleberry followed suit with a giant sigh of his own. "I miss him..."

"Will you stop it!?" The little Ra snapped. "You're not even supposed to be in this class! So why don't you go already!?"

"Is that so?" Hassleberry scoffed. "Well, I got better things to do than sitting here in class! A true friend would be with him right now" He then got up from his seat and left as Bastion walked down the stairs and bumped into him.

"Pardon me," Bastion said.

"Outta my way!" The Dino duelist said as he continued his way out of class. "I got a best friend to check up on!"

Alexis, Lily and Allyson then made their way down to their seats.

"They're not in class?" Lily wondered.

"Jaden, I could see." Alexis replied. "But Claudio?"

"It must be serious." Allyson said. "Those duels couldn't be that traumatizing for them to skip class.

"I talked to Claudio earlier..."

The girls saw Melody looking sad as ever, seeing her in her seat.

"He couldn't so much as lift his guitar to cheer himself up." She said with a sigh. "Even with me being there didn't help. I hate seeing him like this."

"Whoa, that is serious!" Allyson gasped. "After what I've been hearing about Claudio's music, I never thought he'd stop playing!"

Chazz was staring at the group either sulking over Jaden and Claudio or how the rest of class paid attention to the work.

* * *

After a class, Kenji was leaning back onto the lighthouse on the docks. Last year, it was always the hangout of him, Alexis and Zane just talking with each other, far away from dueling. At first, it was about them gathering information about the Abandoned Dorm and searching for Atticus. Then, it was just them enjoying each others' company as they grew close. Zane, being the Senior had gave them helpful advice about being duelists. He was just enjoying the silence for the moment...

"I knew you'd be here..."

The ninja duelist turned to see Alexis walking up to him.

"I knew you'd be here, eventually," Kenji smiled. "Kinda feels weird without Zane being around."

"Yeah." The Cyber Girl replied. She then smiled as she said, "By the way, thanks for those deck ideal; I remember how tough Atticus was in our past duels."

"No problem, I thought he'd have that Red-Eyes deck to fight with," The ninja duelist figured. "But now, I'm thinking that's Nightshroud's deck. Especially with that Darkness Dragon in his deck."

"Please don't remind me," Alexis replied. "I'm just glad he's away from all that."

"Right, I'm sorry," Kenji sighed. "Anyway, I didn't know you were a singer or could sing. From how Bastion was joking, it must be true."

"Actually, Claudio and Melody we're helping me with a song." She admitted with a small blush. "I told them I wouldn't like to sing up stage right now, but we just sung a little to get it off my chest."

"Bet you were great, like I was!" The ninja duelist grinned.

"I'm pretty decent," Alexis played off.

"I bet you're phenomenal," Kenji continued, "You just don't want to make it your thing..."

"Exactly!" Alexis exclaimed. "Finally, someone understands!"

"Well, take a look at me," Kenji said. "Those times I sung were by choice and I had something to say to everyone. I'm not too big on performing as much as Claudio and Atticus would, but decided to have some fun while doing so."

Alexis snapped her fingers. "You have no idea, how much you helped me out!"

"How?"

* * *

At the Ra Yellow Dorm, Claudio was lying down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He occasionally looked at his deck, still seeing blank cards. Sighing, he put his deck away and tried to play his guitar, only to play way off-key. He groaned as he put his guitar away...

"What the heck happened to me?" He asked himself. "I shouldn't be feeling this bad about a loss or losing my mind for that matter. I can't see my cards or play my guitar! Like my creativity went out the window..." He then groaned, "What the Hell's going on with me!?"

* * *

Back at the lighthouse, the two Obelisks were continuing discussing current events. This time it led up to Pro League matches...

"Speaking of Zane, he lost his last two matches," Alexis stated. "Each one was worse than the last."

The ninja duelist shook his head. "What's going on? Is everyone that Aster beats suddenly not fit to duel?" He wondered. "For Zane, he's getting too predictable in his dueling to pose a worthy challenge. And then I can see it being hard to bounce back after a loss, but in Jaden's and Claudio's case it was weird that they lost sight of their own cards after their defeats."

"That is a problem," Alexis said. "And you know that Jaden and Claudio didn't come to class, right?"

"Yeah," Kenji replied. "I remember stopping by Claudio's dorm room, just to say hello. Before knocking, I could hear him playing his guitar. The problem was, he was playing way poorly."

"It's like that duel affected his thinking as well." The Obelisk girl figured. "But why?"

"I see; it depresses Jaden because dueling is where he is at his happiest and has the most fun." Kenji stated. "Then for Claudio, music has to be in tune with his dueling. So without his cards, he can't make the right notes on his guitar. After all, he also gets inspiration from them as they are based on real life musicians and bands."

Alexis sighed. "It gets worse now that the Slifer Dorm's in danger of being demolished. I spoke with Professor Sojourner earlier after class, he's not taking it well. He's trying to do everything he can but Crowler's not lifting a finger."

"So it's definitely Bonaparte who backing this plan," Kenji deduced. "Despite Crowler hating the Slifers, he wouldn't go as far as taking down a dormitory; he's risking his job. He only had animosity over Jaden because he handed him his defeat at the entrance exams." He then nodded firmly as he looked Alexis in the eye, "We need to get more people... sure we have a good number between us and the Slifers alone, but an entire army of students could back this up!"

"So, we just need to recruit the toughest duelist from the Slifer Dorm itself," Alexis pondered. "The first person we should go to is Jachin, if he hasn't tried making a move on his own."

"Yeah, it's more the Slifers' reason to fight, and he's one of the best they've got after Jaden." Kenji said. "And we need to see if the other kids from the other dorms can help; the right ones..."

Alexis nodded. "We should get to the Slifer Dorm and let everybody know."

"I'm right behind you!"

"Hold on!"

Both Obelisks turned to see Chazz walking up to them.

"What's up, Chazz?" Kenji asked.

"I, uh, need to speak to you in private..." He said.

"Something wrong?" Alexis asked.

"It's something I need to check with." The Black Coat Slifer stated.

Kenji raised an eyebrow before nodding, "Okay then. Alexis, go and tell the others, I'll talk with Chazz..."

"Sure." the Obelisk girl said as she ran off to the Red Dorm.

Once she was out of sight...

"Alright Chazz, what's going on?" The ninja duelist asked.

The black coat Slifer pulled out a duel disk and strapped it on. "Let's duel, Kenji!"

"You mean that's why you wanted Alexis to go?" Kenji wondered. "She could've watched, or probably want the chance in taking you on again."

"Look, I just want you to be at your best for defending the Slifer Dorm, okay!" Chazz said, "I overheard your plan from Alexis earlier, and it only works out if we're ALL at our best!"

The ninja duelist smirked, "Oh, you think I've gotten rusty over the summer? Well, allow me to prove you wrong!"

Kenji reached behind his back, underneath his blue blazer and pulled out his duel disk. Then, he slipped his left arm out of the blazer's sleeve and flexed it before strapping the device on.

"Flashy much?" Chazz scoffed.

"Just happy to duel a worthy opponent!" Kenji replied. "After all, you should be in Obelisk Blue after defeating Reggie. But maybe, you wouldn't have helped us defend the Red Dorm."

"Maybe, but let's stop talking and get this started!" Chazz said as he turned on his duel disk.

"Fair enough." Kenji noted as he turned on his as well.

"DUEL!" Both players shouted as they drew their opening hands.

Chazz: 8000

Kenji: 8000

"I'll go first!" Chazz announced, drawing his sixth card.

 _'I need to be careful since the Ojamas have annoying surprises in store...'_ Kenji thought.

"I start with Rescue Cat!" The Slifer announced, playing his Monster card. Not expecting to see anything like it in Chazz's deck, Kenji was met with a cute white kitten wearing a medical helmet and a whistle around its neck. (4/300/100)

"Wow, it's so... cute," The ninja duelist said as he was at a loss for words looking at the cat with Chazz.

"It won't be here for long, since I use its special ability!" Chazz announced as Rescue Cat vanished. "Once Rescue Cat is sent to the graveyard, I can summon up to two Beast-Type monsters in my deck so long as they don't go over level 3!" His deck ejected two cards from his deck, letting him retrieve it and then play them on his disk. "Ojama Blue and Ojama Green! Get out here!"

In two flashes of light, the named Ojama beasts appeared striking different poses.

 _"What's up?"_ Green said as he flexed his muscles. (2/0/1000)

 _"Hello..."_ Blue said as he stood up straight. (2/0/1000)

"Well, you're going to do something with them," Kenji mused. "Using Rescue Cat will cause them to be sent into the graveyard after this turn."

"Which is why I use Polymerization to fuse these geeks together to form the Ojama Knight in defense mode!" Chazz continued, revealing the Fusion card in his hand.

 _"See ya soon!"_ Both Ojamas yelled as they jumped into the fusion vortex and coming out was the armored Ojama Knight who landed on the field.

 _"I shall defend you, my Lord!"_ (5/0/2500) He said as he held up his shield.

"And while is out on the field, two of your monster slots are occupied!" Chazz declared.

In two poofs of smoke, the Ojamas' Grandparents appeared.

 _"Someone woke me from my nap..."_ Green Grandfather said.

 _"I thought you were awake..."_ Yellow Grandmother added.

"And finally, I'll set one card facedown and play Ground Collapse to lock out two more of your spaces!" The Black Coat duelist grinned, inserting the named Continuous Spell card into his disk. Suddenly, the two spaces on each side of the grandparents started to crack and break up, revealing lava at the bottom.

 _"I thought I had more years to live!"_ Old Green said.

" _I wanna go home!"_ Old Yellow whined.

"Oh great, I can only use one of my monster spots!" Kenji realized, staring at his field. "This isn't going to be easy."

"That's right and I like to see you win now!" The black coat Slifer stated. "I end my turn!"

"Never said I couldn't win. With one monster to fight with it's hard, but doable!" Kenji said as he drew his next card. He then smirked at the card he just drew and turned to Chazz with the same look. "Or maybe I can just forget the whole thing as I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke!" As he played the card, a ninja outfitted in silver armor and a mask appeared with a green garb over it. (4/1800/1000) "And when he attacks a face-up monster in defense mode, he automatically destroys it without damage calculation done to me! Go Double Kunai Thrust!"

Sasuke disappeared in a flash, confusing the Knight. The Ojama Knight raised his shield while turning in every direction for the ninja. However...

*SLASH!*

The ninja appeared behind the Ojama and struck a vulnerable spot in his armor and pierced through with the kunai!

 _"I have failed..."_ The knight gasped in a dying voice, as he shattered into pixels.

"You're gonna have to fight better than that!" Kenji stated as he set a facedown card. "It's your move!"

"I plan too!" Chazz shouted as he drew his next card. "And I got news for you: it won't be as easy as you think this time around! I play the Field Spell Ojama Country!" The Slifer opened up the side slot on his disk and inserted his card into it. Once closed, the field changed into the home of the Ojamas.

"I was wondering when I'd see this Field against me," the Ninja duelist said with a smile.

"You won't be smiling after this," Chazz stated. "Now I activate the Field's Special Ability!"

"You mean, there's more than the ATK/DEF swaps?" Kenji asked.

Chazz then held up his Ojama Yellow card as he announced, "Just watch, I discard Ojama Yellow from my hand..."

 _'Oh no!_ ' The yellow spirit yelled as he was sucked into the graveyard.

"... and it lets me bring back Ojama Blue from the graveyard.!"

The flat faced, blue Ojama appeared with a puzzling look. (2/0/1000)

"And you already know about the other effect of my Field Spell, so suffer Kenji!" Chazz grinned.

 _"Finally, I can fight!"_ Blue said, losing his laid-back personality. (2/0-1000/0)

While Sasuke's power was flipped as well, but felt fatigued for reasons unknown to him. (4/1800-1000/1000-1800)

"And finally, I use the Continuous Spell Card Solidarity!" Chazz continued as he showed off the Spell depicting the five Ojama Brothers holding hands in a cemetery. "Since only Beast Types are in my graveyard, Ojama Blue gains 800 ATK since he's a Beast too!"

 _"I feel the power!"_ Blue shouted as a green aura surrounded him. (2/1000-1800/0) _"This is awesome!"_

"Whoa, you finally got more support for those guys!" The Ninja Duelist gasped. "Man, you really do care about these guys more than you let on."

"Don't push it," the Slifer scoffed. "Now watch this! Ojama Blue attack!"

 _"Oh, happy day! I'm not the punching bag anymore!"_ Blue shouted as he ran up to the ninja and jumped into the air...

"I activate my facedown card, Shadow Clone!" Kenji countered as he activated his Quick-Play Spell, showing Ninja Soldier Katana performing a hand sign with a shadow of another ninja appearing behind him. "Since I have a ninja on the field, I can summon another from my hand or deck up to the same level as the one current on the field." A card slipped out of his deck, letting him play it on the duel tray. "And the great part about this, thanks to your field spell helps out my Ninja Kisaragi!"

A young kunoichi appeared wearing a navy blue tank-top with a white Hawaiian flowered design underneath a sleeveless dark-gray vest. Both stop just below the rib-cage, revealing the midriff. She also wore khaki shorts folded back over a blue belted hip-pack, resting across her right hip and a blue and white bandanna. (4/500-2000/2000-500)

"Darn it!" Chazz cringed at the now powerful ninja Monster. "I can still take out your other one! The one I wanted to fight."

"Take this!" Blue shouted as he dove straight down and head-slapped the grandmaster, destroying him into pixels.

Chazz: 8000

Kenji: 7200

"And I'll leave it at that!" Chazz concluded.

"Nice to see you bonding with your spirits," Kenji said as he drew his next card.

"Cut the nice guy act!" The black coat Slifer scoffed. "Get your turn over with!"

"If you say so, I'll do this, summon the Undercover Ninja!" The ninja duelist shrugged as he played his next card.

Instead of appearing on Kenji's side, a puff of smoke took a space on Chazz's field. What appeared was a ninja dressed... in an Ojama Yellow suit? (1/50-0/0-50)

"Two things," Chazz wondered, "One, what's it doing wearing a Ojama suit and two, why's he on my field?"

"Hey turnabout is fair play on taking up spaces on my field!" The ninja duelist replied with an accusing finger pointed at his opponent. "I can Special Summon it to your side, but I can't Normal Summon this turn. Furthermore, being undercover, I get to peek at your hand!"

Holographic images of the two cards in Chazz's hand appeared. It showed Ojamadala and a new Ojama monster, Ojama Angel.

"A new Ojama, huh? You've been hiding some new spirits?" Kenji smirked.

"It's none of your business!" Chazz shouted.

"Hate to say this, but it kinda is..." Kenji said as he pointed to the holographic hand. "Now I know what card I'm taking once Kisaragi attacks!" The kunoichi dashed over to Chazz's side and slashed down Ojama Blue with a giant shuriken out of nowhere.

 _"NO! I was finally being an attacker!"_ Blue shouted as he shattered into pixels.

Chazz: 7800

Kenji: 7200

"And since she damaged you, Kisaragi takes a card from your hand!" Kenji stated as the ninja swiped a card from the black coat Slifer, turning out to be the Spell, Ojamadala. "At least the Normal ones won't be back. They're more of the dangerous ones with the Spells and Traps related to them."

"Then I'll just activate Ojama Blue's effect," Chazz stated as two cards slipped out his deck, letting him retrieved, "I can grab two cards from my deck related to the Ojamas! And I'd have to show the cards anyway, so here they are: Ojama Resurrection Project and Ojama Aqua!"

"More new cards?" Kenji said, feeling shocked. He then Set three facedown cards behind his Ninjas and concluded with, "Let's see you battle with them!"

"Famous last words!" Chazz grinned as he drew his next card, revealing to be the Spell Double Summon. He then inserted that Spell into his disk. "Now see my cards in action! First, Double Summon will allow two Normal Summons this turn, and then I play the Continuous Spell card, Ojama Resurrection Project!"

The Spell he activated depicted Ojama Yellow inside a capsule machine with another yellow Ojama with wings and a gray Ojama with red horns on his forehead.

"At the cost 1000 Life points, I can summon my new Ojamas, Ojama Angel and Ojama Aqua!" He announced, playing his two new monster cards.

Chazz: 6800

Kenji: 6200

The first new Ojama was the winged one in the spell card with a happy smile on his face. He also wore the trademark red bikini briefs. (2/0-1000/1000-0)

The second was a light green with a goofy smile on his face and wore a loin cloth over the bikini briefs. (2/0-1000/1000-0)

"And don't forget, Solidarity's still on the field and I still have only Beast-Types, giving them both 800 ATK!" Chazz explained as both Ojamas felt a green aura surround them. (2/1000-1800/0) x2

"Unless they can do something for themselves and you, you're only helping me out keeping my Ninja with 2000 ATK!" The ninja duelist declared.

"How about this?" Chazz smirked. "Ojama Angel attack him directly!"

Kenji gasped at the command, "What!?"

 _'At once, master...'_ The winged Ojama replied with a soft voice. He flew up to the sky and head-butted Kenji in the gut.

Chazz: 6800

Kenji: 4400

"Why would Alexis want you to join up in saving the red dorm, when you can't beat weak Ojamas!" Chazz grinned.

"Because I'm resourceful, like this!" Kenji's trap activated as he discarded one of the two cards in his hands, "I activate Damage Condenser! By discarding one card from my hand I can summon a monster in my deck with ATK as the same the amount of damage I just took. Also," He flipped up another facedown card, a Quick-Play Spell. "I chain it with Emergency Provisions sending Damage Condenser and this facedown card, which happens to be Ojamadala by the way, and gain 1000 life points for each one!"

Both of Kenji's cards vanished into sparkles that revitalized Kenji's points.

Chazz: 6800

Kenji: 6400

"Plus, I'm having Damage Condenser summon Ninja Reptile from my deck!" the ninja continued as another ninja appeared clad in black pants and boots covering his lower body, along with a black sleeveless shirt and open hood. Green light armor covered his forearms and lower legs, while an open V-shaped green vest protected his torso, extending to a matching small fauld and loincloth. If you'd look into his eyes, you'd see reptilian slit pupils. (4/900-2000/2000-900)

"Now Chazz, I see you have no other plans for this move," Kenji smirked, "Unless you plan to suicide your Ojama monster!"

Chazz growled. "I end my turn!"

"Lighten up," Kenji said as he drew his next card. "I summon Ninja Commander Ikusa!" In a puff of smoke, a ninja in dark green armor, katana and a black mouth mask appeared. (3/700/700) "Now let's clear your field and end this duel, first Ninja Kisaragi attacks Ojama Angel!" Kisaragi threw small shuriken at the flying Ojama, shattering him to pixels.

Chazz: 6600

Kenji: 6400

"Next, Ninja Reptile attacks Ojama Aqua!" He continued as Reptile flipped over to Chazz's side and dealt a double kick to the fat Ojama, shattering him to pixels.

Chazz: 6400

Kenji: 6400

"Thanks for that!" Chazz grinned, "When Ojama Aqua's destroyed in battle, I can summon another Ojama from my deck or hand!" He then retrieved another card that slipped out from his deck and grinned. "Meet the new Ojama Devil!"

 _"Mwhahahaha!"_ A grey Ojama beast appeared with two devil horns and the trademark bikini briefs. (5/0-800/?) _"I have arrived!"_

"And if you're wondering about the non-existent DEF," Chazz continued, "He gets 1000 for every Ojama monster in my graveyard and in case you missed out on the math, it's 7!"

"No!" Kenji gasped as he saw the devil's power rise. (5/800/?-7000)

"And don't forget the original ATK and DEF are swapped, meaning the devil actually gas 7800 ATK!"

 _"It's good to be evil!"_ The devil smirked as he grew to a giant. (5/800-7800/7000-0)

' _Well Chazz, you really have gotten better,'_ Kenji thought with a smile. _'In the past, you were arrogant about your power. Now you're using that 'arrogance' to hide your real strength.'_ He then frowned, ' _But you're also hiding something about this duel. I will make you reveal it!'_ He then inserted his last card into his disk. "I place my last card facedown. Let's see what else you can do..."

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, Jachin sitting his dorm room awaiting something.

 _"Hey, pal!"_

Jachin was met with the spirit of Phaeton who appeared out of nowhere and zoomed into his deck. "What did you find out?" He asked.

"As you thought, something was in that deck of Masaki's," The Persona Spirit said. "But before I was able to pin it down, it extinguished itself."

"What did it look like?" the Persona duelist asked.

"Get this, it was a Dark Light!" Phaeton said with disbelief in his own voice.

"Dark Light?" Jachin asked. "Never heard of something like that!"

"I'm with you," Phaeton shrugged. "I don't know what it means, but it certainly messed with Claudio's head. And I bet you when Aster beat Jaden, the same thing happened."

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Hello?" A girl's voice answered, causing Phaeton to vanish into Jachin's deck.

"It's open, Alexis," Jachin said as he recognized the voice. The door opened up to reveal the Cyber Girl duelist. "What's going on?" He asked.

"You heard about the Slifer Dorm's condition right?" Alexis said to him.

"Oh yeah," The Persona duelist nodded, "I don't know why they're doing it since there are students here, me being one of them. And they're tearing this dorm down?"

"I know which is why I'm asking to help out in defending your dorm," Alexis stated. "I may be an Obelisk, but I believe in fairness to the students and I don't consider kicking out the Slifers for being the lowest rank to be fair. After all, Slifers have defeated higher ranks to gain recognition and be promoted."

"Well, I was already on board the moment I heard, but I never knew I had to enlist in a group." The Persona duelist chuckled as he nodded. "I'm in."

"Good, I just need you to inform the rest of the Slifers about this and find anyone able to help out." She said.

"Alrighty, you can count on me." Jachin said.

"Then, I'll go talk to Kenji and Chazz tell them the news." Alexis said as she walked out the dorm room, leaving Jachin to spread the word...

* * *

"My turn!" Chazz smirked as he drew his, it was Ojama Black. "Time to go bye-bye! Ojama Devil, attack his Ninja Commander with Devil Shock!"

 _"Goodnight!"_ The devil said as he rushed at the ninja and destroyed him with giant waves of fire that he unleashed from his mouth...

"You got my monster," Kenji stated as he revealed his facedown card, "But with Defense Draw I don't take any Battle Damage, plus I draw a card!" As the trap flashed, an emerald shield blocked the flames from the Obelisk as he drew another card.

"Almost had you!" Chazz yelled. "I'll just do this; I'll discard Ojama Black to Special Summon Ojama Blue in defense mode!"

 _"Not again... and I don't even have defense points now!"_ Blue whined as he returned to the field in a flash. (2/0-1800/1000-0)

"Now take your turn!" Chazz concluded.

"Gladly!" Kenji said as he drew his next card. _'Okay, Mystical Space Typhoon, perfect! But I can't destroy that project card since it he has Ojama monsters out. And it's a tough call on making the play of demolishing that field spell yet. My ninjas have higher attack power now... and Ground Collapse has been hindering summoning my monsters quickly.'_ He then looked at his present hand made his choice. "Ikusa attack, Ojama Blue!"

Ikusa jumped into the air and threw three shuriken that impaled the blue Ojama.

"I'll take Ojama Red and Ojamarking to my hand!" Chazz took the mentioned cards to his hand. "Also, you made my Ojama Devil 1000 ATK stronger!"

" _I will finish you!"_ the Devil roared as he gained more power. (5/7800-8800/0)

"Now, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Ojama Country!" Kenji countered, revealing his Spell card.

Chazz and Ojama Devil screamed as a giant storm appeared and shattered every home and acre of the Field Spell. It also made the Ojama Devil shrink as his power was swapped with his defense. (5/8800-800/0-8000)

The ninjas Kisaragi and Reptile had their power swapped as well. (4/2000-500/500-2000), (4/2000-900/900-2000)

Also Undercover Ninja had his power swapped as well. (1/0-50/50-0)

"Let's continue the fight, Reptile attack Ojama Devil!" Kenji commanded. The green ninja rushed in and karate chopped the evil Ojama down for the count.

 _"I won't forget this!"_ He said he was destroyed.

Chazz: 6300

Kenji: 6400

"Next, I set my last card facedown and end my turn!" Kenji declared.

 _'He's only sparing the ninja on my side so he can continue to look at my hand.'_ Chazz thought _. 'But even he can't stop what's coming...'_ He drew his card, revealing to be Graceful Charity. "Perfect! I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two of them!"

Kenji watched as the cards his opponent drew were De-Fusion, Spellbook Inside the Pot and Magical Scientist. He then discarded Ojama Red and Ojamarking.

"Now then, I summon Magical Scientist!" Chazz announced, playing his Monster card. An old man wearing a lab coat and shades appeared. (1/300/300) "Next, I'll use his special ability to pay 1000 Life Points..."

Chazz: 5300

Kenji: 6400

"To summon a Fusion Monster up to level 6, and who better than Ojama King!" The Slifer continued as his best Fusion Monster appeared on the field.

 _"Hello to all the little people!"_ The giant Ojama announced. (6/0-800/3000)

"And guess what? Since Ojama's Kings on the field, I can bring this Spell card to my hand!" Chazz then revealed his Spell card called Mecha Ojama King Transformation.

"Huh?" Kenji wondered. "That's a new one as well."

"More on that later," Chazz continued as he activated his Quick-Play Spell, "Now I play De-Fusion will separate him into the three Ojamas: Yellow, Black and Green from my graveyard!" King vanished bringing back the original Ojama Trio in three multicolored lights.

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

"HELLO!"

They cheered as they appeared. (2/0-800/1000) x3

"Then, I use Spellbook Inside the Pot!

Kenji and Chazz drew out their three cards, as per the Spell's rule. The latter's cards were Shield Attack, Ojama Trio and Ojama Delta Hurricane.

"Crud..." Kenji muttered as he saw the last card.

"That's right, here comes the hurt!" The black coat Slifer exclaimed as he activated the last card, "Boys, it's time for the spin!"

 _"Give me an O!" Yellow cheered._

 _"Give me a Ja!" Green followed._

 _"Give me a Ma!" Black added._

 _"What's that spell?"_

 _"OJAMA!"_

All three Ojamas combined their bikini-clad rears together and spun rapidly into a hurricane surrounding Kenji's side of the field and blowing everything up in a huge explosion!

"Now, remember Magical Scientist?" Chazz smirked, "I can pay 1000 Life Points again to bring back the Ojama King!"

Chazz: 4300

Kenji: 6400

"The King is HERE!" The giant Ojama returned as the other Ojamas cheered for their king. (8/0-800/3000)

"Now, I activate Mecha Ojama King Transformation!" Chazz announced, playing his new Spell card. It shined a white light on the King. Once it disappeared, the Ojama King was transformed into a machine version of itself! (6/0/3000)

"Now I see, you're planning on shutting me down right here! And because Ojama King was summoned with Magical Scientist, he couldn't make a direct attack!" Kenji realized.

"Your ninja skills don't fail ya, huh?" Chazz taunted, playing his Equip Spell, "And with Shield Attack powering up my King by his DEF, you're out of luck!"

"Ha Ha Ha!" The metal Ojama laughed. (6/0-3000/3000-0)

"Let's hit go, first up Ojama Trio Attackl"

 _"Listen up little dudes, hop to it!"_ Mecha Ojama King commanded.

"You got it!" The Ojamas said as Yellow dealt a kick, Green with a punch, and Black with a head-butt that would have been nothing at first, but combined Kenji staggered back a few feet.

"They pack a punch when they stop making cheers," The ninja duelist frowned, rubbing his chest.

Chazz: 4300

Kenji: 4000

"Next, Mecha Ojama King, attack with King Laser!"

 _"Say Cheese!"_ The King fired yellow lasers from his eyestalks knocking Kenji down on his back.

Chazz: 4300

Kenji: 1000

"Now, Magical Scientist attacks with Acid Beaker!"

The scientist pulled out a beaker with green liquid. He shook it hard, making it bubble and tossed it at Kenji when he got up, making him jump.

Chazz: 4300

Kenji: 700

"I'll end my turn with this, but you already know what it is." Chazz stated as he set Ojama Trio facedown.

"Yup," Kenji said as he drew for his turn.

"Then you won't mind if I activate it!" Chazz announced, activating Ojama Trio. "Now the Ojamas Tokens crash your side of the field, taking up the only three monster spots you have left! And when they're destroyed, you lose 300 points for each one, meaning once they're gone, Alexis will see you as a joke!"

The three Ojamas appeared at Kenji's feet taunting him. (2/0/1000) x3

"Wait a minute!" Kenji gasped as he looked at Chazz dead in the eye. "You mean that's the reason you wanted to duel! Just so you can get with Alexis!"

"That's right, I'm eliminating the competition for her heart!" The black coat Slifer said as he pointed accusingly at the Obelisk. "I noticed how close you were today while you were talking with her. Smooth move, Casanova!"

"If you mean spying on us earlier, I already know about that," Kenji sighed as he shook his head.

"What!?"

"You keep forgetting where I come from," Kenji stated with a smile, "Ninjas are one with their environment and have keen senses. So I could sense you hiding near the docks with my ears." He smiled.

"Aw man, so you knew what I was planning?" Chazz groaned.

"No, you still had me surprised," the ninja duelist frowned, "I actually thought you were seeing if I was 'good enough' for helping out the Red Dorm. But now I know your true nature about this duel, I'm really going to have to kick your butt!"

"How you're gonna do that with your Monster Zones filled up?" Chazz asked.

"This," Kenji smirked as he revealed the card he drew, "Token Thanksgiving! It destroys all Tokens on the field and gives me 800 Life Points for each one! I knew if I had to face you, I'd run into your strategy of filling up my Monster Zones. And Ojama Trio now gives me some much needed health!"

The Ojama Tokens screamed as they shattered into pixels.

Chazz: 4300

Kenji: 3100

"Of course, I lose 900 because they were destroyed," Kenji continued as three puffs of smoke hit Kenji around the chest...

Chazz: 4300

Kenji: 2200

"But I'm still in!" Kenji said. "And I have three Monster zones, yet again!"

Chazz growled.

"Now then, I summon a new ninja to the field, meet Ninja Edge!" Kenji announced, bringing out Monster Card on his disk. Appearing in a fast break of wind came a silver-haired ninja clad in a sliver cape over his black shirt and white pants. He set up his fighting stance. (4/1800/1200)

"I'm not scared of that ninja!" Chazz said.

"Oh, I'm not done yet," Kenji continued, inserting an Equip Spell into his disk, "I equip Edge with Fuhma Shuriken giving him 700!" The ninja collected some small shuriken that had unknown Kanji on them. (4/1800-2500/1200) "Now then, I think it's time to attack my Undercover Ninja since you failed to put him in defense mode!"

Chazz gasped as he forgot that fact, staring at the disguised ninja.

"Go Edge, attack with Blitz!" the ninja duelist commanded. The ninja performed hand signs until his hands were surrounded in electricity. He then thrusts his fists towards the Undercover Ninja and shocks him into submission.

Chazz: 1850

Kenji: 2200

"Now I can activate Edge's effect," He continued, "By destroying an equip card equipped to him to the graveyard, I can hit you with 600 points of damage! Of course, Fuhma Shuriken's own effect will add on to that dealing you an extra 700 points! Meaning 1300 points of damage!"

Edge took out the special shuriken and tossed them at Chazz who blocked with his duel disk. (4/2500-1800/1200)

Chazz: 550

Kenji: 2200

"And with this facedown, I'm set!" Kenji concluded as a reversed card appeared at his feet.

"Now you're just gonna lose, once I attack with all of my monsters!" Chazz said as he drew his next card.

"I rather not continue this duel," Kenji replied with frown. "The reasons for this duel are completely stupid!"

"Then you don't mind if I take you down..."

"Actually, I'm negotiating a Ceasefire..."

Kenji's facedown card revealed the trap card Ceasefire.

"With this card, all face-down monster flip face up without any effects," Kenji explained. "But we can just skip to the real effect, dealing you 500 points of damage for every effect monster on the field. And there's two on the field!" A red aura shined on Ninja Edge and Mecha Ojama King.

"That means... I lost." Chazz muttered as the same red aura surrounded him, taking away the rest of his Life Points.

Chazz: 0

Kenji: 2200, Winner

All the holograms disappeared as Kenji walked over to the fallen Slifer.

"Go ahead, gloat how you won her." Chazz growled.

"I never saw her as a prize to be won." Kenji stated. "Although I am mad at you. You only wanted this duel to win Alexis over, shouldn't her friendship be enough to you? Because in the end, it's her choice to see who she wants to be with. Even if she doesn't want to be with me."

"So you do like her?" Chazz gasped.

"To what you're implying, yes I do," Kenji admitted. "But I'm okay with just being friends for now since doesn't see herself looking for a boyfriend. I won't pressure her into something she doesn't want at present."

Chazz sighed. "So you're gonna tell how I duped you..."

"Hey guys!"

Alexis shouted as she walked back to the docks, just as Kenji was about to reply to Chazz's question. The Obelisk girl saw that both boys had duel disk on their arms and a few cards on them.

"You guys were dueling?" She asked. "What for?"

"Uh..."

"Chazz was just afraid that I could be holding you guys back on defending the dorm," Kenji said, stunning the black coat Slifer out his explanation. "Of course he didn't voice it with all the taunting, but that's his style."

"You won, right?" She asked.

"Of course!" The ninja duelist grinned. "And I should be thanking Chazz, with those new strategies he used and just using the Ojama cards as well."

"Really," Alexis wondered as she turned to Chazz. "So how did they work out for you?"

Shaking himself from the shock of Kenji's mannerisms, he found his voice and stated. "It still needs some work if I have to keep using these freaks..."

 _"But we're your freaks, boss!"_ The Ojama Spirits came out of his deck, prompting to Chazz to growl and leave. Kenji chuckled at the spirits and their partner's annoyance to them.

"What's so funny?" Alexis asked.

"Something that Chazz said during our duel, but I don't wanna embarrass the guy." Kenji replied and waved off. "It's his business for the moment. Anyway, what's going on with the Slifer Dorm?"

"I talked to Jachin and he's talking to the rest of the Slifers now." She said.

"But what about Masaki?" the Ninja Duelist asked. "Isn't he apart of Claudio's problem of not seeing his cards?"

"Jachin will probably take care of that," Alexis replied, "But I thought of something; when people accused Masaki. If he intentionally did whatever he did to Claudio, wouldn't he just leave it be like Aster did to Jaden?"

"Now that I think on it, it was like he saw a ghost the way Claudio collapsed." Kenji pondered. "But for now let's go see about the other kids who can help out."

"Right!"

* * *

We're finally getting some recruiting happening! And the other two dorms are next!

Ninja Edge (Based off of Final Fantasy IV's ninja class character.)

Level 4

1800/1200

Warrior/Effect

You can send 1 Equip Spell Card equipped to this card to the Graveyard to inflict 600 Damage to your opponent.

(My own creative card. Creative credit goes to me, but Edge himself is credited to Square-Enix!)

Ojama Resurrection Project

type: continuous spell card

Picture: Ojama Yellow on a machine with Ojama Angel on one side of him and Ojama Devil on the other.

Effect: This card cannot be destroyed by Spell or Trap cards when there are Ojama monsters on the field. When you activate this card, pay 1000 life points.

Ojama Angel

Level: 2

Type: Beast

Attribute: Light

Picture:(The flying Ojama in Ojama country)

Atk/Def:0/1000

effect: This card can only be played if Ojama Resurrection project is on the field, this card can attack the opponent directly.

Ojama Devil

Level: 5

Type: Beast

Attribute: Light

Picture:(The Ojama that kicked Ojama yellow down the stairs in Ojama country)

Atk/Def:0/?

effect: This card can only be played if Ojama Resurrection Project is on the field, The cards defense power is determined by the number of Ojama cards in the graveyard or removed from play x 1000.

Ojama Aqua

Level: 4

Type: Beast

Attribute: Light

Picture:(The Ojama that is laughing near Ojama Green and Black in Ojama country)

Atk/Def: 0/1000

effect: This card can only be played if Ojama Resurrection Project is on the felid, when this card is sent to the graveyard, Special Summon 1 Ojama monster to the field from your deck or hand.

(The top 4 cards are created by Trickymander. All rights go to him.) (Nice work on creating cards on the other Ojamas!)

Mecha Ojama King Transformation

Normal Spell

Tribute 1 face-up "Ojama King" to Special Summon 1 "Mecha Ojama King" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard. If you control a face-up "Ojama King", you can add this card from your Deck to your hand.

Mecha Ojama King

LIGHT

Machine/Effect

Level 6

0/3000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Mecha Ojama King Transformation". Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 "Ojamachine" monster from your hand or Deck

(The top two cards were used by Chazz Princeton in the GX episode. Champion or Chazz-been? All rights to the creators)

Undercover Ninja

DARK

Warrior/Effect

Level 1

50/0

Can be Special-Summoned to the opponent's field but then you can't conduct your Normal Summon this turn. Can only be removed from the field by being destroyed. Controller of the card reveals their entire hand as long as this monster in on their field.

(Created by Psycho Duelist. All rights go to him.)

Next Chapter: The gang is in the midst of recruiting from the Ra and Obelisk Dorms. Having caught wind of this, Bonaparte pits Fonda Fontaine against Spencer Sojourner in an attempt to stop this plan. But she's a nice girl, surely she wouldn't stop a dorm from being demolished...

Please Read and Review! Later!


	12. Dueling Teacher Feature

Alrighty, it's time for the Slifer Headmaster to duel and for an added bonus give the Obelisk Headmistress some duel action! Also, I changed up the dialogue surrounding the stage names of Atticus and Alexis in Chapter 11. As for anyone's information, I knew what Bucky and Asuryn meant but still wanted to put it in. But since we're being nitpicky, I put the English version back on. So excuse me, if I offended anyone...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 12: Dueling Teacher Feature

* * *

The weekend had arrived as Spencer sat in an office in the main building thinking about what he was doing. As the newest edition to the faculty, he wanted to make sure his actions would change the way the Slifers were viewed. He was happy that it was underway as duelists like Jethro, Jeremy, and Syrus had improved so much to be higher ranked. However, it was like a double-edged sword for him as Bonaparte used those chances to 'steal' the best students away from Slifer Red Dorm in order to condemn the rest who wanted to improve as well. Still, in was in for a fight.

"I've been beating this into their thick skulls and still they ignore that the Slifer Dorm should stay," He growled as he poured himself a cup of cofee. "I'm starting to think they hired me just to fill the position in." He sighed as he took a sip of his drink. "And this place hasn't changed since my days in the Obelisk Dorm... They still think they're the best because of money and connections getting them their cards. But they use them to bully the lower ranked dorms, instead of bettering themselves."

"Still we need to be thankful for the nicer Obelisks who respect their opponents."

The Slifer Headmaster looked up from his cup and saw the Obelisk Headmistress, Fonda Fontaine.

"Hey there Miss Fontaine." He greeted his fellow colleague.

"Rough week?" She asked.

"Pretty much; I figure coming back to this school to teach would bring back the good memories." Spencer said, but then sighed "All it's done is creating a problem between me and certain people for being a Slifer Headmaster."

"What for?" She asked. "I hear the kids are quite taken with you."

"Sure, the kids are... Bonaparte isn't..."

"Oh I see..."

"The little man is seriously considering of dumping the Slifer Dorm because of them being the lowest rank." Spencer scoffed. "It's ludicrous."

Fonda gasped. "But that's insane! Does he have a good reason?"

"Aside from his and Crowler's constant planning of getting Duel Academy publicity, it's the only reason why he wants it down." The Slifer Red Headmaster groaned.

"Well that's terrible!" The Obelisk Headmistress stated. "They can't just tear the dorm, leaving all the Slifers out because of their rank!"

"Exactly... I've been to the Academy a few years ago, and I've only been in Obelisk Blue," Spencer admitted, "But I know potential from the Reds. Sure, I had connections but I never once used them other than to get home and back. If I dueled one of a lower rank, because it was assigned for me to help them improve."

"So what do you plan on doing?" Fonda asked. "They won't listen to you or the Slifer Red students."

"Which is why everybody's trying to get some Ra Yellows and Obelisk Blues to join the petition," Spencer smiled. "I already got Jeremy and Syrus on board, in fact it's like they never left. And because of Crowler's earlier stunt, Melody and Alexis are in as well. Also, Kenji, Hassleberry, Allyson and Bastion are in as well."

"That should be enough already." She smiled.

"Just in case, we're gathering more," Spencer assured her, "And maybe that'll be enough to open up their eyes and ears..."

"You have my support!" Fonda nodded. "I trust that you'll take care of the girls while this is going on."

Unknowingly, a short, bald Vice-Chancellor listened to the entire thing...

 _'Not until I plan something, monsieur!'_

* * *

Currently at the Ra Yellow Dorm, Syrus, Jeremy and Melody gathered up a few friends they know would help out...

"Hey guys, glad you could make it!" Syrus said.

"It is a weekend, we got time." Alex said as he shrugged. "I just want this year to be over and done with."

"Of course, some of us have homework to do..." Lyra added with a dull tone. "I should catch up on that..."

"We got a lot of time for it..." Vincent said to her. "So let's hear them out..."

"Thank you," Melody said. "Have you heard about Bonaparte trying to tear down the Slifer Dorm?"

"Really?" Vincent asked. "I thought they were bluffing about that!"

"Apparently when Aster beat Jaden, to Bonaparte, it showed how 'weak' the Slifers were." Jeremy said. "Also that match was too close that anyone could have won."

"That sucks!" Alex shouted. "One rare loss on Jaden's record and they dog down the rest! And here I thought Mrs. Crowler was bad!"

"A very cruel world we live in..." Lyra stated. "Although, it's worthless to just take out one dorm for someone else's gain..."

"And we're not letting them take down that dorm!" Jeremy added on. "We figured the Slifers won't be heard, the 'better' dorms will be once we move into the Slifer Dorm!"

"Wait, move in?" Vincent asked.

"It's the only way to stop them from getting any ideas." Melody said. "They won't dare to demolish dorm with so many of their promising students inside!"

"Thrilling..." Lyra said dryly, until a shadow of a smile appeared on her face. "I like to see them try..."

"Let's hope they don't try at all..." Syrus cringed.

"I'm saying, I'm in on saving the dorm..." The Infernity duelist said. "Also, it's... good to work with my upperclassmen..."

"Oh good..." The Vehicroid duelist sighed.

"I'll join up..." Alex grinned. "If anyone tries to stop us, I'll smash 'em down!"

"And I don't want to see anybody get cheated out of their right to become Pro Duelists." Vincent said. "Count me in!"

"Great!" Melody said, but then sighed as she looked up at the Yellow Dorm, "I just wish Claudio was well enough to help..."

* * *

At the Obelisk Blue Boys Dorm, Kenji was talking with Allen, Jethro and Alister in one of the recreational rooms.

"Thanks for coming, guys..." The ninja duelist said.

"No problem!" Jethro said. "I was just going over to the Red Dorm and see how things were going with the ol' place."

"Actually, it's just the thing I was going to tell you about," Kenji said. "And it is bad news, by the way..."

"What, they plan to do something with the Slifers?" Alister asked.

"Yeah, tear down their dorm and kick them out." Kenji said with a frown.

"WHAT!" The three Obelisk Boys shouted.

"Okay, I haven't been around long, but just tearing down their dorm?" Allen asked. "It's crazy!"

"Try insane!" Alister added. "What did the Slifers do to get blacklisted like that?"

"Just being the lowest rank dorm." Jethro figured as he shook his head as he figured out the reason. "And I'm not standing for that! It's where I started, even though I was supposed to be here at Obelisk before that Shadow Rider fiasco! Heck, I'm grateful for staying a Slifer for that long! Taught me more respect for all duelists."

"Well don't think about turning your blazer yet, cowboy," Kenji said, calming the Desperado Duelist down, "Think about it; they're weeding out the weak and that's supposed to be the Slifer Dorm."

"Yeah, but you see more Slifers getting recognition," The Fairu Duelist shrugged. "Despite Jaden's loss, he's still a powerful duelist..."

"That's probably embarrassing the higher ups." The Guardian Duelist stated. "Well, the Chancellors anyway..."

"Actually, it's just Bonaparte," Kenji interjected. "He feels that the school will get more publicity with the Yellow and Blue dorms, which are supposed to house the best duelists..."

"Well, I got a feeling the Slifers are getting some of the best to move in!" Alister grinned.

"I believe in a fair community, myself." Allen said and smiled. "Let me join up!"

"And, you know my answer!" Jethro smiled. "I'm still the same Slifer that can deal and duel!"

Kenji chuckled. "So, see you at the Red Dorms?"

"You bet!" The boys said.

* * *

Finally, at the Girls' side, Alexis and Allyson had to grab another set of friends. The funny part is that their set of friends had already knew the move...

"So, we're finally going to help the Red Dorm?" Lily asked.

"Yup!" Alexis smiled. "Figures you'd be on top of this!"

"Hey, you know something would be coming around with the amount of gossip at this school." Erika said.

"Luckily, it was good for us that it spread around like it was 'going' to happen." Allyson added. "And since you know about the Red Dorm's trouble, you can help defend it since Obelisk are supposed to be the golden children around here."

"I like to see them demolish it now." The Dragon duelist smiled.

"Especially with us women taking charge!" Erika added, earning laughs from the others.

* * *

Later that day, all the people recruited now gathered up at the Slifer Dorm where Spencer was standing in front of the students and spoke to Alexis.

"Wow, we got enough to fill the dorm rooms." The Headmaster said with a smile. "And you even got better duelists of each dorm to come around."

"We figured it would be best if our friends joined up, seeing as the rest of the student body still looks down on the Slifers." Alexis stated.

"Things will change for the better, Miss Rhodes," The Slifer Headmaster said. He then walked up to the group of Ras and Obelisks. "Everyone may I have your attention please?"

The students all calmed down, hearing their teacher call out them.

"First, thanks for making the sacrifice of leaving your dorms to help out the Slifers," He announced. "I know that the rest of them would not be convinced and would even back up the move to tear down this dorm. But anyway, I know all of you are tired of getting publicity forced on you all as you just come to learn. Also, like you, I feel that it's unfair that the Slifers are getting the disrespect from the faculty who looks down on them and is still continuing because of ranks and the families they come from. But with students like you all who don't care about ranks and see all students as friends and respectful rivals, we hope we can change the face of Duel Academy!"

The students cheered and applauded.

"Alright, I will now get you settle into the unoccupied dorms and try to fit you with the appropriate people..."

"Stop right there, Sojourner!"

Everyone stopped and turned around to see Bonaparte walking up to them with the Disciplinary Action Squad behind him.

"Mr. Bonaparte, what a surprise!" Spencer said. "You're just in time to hear our proposal..."

"That's Vice-Chancellor to you!" Bonaparte yelled. "And I like to tell you are violation of trying to room Ra and Obelisks students in inappropriate lodging... so this meeting is over!"

The students got angry over this until Spencer waved his hand, calming them down...

"And it is my right to tell you that demolishing dorms without authorization of the Chancellor, being Crowler, is a violation in its own right." The Slifer Headmaster retaliated. "But you want to continue it over his head, so I'll go over yours and let everyone who feels that it's wrong to demolish a dorm join with me. Just because of some stupid plot of publicity and weeding out the 'weak', you'll send people home without proper reason."

"It's never going to happen, monsieur!" The Vice-Chancellor shouted back. "So it's best to warn you that you're dancing on thin ice, and I can have my friends here to strip you of the title of Headmaster of the Slifers."

"They can't do that!" Syrus shouted.

"Au contraire, I can't fire you but I can get you away from the dorm room!" Bonaparte grinned.

"Hold up, Bonaparte!" Alister interrupted. "The Slifer Dorm does need a Headmaster and if you take that away from Mr. Sojourner, I'll find someone else to apply and we can just start the whole thing over!"

"You're just a student!" The Vice-Chancellor shouted.

"Yet you tried to use me and him for personal gain!" Erika interjected, "Just because of our history with the Pro League!"

"That was Crowler!"

"The point is, what you're doing is unfair to the Slifers." Spencer retorted. "And we can just go back and forth with all the legal mumbo jumbo, so let's settle this with a duel."

Bonaparte mumbled for a moment. "Name your terms..."

"Since you're so dead set on getting me out, I will step up and be the representative," the Slifer Headmaster announced, "If I lose the duel against your duelist, I step down as Headmaster. If I win, every Ra and Obelisk student is allowed to room in the Slifer Dorm, because I know you won't try to demolish a dorm full of rising stars, am I right?"

"Touché..." The Vice-Chancellor said with a frown. "But I get to pick your opponent, do we have a duel?"

"You're on..." Spencer nodded as both men met in the middle and shook hands. With that, Bonaparte left with the DAS.

"You sure about this, Professor?" Jethro asked.

"Very," The Slifer Headmaster replied as he took out his deck of Duel Monster cards from his blazer pocket. "Besides, I think it's high time to show you kids why I am a graduate of this school..."

* * *

Sometime later, at the main arena...

The students from all dorms and faculty lined the arena seats again for next dueling match. As always, this year, Crowler had taken center stage to announce the duel.

"All right students, it's time to see some of our teachers duel it out!" Crowler announced, "And it shall be spectacular, even though I'm better than both of them." He added with a snicker.

"He really needs to get over himself," Alexis groaned.

"Especially with that hideous makeup he wears..." Lyra added. "I've seen clowns with less face paint than him.

"Let's just hope our Commanding Officer can beat whoever he faces." Hassleberry stated.

"All right, for our first duelist!" Crowler announced, drawing back the attention to him. "Our new Headmaster of the Slifer Dorm, Spencer Sojourner!"

All the people that supported the plan he and the other students currently at the Red Dorm were cheering for him the loudest as he walked up to the duel platform and waited patiently. He looked up across the field, where his opponent was to arrive...

"And for his opponent, also making her first public duel at this Academy... the Headmistress of the Obelisk Dorm, Fonda Fontaine!"

Spencer gasped hearing that someone who supported his move was the one opposing him. Of course, the Obelisk girls were openly cheering for her as she made her way to the arena floor.

"You're my opponent?" He wondered.

"It was a surprise for me as well," She admitted. "I thought about protesting, but then I figure it like this: if you really want to help your dorm, then I want to see you fight for it. And fair warning: don't hold back..."

"I never do." Spencer stated, "Besides I need to get ready for anything my opponents dish out. May the best duelist win..."

Both players turned on their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Spencer: 8000

Fonda: 8000

"Ladies first," Spencer offered.

"Polite aren't you?" She said as she drew her sixth card. "As you know, I'm am the nurse of the Academy as well. So let me introduce you to my assistant when it comes to dueling! I'll start with Nurse Reficule the Fallen One in attack mode!"

In a flash, a purple haired woman appeared with bat-like wings. She was covered head to toe in bandages that were styled like a form-fitting dress. (4/1400/600)

"That's a nurse?" Alister asked.

"Maybe that's why she's a fallen one," Erika said, seeing the sadistic look in the monster's eyes.

"I then end with three facedown cards," Fonda concluded as three reversed cards appeared behind the Nurse Monster.

"I have to be careful," Spencer muttered as he drew his next card. "Let's show you my army of monsters. I summon Draconis Warrior Ryu in attack mode!" Appearing through a windy portal, a humanoid dragon about Reficule's size came out. It wore green armor around its chest, arms, and legs. The weapon of choice he held were a bow and arrows. (4/1200/1200)

"In response to your Summon, I activate the Continuous Trap, Dark Cure!" Fonda announced, revealing her facedown card. "Whenever you Summon a monster to your side of the field, you gain Life Points equal to half of your monster's ATK!"

"I gain Life Points?" The Slifer Headmaster asked as a blue aura surrounded him, due to the Trap Card's glow. "Kind of nice of you for a nurse, even in a duel..."

"Don't thank me just yet," The Obelisk Headmistress smirked. "There's a reason why my Nurse is here. Anytime an effect activates that would restore your Life Points, it'll damage you instead!"

"Oh boy..."

"Go Anti-Cure!" Fonda announced to her monster. Reficule started to unravel the bandages on her arms and wrapped them around Spencer, whose aura became red, making him grunt in pain.

Spencer: 7400

Fonda: 8000

Reficule took back her bandages pleased at her work.

"Sorry, but too much medicine can be deadly," Fonda smiled, "You'll learn that first hand with my deck!"

"I didn't know Miss Fontaine had it in her!" Crowler gasped in shock. "That was an impressive move!"

"At least she's putting that mouthy Slifer in his place..." Bonaparte grinned.

"Nice moves," Spencer praised as he got himself together, "Here's mine! Although Ryu's weaker than your Nurse, I can still have him attack directly because of his ability! Direct Arrow Shot!"

Ryu pulled back on his bow and fired an arrow at the Obelisk Headmistress's duel disk, damaging her Life Points.

Spencer: 7400

Fonda: 6800

"Now I end my turn with two facedown cards," Spencer concluded as his reversed cards appeared behind Ryu. "I'll stand by my Draconis Warriors to the very end!"

"My turn then," Fonda announced as she drew her next card. "Time for another checkup! I play Upstart Goblin, allowing me to draw a card and give you 1000 life points!" She then smirked, "Or rather deal 1000 points of damage with my Nurse in play!"

She her next card as Reficule struck Spencer again with her bandages, draining more his Life Points.

Spencer: 6400

Fonda: 6800

"Now I can activate my Second trap, Brutal Potion!" She continued as her second facedown activated, placing a large red shackle around Reficule's neck. "This Trap becomes an Equip Card to a monster on my field, and since I damaged you by a card effect, Reficule gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase!" The red shackle glowed crimson, energizing the nurse's strength. (4/1400-2400/600)

"She turns my pain into power, eh?" Spencer said to himself.

"Then I summon Burning Algae in attack mode!" the Obelisk Headmistress continued, playing her next Monster card. It unleashed a tree the size of the average human, having a wicked face in the trunk and had its branches on fire. (4/500/1500) "Now Reficule, attack his dragon with Brutal Checkup!"

The wicked nurse's hair started to form into a deadly scythe...

"I activate Dark Spirit of the Silent!" Spencer countered, revealing one of his facedown cards. It sent a red ghost into Reficule's body, stopping her moving. "This stops any attack made and if there's another monster on your side of the field, it forces another it to attack instead." He explained, pointing to Fonda's second Monster. "So Burning Algae will fight Draconis Warrior Ryu!"

The flaming tree rushed over to Ryu, only to get an arrow struck through it, shattering it to pixels.

Spencer: 6400

Fonda: 6100

However, Fonda smiled at the destruction of her monster, making Spencer look wary.

"Sorry to disappoint," She announced, "But when Burning Algae is sent to graveyard, you gain, or in this case, lose 1000 Life Points!"

Spencer grunted as he felt the red aura introducing pain to his body once again.

Spencer: 5400

Fonda: 6100

"This isn't looking great for Professor Sojourner." Jeremy said.

"No matter what, he's getting nailed." Alex added.

"Summoning monsters, destroying monsters," Lily mused, seeing all of the moves played. "Even if he has cards to restore his Life Points, he can't use them unless he hurts himself!"

"I end my turn," Fonda declared as Nurse Reficule's power returned to 1400. "It'll only get worse in the long run.

"Need something to get through this," Spencer muttered as he drew his next card. He then raised an eyebrow at the drawn card before choosing another, "Okay, I summon Draconis Warrior Long!" From it, a red humanoid dragon appeared. It wore white armor with flames emblazoned on it carrying bombs in his hand. (4/1600/1300)

"That activates Dark Cure's effect with Reficule's effect," Fonda interjected, "This combo will deal you 800 points of damage!"

Reficule struck again with her bandages, draining more Life Points from the Red Dorm Leader.

Spencer: 4600

Fonda: 6100

"And since you've been hit by effect damage, Brutal Potion activates!" She continued as the shackles powered up Reficule again. (4/1400-2400/600)

"Not for long, I activate Dragon's Devil Eyes!" Spencer announced, revealing the card he had drawn. It was a spell card that showed a dragon with its wicked eyes peering through the darkness. "For every Dragon-Type I control, I can destroy a Spell and/or Trap card on your side of the field. And with two currently on the field, I'll get rid of Dark Cure and Brutal Potion!"

The Obelisk Headmistress gasped and covered herself from the shattering debris from her exploding traps. Nurse Reficule's shackles were broken as well, making her gasp at the loss of power. (4/2400-1400/600)

"Now we fight," The Red Headmaster declared, "Warrior Long will attack Nurse Reficule with Bomb Barrage!"

The dragon warrior blew some flames, igniting the bomb. He tossed it to the Nurse about to creating an explosion.

Spencer: 4600

Fonda: 5900

"Next, Ryu attack directly again! Direct Arrow Shot!" Spencer commanded as Ryu launched another arrow, grazing Fonda's duel disk.

Spencer: 4600

Fonda: 4700

"And that's it for me," The Slifer Headmaster declared, signaling the end of his turn.

"Good, now I have to catch up." Fonda praised as she drew her next card.

"And now the effect of Draconis Warrior Long activates," Spencer interjected, "During your Standby Phase, he deals 500 points of damage to you!"

Long ignited and launched another bomb at the Headmistress herself, causing an explosion to engulf her.

Spencer: 4600

Fonda: 4200

"I play Pot of Greed!" Fonda announced, drawing two more cards beneath the grinning pot. "Next, I play the spell card Star Blast! I reveal one Monster in my hand," She showed off a card called Prime Material Dragon. "Then, I pay multiples of 500 life points to reduce its level by one. And I'll pay 1000 to reduce its level by 2, making it level 4!" A red aura surrounded her, translating the payment.

Spencer: 4600

Fonda: 3200

"Now, come out, Prime Material Dragon in attack mode!" She called as a large golden dragon appeared with six giant wings, roaring at its foes. (6-4/2400/2000) "It will attack Warrior Long with Matter Destruction!" The large dragon expended golden tendrils that wrapped around the dragon warrior, breaking down its body into pixels.

Spencer: 3400

Fonda: 3200

"I activate Option Hunter!" Spencer countered as he activated his facedown card. "I now gain Life Points equal to the ATK of my destroyed monster, meaning I never lost a thing!" The trap shined on him, giving back his lost points.

Spencer: 4600

Fonda: 3200

"I'll play one card facedown and activate the spell card Dark Snake Syndrome to end my turn!" Fonda concluded as a spell card activated next to a facedown card; it had the look of a man choking as a snake tattoo wrapped around his body.

"Doesn't that hurt the players by 200 the starting Standby Phase then double up every turn?" Jachin wondered.

"It does," Jethro replied. "And it'll take them both out if they're not careful around that card."

"But why would Miss Fontaine play that?" Alexis asked.

Allyson gasped. "It's Prime Material Dragon! She's healing herself and Professor Soujourner since it turns damage to Life Point gain."

"But how's that helping her?" Melody wondered. "The longer this duel drags out, neither one of them will damage each other enough to drop them to zero!"

"Maybe it's those facedown cards," Bastion figured as pointed out the Obelisk Headmistress' Set cards. "It might be ones to reverse the effect for Spencer, keeping him damage."

"I draw!" Spencer announced, drawing his next card. "I summon Spirit Ryu in attack mode!" A small purple dragon with a transparent tail appeared. (4/1000/1000) "Next, I activate my own Pot of Greed!" He continued, drawing his two new cards. "My third cards will be Super Rejuvenation! It will let me draw one card for every Dragon monster I discard or sacrifice this turn during the End Phase." He inserted the card into his disk. "Now then, I attack your Dragon with Spirit Ryu while activating its effect!" He then took two cards from his hand and sent them to the graveyard, "I discard two Dragon-Types from my hand to increase its power by 2000 ATK!"

Spear Dragon and Baby Dragon both appeared in spirit, fueling Spirit Ryu's energy. (4/1000-3000/1000)

"Destroy her dragon with Spirit Shock!" Spencer commanded as the small dragon fired a clear white shockwave...

"Go, Trap Card!" Fonda countered as she flipped open one of her Set cards. "The Continuous Trap Card, Soul Anchor! It protects my dragon from being destroyed in battle or changing battle position!"

The shockwave hit home, but the anchor's power shielded the gold dragon from harm. However, a red aura surrounded Fonda to show the damage done.

Spencer: 4600

Fonda: 2600

"Now Draconis Warrior Ryu attacks you directly!" Spencer continued as Ryu launched another arrow at Fonda, who blocked with her duel disk this time.

Spencer: 4600

Fonda: 1400

"If the Commander can hold out next turn, he can win this duel!" Hassleberry exclaimed.

"Don't count on it to be that soon," Erika stated as everyone turned to her. "I know why she has this all set up." The Maverick duelist stated. "And once she starts, it'll be tough for Spencer to run through this duel.

"I end my turn, giving me two cards from my deck since Super Rejuvenation was activated!" The Draconis Warrior duelist concluded drawing his two cards.

"Alright then," Fonda said, drawing her next card. "During the Standby Phase, I activate my Trap, Bad Reaction to Simochi!" She revealed her trap, showing a helpless woman being poisoned by green smoke.

"Basically it's Trap version of Reficule, right?" Spencer asked.

"That's right! Dark Snake Syndrome now takes effect!" She explained. "But you know with Prime Material Dragon, all effect damage changes to Life Point gain! Along with Bad Reaction to Simochi, I'll heal myself and you'll get damaged, starting with 200 a piece!"

A snake tattoo appeared on both players' right arm. Spencer's tattoo hissed and shined sickly green damaging him while Fonda's shined white with Prime Material Dragon healing her.

Spencer: 4400

Fonda: 1600

"Also, because you're Draconis Hero Long's on the field, instead of losing 500 points, Prime Material Dragon helps me gain them!" She continued as Long threw another bomb, but Prime Material Dragon absorbed the explosion creating a healing aura around her.

Spencer: 4400

Fonda: 2100

"See what I mean?" Erika stated. "Since there are currently damaging effects happening, Fonda will gain them with Prime Material Dragon's help. However, by using Bad Reaction to Simochi, Prime Material Dragon's effect will be countered for Spencer.

"And with Soul Anchor, she can keep up the pain and healing." Alister added.

"That's bad," Vincent muttered.

"She even had a back-up plan to heal her life points," Lyra mused. "Despite her cheerful look, she's pretty vicious on the dueling field... awesome..."

"Huh?" Everyone gasped, looking to the Infernity Duelist.

"Now then, Prime Material Dragon attacks Draconis Warrior Ryu!" Fonda announced as the golden dragon blew out golden smoke that broke down the warrior.

Spencer: 3200

Fonda: 2100

"Next, I set one monster facedown and end my turn." Fonda concluded.

"My move," Spencer announced, drawing his next card. "Question? Did anybody think you could duel before now?"

"Truth be told, no." She replied with a sad smile. "Then again, I hardly have anytime with three jobs at the Academy to properly duel!"

"Right, you told me before we found out about our duel against each other," The Slifer Headmaster mused. He then smiled, "Well, now everyone knows and they see you're a tough role model for the girls."

"Thank you," Fonda replied, but then smirked. "But flattery won't win you the duel..."

"Nor did I plan on it," Spencer said as he looked as his three card hand, and then used them all. "I'll place two cards facedown and sacrifice Spirit Ryu and Long to set this monster facedown as well." Both dragons vanished as three Set cards, a monster and two Spells/Traps took their place on the field. "Your move."

Fonda drew her next cards as Prime Material Dragon, Dark Snake Syndrome, and Bad Reaction to Simochi started to glow in unison, "Now the effects of my cards activate, Dark Snake Syndrome's damage now becomes 400, except it heals me instead!" She declared.

Both snake tattoos started glowing, affecting the other. Prime Material Dragon stepped in and turned its mistress' pain to rejuvenation as well Bad Reaction to Simochi stopping it from healing Spencer.

Spencer: 2800

Fonda: 2500

"I'll then end my turn." She concluded.

"Now she's playing the waiting game." Allen said.

"What else would she do?" Chazz asked. "She has this duel locked down with those three cards."

"I draw," Spencer announced, drawing his next card. "I flip over my Set monster, Yamata Dragon!" He declared as the Set Monster Card flipped over, revealing the eight-headed spirit dragon to the field. (7/2600/3100) "Next, I reveal my facedown cards, Dragon's Rage and Inverse Universe!" He continued as his last Set cards now revealed themselves. "Dragon's Rage will let all Dragon-Type monsters deal piercing damage against defending monsters. Also, Inverse Universe will swap all face up effect monsters' attack and defense scores for as long as they are face-up during the activation!"

A strange white wind appeared, warping both monsters on the field. (7/2600-3100/3100-2600), (6/2400-2000/2400-2000)

"But I won't aim for your Material Dragon and go after your facedown monster!" He declared as he pointed to the opposing Set Monster, "Yamata Dragon, Eight-headed flame!" All of Yamata Dragon's heads fired onto the facedown monster, reveal a sky blue bird that burned to a crisp. (3/700/1700)

Spencer: 2800

Fonda: 1100

"And then Yamata Dragon's effect activates letting me draw until I have five cards!" He stated a he drew out four cards, adding to the one he had. Once he saw one of them, he smiled. "Hey, I finally got a way around your damaging effects! I play Gryphon's Feather Duster!"

"But won't it hurt him?" Jeremy wondered.

"I destroy my traps and gain 500 points for each one!" Spencer declared.

"But Bad Reaction to Simochi will turn that to damage!" Fonda stated.

"Right and that causes Prime Material Dragon to turn that damage back into Life Point gain!" Spencer smiled. "Like I said, I got away from your combo!"

Spencer traps shattered to pixels and healed him, causing Bad Reaction to Simochi to activate trying to poison it, only for Prime Material Dragon to heal him right back with its aura!

Spencer: 3800

Fonda: 1100

"I'm confused," Syrus muttered. "With Bad Reaction to Simochi, it should've hurt him..."

Alexis gasped. "It's so obvious! The problem with Miss Fontaine's strategy is the timing of Prime Material Dragon!"

"What is it?" Jethro asked.

"It's in the timing of her cards," the Cyber Girl Duelist explained, "If any card or effect starts at damage, Prime Material Dragon's effect goes first with healing and then Bad Reaction to Simochi turns it back to damage. But if it starts with healing effects, Bad Reaction to Simochi goes first creating damage and then Prime Material Dragon's effect creates healing!"

"Right, she only needs the Dragon so keep Dark Snake Syndrome's damage away from her!" Kenji realized. "Prime Material Dragon will only negate damage done to her because Bad Reaction to Simochi won't affect her."

"I end my turn by playing Mystical Space Typhoon!" Spencer said, revealing another Spell in his hand. It unleashed the harsh winds that shattered the Dark Snake Syndrome card. "But now Yamata Dragon returns to my hand because of it being a spirit monster." The spirit dragon vanished letting Spencer retrieve its card.

"You may have destroyed my card," Fonda stated as she drew her next card. "But you're still going to lose this! First, I play Card of Sanctity." Her Spell card shined as both players drew until they had six cards.

"Now, I play Forbidden Chalice on my Prime Material Dragon!" She continued, activating her Quick-Play Spell, "It'll negate its effect and giving it 400 ATK points." Holy water splashed the Dragon, giving it power. (6/2000-2400/2400) "Now it's safe, I play Rain of Mercy to heal our life points by 1000, except it hurts you now due to my Trap."

Rain sprinkled all over the field, but Bad Reaction to Simochi caused the rain to be harmful to the Slifer Headmaster.

Spencer: 2800

Fonda: 2100

"And finally, I summon another Burning Algae!" She announced as another demonic tree on fire appeared. (4/500/1500)

"Looks like she's won this match," Melody frowned. "A shame because I liked seeing Miss Fontaine in action."

"At least we got to see two teachers duke it out." Vincent added.

"But now the Professor has to step down from his Headmaster position." Kenji said. "Meaning, Bonaparte will try to bulldoze his away in.

"Sorry it had to end this way," Fonda apologized with a sad smile, "But I'm a duelist who plays to the end! Prime Material Dragon and Burning Algae attack Spencer directly!"

Both monsters charged in ready to finish the duel...

"But this is where it stops!" Spencer smirked. "Since I have nothing on the field, I can summon this from my hand!" He took a monster card from out of his hand. "Draconis Warrior Heavy Wyvern!"

Descending in between Fonda's two monsters and Spencer was another dragon warrior. It stood about 6' in heavy looking armor, cracking its claws. (7/2700/1500)

"And its ability activates, cause both of your monsters to attack him!"

Fonda gasped as Heavy Wyvern slashed across Prime Material Dragon's face making it retreat back to Fonda's side due to Soul Anchor pulling him back.

Spencer: 2800

Fonda: 1800

And then Burning Algae met its untimely end as it crushed by Heavy Wyvern's foot.

Spencer: 3800, Winner

Fonda: 0

The audience cheered when the holograms disappeared. However, one person was not happy...

"This is not good!" Bonaparte shouted. "How am I going to tear it down with all the good duelists in that trash heap of a dorm!?"

Spencer collected his cards just as Fonda walked up to him.

"Looks like you pass." She said with a smile.

"Thanks for the test." He replied, smiling back. "First in a long time at this Academy, but it's nice to know I can still make the grade."

The Headmistress chuckled a bit. "Least you're not rusty on that part!"

"Well, I need to help get the kids settled in so that no funny business goes on while we left." Spencer said as he looked over to the new arrivals of the Slifer Dorm. "Talk to you later, Miss Fontaine." He then took his leave from the arena...

"Spencer..."

He stopped and turned around when the Obelisk Headmistress called him.

"It's Fonda..." She smiled.

Spencer nodded. "Alright... Fonda." He waved as he left.

* * *

Alright, this baby is done! Hope I did alright for an addition to Fonda's deck. I looked up Anti-Heal on the Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia site and tried to make the most of it...

Dragon's Devil Eyes

Quick-Play Spell

Destroy a number of Spell or Trap Cards your opponent controls equal to the number of Dragon-Type monsters you control.

(Used by Chazz Princeton in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Next chapter: Sartorius starts to make his move on a little recruiting of his own as he has his sights set on Chazz and Jachin. With Jason by his side, will he succeed?

Please Read and Review. Later!


	13. The Light is the Answer

Another two-part chapter becomes a full one!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 13: The Light is the Answer!

* * *

The next morning, sitting at the beach shack were Jaden and Claudio. It's been three days since their losses to Aster and Masaki and nothing's changed for them. They still couldn't duel, see any of their cards or went to their classes. Well that's normal for Jaden when he's not sleeping in them, but still it's pretty bad when it comes to having the grades.

"This is crazy, Jaden." Claudio said with a sigh, "One moment, we lose a duel, but the next minute we're losing sight of the cards."

"I know, it's weird," Jaden replied as he pulled out his blank deck, "If we can't duel, what's the point of being here?"

"Our friends that care, duh." The J-Hero duelist replied. "But then again, I've been neglecting them too... took the fun out of me..."

"You two whine more than Jachin did in our childhood!"

Both of them turned to see Chazz walking up to them.

"Chazz? What're you doing here?" Jaden asked.

"To get a drink," The black coat Slifer replied, grabbing a straw for the drink he purchased. "Besides, I was tired of hearing everyone at the dorms moping about the two of you. Anyway, you two still can't talk to your monsters?"

"Still can't hear them either," Claudio replied. Jaden nodded as well.

"Well, snap out of it and stop bumming everyone out!" Chazz snapped. "Besides, you two skipping class will put you further behind me."

"You don't understand Chazz," Jaden told him. "Dueling's all I really cared about and I can't do that anymore..."

"And me... those Jukebox Heroes are a part of me..." Claudio added. "Like a big part of my creativity in dueling and in music... it's like I couldn't play a guitar in the first place."

"Then how about all of us duel!?" Chazz said, getting ready. "I'll take the both of you on and even give you any kind of handicap!"

Both hero duelists got up from their seats and passed by the other Slifer.

"Sorry, maybe when get our cards back." Jaden waved off.

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, Masaki was looking over his cards, thinking about his duel with Claudio three days ago. After several once-overs, he concluded that there was nothing wrong and sighed.

 _'I can't believe it..." He thought solemnly, 'What happened back there that caused Claudio's problem?'_ He frowned at his next thought, _'Aster wouldn't have cared less, chalking it up to fear of dueling and saying that Jaden would have been cut out for it. But that's not fear and inexperience,' He snapped his fingers. 'Wait a sec, nothing happened with Lily during my first duel with my Heroes, but before... Jason! He must have done something to my cards when he picked up Yellow Flash! But what?'_

He interrupted by Jachin, whom he was now rooming with ever since Spencer Sojourner's successful plan of moving in the extra students from the Ra and Obelisk Dorm.

"Hey Masaki, got a sec?" He asked.

"I got nothing to do at present, besides heading to the cafeteria to chow down." The S-Hero duelist said, trying to force a smile.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about the last duel with Claudio..."

"Look, I'll get this out the way," Masaki growled, "I don't know what happened in that duel to make him like he is now, but don't pin this on me!" He snapped. "So don't bother with me..."

"Hold on, I was going to say I think I know what happened." The Persona duelist protested, putting his hands up in defense.

Masaki felt badly now and sat back down on his bed. During those three days were like total controversy to him. Some people were afraid to duel him as much as Aster, but not because of not being ready for the Pro circuit, they thought they would lose the will to duel after seeing what happened to Claudio. And now here's Jachin talking to him and he was saying something that could be helpful and he bit his head off for it...

"Sorry, it's been unpleasant for me." He sighed.

"I can tell by the look on your face," Jachin stated. "Anyway, I saw some kind of Dark Light in your last Monster Card when you made the finishing blow..."

"Dark Light?" The S-Hero duelist asked raising an eyebrow at that comment. "How can light be dark? Or rather how I couldn't see it at the time?"

"I know it's unbelievable, but that's what I saw. And it was going on with Aster's deck as well." Jachin continued as Masaki gasped.

"So you're saying that this Dark Light messed with Jaden's and Claudio's heads?"

"Exactly," the Persona duelist nodded. The S-Hero Slifer was trying to take it in with Jachin sighed, "Hard to believe I know, but I wouldn't lie at something that's making someone else miserable..."

Masaki sighed. "Well, I was thinking about talking to Jason..."

"Jason?"

"A Slifer that used to be somewhat distant after his harassment with the Obelisks," Masaki explained, "I was thinking he had something to do with my deck being infected by this 'Dark Light' as you put it..."

"What makes you say that?" Jachin asked.

"Right before I went into the arena to duel Claudio, I dropped my cards and he was the one to help me picked them up." Masaki answered. "I didn't notice at first, but he looked at them a lot longer than someone who would have probably just searched through them. Heck, he only looked at them from the back..."

"Hmm... that is strange..." The Persona duelist mused. "Well, I'll go find and talk to Jason, what does he look like?"

"He's got short brown hair that has a giant bang with a grey highlight in the middle." Masaki said, describing the duelist in question.

"Got it," Jachin said as he walked out the room. "I hope people get out of their fears for you..."

"You and me, both..."

* * *

This time in a room with the lights turned off, Sartorius was divining his cards. He placed three of them in a triangle with one in the middle. He turned over the middle card, showing a wheel attached to a tree with three winged creatures sitting on the left and right sides as well as the top of it.

"The upright Wheel of Fortune," He read. "And unforeseen change. It seems Jaden's and Claudio's souls were stronger than I anticipated. I've foreseen Aster and Masaki's victories... with Claudio, I thought it was just a setback of not giving Jason enough power to control him, but Jaden has confirmed my suspicions. They are still in control of their souls instead of becoming my servants. I'll tend to the matter later as I search for new servants... someone predictable... "

He turned over the card on the right and placed it over the wheel. It showed a jester playing a musical horn.

"The Fool... the pilgrim... the wanderer... While Jaden and Claudio will be leaving, it seems we have others with similar gifts to the two of them... The power to communicate with spirits!"

He turned over the card on the left. It showed a man with a white handkerchief blindfold, hanging by his left leg upside down.

"This one is much weaker... The Hanged Man..."

He then went over to the top card and flipped it over as well. It showed a male in red robes with an infinite symbol above his head. He also held a short white stick high in his right hand.

"But this one... a power similar to mine... The Magician... I must find them..."

*Beep!*

"Master Sartorius, we're about to land at Duel Academy..."

He heard someone over the intercom as he pushed away the shades, creating the darkness around him. Sartorius was on a seaplane looking out the window, approaching the central island.

* * *

Currently at the docks, Crowler and Bonaparte watch with happiness as they saw a seaplane heading towards them.

"That must be Aster's and Masaki's manager!" Crowler said. "I can't believe he dropped in today!"

"All the same, I'm grateful!" Bonaparte added.

As soon as the plane landed safely, Sartorius stepped out in a white business suit with a blue shirt underneath and a yellow tie.

"Mr. Sartorius, what a pleasant surprise!" Crowler exclaimed. "It's an honor to meet you!"

"Thank you very much, gentlemen." Sartorius greeted with a bow.

"What brings you here, monsieur?" Bonaparte asked.

"Well I manage several top ranking professional duelists, even helping some with education," He replied. "I'm always looking for fresh talent. With Aster making appearances worldwide and Masaki currently attending your classes, I thought it best to search for new clients for the near future."

"Terrific!" Crowler exclaimed. "I can even point you in the right direction!"

"Or rather I can!" Bonaparte grinned as he held up a big piece of paper. "I have a list of our top ranking students, right here! You should be pleased that Mr. Oda's in the list as well."

"You're too kind," Sartorius admitted, but raised his right hand, "But I won't need any assistance. I've always made it a point to find talent on my own... so if you'll excuse me, I have work to do..." He then proceeded to leave the docks. "Good day, gentlemen..."

* * *

During sunset, Syrus picked a time to freak out, letting everyone in the dorm hear it...

"Call the Coast Guard! Call the Marines!"

The students currently living at the Slifer Dorm, filed out of their rooms at the sound of the little Ra's outburst.

"Syrus, what's going on?" Bastion asked.

"Jaden's gone missing!" The Vehicroid duelist shouted

"What!?" Allyson gasped.

"Are you sure?" Jethro asked.

"Positive! All his stuff his gone!" Syrus stated.

"So he retreated?" Hassleberry gasped.

Chazz grunted, "Pathetic... did Claudio run away, too?"

"Don't even joke about that!" Melody shouted at the Black Coat Slifer.

"Well, I saw the both of them at the beach still moping about their cards before they left." The black coat Slifer explained.

"So you're saying Claudio could've gone with him?" Jachin asked.

"I don't know, it's possible!" Chazz growled.

"Well, let's check his room." Jeremy said.

"I'll come with." Vincent added.

Then, the group caught sight of Masaki running up to them...

"Hey guys," He breathed heavily. "I just saw Claudio walking off into the woods..."

"What's he doing in there?" Alexis asked.

"I tried to ask him but he didn't hear a word I said and kept going," The S-Hero duelist said.

"He didn't... pack anything, did he?" Melody asked, fearing the worst.

"He has his guitar and duel disk," Masaki explained and shrugged. "If he thought about leaving, he'd have more luggage..."

Melody sighed. "Well let's still find him and Jaden before they both decide to leave the island..."

"And let's check around the campus for Jaden, since others can tail Claudio easily." Alex stated.

* * *

The entire search party spent hours looking for the boys. They searched around the main building, the beach, each of the dorms... no sign of Jaden or Claudio...

In the forest, Chazz, Jachin, Melody and Lyra were searching the woods.

"Claudio!" Melody called out. "Where are you!?"

"What are you doing in the woods!?" Jachin said.

Lyra was search through the dark. She explained that she could see very perfectly through it without a flashlight, but she saw no trace of Yellow.

"I think he may have left the woods, "The goth explained. "Otherwise, he would've heard us..."

"Then he's probably in another part of the forest," Chazz said.

"Then we should split up," Jachin suggested. "Melody, you and Lyra keeping moving ahead. I'll go right, Chazz you go left..."

Everyone walked to their directions and continued their search...

* * *

"Take it from someone with experience, losers!" Chazz called out into the woods. "You can't run away from your problems! Stop acting like sore losers and duel me!"

Suddenly, the five Ojama spirits appeared around his head.

"Jaden! Claudio!" they called out.

Chazz growled at them, causing them to back off. "And who invited you five!?"

"Bite our heads off, why don't ya," Blue muttered. "We're trying to help you."

"Don't get mad at him, Blue," Black said.

"Yeah, he's just upset because he misses Jaden and Claudio," Green added.

"I don't miss 'em, I'm just trying to find them, that's all!" The black coat Slifer stated. "And you're in the way!"

"We're just trying to help." Yellow said.

"Besides, it's hard enough losing those two alone," Red added.

"If you wanna help, then get lost!" Chazz shouted, causing the spirits to disappear.

"You really should be more attentive to them, it's very rare for Duel Spirits to interact with the common folk..."

Chazz turned to a clearing in the forest and he saw a strange man in white clothing, similar to the academy style.

"But when they find someone they can trust they can be quite loyal." He said. "You have a gift, Mr. Princeton..."

"How do you know my name!?" Chazz asked.

"Because I have a gift as well!" The man in white bowed. "I am called Sartorius and I've traveled quite a way to meet you."

"Yeah and why do you want to meet me?" the Slifer wondered.

"Simple: I can use someone like you, someone with the power to see monster spirits!" Sartorius replied with a smirk.

"It's one of my talents," the Slifer said with a smug grin.

"Impressive! Talent and confidence!" Sartorius said with a grin of his own, "Tell you want, I would like to see these talents of yours... perhaps I could sign you on as a client."

"Client?"

"I manage several professional duelists like Aster Phoenix!" The tarot reader explained as Chazz gasped. "I even mentor a student here... have you heard of Masaki Oda?"

Chazz gasped again, "No wonder Masaki could beat someone like Lily and Claudio?"

"Precisely," Sartorius nodded. "But I can see if you're ready for the Pro or at least gain the proper guidance for it..."

Chazz smiled at possibility to become a Pro League Duelist. Until more of the Ojama spirits came, particularly two who landed on his shoulders... and another on his head.

"You should beat him down and milk those benefits for all it's worth!" Ojama Devil grinned on Chazz's left shoulder. "Just think: money and fame!"

"I'd advise you not to, Master," Ojama Angel said from the right shoulder. "There's something sinister about that man..."

"Yeah, he could be crazy!" Ojama Aqua chuckled from Chazz's black hair.

"Now you three are here!?" Chazz shouted to his new Ojamas. "Just clam up! I wish you weren't among that pile of cards in the well!"

"Sorry, boss," They sulked and vanished.

The black coat Slifer turned back to Sartorius. "Alright, I'm in! But believe me, you'll forget Aster and Masaki once you see the skills of the Chazz!"

"I can't wait," Sartorius smirked. "As a matter of fact, I think this is the beginning of beautiful friendship..."

Suddenly, a blanket of thin, white fog enveloped the ground.

"What's going on?" Chazz asked, but then shook it off and chalked it up to just a change in the weather. But before he activated his duel disk, he looked at Sartorius who lacked one. "So where's your duel disk anyway?"

"Who needs a duel disk when you have this!?"

Suddenly, a white table and chair appears for the tarot reader to sit at. On it was his deck of Duel Monster cards.

"Uh, you realize that's a table, don't you?" Chazz asked as he turned on his duel disk. He drew his opening hand as Sartorius laid out his opening hand face down on the table. "You know it helps to look at your cards." The black coat Slifer suggested.

"Not necessarily." The tarot reader chuckled.

DUEL!

Chazz: 8000

Sartorius: 8000

"Alright, time to show you my skills!" Chazz announced as he drew his next card, "I play Fiend's Sanctuary to summon a Metal Fiend Token!" He declared, playing his spell card. It let loose a fiend made of silver and black ball bearings appeared. (1/0/0) "Then I sacrifice it for Armed Dragon LV5!"

The token disappeared to make way for a large dragon with dark red and black scales, and bigger claws and fangs to come in its place. (5/2400/1700)

"I then place one card facedown and end my turn!" The black coat Slifer concluded.

"Good, then it's my turn," Sartorius said softly as he drew his sixth card, but placed it face down on the table and picked up another. "I'll activate my Vision spell..."

He turned over the card and showed off a Spell Card with hypnotic eyes in the image.

"Hey, you didn't look at that card!?" Chazz gasped.

"This lets me reveal the top card of my deck and anytime it's played during this duel, you lose 1000 life points!" Sartorius continued, and then placed his hand over his deck. "And I predict it's the card that represents you..." He picked up the top card and showed it to Chazz without even looking at it. "Arcana Force XII – The Hanged Man!"

"Hold on!" Chazz was no doubt surprised and gasped, "You must be cheating!"

"No Chazz, I'm predicting!" He said ominously. "I have an ability to see events before they happen! And with this card, I can see you hold a great deal of anger inside. Am I right, Chazz?"

"Like it takes magic powers to see that!" The Slifer growled. "You're a hack and a cheat!"

Sartorius just laughed as he placed The Hangman on top of his deck. "Well, let's continue then. I can assure you, I don't resort to trickery, and if you need reassurance, come over here and shuffle my deck since the Vision Spell's next effect requires you to do so."

Chazz shrugged as he walked over to the table. "Let me ask you something... Are you always this calm, cause it's creeping me out..." Chazz said as he started to shuffle the tarot reader's deck.

"You amuse me," Sartorius replied, "I'm just divining your fate within these cards."

"See, there it is," Chazz growled as he finished shuffling, "But it'll take more than a creepy voice and card tricks to beat me!" He declared, placing the deck back on the table.

"I know exactly what it will take," Sartorius stated. "That's the point I'm trying to make. All of your actions are predetermined... In other words, I know every move you'll make... It's destiny."

Suddenly, Chazz got uneasy and picked up his opponent's deck and shuffled again to the tarot reader's amusement. Once Chazz was done, he placed the deck back on the table and walked back to his side.

"Still skeptical?" Sartorius asked. "Don't worry I'll make a believer out of you yet! Then you'll see the light, like another person has!"

"Well I'm not that person!" Chazz snapped.

"Let's move on," The tarot reader turned over another card, another Spell. "I play Suit of Sword X!" The image of the card showed two rows of five swords each embedded in the ground under a crescent moon. The image started to rotate steadily.

"The card will spin until you call out stop. If it's right side up, you lose all of your monsters! But if it's upside down, I lose all of mine."

"Fine, stop!" Chazz declared, hastily. The card started to slow down until it landed right-side up. "Aw, come on!"

"It looks like you take the hit!" Sartorius grinned as the Armed Dragon shattered into pixels. "And if you like that, enjoy the Knight of Pentacles in defense mode!"

A purple robot appeared with a double-edged spear and shield. (3/1000/1000) Suddenly, the card image card appeared above and rotated.

"Again!"

"Think of this as a chance to redeem yourself..." Sartorius said. "If it's right-side up, the knight can't be destroyed in battle. If upside down, it can't attack and the moment it's attacked, it is destroyed!"

"Okay stop!" Chazz announced. The card landed upside down. "Go me... I'll enjoy this turn..."

The tarot reader gave a vindictive smile. "It's about time... Go ahead with your turn."

Chazz drew his next card and announced, "First, I'll play the Graceful Charity!" He drew the three cards and discarded two from the overall hand. "My prediction is that you'll get your butt kicked... It's YOUR fate! One of the cards I discarded was Ojamagic, so my three Normal Ojamas come out!"

"Hey boss!" Yellow, Black, Green said as Chazz added them to his hand.

"Next, I'll use Ojama Ride to bring out three Machine Union monsters after discarding these freaks." Chazz continued

"Noooooo!" The spirits shouted as they were discarded.

"I bring out Y-Dragon Head, Z-Metal Tank and W-Wing Catapult!"

The red metallic dragon, (4/1500/1600), the yellow tank, (4/1500/1300) and the blue jet platform appeared. (4/1300/1500)

"Then, I activate Call of the Haunted to bring out V-Tiger Jet whom I discarded with Graceful Charity as well!" He continued as the yellow tiger jet appeared. (4/1600/1800) "And I'll summon X-Head Cannon!" The blue machine with two cannon barrels appeared. (4/1800/1500)

"Splendid," Sartorius grinned, "Let us see more!"

"Now let's merge some monsters, starting with XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" Chazz declared as the X, Y, and Z monsters locked on each other from the bottom up, making a destructive weapon. (8/2800/2200) "Next, I'll make the VW- Tiger Catapult!" The Tiger Catapult landed on the Catapult that opened up some doors with Missiles inside. (6/2000/2100) "Now then, I activate XYZ's effect, by discarding one card I can destroy one of your cards! And you only got one of them!"

Chazz discarded one of his cards as XYZ's cannons locked on obliterated the knight into smoke and pixels.

"Now, time for some hurt! Tiger Catapult attack him directly! Heat-Seeker Blitz!"

The VW machine fired a volley of missiles at the tarot reader who barely moved from his place.

Chazz: 8000

Sartorius: 6000

"Next, I'll have Dragon Cannon attack!" the Slifer continued as the giant machine fired its multiple cannons at the opponent who grinned.

"I discard the Arcana Force XIV – Temperance to reduce the battle damage to 0!" Sartorius announced as he discarded the named monster and the blast disappeared like nothing happened.

"Fine, I'll end my turn here!" Chazz growled.

"I'll begin," Sartorius announced, drawing his next card and placed it on the table. He then flipped it over, revealing it. "I activate the spell Cup of Ace!" The card image of a golden cup appeared as it rotated.

"If it's right-side up, I can draw two cards, if upside down, you get to draw two cards," The tarot reader explained. "And you need it more, so be careful..."

"Stop!" Chazz shouted as the card image landed upside down. He laughed as he drew the two cards. "Ha! Looks like your luck is slipping!"

"Well, I have other cards," Sartorius said calmly as he revealed another Spell card from his hand, "Like Ace of Sword!"

The card image of a large blade appeared as it rotated.

"If right side up, I choose one monster you control and you take damage equal to that monster's ATK! But upside down, I'll take damage from a monster I control."

"I hardly think it's fair since you don't have a monster," Chazz grumbled.

"You are correct, Mr. Princeton..."

Suddenly a monster appeared on Sartorius' field! It was a masculine looking grey creature standing with a sword. (5/1900/1900)

"Where did he come from!?"

"When I'm in the midst of playing the second Spell card of one of my turns, I can special summon Arcana Force IX – Hermit from my deck!" Sartorius explained as the monster card image started to spin. "You'll have to choose my monster's effect first: If right-side up, it will allow my monster the honor of taking the equivalent of one of your monsters on the field. But upside down, and one of your monsters will take the equivalent of a monster from my side."

"Grr... stop!" Chazz shouted. The monster card was right side up. "Come on!"

"Looks like the Justice card will now gain the equivalent ATK to your XYZ Dragon Cannon!" Sartorius grinned as Hermit raised its sword in the air gathering power from the light. (5/1900-2800/1900) "Now choose the Ace of Sword's effect!"

"Okay, stop!" Chazz demanded. Once again, the card stopped right-side up. "Not again..."

"I choose XYZ Dragon Cannon again!" the tarot reader declared. The Dragon Cannon turned around to Chazz and blasted him with its cannons, making him scream out loud!

Chazz: 5200

Sartorius: 6000

"Now then, Arcana Force IX, attack VW- Tiger Catapult with Justice Blade!" Sartorius continued as the Arcana monster floated over the field and slashed the second machine in half causing it to explode into debris.

Chazz: 4400

Sartorius: 6000

"I place two cards facedown," Sartorius stated as he moved two of his cards closer to him on the table. A couple of reversed cards appeared on the field. "Have you accepted my gift?"

"Does this answer your question?" Chazz scoffed as he drew his next card. "I'll activate XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect again! Say goodbye to your Hermit Card!" He discarded one card, letting the cannon prepare to fire.

"I reveal the Forbidden Chalice Spell," Sartorius countered, revealing the Quick-Play Spell, "I negate your monster's effect and give it 400 ATK!" Holy water drenched the machine, making it spark. (8/2800-3200/2600)

"Fine, I'll take you down the hard way, Dragon Cannon attack!" Chazz announced as his monster charged up...

Sartorius laughed as his second facedown card opened up. "The Trap Card Reversal of Fate activates! Now my monster gains the upside down effect!" The monster's card image rotated upside down. "Now your monster gains the equivalent of my monster's ATK, and since its right-side up effect is nullified, our monsters stands at 1900 ATK!

Chazz grunted as both players' monsters lost power. (5/1900/1900), (8/3200-1900/2600) Dragon Cannon fired its lasers, only to miss when Hermit ran up to it and stabbed in the mid-section taking both monsters down.

"I'll place one card facedown!" Chazz concluded.

"Hmm," Sartorius nodded as he drew a card, but did nothing else. "I think that's all for now..."

"You're funeral!" Chazz grinned as he drew his next card. "I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards with the grinning pot in the air. "I then activate Level Modulation, so you can draw two cards..."

Sartorius picked up two cards and set them face down on the table.

"Next, I'll summon any monster with LV in its name, but I can't use its effects or attack with it. And I'll bring out Armed Dragon LV7 that I discarded with XYZ's effect!" Chazz continued as his graveyard flashed and unleashed another dragon. It looked similar to its LV5 form except the spikes on the body were now blades, sharper, longer, and incredibly sharp looking fangs. Also its wings were now completely made of metal, and it had a longer neck. (7/2800/1000)

"But that's not going to be a problem as I sacrifice him for the Armed Dragon LV 10!"

The Armed Dragon suddenly grew to immense size that toppled over the forest. It was wearing black and silver metal armor around the red scales. All the sharp blades became sharper and the claws were larger than ever. (10/3000/2000)

"Next, I'll activate Ojama Trio!" The Slifer continued as he revealed his facedown card. In a flash, his three normal Ojama Spirits appeared.

 _"Who's your daddy!?"_ Yellow shouted. (2/0/1000)

 _"Remember us?"_ Green asked. (2/0/1000)

 _"Heh heh!"_ Black laughed. (2/0/1000)

"This Trap Card creates three Ojama Tokens to appear on your side of the field!" Chazz explained.

 _"His side!?"_ Black shouted.

 _"NO!"_ Yellow added as the Ojama brothers went to stand by Sartorius.

' _These are some of the monster spirits connected to Chazz's soul!'_ The tarot reader thought as he stared down at the monsters he was given. He then gave an evil leer at the spirits, making them cringe.

 _"Boss! Do something, quick!"_ Green whined.

"Stop whining, I'll discard one of my cards to activate LV 10's ability, to destroy every monster you have on the field!" Chazz announced as he discarded one card. "Now Armed Dragon, Sonic Cutter Screech!" The Armed Dragon inhaled and then screeched out sonic waves that destroyed the Ojama Trio. "And those tokens don't leave empty handed; they take 300 points away from you, each!"

The tarot reader felt three blows to his body.

Chazz: 4400

Sartorius: 5100

"Next I summon Dark Blade!" Chazz continued as a black-armored warrior with a red cape appeared. He drew his two blades and sliced them together. (4/1800/1200) "And this is gonna be even better, Armed Dragon attack with Static Orb Thrust!"

The dragon opened its right hand and gathered electricity, when it was maxed out it threw the orb straight at Sartorius, making him feel the shock!

Chazz: 4400

Sartorius: 2100

"Now Dark Blade, slice him down!" He continued as the dark warrior gave two slashes to the tarot reader making him grunt in pain.

Chazz: 4400

Sartorius: 300

"So, are you blown away by my talent?" Chazz taunted.

But Sartorius just grinned as he breathed heavily on the attack. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, but I suggest giving up now," the Slifer stated.

"Well let's see what fate has in store for the both us," the Tarot reader said as he drew his card and played another card. "I play the Spell, Selection of Fate! You now have to pick a random card from my hand, and if it's a Monster, I can Summon it automatically."

"You're gonna make walk over there again!?" Chazz growled.

"I thought we were friends, Mr. Princeton."

"Could you get any creepier?" Chazz sighed as he steeled his reserve and started to walk over to the table again.

Suddenly, Ojama Red's spirit appeared. " _Don't go over there!"_ He pleaded.

"Buzz off, I can handle this freak show!" Chazz scoffed as he swiped the spirit away.

Then, Blue's spirit got in his face. _"He's right, it's a bad idea... and normally I wouldn't agree with him much..."_

"Please, all I have to do is choose a card... it's not scary, dork!" the Slifer continued as he batted that spirit away as he made it to the table.

"Choose wisely, Mr. Princeton," Sartorius said as he moved his hands away from the five card hand.

"That one," The Slifer said as he pointed to the fourth card.

The tarot reader silently replied, picking the chosen card and showed it to Chazz without looking at it...

"No! You're kidding me!"

It was Arcana Force XII- Hanged Man!

"Didn't I tell you before?" Sartorius smiled sadly. "You couldn't escape your destiny! This card represents you! Fate intended you to choose it and it also intended for you to pay the price for when I summon it, Vision deals you 1000 points of damage!"

Right in front of the black coat Slifer was the Arcana Force XII – The Hanged Man. It was blue gel like monster that had a mask-like face that stared at Chazz and surrounded him. (6/2200/2200)

It flashed a blue light at Chazz that stunned him.

Chazz: 3400

Sartorius: 300

The card image appeared over the monster and began to rotate.

"If the card stops right-side up, I lose a monster and its ATK comes out of my life points. But if upside down, you lose a monster and its ATK comes out of your score!" Sartorius explained. "Now choose... the future is in your hands... or so it would seem..."

The Hanged Man started to close itself around the Slifer, making him panic.

"Alright, stop!"

The card slowed its rotation...

Sartorius shed a tear that fell into his deck and said, "When I foresaw this destiny, I was unable to stop the sorrow from welling up in my heart.

…until it hit upside down!

"No!"

"Destroy the dragon!" Sartorius shouted as the Hanged Man jumped to the trees above the dragon and shot of a light laser obliterating it from the field.

Chazz: 400

Sartorius: 300

"The Hanged Man," Sartorius announced. "The destiny of yours, as foretold by this card is... stagnation."

Chazz growled.

"The cards have told me there's a rival you've been trying to defeat, but unable to do it. And in time, you gave up on it." Sartorius explained as he picked up the Hanged Man monster. "Also, you tried turning to friendship with this rival in order to prolong the battle."

"What are you talking about!?" Chazz shouted. "That's not true! You're messing with my head!"

"It's difficult to hear the truth isn't it?" Sartorius asked as he silently embedded some of his power into the Hanged Man card. "But trust me, when you open your eyes to the Light, your fear will be nothing but a thing of the past! Accept your destiny Chazz! The Society of Light awaits you! Embrace the reversed Hangman and conquer your fear! The progress from stagnation! Let me give you the power to defeat your rival!"

Chazz gasped not knowing what to do...

"Join me and stand by my side as Jason has! We will be able to walk into the Light together!" The tarot reader shuffled his deck. "You've come so close that you can't back out now! Finish what you've begun! Don't want you to be strong? To conquer your fears? To conquer Jaden? It's all within your grasp..."

"I... I don't know..." Chazz said uneasily.

"You DO know, but the two sides of your soul are struggling for control!" Sartorius stated. "Allow me to create your deck of destiny that you desire. You can defeat anyone you want, if you give yourself to me. I shall create that destiny."

Sartorius' right eye was leaking tears... "Are you willing to accept such a meager destiny?"

His other eye showed maniacal happiness. "You should be honest with your desires! Embrace the Light within! Come on, you're close!"

That's when the Slifer broke...

"ALL RIGHT! HELP ME! SHOW ME THE LIGHT! GIVE ME THE POWER TO DEFEAT JADEN YUKI!"

"A wise choice!" Sartorius laughed.

Suddenly, the Hanged Man grabbed Chazz and held him by his legs. Dark Blade saw this and tried to cut him down, only to be shattered by light the monster was emitting...

Chazz: 0

Sartorius: 300, Winner

Then the Ojama Spirits appeared and saw their partner in trouble.

 _"We'll save you!" Yellow shouted. "Come on, boys!"_

All the Ojama Spirits charged in...

But only to be shattered by Sartorius' power with the eyes glowing purple...

Sartorius then walked off, leaving The Hanged Man continuing to infuse a dark light into the Slifer...

"Now let's see if Jason has succeeded in bringing me the other duelist, I seek." He said with a sinister smile, "The one who represents the Magician..."

* * *

Before Chazz's duel with Sartorius...

After splitting up from the group, Jachin had a flashlight looking around the dark forest. It's been nearly an hour since the forest search begun and he even summoned his Persona monsters, Phaeton, Konohana and Take to help out.

"Jaden, Claudio!" He called out, but didn't get an answer.

"Everyone's been looking for you guys!"

Still nothing...

Suddenly, his three Persona monsters came out of different directions and walked up to him.

"Any luck?" He asked.

"It's nothing but sea of endless trees on my part." Phaeton said with shrug of his shoulders.

"Nothing on my end, my Lord." Take informed with frown.

"I couldn't find anyone either," Konohana added sadly.

Jachin sighed and said, "Unless Chazz, Melody or Lyra found them, I can only assume they left the island..."

"But why would they leave?" The Priestess of Flames asked.

"Oh right, Jachin had me search through Masaki's deck and I found some weird dark light roaming around it." The Falling Star answered.

"Dark Light?" The Japanese God of Thunder wondered. "Does such a thing even exist?"

"It must... yet when Phaeton tried to get it, it dissolved," The Persona duelist said.

"So, it could be the source of this problem that's going on with Jaden and Claudio?" Take asked.

"Yeah and I think Jason knows something, but I couldn't find him around campus," Jachin groaned. "Is everybody gone missing all of sudden?"

"Look no further, one's been found..."

The quartet turned to see Jason walking up to them but with very different clothing. It was like he painted his Slifer Red Jacket in deep white. Even the grey bang he had in his hair was now white.

"Okay, what up with all the white?" The Persona duelist asked, but then thought against it for the task at hand. "You know never mind that, I got questions and I need some answers..."

"About what?" Jason asked like something didn't bother him.

"The morning before Masaki's duel with Claudio," Jachin replied, "Masaki told me how you helped him with his cards when he dropped him..."

"Being a good person, helping out others," The white clad Slifer replied.

"Okay, can you explain how suddenly during that duel when Masaki dealt the finishing blow that Claudio collapsed?"

"I heard just like everyone else..."

"Well, something was up with Masaki's deck... there was a trace of Dark Light inside..."

Inwardly, Jason felt a twinge of alarm. _'He shouldn't have been able to sense that...'_ He thought. But then gasped as he realized something. _'He must be one of the souls Master Sartorius wants...'_

* * *

(Flashback)

 _While everyone begun the search for Jaden and Claudio, Jason had slipped into a secluded part of the woods, ahead of the game. But he wasn't searching for the boys..._

 _"Ah Jason Hutchins, we finally meet face to face..."_

 _The Slifer turned to see Sartorius come up to him. Jason's first instinct was to kneel before him._

 _"I must thank you for the gift, Master..." He stated._

 _"But of course..." Sartorius said. "A person with much potential needs proper guidance. And you've taken the first step towards greatness, Mr. Hutchins!"_

 _Jason stood up. "So what brings you here, at last?" He inquired._

 _"I'm searching for more potential duelists to join our cause... the Society of Light!" The tarot reader rejoiced. "And of course the whole island is full of them, but we need key players to persuade them all... and the cards have found two more..."_

 _"But what about Jaden and Claudio, if I may ask?"_

 _"We can deal with them later," Sartorius stated. "With their current states, they can't help nor hinder our plans until I can further weaken their souls. But these new souls, one weaker than both of them and the other that could match my own..."_

 _"Your own!?"_

 _"The cards do not lie, despite how surprising it may be," Sartorius frowned, "But the matter is this, it's time to put your powers to the next test! We'll go find both of these potential powers and turn them over to our cause."_

 _"At once, Master," Jason nodded._

 _"I sense that both of them are in the forest as we speak... find one and defeat him or her in a duel..."_

 _"What if I meet the one who matches you?"_

 _"Then we'll see how powerful they truly are before bringing him over to us!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

 _'He must be the one that matches Master Sartorius...'_ Jason thought with a frown _. 'Well, I intend to prove that wrong! There should be no one with the power to match his or surpass my own!'_

"So, know anything about that Dark Light I told you about?" Jachin asked.

Jason smiled as replied, "I think I may know something..."

"Then tell me! Because if it's something really bad, I want this to end!" The Persona duelist said with worry.

"Then I would say, beat me in a duel and I'll tell you all I know," Jason stated as he brought out his duel disk with his deck already inserted. "Besides, I like to see more of this power that makes you bring out your monsters beyond the duel disk's Solid Vision tech."

Jachin gasped. _'How he'd know about my power? To anyone I haven't told, it should be just holograms from a distance!'_

 _'Jachin...'_ Konohana said within the mental link.

 _'Time to duel, everyone...'_

The Personas nodded as they vanished into their cards. Jachin collected them within his deck, shuffled them and inserted them into his duel disk.

Both players then drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

* * *

Somewhere else in the forest was Claudio holding his guitar and duel disk with his blank deck inside.

 _'Okay... I might as well stay out here and re-learn my skills...'_ He thought _. 'And I'm not going back until I find what I lost again...'_

He then placed the duel disk down on the ground and carried his guitar in two hands.

"Here goes... the basics..."

He started to strum the scales in succession, but then messed up halfway when he overextended a note...

Shaking off the frustration, he started again... but this time messed up a few notes before the halfway mark.

"What!?" He shouted. "I'm getting worse!"

He let out a growl of frustration and dropped the guitar and dropped himself to his knees...

"One duel... one loss..." He said as he shook his head. "And I lost nearly everything! It can't be possible, I've lost duels before and this mess never happened to me! The sight of the cards I created, the love of music... what the Hell's going on!?" He slammed his hands on the ground. "I'm tired of this..."

He lay down on his back and looked to the sky and saw a shooting star. He closed his eyes to make a wish...

 _'I want to know why this happened to me... please, I need my confidence back!'_

Suddenly, a light flashed from under him without him noticing... but somebody else did...

"I found him!" Melody called Lyra over who went to see for herself.

"I guess he just came over here to relax by himself..." The Infernity duelist thought out loud as she looked up at the sky. "I'd say he picked the right time..."

"Oh, you and your goth thing," The Magician duelist waved off but smiled at the light joke. "Let's... huh?"

"Okay, weird light show," Lyra said as she winced at what she saw. "Should've brought my umbrella..."

Then the light blinded them all, causing them to cover their eyes. Once it subsided...

"Claudio!"

The J-Hero duelist was gone!

"Where in the world did he go!?" Lyra said looking around. "He couldn't have moved away that fast!"

Melody dropped down to her knees and started to cry...

"He... he was... right there..." She sobbed.

* * *

Back to Jachin and Jason, the duel was about to get underway...

Jachin: 8000

Jason: 8000

"I'll start!" Jachin announced, drawing his sixth card. "I play with Double Summon to be able to normal summon twice this turn. And with it, I summon Persona – Take-Mikazuchi..." A thunderbolt struck down in the forest releasing the red skinned demon of the Personas. (4/1000/1000)

"I am here for you, my Lord!" He said, slashing the air with the thunderbolt sword.

The Persona duelist nodded as he played his next card, "And I'll summon Persona – Himiko, the Shaman Princess!"

A red-haired girl in a princess robe appeared. She had a timid look to her. (4/1000/1000)

"Um... hello, Master Jachin..." She said in a low voice.

"Hey, enough with the Master thing," Jachin replied. "We're friends here." He then looked to Jason. "Not sure about him though..."

"Are you done?" The light-bearing Slifer asked impatiently.

"After this, Take-Mikazuchi has an effect where as long as he's on the field, all Persona monsters gain 1000 ATK and DEF!" The Persona duelist explained as the demon was surrounded by electricity and the Princess was surrounded by light as their powers heightened. (4/1000-2000/1000-2000) x2 "And I'll end it right here..."

"Good," Jason smiled as he drew his. "The Light is on my side as I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin in attack mode!"

In a flare of radiance, an androgynous female paladin appeared. She was clad in white armor with a cape that was white on the outside, red on the inside and carried a shield and a glowing white sword. (4/1800/1200)

"Lightsworn?" Jachin wondered.

"Yes, and it spells bad news for you!" Jason smirked. "Attack Take-Mikazuchi! Blade of Light!" Jain charged in with her sword at her side...

"Okay, what's the special ability?" Jachin wondered, seeing a weaker monster come after him.

"When Jain attacks, she gains 300 ATK during Damage Step, so your power booster is no more!" Jason grinned as Jain's blade began to glow brightly. (4/1800-2100/1200)

She then drove the blade into the Persona demon and struck him down into pixels.

Jachin: 7900

Jason: 8000

Himiko gasped seeing her partner go down. (4/2000-1000/2000-1000)

"Okay, what next?" Jachin asked again.

"This, one card facedown and end my turn." Jason said as a reversed card appeared by his feet. "But during the End Phase, the other effect of Jain activates making me drop the top two cards of deck to the graveyard..."

"A self-milling deck?"

"I say it's appropriate for me to do," The Lightsworn user said as he dropped the top two cards of his deck. "After all, it's nice to shave off my... hateful memories..."

"Not sure what you mean by that," Jachin said as he drew his next. "But I'll pass as I activate Himiko's effect, I discard one of my cards to special summon a Persona monster in my graveyard!"

As Jachin discarded one of the cards in his hand, the Shaman Princess took out a talisman and threw it on the ground.

"Be reborn, my friend..."

The talisman shined with light bringing back the demon Persona.

"Thank you, Himiko," Take said as he stood up. (4/1000-2000/1000-2000)

Himiko smiled back in response. (4/1000-2000/1000-2000)

"Also a little tidbit: the card I discarded was another Persona monster: Jiraya the Frog Sage." The card slipped out of the Chinese kid's graveyard. "And I can special summon him as well!"

In a gust of wind, a young man in white outfit with an orange scarf and a yellow chest-plate appeared. In his right hand, he carried a green staff with a frog's head on top.

"The one and only Frog Sage has arrived and his name is... JIRAYA!" (4/1000-2000/1000-2000) The new Persona looked at Jason. "Apparently, white became a fashion statement, thanks to yours truly I believe..." He grinned.

"Jiraya... focus..." Jachin interrupted.

"Oh alright," The frog sage chuckled.

"Now then, it's time for a little payback," Jachin smirked, "Take attacks Jain!"

The demon Persona roared as he took up his lightning blade and charged at the Paladin.

"I activate my Trap Card, Lightsworn Barrier!" Jason countered, revealing his Trap Card. "When a Lightsworn monster's attacked, I can drop two more cards to negate it!" The Lightsworn duelist dropped two more cards from the top of his deck as a crystallized shield blocked the lightning.

"Darn..." Jachin growled.

"Oh, look what went in to the graveyard," Jason smirked as a Monster card slipped out of his graveyard. "It's Wulf, Lightsworn Beast! When it's sent to the graveyard from the deck, he's instantly summoned to the field!"

A white warrior appeared with the head of a wolf and wore armor similar to Jain's. (4/2100/300)

"I can still go after Jain," Jachin declared, "Jiraya, go get him!"

"You got it!" The frog sage pointed his staff at the paladin next and fired a green blast.

"Lightsworn Barrier, activate again!" Jason dropped another two cards as the green blast was deflected by the crystal shield. "And look what went to the graveyard this time, Lightsworn Sabre! It instantly equips onto a Lightsworn monster of my choosing granting it 700 ATK! And Jain needs some added muscle, don't you think?"

Jain's sword transformed into a sleek rapier which she proudly wielded. (4/1800-2500/1200)

"I switch Himiko to defense mode and set two cards facedown." Jachin sighed as the Shaman Princess kneeled and crossed her arms as two reversed cards appeared behind her. "Your move..."

"I draw," Jason announced as he drew his next card. He grinned, "It just gets worse for you, I summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk!"

A dark-skinned woman wearing the same plate armor appeared, but with a red battle dress underneath it all and white boots. She also wielded a white staff which she spun around with precision before taking a battle stance. (4/1600/1000)

"Now attack Himiko, Righteous Blitz!"

Ehren charged in a struck the princess in the gut, but instead of shattering to pixels, she vanished into thin air.

"Himiko!" Jachin cried. He then saw a flash on top of his deck. "What?"

"When Ehren attacks a defense position monster, she automatically sends it to the top of your deck." Jason explained, "But let's continue! Jain, slay his demon again!" Jain went into a rush again, increasing her strength. (4/2500-2800/1200) Then she stabbed the Persona, defeating him yet again.

Jachin: 7100

Jason: 8000

"Now, that your booster's gone, I'll be able to deal more damage!" Jason smirked as Jiraya felt uneasy facing the last Lightsworn. (4/2000-1000/2000-1000) "Wulf, take him out!" The beast howled as he took his spear and prepared to drive into the sage.

"I activate the trap, Sliver Dollar!" Jachin countered, revealing the card activated, "This negates an attack on a monster with 1000 ATK or below!"

Wulf stopped in his tracks and jumped back to Jason's side.

"Looks like you lucked out," The Lightsworn duelist stated. "But, I'll end my turn, causing Jain to take two cards from my deck and Ehren to drop three, for a total of five cards." Jason took five cards from his deck and sent them to the grave.

"Alright, my move!" Jachin announced as he drew his next card. "I reveal the facedown card Limit Reverse to bring back Take!" The demon Persona reappeared. (4/1000-2000/1000-2000)

"You keep bringing him back for a beating don't you?" Jason asked.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself until its time," Jachin replied with a frown as he inserted another Spell into his disk. "I play Persona Gift, for every Persona Monster on the field I can draw two cards!" He drew four cards from his deck and then revealed one. "Now I show off the Persona Evolution Spell!"

The spell card showed Phaeton and Konohana glowing with energy with shadows behind them that looked connected with them.

"This lets me take both of my Persona monsters on the field and evolve them to their ascended forms!" Take and Jiraya were surrounded by white energy and started to change form, "Now I summon Persona Immortals Susanoo and Rokuten Mao!"

Jiraya's new form, Susanoo was now shirtless exposing his red skinned body and letting his long black hair flow out. He still had the white pants and carried a spiked sword. (8/2400/2000)

Take's new form, Rokuten Mao was now heavily armored and more demonic looking. His large hands carried a larger thunderbolt sword. (8/2400/2000)

"Impressive lineup, but they're no match for me," Jason said with smirk.

"Someone doesn't know us very well!" Susanoo scoffed and then yelled. "Hey pal, don't you know going into the light's a bad thing!?"

Rokuten grabbed the Personal Immortal by the hair, hard...

"Ow, ow, ow! Okay, I'll stop!" The new Immortal cried out before Rokuten let him go.

"Thank you, Rokuten," Jachin said with a smile.

"He was irritating me as well, my Lord." The Immortal stated.

"Anyway," Jachin said, turning to his opponent. "With the arrival of Susanno, I get to destroy all spells and traps on your field!"

Jason gasped when his cards were destroyed, leaving them wide open and Jain without a weapon (4/2500-1800/1200)

"Now to even the playing field I summon Persona – Tomoe Gozen!" Jachin continued, playing his next Monster card.

A figure jumped from the forest. It was a woman with short, light brown hair in samurai's armor. She drew her naginata blade, ready to fight. (4/1900/100)

"Thank you for calling me to battle!" She said rather enthusiastic, swinging her weapon around. "I haven't whetted my blade into something for what it feels like ages!"

"Well, now's your time!" The Persona duelist stated. "Go and attack Ehren, Blade of Soul!"

"Feel the power of my blade, Woman of Light!" Tomoe slashed upward on the monk, shattering her to pixels.

Jachin: 7100

Jason: 7700

"Next, Susanno attacks Wulf, with Jagged Sword Slash!"

"Hey, Tomoe! Let me show you how a real blade slashes!" The Wind Immortal said as he took his sword and did an over the head slash on the beast-warrior.

Jachin: 7100

Jason: 7400

"Finally, Rokuten Mao attacks Jain with Demon Thunder!"

"This is payment for my previous life!" the Persona Immortal roared as black thunder erupted from his armor and let it loose on the Paladin who felt the torment.

Jachin: 7100

Jason: 6800

"I end my turn!" Jachin ended.

"Then it's my draw!" Jason announced as he drew his next card, "I set one monster in defense mode and place a facedown card as well." A facedown monster and reversed card appeared. "And that's it from me."

"So, nothing good in your hand, right?" Jachin announced as he drew his next card, "Fine with me! I play Magic Planter to send my now useless Limit Reverse to the grave and draw two cards." Limit Reverse shattered as Jachin drew two more cards. "I'll now..."

"Not so fast!" Jason interrupted, turning over his face-down card. "I activate A Feint Plan, making all my facedown monsters off-limits to your attacks."

The Persona duelist frowned as he Set another card, "Okay then, a facedown card will do it..."

"Now I draw!" Jason announced, drawing his next card. "First, I Flip Summon my Set Monster! Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter appear now!" The card turned over, unleashing a small white wolf cub, howling into the night. (2/200/100) "And once flipped face-up, I can destroy any card on the field, like that mouthy Susanoo!"

The cub expended a large amount of Light that obliterated the Immortal.

"And as payment, three cards from my deck," Jason stated as he sent three cards away to the grave. "Now then, I'll send Ryko away to summon forth Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!"

The cub disappeared unleashing a beautiful blue-haired angel. She wore a white armored battle dress that did not hinder her long, elegant wings. In her hands, carried a long scepter with a sun ornament. (5/2300/200)

"Okay, I know from experience that pretty face like hers carries a devastating power." The Persona duelist said.

"And you'd be correct!" Jason grinned. "When I summon her using a Lightsworn monster as a sacrifice, I can send the top four cards in my deck to the graveyard to destroy two of your cards!" Jachin gasped as his opponent dropped four more cards from his deck. "So begone, both Persona monsters!"

Celestia collected massive quantities of Light from the stars above. Taking flight, the Lightsworn Angel shot a blast of light at both of Jachin's monsters, leaving him without much protection.

"Now, Celestia attack him directly with Celestial Light!" Jason commanded.

Spreading her wings, the angel spread more light on Jachin who was pushed on his back.

Jachin: 4800

Jason: 6800

"The Light is an impressive element, isn't it?" Jason laughed. "How do you expect to get the answers from my mouth, if you can't hold yourself together!"

Jachin grunted as he sat up and raised his hand to his Set card. "This trap... Reach out to the Truth!" The trap in question showed Himiko and Tomoe Gozen reaching out to a door of with a red and black spiral inside. "After taking a direct attack of over 2000 points, I can summon two Persona monsters in my deck!" Two cards slipped out of his deck as he stood on his feet. He then placed those cards on his disk. "I bring out Personas – Phaeton the Falling Star and Kintoki Douji the Golden Boy!"

"Got here as soon as I can!" Phaeton said as he appeared. (4/1000/1000)

Next, a young red-haired kid appeared with a blue cape and red suit, holding a sliver missile appeared.

"I hope you're ready to get your butts kicked!" He shouted. (4/1000/1000)

"You waste your time with these weaklings!" The Lightsworn duelist shouted as he set a reversed card. "I end my turn..."

"Good!" Jachin shouted back as he drew his next card. "I summon Persona – Himiko again!"

"I am back, Master..." She said as she stood on the field. (4/1000/1000)

"Next, Card of Demise to draw until I have five cards!" Jachin announced as he drew from his deck until he had five cards. "Now this gets complicated, so listen up... I can discard one monster to use Phaeton's effect and your life points get hit by 400 times the level it has!" He took a monster card from his hand. "Here's something you wouldn't expect; I discard Persona Immortal Yamato Takeru with a level of eight! Meaning you're about to lose 3200 life points!"

Once the Slifer discarded, Phaeton used his flaming reigns to burn massive embers onto the duelist of the Light.

Jachin: 4800

Jason: 3600

"Impressive," Jason grunted as he took a knee.

"You haven't seen anything yet, I use Himiko's effect, discarding another card to re-summon Take!" Jachin continued as he took another card into his graveyard. Himiko used her talisman to revive the demon Persona. (4/1000-2000/1000-2000) "And remember, all my Personas gain 1000 ATK!" All the Personas sparked with energy! (4/1000-2000/1000-2000) x3

"2000 ATK cannot harm my Lightsworn Angel," Jason protested.

"Then I'll activate the spell Half Shut," the Persona duelist countered, activating his Quick-Play Spell "This keeps your monster grounded, but she loses half her strength!"

Celestia felt a little pale as she landed on the ground. (5/2300-1150/200)

"Personas, attack Celestia!" Jachin commanded. "Phaeton, attack with Solar Blaze!"

"Time to burn!" The Fire Persona stated as he unleashed a wave of flames at the angel and it extended over to the Lightsworn duelist.

Jachin: 4800

Jason: 2750

"Himiko, 1000 Talisman!"

"As you wish," The Shaman Princess said as she waved her hands as exactly 1000 Talisman scrolls appeared. Pointing her hands at the opposition, the talisman shot off like arrows and bombarded the angel and her master with explosives.

Jachin: 4800

Jason: 1900

"Take, Thunder Blade!"

"At once, My Lord!" The demon Persona roared as he slashed the angel with his thunderbolt sword and sent another jolt to Jason.

Jachin: 4800

Jason: 1050

"Kintoki-Douji, Missile Trouble!"

"You got it, Sensei!" The golden boy hopped on to the missile and rode straight through Celestia, and then Jason.

Jachin: 4800

Jason: 200

"And here's the great part!" The Persona duelist grinned, "Kintoku-Douji's special effect is that he can attack twice every turn! So come on back and take this duel!"

"Here I come again!" The Persona shouted as he turned around. "Gaaaammmmee over!"

"Not quite! I activate Magic Cylinder!" Jason snapped as he revealed his facedown card. Suddenly, a pair of red cylinders with spell markings appeared. The Persona was sent into one of them. "Now you take damage from your monster's ATK!"

Next, Kintoku got shot out of the second Cylinder and rammed himself into Jachin.

Jachin: 2800

Jason: 200

"Jachin!" The Persona monsters ran up to him and helped him on his face.

"You okay?" Phaeton asked.

"Yeah, should've known he'd wait until I was comfortable with dealing the finishing blow," The Slifer stated.

"So what now, my Lord?" Take asked.

"We'll see what happens," Jachin said as he inserted two cards into his disk. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn..."

Two reversed card appeared at the Slifer's feet as Celestia's power returned to 2300.

"Now let's see what I have here," Jason mused as he drew his next card. He laughed as he played it, "I sacrifice Celestia in order to summon Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!"

Celestia dissolved into light that reformed into an immense noble white dragon, with a mane of golden hair, white angelic wings and clad in silver and gold armor. A single glowing horn crowned its head, shining with energy. (6/2000/1600)

"Now I know something's up if its base power is weaker than the previous monster," Jachin said bracing himself for the news of the dragon.

"Here's what's up," Jason grinned, "Gragonith gains 300 ATK and DEF for every Lightsworn monster with a different name in the graveyard!" He then raised his duel disk. "As you know about the 5 Lightsworns before him that you've seen during the duel, I have more for you to see, 3 more!"

Images of Jain, Wulf, Ehren, Ryko and Celestia appeared behind the dragon. Then there was a small white cat with long thunderbolt tassels on its ears, a black haired warrior with a large battleaxe and a blonde woman in a white dress carrying a scepter.

"The three others are as follows: Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue, Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior and Shire, Lightsworn Spirit." Jason explained. "With 8 monsters in the grave, my dragon gains 2400 ATK and DEF!"

The dragon glowed with energy and light. (6/2000-4400/1600-4000)

"And to finally shut you into the Light, I activate the field spell Luminous Spark!"

Once the Lightsworn duelist inserted the Field Spell into side slot, the entire forest was blanketed in light. Jachin and his monsters nearly had to shut their eyes to still get a good look at the other side.

"Now with my LIGHT Attribute monsters, they gain 500 ATK and lose 400 DEF! But that's just enough to wipe you out!" Gragonith's mouth was leaking out light. (6/4400-4900/4000-3600) "Gragonith, deliver our new friend into the light! Nova Purge!" The dragon began to unleash the light from its maw.

"I activate my second Limit Reverse!" Jachin called out, revealing his facedown card, "I'm bringing out Jiraya once more!" The trap card shined, bringing back the wind-based Persona once more.

"What I miss?" Jiraya called out. (4/1000-2000/1000-2000) But once he saw the oncoming light burst, he screamed. "WHOA!"

"So you have five monsters on the field." Jason shouted as his dragon finished charging its power. "But their 2000 ATK won't save you!" That's when Gragonith let loose the blast heading straight for Phaeton.

"You got something, dude?" The targeted Persona said as he felt his end coming.

"Yeah, I activate Social Link Burst!"

Jachin's second card activated, showing the artwork of the Persona monsters sharing high-fives.

"This activates when I have exactly 5 Persona monsters on the field when I'm attacked!" Jachin shouted. "Your monster will be the one destroyed and we both take damage equal the difference of our battle!" Jason growled. "I was about to lose 2900 life points, but thanks to my card, you will too!"

The Persona monster linked energies together and screamed...

"SOCIAL LINK!"

The five energies of the Personas combined and shot out a blast against the dragon that erupted into an explosion and resulting in both players being launched a good distance away from the battlefield.

Jachin: 0

Jason: 0

DRAW!

* * *

Sometime later, Jachin woke up with a groaned as he sat up against a tree.

"Note to self: use that trap card in a more open space," He said feeling dazed. "Ouch..."

"Jachin!"

Konohana appeared and lifted him to his knees.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"A little banged up, but I'm fine," He said, rubbing the sore spot in his head. "But where's...?"

"Gone," Konohana replied about to apply a healing spell, "During the crossfire, he caught himself in mid-air and ran off... everyone else was knocked out."

"We'll leave him alone for now," Jachin stated. "Besides, it's not like he can go anywhere. But it does puzzle me how he became that powerful? And it's not just his dueling... with a self-milling deck, it's hard to pull out the right cards at the right moment. Especially with cards that retrieve them from the Graveyard."

"I don't know," The Persona replied. "But maybe it's the Dark Light that Phaeton told us about."

"We'll confront the matter later, let's find everyone else and tell them. Plus, it seems Claudio and Jaden are not in these parts of the woods."

* * *

At the docks and inside the airplane, Sartorius met up with Jason who was breathing heavily.

"I see you weren't successful." The tarot reader said as he shuffled his tarot cards.

"Forgive me, Master," Jason breathed. "He saved himself at the last moment and I couldn't change it..."

Sartorius chuckled. "Fate is toying with us. No matter, we have one of them."

Hearing that put a relief in the Lightsworn duelist's mind but the worry came back as he had something else that had to be said...

"But there is a problem, the one I dueled found out about the power that we tried to use to turn Jaden and Claudio over to our sides." Jason explained.

Sartorius narrowed his eyes. "He was indeed the one that matches me." He drew the Magician card again from the top and nodded. "Another day, Mr. Hutchins." He looked up to his servant. "Return to Duel Academy and see to it our new friend is taken care of."

Jason bowed as he left the plane.

* * *

As the plane took off. Sartorius then smirked as he drew another card. The Hanged Man.

"I may not have the Magician's soul, but the Hanged Man's soul is mine!" He said. "Isn't that right, Chazz?"

If you looked at it more clearly, the Hanged Man's picture was replaced by Chazz's face!

"But the ones I truly want elude me..."

When Sartorius laid the card down, another card slipped from the table and fell. It was the Wheel of Fortune, but unlike the previous times...

"The Wheel of Fortune is in reverse!" He gasped. "The tide is turning!"

* * *

Unknown to him, a speedboat took off from the island as well. The rider was Jaden!

 _'I'll miss you Duel Academy...'_ He thought as he looked back to the school. _'But what's the point of being there if I can't duel...'_

* * *

In the morning, at the Slifer Dorm Cafeteria...

"Claudio's gone!" Everyone exclaimed.

"That's right," Lyra nodded. "Melody's in her room and hasn't come down since..."

"Oh man," Syrus said. "She must feel very bad..."

"First, Jaden left, Chazz's disappeared without a trace, now this?" Vincent wondered. "What's going on here?"

"It's not an epidemic that's for sure." Alister said.

"It's sad though." Erika added. "I wouldn't expect either of them to leave with no word..."

Suddenly, everyone heard some footsteps coming in the room. They turned to see Chazz Princeton all good and well...

"Chazz!" Jachin exclaimed as stood up from his chair. "Man, we almost thought you were gone!"

"Are you alright?" Kenji asked.

"Never better!" Chazz said with a smile.

"But... um... you look different..." Alexis pointed out.

"Yeah, the wardrobe changes..." Alex added as everyone saw that Chazz was now wearing an all-white outfit version of the Academy clothes.

Chazz chuckled, "It's more than that. I've finally woken up. I've seen the Light! The Society of Light! It holds all the answers!"

He then burst into laughter puzzling everybody except one...

 _'What the...?' Jachin said. 'How come he's talking about the Light?'_

Outside, standing on the Slifer Dorm's roof, Jason was laughing maniacally...

Got it! New day, another chapter!

Vision

Normal Spell

Reveal the top card of your Deck. Then, shuffle your Deck. Once during this Duel, if the selected card or a card with the same name is played, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.

Suit of Sword X

Normal Spell

Toss a coin. ● Heads: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls. ● Tails: Destroy all monsters you control.

Knight of Pentacles

EARTH

Warrior/Effect

Level 3

1000/1000

When this card is Summoned, toss a coin: ● Heads: This card cannot be destroyed by battle. ● Tails: This card cannot attack. If this card is attacked, destroy this card at the end of the Damage Step.

Selection of Fate

Normal Spell

Your opponent selects random 1 card in your hand. If it is a Monster Card, Special Summon it.

Arcana Force XII – The Hanged Man

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 6

2200/2200

When this card is Summoned, toss a coin: ● Heads: Once per turn, destroy 1 monster you control and inflict damage to your Life Points equal to the total ATK of the destroyed monster. ● Tails: Once per turn, destroy 1 monster your opponent controls and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the total ATK of the destroyed monster.

(The top five cards were used by Sartorius in the GX episode: "I've Seen the Light," All rights to the creator)

Ace of Sword

Normal Spell

Toss a coin. ● Heads: Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK. ● Tails: Your opponent selects 1 face-up monster you control. You take damage equal to that monster's ATK

(This card was used by Sartorius in the GX episode: "Generation NeXt" All rights to the creator.)

Arcana Force IX – Hermit

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 5

1900/1900

When you activate a second spell card during your turn, you can special summon this card from your deck. Toss a coin. ● Heads: Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. This card's original ATK becomes equal to the selected monster's original ATK. ● Tails: Your opponent selects 1 face-up monster you control. That card's original ATK becomes equal to the selected monster's original ATK.

(This card is created by me. Based off the ninth card in the Major Arcana class.)

Silver Dollar

Normal Trap

Activate only when your opponent attacks a face-up monster you control with 1000 or less ATK. Negate the attack.

(This card was first used by Joey Wheeler in the second series episode: Merger of the Big Five Part 3. All rights to the creators of the anime.)

Persona Gift

Normal Spell

Draw two cards for each monster with "Persona" in its name from your deck.

Image: A duelist accepting a present from Konohana.

Reach out to the Truth (Based on the song from Persona 4)

Normal Trap

Activate when you take damage from a direct attack. Special Summon "Persona" monsters (excluding the Persona Immortals) for every 1000 points of damage you took.

Image: Himiko and Tomoe Gozen reaching out to a door of with a red and black spiral inside.

Social Link Burst

Normal Trap

Activate only when you control exactly 5 monsters with "Persona" in its name. Destroy the attacking monster and deal damage to both players equal to the battle damage you would have taken.

Image: The Persona monsters giving each other high fives.

(The top three cards are created by me. All creative card rights by me.)

Next time: Wonder where Jaden's going and where Claudio left in that light? Find out in the next chapter!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	14. Return of the Heroes

It's time for our fallen boys to rise up and be reborn with new cards! Rock on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 14: Return of the Heroes!

* * *

"Jaden!"

"Up and at 'em soldier!"

 _"Your best friend's here!"_

It was after classes that Syrus and Hassleberry went out looking for Jaden. Of course, that in turn made a rivalry out of the whole thing. And as they kept looking, they said various things about why they were Jaden's best friend while insulting the other.

Alexis sighed. "Will this ever end?"

"I wouldn't count on it," Allyson shrugged.

"Jaden's my wingman!" Hassleberry yelled at the smaller Ra. "You got that, twerp!?"

"Well who's known him longer!" Syrus retorted, "I've known him for a year, while you're just a dumb rookie!"

The dino duelist growled. "Take... that... back..."

The Obelisk girls decided to walk over and break up the fight with Alexis holding Syrus back and Allyson grabbing Hassleberry by the ear.

"Alright, that's enough!" Allyson said. "We don't need to waste time fighting with each other!"

"And need I remind you, two that Jaden AND Claudio are lost?" Alexis asked. "You keep fighting over Jaden that you've forgotten your fellow Ra Yellow?"

"He started it," Syrus muttered, pointing at the dino duelist.

"Did not..." Hassleberry mumbled.

"Just calm down," The Spirit duelist interjected. "Have you two even started looking?"

Both Ras flipped over small items and pointed.

"We're looking for our friends, not hamsters!" Alexis exclaimed.

"You fools will never find Jaden and Claudio!"

They looked on top of the Slifer Dorm and saw Chazz ranting in his new white attire.

"Haven't you heard the good news?" He grinned. "They've given up dueling! And why you ask? Because they rejected what the Light has to offer, the fundamental truths of their own destinies!"

"Huh?" Everyone said.

"He's been like this ever since our search party failed," Jachin said, walking towards the group seeing his friend rant about the Light. "Now I kinda regret me and Masaki having to room with him."

"So you saying he's gone AWOL?" Hassleberry stated.

"Not me," Chazz interrupted, looking down at the crowd. "Maybe Jaden and Claudio, after all I saw Jaden on a boat yesterday! He's probably lost at sea! And who cares about Claudio? Where ever he is now, it serves him right for turning away from the Light!" He then got into a laughter so big, he fell off the roof!

"He went off the deep end," Syrus said.

"I'll get him," Jachin said as he set to work.

But apparently Chazz was hanging on to the edge as he screamed: "You all see! The Light is the answer!"

* * *

While that was happening, Sartorius was back in his white room shuffling his cards on his table.

"How could Jaden and Claudio have eluded me?" He asked himself. "Perhaps the cards can tell me..."

As he almost finished, he caught sight of one card falling off the table. It was still facedown but never pointed horizontally, it was diagonal.

"This card fell in neither direction of fortune, only on its side," The tarot reader stated as he picked up the card and flipped it over. "The Reaper of Souls," He read. "When upside down, it indicates rebirth, but right side up indicates destruction. What could it mean since it pointed in neither direction?"

* * *

At night, somewhere around the ocean, Jaden was left stranded on his boat.

"I should've packed a lunch," He sighed. "Or better yet offered Claudio to come, he needs answers like I do. I wish it was like last year, when I could still see my cards and when I lost a duel, I didn't lose my mind. When I had the will to duel..."

He then looked to the sky. "Hey up there! How about a sign!? Should I give up dueling or duel again!? Tell me!"

Then, he saw a shooting star in the sky. It was similar to the one Claudio saw...

"Hey it's a shooting star!" He said. "That's a good sign! Now hopefully it gives me the answers I needed!"

But that 'sign' decided to head straight for him and spook out the Slifer.

"Uh... I change my mind! I don't want a sign!" Jaden ran to start the boat and started booking to who knows where. But it didn't stop the burning star from flashing a red light, absorbing the E-Hero duelist into it.

* * *

The sound of crashing waves woke up the Slifer. He saw a beach on a dark night.

"Guess I floated back to Academy Island." He figured.

But all that changed as he looked up at the night sky... he saw the planet Jupiter!

"Or not," He cringed seeing a planet far from his own, "Okay, this might be just a dream... but it can't be, it seems too realistic and I didn't fall asleep. Unless... that shooting star actually hit me and I've bit the dust!" He then freaked out and fell on his back. "I can't believe it..." Calming down, he just took it in... "So this is the great beyond... hope they have cable..."

Suddenly, he heard some dolphin calls...

"Don't you know television rots your brain?" He heard a voice call out to him.

He looked into the ocean and saw nothing but three dolphins swimming around.

"Huh, there's nothing here but dolphins," Jaden said as he saw one of them peering out of the water at him. "Can you talk?"

"But of course!" The dolphin spoke! "Does that surprise you?"

Jaden groaned. "Figures, I'm in dolphin heaven..."

"No, but not a bad guess, for an evolved ape, that is..." The dolphin stated. It then jumped out of the water, but instead of going back in, it landed on the ground! And it had a muscular body with boots on it's... feet!

"You got legs?" Jaden asked. "Is that where fish sticks come from?" He then chuckled. "Get it?"

"Yes, it wasn't that funny, though," The dolphin replied. "I am what you would call a super-evolved Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin." Seeing the puzzled face of Jaden... "But you can call me 'Aquos.'"

Jaden continued to think about his current condition. "Alright... the Afterlife's one thing I can handle but alien dolphins, no way! I guess Jeremy wasn't kidding about their being life on other planets... I gotta talk to him..."

"Well before you contact him, would you like to know why you are here?" Aquos asked.

"Sure," The Slifer whined. "It can't get much worse..."

Aquos laughed with a dolphin call before composing himself.

"Jaden, the universe is in danger," The dolphin began. "For in all things, there exists Neo-Space... a balance... earth and air, light and darkness. Without one, the other cannot survive!"

"Like fries and ketchup?" Jaden asked.

Aquos sighed, "Like fries and ketchup... But now, the balance has tipped and we need you!"

"Me?"

"Yes you!"

"That's great, but this isn't a good time," Jaden stated. "So, good luck with all that!"

"Listen," Aquos kneeled down to the sitting Slifer. "There's an organization called the Society of Light. And these humans are destroying the darkness, which in turn disrupting the balance."

"So what?"

"'So what?'" The Aqua Dolphin rubbed the temples on its head. "Did you even understand what I explained to you before?"

"I remember something about French fries, but rest is all a blur..." Jaden muttered. "And ketchup, too!"

Suddenly, the other two dolphins, the regular ones, spot a light coming from the sky and dove into the water for cover. Hearing the call, Aquos looked up to see a spaceship coming into land.

"Well... it appears they have found us..." He said, glaring at the ship.

"Who?" Jaden asked.

"The Society... they must have sensed your power, Jaden and they want it!" Aquos said as the spaceship landed with six metal legs as the landing gear. "You are one of the chosen who can save our world, for you have a gift."

"Save the world?" Jaden muttered, "I'll have to take a rain check on that one."

"If you fail, and the Society succeeds, all life will fade away!"

Suddenly, the door opened up under the spaceship, letting a strange android descend from it. It was sliver colored with glowing green eyes and long, flexible arms. On its left arm, it carried a duel disk with an even weirder fashion than the ones before it.

"Who's that?" Jaden asked.

"Your next opponent," Aquos said as he pushed Jaden towards the invading android. "Now go out there and get your game on!"

"But wait, I don't have my deck, dolphin boy!" Jaden protested. "Besides, I can't see them! What's the point!?"

"I know... but have a look over there... you might have luck with those." Aquos replied, pointing towards the palm trees nearby. Jaden glanced over and saw the ruins of a gray satellite. The boy ran over and noticed that much of his rusting and the nameplate on it was covered in soil.

"So? It's a pile of space junk," Jaden confirmed. But a tile of it fell away, revealing a yellow capsule. Taking it into his hands, the boy saw it firmly fit into hands.

"Is this what I think it is?" Jaden asked. The Neo Spacian nodded as the Slifer unscrewed the capsule, revealing an object covered in lavender cloth. Peeling it away, Jaden found that it was a deck of Duel Monsters cards.

"Remember Jaden. Dueling isn't about winning. It's about getting back up when you fall down," Aquos warned.

"Where'd you learn that, a fortune cookie?" Jaden joked. Aquos giggled as the two walked back to the android.

"Whatever! It's time for Jaden to get back in the game!" Jaden declared, as a duel disk appeared on his left arm, "Sweet! Just like back home!"

"Of course, now go get 'em!" Jaden frowned in determination as he faced a silver robot who activate the duel disk on its left arm; its glowing yellow eyes were locked with Jaden's brown ones.

"BATTLE MUST COMMENCE! BATTLE MUST COMMENCE! LIGHT MUST CONSUME ALL MATTER!" The android declared as it began to spark.

"Alright! We'll duel! Chill!" Jaden urged as he drew his opening hand. He glanced down at his cards but to his dismay, they were all white. But the cards began to glow as the white faded into the hand drawn pictures done in crayon. The cards immediately registered in Jaden's mind as they changed again, this time into a real Duel Monsters card!

"My card! I can see it and it's so familiar!" Jaden gasped, "Time out! I gotta check something!" The boy quickly ran back to the satellite and scraped away the dirt on the nameplate, revealing the words 'Kaiba Corp. Ltd."

"This isn't space junk! It's a Kaiba Corp satellite!"

* * *

(Flashback)

 _It was about 10 years ago, back when Jaden was a little kid. He and many others gathered around the main streets of his city as a broadcast came the legendary face of a brown-haired man wearing a long white sleeveless KaibaCorp designed coat featuring shoulder pads and a raised studded collar, with black sleeves from his shirt coming out from under. He has extra belts in pairs strapped around his upperarms and shins. It was the man who rivaled the King of Games, Seto Kaiba._

 _"Attention all duelists!" He addressed. "My company is holding a card design contest! Anyone who thinks they got what it takes can enter! I will handpick the winners and then the cards will be placed into a Kaiba Corp satellite and launched into space. Cause I figure if there is intelligent life out there, and then let's teach them how to duel!" He then blew up in his usual triumphant laugh while the rest of the public was cheering at the chance to create some winning cards._

(End Flashback)

* * *

"I had spent months designing my own cards. I drew all the cards I ever wanted. Come to think of it, it was the only homework I ever did! And these cards must be the ones I made up which means I won the contest!" Jaden grinned, "And the best part is that I can see them!"

"Correct! The prophecy of my people has come to pass," Aquos explained, "You must defeat this android in a duel. The fate of the universe is in your hands. That's a lot of pressure! Don't mess up!" Aquos admitted. Jaden groaned as he returned to the duel.

"BATTLE MUST COMMENCE! BATTLE MUST COMMENCE! LIGHT MUST CONSUME ALL MATTER!" The android declared as the sparks got bigger.

"Hey don't start off without me!"

Jaden: 8000

Alien of Light: 8000

"My draw," Jaden announced, drawing his sixth card. He then played his first one, "I summon Card Blocker in defense mode!" A small warrior appeared in purple armor. From the look of its face, it was like a little doll carrying a purple shield and small sword in its scabbard. But in that face was determination that it could take any attack. (3/400/400) "And after a facedown I end my turn! Your turn oil stain!"

"NEGATIVE. NO LEAKAGE DETECTED." The alien stated as it took two cards from its hand and sent them into the graveyard. "NOW DEPOSITING TWO CARDS FROM HAND TO SUMMON CANDELATO – THE BEAST OF LIGHT!"

A strange, orange two-headed monster with a light core appeared. Its heads had no eyes, but had razor sharp teeth. It was small for something with a high level though. (12/0/0)

"What?" Jaden exclaimed as as he saw how weak the monster before him was, despite the level. "He's all bark and no bite!"

"NEGATIVE YOU CONTAMINATED PROTEIN STRAIN! CANDLEATO AMASSES 1000 ATTACK AND DEFENSE POINTS FOR EVERY CARD IN MY HAND… COMPUTATION COMPLETE… CURRENT ATTACK POINTS 3000!"

The cards reacted to Candelato's core and surged with power. (12/0-3000/0)

"Wow... 3000 ATK already," The Slifer muttered, "At least I'll be safe from damage this turn..."

"REGULATION 44.6, SUBSECTION C, PARAGRAPH TWO - CANDLEATO CANNOT ATTACK ON THE TURN THAT IT WAS SUMMONED... NOW ACTIVATING POT OF GREED!" The alien played a spell making the green, grinning pot appear. "EFFECT: DRAW TWO CARDS FROM DECK!" The alien drew two more cards, raising Candelato's attack power. (12/3000-4000/0)

"NOW SETTING TWO CARDS... AND ACTIVATING SPELL CARD: SOUL RELEASE!"

Another spell card appeared showing the ghost image of a beautiful woman.

"EFFECT: REMOVE UP TO 5 CARDS FROM EITHER PLAYER'S GRAVEYARDS. BUT ONLY REMOVE TWO FROM MINE."

The alien removed two cards from its Graveyard slot.

"ACTIVATING FINAL SPELL CARD, DIMENSIONAL FISSURE!"

A dimensional rip opened above the alien that looked like it lead to another part of space.

"EFFECT: ALL MONSTERS NORMALLY SENT TO GRAVEYARD, ARE INSTEAD REMOVED FROM PLAY. NOW COMMENCE TURN END..."

Without any cards in the alien's hand affected Candelato, weakening its power. (12/4000-0/0)

"Okay, why'd it lower the Monster's ATK?" The Slifer wondered.

"ON END PHASE, TWO D.D. SCOUT PLANE IS SPECIAL SUMMONED TO THE FIELD!"

Two small satellite machines were summoned to the field from the fissure. (2/800/1200) x2

"About time you stopped, motor mouth," Jaden stated as he drew his next card and smiled. "Check this out! I play Neo Spacian Pathfinder in attack mode!" A feminine monster appeared clad in a white suit with blue outlines. (4/1800/800) "Though, I thought there were just space dolphins." He said as he scratched his head.

"There are other Neo-Spacians than myself," Aquos stated.

"Whatevs," Jaden shrugged as he pointed to his opponent, "Now attack that Scout Plane with Neo Orb!"

Pathfinder created a multi-colored orb that it released. The orb shot through the machine, breaking it apart and the pieces were sent into the fissure.

Jaden: 8000

Alien of Light: 7000

"And then I'll call it a turn," The Slifer concluded.

"END PHASE COMMENCE, D.D. SCOUT PLANE RETURNS TO FIELD!" The alien said.

The small machine returned. (2/800/1200)

"Aw man," Jaden whined. "I'm guess I'm still out of it..."

"SKIPPING DRAW PHASE," The alien declared on its turn, but then revealed both of its Set cards. "NOW ACTIVATING FACEDOWN CARDS: BOTH ARE RECKLESS GREED, ALLOWING ME TO DRAW TWO CARDS PER TRAP AT COST OF SKIPPING TWO DRAW PHASES..."

The alien drew four cards that reacted to the core of Candelato. (12/0-4000/0)

"Whoa," Jaden gasped. "Good thing I didn't attack him before..."

"NOW SUMMONING D.D. SURIVIOR IN ATTACK MODE!"

The alien summoned a blond-haired man with robotic limbs, who covered himself with a tattered tan cloak. (4/1800/200), (12/4000-3000/0)

"CANDELATO, ATTACKS PATHFINDER! PRISM BLAST!" The alien commanded.

The twin-headed beast unleashed two blasts of light heading towards the Neo Spacian...

"Hold on," The Slifer interrupted. "When you make an attack, I can use Card Blocker's effect and make it the target of your attack!" The small soldier leapt in front of the Neo Spacian and took the blow, blasting the doll-like soldier into the fissure.

"MINOR CASUALITY." The alien of light countered. "D.D. SURIVIVOR, ATTACKS PATHFINDER!"

"But they have the same attack points!" Jaden said as both of the players' monsters struck each other in massive wave of light that caused both to launch into the fissure above. That's when he thought of something, "Wait a sec... This looks familiar..."

"BOTH SCOUT PLANES WILL NOW ATTACK OPPONENT DIRECTLY, SCOUT SHOT!"

Both satellites fired a black orb that slammed into the Slifer, making him clutch his stomach.

Jaden: 6400

Alien of Light: 7000

"That was not... fun..." Jaden groaned. "It's the Shadow Games all over again..."

"Actually... it's the Society of Light at work," Aquos stated. "Their monsters can deal real life damage to your person."

"Okay... very bad..." Jaden said. He then realized something, "Now I remember, Banner used a similar strategy without that Candelato thing..."

"COMMENCING END PHASE, D.D SURVIVOR RETURNS TO FIELD IN ATTACK MODE!"

The cloak dimensional warrior returned from the dimensional fissure. (4/1800/200)

"Let's see if I can get something better," Jaden said as he drew his next card. "I activate my Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards as the grinning pot appeared.. "Then, I use my facedown card Jar of Greed to draw one more!" He drew another card and cheered. "Got it! I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Dimensional Fissure!"

A harsh wind went inside the dimensional rip, causing it to close from the inside out.

"Now then, I summon Card Trooper in attack mode!" He continued bringing a small robot with a red torso and blue bottom onto the field. It had a glass dome over its smaller, vulnerable head and had two blasters serving as its hands. (3/400/400) "Next, I play Double Summon to bring out Rallis the Star Bird in attack mode as well!" Next, a bright orange bird appeared. It wore a blue tunic and a green and yellow headdress. It also had orange and red wings that burned brightly. (3/800/800)

"Now, I activate Card Trooper's effect: I send the top three cards from my deck to the grave and it gains 500 points for each one!" As Jaden slipped in three cards to the grave, the little machine started to spark with energy. (3/400-1900/400) "Now I send Card Trooper to attack your D.D. Survivor!"

The small machine's eyes lit up and raised its small blasters at the cloaked warrior. It then launched two blasts at him, destroying the survivor in a big explosion.

Jaden: 6400

Alien of Light: 6900

"Next, Rallis the Star Bird will attack one of the D.D. Scout Plane!"

"OPPONENT'S SYSTEMS HAVE MALFUNCTIONED," The alien stated. "MONSTERS WITH SAME ATK WILL DESTROY EACH OTHER."

"Not this time!" Jaden grinned. "With Rallis the Star Bird's effect, it gains 200 ATK times the level of the monster it battles! And since your Scout Plane has two stars, Rallis gains 400 ATK!"

Two gold stars appeared above the Star Bird raising its power. (3/800-1200/800) It then charged straight ahead to strike down the scout plane and tearing it apart.

Jaden: 6400

Alien of Light: 6500

"Well done, Jaden!" Aquos praised.

"You can say that again!" Jaden replied. "Lucky for him, Rallis gets removed from play... but he'll be back!" Rallis flew away into a portal as Jaden set a card. "Next, I set a card and call it a turn. But that also means Card Trooper's ATK goes back to 400!" He concluded as Card Trooper powered down. (4/1900-400/400)

"SKIPPING DRAW PHASE," The alien said, beginning its turn. "D.D. SCOUT PLANE NOW ATTACKS CARD TROOPER!"

Scout Plane prepared to fire another blast.

"Hold on a minute!" Jaden called out, activating his face-down, "I use Rush Recklessly to boost Card Trooper's ATK by 700 for the turn!"

The small machine charged up again. (3/400-1100/400)

"Now, let him have it!"

Card Trooper raised one of its blaster to fire a shot off, right when the Scout Plane did. It created a blast at point-blank range, destroying the second machine.

Jaden: 6400

Alien of Light: 6200

"MINOR SETBACK... CANDELATO, PRISM BLAST!"

Candelato fired gain, ripping apart Jaden's machine once and for all.

Jaden: 4500

Alien of Light: 6200

"When Card Trooper's destroyed, I can draw one card from my deck!" Jaden informed his opponent as he drew his card.

"NO OTHER MOVES TO MAKE! MUST END TURN!" The alien said.

"Alright, Jaden time to pull a miracle!" Aquos encouraged.

"You want one, you got it!" The Slifer announced as he drew his next card. "I summon Chrysalis Dolphin in defense mode!" As he played his next card, a small pink dolphin appeared in a pink bubble. (2/400/600) "Next, I'll go to my Battle Phase to bring back Rallis the Star Bird!" Rallis flew back to the field. (3/800/800)

"But I won't attack just yet," He continued, setting the next card he had. "I'll just chill with a facedown card." A reversed card appeared behind the Star Bird. He then got to thinking about all of these cards and suddenly remembered _. 'I totally remember making these guys up. Dolphin and Rallis were some of my favorites… Who would believe they would actually become real cards… Wait a sec! That's it! I've been so busy feeling sorry for myself that I forget why I started dueling in the first place – To have fun!_ ' Jaden grinned as he signaled the end of his turn

"SKIPPING DRAW PHASE," The alien started its turn. "CANDELATO NOW ATTACKS RALLIS THE STAR BIRD WITH PRISM BLAST!"

Once again, the beast of light charged up another attack at a monster of Jaden's...

"Now you've done it!" Jaden grinned again, revealing the Trap he set. "I activate Negate Attack!" A spiral shield appeared in front of him blocked the twin blast.

"END TURN..." The alien concluded. "PROBABILITY OF VICTORY: 99%"

"99%, huh," Jaden replied. "But hey... I still got 1% to work on!"

"That's true..." The aqua dolphin said.

"And, it's my turn!" Jaden turned back to the duel and drew his next card. "I play the spell card Contact! This card takes my Dolphin and evolves him into his new form!" The dolphin's bubble popped as the mammal grew in a blinding light. "Say 'hello' to my Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin!"

Suddenly, the baby dolphin grew up to be none other than Aquos himself! (3/600/800)

"Pretty cool for a fish, don't ya think!" Jaden said.

"I'm a mammal... not a fish..." Aquos corrected.

"Right, sorry," The Slifer picked up another card from his hand and revealed it. "I use the spell Card of Sanctity to draw until we have six cards!" He announced as he and the Alien drew from their decks until six cards were in their hands.

"Uh, Jaden..." Aquos said. "I hope you know you just powered up your opponent's monster..."

Candelato's power skyrocketed. (12/3000-6000/0)

"It's all good." Jaden assured the Neo-Spacian, "Remember one of those cards I sent to the graveyard with Card Trooper's effect?" Aquos nodded. "Well, check it out!" Jaden turned over another spell card. "I use the spell card Monster Reborn to revive him, and it's a sweet card!"

Light shined from Jaden's graveyard sending out a new monster. It was a tall, muscular person in a white bodysuit covering his whole form. The suit was highlighted in blue and red and had sharp blades extending from each elbow and a curved crest on his mask. (7/2500/2000)

"Scrap heap, meet my newest Elemental Hero – Elemental Hero Neos!" Jaden said as he pumped up his fist. "Jaden's back in action and I'm telling ya, it feels great to be back folks! You know I haven't felt this excited to throw down since I was a kid!" He grinned as he jumped up in excitement.

"EMOTIONS ILLOGICAL… PROCEED WITH YOUR MOVE!"

"Gladly! I use my Dolphin's special ability!" He discarded one of his cards, turning to his opponent. "By tossing one of my cards, I can choose a monster from your hand and if it's weaker than another monster on my field, it's destroyed and you lose 500 life points!" The Slifer continued, "Aquos, Sonar Wave!" Firing a stream of invisible energy at the alien's hand, it revealed the entire six-card hand. One of them was Different Dimension Dragon with 1200 ATK. It shattered against the Alien, making it spark.

Jaden: 4500

Alien of Light: 5700

"How about we try that again," Jaden said as he discarded another one of his cards. Aquos sent the sonar wave again, finding the D.D. Crazy Beast among them with 1400 ATK. The card shattered hurting the Alien again.

Jaden: 4500

Alien of Light: 5200

"Let's try for two cards!" Jaden discarded two cards at once this time. Aquos identified two more monsters in the Alien's hand: D.D. Trainer with 100 ATK and D.D. Assailant with 1700 ATK. "Alright, I got 'em!" The two cards shattered still causing the alien problems.

Jaden: 4500

Alien of Light: 4200

"And since four cards were ejected from his hand, Candelato lost 4000 ATK!" Aquos realized as Candelato felt weaker with every card lost and even felt the same pain as its owner. (12/6000-2000/0) "Impressive!"

"Now, then it's time we got down to some serious attacking!" Jaden declared, pointing the alien. "Rallis, attack Candelato! And since the monster's level 12, my monster gains 2400 ATK!"

Twelve gold stars encircled the bird. (3/800-3200/800) It then fired the stars straight at the beast of light, straight into the core creating the biggest blast of the duel, silencing Candelato once and for all. The Alien of Light also sparked with loose electricity because of how close it was to its monster when it was destroyed.

Jaden: 4500

Alien of Light: 3000

"Next, Aqua Dolphin attacks! Sonar Wave!" Once again, Aquos sent out its invisible waves that continued scrambled the alien's systems.

Jaden: 4500

Alien of Light: 2400

"And finally, Elemental Hero Neos!" Jaden said, like he was waiting for the right moment. "Attack directly with Wrath of Neos!"

Neos charged in with a blinding aura and delivered a massive punch to the Alien, leaving a gaping hole inside! As the alien sparked once again, Neo-Spacian E-Hero threw it to the spaceship it came from, resulting in a massive explosion!

Jaden: 4500, Winner

Alien of Light: 0

"We did it. I guess we saved the universe," Jaden said uncertainly.

"I wish it were that simple my friend. This was but one battle and there will be many more ahead," Aquos replied sadly. "But we at Neo Space will help you restore the balance by defeating the Society of Light!"

The two dolphins in the ocean started to speak out to Jaden.

"That means 'good luck' in dolphin!" The aqua dolphin stated.

"Oh." Jaden said and then gave the dolphins his two finger salute. "Thanks, bros!"

But then, the Slifer's vision went wavy as his strength suddenly left him, causing him to fall down unconsciously. Where he wakes up... nobody knows...

* * *

At the Slifer Red Dorm, while everyone was continuing the search for their friends, Melody was sitting on the roof staring out at sea. It was a few days that Claudio ended up vanishing in the forest and there was no trace of him on the island.

"This is insane," She said. "What could have happened to cause Claudio to just up and vanish like that?"

Beside her, appeared her duel spirit of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana.

 _"It'll be okay, Melody," She said to comfort her partner. "I bet he's alright."_

"But what if he isn't?" Melody asked. "Ever since he lost that duel, Claudio's felt worse off than before! And because of that light that took him to who knows where, I don't think he'll be okay this time..."

 _"Then you'll have to keep faith that he will be," Mana assured her. "Think positive unless the worse could happen!"_

The Magician duelist sighed. "Okay, but I still can't help but worry about him."

 _"I know you worry, it's because how much you love him," The duel spirit stated. "Just don't worry yourself sick otherwise when Claudio does come back, he'll worry himself sick, too."_

Melody found herself smiling a bit. "Okay, okay... I just hope when Claudio comes back, it'll be one I fell in love with and not the mopey one."

* * *

Speaking of Claudio, he was now waking up from his sulking, but he didn't open his eyes yet...

The Ra musician sat up and yawned.

"Man," Claudio groaned as he stretched out. "I don't know how I fell asleep, but after beating myself up, I needed it." He then opened his eyes. "What the-?"

He focused on the surrounding before him. For one thing, he wasn't in the forest on Academy Island anymore. The sky was dark as he remembered it, but instead of a forest, he saw an area full of giant rusted swords and exhaust pipe trees. It was also pretty much filled with giant amplifiers for guitars and ancient relics that looked like the symbols of rock bands.

"Okay," Claudio muttered. "I don't know if I should be psyched that I like this place or be scared out of my mind for not being at Academy Island." He looked around and saw his duel disk and Flying-V guitar lying on the ground. "Good thing I didn't lose these, despite losing my skills I need 'em for when I find a way to get them back." He picked up his gear and strapped them on his wrist and back. "Guess I should find out where I've landed at and figure out if there's life around."

Claudio headed for the spot with the biggest sword and started his trek.

"I wish I could play my music; I could've kept myself entertained." He said as he took his guitar in his hands. "I wonder if Jaden's doing alright... I heard he left the island because of his cards as well. I don't think that was a good reason though, he could send all of our friends in a panic..." He then remembered his current condition and freaked out. "Oh man! I could be doing the same thing by being here, and I didn't leave by choice! And Melody... oh man... screw that, I AM doing the same thing as Jaden!" He then calmed down and looked around the place. "You may be a cool place, but I got friends, family and a girlfriend to come back to."

"You won't be going anywhere..."

Claudio heard a female voice behind him and turned around.

"What?"

The next thing the Ra knows, he's knocked up side his head by the flat side of something so hard, he fell once again into unconsciousness...

* * *

"Ugh..."

Claudio wakes up feeling the pain of shooing all over his forehead. He now found himself in a sitting position and tied up to a stone pole.

"Knocked out twice in one day, new record," He muttered to himself. He then felt himself restricted. "And tied up against my will, what's next?"

"You'll tell me what we need to know..."

Suddenly, a young woman appeared jumping right in front of him. She had blunt bang blonde hair that went down to her neck and wore a black halter top showing off her midriff and tight pants. She had different sets of tattoos on her impressive muscles, indicating she indeed was a warrior aside from the halberd she wielded. And from the way she was glaring at Claudio, he might be impaled by the weapon.

 _'A chick in black clothes ready to kill me... joy..._ ' Claudio thought as the woman approached and kneeled down to his level.

"Okay you, what's Lionwhyte doing with that strange light that appeared?" She said in a voice full of anger.

"'Lionwhyte'?" Claudio asked, confused at the question, "Is that some kind of glam rock band?"

"Don't play dumb with me, wise guy!" The woman snapped. "Now, what's Lionwhyte's next plan!"

"Who the Hell's Lionwhyte!?" Claudio snapped. "Look, I just got here and I don't even know how! You're actually the first person I've seen around here!"

The girl narrowed her eyes as she pointed the dangerous side of her halberd at the Ra. "I suggest you stop with the lies and speak the truth," She said in a dangerous tone of her own. "I won't hesitate to make you suffer before you talk!"

"Fine, hurt an innocent bystander," The Ra scoffed. "But wouldn't you feel bad killing a human being without reason?"

"Lita, stop!"

Claudio and the woman turned around to see another young woman run up to them. She had brown hair that went down to her shoulders and wore a black shirt with a falling raven and ankh logo on the front, jeans with a spiked belt buckle. She also carried with her two daggers with black hilts on them.

"Ophelia, stay out of this!" The halberd wielding woman stated.

"No, wait a sec!" Ophelia stated. "He's telling the truth, Lita!"

The woman named Lita narrowed her eyes. "And what's the proof?"

"Have you even checked out his belongings?" The dagger wielding woman asked.

Claudio widened his eyes. "Wait a minute, where are my things?"

"They're over there."

The Ra followed the woman's finger, and against on stone sword lay his Flying-V guitar and duel disk. He let out a sigh of relief. "Good, as far as I'm concerned they're the only things important to me in this world," Claudio stated, he then turned to Ophelia. "But how do you know I'm not from around here?"

"For one thing, you looked totally awed by this world." The girl replied to which Claudio could admit as well. "Second, I made a note of everyone in this place, and you don't exactly fit in with that yellow jacket. Finally, your style doesn't seem like anything Lionwhyte would have for his men."

"Okay, well I'll introduce myself first, I'm Claudio Osbourne." The Ra introduced.

"I'm Ophelia," The dagger wielder pointed to herself and then pointed to the one with the halberd. "This is Lita, as you can tell she's a little high-strung."

Lita rolled her eyes as she leaned against a statue.

"Okay, now who is this Lionwhyte guy anyway?" Claudio asked. "And where exactly is this place?"

"Right, but first..."

Ophelia used her daggers to cut the ropes, freeing the Ra.

"Thank you." He said.

"No problem," She replied. "Now for your questions: You're in a place called Bladehenge, the home of the resistance against the followers of General Lionwhyte, a self-righteous slave master of the human race. Some time ago, the army, Lita and I were keeping our enemy's away from enslaving the world by breaking out the prisoners in his compound. Things were looking up for us... until the day a sinister light came. I sent some scouts to check out where it landed and what it is doing here, but Lionwhyte beat us to the punch."

"We lost all of our scouts and soon we started to lose the war," Lita said, taking over explanations. "Lionwhyte and his forces now seemed to be powered up that light and even called his new army a part of the Society of Light."

"Society of Light?" Claudio wondered.

"We didn't know what to make of it either," Ophelia stated. "Then, we noticed that this world has seen better days, like some kind of balance has been shifted. We think it's because of that strange light Lionwhyte acquired."

"Man," Claudio thought out loud. "I've fought evil guys before and it was always darkness they used. But light being the enemy this time, that's a complete 180!"

"Not only that," Lita interrupted. "Lionwhyte now has some kind of special cards to summon out his forces for surprise attacks using a weapon that you called a 'duel disk.' Seeing you with one, we thought you were one of his men."

"That explains the surprise attack on my face," Claudio grumbled.

"It isn't my fault you stumbled into a war zone." Lita stated.

"Alright, don't fight," Ophelia sighed as she stepped in between the two. "Like I said, I found out the reason for your appearance here, Claudio."

"Wow, I was supposed to come here?" The Ra said amazed at the thought.

Ophelia nodded. "It's said that when the Light overshadows the Darkness, a warrior from another dimension shall duel to shift the balance back to normal."

Hearing the word 'duel' put Claudio in a tight spot; he remembered he still couldn't see his cards. But how do you explain that to them?

"So, I'm figuring you can use those cards in that disk of yours to battle Lionwhyte," Lita stated. "And with that guitar of yours, you could strengthen your chances. In this world, music has power."

And yet another dilemma, he couldn't play his music. Such a bad day...

"And since you have cards already, we can help you gain more power." Ophelia added.

"How's that?" Claudio asked.

"Follow me," she said.

* * *

The girls lead him outside of Bladehenge to a stone tablet. It has some kind of ancient writing on it...

"This stone tablet's been here for a while," Lita said. "None of us knew how to activate it." She then looked at Claudio's guitar. "Until we found out it needs something like your guitar there."

Ophelia then looked saddened. "But the only other person who could've done its gone right now," She replied.

"What happened to him?" Claudio asked.

"He had to leave, and that was when the world was at peace." The dagger wielder replied.

"Sounds like this Lionwhyte dude waited until your guy left." Claudio figured.

"To be honest, he was dead before this Light came," Ophelia said.

"Whoa..."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lita interrupted. "Unlock the tablet!"

"Uh..." Claudio muttered as it was time to face facts. "I can't play my guitar..."

"WHAT!?" The girls shouted making the Ra jump back in astonishment.

"Well, I lost one of those duels with this," Claudio held up his duel disk. "And when I did, I ended up losing my skills with the guitar and cards."

"Great," Lita grumbled. "So how are we going to defeat Lionwhyte!?"

"You don't!"

Claudio, Ophelia and Lita turned around to see a man in the sky. He indeed looked like a glam rocker with his blond hair and wearing a jean jacket with nothing underneath and light purple pants with black stripes. The crazy thing about him was his large hair that actually had a wingspan since he was flying with it! And like the girls stated he was wearing duel disk that was pure white.

"Lionwhyte!" The girls shouted grabbing their weapons.

"That's Lionwhyte!?" Claudio asked.

"Well, well, well," The flying man said, eyeing Claudio's duel disk. "So you brought me someone who could make a better effort in battle than your band of traitors."

"This coming from someone who sold out the human race for demons," Ophelia asked, pointing one of her daggers at the glam rocker.

"Like I said to you before, I tried to show our Emperor we could be refined so I can keep the human race alive," Lionwhyte stated. "In fact, I was the one who was in the way of that wretched war."

"And then you enslaved everyone for your own profit," Lita growled.

"More like hiring employees to preserve the world," The glam rocker stated.

"And what do you call killing people with this Light!?" Claudio asked, already hating this guy.

"Tch, is that what they said?" Lionwhyte wondered, gesturing to the girls, "What I did was make them see the Light! I wondered why I didn't discover this profitable power sooner. But now that you're here, I can just defeat you and cleanse this world in my image. Thanks to the Society of Light!"

Claudio suddenly got angry, and gripped his guitar by the neck. Unbeknownst to him and the others, a strange power was welling up within him...

"Now time to die!" Lionwhyte stated as his right hand started to glow white.

That's when Claudio hit the deep end...

"Just like all the power-hungry scumbags I've seen last year," He said in a low tone. "You just don't learn!"

In the midst of his anger, he strummed his guitar wildly and to his surprise created a shockwave that blew Lionwhyte back 30 feet from his spot to the ground!

"I thought you said you couldn't play it," Lita said, also amazed at how far the glam rocker went.

"That's what happened when I was back in my world," Claudio said, wide-eyed as well. "And it was the reason I couldn't see my cards."

"Well, try to play it at the tablet now," Ophelia urged. "And do it before Lionwhyte comes back!"

Claudio nodded as he turned around to the tablet. He could read some text that looked a little like... sheet music?

"Here goes..."

(Solo from One Shot at Glory by Judas Priest)

Miraculously, when Claudio started playing, it was like he never lost his skill at it and played it flawlessly! The tablet erupted in darkness, reacting to the music and from it came a black capsule. It then opened up to show off a Duel Monster Deck!

(End music)

Seeing the deck floating up to him, Claudio stopped playing and grabbed it from mid-air.

"It's another deck!" He said. "I'm guessing I need to use this to battle the glam hair."

"And don't look now, but here he comes!" Ophelia said.

Light erupted from where Lionwhyte landed and the next thing anyone knew, he jumped from that spot and landed a good eight feet from Claudio. Seeing this, Claudio took out his old deck and inserted the new one and drew his opening hand.

"Don't worry, this won't take long. I know how to handle petty labor disputes!" Lionwhyte stated as he turned on his duel disk as well.

"You and business," Claudio scoffed as he looked at his hand. But to his dismay, they were all white. But the cards began to glow as the white picture suddenly gained color. The cards immediately registered in Claudio's mind as they changed, this time into a real Duel Monsters card! "Yes, I can see them!"

Ophelia and Lita smiled.

"The prophecy's been fulfilled," Ophelia stated.

"Now let's see if this kid can stop Lionwhyte," Lita added.

"Time to rock!" Claudio pumped his fist.

Claudio: 8000

Lionwhyte: 8000

"I'll start the show!" The Ra announced as he drew his next card with renewed vigor. "I set one monster in defense mode and one card facedown to end my turn!" A reversed card and a facedown monster appeared near Claudio's side.

"Afraid to battle, are you?" Lionwhyte mocked. "I thought your rubes were big on fighting." He then drew his sixth card. "I play the continuous spell card Glam Militia!" A Continuous Spell appeared showing people with long blonde hair and wearing flamboyant clothing. "This spell affords me to special summon one of my monsters from my hand if I have none on my field." The General took out another card. "Now I bring out my employee, Glitter Fist!"

Appearing in a flashy entrance was a muscular looking man with large fists. But they completely went overboard with the wardrobe as the fists were in gloves that were gold and covered in glitter, hence the name. Also, he wore a brightly colored police hat, scarf and sunglasses. (4/2000/1000)

"Okay," Claudio muttered. "I'd be intimidated if it weren't for the flashy costumes..."

"Mind your tongue, dirtbag," The general stated as he summoned another monster. "For that remark, I'll be sure to summon yet another Glitter Fist!" A second giant fisted brawler appeared. (4/2000/1000) "And even though, these men have to attack when possible, it won't be a problem really... Attack!"

The first Glitter Fist ran over Claudio's facedown monster and slammed its shiny fist into it. The facedown card revealed to be a shorter, muscular man with long black hair and wore blue jeans and black shoes before the monster's destruction. (3/800/800)

"You should have developed a better workforce!" Lionwhyte laughed, "Maybe my second employee can give an idea!"

The second Glitter Fist rushed over and slugged Claudio right in the face, sending him on his back.

Claudio: 6000

Lionwhyte: 8000

"And I think I've proven my point," The glam rocker stated as he concluded his turn.

The Ra groaned as he sat up, rubbing the sore spot on his face.

"You may want to stop playing around and fight for real!" Lita shouted.

"I'll be sure to do that," Claudio said as he drew his next card. "Hey Lionwhyte, shouldn't have had your friends destroy my first monster, cause he's coming right back!"

"Bring it on!" Lionwhyte challenged.

"Okay! I play the spell card Advancing March!" the Ra announced, playing his next card. The spell showed off Marauding Captain riding a horse and rallying his army to battle. "This lets me summon a warrior monster up to level 4 from my hand," Claudio took out another card from his hand. "And I'll bring out Headbanger in attack mode!"

"Metal!"

Calling out from the Ironheade HQ came a man similar to the one that was destroyed by Lionwhyte's monsters. He ran out to battlefield, rocking his head along the way. (3/800/800)

"Please," The glam rocker scoffed. "800 points?"

"I'm not done," Claudio said as his facedown card flipped over, "I activate the Inferno Reckless Summon! When I Special Summon a monster with 1500 ATK or less, I can summon from my deck, hand and graveyard monsters that are the same as the one on the field!" Two cards slipped out of the Ra's graveyard and deck. "And I summon two more Headbangers!"

"Yeah!"

Two more cries of joy came as two more Headbangers joined the field with the third. (3/800/800) x2

"Well, I must say 'thank you' for building up my workforce," Lionwhyte rejoiced as he took another card from his deck. "Because I get to summon my final Glitter Fist!" A third glam-based brute appeared. (4/2000/1000) "Now what was the point of bringing out a bunch of weaklings who cannot function without me?" The glam rocker said.

"Oh, they'll rock just fine," Claudio grinned. "All of my Headbanger friends get an 800 ATK boost from every other Headbanger on the field! So, basically it's a 1600 ATK boost to my monsters!"

Lionwhyte growled as the Headbangers rocked their heads even harder, gaining strength from each other. (3/800-2400/800) x3

"Now let's see you handle this! Headbangers, annihilate!"

The Headbangers yelled as they ran head first into the more muscular men and knocked them on their backs. Finally, they each jumped and landed head first into the Glitter Fists' chest, shattering them out of existence.

Claudio: 6000

Lionwhyte: 7600-7200-6800

"That's more like it!" Ophelia praised.

"Hey, good planning takes time, sorry about the first turn," The Ra said before turning back to the duel. "Now glam hair, I'll set another facedown for the trouble!" He concluded.

"Lucky move," Lionwhyte scoffed as he drew his next card. "I play the Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." He then drew two more, inserting them and another card into his disk. "I'll set these three cards facedown and end my turn." Three reversed card appeared next to the General.

"I will enjoy this!" Claudio said as he drew his next card.

"Not for long! Activating Thunder of Ruler!" Lionwhyte countered, revealing his Trap activated, sending a thunderbolt across the field. "Now you can't attack during this turn!"

"I can still set another monster before my turn is through!" Claudio stated as a a facedown monster appeared next to the Headbanger.

"Thank you," Lionwhyte announced as he drew his next card, "Now I activate a little spell I like to call Battlefield Tragedy!" A spell card appeared depicting a fallen soldier with his sword stabbed in the middle of a battlefield. "Now then, I'll set a monster in defense mode and end my turn! Take your turn, rube."

"Can't wait," Claudio noted, drawing for his next card. "And I'll skip ahead to party, Headbanger attack!"

As the first Headbanger charged in, Lionwhyte smirked...

"I activate the trap, Blue on Blue!" He announced as he revealed his card. It depicted two shadow warriors attacking each other, presumably from the same side. "This is why you dirtbags need a savior like me," The General stated. "This trap causes me to choose two of your monsters and they will do battle!"

"No, and they both will be destroyed!" Claudio realized.

"Exactly the point," The glam rocker said. He watched with delight as the first Headbanger turned around abruptly and like a magnetic force, he and the second headbanger crashed into each other and exploded on contact.

Claudio growled as his lone Headbanger sulked. (3/2400-800/800)

"And you'll love this next part, as I activate the trap card Veil of Destruction!" the General continued, revealing his next card. Ophelia gasped as she saw the trap card. It showed a sinister light washing over a castle. "This trap goes along wonderfully with Battlefield Tragedy, because since you made your first attack, you lose the top five cards of your pathetic deck!" Claudio reluctantly tossed his five cards. "And like I said, Veil of Destruction's perfect for my Spell since any time you lose cards from your deck with an effect, three more are sent to the grave!"

"What!?" Claudio shouted. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"I don't play around on the battlefield," Lionwhyte stated. "Now drop those cards!"

The Ra complied with three more cards sent from his deck to his graveyard, "Twenty-two cards left..." He muttered.

"Hope you got something to get out of this jam." The brown haired rebel girl wondered.

"Otherwise, we're all done for," The blonde rebel added.

Claudio looked at his three card hand, "I set one card facedown and summon the Razor Girl in attack mode to end my turn!"

Another person ran out of the HQ. This time, it was a female with long, blonde hair wearing a white shirt with black sleeves and blue jeans. She carried with her a sliver, long crossbow-like weapon that she took aim at the opposing player. (3/1300/1000)

"Such a shame," Lionwhyte said as he drew his next card. "Now I set another monster and end my turn." He stated as he placed another Set Monster on his field.

 _'Okay, how come he's playing defense on me?'_ Claudio wondered.

"Something wrong?" Ophelia asked.

"Yeah, he comes all aggressive, now he's just waiting!" The Ra replied.

"Oh, come now, it's your turn!" Lionwhyte interrupted.

"Fine," Claudio shouted as he drew his next card. "First, Razor Girl's effect activates causing you to lose 400 Life Points during my Standby Phase!"

The Razor Girl smirked taking aim at the General. "Hope this hurts!" She taunted as he fired off a shot that shook up Claudio's opponent as he backed off.

Claudio: 6000

Lionwhyte: 6400

"And then, I'll flip over my facedown monster: The Bouncer!" Claudio continued, playing the Monster Card he set. Appearing now was an exact look-alike of the Glitter Fist! Well, only the muscular build, but instead of the flash and glitter, the Bouncer had a black hood over its head and black gloves with spikes over the knuckles. (4/2000/1000) "And I'll then activate my facedown card Meteorain!" Claudio's trap activated showing a demon wielding an axe with red meteors in the sky.

"Meteorain!?" the glam rocker gasped.

"Now all my monsters can deal piercing damage this turn!" Claudio smirked. "So Bouncer, take down one of his defensive monster with Hammerfist!"

The Bouncer ran down the field and drove his fist into the facedown monster. The monster revealed turned out to be a flashy version of Headbangers, except with blonde hair under a purple hat before it was demolished. (3/800/800)

Claudio: 6000

Lionwhyte: 5200

"But now you suffer the effects of Battlefield Tragedy and Veil of Destruction, sending eight cards from your deck to the graveyard!" Lionwhyte countered as Claudio sent his cards to the graveyard. "And by my account, you should have 13 cards left. Meaning only two more turns, before I declare victory!"

"Well hold up a minute, I still got two more attacks!" Claudio interrupted. "Razor Girl, attack his second facedown card with Wildfire Cross!"

The Razor Girl shot off another projectile at the facedown card creating another fiery explosion. Among it was a girl that was similar to the Razor Girl except with curly hair, face lined with makeup and tight fitting purple pants and white shirts. (3/1300/1000)

Claudio: 6000

Lionwhyte: 4900

"At least the effect of Battlefield Tragedy only works on the first attack, so I was safe from that." The Ra Yellow stated, "Plus, without any monsters, I can attack you directly with the Headbanger!"

The rocker cheered as he ran over to his oppressor, banging his head along the way until he slammed it straight into Lionwhyte's chest.

Claudio: 6000

Lionwhyte: 4100

"We just need some more heavy hits and we're good!" Ophelia cheered.

"And all this from a card game?" Lita added, but then waved it off. "At least we're winning..."

"I end my turn here!" Claudio declared.

Lionwhyte was seething with anger. "That's it," He growled. "I wanted to show you the beauty of the Light... the profit of serving it... but because your presence, all I have is grief!" He drew his next card. "But that'll change! By removing three LIGHT attribute monsters, like my Glitter Fists, I can now summon the one card that'll beat some refinement into you brutish animals!"

"And who might that be?" Ophelia spat.

Lionwhyte turned over the card he drew...

"ME!"

Claudio, Ophelia and Lita glared as Lionwhyte set his own monster card on the field. Suddenly, his long hair flowed out to the sides like wings and flew into the middle of the battlefield and out of nowhere, pulled out a mace-like microphone stand. (8/2500/2400)

"Now then," He said. "Let's get down to business by first ridding the field of that dirty little Headbanger of yours..."

He cleared his throat and then sung into his microphone with a loud voice...

 _ **"LIONWHYYYYYTTEEE!"**_

Thunder clashed from sky once more and struck down the small, muscle-head to ashes.

Claudio: 4300

Lionwhyte: 4100

"Of course, I lose the top five cards of my deck due to Battlefield Tragedy," The General stated as he sent his cards to the grave. "But because of my special ability, you have to drop three cards every time I damage you in battle! And it adds on to the next three with Veil of Destruction, so hop to it already!"

Claudio grimaced as he sent 6 cards to his grave, leaving seven to use...

"I end my turn, any last requests?" Lionwhyte taunted. "Because that worthless Bouncer of yours is forced to attack due its effect..."

"Don't hold your breath," Claudio stated as he drew his next card. "I have 6 cards left, and I will make the most of it! And I have a way around you as well!"

"Let's see it then," The General challenged.

"Gladly, first the effect of my Razor Girl activates dealing you another 400 points of damage!" The Razor Girl shot of another explosive projectile at the flying glam rocker who only shrugged it off.

Claudio: 4300

Lionwhyte: 3700

"Is that all?"

"Nope, I switch my Razor Girl to defense mode and activate the spell card Book of Moon to set my Bouncer facedown!" Claudio replied as the Bouncer was replaced by a facedown defense position card. "And to end my turn, I activate my second spell card Big Bang Shot which gives a monster a piercing ability and 400 ATK!"

Lionwhyte laughed. "Your monsters are in defense mode, and you choose now of all times to use it!"

"Yeah, because I'm giving it to you!"

The glam rocker was suddenly confused even as its power rose. (8/2500-2900/2400)

"Now, take your turn!" Claudio smirked.

"I don't think giving 'General Poodlehair' any more power to kill us is a great tactic," Ophelia stated.

"She's right, you're giving him too much power!" Lita stated.

"It's all good, girls," Claudio smiled at them. "Just watch..."

"Fine, you want me to put you out of your misery, I'll be happy to lend a hand!" Lionwhyte grinned as he drew his next card. "And say goodbye to your girl and the rest of your deck!"

He breathed in and yelled into the microphone:

 _ **"DESTRUCTIOOOOOONNN!"**_

This time, Lionwhyte sent out a high-frequency sound wave across the field that had Lita and Ophelia covering their ears. But, the Razor Girl wasn't lucky enough to survive as she shattered into pixels!

"Now you'll be damaged and lose the rest of your cards!"

"Don't think so!" Claudio countered, "You got my monster, but you didn't damage me!"

"Don't be daft, your Spell card lets me pierce your defenses, dealing you damage and then causing my effect and my trap to empty out your deck!" The General snarled. "It's over!"

"So you say," The music lover stated. "Sure, I gave you more power, but there's a loophole in the text that clearly states: When the equipped monster attacks a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the equipped monster's ATK, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent."

"And that's what should've happened!" Lionwhyte protested. "You're the opponent!"

"Which is why, I ask you this:" Claudio had a big grin on his face as he asked. "Who owns Big Bang Shot?"

That's when it hit the glam rocker, and also a burning aura that surrounded him that took away his points. He groaned loudly as he descended to the ground.

Claudio: 4300

Lionwhyte: 1600

"Since I own the Spell card and you're the opponent, you're the one that takes the damage!" Claudio concluded.

 _'Whoa!'_ Lita thought and finally smiled. _'This kid is the real deal!'_

"I won't be shut out yet!" Lionwhyte yelled out as he inserted a Spell card. "I play Supremacy Berry to increase my life points by 2000 since my life points are less than yours!" A white aura surrounded the glam rocker as he felt relief. Then he took flight once more.

Claudio: 4300

Lionwhyte: 3600

"Now go..."

"Alright," Claudio announced as he drew with five cards left in his deck. "I activate the Spellbook Inside the Pot giving us three cards from out deck!" Both players drew three cards. "And now, it's time to say good-bye!" The Ra smiled. "First, it's time my new friend to see the downfall of this almighty Light you keep preaching about as I summon Ironheade-Ophelia the Rebel!" Ophelia smirked as she ran to the field and pulled out two black daggers from her pocket. (3/1200/1200)

"Time to die, Lionwhyte!" Ophelia smirked.

"You can't harm me," The General waved off.

"Well, I got someone who will, as I play the spell card Ancient Rules!" Claudio announced as a spell card appeared with an ancient scroll depicting a dragon on it. "This automatically summons a level 5 or higher Normal Monster from my hand!" He then reached for one of his two cards. "And I bring out the one and only: Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs!"

Flashing from the ground, raised another guy with black hair that went down to his shoulders. He had all black clothing, from his shoes, jeans, shirt, and leather jacket. Around his neck was a backstage pass of a rock band no one would have remembered. Claudio took notice of Ophelia looking at the rising new warrior with a twinkle in her eye. But there was a slight resemblance to another monster that Claudio couldn't quite ring a bell on. (7/2500/2000)

"He's back!" Lita and Ophelia exclaimed.

"And to put on the final touches, I activate the spell Mystical Space Typhoon destroying my own Big Bang Shot, which causes the equipped monster to be removed from the game, so get off the stage!" Claudio shouted a harsh cyclone blew over the field destroying hiss equip spell, which also caused the winds to go after Lionwhyte blowing him down to the ground.

"Now with no one to help you out!" The Ra reached for his Flying-V guitar. "I'd like to play something that means to me 'Claudio's back!'" He also took off his Ra Yellow Blazer showing off his black shirt underneath. Feeling a lot more confident since the beginning of his duel, he started to play a few notes letting him get into it. Once he felt what wanted to play, he started to rock!

(Back in Black by AC/DC)

Once he played the opening riff for the song, Claudio was then lost in the music as he stared Lionwhyte dead in the eye. He started singing the lyrics, imagining the people back at Duel Academy, showing what he wanted to say to them.

Ophelia grinned as she took her two daggers and slashed across Lionwhyte who was too stunned to move away from the hit and was knocked on his back.

Claudio: 4300

Lionwhyte: 2400

Claudio started to get lost in a solo, he didn't notice more Headbangers, Bouncers and Razor Girls hearing the music and started to bang their heads. Seeing the cue, Roadie Riggs took out a large double-sided axe, which made Lionwhyte pale as he tried to get back up and defend with his mace. Once the Jukebox Hero closed the distance, he chopped the mace in half before directing it over head.

"DECAPITATION!" The roadie yelled as Lionwhyte's head came smooth off before the whole body evaporated into light.

( End Music)

Claudio: 4300, Winner

Lionwhyte: 0

"And that's what I call a great hit!" Claudio shouted as he placed the guitar over his shoulder. He then felt surprise when he saw the Bladehenge army cheering for his victory. Shaking off the surprise, he grinned and raised his fist a bit in victory. "Well, the world's safe from the light," He said.

"This world, definitely," Ophelia walked up to him.

"But your world needs to be," Lita added. "This Light's all over the place."

"Oh right," Claudio sighed. "The Society's still hanging around my world from what I'm learning."

"Good thing you can see your cards and play your guitar again," Ophelia stated.

"True, but there's one problem... how am I getting back?" The Ra asked.

But then, Claudio's memory vision went hazy as felt the feeling in his body leave him, letting fall down to unconsciousness.

* * *

The next time Claudio wakes up, he finds himself in at a beach, but not a local one.

"Oh," He groaned. "What happened back there?" He sat up and looked around the place. "Where am I now?"

"I'm back at Duel Academy!"

Claudio turned to source of the voice and saw a person in a familiar red blazer...

"Jaden?"

The Slifer turned his face towards the voice and saw...

"Claudio?"

Both boys met each other halfway and asked.

"What are you doing here!?"

Catching each other in saying the same thing at the exact same time, they stopped for a bit.

"Okay, you first," Jaden said.

Claudio nodded. "I was in the forest trying to relearn my skills on the guitar and ended up frustrated after messing up the basics in a bad way. I wished on this star wanting to get my confidence back, closed my eyes and ended up in a different world. And I think it was based on the early heavy metal!"

"Well get this!" Jaden started. "I was riding out on a boat at sea and wished on a star, too. Except, I got hit by one and got transported to a beach in space and talked to an alien dolphin!"

"I guess they didn't try to tie you up and pump you for information," Claudio wondered.

"No, they gave me these cool new cards!" The Slifer said.

"I got some new ones, too." The Ra stated. "But then again, it could've been a dream."

"You know something, mine could've been too." Jaden nodded, but then thought of something. "Check your deck."

Both of them brought out their decks from the blazer pockets and gasped that they didn't have to search them long. Their top cards said it all...

Jaden's top card was Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin!

And Claudio's top card was Ironheade – Ophelia the Rebel!

"I don't think we dreamed this stuff," Jaden said.

"Nope, all real to me," Claudio added. "At least I can see my cards again!"

"Me, too!" Jaden cheered. "We should be thanking these new guys, after we get back to Duel Academy!"

"Yeah," Claudio turned around to see the hot springs spot of the island. "But from the looks of things, it's gonna take all day to get back..."

* * *

Oh yeah! I hope you like how the cards and if I got any Brutal Legend fans out there, I hope you like how they coming into this story to help out Claudio! Plus, I wanted to use that loophole about the equip cards that pierces defense!

Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs

Level 7

DARK

2500/2000

Warrior

Text: A new Jukebox Hero returns from the Age of Metal! By joining with his friends of Ironheade, he can unleash their full power!

Ironheade – Ophelia the Rebel

Level 3

DARK

1200/1200

Warrior/Union

Once per turn, you can equip this card to a "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" you control, OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a monster by this effect, when that monster inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, it can attack again. (A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, this card is destroyed instead.)

Headbanger

Level 3

EARTH

800/800

Warrior/Effect

This card gains 800 ATK for every other "Headbanger" on the field.

Razor Girl

Level 3

FIRE

1300/1000

Warrior/Effect

During the standby phase of your turn, inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent.

Bouncer

Level 4

EARTH

2000/1000

Warrior/Effect

If this card is in face up Attack Position, it must attack if possible.

Glitter Fist

Level 4

LIGHT

2000/1000

Warrior/Effect

If this card is in face up Attack Position, it must attack if possible.

Glam Rock General Lionwhyte

Level 8

LIGHT

2500/2400

Warrior/Effect

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing from play 3 LIGHT attribute monsters in your Graveyard. When this monster deals battle damage to the opponent, send the top three cards of their deck to the graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent's monsters cannot select this card as an attack target with a non-LIGHT attribute monster.

(The top 7 cards were created by me. The card ideas are reserved to me, but the characters inspired for the cards are the property of Double Fine.)

Glam Militia

Continuous Spell

Once per turn, if you control no monsters, you can Special Summon 1 LIGHT- Warrior monster from your hand.

Image: People wearing glam rock attire.

(This card is my own creation. All rights to go to me)

Battlefield Tragedy

Continuous Spell

When a player declares the first attack of their Battle Phase, they must send 5 cards from the top of their Deck to the Graveyard after damage calculation.

Blue on Blue

Normal Trap

Activate only during your opponent's Battle Phase. Select 2 face-up Attack Position monsters your opponent controls. This turn, your opponent must declare an attack with 1 of the selected monsters, and the other selected monster will be treated as the attack target.

(The top two cards are used by Reiko Kitamori in the Yu-Gi-Oh! R manga. All rights to the creators)

Veil of Destruction

Continuous Trap

When a card(s) are sent from your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard by a card effect, send 3 cards from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.

Next Time: A chef with a bag over his head tries to lure the Ra Yellow students back to Yellow Dorm with his cooking. But Vincent's going to make sure they stay at the Slifer Dorm and get some good cooking!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	15. The Need for Food

Another short chapter, but let's get to it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story. I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 15: The Need for Food

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, all the students gathered in the cafeteria for lunch. Now, if you been in the Slifer Dorm for any of their meals, don't expect anything big. Heck, don't expect a meal!

"They call this food!?" Chazz yelled as he stared at today's lunch: Two pieces of small, raw fish with a side of rice, butter and with some soy sauce. "Why don't we have any cooked fish?"

"I can agree," Syrus added. "Mine's looking at me."

"It's not stopping Masaki," Jachin pointed out the Shonen Hero duelist munching down on the food.

"Hey, slow down!" Kenji told him. "The food's not going anywhere." Of course, the plea fell on deaf ears as Masaki continued to chow down.

"You know, I once settled for this slop," Chazz stated with a proud smile. "But then I joined the Society of Light! I should have some shining white bread, shining white eggs, and some shining white milk for breakfast! I'm destined for greater things!"

"Yes, starvation if you want something like at this dorm!" Bastion joked.

"Yeah, Chazz," Jeremy said. "The Slifer Dorm's never had any other food than this."

"Still, I enjoy it!" Alex grinned. "Also, 'shining white'? You're full of it today, dude."

"At least we get to eat," Lyra said as she ate some pieces of her food. "I'm fine with this for now."

"No joke," Vincent stated as he poured some soy sauce on his food.

"Stop!" Chazz shouted as he pulled the food away from the Dragon/Rider duelist. "If you keep eating this garbage, they'll keep feeding this slop! I say we take a stand!"

"Get bent," Vincent took back his food.

"Chazz, calm down," Spencer came from behind the kitchen with a plate of food. "Just eat your food."

The white-clad Slifer growled and walked up to the Slifer Headmaster. "You know something, if you're helping this dorm you could protest this food to get us something like the other dorms is getting!" He stated.

Spencer smiled. "You can actually thank Bonaparte for that, he's thinking the Ra and Obelisk students will get tired of the 'slop' here and come back to the good cooking."

"But as you can see, we're staying!" Melody declared with a proud smile of her own.

"Besides, Obelisks sometimes get those fancy finger foods for lunch." Alister stated. "A man can't get filled up on that!"

"Or a woman, for that matter," Erika added. "This stuff's a luxury in comparison!"

Suddenly, a whiff of a smell tantalized the scent of every student inside the dorm.

"Is that... Curry I smell?" Allen wondered.

"Attention, Slifer Students!" A voice called out from outside in a thick, Spanish accent. "Soup, how you say, is on!"

* * *

Everyone took the time to leave their food and check outside to see what the commotion's about. The students were baffled as a man wearing a brown paper bag with menacing looking eye holes and a cut open for his mouth and nose was stirring some something in a big, black pot. He had a black thin mustache showing in the bag, had an orange cape on his back, and wore an apron that covered a Ra Yellow uniform.

"Look Chazz, someone dresses goofier than you!" Alex grinned.

Chazz waved it off as he addressed the masked man. "You wanna tell us what's going on?"

"Of course!" The man announced. "My name is Don Simon! Here to dazzle your digestive tract and tantalize your taste buds!"

"Pardon me, but can we help you?" Bastion asked.

"Yeah, what's cooking?" Syrus joked. "Get it?"

"Get in line, soldier," Hasselberry stated.

Don Simon laughed heartily. "Smells good, no? I use only the finest ingredients! However..."

He was interrupted by Masaki and Hasselberry grabbing plates and gathering their shares. In their case, big shares...

"Hey calm down, you two!" Alister protested.

"Yeah, save some for everyone else!" Erika added.

"Dudes, I can't wait another minute to get into this stuff!" Masaki said.

"And I agree with Private Oda!" The dino duelist added.

"Stop!"

The masked man came up to them.

"I said 'however', that means wait!" Don Simon stated as he yanked the food away from the boys.

"But I'm famished," Hassleberry whined.

"If eating is what you wish, then accept my challenge to duel me!" The masked chef declared. "If you beat me, as if, you all may partake in this feast! Should you lose, the Ra Yellow Señores and Señoritas shall return to the Yellow Dorm!"

It was then the Ra Yellows in question frowned and stared at the masked man in disbelief.

"But we can't." Melody stated.

"Yeah, we gotta stay here and protect the Red Dorm," Vincent added.

"Just go, it's getting too crowded!" Chazz urged.

"No, we need to stay and protect this place with Professor Sojourner!" Syrus stated.

"Fine, stay here and starve!" Don Simon taunted.

Nearby in the bushes, hid the Vice Chancellor Bonaparte, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Tres bien, I like his style! Except for the paper bag," He grinned. "Once he moves those Yellows back to Ra, I can tear down that Red Dorm, un, deux, trois!"

"You guys are not going anywhere!"

He frowned when Alexis, Allyson and Lily stood outside their rooms.

"Alexis is right, if any of the Ras loses this duel, then we have one less wall of resistance." Lily stated.

"Then, they'll tear down the dorm!" Allyson added.

"That's the whole point," Bonaparte said while still hidden.

"We'll be starving and looked down upon if we turn down this challenge," Vincent said as he stood up to the masked man. "I'll battle him."

"Hold on!" Everyone protested.

"Didn't you hear us?" Alexis asked.

"I think he made up his mind," Syrus said, looking at the Ra's determined look.

"And it'll also show his strength in stopping the destruction of our dorm," Spencer added. "I figure Bonaparte would try to pull a fast one by having duelists battle under his name. So let's show off the strength of duelists who side with the Slifers."

* * *

Pretty soon, both Don Simon and Vincent stood a good distance away from each other for their duel with everyone else as spectators.

"Students, spectators, food lovers of all ages," Don Simon addressed. "I hope you brought your appetites, for I'm serving a large portion of defeat!"

"I'll taste victory after I'm done with you," Vincent countered. "So keep those pots simmering!"

Both players cut on their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"Let's hope Vincent can beat this guy," Masaki said, "I was too hungry to duel anyway!"

"You had about three of those lunches," Jachin stated.

"Hey, I'm like a bottomless pit at this rate!" The S-Hero duelist grinned.

"Just like Jaden..." Syrus sighed.

Vincent: 8000

Don Simon: 8000

"Let the feast begin!" Don Simon declared as he drew his sixth card. _'Ah, a delectable first course!'_ He then chose another card in his hand. "To start, I summon Carrot Man in defense mode!"

The monster couldn't get any more obvious; it was a large carrot with white arms and legs, kneeling in defense. (3/800/900)

"Who?" The spectators asked.

"Never heard of him," Vincent added as he popped a fresh cherry sucker in his mouth.

"And next, I turn up the heat with a spicy spell card known as Curry Pot!" the masked man continued, inserting his Continuous Spell card. Right behind the masked duelist was a giant boiling pot with a ladle in it. "Now as long as this pot is in play, all defeated monsters will end up in this brew!"

"So in other words, they'll be removed from play?" Kenji asked.

"But of course!" Curry Mask stated. "Now I end my turn with this facedown card!" He announced as he inserted a reversed card which appeared in front of the bag wearing duelist.

"So he's making curry," Allen looked on. "Looks like he's doing the basics of it; carrots would absorb the water from the curry leaving mostly the broth." His note of the masked man's monsters, made everyone look at him, minus the duelists. "One of my hobbies is to cook; whenever my mom can't cook I would usually make the meal course, one of them was curry."

"Maybe you can help out in the kitchen to drum up some better food," Lyra stated.

"I could try..."

"Okay, time for lunch!" Vincent announced, drawing his sixth card. "I play a continuous spell of my own, the Frontline Base!" A continuous spell card appeared showing a dark armored warrior riding on an equally dark dragon. "This lets me summon a union monster up to level 4, and the perfect one right now, Wind Rider in attack mode!"

A warrior in light green armor holding a large broad sword jumped onto the field. (3/1100/800)

"Next, I'll normal summon the Flame Rider in attack mode!" He continued as a warrior in cherry red armor holding a broad sword appeared. (4/1400/1100) "Now Wind Rider, chop that carrot! Gale Blade!"

The rider unsheathed his sword and with a swift triple slash, the carrot was sliced to pieces and put into the pot.

"You are quite the assistant chef, Señor Merchet!" Don Simon praised. "You just added the first ingredient to my Curry Surprise! Now, I activate the Continuous Trap Extra Ingredient!" A trap card showed off a chef holding celery and corn in his hands."When a monster of mine is destroyed while 'Curry Pot' is in play, I can summon to the field, Corn Man from my deck!"

Another subtle monster appeared; a corn on the cob with white hands and legs. (4/1000/1000)

"Corn?" The fairy duelist was confused at the arrival of the vegetable. "It's natural to put corn into Curry?

"You're from Hawaii," Everyone notices Miss Dorothy coming to the duel with Pharaoh in her arms. "So it's no surprise that you wouldn't do something like this; corn is just a little something that we, on the eastside, use to make ourselves feel more full in the mouth. Not only that, corn is a good replacement for rice."

"Yeah, but that trap card makes it so it's in attack mode," Vincent pointed out. "Meaning when Flame Rider attacks, your life points drop a bit!"

Flame Rider's sword ignited and sliced the corn into pieces, putting it inside the pot as well.

Vincent: 8000

Don Simon: 7600

"Once again, you play right into my hands!" The masked duelist announced. "When Corn Man is removed from play after being placed on the field, I can summon Kernel Tokens for every empty space on my side of the field!" In bright flashes, five small corn kernels appeared on the field with the same arms and legs. (1/200/200) x5

"Okay, I'll drop this down and let you have a turn." The Ra concluded as a reversed card appeared at Vincent's feet.

"Now serving this card!" Don Simon announced as he drew his next card. "Now then, I sacrifice two of the kernels to summon the very delicious Spinach Man!"

Two of the kernels vanished letting a leafy vegetable with the trademark arms and legs... except they were muscular! (7/2300/2100)

"Wow," Vincent muttered.

"Okay, spinach is not something I'd put in curry," Allen muttered. "Just what kind of curry is he making?"

"I wouldn't stick that in my curry either," Jeremy added. "And I can't cook."

"And he has a special ability," The masked duelist continued. "By sacrificing one other monster on my field I can increase its ATK by 500 until the end of the turn!" Another kernel disappeared as the living spinach flexed is bulging muscles even more! (7/2300-2800/2100) "Now, destroy the Wind Rider with Spinach Punch!"

The muscular vegetable wasted no time in running across the field and then giving the green armored Rider an uppercut straight into the pot.

Vincent: 6300

Don Simon: 7600

"I guess Mom was right about always eating your vegetables to make you grow big and strong," Syrus said.

"But it's not looking good for Vincent, that's for sure," Alex added.

"Nice shot, but here's my trap called Dragon's Union!" Vincent stated as he motioned to his facedown card. "A trap revealed showing Pitch-Dark Dragon with Dark Blade on its back flying towards Despair from the Dark.

"Now I get to summon a Dragon-Type monster with the same attribute of a Warrior-Type monster on my field!" A card slipped out of Vincent's deck. "And for Flame Rider, I summon the Flame Dragon!" A burst of flames ignited next to Flame Rider and when they settled a large, red armored Dragon. (5/2100/1800)

"I see no way you can get out of this, Señor!" Curry Mask stated as he signaled the end of his turn, causing Spinach Man's ATK returning to 2300.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Vincent said as he drew his next card. The Continuous Spell on his side flashed. "I use Frontline Base to summon one of the first dragons of the dragon/rider unit, the Pitch-Dark Dragon!" The name said it all as the dragon on the artwork of Frontline Base and Dragon's Union appeared. (3/900/600) "Next, I'll have my Flame Dragon and my Flame Rider combine to a union! And when the Rider's equipped to my dragon he gains 300 ATK!"

Flame Dragon lowered its head and then the Rider jumped into the air and landed on its neck just above its shoulders. (5/2100-2400/1800-2100)

"And then I play Reinforcement of the Army to bring out a level 4 or below Warrior monster from my deck to my hand!" Vincent continued as a card slipped out of his deck. "And I pick the Dark Blade, which I'll summon now!" The dark armored warrior appeared with his twin blades. (4/1800/1500) "And I'll also have him and Pitch-Dark Dragon union equip as well, giving Dark Blade 400 ATK!"

Dark Blade mounted the dragon, fortifying his strength. (4/1800-2200/1500)

"And impressive set of monsters," Spencer noted. "He truly is a master of Unions."

"I never figured he'd bring these two out," Lily added. "Most of the monsters he's used were specific to him."

"Now let's strike, Flame Dragon will attack Spinach Man!" Vincent commanded.

The red Dragon inhaled the air and breathed out a wave of flames that burned the leafy vegetable to ashes.

Vincent: 6300

Don Simon: 7500

"Now for Dark Blade to attack," The Dragon/Rider duelist continued, "And since he's equipped to Pitch-Dark Dragon he has the ability to pierce through defenses and damage you equal to the differences of the stats!"

Dark Blade rode his dragon towards one of the corn kernels and had Pitch-Dark Dragon eat it.

Vincent: 6300

Don Simon: 5500

"Awesome tactics, soldier!" Hassleberry praised.

"If that guy doesn't have any stronger monsters, he won't be able to stop Vincent!" Alexis added.

"Meaning, it'll be lunch time!" Allyson stated. "Also our Dorm will stay better protected!"

"I end my turn!" Vincent declared.

"Well played, but you're forgetting this duel has yet to be decided!" Don Simon announced.

"Well, I like to see what you've got planned!" The Dragon/Rider duelist countered.

"As you wish," The masked duelist drew his next card and subsequently played it. "I summon the scrumptious Potato Man!" A potato with the trademark arms and legs appeared. (3/900/800)

"Curry 101, potatoes would lessen the spiciness from the curry." Allen informed. "Just with the curry powder it's already spicy; using potatoes would decrease that spiciness."

"Are all his monster cards edible?" Lily wondered. "All I'm seeing are food items!"

"Of course, Señorita!" the masked man exclaimed as he raised another card in the air. "And they'll taste better with some seasonings... or spices!"

"What's he talking about?" Jeremy asked.

"He's spicing things up!" Dorothy replied. "By playing spice cards!"

"Huh?" Kenji asked.

"Ever wondered why food tasted so good when something is added in?" Allen asked. "Those are spices. In cooking; they're used to make food have that lil' extra taste or flavor; especially with curry."

"It's something you can't toss aside if you're making a delicious curry." Dorothy added. "Or most food that you cook!"

"If he took out the spiciness with the potatoes then he'll probably add in something to either increase it back up or use something to sweeten it." The Fairy Duelist continued.

"I give my Potato a dash of Black Pepper Spice!" Don Simon stated as he inserted the Spell card depicting a can of black pepper.

A rain of black pepper blanketed over the field. The Potato felt empowered while the Dragons and Riders were coughing and sneezing.

"What's going on?" Vincent asked seeing his monsters in a coughing fit.

Don Simon chuckled softly, "Black Pepper Spice takes 600 ATK for each of your monsters..."

Dark Blade and Flame Dragon felt weaker, trying to regain their normal breathing. (4/2200-1600/1500), (5/2400-1800/2100)

"And they go on to a monster which has less than a 1000 ATK, like my Potato Man!"

The Potato Man powered up by loss of its opponents' strength, flexing his muscles. (3/900-2100/800)

"With meat involved, black pepper's the way to go," Allen continued.

"But it does work on potatoes as well," Dorothy added. "Which explains how that monster's feeling.

"Now I add Spell Spice Basil!" Don Simon stated as a dash of basil was sprinkled on the potato.

"The King of Herb!" Allen stated.

Everyone looks at Allen with utter confusion, apart from Dorothy and Don Simon

"I'm surprise you knew this one!" The card shop owner smiled.

Allen smiled back. "Basil is basically an ultimate weapon for cooking; a final resort, you can say." He stated. "Especially with curry; with its sweet aroma, and its mystifying flavor, it's pretty much one of the spices that you wouldn't use unless you want your food to taste extremely good!"

"Why don't people use it every time?" Melody asked.

"Then people would get sick of it, just because it's the King of Herb doesn't mean that you can't get sick of it." Allen explained.

"Now my Level 3 Normal monster can attack all monsters once!" Don Simon explained before shouting. "Now Potato Man, Spud Smash!"

Potato Man jumped into the air and started a spinning tackle that knocked itself into Pitch-Dark Dragon, knocking Dark Blade off the dragon, which fell into the Curry Pot, yet he landed perfectly...

Vincent: 5800

Don Simon: 5500

Then it made a U-Turn as it knocked itself into the Flame Dragon, knocking off the Flame Rider off into the Curry Pot as well!

Vincent: 5500

Don Simon: 5500

"Not only did I tie up the game, but I added two more pieces of meat into the brew!" Don Simon praised. "But since your monsters were equipped with your union monsters, they stay on the field."

Dark Blade and Flame Dragon were still trying to get the traces of black pepper out of their faces. (4/1600-1200/1500), (5/1800-1500/2100-1800)

"Though, it'll taste weird with people and dragon meat," Lyra said, causing people to look at her with wide eyes. She scoffed and replied, "I'm not a cannibal." Everyone then sighed.

"And now I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" Curry Mask announced as he drew two more cards underneath the grinning pot. "Finally, I shall place this facedown and end my turn!" A facedown card appeared. "Now, my Black Pepper Spice's effect will now cancel out!"

All monsters regained their original strength. (3/2100-900/800), (4/1200-1800/1500), (1500-2100/1800)

"Good for me!" Vincent said as he drew his next card. He then smirked. "And it is payback time for that Potato, so Dark Blade, chop it down!" The dark armored warrior ran across the field and chopped down the spud into slices that were sent into the pot.

Vincent: 5500

Don Simon: 4600

"You activated my trap card, Counter Spice Cumin!" Don Simon's trap showed a glass vial of cumin.

"Cumin?" Allen asked as now he was the puzzled one.

"Cumin is a spice where it brings out the warm aroma and strong flavor because of its oil." Dorothy answered. "Not only that but it helps people digest the spiciness of the curry."

"So basically it's a digestion spice." The Obelisk stated.

Dorothy nodded. "Pretty much."

"Now I can summon a level 4 or below monster from my hand in attack mode," Don Simon placed the final card in his hand on the field. "So get ready to cry because I summon the Onion Man!" In a flash, an onion with hands and feet appeared. (3/1200/1200)

"Onions... very nice," Allen stated.

"What's good about the onion?" Vincent asked, taking his eyes off the duel a minute.

"Believe it or not, onions, when stir fried, are extremely sweet." Allen replied.

"Okay," Vincent said as he turned back to the masked man. "You saved yourself from a direct attack... But your onion getting cooked; Go Flame Dragon, wipe him out!" The dragon used another blast of flames to incinerate the onion and blast its remains into the pot.

Vincent: 5500

Don Simon: 3700

Suddenly, because of the force of the attack, Don Simon's mask slipped off!

"Hey look!" Alexis gasped as she pointed it out.

"He's been un-bagged!" Syrus added.

When the mask falls completely off...

"Who is it?" Hasselberry asked.

"I'm not sure," Bastion muttered.

The unmasked man smiled. "Well played, Señor Merchet. It is true ladies and gentleman, the chef is out of the bag," He then raised his head. "And my identity is revealed!"

It was a black haired man, who looked of Spanish descent. But despite his great announcement, there was only silence...

"Uh, that's great and all, but..." Lily started.

"Anybody know who this guy is?" Alex asked.

"Search me," Chazz replied.

"He looks familiar," Bastion frowned as he tapped his head for inspiration

"Yeah, I can't remember either, but I have seen him before in some classes," Melody added with a frown of her own.

Vincent sighed, "Okay, can you tell us who you are?"

The man sighed. "It's no wonder no one left me." He then looked up and said, "I am the Headmaster of the Ra Dorm, Sartyr! Remember?"

"What? He's a Headmaster and a teacher!" Spencer asked in astonishment. "But I never saw you anywhere!"

The Ra Headmaster sulked, "It's not fair... Sure Crowler became the Chancellor of the school while Sheppard left," He pointed to Spencer, "The new Slifer Headmaster is an all new person and the talk of the island, despite Banner's unfortunate passing."

Unnoticeable to everyone a light came out of Pharaoh's mouth yelling, "Help!" Before the cat swallowed him back in.

"Still, I walk this campus unnoticed as I stayed the Ra Yellow Headmaster," Sartyr continued. "I was here when Bastion and Melody first arrived..."

Alexis glared at the two Ras who smiled sheepishly.

"I've attended every graduation ceremony, staff meetings, my own classes and still nothing," Sartyr held up his bag. "This is why I tried something new..."

"Cooking with a bag over your head?" Hassleberry asked.

"He needs attention," Vincent added. "But why challenge us to this duel?"

"Because everyone has abandoned me," The Ra Headmaster stated. "Everyone has either graduated to Obelisk Blue or for some ridiculous reason, spend their days at the Slifer Red Dorm." His voice started to break now, "Sure, Yellow isn't the coolest color in the rainbow... but for goodness sake, you all didn't have to leave!"

"Is this guy for real?" Chazz asked.

"Now this duel makes sense!" Bastion figured.

"Really?" Melody asked.

"Maybe..."

"I thought with food, I could lure you back to Ra Yellow." Sartyr said. "The mask just gave it a touch of flair and mystery." He then smiled, "But now the truth is out, so now let's head back to Ra Dorm, my students!"

"Oh no," Vincent said as he shook his head. "We still can't leave right now."

"But you're a Ra Yellow! You can have good food made by yours truly and even one of the best learning facilities!" Sartyr protested. "What does this roach motel of a dorm have?"

"All my friends for one thing," The Dragon/Rider stated, nodding his head to the gang behind him. "Heck, we gotta stay here for right now anyway. Your Vice-Chancellor's trying to kick down the Slifers just being the low-ranked dorm."

"That's your reason?" the Ra Headmaster asked, not believing the answer he received.

"Sorry, we can't ditch our friends in times of need!" Hassleberry called out.

"Yeah, and what did Jaden and Claudio do!?" Chazz scoffed.

"Watch it, Princeton!" Melody glared at the white-clad Slifer who cringed in fear.

"You were asking for that, Chazz." Jachin stated.

"And besides it's only been a day since they left." Syrus said.

"Actually, two days." Jeremy pointed out.

"Have it your way," The Ra Headmaster stated as he donned the paper bag mask again. "If you don't come back by choice, I'll bring you back by force!"

"Dear God, his personality changed like Kamen Rider!" Allen shouted in a huff. Everyone looked at him like crazy as he shuts himself up, blushing.

Vincent: 5500

Sartyr: 3700

"You can lose the mask!" Erika stated.

"Yeah, we know who you are!" Alister added.

"Nonsense! Don Simon always stays in character!" Sartyr declared.

"Okay, then bring it!" Vincent challenged as he raised his duel disk.

"And bring it I shall!" The Ra Headmaster pointed to his Curry Pot as a soft aroma wafted in the breeze. "Now that the Onions, Potatoes and Carrots are simmering, I can activate Curry Pot's second ability! All monsters left on the field are now removed from play!"

Suddenly, Flame Dragon and Dark Blade were transformed to hunks of meat and dumped into the pot, letting the ladle stir it in.

"Looks like he's going to make beef curry," Allen figured. "I'm kind of surprised that he didn't marinate the meat and throw in some spices to make the meat tender..."

"Allen... remember, this is not real. Just a duel. Not everything goes by the book." Alexis stated. The fairy duelist blushed as everyone else laughs.

"Dragon and Human Meat?" Allyson wondered as she held her stomach in disgust. "Suddenly, my appetite went south..."

"You and me both," Lyra added.

"Now I can activate the final effect of Curry Pot!" Sartyr announced, "I summon my ultimate monster, Curry Fiend Roo!"

Appearing onto the field in a puff of smoke, a monster with a large spoon staff in his oven mitt gloved right hand, a rice cooking pot in his oven mitt gloved left hand, a large chef's hat on his head, a red flowing cape on his back, plate shoulder pads, fork feet, a carrot goatee, onion belt, and white metallic body. (8/?/0)

"Okay, where're the attack points?" Vincent asked.

"This monster accumulates 200 ATK points for every 'Spice' card in our graveyards plus 300 ATK for every monster removed from the game!" The Ra Yellow Headmaster stated. "And I wager your friend is in trouble!"

"He played three spices, so that's 600." Lyra stated.

"Plus, 10 monsters removed for 3000 ATK!" Kenji continued.

"That means it's at 3600!" Bastion calculated.

Sartyr laughed as his monster's ATK was set. (8/?-3600/0) "And all without a calculator, too!"

"Okay, I place one card facedown and end my turn," Vincent concluded. "This is not going to be easy..."

"And it's my turn!" Sartyr announced, drawing his next card. He then smirked, "It's time for the end! I activate Spell Spice Caraway!" He inserted his Spell Card, causing flakes of the spice caraway to sprinkle on the field.

Everyone expected Allen to speak about the spice, but he remained silent.

"Okay," Chazz interjected. "You talk our heads off about food and spices, and you're not saying anything about this one?"

"Why bother? It's not even real," Allen shrugged. "Even if it is, it'd be another spice I never heard of."

"Still, it is good to hear someone talking about something they know what they're talking about." Dorothy stated with smile. "You should help out in the cafeteria more often."

"This Spice takes 200 Life Points away from you and gives them to me!" Sartyr stated.

"What!?" the Ra gasped as both players Life Points changed.

Vincent: 5300

Sartyr: 3900

"And with another Spice in the graveyard, my monster gains 200 more ATK!" The Headmaster continued as the Curry Fiend growled in appreciation for the boost. (8/3600-3800/0) "Now attack Señor Merchet directly with Hot Curry Launch!"

The spoon staff of the chef began to glow as he brought it up to his chef, gathering the curry contents inside and flung the hot boiling food at Vincent. The Dragon/Rider duelist braced himself as he was burned and drenched from the dish.

Vincent: 1500

Sartyr: 3900

"You should know that you won't be able to win now," The Ra Chef stated. "Your dueling is too predictable! Being in this dorm has weakened you!"

The Dragon/Rider duelist frowned, "Then you obviously are of the same narrow minds as all the shallow higher-ups!"

Hearing that shocked everyone present, never hearing him talk down on someone of a higher authority.

"Just because Slifer is the lower ranked dorm, doesn't mean the duelists are small time." Vincent continued. "After all, how else did they get better to be promoted? How else can someone like Jaden face a Pro Duelist like Aster and not lose his cool like so many others would have. If I faced a Pro Duelist, I'd cave under pressure and I'm a Ra Yellow!" He then drew his next card. "So I'd watch my mouth about the duelists behind me, because in time they'll surpass their teachers like I'm about to do to you!"

The masked duelist gave a hearty laugh, "A touching speech! Too bad you have no right to back up your claims unless you defeat me!"

"Then I'll have to do that!" Vincent announced as he activated a Spell Card. "And I'll play Graceful Charity to draw three cards and send two of them to the graveyard!" He drew out his three cards and overlooked them with the rest of his hand. _'Good, now I can survive his next turn,'_ He then selected two choice cards and sent to the graveyard. "Next, I set this card facedown and summon Apprentice Rider in defense mode!"

After a reversed card, the teenage armored warrior who guarded with his shield. (3/1200/1100)

"Gimme your best shot!"

"Famous last words!" The masked duelist announced, drawing his next card. "All that bravado and you defend... Let me show you a real move! I activate the spell card, Mixed Spice Garamasala!"

"I was wondering when he'd use that..." Allen said.

"What's so special about that?" Jachin asked.

"That's one of the most important ingredients for the curry, otherwise those other spices would've been meaningless." The Fairy Duelist noted.

"What Allen's implying is that if you don't add in that spice, then the aroma wouldn't be there when you save some and eat them later." Dorothy added.

"When cooking, the main ingredients are crucial, it doesn't matter if you have a time limit or not, take your time preparing it; or else it would affect everything else in the worst way." Allen concluded.

"With the power of this, I can add three Spell Spices to my hand!" The Ra Headmaster declared.

"And if he plays more of those, he'll make that Curry Fiend even stronger!" Erika stated.

"At least he's got a monster in defense mode," Alister added.

Professor Sartyr took out three cards of his deck before shuffling and sending Garamasala to the graveyard. (8/3800-4000/0) He then activated the first of his Spell Spices. "Now feel the power of Spell Spice Cinnamon!" He declared as a shower of cinnamon clouded the field.

"That'll make the food a little sweeter..." Dorothy said.

"This spice changes my monster to defense mode and your monster into attack mode!" The Headmaster explained as Roo kneeled down as Apprentice stood up with his sword drawn. (8/4000-4200/0) "Next, a dash of Red Pepper Spice to drain 300 ATK from your rider and give them to my monster!"

"He's heating up the curry now," Allen said.

Apprentice Rider started to feel hot aura burn his senses as Curry Fiend Roo felt it warming the curry of its hat. (3/1200-900/1100), (8/4200-4700/0)

"And finally another Spell Spice Caraway to take 200 life points from you!" Sartyr finished as caraway sprinkles clouded both players.

Vincent: 1300

Sartyr: 4100

Roo powered up even more as it raised its spoon staff. (8/4700-4900/0)

"This is bad," Kenji muttered.

"If this attack hits, all the Yellow students are gone," Masaki added.

"Now since I haven't moved my monster, I can switch Roo back into attack mode and attack Apprentice Rider to end this duel!" The Headmaster shouted.

Gathering another helping of curry from his hat, the Curry Fiend splashed over the Rider who melted from the food.

"And I win this day!" The chef cheered.

"Not quite!"

After the curry evaporated, Vincent stood tall with a trap card showing up that had a picture of several Riders fighting against Despair from the Dark.

"My Rider's Pride activated since my monster, a Rider, was destroyed during battle." Vincent explained. "And the beauty of this card is that I can use it when it's in the graveyard!"

"But how did...?" The Ra Headmaster gasped, but then figured it out. "Your Graceful Charity..."

"Exactly!" Vincent smirked.

"Cut it kinda close!" Hassleberry stated.

"Sorry!" the Dragon/Rider duelist exclaimed with a grin.

"Just win so we can eat," Lyra said.

"Don't worry! I got this duel won!" The Dragon/Rider duelist grinned again.

"Really?" Sartyr asked, unimpressed.

"Yeah, since you destroyed Apprentice Rider, I can move Darkness Rider from deck to my hand!" the Ra student stated as he brought out his desired card.

"Make your last move!" The Ra Headmaster challenged.

"Here's hoping I get the next card I need!" Vincent declared as he drew his next card. "First, Frontline Base is still on the field as I Special Summon Darkness Rider!" In a flash, a Warrior in jet black armor carrying a pair of short swords appeared. (4/1500/1200) "Next, Call of the Haunted will bring back the monster card I discarded with Graceful Charity, my Darkness Dragon!"

A dark fog erupted from the graveyard. It slowly took the shape of a wicked looking Dragon with jet black scales and eerie red eyes. (7/2600/2200) The rider then mounted the dragon who roared in praise for the union.

"Neither of those monsters are strong enough, union or not!" The Ra Headmaster said.

"Which is why Darkness Dragon allows me to draw when I don't have Darkness Rider in my hand," Vincent looked at his deck. "Here's hoping it's the card I need!" He drew the card and looked at it, and big smile appeared on his face. "I play the spell Block Attack making Curry Man kneel down to defense mode!"

Sartyr gasped as Curry Fiend Roux kneeled down.

"And with Darkness Rider equipped to the right dragon, it can pierce your defense like my Dark Blade/Pitch-Dark Dragon union!" The Dragon/Rider duelist smirked. "Now Darkness Dragon attack with Shadow Stream!"

The Dragon opened its mouth and belched forth a wave of darkness that covered the Fiend and took it off the field.

Vincent: 1300

Sartyr: 1500

"I still have another turn!" the Ra Headmaster shouted.

"No you don't," Vincent grinned as he flashed his final card, "I use the Quick-Play Spell called Combination Attack, allowing my union monster to become a monster again!" Darkness Rider hopped off the dragon and took its swords again.

"Also, my Darkness Dragon could attack you again, but seeing as I'm too nice for that, I'll have Darkness Rider strike for an even 0!"

The dark armored rider ran up to the masked duelist and slice across the bag, cutting it off him and revealing his face once more.

Vincent: 1300, Winner

Sartyr: 0

"Told you I'd taste victory," Vincent said as he took out his finished sucker. "And how sweet it is!"

Sartyr fell down on his hands and knees. "Guess I'll be alone forever..."

"Hey don't say that!" The Dragon/Rider duelist stated as he walked over to his opponent and kneeled down beside him. "We didn't leave because of you. Remember, I said the Red Dorm's been slated for destruction and all of us stayed so they wouldn't do it."

"That's all?" The Ra Headmaster asked.

"Yeah, Professor," Melody walked up to him. "We'll be back when they stop trying, but we can still visit since you're lonely."

Professor Sartyr's eyes started to tear up. "Then... I'll make you guys whatever you like!"

"Okay, how about that curry?" Allen asked. "After seeing you make it during the duel, it's got me curious on the real thing!"

Pretty soon, everyone had their delicious curry and thanked the chef who did.

* * *

But of course, a couple of people didn't have so lucky...

In the forest, Jaden and Claudio were still making their trek to Duel Academy. The Slifer was the first to grab the scent of the curry.

"I smell that!" He yelled, spooking the Ra next to him.

"WAHH!" Claudio yelled. "What's wrong with you!?"

"I smell that curry!" Jaden said as he ran into the direction of the scent...

Too bad it was the wrong direction...

When Claudio caught the scent, he noticed where it came from and growled.

"Jaden get back here! You're going the wrong way!" The Ra ran after his directionally challenged friend.

I had to give someone else a shot and Vincent was the first in mind!

Carrot Man

Level 3

EARTH

Plant

800/900

Potato Man

Level 3

EARTH

Plant

900/800

Onion Man

Level 3

EARTH

Plant

1200/1200

Curry Fiend Roux

FIRE

Level 8

Fiend/Effect

0/0

This card gains 200 ATK for each "Spice" card in either player's Graveyard and gains 300 ATK for each removed from play monster.

Counter Spice Cumin

Normal Trap

Activate only when a monster you control is destroyed. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below monster from your hand in Attack Position.

Red Pepper Spice

Normal Spell

Until the End Phase, target monster gains 300 ATK, while another target monster loses 300 ATK.

Spell Spice Caraway

Normal Spell

Inflict 200 damage to your opponent. Gain 200 Life Points.

Spell Spice Cinnamon

Normal Spell

Change 1 face-up Attack Position monster you control to Defense Position and switch 1 face-up Defense Position monster your opponent controls to Attack Position.

Mixed Spice Garamasala

Normal Spell

Add 3 "Spell Spice" cards from your Deck to your hand.

Curry Pot

Continuous Spell

Any monster sent to the Graveyard is removed from play instead. During either player's turn, if "Carrot Man", "Potato Man" and "Onion Man" that you own are currently removed from play by this card's effect, you can remove from play this face-up card and all monsters on the field to Special Summon "Curry Fiend Roux" from your hand or Deck.

(The preceding cards were all used by Professor Sartyr in the GX episode 'Curry Worries.' All rights go to the creators)

Corn Man

LIGHT

Level 4

1000/1000

Plant/Effect

When this card is removed from the field by "Curry Pot," Special Summon Kernel Tokens (LIGHT/Level 1/200/200/Plant), to all open spaces on your side of the field.

Spinach Man

EARTH

Level 7

2300/2100

Plant/Effect

By tributing one Plant Type monster on the field, this card gains 500 ATK until the End Phase.

Black Pepper Spice

Normal Spell

Halve the ATK of all face-up monsters your opponent controls and add the same amount to the ATK of level 3 monster you control, until the end of this turn.

Spell Spice Basil

Normal Spell

Select 1 Level 3 Normal Plant-Type monster you control. That monster can attack all monsters your opponent controls once.

(The top four cards were created by me. All creative rights to me.)

Next time: With Alister and Erika here, you'd think they catch publicity here. But two people are coming to Duel Academy to make sure of that... their former managers!

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	16. Managerial Approach

Time for some filler chapters, boys and girls! First up, we got our soon-to-be married couple dueling in separate duels. Cause we really need some of those for them!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 16: Managerial Approach

* * *

It was night time as a ferry approached the island. It was carrying two people on it right now. The first was a white bearded man in a black three-piece suit and hat. The second was beautiful, red-head wearing a green business suit with white heels.

"It saddens me," The man said in gruff voice. "We come up with this plan to increase the ratings of both our clients by having them as a couple during their tag dueling circuit. And what do they do?"

"Turned it into the real thing," The woman said in a professional tone and sighed. "It wasn't a bad thing, until they decided to 'elope' to Duel Academy."

"What kind of people enroll in a dueling school when they are already Pros?" The man wondered. "Alister's really hurting profits..."

"Erika, too," The woman added. "And to think she had a good head on her shoulders before they got together," She scoffed. "Men..."

"Let's not start that again, we're here to get our stars back..."

"It's a good thing we had that tip off, otherwise we'd spend valuable amount of time searching the other branch schools..."

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, Alister and Erika were dueling each other before they decided to turn in. They did this on a regular basis not only to improve each other's dueling skills and their own, but just to be together...

"Alright, Maverick Spider, attack him directly!" Erika commanded.

The giant mechanical spider jumped into the sky and emitted its electrical thread that knocked Alister on his butt and reduced his points to 0.

"Ow," The Guardian Duelist complained, rubbing his sore spot. "You couldn't be a little gentler on the direct attacks? Or are trying to get the most out of our win-loss-draw ratio?"

"More like win-loss," Erika smirked, walking up to him. "We never tied, like you never had a chance in this duel!"

"Lucky shot," Alister waved off. "Besides we're 50-50 in that department?"

"And all because you lost the last three matches," The machine duelist grinned, flashing a peace sign. "I'm glad these Mavericks came out; I get to kick your butt twice as hard!"

"Still, I won few matches even when you had the Mavericks," Alister protested as he stood up. "Don't inherit my cockiness now!"

"Yeah, I'd lose in a heartbeat," Erika giggled.

"That's it, let's go!"

"Losers first!"

The competitive couple began another duel...

* * *

At the Chancellor's office...

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?" Crowler shouted at his short sidekick.

"It may be insane, but we need to get the Obelisks and Ras out of the Red Dorm," Bonaparte stated. "And Alister and Erika are their best chance of keeping it running."

"But getting their managers to make them leave!?" Crowler shrieked again. "We need them here to boost ratings, no matter what dorm they're in!"

"Too bad, they lost their chances when they sided with the Red Dorm!" The Vice-Chancellor yelled as he turned to the window where he saw a ferry pull up to the docks. "Besides, they're already here."

"You know they won't leave without a fight," The Chancellor said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Then you don't know their managers..."

Bonaparte threw a file at Crowler who proceeded to open and read the contents. He then gasped at the photos of one white-bearded man and one red-headed woman.

"Sheridan Monroe and King O'Connell!?" The Ancient Gear Duelist gasped.

"Former duelists who retired five years after the King of Games' victory at Battle City," Bonaparte said. "They also have a knack of scoping out talent and that's what led them to Alister and Erika."

"It's been five years, what could they do?" Crowler wondered.

"A lot since they haven't given up the game entirely..."

* * *

Back with Alister and Erika...

"Guardian Grarl attack!" Alister commanded as the Dinosaur-Type Guardian charged in with his axe and proceeded to chop down Erika's Robotic Knight.

"Looks like it's finally a draw between us," Erika stated as she flipped over her Trap card. "Ring of Destruction, destroy Grarl!"

The metal collar of grenades wrapped around the neck of the Guardian who then exploded, taking both of the players' life points down to zero.

Waving the smoke away, Alister turned off his disk. "Well, we can finally call our streak a win-loss-draw ratio!"

"I guess so," Erika shrugged turning off her Duel Disk. "Now we really got a tie on our hands."

Alister then hugged her from behind, "Meaning we know each other so well."

Erika leaned into his embrace, "You know that's not what I mean..."

"Still, it feels great," the Guardian duelist continued. "Despite differences, we still love each other."

"And at the end of the year, we'll show each other how much in Holy matrimony." Erika smiled and then leaned her head back and started a passionate kiss in which Alister was happy to receive.

"Very touching..."

"And to think it started with just an act for the cameras..."

The engaged couple stopped their moment as they turned their head to the direction of the voices. They instantly sighed in annoyance...

"King..." Alister said.

"And Sheridan..." Erika added.

"I'm so glad you remembered us," King smiled. "I was thinking you might have tried to forget."

"Are you still sore about our taken hiatus on our careers?" Erika asked.

"I'm not sure that someone of your caliber belongs in a dueling school." Sheridan stated. "It's below your skills."

"Well, you know we already competed in big time tournaments," Alister said, "Despite our great skills, we figured we could get some added education before our marriage."

"And that's because the game's ever-changing," The machine duelist added. "You think that's not a great reason for sticking around?"

"We didn't think that being here would interfere with this year's schedule," King stated with a stern voice. "And just when we thought signing you back on."

"Why not sign on some new people?" The Guardian duelist shrugged. "You know talent when you see it, how do you think we met after Battle City?"

"Plus, there are other students here," Erika said, waving her arm towards the island, "Check out the Third Year students."

"Yet I know some types around here," Sheridan had a disgusted look on her face. "And I don't take third-rate duelists who still need school."

"Then why us," Erika asked with an eyebrow raised. "We're taking school."

The female manager groaned.

"Seeing as there's no talking sense into you two, I'll propose something else," King interjected. "A couple of duels between manager and clients."

"Do you even have your decks?" Alister asked.

"Not only do we have our decks..."

King and Sheridan pulled out their briefcases and opened them...

"But we have Duel Disks!"

They showed off their Kaiba Corporation 2nd Edition Duel Disks.

"And the stakes?" Erika asked.

"Either of you win your duels, you can stay here." King said.

"But the losers have to come back with their respective manager," Sheridan said. "And just to be fair, King will duel Alister and Erika duels me."

Alister and Erika looked to each other with knowing eyes before nodding and replying with...

"We're in."

"Alright, Alister," King stepped up with duel disk at the ready. "Us first..."

Erika planted a quick kiss on Alister before giving him some room to duel.

"Hope you haven't lost your touch, old man," Alister stated as he cut on his Duel Disk.

The Manager grinned as he turned on his duel disk.

Both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Alister: 8000

King: 8000

"I'll show you by starting the duel, Mr. Gates." King announced, drawing his sixth card. "First, I'll activate the Spell Card! Spell Economics!" A Spell appeared showing a bank book that had nothing but blank pages. "Now as long as this card's in play, I don't have to pay any Life Points for the other Spell Cards I activate!" The manager took out another card. "So, I'll play Confiscation which normally has me to pay 1000 Life Points to check your hand and toss one of them in the graveyard, but I don't need to."

Alister showed his entire hand: Guardian Grarl, Guardian Elma, Gravity Axe-Grarl, Fairy of the Spring and Mirror Force.

"Your biggest threat would be the Mirror Force, so say goodbye to that!" King stated as Alister discarded his Trap. "Next, I activate Delinquent Duo! Now we choose one of your cards in your hand and toss them into the graveyard! So send the third card away!"

"He's taking out everything without a fight!" Erika said as her fiancé was forced to discard his Gravity Axe.

 _'Sorry Elma...'_ Alister thought as he reluctantly discarded his monster.

"Now I'll play the Fiend's Sanctuary card to summon a Metal Fiend Token!" King continued as the small Metal Fiend appeared. (1/0/0) "And finally, I can activate the Final Countdown Spell!"

Alister and Erika gasped as the sky filled with dark clouds and twenty flames of fire were created in a circle above the duelist.

"In twenty turns, I win the duel!" King exclaimed as he signaled the end of his turn. "Now make your move!"

One of the flames went out above. (FC: 19 turns)

"It's not even Alister turn and he's far behind!" Erika stated. "He only has so much to work with..."

"My draw!" Alister announced as he drew the first card of his turn, "I set this monster in defense mode and play the Spell, Fairy of the Spring! I use it to return Gravity Axe-Grarl to my hand." The Equip Spell ejected out of the graveyard, letting him return it to his hand. "And I end my turn here."

The second flame went out. (FC: 18 turns)

"My draw!" King announced, drawing his next card. "Unlike my other Spells, I have to pay 1000 Life Points for my Metal Fiend Token. But since I have a lot of time on my hand, it doesn't matter."

Alister: 8000

King: 7000

"Then, I'll Set this monster facedown and end my turn." He concluded as Set Monster card appeared at King's feet.

The third flame went out. (FC: 17 turns)

"Time to go!" Alister announced, drawing his next card. "I place one card facedown and flip summon my Arsenal Summoner!" After the Set card behind it, the Set Monster revealed a man in purple robe chanting a mystic prayer. (4/1600/1600) "And when he's Flip-Summoned I can add one 'Guardian' monster from my deck to my hand. And it has to be the Archetype Guardians not any others!" Alister collected a monster card from his deck.

"Let's see it then," King noted.

"I activate my first card, the Shooting Star Bow- Ceal to my Arsenal Summoner!" the Guardian Duelist announced as the Summoner grabbed the bow and arrow in his hands. (4/1600-600/1600) "While this may reduce the ATK by 1000, but it lets me summon Guardian Ceal to the field!" The lizard fused with the red rocket appeared. (4/1700/1400)

"That's all?" The manager asked.

"Nope, I'll give Ceal my other Equip Spell: Gravity Axe-Grarl!" Alister announced as the Equip Spell revealed itself, making Ceal picked the axe as soon as it raised itself out of the ground. (4/1700-2200/1400)

"Oh yeah, now we're talking," Erika cehered.

"Now, you know what's coming right?" Alister was able to get a smile on his face as he revealed the last card in his hand. "Since the axe is on the field and Guardian Grarl's the only monster in my hand, I can automatically Summon him!"

In a flash, Grarl jumped out to the field and roared in praise. (5/2500/1000)

"And don't forget the effect of my Ceal; by giving up an Equip Spell on him, I can destroy one monster on the field, like that token!"

Ceal looked to Grarl as he held up the axe. When Grarl gave the nod, Ceal threw the Gravity Axe, chopping the token in half. (4/2200-1700/1400)

"Now, I'll introduce Ceal to your facedown card!" Alister commanded as Ceal leapt at the facedown monster and stomped it down. It revealed a dark grey-green monster that looked something like a pterodactyl, with feather-like patterns on its white wings, a long whip-like tail, raptor-like legs and piercing crimson eyes. (2/0/900)

"Meet Shield Wing, a monster that can't be destroyed in battle until it is hit three times." King stated. "And with Arsenal Summoner at 600 ATK, it seems he'll be staying around."

"Yeah, but I'll still have Arsenal Summoner attack!"

The manager gasped as the robed man pulled back the string on the bow. "But you'll damage yourself!" He protested.

"No, just you." Alister stated. "Shooting Star Bow will allow my monster to attack directly!" On cue, the Summoner let loose the arrow which nicked the shoulder of the manager.

Alister: 8000

King: 6400

"And that'll do it for me," Alister concluded.

The fourth flame went out. (FC: 16 turns)

"And I'll draw," King announced, drawing his next card. "And end my turn to move things forward."

The fifth flame went out. (FC: 15 turns)

"So you couldn't build up some defense?" The Guardian duelist asked.

"Why bother? You don't have enough monsters to destroy Shield Wing," King replied with a shrug. "And in 15 turns, we'll be back making money in the Pro Circuit."

"Well, you'll have to wait until the school year's out," Alister shot back as he drew his next card. "I play Card of Demise to draw five new cards!" He announced as he drew his new hand of cards. "I'll discard them in five turns, but first I summon Backup Guardna in defense mode!" The purple, red-headed demon appeared in a flash. (4/500/2200) "Next, I place one card facedown and have Arsenal Summoner attack directly!"

As a Set card was placed behind Guardna, the robed summoner launched another arrow at King who flinched when it hit him.

Alister: 8000

King: 5800

"And that'll do it for me." He concluded as the sixth flame went out. (FC: 14 turns)

"And it's my turn," King announced, drawing his next card. "I play this card facedown and end my turn."

The seventh flame went out. (FC: 13 turns)

 _'I'm guessing he's using nothing but cards to stall me until Final Countdown shuts me out,'_ Alister thought as he drew his next card. He then cheered, "Yes, I discard one card from my hand to play the Twin Swords of Flashing Light-Tryce!" In Backup Guardna's hands were two green thin swords with yellow hilts. (4/500-0/2200)

"You equipped it to a monster who's not suitable for attacking?" The bearded man asked. "What are you planning?"

"Something big, mind you," The Guardian duelist replied. "Sure, the swords weaken the monster 500 ATK, but it enables them to attack twice! Also by sacrificing Arsenal Summoner, I can summon the Guardian Tryce in attack mode!"

In a bolt of thunder, came a blue haired man in a yellow vest, boots and blue pants. (5/1900/1700)

"Now for the real reason the swords are on my defending monster," Alister continued, "I use Backup Guardna's effect to switch swords' control to Guardian Ceal!" Guardna threw the swords to Ceal to who caught them with ease. (4/0-500/2200), (4/1700-1200/1400)

King was confused. "You're not giving it to Tryce?"

"Nope, I'll just send the swords to the graveyard to activate Ceal's power to destroy Shield Wing!"

The manager gasped as Ceal jumped into the sky and stabbed both swords into the small winged beast who screeched in pain before shattering into pixels. (4/1200-1700/1400)

"Now, time to dish out some pain before the end, Grarl strike directly!" Alister commanded as the Dinosaur gave the manager a strong right arm into the gut, making King hunch over.

Alister: 8000

King: 3300

Recovering as best he could, King revealed his facedown card. "I activate Flashbang!"

The Trap card emitted a blinding light that spread across the field in a quick second, making the Guardians stay on edge.

"What just happened?" Alister asked.

"The End Phase of your turn, boy," King replied. "After I was damaged by a direct attack, Flashbang kicks in and stops everything else. So now, I move!"

The eighth flame went out. (FC: 12 turns)

King drew his next cards and smiled. "I set two cards and end my turn."

The ninth flame went out. (FC: 11 turns)

"He's just stalls," Erika scoffed. "It's like watching your own duel."

"You're telling me," Alister replied, drawing his next card. "And I'll attack with Grarl again!"

"Not quite yet," King announced, revealing both his facedown cards, "I activate the Quick-Play Turn Jump to move six turns ahead and Threatening Roar to stop your attack declaration!" A massive roar stopped the Guardian in its tracks and it also extinguished six of the flames in the sky! (FC: 5 turns)

"Oh no!" Erika said.

"Oh yes!" King grinned. "It's only a matter of time before you come back to the Pro League!"

The Guardian duelist looked over his cards "I end my turn with a facedown card." He concluded as the sixteenth flame went out. (FC: 4 turns)

"And my draw!" King announced, drawing his next card. "I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards underneath the grinning pot. "And it's all over as I play two cards facedown and summon the Unhappy Maiden in defense mode!"

A sad young woman in a rundown blue dress appeared along with two set cards (1/0/100)

The seventeenth flame went out. (FC: 3 turns)

"My draw," Alister announced as he drew his next card.

"I activate my facedown cards, Pyro Clocks of Destiny!" King interjected, revealing his Trap Cards of the same name.

"No, that moves the turn count by one meaning..."

Two ancient clocks appeared with a flaming dial that turned clockwise before disappearing. It didn't change anything on the field, but up above there was only one flame of Final Countdown left! (FC: 1 turn)

"As you can see with Unhappy Maiden on the field, I can't lose." King smirked. "For once you destroy her, your Battle Phase ends and with it, the end of your days here."

"Alister..." Erika muttered.

Alister sighed as he saw the card he drew along with the others in his hand and remembered his face down card. "Nah, I'll think I'll stay. I'll set this monster in defense mode." A facedown monster appeared. "Also! I'll use my facedown card, Book of Taiyou to flip that monster face up!" The light of the spell card revealed a red book. "Now show yourself, Guardian Baou!"

A gust storm kicked up as a purple demon, about Alister's height appeared. He had wild blond hair and a red cape flowing behind him. (4/800/400)

"Wait a second," King protested, pointing at the new monster. "He shouldn't be able to be Summoned to the field! I know he has a weapon that goes with him!"

"You're right about one thing," Erika smiled. "He normally needs the Equip Spell to be Summoned to the field..."

"But if he's used with Book of Taiyou, it's not counted as a Flip Summon or any other Summon for that matter," Alister grinned. "It's just flipped up."

King grumbled a bit before he went back to being calm. "But it won't do you any good since I'll win!"

The guardian duelist sighed. Even Baou was disgusted by the ignorance. "I hate to do this to an unhappy maiden but Baou, take her out..."

The dark guardian created a dark wind that blew away the sad girl and shattered her to pixels.

"And then, Baou's effect kicks in so any monster it destroys has its effects negated, plus rack up 1000 more ATK!"

The Guardian reveled in the darkness it had growing inside him. (4/800-1800/400)

King gasped. "Then that means..."

"Bye-bye!" Alister waved. "Tryce, Grarl, attack his points directly!"

Tryce gathered up electricity in the palms of his hands and guided them towards the bearded man who got fried in the process.

Alister: 8000

King: 1400

Finally, Grarl gave the manager a giant punch to the gut, sending him on his knees.

Alister: 8000, Winner

King: 0

"And that's one on our side!" Alister grinned as he shut off his duel disk.

"Like we didn't see that coming," Erika added as she hugged her fiancé.

"Fine, fine," King scoffed. "I guess you get to stay, Alister."

"Hmph," Sheridan scoffed as well. "Of course he won, you never fought back. It is a wonder how you were a high-ranked duelist years ago."

"That's because while he set down his cards and took a seat," Alister interjected. "I took action and brought out everything I need, even without taking Eatos to the field."

King was silent as he stood aside and let Sheridan step up.

"All right Erika, my turn." She said as Erika walked up to her manager, "And I'll at least mount a decent counterattack if I'm on the ropes."

"I hope so," The machine duelist said as she and Sheridan turned on their duel disks.

Both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Erika: 8000

Sheridan: 8000

Sheridan drew her sixth card and announced, "I start with the One for One Spell card!" A spell card appeared showing a Samsara Lotus appearing from a red armored fiend. "This lets me send one monster from my hand to the graveyard in order to special summon a level 1 monster from hand as well! So I'll discard the Lady in Wight to special summon Skull Servant to the field in defense mode!"

As the female manager discarded one card, a skeleton in a purple robe appeared. (1/300/200)

"Just that one?" Alister wondered.

"Next, I'll summon the Armageddon Knight in attack mode!" Sheridan continued, playing her next monster card. A dark, intimidating warrior appeared in his dark chainmail armor. He had dark hair flowing in the wind and half of his face covered by a red bandana on showing the piercing dark stare. In his right hand was a silver cutlass. (4/1400/1200) "And when summoned, I get to send a DARK monster to the grave, like another Skull Servant!" Sheridan slipped her second Skull Servant in the graveyard. "And I'll end my turn with a facedown card."

The machine duelist raised an eyebrow as she drew her sixth card. "I don't know what your game is, but let's see what's going on. I summon Robotic Knight to the field!"

The militaristic robot of black and red metal appeared. It had a glowing sword in the right hand, while its left arm was a machine gun. (4/1600/1800)

"It's been awhile, since he's been in action." Alister stated.

Erika looked back at him. "And he'll get a lot stronger," She turned back to the duel and played another card, "Next, I play Clockwork Night to transform all the opponent's Monsters to machines and drain them of 500 ATK, plus giving all my machines 500 ATK!"

All of Sheridan's monsters became metal versions of themselves while Robotic Knight powered up. (4/1400-900/1200), (1/300-0/200), (4/1600-2100/1800)

"Now, I'll have Robotic Knight destroy Armageddon Knight with Destructive Bullets!" Erika announced as the metal knight raised its gun arm and fired bullets into the warrior, shattering him to pixels.

Erika: 8000

Sheridan: 6800

"And with one card facedown, I'll end my turn." The machine duelist concluded.

"Impressive!" Sheridan praised as she drew her next card. "But thanks to you, I have exactly three DARK monsters in my graveyard, enabling me to Special Summon the Dark Armed Dragon!"

Rising from darkness was a pitch dark version of the Armed Dragon appeared. Although its body resembled the LV7 version, the head was exactly like the LV 10 Version! (7/2800/1000)

"So you did have a plan," Erika narrowed her eyes at the dark dragon.

"And it involves destroying your machines," Sheridan smirked as Armageddon Knight and Skull Servant slid out of her graveyard, "By removing one DARK monster in my graveyard from play I get to destroy one card the field, so I'll remove Armageddon Knight and Skull Servant to destroy Clockwork Night and Robotic Knight!"

The spirits of both DARK monsters infused themselves into the dragon's claws that now dripped with darkness. It then crushed the Clockwork Night with one hand and grabbed Robotic Knight in the other then shattered it with a squeeze.

"And now, I'll attack you directly with Dark Talon Terror!" the manager announced as the dark dragon clawed the machine duelist who was pushed back a few feet until she had to catch her breath.

Erika: 5200

Sheridan: 6800

"Erika, you alright?" Alister asked, worried for his fiancée.

"I'm fine... since she activated my Trap card, Damage Condenser!" Erika declared as she discarded one card, revealing her Trap. "With 2800 points of damage done, I can summon almost any monster in my deck, but I'll opt for Maverick Storm Owl!"

A sharp call was let out as a robotic bird descended to the field. It was mainly red-colored on his head and wings, but a green torso, purple legs, and sharp yellow claws. Its right arm was replaced by a cannon blaster. (4/1800/1300)

"Those Mavericks you created," Sheridan acknowledged. "I know you only have one monster strong enough to destroy it, and I won't make it easy!"

"I don't have to, because Storm Owl's going to help me kick your dragon off the field!" The machine duelist smiled.

"And how's that?" The manager asked.

"Whenever he's summoned, I can send one monster back to your hand!" Erika grinned as Storm Owl threw a green air blast at the dragon, blowing it off the field. "And it won't be easy to summon without exactly three DARK monsters in your graveyard!"

"Nice!" Alister cheered.

"It's not easy, but it's doable," Sheridan interrupted as she held up another card before discarding it, "I'll discard a monster known as Wightmare!" A blonde skeleton appeared in a black funeral suit appeared. "Doing this, I can either Special Summon the Lady in Wight from my graveyard or put Skull Servant back in the graveyard from the removed from play zone! And I'll go for the second option!"

Erika gasped as Skull Servant was placed back into the graveyard.

"And with three DARK Monsters back into my graveyard, Dark Armed Dragon returns!" The manager announced as her dragon reappeared in a dark cloud. (7/2800/1000)

"That's why she wasn't worried," Alister said.

"Now I'll remove Wightmare to destroy Maverick Storm Owl!" Sherdian announced, removing the card from her graveyard. Storm Owl was gripped by dragon and devoured. "And I'll end my turn."

"Then it's my draw!" Erika announced, drawing her next card. "I play Card of Sanctity to make us both draw until we have six cards!" Both players drew until six cards were in their hands. Erika smiled at her find. "First, I'll set this monster facedown." A reversed monster appeared. "Next, I play Polymerization!"

"And fuse what...?" Sheridan wondered.

"My Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon!" the machine duelist shouted.

First, a blue armless dragon machine appeared with its giant blowback cannon for a face. Then, another dragon machine appeared, having three guns instead of one appeared. They were both sucked into the portal and something new appeared. It was on tank like treads with spikes sticking out of its wheels and made of black metal much like its components. However, for a head, it had three long tentacles with a machine gun on the end of each one (8/2600/1200)

"And before you say anything about it being 200 ATK weaker, I'll use its Special Ability to flip a coin three times," Erika pulled out a sliver dollar from her pocket. "For every heads result I get, I can destroy one monster!"

The machine duelist flipped the coin into the air and caught on her back hand. "Heads!"

Flipping it again, she got the same result. "Heads!"

Once more, Erika flipped the coin.

"Heads again! How'd I get so lucky?"

"Don't know, but you have to destroy three monsters now." Alister shrugged and smiled. "Good thing you set that monster!"

"Yup, everyone except Gatling Dragon must go!"

Taking Erika's excitement as a command, Gatling Dragon fired its machine guns at the other three remaining monsters which exploded into fireballs.

"Now direct attack!" She announced as the machine dragon then directed its guns at Erika's manager, making her block with her disk.

Erika: 5200

Sheridan: 4200

"Wow, at this rate it'll be over if they both keep using high powered monsters." Alister stated with awe.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!" Erika declared. "I hope you step up, Sheridan! I've become a lot stronger!"

"Duly note!" Sheridan replied, drawing her next card. "But now it's time to win! I summon the King of Skull Servants!" A pile of bones erupted from the ground and formed into another skeleton dressed in a purple robe. The difference was that it was taller than the original and it wore a white crown. (1/?/0)

"King of the Skull Servants?" Alister wondered.

"There's a reason I've been using only low-level monsters and Dark Armed Dragon was just the first line of defense," The manager stated.

"And that would be," Erika asked "I already know about how it gains 1000 ATK for every Skull Servant and their King in the graveyard and you only have one."

"But also, Lady in Wight is counted as a Skull Servant in the graveyard so that's 2000!" Sheridan corrected as her king cackled. But then the manager discarded another monster. "And then by discarding another Wightmare to place the other one back in, it gives the King 2000 more ATK, since they count as Skull Servants in the graveyard!"

Alister and Erika gasped as the two skeletons slipped inside the graveyard, making the king even more powerful. (1/2000-4000/0)

"And then, I'll have the King of Skull Servants attack!" She announced.

The skeleton cackled as it stormed across the field...

"Reveal Trap Card, Mirror Wall!" Erika shouted as wall made of crystal shards appeared as the skeleton ran smack into it. "This trap cuts the attacking monster's ATK in half!" The skeleton king felt disoriented as it backed up. (1/4000-2000/0) "And since it doesn't negate the attack on the damage, I can counterattack!"

Gatling Dragon fired off a single round, which shattered the head and collapsed the entire thing into a pile of bones.

Erika: 5200

Sheridan: 3600

"I'll now activate the effect of the King of Skull Servants," Sheridan declared. "By removing Skull Servant from play, I can revive it back to the field! But I can remove Lady in Wight instead!"

The bones reformed back into the skeleton's body and from the shattered remains the skull came back right on top! (1/4000-3000/0)

"Next, I use Inferno Reckless Summon to bring the other two!" She continued, activating the Quick-Play Spell. Suddenly, more bones had reformed and created two more skeleton kings. (1/?-3000/0) x2 "Third, I'll discard my final Wightmare to special summon the Lady in Wight in defense mode." Wightmare dove into the graveyard as a skeleton in large grey dress. (3/0/2200) "Finally, I'll set this facedown and end my turn."

"I draw," Erika announced, drawing her next card. "I'll give up Mirror Wall since thanks your Lady in Wight's protection effect to make it useless." The wall shattered. "But now I'll destroy her so I won't be bothered by her!"

With three shots from the Gatling Dragon, the Lady in Wight was placed back into her grave.

"Thank you for powering up the Kings!" Sheridan smirked. The Kings grew in height as they laughed with red glowing eyes in their hollow skulls. (1/3000-4000/0)

"Still, I get to use the Gatling Dragon's effect again!" Erika countered, pulling out her silver dollar again.

"And it causes me to use this Trap," the manager interrupted, revealing her facedown card. "Divine Wrath lets me discard one card to negate your machine's effect and destroy it!"

A strong lightning bolt demolished the fusion machine and ripped it into scrap metal.

"Erika..." Alister gasped.

"Don't worry, Al," Erika turned back to smile at her man. "I'll be fine..." She turned back to Sheridan. "I'll place one card facedown and summon Maverick Axel in defense mode." After a facedown card, a maverick that looked like a plant appeared. He was all green save for the wrists and the top of the head which were like red rose petals. (4/1700/1300) "And once summoned, I can take a card from your hand!" Axel throws a metal vine and snatches a card from Sheridan's hand. "And I'll end my turn."

"Time to end this," Sheridan said as she drew her next card. She looked to her Kings and commanded, "Destroy Axel!" The first king jumped the plant Maverick and ripped it with its bony hands.

"I activate the trap, Time Machine to bring back Axel!" Erika countered, revealing her facedown card. A giant black machine rose from out of the ground with steam leaking out. The door opened up to reveal Axel, brand spankin' new. (4/1700/1300) "And remember, when he's summoned he can take a card from your hand!"

Axel threw another vine at Sheridan's hand, stealing another card.

"King #2, attack!" Sherdian shouted as the second king ripped apart the plant Maverick one more time. "And now, number three, attack directly!"

The final king wasted no time in crossing the field and tries to bite machine duelist...

Only to get a duel disk in the face, sending it back to the other side.

Erika: 1200

Sheridan: 3600

"Just one more turn before we go back to the Kaiba Dome!" Sheridan smirked. "Maybe I should come out with my skills as well."

"Well you could instead of just dragging me along..." Erika shrugged.

"What?"

"You'll see what I'm talking about, my draw," Erika said as she drew her next card. "Thanks to your cards, I can win! First, I'll use Spellbook Inside the Pot from my own hand!" Both Players drew three cards. "She then smirked, "Yes, I use Volcanic Summoning!" A spell card appeared having the image of a pillar of flames shooting out of volcano. "I sacrifice the Level 8 Monster Maverick Anteater in my hand to ritual summon the Magma Fighter- Dragoon!"

Shooting out of the ritual card, was a dragon-like machine, only it was standing on two feet. It was wearing red and white body armor and blue gloves with red knuckles. It stood itself in a fighting stance like a street fighter. (8/3000/2500)

"Powerful, but the Kings are stronger than it." Sheridan proclaimed.

"Remember, I can use a card that I took from you," Erika noted as she activated a Quick-Play Spell, "I use Energy Drain on your monster and even draw another card!"

One of the kings felt drained of its power and even felt like it was going to collapse with unstable bones. (1/4000-0/0)

"Now I can attack with my Dragoon!" She continued, "But there's the fact that it gains 500 ATK for every monster on your side of the field!" Dragoon flexed its muscles and roared at the skeletons. (8/3000-4500/2500)

Sheridan growled as she prepared to defend.

"Dethrone the Skull Servant king, Dragoon!" Erika commanded. "Red Hot Knuckle!"

The Maverick's fists ignited with burning flames and charged at the weakened king, making it burnt to a crisp, and even the rest of the flames washed over the red-headed manager as well as she fell to her knees.

Erika: 1200, Winner

Sheridan: 0

"And that makes two!" Erika smiled as the holograms disappeared.

"That's my girl!" Alister grinned as he hugged his fiancée.

Sheridan turned off her duel disk and sighed, "Oh well... they beat the both of us..."

King walked over to her and replied. "And we are people of our word..."

They started to take their leave and let the happy couple bask in their victory...

"Hold up, you guys!"

The managers turned around to Alister and Erika...

"Now, you guys had some pretty great moves for retired pros." Alister stated.

"And think about it, as well as booking talent, you could take my advice and get back in it or at least give others advice." Erika added.

"Maybe we should," King pondered as he turned to Sheridan. "What do you think?"

"What are you asking me for?" She asked. "We may have had similar agendas regarding Alister and Erika, but now we really don't have anything to gain from each other."

"I'm not saying we should team up, I'm just saying would you object to re-playing in the pro circuit? I'd like to have a rival."

"Oh, I suppose I could," Sheridan said. "But more on the advice giving, you do what you want."

"Fine, then just become an advisor... my advisor if you're offering."

Sheridan pondered on it a bit...

"Alright, but you're really going to have to work on a deck if you plan to have ways to win except for Final Countdown," she said as she took her leave. "I'll explain on the boat back."

"Yes ma'am." King replied as he followed her, leaving Alister and Erika alone again.

"Look what we started." Alister said before turning to Erika, "You think they're going to be okay?"

"If King can handle changing his deck numerous times and not be bothered, yeah," Erika replied.

"So that's what got you in the habit?"

"Of course, some of these cards don't work against certain duelists, so it is good to adapt."

"Right..." Alister thought on it. "But now to more pressing matters like getting to bed before the night really deepens."

"Yeah..." Erika yawned. "I am a little tired now..."

"Then allow me."

Alister suddenly picked up Erika, bridal style alarming her a bit before relaxing.

"You know, we're not married yet," She smiled.

"Makes for practicing carrying you across the threshold as they say," He laughed making Erika laugh as well.

"I love you, Alister." She said, looking straight into his eyes.

"I love you too, Erika." He said back as they pulled each other into another passionate kiss before they reached their room and stepped inside.

* * *

Beautiful... reminds me of the stories of when my mom and dad got married. Except no dueling and managers were involved. Still, that's how I came to be! LOL!

Next time: Another couple of duels for your pleasure involving Alex vs. Lyra and Jethro vs. Alexis!

Please read and review! Later!


	17. Training Matches

Okay, time for twin duel feature! Also, closing in on the ending of my third season fic. I will start posting these after I reach the final duels. So those who are wanting this will not have to wait long. By September 20th, I'll be able to get these out faster as I will have the time away from my job.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 20: Training Matches!

* * *

It was a new day at the Slifer Dorm, where it was a day off from classes. In the morning, the residents gathered in the new Common Room as Spencer Sojourner had announcement to make.

"Everyone, I'm glad to say after recent events, we're getting new additions to the Slifer Dorm." He said, making everyone present exclaim to each other about the potential changes.

"New additions?" Syrus wondered. "Are we getting new students to come here?"

"Not this time," The Slifer Headmaster replied with a smile, "I'm actually talking about redoing the entire Slifer Dorm from the inside and out. That way, it won't be a place that could end up collapsing at any moment. I mean, when you look at it at first glance, no wonder the Slifers felt like they were getting the short end of the stick."

"That's how I felt when I got here with Jaden," the Vehicroid Duelist sighed, recalling his first day on the island.

"That's actually good idea," Bastion said with as small. "It'll help improve the living accommodations, especially for the years to come and new Slifer Red Students."

"Wider rooms, comfier beds and no bugs," Jeremy exclaimed. "Just imagine how this could rival the Ra Yellow Dorm in looks!"

"Yeah, that's nice and all," Hassleberry interjected. "But what about the grub? I may not mind the food now, but we need a little variety."

"You'll get that too," Spencer replied with a smile. "In fact, Ms. Dorothy's gonna be helping out in the kitchen from now on. Not only that, we'll also learn some recipes on days she can't be here."

"Well I'm all for it!" Jethro exclaimed with a grin. "It's about time this old place got a new look and changes!"

"But when will it all work out?" Alexis asked. "You'll have to go through Crowler since he's the Chancellor."

"It'll be a few days, I bet." Alister figured. "Not to mention Crowler's mellowed out after his publicity stunts. It's relatively tame than just destroying the dorm."

"If Spencer had a lot of time to plan it," Erika added. "It's not every day that a dorm gets remodeled."

"I've had the time to plan it." The headmaster confirmed. "It'll all go down in a few days, just like Alister stayed."

"Great," Lily nodded. "All we have to do is keep defending it until that time."

"Then we just have to wait," Lyra shrugged. "And catch up on homework..."

"How about we pass the time the only way we know how," Alex exclaimed as he stood up and grabbed his duel disk.

"Dueling huh?" Kenji asked.

"I'll duel you then," Lyra stated as she stood up and faced the Gemini duelist. "I need some more time in."

"Then let's step outside then." Spencer said as he led the students outside. "In fact, this will be good improving our skills against Bonaparte's enforcers, should he try something again."

* * *

Once outside and got enough room for the duelists and spectators, Alex and Lyra started up their duel disks.

"I can't wait to beat down some Infernites!" Alex smirked.

"Your monsters will die trying." Lyra replied.

Both players drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Alex: 8000

Lyra: 8000

"I'll start this party!" Alex announced, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Gemini Scorpion in attack mode!" Appearing on the field was not one, but two monsters. One was a white haired man with a light yellow blade; the other was red-haired, dark-skinned demon with a black blade. They both wore the same armor that was emblazoned by scorpion emblems. (4/1600/400) "And when Summoned, I can bring a Level 4 or below Gemini monster out to the field! And I choose Dawnbreak Guardna in defense mode!"

After placing another card onto his disk, a white armored knight appeared who had small shields on his wrists as he defended. (3/1500/300)

"He's a little weak on defending," Jeremy wondered.

"I've got the remedy for that, pal!" the Gemini Duelist replied, inserting a Spell card into the disk. "I use the Equip Spell, Supervise! Any Gemini Monster with this card will now gain his effect, and my Guardna's effect is making his DEF 2300!" The armored warrior gained a brighter aura as his armor felt stronger. (3/1500/2300) "Your move, Lyra!"

Lyra drew her sixth card. She then promptly played the card. "I summon Infernity Randomizer in attack mode!" Appearing out of darkness was a weird looking fiend wearing a red-feather headdress but its body was a strange reloading machine. (1/900/0)

"That's not a Fiend-Type monster," Alex said.

"Next, I set three cards facedown and end my turn." The Goth continued as three reversed cards appeared, declaring Lyra's End Phase.

"I see you're waiting for something like me," Alex stated as he drew his next card. "Fair enough, I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Two reversed cards appeared at Alex's feet.

"With three facedown cards, I figured he'd wait it out," Jethro said.

"Especially with such an obvious setup as a weak monster in attack mode along with them," Alexis added.

"Now I draw," Lyra announced, drawing her next card. "I activate the Foolish Burial Spell card to send my Infernity Destroyer from my deck to my Graveyard!" The monster card slid out of her deck, letting Lyra discard it. "Next, I play A Feather of the Phoenix to discard one card from my hand and place my Destroyer on top of my deck."

"Oh boy," Alex gulped as his opponent complied with its effect, noticing the lack of her hand.

"And since I don't have a hand, I can activate the effect of my Infernity Randomizer which lets me draw the top card." Lyra explained as she drew her card. "And by this effect, if it's a Monster Card I can deal you 200 points of damage times the level of the monster drawn."

"And she just put a monster on top!" Syrus exclaimed.

"It's also a luck based card!" Bastion gasped. "But thanks to A Feather of the Phoenix, she's taken that factor out! Brilliant!"

Lyra revealed her Infernity Destroyer card. "And this monster's level 6, meaning 1200 points of damage to you!" Randomizer unleashed a barrage of white bullets at the Gemini duelist, who shielded himself with his disk.

Alex: 6800

Lyra: 8000

"Now I sacrifice the Randomizer for Infernity Destroyer!" Lyra continued as Randomizer vanished letting the giant, dark-skinned Fiend appear. (6/2300/1600) "Now attack Gemini Scorpion with Hell Inferno!" Destroyer immersed itself in black flames as it charged towards the warrior...

"Don't think so," Alex countered, revealing one of his facedown cards, "I activate Rush Recklessly to boost Gemini Scorpion's attack by 700!" The twin warriors' power charged with a green aura. (4/1600-2300/400)

Scorpion drew their weapons and rushed in with blinding speed meeting the Destroyer halfway. The instant they made contact...

*KABOOM!*

An explosion of black flames erupted taking the monsters caught in the crossfire.

"Incredible..." Spencer muttered.

"I guess since Alex couldn't save his monster, he decided to take Lyra's monster with it." Jethro figured.

"Fine, I activate my trap card Infernity Break!" Lyra countered, revealing one of her facedown card. It depicted a red demon being struck by lightning in a graveyard. "By removing Infernity Randomizer from my graveyard, I can destroy any card I pick. Dawnbreak Guardna will feel that force!"

After pocketing her monster, Lyra's trap shot a lightning bolt that ripped apart the warrior into pixels.

"He'll be back since he took Supervise with him," Alex grinned. "When this Spell card is sent to the graveyard from the field, I can Special Summon a normal monster from my graveyard and my Gemini monsters are counted as such when inside!"

Dawnbreak Guardna returned in a battle stance. (3/1500/300)

"I end my turn." Lyra stated.

"Then, it's my move!" Alex announced, drawing his next card. "I play the spell Hidden Armory! By sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard, I can take any equip spell card in graveyard or deck and add it to my hand." He dropped his top card and collected his choice card. "And I'll retrieve Supervise from my graveyard!"

"I figured he would take it back," Spencer noted. "The next time he has a better monster, he doesn't have to use up his Normal Summons to activate their effects.

"I can't Normal Summon or set because of this Spell," the Gemini Duelist explained, "But Dawnbreak Guardna's packing enough power for a direct attack!"

The white armored warrior rushed across the field and shoulder charged the goth.

Alex: 6800

Lyra: 6500

"Reveal Damage Gate!" Lyra commanded as the Trap in question showed a yellow demon crossing over a portal. "With this card, I can Special Summon a monster from my graveyard with ATK equal to the damage I took or less."

"But the only monster that fits below 1500 is Infernity Randomizer and you removed it." Alex protested.

"Remember when I played A Feather of the Phoenix?" The Infernity duelist asked as she retrieved her choice cards. "I discarded a Monster that can meet the requirements. So I play Infernity Necromancer in defense mode!" The purple cloaked skeleton appeared. (3/0/2000)

"Okay, I'll set a facedown card and end my turn." Alex concluded.

"I draw!" Lyra announced, drawing her next card. "I set this card facedown." A reversed card appeared at her feet. "Now I use Infernity Necromancer's effect: I can special summon an Infernity monster from my graveyard, so I bring back Infernity Destroyer!" Necromancer opened the portal from its cape, letting Infernity Destroyer pass through. (6/2300/1600) "Now, destroy Dawnbreak Guardna! Hell Inferno!"

Destroyer covered himself in flames and charged on through...

"Hold up, I activate the Trap Card Justi-Break!" Alex countered, activating his facedown card. "Since Dawnbreak Guardna's a Normal Monster now, I can use this card and destroy every other monster on the field that's not a normal monster in attack mode!"

The trap flashed out white lightning and headed straight for Lyra's monsters.

"I counter with Infernity Barrier!" The Infernity duelist shouted as her trap revealed a wicked looking dragon erecting a barrier to block a torrent of flames. "Since you activated your Trap while an Infernity monster in Attack mode is in play, I can negate the card's effect and destroy it!"

Necromancer floated behind the Destroyer and created a barrier that absorbed the lightning before disappearing. Finally, Infernity Destroyer ripped apart Dawnbreak Guardna and left it burning to ashes.

"And since I don't have any cards in my hand, I can deal an additional 1600 points of damage!" Lyra continued while Alex felt more flames dance around him, as he endured as best he could.

Alex: 4400

Lyra: 6500

"That Infernity Destroyer's the best she's got," Allen noted. "Could've destroyed me in an instant if I didn't pull out Consecrated Light when I did."

"Well, Alex doesn't have that," Bastion pointed out. "And with two cards out that Lyra could activate without a hand, it'll be tough to get away from."

"It's your move," Lyra concluded.

"Okay, my draw!" Alex announced as he drew his next card. "I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot!" He and Lyra, who narrowed her eyes, drew three more cards. "It's a good thing that card I sent with Hidden Armory was Future Samurai, because with two Normal monsters I can special summon Woodland Archer!"

The monster that appeared looked like a bearded satyr with reptilian skin, dressed in a deerskin, holding an old-fashioned bow. (3/1400/1300)

"But I can sacrifice him on the spot to bring out any Gemini monster to my hand!" The archer vanished into light particles, letting a card slip out of Alex's deck. "Next, I activate the spell card Herculean Power!"

A spell card appeared showing off the Evocator Chevalier inside an inferno.

"With this card, if I have no monsters while you do, I can special summon a level 4 or below Gemini monster from my hand... and it'll be the one that I retrieved, Evocator Chevalier!" He announced as a warrior clad in red armor, a cape and a helmet that was shaped like a flame appeared. He carried with him a scimitar. (4/1900/900)

"Now you can Gemini Summon it." Lyra stated.

"True, but I'll activate the Supervise equip spell to him to be counted as an effect monster instead!" the Gemini Duelist grinned as Chevalier gained a fiery red aura.

"He didn't do it." Alister wondered.

"Meaning he could bring out another monster." Erika added.

"And now, I can send an equip spell he has on him to destroy a card you have and that'll be one of your facedown cards!" Alex announced as Chevailer gathered the aura into his blade, igniting it and thrust it towards one of Lyra's facedown cards, shattering it to pixels.

"He didn't destroy a monster?" Masaki wondered.

"It could be the smarter move," Melody said. "Then again, Lyra's at her most dangerous when she doesn't have a hand."

"But now that she does, Alex is striking the ammunition rather than the soldiers." Hassleberry concluded.

"Huh?" Syrus asked.

"Alex is taking down the spells and traps rather than the monsters." Allyson translated.

"Oh..."

"And with Supervise sent to the graveyard once again, I can summon Future Samurai to the field from the graveyard!" Alex continued as a light-blue clad female samurai appeared with futuristic armor and a green sword. (4/1600/1200) "And finally, I use my normal summon to Gemini summon her!"

The samurai started glowing with energy.

"Which leads to her effect, I remove Woodland Archer from my graveyard to destroy your Infernity Destroyer!"

The essence of the archer surged through the blade of the samurai. With a quick-draw of the blade, Infernity Destroyer was cut in half.

"I end my turn right here," Alex concluded.

"Wow, he did a lot without attacking," Spencer smiled. "He used the effects of those Gemini Monsters well."

"I draw," Lyra announced, drawing her next card. "I start by playing this monster facedown card and set this card facedown as well." A reversed card and monster appeared.

"She's on the ropes," Masaki said.

"As long as she has a hand, yeah," Jachin added.

"My move," Alex announced, drawing his next card. "I summon Energy Bravery!" A red haired, orange skinned monster appeared, wearing a blue vest and pants. (4/1700/1200)

"An effect monster?" Lyra wondered.

"Now as long as this monster on the field, all Gemini monsters with effects are safe from being destroyed by other card effects." Alex stated. "Plus, I'll use Future Samurai's effect of removing Gemini Scorpion to destroy your Necromancer!"

Collecting the twin armored monster's energy, the samurai's quick-draw sliced open the caped fiend.

"And now I'll have Energy Bravery attack your facedown monster with Energy Blitz!"

The monster collected electricity in his sharp claws and fired them out at the facedown monster...

But it turned out to be the skull and black shield of Infernity Guardian. (4/1200/1700)

"Our monster's points match," Lyra stated.

"But not with my Chevalier!" Alex declared as the flaming warrior dashed over to the shield.

"And I activate the trap Hate Buster!" The Infernity duelist quickly activated her card. The trap showed the Dark Ruler Ha Des about to be destroyed by a suicide bomb attempt by Dark King of the Abyss. "Since my Fiend-Type is being targeted for an attack, I can destroy it and the attacker and deal you damage equal to the attacking monster's ATK!"

"Uh oh, she has cards not requiring her handless?" Jachin asked.

"It would appear so," Spencer said.

Infernity Guardian suddenly had an angry look and in its rage, tackled the Chevalier. Both monsters released flames to outdo the other, resulting in an explosion in Alex's face.

Alex: 2500

Lyra: 6500

"Alex is really behind now," Kenji stated.

"I can see she really earned her spot in Ra Yellow," Alexis said.

"Plus, I kinda feel sorry for whoever tries to kick her out of the Red Dorms." Allen added.

Alex sighed. "I end my turn. You got me good, Lyra."

"Now to capitalize," Lyra said as she drew her next card. "I'll set this card facedown and activate Wave-Motion Inferno!" A facedown card and the continuous spell card appeared. "Finally, I can summon Infernity Beast in attack mode!" The jet-black Doberman appeared snarling at his prey. (3/1600/1200) "And with no cards, Wave-Motion Inferno gives my Infernity monsters 400 ATK!"

The beast howled as a red aura surrounded it. (3/1600-2000/1200)

"Now, when it attacks you can't activate any spells or traps!"

Alex gasped as he looked at his trap card.

"Attack Future Samurai!" Lyra commanded as the beast rushed in with blinding speed and sunk its teeth into the samurai, before she shattered.

Alex: 2100

Lyra: 6500

"And I'll end my turn." She concluded.

"I draw," Alex announced, drawing the next card. "Time for something new! I now activate the Ritual Spell Synthesis Spell!" He inserted the Spell Card. Appearing in the middle of the field was a large test tube with a man wearing only shorts hooked to a breathing apparatus and wires.

"This is where he takes advantage of the Normal Monster part of his field," Kenji mused.

"Now, I send the level 8 Phoenix Gearfield in my hand to the grave and summon Lycanthrope!" Alex announced, raising the card in question.

After being fused with the spirit of Alex's sacrifice, the man inside the tube was now growing claws, muscles and black fur around his body. He became wolf-like creature still hooked up by some wires and he broke out the tube with large howl. (6/2400/1800)

Lyra braced herself for the next command...

"Now attack the Infernity Beast with Wild Rage Slash!" Alex commanded as Lycanthrope pounced onto the Doberman and slashed it into pixels.

Alex: 2100

Lyra: 6100

"Next, since he dealt damage to you, Lycanthrope deals 200 points of damage to every Normal Monster in my graveyard. And with 4 that's 800 more!"

The beast howled again as it sent a blue pulse of energy past Lyra.

Alex: 2100

Lyra: 5300

"He's not going down without a fight, that's for sure." Syrus stated.

"Now Energy Bravery, direct attack!" Alex continued as Bravery sent a thunderbolt, shocking the Infernity duelist.

Alex: 2100

Lyra: 3600

"I end my turn," Alex declared. "Let's see you recover from this one!"

Lyra drew her next and subsequently placed it on her disk. "I set this monster facedown and end my turn."

"Looks like Lyra got shut down for the moment," Allyson said.

Alex drew his next card and commanded, "Energy Bravery, destroy her facedown monster!"

The warrior ripped apart the facedown card with its lightning, revealing a dark-skinned imp with a black bomb in its hand. (3/1000/1000)

It cackled as it flew up to Energy Bravery and took each other out in a suicide blast.

"What was that!?" The Gemini duelist gasped.

"Infernity Mad Bomber," Lyra replied. "Anyone who destroys it will lose the monster responsible for its destruction and deals 200 points times the level of the destroyed monster."

"That means 800 points of damage," Kenji said.

"I think she was hoping for Lycanthrope to hit first," Alexis stated.

Alex felt a half-dozen shocks on his body as his points went down.

Alex: 1300

Lyra: 3600

The Gemini duelist smirked, "That's right; I still have Lycanthrope to dish out damage!"

He then pointed to the beast, letting the Ritual Monster unleash a blue pulse of energy that Lyra shielded herself from her duel disk.

Alex: 1300

Lyra: 1200

"And since I dealt the Battle Damage, I hit you with another 800 points of damage!"

Another pulse shot past Lyra, causing her to be near her breaking point.

Alex: 1300

Lyra: 400

"And, I'll activate my facedown card," Lyra declared as she revealed a Continuous Trap, "Doppelganger will deal the exact amount of effect damage to you!"

A blue pulse shot out of the Continuous Trap, hitting against Alex this time.

Alex: 500

Lyra: 400

"I end my turn," Alex declared.

"If Lyra draws the right card, she'll win the duel," Allen said.

"I draw," Lyra drew, but frowned.

"Bad card," Alex asked.

"Yes, but I'm about to rectify that with my other facedown card, Left Arm Offering..."

The trap card showed a person having his left arm tied up, about to get cut off by sword wielding man. Lyra discarded her lone card.

"I discard my hand, in order to add any spell card from my deck." She stated as her deck slid a card out.

"Any spell?" Masaki asked. "Oh boy..."

"I set it down, so I can activate it: ZERO-MAX!" Lyra announced as a red and black vortex appeared above the playing field. "With this card, I can special summon any Infernity monster in my graveyard, and I pick Infernity Destroyer!"

Infernity Destroyer jumped from out of the vortex. (6/2300-2700/1600)

"Also, all other monsters are destroyed if their ATK are lower than the special summoned monster's ATK!"

Suddenly, the vortex violently sucked in the Lycanthrope and imploded.

"However, I'm forbidden to attack so it's your move," Lyra concluded. "But I hope your next card's a good one..."

"No matter what, if Alex can't get a monster that can survive, or a spell or trap that can hold off that Destroyer, he's done," Jethro said.

"He's only got one monster that can beat it," Jachin said. "Too bad it's already in the graveyard... And he may not have a card to revive it."

"Alright, here goes," Alex drew his next card. He cheered. "Got it! First, I activate Soul Resurrection bringing back Evocator Chevalier!" The flaming warrior reappeared, holding his sword to defend. (4/1900/900) "But you'll miss him, since I drew my other Ritual Spell card Emblem of the Awakening!"

"Another Ritual?" Everyone asked as a small emblem appeared fashioned into a necklace. It was a triangular shaped with jewel engraved on red, blue and green colors. The Emblem was placed onto the chevalier, who suddenly started to change form.

"I call on, Cú Chulainn the Awakened!" Alex announced.

Once the change was complete, another warrior appeared with brown hair. He wore silver armor with a blue cape flowing behind him. The weapon of choice was a halberd. (4/500/1000)

"Okay, that's a letdown," Syrus said.

"All that big fanfare for him," Hassleberry added.

"Yeah, if he used Soul Resurrection to bring out Phoenix Gearfried on Lyra's turn then switched him to attack mode on his own turn, he would've won." Jeremy added.

"I think you might be underestimating it," Kenji jumped in.

"Yeah, it must be linked to the way Alex uses his monsters," Alexis added. "So wait for it."

"So what does it do?" Lyra wondered. "A Ritual Monster that weak needs something."

"Glad you asked," Alex grinned. "I can remove one of my normal monsters from the game, and its ATK will be added to my monster's original ATK!"

Lyra gasped as her opponent removed the strongest one he had.

"And I choose to remove Phoenix Gearfried!"

The spirit of a tall, white and red armored warrior was channeled into the ritual warrior who held his blade up. (4/500-3300/1000)

"Now Chulainn, attack Infernity Destroyer and end this duel!"

The sliver armored warrior charged in with the business end of the halberd pointing at the Infernity. He stabbed it right in the middle and hoisted it over his hand before tossing it to the ground into pixels.

Alex: 500, Winner

Lyra: 0

Lyra turned off her duel disk. "I lose," She said, not even phased by the defeat.

"Wow, most opponents I faced usually throw a fit," Alex said, scratching his cheek.

"This was merely a practice duel," the Infernity duelist continued. "It wasn't like I was getting graded on this or being put up for expulsion."

"And she's so calm about it," Alister whispered to Erika who elbowed him in the side. "Ow..."

"Don't be rude," She told him.

"Cool, now that this duel's over," Spencer said. "Anybody up for another duel themselves?"

"I wouldn't mind having a fair go," Jethro replied.

"And I'll be going up against you," Alexis added as she stepped up. "Besides, after seeing how strong you were getting into Obelisk, I'd like to duel you myself."

"This sounds like a good match," Kenji added.

"And I'll be she has more of those new monsters she added." Allyson said.

Alex and Lyra stepped back into the crowd as Jethro and Alexis took their places and inserted their decks into the duel disks.

"I hope you're ready," Alexis said as she turned on her duel disk.

"Ready and willing," Jethro replied as he turned on his.

"DUEL!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Jethro: 8000

Alexis: 8000

"I'll start," Alexis announced, drawing her sixth card. "First, I'll set a monster in defense mode and end my turn!" Once she placed the card, a reversed monster appeared in front of him.

"Starting off small, eh?" Jethro asked as he drew his sixth card. "Well, I'll start big with Desperado Twin Six-Shooter!" A cowboy with a black cowboy hat and handkerchief appeared, twirling his two pistols in his hands. (4/1500/800) "He can attack twice, but I can also increase his power with a dice roll!"

"He's a luck based duelist?" Masaki wondered.

"Yeah, but if he has them, he'll have cards that manipulated them." Kenji added, remembering his first encounter with him.

A white die appeared and started rolling and bouncing across the ground until it hit number 3.

"And with that, his power increases by 200 times that number rolled!" Jethro announced as Twin Six-Shooter loaded up his guns. (4/1500-2100/800)

He then fired his first round at the facedown monster that revealed to be Warrior Lady of the Wasteland. (4/1100/1200)

"When my Warrior Lady's destroyed, I can summon an EARTH Warrior monster from deck, like another Warrior Lady!" Alexis announced as a card slipped out of her deck. She played the card, having another Warrior Lady appeared with her sword drawn. (4/1100/1200)

"And she'll go down as well!" Jethro noted as the Desperado fired his second round into the lady, shattering her to pixels.

Jethro: 8000

Alexis: 7000

"And this time, I special summon a different monster," Alexis stated as she took another card from her deck. "Remember Street Fighter Schoolgirl from my duel with Atticus? Well she's got friends; like Street Fighter Kunoichi!"

Jumping out of nowhere was a young teenage girl wearing a ninja dogi consisting of a sleeveless upper garment, baggy pants, arm guards, and a mask that conceals the lower half of her face. She also had black/bluish hair that was held back tightly in a topknot that drops well below her waist. (3/1450/1650)

"So there are more of those girls," Lyra said.

"Yup," Kenji nodded. "From a series of a famous fighting franchise. I told Alexis about this to compensate her normal rule of getting her Cyber Angels while also swarming the field. That's why Warrior Lady of the Wasteland's a new addition as well.

"And when this girl's special summoned, you lose two of the cards in your hand to the graveyard!" The Obelisk Queen smirked.

Kunoichi drew two kunai and threw them at Jethro's hand, striking the 2nd and 5th card.

Jethro looked over his remaining three cards and set one of them down. "It's your move," He concluded as Twin Six-Shooter's ATK returned to 1500.

"My draw," Alexis announced, drawing her next card. "I summon Cyber Tutu in attack mode!" A little red-haired ballerina appeared in a red and white leotard with a white tutu. (3/1000/1000) "I then activate Double Summon to summon out Command Knight!" The red armored female warrior appeared. (4/1200/1900) "And with her out, all my Warrior monsters gain 400 ATK!"

Alexis' monsters felt a surge of power. (3/1450-1850/1650), (3/1000-1400/1000), (4/1200-1600/1900)

"Jethro's gonna get slammed," Alister said.

"And since your Twin-Six Shooter's stronger than Tutu, I can have her attack directly!" Alexis stated. "Go! Pounding Pirouette!"

"Don't think so, miss," Jethro activated his trap card. It showed a little demon looking monster holding two torches in the old west. "I activate Backattack Ambush! This trap negates your attack and summons an Ambush Token for all of your monsters in Attack mode!"

"That means he gets three of them," Erika realized.

Three torch holding demons appeared. (1/100/100) x3

"Also, if they are destroyed or if I decide to offer them up for tribute by themselves, I can deal 500 points of damage to you." The cowboy Obelisk stated. "And since your Tutu's stronger than they are, I'm safe from her effect!"

"I place a facedown and end my turn." Alexis concluded, inserting a facedown card. "Nice move."

"Thanks!" Jethro announced, drawing his next card. "I use the Warrior Returning Alive to bring a Warrior back from the graveyard."

"That means Alexis must have sent one by Kunoichi's effect," Lyra said as the new Obelisk retrieved a card from his graveyard.

"Now I sacrifice two of my Ambush Tokens to summon Desperado Shot-Gunner!" Jethro announced as both of the tokens vanished as another Desperado came on to the field, spurs clanking on the ground. Aside from the blue jeans and leather vest under his tan shirt, he had a brown cowboy hat under his black hair, a black handkerchief around the neck, and black boots. He had a silver shotgun, ready to fire. (7/2550/1600)

"I activate Pixie Ring!" Alexis countered, revealing her Continuous Trap Card. It showed multiple fairies casting a ring around a Watapon to protect it from a Battle Ox. "While I have at least two monsters on the field, I can prevent the weakest one from being an attack target!" A white ring was cast over Cyber Tutu.

"Then, I'll move to attack Street Fighter Kunoichi!" Jethro declared. "Shot-Gunner, fire!" The Desperado cocked his shotgun and fired two rounds into the Street Fighter girl who dropped to the ground and shattered into pixels. "And when Shot-Gunner does damage, he doubles it!"

Alexis grunted as the pixels blew past her, feeling the extra force behind it.

Jethro: 8000

Alexis: 4800

"Man, Alexis is in trouble even with her new monsters!" Alex exclaimed.

"And it's worse since Shot-Gunner can deal trample damage as well." Kenji added.

"Lucky for her, Alexis has now an advantage." Spencer noted. "With Pixie Ring, Cyber Tutu's off limits, plus with Command Knight's effect, she's off limits as well."

"A lock!" Syrus realized.

"However," The Slifer Headmaster continued. "She'd be wise not to summon any monsters unless she can beat Shot-Gunner. Otherwise, she's giving Jethro another target."

"It's your move, Alexis." Jethro said, not at all moved by the lock she had.

Alexis nodded as she drew her next card, "I'll move in to attack your Ambush Token with Command Knight!" Command Knight sounded a battle cry as she charged in and slashed the token, making it stagger.

"But now she loses 500 points," Hassleberry said.

The token ignited itself with its torches. It then rolled like the tumbleweed it was and rammed into Alexis.

Jethro: 8000

Alexis: 4300

"Why'd I do it?" She questioned everyone. "It's because now that all the weaker monsters are gone, Cyber Tutu can attack you directly!"

The young ballerina spun past Shot-Gunner and proceeded to kick Jethro's head, but ended up blocking with his duel disk.

Jethro: 6600

Alexis: 4300

"Little firecracker, you've got there," Jethro stated.

"She does have the fight in her," Alexis smiled. "It's your move."

Jethro drew his next card, "I play Pot of Greed." He drew two cards underneath the grinning pot. "I summon a girl of my own, Desperado Lady!"

In a flash a woman in a brown dress down to her ankles, boots and cowgirl hat appeared. Like all Desperadoes, a handkerchief was around her neck, a white one. She carried a .22 caliber rifle in her hands, ready to shoot. (3/600/500)

"And her effect prevents her from being targeted for an attack as long as I have a Warrior-Type Desperadoes on the field with her." Jethro explained. "Then, she gains 100 ATK for every Desperado on the field."

The lady loaded her rifle, making sure she was ready to go. (3/600-900/500)

"And since he has a monster weaker than Alexis' monster, she can't attack directly anymore," Erika looked on.

"I end my turn with a face-down," Jethro concluded. "Come and get me if you can, Miss Rhodes."

"My move," Alexis announced, drawing her next card. "I'll set a facedown card of my own and end my turn."

"She passed?" Alister asked.

"I don't know what to make of it either," Erika added.

"My move," Jethro announced, drawing his next card. "I summon Desperado Mustang in attack mode!" Leaping from out of nowhere, a brown horse wearing a saddle appeared next to the rifleman who petted the horse. (3/800/300) "And with him out, I can attack directly!"

The horse galloped across the field and dashed through the Obelisk Girl, making her stagger.

Jethro: 6600

Alexis: 3500

"I'll end my turn, with a Spell Card called Desperado Lasso and equip it to Desperado Lady!" He continued as a tan lasso appeared in the lady's hand and she started twirling it around. "With this I can switch one of your monsters into defense mode and keep it there. And I choose your Command Knight!" Desperado Lady roped the knight and pulled her to the ground.

"Alright, my move," Alexis drew her next card, and smiled as she took another card already in her hand. "I was waiting on this moment, since you have at least two monsters more than my side, I can special summon the Street Fighter Purna from my hand!"

The next woman appearing was a beautiful Arabian with dark skin and blue eyes. Her brown hair is tied a curved tail in a gold ribbon. She sports a blue outfit with a short jacket with long, poofy bustle pants, a white top and purple sash over her waist. She also sports golden earrings, a golden necklace, and white slipper-like shoes. (6/2300-2700/1400)

"She's finally got a monster on the field that can take out Jethro's strongest monster." Melody stated.

"And next, I'll have her attack your Desperado Shot-Gunner," The Obelisk girl declared.

The Arabian fighter started to flip and cartwheel in a dazzling fashion that stunned Desperado...

"As dazzling that might be, I have my own with this trap card Dazzling Radiance!" Jethro countered, revealing the Trap that had a picture of a monster being blinded by a shining light.

"Oh no, I remember that trap," Kenji said.

"Since you have at least two or more monsters on the field, I can switch your Purna's target to your weakest monster!" the Desperado Duelist declared.

Alexis gasped as a shining light blinded her and she could only hear the sounds of battle going on before the sound destruction came. Once the light fizzled out, Cyber Tutu was gone! And that's not all that was changed...

Jethro: 6600

Alexis: 2200

"Alexis can't catch a break now," Lily said.

"She's too close to losing and Jethro was only damaged by her single direct attack," Allyson added.

Alexis herself was taking in the situation as well _. 'I never thought I'd get this rough of game against Jethro. He really has improved!'_ Out loud, she declared, "I'll end my turn."

"I draw," Jethro announced, drawing his next card. "I now sacrifice Twin-Six Shooter and Mustang in order to Special Summon the Desperado Bounty Hunter!"

Both the horse and double pistol wielder vanished as another Desperado appeared. He wore a black cowboy hat, shirt with blue jeans and a bullet belt around him. Not only he carried two pistols, he also had a Native American Tomahawk with him. But the one part that freaked out the girls was the disfigured face on his. (8/2700/1300)

The girls looked disgusted at Bounty Hunter's face.

"What happened to him!?" Erika asked.

"First Claudio's Man in the Box, now this," Melody groaned.

"Okay..." Alexis didn't even want to question it.

"Now, I know he's not a looker but his special ability is the real scare," Jethro announced, gathering back the attention. "At least in your case, when successfully summoned I can choose one type of monster, and I pick Warrior, and any time he battles with that type, its destroyed without damage and then I gain life points equal to 200 times the destroyed monster's level."

"He's still creating that gap between the Life points," Spencer said. "But unless he gets rid of Pixie Ring, his only target is Command Knight and he can't do that."

"And I'll activate the spell Misfortune, damaging your Life Points by half of Street Fighter Purna's ATK!" the Desperado duelist announced

The spell shot through Purna and then hit Alexis with a pillar of wind.

Jethro: 6600

Alexis: 950

"If he does get something next turn, he'll win in almost a total shutout!" Syrus exclaimed.

"It's your turn, Alexis." Jethro declared.

The Obelisk Queen looked over the field. _'There's one card I need to bypass everything he has...'_ She placed her fingertips on the top card. "My draw," She made her draw. "I activate the spell card Spellbook Inside the Pot!"

Both players drew three cards. Alexis smiled at her find.

"Now then, I play Monster Reborn to re-summon Cyber Tutu!"

The young ballerina reappeared. (3/1000-1400/1000)

"Now I sacrifice her, Street Fighter Purna and Command Knight!"

"Three sacrifices," The spectators gasped as Alexis' three monsters vanished.

"Come forth, Street Fighter Strongest Woman!"

Flipping over the Obelisk queen was a Chinese woman with brown hair and eyes. She wore a qipao (Chinese dress imported from Manchuria) that was blue with gold accents along with white combat boots and a blue leotard. She cracked her knuckles and smirked at her competition. (9/2900/2400)

"Another new one, eh?" Jethro acknowledged. "But I'm hoping you got a better plan aside for sacrificing three monsters."

"When this Street Fighter is summoned by three sacrifices, all of your monsters are destroyed!"

Jethro nearly dropped his cards at that revelation and saw that Alexis' new monster rushed over to his side of the field and started to kick all of his Desperado monsters with blinding speed that caused them all to shatter!

"Whoa," Allen gasped as he bugged out.

"Not only that, but she gains 300 ATK for every monster destroyed by her effect!"

Strongest Woman took a deep breath and stretched out her right leg. (9/2900-3800/2400)

"Now here's damage long overdue, attack!" Alexis commanded.

The Chinese fighter jumped back over to the cowboy and then gathered some energy in her hands. Once done, she thrust both her palms that expended a blue projectile ball that knocked Jethro on his butt a good amount a distance.

Jethro: 2400

Alexis: 950

"It was close, but I think Alexis gained some ground," Spencer stated.

"I almost thought the battle was over for her," Hassleberry added with a sigh.

"I end with one facedown card." Alexis concluded. "Can you regain the field?"

"Wow, I thought I had it!" Jethro smiled. "But I knew you couldn't stay down for long," He drew his next card. "But I'll do everything I can to gain back the advantage. I play the spell card Polymerization fusing the Desperado Specter with my second Desperado Mustang."

Appearing before the fusion vortex, along with a second horse was white, ghostly cowboy with a cape over his back. They dove into the portal and fused.

"Now meet Desperado Ghost Rider!"

Desperado Specter rode out on the mustang that was now as ghostly as he was! (7/2300/1300)

"And with him comes his special ability, he gains 300 ATK for every "Desperado" Warrior-Type monster in the graveyard! And with the math, that's four!" Jethro announced as the horse let out an eerie howl as the ghosts of the dead Desperadoes energized it and its rider. (7/2300-3500/1300)

"You're still a little short," Alexis said.

"Which is why, I'll add Foolish Burial to send Desperado Six-Shooter!" Jethro added as he activated his Spell, allowing him to send his next Desperado from his deck to the graveyard. "That's another 300 ATK!"

Ghost Rider felt another soul collected into him. (7/3500-3800/1300)

"But now our monsters match in ATK," Alexis said. "And don't have any other cards."

"Which is why I'll just attack since my monster can't be destroyed in battle! Flaming Star Ghost!" Jethro declared as the horse howled eerily as it galloped towards Street Fighter Strongest Woman.

"Then it's good, I had Skill Successor to raise her power by 400!" Alexis countered, revealing her facedown card.

The Street Fighter smirked as she sidestepped the rider at the last second. (9/3800-4200/2400) She then countered with swift kick that past right through rider.

Jethro: 2000

Alexis: 950

"Guess I'll get you next time," Jethro said as he concluded his turn as his ghost returned to him. (9/4200-3800/2400)

Alexis drew her next card, and looked to her opponent. "Actually there is no next time; I play my Polymerization to fuse Etolie Cyber and Blade Skater to form Cyber Blader!"

Two monsters, a red-headed ballerina in an orange leotard and a bald gray-skinned woman wearing ice skates and wrist blades appeared as they fused into the vortex. The next monster coming out was a woman with light blue skin and hair. She wore an orange and white leotard and a set of futuristic glasses over her eyes. (7/2100/800)

"Now I'll play the Shallow Grave," The Obelisk Queen held up a card that showed a grim reaper like creature crawling out of coffin. "Now we both summon a monster from our graveyards in facedown Defense Position. And I pick Etolie Cyber!"

A facedown monster card appeared in Alexis' field.

"And I pick Desperado Mustang!"

Another facedown monster appeared on Jethro's field.

"Now, my Cyber Blader's special ability changes with the number of monsters you have," The Obelisk Queen continued. "With two monsters, her ATK doubles!"

Cyber Blader gained a white aura amplifying her power. (7/2100-4200/800)

"Next up is the Warrior Returning Alive to bring back Cyber Tutu to the field as I summon her!"

Cyber Tutu made her third appearance. (3/1000/1000)

"And finally I'll use the effect of Skill Successor in my graveyard; removing it from play to give Cyber Tutu 800 more attack points!"

Tutu gained a red aura as he she put a spin to her step. (3/1000-1800/1000)

"It's over," Spencer said, doing the math.

"Now Cyber Blader, attack Desperado Ghost Rider with Skate Blade Slash!" Alexis announced as the Fusion monster spun into a giant tornado that started to blow the ghostly Fusion form of the Rider apart before it reformed itself.

Jethro: 1800

Alexis: 950

"Street Fighter Strongest Woman, attack his facedown card!"

The Chinese fighter jumped high into the air and stomped the facedown monster, revealing the mustang before it shattered.

"Now Cyber Tutu, end this with Pounding Pirouette!"

The little girl gave as small curtsey before dashing past the ghost and landing a final smashing kick that Jethro took in the arm, making him stagger.

Jethro: 0

Alexis: 950, Winner.

Both players sighed with relief, but then Jethro started laughing.

"Whew! I almost had you!" He grinned.

"And you gave me one of the toughest duels I ever had." Alexis replied with a smile of her own. "I have never been on the ropes that much since the first time playing this game with Atticus."

"Well, I do have a number of ways to bring out my best guys." The Desperado duelist stated. "And if it weren't for that Command Knight/Pixie Ring combo, I might've won."

"In another duel, you might," She responded.

"Stunning performance, Mr. Cartwright and Miss Rhodes," Spencer praised. "Very interesting match."

"Yeah, it was an almost shutout victory for Jethro," Syrus said.

"All in all, I'd say it was one of the best matches I've seen either of you in." Kenji said to Alexis and Jethro.

"Thanks." They said.

"And you know something," Jachin stated. "If anyone messes with this dorm, they are in a whole world of trouble!"

"Got that right!" Alex grinned. "Even if they bring out people from the other dorms."

Nearby in the bushes, the Vice-Chancellor hid himself in the bushes again, doing another eavesdropping.

"Then, I'll have to make a match pitting people from the same dorm..." He said, grinning.

* * *

Okay, that's not good...

Infernity Mad Bomber

DARK

Level 3

1000/1000

Fiend/Effect

When this monster is destroyed in battle, while you have no cards in your hand, destroy the attacking monster and deal damage to the Level of that monster x 200.

(This card is created by me. All creative credit goes to me)

Left Arm Offering

Normal Trap

Discard all the cards in your hand. Add 1 Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.

(Used by Yami Marik in the second series anime episode, The Final-Face Off. All rights to the creators)

Street Fighter Ninja (Ibuki from Street Fighter 3 and 4 series)

Level 3

EARTH

1450/1650

When this card is special summoned to the field, your opponent discards two cards from their hand.

Street Fighter Arabia (Pullum Purna from Street Fighter EX)

Level 6

Warrior/Effect

2300/1400

EARTH

If your opponent controls at least two more monsters than you do, Special Summon this card.

Street Fighter Strongest Woman

Level 9

WATER

2900/2400

Warrior/Effect

You can tribute 3 monsters to Tribute Summon this card. If one of the tributes used is a 'Street Fighter' monster, destroy all monsters your opponent controls and this card gain 300 ATK for each one card destroyed.

(The above three cards are my own creation and creative credit goes to me. But I do not own the characters inspired, they are the property Capcom, the owners of Street Fighter)

Desperado Bounty Hunter

EARTH

LV: 8

Warrior/Effect

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This cannot be Special Summoned, except by Tributing 2 monsters, including at least 1 "Desperado" monster. When this can successfully Summoned to your side of the field, declare 1 Type of monster. When battling that Type of monster, destroy that monster without applying damage calculation. When this card destroys an Opponent's monster, increase your Life Points by 200 x the destroyed monster's Level.

ATK: 2700 DEF: 1300

(Basis: Jonah Hex)

(This monster card was created by Rocket Knight 777. All rights go to him.)

Backattack Ambush

Normal Trap

Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. End the Battle Phase, and Special Summon 1 "Ambush Token" (Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 100) for each face-up Attack Position monster your opponent controls. When an "Ambush Token" is destroyed by battle, inflict 500 damage to your opponent. You can Tribute 1 "Ambush Token" to inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

(This card was used by Lotten in the 5D's episode Tag Duel: Kiryu and Yusei vs. Lotten. All rights to the creators of the episode)

* * *

Next time: Syrus and Hassleberry are having a falling out because of their friendship with Jaden, and it is high time they settled it.

Please Read and Review! Later!


	18. Battle for Best Friend Honors

Hello again! Now here's the canon again, but my chance to bring the duel a little better! I'm going to get more of this story out until when Jaden and Claudio get their rematches in.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 18: Battle for Best Friend Honors

* * *

Another class day went by at Duel Academy as Syrus sat on some steps inside the main building. He paid no mind to the students' collective talks amongst themselves, until some friendly faces came up to him.

"Hey Syrus."

The young Ra looked up to see Bastion and Melody standing in front of him.

"You interested in getting lunch with us?" Melody asked. "Professor Sartyr's cooking up some food for the Slifer Dorm Residents."

"And he's serving your favorite," Bastion added. "Lobster!"

"I think I'll pass," Syrus sighed.

Seeing how down and out their friend was, Melody and Bastion sat down with him.

"You're still down about Jaden, right?" The intellectual duelist asked.

"Yeah, first he's here and now he's gone all because of one duel." The vehicroid duelist said.

"I know how you feel," Melody sighed, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm still down about Claudio, but in the off chance he's met up with Jaden on the island, it's probably the only reason neither one of them is here."

"What makes you say that?" Bastion asked.

"Claudio was the same as Jaden after Aster and Masaki beat them right," She said. "The last time Claudio was seen was in the woods and I bet Jaden is too, despite what Chazz was ranting about a few days ago."

"So what you're saying is if Jaden's back on the island and that light you talked about took Claudio to wherever he is, then they must be trying to get back here together." Bastion deduced. "No wonder you're a little happy these days."

"That and a little pep talk from a friend," She added with a smile.

Suddenly, their line of vision was blocked off by... Jaden's face!

Syrus stood up in excitement. "Jaden's back!"

But what he really saw was a painting of Jaden's face on a back of yellow vest... worn by Hassleberry.

"Not exactly the way I'd put it," Bastion said.

"Check this out, soldiers," The dino duelist pointed to his back. "Now Jaden's really got my back; wherever he goes, I go! After all he's my best friend!"

And that comment brought Syrus into attack mode…

"Jaden's only got one best friend and that's me," He shouted. "And I don't need his face painted on my back to prove it!"

"Don't go dissin' the jacket," Hassleberry argued. "You're just jealous because Jaden and I are a two-man army! You've been demoted, but if you want you can carry our supplies."

"You're just the third-wheel!"

"Then I'll roll right over you!"

Bastion looked on while eating a movie while Melody shook her head.

* * *

Somewhere around the island, Jaden and Claudio were climbing a cliff... Which was strange in itself..

"Almost... there..." Jaden said as he continued on up.

"I can't believe... you got me... into this..." Claudio said following him.

"If we... get up this cliff... we'll be at the Slifer Dorm..." He replied.

"It better..." The Ra said.

The Slifer was the first to make it up there and celebrated.

"Hello Duel Academy! Jaden's back!"

"Jaden, open your eyes..." Claudio said as he pulled himself up from the cliff.

Once the E-Hero duelist did, he saw, to his dismay, the forest they were walking in a few days ago.

"That's not Duel Academy..."

"Of course it's not..." Claudio muttered. "So, can I lead now?"

"Sure..." Jaden groaned. "I just want to chill in my room..."

"Alright then, let's see we can find our way back to where the people are." The J-Hero duelist said as he led the Slifer into the forest.

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm...

"Ow! Be careful! I'm the victim here!" Syrus complained as Alexis dabbed some iodine on his wounds.

"Yeah, a victim of poor combat skills; scratching and hair pulling are illegal maneuvers," Hassleberry retorted as Bastion wrapped bandages around his arm. "That's why I deserve to be Jaden's best friend!"

"Will you two just shut up already!?" Melody shouted, "Bastion and I brought you back to the Slifer dorms to cool off not heat up again! If we hadn't stopped you, you'd be in a lot worse shape than you are already when you started to tumble down the stairs!"

"Besides, can't all three of you be friends?" Bastion asked.

"I'm not sharing my rank!" Syrus and Hassleberry shouted.

"Okay, you two really need to shut down this pointless argument," Kenji added.

Jachin groaned as he came inside the common room. "What's going on? I can't do my homework with all the yelling around!"

"Apparently those two are fighting over who gets to be Jaden's best friend." Melody pointed out.

"Really?" The Persona duelist asked. "That's messed up. They're both friends of Jaden's that hold him in high regard, so if anything, Jaden has that right to call both of them best friend."

"And I know just how they feel... and I'm here to help!"

Everyone looked up to the ceiling to see Atticus lying on the high bar with Pharaoh, who then proceeded to jump down in the middle of everyone.

"Atticus, what are you doing here?" Alexis asked.

"I've been sleeping up there all day, sis." The elder Rhodes replied. "And I couldn't help but hear the little power struggle going on here."

"Okay, so?" Bastion asked.

"The problem is that both Hassleberry and Syrus care too much for Jaden, that they fight over him like crazed fans." Atticus continued.

"Atticus and his analogies..."

"Come on, Alexis," He continued, "You should also understand that there are many forms of love out there. You can learn from this."

The younger Rhodes scowled as she picked up Pharaoh and held him up to her brother's face.

"What's she doing?" Jachin asked Kenji.

"No clue, if it involves Pharaoh," The ninja duelist shrugged.

They got their answer when she yanked the cat's tail and caused him to screech and claw out. Unfortunately...

"Aaah!" Atticus backed up and held his face, "My face! My pure unblemished face!"

"And there's plenty more where that comes from," Alexis growled.

"Whoa, watch that temper," Syrus said.

"Yeah, violence isn't the answer," Hassleberry added.

"You're the one to talk!" Alexis yelled.

Startled by her outburst, everyone turned to their normally cool-headed friend as she grabbed two duel disks on a rack nearby. She then tossed them to Hassleberry and Syrus.

"If you want to settle this matter, then shut up and duel! We're all sick and tired of your fighting!" Alexis declared. The two rivals looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, let's do it," Hassleberry grinned, "At 1300 hours tomorrow, I'm gonna stomp your machines into grease!"

"Ha! Yeah right! If anyone's gonna get greased around here, it's you!" Syrus countered.

* * *

Later that night, Alexis was getting ready for bed until she got a beep from her duel pilot. She went to pick it up and answered it.

"Hello?"

It was Kenji's face that came onto the screen, but from the background, it looked like he was outside in the dark.

"Sorry to call so late," He asked. "But... have you seen Syrus anywhere?"

Alexis gasped. "He's not with you guys?"

"No, and Bastion's been telling me it's not the first time he's been doing this." The Ninja Duelist replied.

"You know, he has been acting strange since Jaden and Claudio went missing. And there's that fight with Hassleberry..." She then thought of something. "You don't think he went out looking for Jaden?"

"I'll bet, but the part that worries me is that he hasn't eaten since Vincent won that duel against Professor Sartyr to get us some curry. I'm going out to look for him... Hopefully, I can find Jaden and Claudio if they are on the island still."

"Alright..."

* * *

At the forest, Syrus took a flashlight and scanned through the darkness.

"I guess if Claudio's around Jaden, I could find the both of them." He said to himself as he continued to search. "Jaden! Claudio! Are you two here?"

Once he pointed the light into the bushes, a flock of birds startled him and caused him to lose the flashlight.

"Oh no the light..."

But it was the least of his worries when he saw a snake coiled up in a tree staring at him with red eyes, and the same went for the bats in the trees next to him.

"Okay... no fear..." He tried to calm himself down by moving slowly away from the trees. "Remember why you're here... Jaden, Claudio! Any time you want to show up would be great!"

As Syrus disappeared deeper into the forest, he got his wish. Coming up from a lake nearby was Jaden clad in only his red boxers, with his clothes neatly folded nearby.

"Why won't these fish stay still?" He whined as he crawled out of the lake and sprawled out on his back.

"Maybe it's because you went into the water, Hero Boy," Claudio said coming out of another part of the woods.

"Did you find any berries?" The Slifer asked. "I'm starving!"

"They're not in season yet," The Ra replied. "Eat them now, and you'll be sick."

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"We could try the fish again, just need some sticks and we can use the shoelaces for a line." Claudio suggested.

"Oh good, I'll just stay here and wait..."

"No you don't," Claudio hoisted the Slifer on his back and grabbed his gear. "I'm going need to you to gather wood for a bonfire."

"Oh..." Jaden groaned.

But as they went deeper into another part of the forest, Kenji jumped out where Syrus just left out.

"Okay, I'm having a bad night," He said scanning the darkness, sighing. "I need more training..."

" _Poyo, poyo…"_

Kenji heard a voice squeak, causing him to grab his deck holder and search through it until he pulled out a card.

It was a monster card, with the monster being pretty much a round pink ball wearing a ninja-type hat and carrying a kunai in his stubby hands. But when the spirit of it came out of it, it was just the pink ball without the accessories.

 _"Poyo, poyo."_

"Yeah, if my sensei found out I couldn't track three people who I know so well, he'd have me start the basics again." The ninja duelist sighed. He was then dreading that happening as he sulked. "And he has a way of knowing this stuff just by looking at me. Oh well, better get moving."

" _Poyo!"_ The spirit nodded as it followed its partner through the woods.

* * *

The next day, Hassleberry was ready to go with the duel. The entire Slifer Dorm group was there waiting on Syrus to show up, minus Kenji of course.

"Syrus should've been here by now." Alexis said.

"It's bad," Spencer said.

"Hey half-pint," Hassleberry shouted looking around. "We agreed on 1300 on the dot! I guess you chickened out!"

"Guess again, Hassleberry!"

Everyone turned to the woods to see Kenji jumping out of the woods with Syrus on his back, who had a determined look on his face.

"Well I'll be," The dino duelist said. "I thought you retreated."

But if everyone looked closer, they could see Syrus looked a little banged up as evident by his clothes. When Kenji got him off his back, he helped get the foliage off of him.

"You sure you don't want to rest first?" The ninja duelist asked.

"I'm sure," Syrus nodded.

Kenji walked over to the crowd and stood next to Alexis.

"What happened out there?" She asked.

"I found him sleeping out in the woods," Kenji said. "Poor guy was exhausted. Still, he's determined to duel against Hassleberry."

"And what about you, you stayed out all night?" Alexis continued.

"I took a nap a few hours ago, I still feel a little drowsy but I'm more worried if Syrus collapses during the duel..."

"Okay, let's review the stakes," Hassleberry said. "If I win, I'll be awarded with the title of second-in-command and best friend of Sergeant Jaden Yuki!"

"And if I win, you acknowledge I'm Jaden's best friend," Syrus added. "And you'll become MY second-in-command!"

"What? No one authorized that condition, Private!" the dino duelist shouted.

"Only if Syrus adds in that he becomes Hassleberry's second-in-command." Spencer said, cutting in.

"Sure," Syrus nodded to the Headmaster and then turned to Hassleberry. "You happy now?"

"Quite." The dino duelist smiled.

"In that case, let the battle commence!" the machine duelist shouted back.

Both players turned on their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Syrus: 8000

Hassleberry: 8000

"Here we go," Syrus announced, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Ein Roid in defense mode!" In a flash, a small blue robot appeared that seemed to look like a transmitter. (1/200/1800) "And next, I place two facedown cards as well." Two reversed cards appeared.

"I thought you were gonna fight not hide," Hassleberry said as he drew his sixth card. He then held up three cards in succession, "I'll just change that with Polymerization to fuse my Gilasaurus with Kaitoptera! I think you remember this guy!"

The brown velociraptor and pterodactyl fused into the giant purple pterodactyl. (6/2000/1000)

"It's his Horned Saurus!" Jeremy gasped,. "Meaning Syrus is about to get nailed!"

"That's right," The dino duelist grinned. "Horned Saurus, traverse the enemy line and relieve Private Truesdale of some points!"

Syrus cringed as the flying dino soared over his monster and flattened him with a body slam.

"Syrus!" Alexis and Kenji shouted.

Syrus: 6000

Hassleberry: 8000

"Depleted of 25% of your points," Hassleberry grinned. "This duel is certain to be in my favor!"

"Don't bet on it," The Vehicroid duelist stated as his trap activated. "I use Shock Draw! I draw 1 card for every 1000 life points I lost this turn!" He drew out his two cards.

"Well, I'm done." The dino duelist announced.

"Good," Syrus announced, drawing his sixth card. "I play the Field Spell March of Roid!" Once he inserted the card, the area turned into a loading dock for airplanes.

"Once a turn, he can Special Summon a low-level Vehicroid monster from his hand," Spencer mused. "He'll need some monster to either battle or block Hassleberry's Horned Saurus and any other monsters that show up."

"Next, I activate my trap Cyber Summon Blaster!" the small Ra continued as his next card released a large laser hooked up to a tank chassis. "Whenever a Machine monster is special summoned, I can dish out 300 points of damage!" He smirked as he played his next Monster Card. "And by using March of Roid's effect, I can summon Submarineroid!"

A blue and tan cartoonish submarine appeared holding a torpedo with the same look on its face. (4/800/1800) Upon its arrival, the laser unleashed a lightning blast upon the dino duelist.

Syrus: 6000

Hassleberry: 7700

"Is that all you got?" Hassleberry taunted. "I barely felt that one!"

"Then here's even more; Submarineroid can attack directly with Subterranean Sneak Attack!" Syrus announced.

The sub dug into the ground and burrowed its way near Hassleberry. After a few silent moments, it fired it torpedo, kicking up an explosion of dust upon the dino duelist.

Syrus: 6000

Hassleberry: 6900

"And after he attacks, Submarineroid switches to defense mode!" Syrus explained as the submarine dug out of the ground and guarded with its little arms. "To end my turn, I place these cards facedown!" Two facedown cards appeared behind the vehicroids.

"He really has a defense set," Jethro said, amazed at Syrus' moves.

"He keeps getting better," Lily added. "He's a far cry from that meek little duelist from Slifer Red.

"My move!" Hassleberry announced, drawing his next card. "I play the Spell Card, Tail Swipe!" A spell showed Black Tyranno striking with his tail was in the freshman's hand, before activating it into his disk. "Since I have at least a level 5 Dinosaur on the field, I can return two of your monsters back to your hand!"

Syrus gasped.

"I noticed your last duel, and saw when your monsters are attacked those spells and traps activate along with 'em!" Hassleberry stated. "So, I'm not taking any chances! Horned Saurus, send those roids back into their base!"

The pterodactyl charged at Syrus' machines and spun around to strike them off the field with its tail. The little Ra collected the monster cards off the disk tray.

"Now, you're wide open," the Dino Duelist continued, while playing another card. But since Horned Saurus can't attack directly any more, I'll just sacrifice for something else! Like my Super-Ancient Dinobeast!"

Horned Saurus vanished letting an old blue carnivorous dinosaur appear. It was definitely ancient as it had wrinkles all over his body and a pair of small wings. (8/2700/1400)

"A level 8 monster with one sacrifice!" Syrus protested.

"It must be when its sacrifice is a Dinosaur," Allen said.

"Correct," Hassleberry said. "Now watch it storm across the little man! Forward March!"

The ancient dino opened its mouth and fired a laser.

"I activate my trap!" Syrus declared as it turned over. "Magic Cylinder!"

"Sam Hill!"

The laser disappeared through one of the cylinders and came out the other blasting Hassleberry.

Syrus: 6000

Hassleberry: 4200

"Over thought that one, didn't you?" The vehicroid duelist smiled.

The dino duelist growled as he placed a facedown card and signaled the end of his turn.

"Thanks," Syrus smiled, drawing his next card. "Now, I re-summon Submarineroid!" The cartoonish submarine reappeared. (4/800/1800) "And with March of Roid, I re-summon Ein Roid!" The small transmitter reappeared as well. (1/200/1800) "And with a special summoning, my Blaster activates!"

The laser fired at Hassleberry, prompting him to shield himself

Syrus: 6000

Hassleberry: 3900

"Now Submarineroid, attack him directly again!" Syrus commanded as the sub dug underground once more and fired its torpedo at the dino duelist before resurfacing and shifted to defense mode.

Syrus: 6000

Hassleberry: 3100

"Syrus has certainly got Hassleberry's number right now," Melody smiled.

"And it's going his way," Alex added.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." The little Ra replied.

"Alright half-pint, my move," Hassleberry declared, drawing his next card. "I activate the Trap Card, Fossil Excavation!" The trap card revealed itself to show four different colored people excavating a dinosaur fossil. "By discarding one card, I can special summon one dinosaur monster from my graveyard and negate its effects," He informed as he discarded his lone card. "So Horned Saurus, time to come on back!"

The giant pterodactyl reappeared. (6/2000/1000)

"And when a Dinosaur-Type's been Special Summoned from the graveyard, my Super-Ancient Dinobeast allows me to draw another card." He continued, making his draw. "And I'll play it: Spellbook Inside the Pot!"

Both players drew three cards. Hassleberry smiled as his choices.

"Looks like he got his hand," Spencer stated.

"I activate the Spell, De-Fusion!" the dino duelist announced, "I'll separate my Horned Saurus into Kaitoptera and Gilasaurus!" The giant pterodactyl split apart back into the small brown pterodactyl and velociraptor again. (3/1400/700), (3/1400/400)

"And since that's two Special Summonings from the graveyard, I get to draw two cards!" Hasselberry drew two more cards and then played one of them. "Now, I dismiss Gilasaurus so Dark Driceratops can report for duty!"

Gilasaurus vanished as the flying triceratops swooped down on the field. (6/2400/1500)

"Now time to fight, Dark Driceratops attack Submarineroid with Flying Phantom Nosedive!"

On the command, the large flying dino crushed the submarine and then turned around to strike Syrus with the tail, making him stumble over.

"Oh right, it has a trample effect," Jeremy winced.

Syrus: 5400

Hassleberry: 3100

"Next, I send my Dinobeast after your Ein Roid!" Hassleberry continued as the Ancient monster charged its attack towards the small transmitter...

"And I'll activate Supercharge to draw twice!" Syrus declared, activating his trap. He drew his two cards as his Ein Roid was demolished by the laser. "And since Ein Roid was destroyed, I can send two more roids to the graveyard," He continued taking two cards from his deck and put them in the discard slot. "I send Steathroid and Turboroid to the graveyard!"

"And Kaitoptera attacks you directly!" the dino duelist shouted as the small pterodactyl screeched out a shockwave that pushed Syrus back a bit.

Syrus: 4000

Hassleberry: 3100

"And I'll end my turn with a facedown card." The dino duelist concluded. "Let's see what you've got."

Syrus drew his next card and overlooked his hand, thinking about what to do next.

"He's got 8 cards in his hand," Allen said. "Chances are he'll have something to use in big way."

"I bet his does," Alex added.

"Alright, I summon Zwei Roid in attack mode!" Syrus announced, playing his Monster Card. A small cartoonish turret appeared with two blasters as its arms. It let out a small 'beep!' (2/700/1000) "And his special ability lets me discard one of my cards, like my Strikeroid, to have him gain 1000 ATK!"

After Syrus discarded, Zwei Roid bounced around like it was cheering. (2/700-1700/1000)

"Kaitoptera may be done, but I still got two more monsters stronger than that toy of yours!" the Dino Duelist smirked.

"Then it's good thing I have this move!" Syrus countered, removing three of his Monsters I'll remove Strikeroid, Stealthroid and Turboroid to fusion summon the Solidroid Beta!"

After removing the monsters from play, the giant combination Solidroid machine appeared carrying its black metal shield. (7/2500/1900)

"Hassleberry's gonna get it now," Jeremy said as the summon blaster hit its mark.

Syrus: 4000

Hassleberry: 2800

"And when it's summoned, I can destroy one of your monsters!" Syrus announced as the Solidroid took up its shield and rammed it into the ancient dinosaur.

"But when you Special Summoned your monster, you activated my Trap Card! Go Hunting Instinct!" Hassleberry shouted as he revealed his facedown card. "With this card, I can Special Summon any Dinosaur Monster from my hand!" He chose one card and placed it on his disk, "Now meet my Ultimate Tyranno!"

The heavy armored t-rex appeared and roared heavily, shaking the ground.. (8/3000/2300)

Syrus overlooked the cards in his hand. _'I have to wait a bit..._ ' He turned his attention to the field. "Beta attacks Dark Driceratops!"

The Solidroid charged in a bashed the triceratops over the head and then giving it an uppercut, sending it flying.

Syrus: 4000

Hassleberry: 2700

"Now Zwei Roid attack Kaitoptera!" The smaller Ra continued.

*Beep!* The small turret roid fired off two rounds that blasted the pterodactyl to dust.

Syrus: 4000

Hassleberry: 2400

"And I'll end my turn," Syrus concluded.

"Six cards left and he's not using anything else," Alexis wondered.

"It does seem strange," Bastion added. "And he also could've kept discarding for his Zwei Roid's effect since its keeps it ATK permanent."

"Big mistake!" Hassleberry grinned as he drew his next card. "If you can recall a match I had with you, then you should remember that Ultimate Tyranno can attack all of your monsters. So forward march, my Tyranno!"

The giant t-rex roared and stormed the battlefield and crushed Zwei Roid with its left foot.

Syrus: 2700

Hassleberry: 2400

Then, it tore apart Soildroid with its teeth and tail before returning to its owner's side.

Syrus: 2200

Hassleberry: 2400

"I end my turn with this facedown card!" Hassleberry concluded. "End of the line, runt! I'm giving you one chance to surrender!"

"Sorry, not taking it!" Syrus shouted back as he drew his next card. He then revealed three of his cards. "Now I play Polymerization to fuse Rescueroid and Ambulanceroid to summon Ambulance Rescueroid in attack mode!"

A cartoonish ambulance vehicle and cartoonish blue rescue vehicle fused into another vehicle that could pass off as a fire truck with the lack of hose. It sounded its siren staring at the dinosaur. (6/2300/1800)

"And that was a Special Summon, so my blaster activates!" He announced as another laser was shot at dino duelist.

Syrus: 2200

Hassleberry: 2100

"Also, I'll use March of Roid's effect to special summon Decoyroid from my hand as well!" The roid duelist continued as he brought out a small toy car rolled out to field. (2/300/500) Another blast was shot from the summon blaster.

Syrus: 2200

Hassleberry: 1800

"And I'll end my turn by playing one card facedown!" Syrus concluded.

Hassleberry drew his next card, grinning at what he had. "Alright, I play Megamorph and equip it to my Ultimate Tyranno! Since I have fewer life points than you, I can double the ATK of my monster!"

Ultimate Tyranno gave a thunderous roar that nearly shook the ground once more. (8/3000-6000/2300)

"So when it hits Ambulance Rescueroid, it's all over," Alex stated. "Damn, all that for just wanting to be 'Jaden's best friend.' Good duel, but the reasons behind it is just plain stupid."

"Not yet," Erika stated as shook her head. "Syrus is safe."

"How do you figure?" Lyra asked. "There's nothing protecting him if that facedown card can't do the job."

"Hey Hassleberry," Syrus called out. "You can't get at my monster unless you destroy Decoyroid first, since it's Special Ability draws in your attack!"

"You wanna lose both of your monsters fine, I'll still win the honor of being Jaden's #1 best friend!" Hassleberry declared with a smirk. "Now Ultimate Tyranno, stomp out that toy car!"

The tyranno proceeded to do just that as it used its left foot to destroy it.

"Now the effect of Ambulance Rescuroid activates," The vehicroid duelist stated. "Once per turn when a monster's destroyed, I can re-summon that monster in defense mode!"

Decoyroid returned to the field, and set off Cyber Summon Blaster again. (2/300/500)

Syrus: 2200

Hassleberry: 1500

"Like you said, it's only good for one turn, meaning once it's gone again, I win!" Hassleberry stated as Ultimate Tyranno raised its right foot over the car.

"Then it's time I activate my facedown card, De-Fusion!" Syrus said activating his quick-play spell. "I defuse Ambulance Rescueroid back into the monsters that created him!"

The giant red vehicroid split back into the ambulance and rescue vehicroid forms. (3/300/1200), (6/1600/1800)

"And that's two Special Summonings, meaning 600 points of damage!"

Cyber Summon Blaster let out bigger wave of energy than its previous shots.

Syrus: 2200

Hassleberry: 900

Even with the replay set, Ultimate Tyranno still had to crush Decoyroid.

"Now, I can activate the effect of Rescueroid!" The little Ra continued. "When a monster's destroyed in battle, I can return that card back to the owner's hand!" Syrus took Decoyroid back into his hand. "But now Ambulanceroid's effect kicks in, when a 'roid' monster is added to my hand from the graveyard, I can special summon it directly to the field!"

Decoyroid jumped back onto the field in defense mode, activating Cyber Summon Blaster. (2/300/500)

Syrus: 2200

Hassleberry: 600

"And the cycle continues," Erika stated. "Now Hassleberry's monster will continue to destroy Decoyroid and set off Rescueroid, Ambulanceroid and Cyber Summon Blaster's effects in that order."

"Syrus won," Alexis realized with a smile. "He's really stepped up since his promotion duel against Missy."

"Yeah, he turned Ultimate Tyranno's effect into the killing blow on its owner," Kenji added with a smile of his own.

"Good that he found that infinite loop for his cards," Spencer nodded. "He may not realize it, but in his own way and with a few more strategies, he can rival his own brother if he ever gets back on track.

Ultimate Tyranno smashed the toy car once more, prompting Syrus' monster to bring it back and Cyber Summon Blaster to fire again.

Syrus: 2200

Hassleberry: 300

"Almost there," Syrus smiled. "One more blast and you become my second in command!" But as he said that, he started to feel dizzy and tried. "Aw man..."

Hassleberry watched on helplessly as his dino was ready to tear the car apart again.

"I can't stop this now..."

"Syrus!"

He then looked up to see Syrus swaying back and forth, about to collapse.

"You don't look so good, little buddy," Jethro stated.

"I'll be fine," Syrus smiled. "Just haven't got enough rest lately..."

"Bastion you were right," Alexis told him. "He has been searching for Jaden and Claudio every night..."

"And he hasn't been eating much..." Bastion continued,

"A search and rescue?" Hassleberry asked. "But he may not be on the island!"

"Of course he is!" Syrus yelled. "Dueling's his life, where else would he go? Sure, he's athletic but he's not that bright outside of dueling."

"What kind of friend talks about him like that!?" the Dino Duelist shouted.

"Hate to tell you this, Hassleberry" Kenji replied. "But Syrus got you there, especially since he's known him longer. Jaden's known for dueling, but not because he puts his mind to it, he plays with his heart and that brings out the best of his deck."

"If Claudio was around him, I don't think even he can set him straight." Melody shrugged. "He could get back on his own, but with having to get Jaden under control... Good luck with that..."

Lily giggled, "You're taking it well..."

"It's not like he's gone for good," the Spellcaster Duelist replied, "Claudio's the type to not let anyone get left behind. So no matter how long it takes, he won't come back without Jaden."

"And if Jaden is lost, I'll do something about it!" Syrus declared. "I'll find Claudio, too!"

Hasslberry bowed his head. "A true best friend..."

He watched on as his monster crushed Decoyroid, only for it to come back and have Cyber Summon Blaster chip away at his life points.

Syrus: 2200, Winner

Hassleberry: 0

"I just won..." Syrus smiled.

But as soon as the holograms disappeared, he collapsed on the ground.

"Syrus!"

Alexis, Bastion and Jethro ran over to the fallen Ra.

"He's alright," Bastion said. "Just taking a well-deserved nap."

"More like a few days of rest," Jethro added. "With a four course meal when he gets back on his feet."

Hassleberry took out his last card and looked at it. It showed a meteor shower about to impact earth.

"Jurassic Impact... Since I had lower life points, I could've destroyed all monsters on the field and deal 1000 points of damage for each of the owners of the monsters." The dino duelist mused. "If I played it before that loop started, I could've won the duel later. Or I could've done it during the loop and forced it into a draw."

"Very noble of you, soldier," Spencer came up to him. "You could've decided the battle, but surrendered due to the well-being of your fellow classmate. I know you two have gotten off on the wrong foot, but if you know when to pull your punches, you're a better person."

Hassleberry smiled. "I just decided that Syrus should be Jaden's wingman."

"Then I hope you'll hold up your end of the deal since you lost," The Slifer Headmaster said.

"I will," The dino duelist shrugged. "What's the worse he could do?"

* * *

The next day, Hassleberry found it more bearing than he thought.

"Alright Hassleberry, you got everything we need?" Syrus asked him.

"Yeah..." the dino duelist sighed as he was now carrying a giant knapsack, holding all the supplies he needed.

"You got the lunches and snacks?"

"Yeah..."

"And the tent?"

"It's here! Why do I have to carry this stuff anyway?"

"Because you lost and under the stakes, you become my subordinate!" The vehicroid duelist told him.

"I should've taken him out when I had the chance..." The dino duelist muttered.

"Pipe down, subordinate!" The little Ra interrupted. "Time to move out!"

Hasslberry sighed as he had to follow the young Ra into the woods.

Now that was cool, don't you think? As you could see, I took out the 'American Idol' mess Atticus did. Didn't like it that much...

Ein Roid

EARTH

Level 1

200/1800

Machine/Effect

When this card is destroyed by battle, send 2 "roid" monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard.

Zwei Roid

EARTH

Level 2

700/1000

Machine/Effect

You can discard 1 card to have this card gain 1000 ATK.

(These two cards were used by Syrus Truesdale in the GX manga. All rights to the creators)

* * *

Next time: Zane's been in a continuous losing streak to the point of having his career cut tragically short. But a shady manager offers the chance of getting back on top. Will Zane accept?

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	19. Rise of the Hell Kaiser

Wow, I can't believe the buzz I got from my last chapter! All you guys said it was better than the original! Hope I do well with this chapter as well, consider its one of the favorites it my book.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 19: Rise of the Hell Kaiser

* * *

"You know what's worse than being lost?" Jaden asked.

"What's that?" Claudio questioned.

"Being hungry and lost." The Slifer answered.

"Well, you're the one who decided to eat all the cooked fish we finally managed to catch..." the Ra muttered.

Once again, Jaden and Claudio were wandering the woods in search of food. It kept leading to circles and it didn't help that they were running on empty, so they needed to satisfy their growling stomachs.

"Hey what's that over there?" Claudio asked pointing over to a hole filled with tied up packages.

"It's gotta be food!" Jaden exclaimed as he ran over.

"In the middle of nowhere?" Claudio asked, running after him.

"I got no complaints!"

But when they reached the packages, it turned out to be stacks of old magazines of the Duelist Weekly.

"Aw, I can't eat magazines!" Jaden whined.

"And not just any magazines..." Claudio said as he picked up one and read the covers. "It's all on Zane."

Jaden opened up another one and found the date when printed, "These are pretty old; back when he was still undefeated in the Pro League Circuit. I wonder if he got over that loss to Aster."

"I'm pretty sure he did, it's just one loss." Claudio shrugged. "Besides, it's not like he went through the same thing as us."

"Good point," the Slifer replied. "Though I can't help but be worried as he said that he reached his limit after our last duel... I hope that's not the reason he's losing..."

* * *

Back at the Slifer Dorm's cafeteria, Syrus was reading a fresh new Duelist Weekly magazine. It was also about Zane's career, but it was on his poor performance right after his defeat by Aster.

"What happened to you Zane," He said to the picture. "You used to be a top ranked duelist coming into the Pro League, but now you're just a joke to everyone. You lost 10 matches in a row, and then got bumped down to the Amateur Leagues."

Looking in on the young Ra was Alister and Erika.

"Poor guy," Erika sighed. "Having your brother looked down upon has to be hard."

"Yeah, I can't believe Zane's taking it this hard as well." Alister added with a frown. "One loss, even from a high-ranked opponent, shouldn't be this hard to take. That match wasn't even a total shutout. Aster just stopped his moves when we thought the victory was secure."

"Still..." The both turned to see Chazz walking through the door. "It doesn't change the fact that Zane's a loser now!" He then turned to Syrus. "Looks like your brother just became lost in the dark! But he can save himself by joining up with the Society of Light! As all of you can as well!"

Suddenly, Alexis walked up to Chazz.

"Hi Alexis! I'm sure you'll join up!" He said.

His reply was a fist to his face, knocking him down.

Syrus sighed. "Chazz is right..."

Then he saw the magazine being ripped from his hands by Kenji.

"You really need to get out of this sad case." The ninja duelist said, waving the rolled up magazine in front of him. "Anyone can get back up from the slump..."

"Besides," Alexis walked up to Syrus, also assuring him about the losing streak. "Zane's going to win against this next duel and get back on track!"

"She's right," Alister added. "I know his opponent, didn't even scratch my life points."

"And I ended up knocking him out after his first turn," Erika stated. "And knowing Zane's cards, he's got this in the bag."

* * *

Later that night in the city...

Zane was in a duel, but it wasn't inside the Kaiba Dome. The place looked more like a medium-rent arena and had only a few rows around the duel ring, but not a lot of people were in them. From how the duel went, it may have been at least a full house since Zane was the featured main event, but from how he was playing, people just started to leave. And for good reason...

Zane: 150

Amateur: 4000

"I draw!" The Amateur drew his next card and immediately summoned it. "I summon Magical Scientist!"

The old man in a lab coat and shades appeared, and he looked as exactly like the guy who summoned him. (1/300/300)

"Attack Zane directly with Acid Beaker!"

The scientist pulled out a beaker with green liquid. He shook it hard, making it bubble and tossed it at Zane, who blocked the smoke with his duel disk.

Zane: 0

Amateur: 4000, Winner

"Yet another loss for Zane Truesdale," The commentator stated. "It's safe to say his career is officially over!"

As Zane walked off, he was met with a number of insults and trash being thrown at him. He didn't pay it any mind as left the arena.

* * *

The Academy Graduate went down to the locker room afterwards to showers off anything that might have gotten on him from the garbage.

(A/N: Fangirls, commence the squealing... and continue reading)

He then found himself remembering how he ended up in the amateur leagues...

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Zane was sitting inside a restaurant with his manager. Needless to say, Mr. Wright was really disappointed with his client's poor performance in the league._

 _"Listen kid," He said. "My company pays for the best duelists in the world. So when we signed you on, that was to be expected." He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "But instead, we got landed with you and I don't pay for failures. So I'm terminating the contract."_

 _Zane never even protested as he saw him leave the restaurant._

(End Flashback)

* * *

After dwelling on that part of the past, he turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry off.

 _'What's wrong with me?'_ He asked himself. _'I'm playing the same style as I've always been, but still nothing?'_

* * *

He put on his clothes and made his way out of the locker room through the dark hallways.

"Quite a duel, Mr. Truesdale," A man's voice with a southern drawl said. "I heard that match may have been your last one."

Zane turned to see a man wearing a pair of glasses with a top hat and a cloak, and holding a cane that was all black.

"Says who?" Zane said, narrowing his eyes at the man.

"Various members of the press," The man shrugged. "But hey, who watches the television or read the papers today?"

"Buzz off, pal!" the Kaiser growled.

"Oh forgive my manners, let me start over," The black cloaked man pulled out a business card, with his name signed on it. "The name's Shroud Saruyama, and I think I can help you with your problem."

"Really, how's that?" Zane asked.

"By getting you back on top, of course," Shroud replied. "Isn't that what you want? If you stick with me, you'll have it all back. But of course, it won't be easy."

"How's that?"

"We'll have to begin at very bottom," the shady man noted. "Far from the camera's eye, so the press can't slander you. Have you ever heard of Underground Dueling? It may not be as glamorous as the Pros, but it does have its advantages."

Zane scowled. "Look Shroud, I graduated at the top of my class; underground duels aren't my bag."

"If you expect to salvage your career, you don't have a choice." The shady manager stated. "Now care to reconsider?"

* * *

The next night came to Domino city, instead of the great Kaiba Dome or any other sanctioned arena where professional dueling can be found, we turn to a shadier part of town where you could find anyone of the low-class society. Through an alleyway leading to a metal door guarded by some bouncers and down the stairs were the Underground Dueling circuit.

The place was a good 25 meters across with dim ceiling lamps lighting up the place. The audience had men in nice suits and women wearing elegant dresses with eye masks. Along the walls were bars so people could spend their time downing alcoholic beverages. And right in the middle of the room was a dueling arena surrounded by the confines of a steel cage.

"Attention all guests!" An announcer stated. "Tonight's steel cage match will be one to remember as it hosts a duelist from the Pro League."

The audiences' attention was quickly caught on, wondering who fell from their glory enough to come down here.

"First up, from parts unknown, the undefeated cage king Mad Dog!"

Stepping into the light of the cage; came a very muscular guy with jagged scars across his chest and shoulders and wore only torn pair of black jeans. He gave everyone a thunderous growl as he awaited his opponent.

"His challenger, the first Academy Graduate to ever grace the underground arena, it's the former Pro League duelist Zane Truesdale!"

Everyone either gasped or started to snicker at seeing such a high class duelist fall from his grace.

Zane ignored it all and focused on his opponent.

 _'Wait a sec, that's Tyson Inukai!_ ' He suddenly remembered. _'I heard dropped out of professional dueling back when I started Duel Academy! So this is what happened to him...'_ He then noticed two men in black suits coming into the arena and strapping some metal collars onto his biceps, ankles and his neck. "Huh?"

Then he noticed two more guys doing the same to him, he turned behind him to address his new 'manager'...

"Oh don't worry about those," Shroud stated as no big deal. "Those collars just make the duel more... electrifying. You should remember that you're forbidden from surrendering the duel and you can't leave the dueling arena until either one of you loses. And you should know, your opponent is the champion, so don't expect an easy victory..."

"So..." Zane turned to see his opponent addressing him in a deep, gruff voice. "New meat! I can't wait to tear you apart like so many of the wimps I've faced. I just hope you give me a run for my money... considering your reputation," He grinned. "Or lack thereof..."

"Alright boys," The announcer shouted. "Let the game begin!"

Both players turned on their duel disks and drew out their opening hands.

DUEL!

Zane: 8000

Mad Dog: 8000

"Me first!" Mad Dog announced, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Change Slime in attack mode!" A nasty looking green slime appeared with a blade inside of it. (1/400/300) "And then, I place this facedown and let you go!" He concluded as a Set card appeared behind the slime.

"Alright, my draw," Zane announced, drawing his sixth card. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon the Cyber Dragon!" Zane's signature monster took the field with a metallic roar. (5/2100/1000)

"Attack me," Mad Dog goaded. "Bring it on, kid!"

 _'His facedown card must be a trap,'_ Zane thought. _'Why else would he summon a weak monster in attack mode and a facedown card? And with no cards to destroy it, I'll have to play it safe for now.'_

He then took a card from his hand and inserted into his disk. "I place a facedown and end my turn."

"Scared already, boy," Mad Dog grinned as he drew his next card. "Here, I'll take it easy again, by playing this monster, Fiendslime Mold!" Rising from the ground was a purple slime, taking on a fiendish look. (3/500/500)

"Another monster with low stats?" Zane muttered.

"And then, I place another card facedown," the cage king concluded, inserting another facedown card. "Gonna run away again? I'm just giving myself up for pain right now with these weak monsters, but if you want to waste time hiding, I'll tear you apart soon..."

Zane growled as he drew his next card. "Fine! I attack Change Slime! Cyber Dragon use Strident Blast!"

As the metal dragon charged up, the underground champion grinned.

"Gotcha!" Mad Dog grinned as he activated one of his facedown cards. "Go, Rust Machine Virus of Acid!" Zane gasped as he saw the trap card showing an army tank being eaten through by multiple slime blots.

"First, I sacrifice a WATER monster, like Change Slime..."

The green slime vanished.

"Next, I get to destroy all Machine type monsters in my opponent's hand and field!" Mad Dog continued. "And until the end of your 3rd turn, I get to check out every card you draw!"

Cyber Dragon rusted over to a light brown before it shattered.

"Oh yeah, you lose 500 points for each Machine monster destroyed!"

Zane: 7500

Mad Dog: 8000

Suddenly, the Academy Graduate felt something trigger in his collars and...

"AHHHHHH!"

The collars on Zane shocked him! He felt jolts come from the biceps and the neck, leaving him staggering! The audience were now getting excited, seeing the pain while Mad Dog was enjoying his work.

"What's... going on...?" Zane asked as he tried to steady himself.

"I told you," Shroud stated. "To keep things interesting here, every time a player loses Life Points by damage or payment, you receive an electric shock based on how much. Just be careful, it could take a lot out of you..."

"I never agreed to this!" The Academy Graduate protested.

"On the contrary," Shroud pointed to the spectators around the cage. "This is exactly what you agreed to; cheering fans, sold out arena and a challenging opponent. Just the little addition of having to fight for your life..."

"Hey!" Mad Dog growled. "Are you done!?"

Pretty soon the crowd was getting antsy as well, as Zane got back to his feet.

"Fine, let's go," the Kaiser said.

"Not yet! You still have to show me your hand because of my trap!" Mad Dog announced as he pointed to his opponent. Zane sighed as he revealed his hand: Different Dimension Capsule, Cybernetic Hidden Technology, Polymerization, Time Fusion and Limiter Removal. That left the cage king frowning. "No other machines?"

"No, in fact I'll play Different Dimension Capsule right now!" Zane announced, playing one of the Spell Cards. Soon, a coffin appeared with a clock emblazoned on it. "I choose any card from my deck and remove it from the game. But on my 2nd Standby Phase, it comes to my hand."

A card slipped out of his deck and he put it in his pocket. On the field, the clock coffin opened up and took in a Duel Monster card with its back showing. Once closed, it sunk inside the ground.

"It's your turn." Zane concluded. (RMVoA: 2 turns)

"Okay!" Mad Dog announced, drawing his next card. "And on my Standby Phase, I can summon another Fiendslime Mold by paying 500 Life Points!"

Soon, the one Fiendslime Mold became two after being spilt up from the same being. (3/500/500)

Zane: 7500

Mad Dog: 7500

The collar activated on Mad Dog... but he never screamed as the shocks hit him!

"What!?" Zane gasped, "How come it doesn't bother you!?"

"Actually, it tickles!" The slime duelist grinned. "When you get used to it, this kind of pain isn't anything anymore! And what the Hell, I'll even do it again, by using my new Slimemold's effect!"

The second mold went through another split, turning Fiendslime Mold to 3. (3/500/500)

Zane: 7500

Mad Dog: 7000

The same 'tickle' happened to Mad Dog, who just laughed it off. "Now that I've taken the pain, I'll activate another facedown card. Aqua Chorus!" A Continuous Trap appeared showing a red-haired woman in a white dress, praying in front of a wave of water. "Now, since I have two or more of a monster with the same name, they all gain 500 ATK!"

All three slime molds grew about another foot as they gained power. (3/500-1000/500) x3

The Kaiser widened his eyes as he realized what trouble he was in.

"Now, I have my slimes attack you directly!" Mad Dog shouted.

The purple slimes leaned back and spat out blobs from the mouths, as Zane shielded himself from them. But it became the least of his worries once the collar gave him an even bigger jolt from losing even more points. It nearly caused him to lose focus.

Zane: 4500

Mad Dog: 7000

"After this facedown, it's your turn!" Mad Dog called out as a facedown was set. "Now are you gonna fight like a real duelist, or I should I just put you out of your misery?"

Zane grunted as he drew his next card, still trying to fight the pain he felt. Because of the Virus card still active, he had to show off his next card to his opponent. It was Card from a Different Dimension. Once he put it back to his hand, he set to play another.

"I activate Time Fusion!" He declared, removing Card from a Different Dimension from his hand. "Now, next turn I can summon any Fusion monster without having the required fusion material monsters!"

"No, you don't I activate Jammer Slime!" Mad Dog countered as he showed off a Counter Trap, depicting a light purple slime, closing in on something. "By discarding a monster, like my Draw Slime, I get to destroy your card and negate the effects!"

Zane gasped as the Time Fusion image was now covered by the light purple slime and crushed into pixels.

"Also, I get to draw a card because of Draw Slime's effect!" Mad Dog drew his next card.

"Well, you just triggered the trap card Frozen Soul!" the Kaiser announced, revealing his facedown card. An image of an icy blue ghost appeared. "Since my Life Points are at least 2000 points behind yours, I get to skip your Battle Phase!" The cold ghost hissed as it loomed over Mad Dog. "I end my turn and only one turn left of the Virus." (RMVoA: 1 turn)

"Stall all ya want! You won't escape the pain, little man!" Mad Dog said as he drew his next card. "I'll play the Spell Card, Contingency Fee!" A Spell image appeared as a masked samurai prepared to draw his sword. "First, you draw from your deck until you have six cards! In return, I get an extra 1000 Life Points for each card you drew!"

Zane drew three more cards as a blue aura surrounded Mad Dog.

Zane: 4500

Mad Dog: 10000

"And with my virus still in play, let's see your cards!" the cage king smirked.

Zane turned over his cards: Emergency Cyber, Machine Duplication and Attack Reflector Unit. "Sorry, no Machine monsters here," He said.

"Then, I play Card Destruction!" Mad Dog countered, playing another Spell Card, a familiar one. "Now we drop all of our cards and pick up a whole new hand equal to the number we discarded!"

Mad Dog dropped and drew three cards while Zane drew six more.

"Now turn them around," Mad Dog smiled deviously.

Zane growled as he turned over his new hand: Cyber Kirin, Cyber Barrier Dragon, Cyber Phoenix, Cyber Laser Dragon, Power Bond and Monster Reborn.

The underground champion laughed. "Four machine monsters! Now you lose 2000 more points! Get ready for the biggest jolt of your life!"

The images of the four Cyber monsters appeared over his body in holograms. They then rusted over and exploded, causing Zane to feel another big jolt.

"GRRAAHHHHH!"

Zane: 2500

Mad Dog: 10000

"And I end my turn with these and switching my slimes to defense mode, since I have to skip my Battle Phase!" Mad Dog concluded as he placed two of his cards facedown in his Spell/Trap Zone as his slime molds shrunk down.

"Alright... my move..." Zane was really exhausted as he drew his card. He grunted as he had to show off Cyber Alsafi. As he discarded it, Zane felt a small jolt to his neck, but it was still enough to leave him staggering a bit more.

Zane: 2000

Mad Dog: 10000

"Now... we draw two cards... since Card... from a Different Dimension comes back to my hand..." He breathed. Both players drew two cards. Zane sighed with relief as he drew Future Fusion and Cybernetic Revolution. "Also, I get back... my card with Different Dimension Capsule..." He also removed the card from his pocket and placed it into his hand.

"You wanna lay down, little man?" Mad Dog grinned. "You don't look so hot!"

Zane growled as he played one of his Spells. "I play Future Fusion!" He said with a little renewed vigor. The spell card appeared showing a vortex warping over Skyscraper. He then took out two monsters from his deck and placed them into his deck. "I send two more Cyber Dragons... from my grave, so that I can summon Cyber Twin Dragon in two turns!"

"Afraid not," Mad Dog countered, revealing another Trap Card. "I play another Jammer Slime to negate it!"

He discarded Acid Slime which melted the spell, making Zane growl in anger.

"I play Monster Reborn to summon Cyber Alsafi from my graveyard!" the Kaiser shouted as the ankh from the Spell appeared, unleashing the pure white metal crab clacking its pincers in anger. (5/2250/1250)

"Now, destroy his Fiendslime Mold!"

"Oh, no you don't," Mad Dog activated his second trap card, "I activate Two-Pronged Attack, sacrificing two of my molds to destroy your monster!"

Two of the Fiendslime molds jumped at the crab machine and started to cover the entire thing before they all dissolved. This left the final one weakened back to its original score. (3/1000-500/500)

Zane was not deterred, aiming to get back at his opponent. "By destroying Alsafi with a card effect, I get to special summon Cyber Dragon back from the graveyard!" Another metallic roar brought back his metallic serpent dragon. (5/2100/1000) "Now take out his final mold!"

Cyber Dragon fired its Strident Blaze, melting the final purple mold.

"I end my turn," Zane stated, finally feeling confident for once, especially since the Rust Machine Acid Virus Trap effect was now done.

"Don't think you've got the advantage for a second," Mad Dog stated as he drew his next card. "I start with Magic Planter, destroying the Continuous Trap Aqua Chorus to draw two cards!" Aqua Chorus shattered as the underground duelist drew two cards. "Next, I'll play Clone Slime in defense mode!" A humanoid green slime appeared. (2/0/0) "Your turn again!"

"My move," Zane announced, drawing his next card. "Cyber Dragon, attack Clone Slime!"

"I gotcha again!" Mad Dog shouted. "When Clone Slime's attacked, I can switch it with another slime monster in my graveyard, like Acid Slime!"

Clone slime morphed into a blue slime with a red center and teeth around it. (3/800/1000)

"And the battle still continues!"

Zane gasped as his Cyber Dragon blasted the slime down with another Strident Blast.

"And by destroying Acid Slime, you lose 800 life points!" Mad Dog laughed.

Zane screamed as his collar emitted the shocks.

Zane: 1200

Mad Dog: 10000

"I place... one card... facedown." Zane concluded.

"Aw, you're hurt," The cage king taunted as he drew his next card. "But deep down, I'm a big softie! So let me help you out a bit!"

"No thanks..."

"Too late, I'll destroy your monster with Soul Taker," Mad Dog grinned, playing the mentioned Spell into his disk. "But don't worry; you'll gain 1000 life points from it!"

Cyber Dragon shattered with a dark blue aura and the remains healed its master.

Zane: 2200

Mad Dog: 10000

"Next, I play the Spell Slime Base!" He continued as a Spell card showed a faucet where Revival Jam was oozing out of it. "With this, I can Special Summon any Slime Monster! And I choose my Multiple Slime!" An orange slime dropped down to the field and formed into dog-like creature. (6/1500/2000)

"And then I'll summon an old favorite, Revival Jam!" The next slime appearing, looked more like a ghost made out of water by the dark blobs of water on it creating a face. (4/1500/500)

"Now I play Card of Sanctity! Wish this was around when I played that Virus card!" Both players drew until they had six cards. However Mad Dog grinned as he played another Spell Card. "And look another Slime Base to summon the Slime King!"

Then a blue slime dropped on to the field. But it carried a sliver sword with a red shield and wore a red cape and green crown. (5/2000/1500)

"Now Multiple Slime, attack Zane directly with Primordial Ooze!"

Multiple Slime spat out a large orange blob at the Cyber machine duelist...

"I activate Call of the Haunted!" Zane called out for his trap to activate, "And with it, I'll Special Summon my Cyber Dragon!"

The metal dragon reappeared with a white flash of the Trap Card. (5/2100/1000)

"It won't stop me," Mad Dog grinned, playing a Quick-Play Spell from his hand, "I play Half Shut! Your monster gets to stick around, but he'll be drained half of its ATK!"

Cyber Dragon groaned as it lowered itself to the ground and rusted a little. (5/2100-1050/1000)

"Now, Primordial Ooze!"

Multiple Slime fired another orange blob that covered metal dragon, causing Zane's collar to deliver the painful shocks.

Zane: 1750

Mad Dog: 10000

"Revival Jam, splash some water into that bucket of bolts!"

The plasma slime stretched out to Cyber Dragon's size and then submerged it within itself, making Zane writhe in agony once more.

Zane: 1300

Mad Dog: 10000

"Now Slime King, Royal Slime Slash!"

The royal slime jumped into the air and started to slice some havoc around the dragon, tearing off the orange slime and Revival Jam right of it, leaving it a rusted, dented version of its former self. Once again, Zane felt the pain of the shock collars, now shaking him off balance with three hits in succession.

Zane: 350

Mad Dog: 10000

Soon the spectators began to smirk and chuckle at the torment the Academy Graduate was getting as he was left on his knees.

"And then, I place two cards facedown..." Mad Dog concluded as a couple reversed cards appeared. Cyber Dragon's ATK returned to 2100, also returning its natural shine.

"Mr. Truesdale," Shroud called out from the sidelines. "I told you'd have to start from the bottom; and it doesn't get any lower than this. If you lose, there's only one place to go from here..."

"Yeah, out," Zane growled as he breathed heavily. "Cause... I quit; I don't want to be a part of this world, Shroud. Now open that door!"

"Impossible," The black clad manager said. "The match isn't over yet. If you want out so badly, just win."

"I can't, nothing else I have can stand against him," The Kaiser stated with his resolve waning. "It's over."

Shroud chuckled. "So that's what it is? You see yourself unable to do anything, so you decide to the call it quits? That's pathetic!"

"Shut up!"

"The reality is that you have nothing left," The manager continued. "What you need to do now, is let go of your past and move on. Leave behind your good intentions and morals behind and start dueling for yourself! You want to win? Just make that your intention instead of respecting your opponent. Think about it? Did anyone respect you when you got dropped to the Amateurs?"

"Myself?"

"Sure, all you need is victory..."

Zane was now letting it sink in. Sure, he was the best out of his graduation class. He even went big in the Pros, until his defeat against Aster. After that, it was downhill for him. Even with his morals of honor and respect towards his opponent, he was getting schooled by even the opponents he knew he could beat. It was coming together now; if he wanted to be THE greatest duelist he would have to keep winning. And as he looked up at Mad Dog, Zane started to get angry by the fact that he was getting in his way there.

"Are you done yet?" Mad Dog asked. "Besides, it's real boring killing you in this duel..."

That's when Zane lost it...

"You want excitement," Zane asked with a deeper tone of anger in his voice as he drew his next card. "Then let the fun begin! I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon!" The small version of the Cyber Dragon appeared. (3/1100/800) "Then, I activate Power Bond! This lets me Fusion Summon for a Machine monster," He held up two more monster cards. "I fuse the two Cyber Dragons I have in my hand and field, and since Proto-Cyber Dragon counts as the original on the field, I can add it into the fusion as well!"

All three machine dragons fused into an electrical vortex.

"Meet Cyber End Dragon!"

Zane's three-headed dragon soared onto the field, feeding off of Zane's anger. (10/4000/2800)

"And since I used Power Bond, its ATK doubles!"

Cyber End Dragon's systems went into overdrive! (10/4000-8000/2800)

"Even though Power Bond damages me at the End Phase, I'll destroy you before that!" the Kaiser stated.

"Yeah," Mad Dog scratched his cheek. "But to save you the time, I'll activate my Slime Ball Trap Card!" The card revealed itself, showing green slime forming inside a jar. "When you Special Summon a monster, I can destroy it and gain Life Points equal to that monster's current ATK!"

A green slime ball ricocheted out of the trap, slammed into the fusion monster, surrounded it and shattered the remains.

Zane: 350

Mad Dog: 18000

"Now go ahead and end your turn," The underground duelist told him. "You're pathetic!"

"So that's what you think, huh," Zane asked with growing anger.

"It's impossible for you to win now!" the cage king taunted, "So leave those thoughts inside that delusional little head, and go down!"

"It's been impossible because I use to respect everyone I faced, when I should have been focused on winning!" The Kaiser growled. "Playing by the rules only got me so far, and for what! I had to resort to facing a has-been that's really a 'never-was'! I'll just have to tap into my anger and my inner drive to win!"

Mad Dog cringed a bit and the spectators were hanging on every word Zane was saying.

"And I have the card to destroy you," Zane turned over a new card. It showed an explosion of metal. "Overload Fusion!"

"Overload Fusion!?" Shroud and Mad Dog were confused at that new card.

"It's another card to fuse for a Machine-Type Fusion Monster, but of a DARK attribute." Zane informed as all the machine cards he had were sliding out of his graveyard. "Normally I'd need just two for to satisfy for the requirements, but I'm in a destructive mood today so I'll grab all the machine monsters inside my graveyard!

All of Zane's Cyber monsters melded together into a single entity.

"Now meet the last monster you'll ever see... CHIMERATECH OVERDRAGON!"

That single entity created a dark metal body with long tail with it having it several holes inside. (9/?/?)

Mad Dog laughed out loud. "That headless wimp!?"

"I'd advise you let me continue my move," Zane smirked evilly. "When Chimeratech Overdragon is summoned it gains 800 ATK and DEF for all the monsters used in the summoning, and since all 10 were used, it now has 8000 points!"

Mad Dog was now for the first time scared out of his mind as 10 dark metal dragon heads with silver metal neck popped out of the body. (9/?-8000/?-8000)

"Also, it sends every other card on my field to the grave, but it's not like I needed it," He said passively as the useless Call of the Haunted vanished. "Now Overdragon, it's time for revenge! Attack his Multiple Slime!"

The middle head of the metal dragon fired out a blast of black energy at the orange slime monster, ripping it apart to shreds. It also served to give Mad Dog the biggest shock anyone had ever seen...

"AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!"

Zane: 350

Mad Dog: 11500

Surprisingly, the underground champ had enough energy to keep on his feet and duel.

"All you did was piss me off and activate Multiple Slime's effect," Mad Dog yelled. "It brings out three Slime Monster Tokens in attack mode!" Three small blue slime blobs appeared with hideous faces. (1/500/500) x3 "Then, I activate Trap Trip!"

A trap card activated showing a hand reaching for a mouse trap.

"I get to bring back one of my trap cards!" He stated as he retrieved the first one he played during the duel: Rust Machine Virus of Acid.

"I hope you don't think this is over just because you have that Trap Card," Zane interrupted his opponent's thoughts. "Because of all your Summonings for those slime fools, you just sealed your fate!"

"And how's that? You can't attack anymore!" Mad Dog growled. "As soon as you call the end your turn, I can set this trap and spring it on your turn, ending this game in my favor!"

Zane just laughed. "You don't get it! None of them will survive!"

"How's that?" Shroud asked, also wondering what his prospect was trying to say.

"Not only does the number of Fusion Material monsters for Chimeratech Overdragon increase its stats, it allows it to attack more and more!" Zane grinned. "So having used 10 monsters, I can attack you 10 times!"

Mad Dog was truly horrified as he pressed his back against the cage. "N-No!"

"Now Overdragon, END THIS!"

The nine remaining heads charged up and combined their blasts at Revival Jam, Slime King and the final three slime tokens and continued onto Mad Dog. The damage set off an even bigger shock to him that had him screaming beyond normal means until...

*KABOOM!*

Mad Dog's entire side of the field exploded by the collars and Overdragon's attack that it broke open the cage and caused the spectators to run for cover.

Zane: 350, Winner

Mad Dog: 0

Once the smoke cleared, Mad Dog laid sprawled out on the ground with scorch marks where the broken shock collars once locked on.

Shroud got over his initial shock and grinned.

"It worked... Zane is reborn," He rejoiced. "A Monster from the Underground!"

* * *

Another day went by as everyone in the Slifer Dorm watched Zane's next match, back at the Kaiba Dome and they were surprised to see how Zane was now more destructive in his moves.

"Chimeratech Overdragon, DESTROY!"

The spectators saw Zane's monster rip apart their opponent's last line of defense and even knocked the opponent himself out cold as the Life Point meter went 0!

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we witnessed all kinds of rising and falling from many a duelist," Ron said. "But I have never seen one rise up from a slump like Zane Truesdale!"

"No joke!" Tristan added. "I think it may have something with the new look he's been sporting."

Zane's new outfit consisted of a black overcoat with white trimmings and sharp edges with black leather pants as well. Not only he had the new look, his face after winning his duel had a sadistic tone to it.

"Well, like it or not, Zane Truesdale's back as the Hell Kaiser!"

Even though the crowd inside the Kaiba Dome was thrilled to see Zane getting back to the pros, everyone watching at the Slifer Common Room had mixed feelings... but none so much as Syrus...

 _'I know my brother,_ ' He thought. _'And he wouldn't duel so brutally to others! What happened to you, Zane?'_

* * *

The Hell Kaiser has made his appearance! Next time you see him it'll be mad crazy! Also, you noticed I didn't have Mad Dog sounding like a messed up parody of Mike Tyson, even though I saw it coming when I first saw the dubbed episode.

Fiendslime Mold

Level 3

WATER

500/500

Aqua/Effect

During your Standby Phase, if this card is in Attack Position, you can pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon 1 "Fiendslime Mold" from your Deck.

(Played by Guardian Baou in the GX episode: Conquering the Past, all rights to the creators)

Rust Machine Virus of Acid

Normal Trap

Tribute 1 WATER monster. Check all monsters your opponent controls, your opponent's hand, and all cards they draw (until the end of your opponent's 3rd turn after this card's activation), and destroy all Machine-Type monsters. Each time a monster(s) is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard this way, inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each destroyed monster.

Jammer Slime

Counter Trap

Discard "Slime" monster, "Revival Jam", or "Frog the Jam". Negate the activation an opponent's Spell or Trap Card, and destroy it.

Draw Slime

WATER

Level 2

300/400

Aqua/Effect

When this card is sent to the Graveyard, draw 1 card.

Multiple Slime

WATER

Level 6

1500/2000

Aqua/Effect

When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon 3 "Slime Monster Tokens" (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 500/DEF 500) in Attack Position.

Acid Slime

WATER

Level 3

800/1000

Aqua/Effect

When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent.

Clone Slime

WATER

Level 2

0/0

Aqua/Effect

When this face-up card is selected as an attack target, you can send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Slime" monster (except "Clone Slime"), "Revival Jam", or "Frog the Jam" from your Graveyard in this card's same battle position, and switch the attack target to that monster.

Slime Base

Normal Spell

Special Summon 1 "Slime" monster, "Revival Jam", or "Frog the Jam" from your hand.

Contingency Fee

Normal Spell

Your opponent must draw cards until they have 6 cards in their hand. Then, gain 1000 Life Points for each card they drew.

Slime Ball

Normal Trap

Activate only when a monster is Special Summoned. Destroy that monster, and gain Life Points equal to that monster's ATK.

(All the preceding cards were used by Mad Dog in the GX episode: No Pain, No Gain. All rights to the creators)

Slime King

Level 5

WATER

Aqua

2000/1500

(This card was seen in Strings' hand the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist Manga. All rights to the creators. ATK and DEF declaration goes to me.)

* * *

Next time: Still lost in the forest, Jaden and Claudio have to duel an old friend of the Slifer's, to get some food to move on. Also, Bonaparte racks up the pressure by having duelists from the same dorm battle each other in order to shut down the red dorm!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	20. Fight For Your Right

We're almost at the rematch chapters! Time for a double duel chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 20: Fight for Your Right

* * *

Back in the woods, Jaden and Claudio were walking very slowly and worn out from being lost for days.

"I don't think I have to energy to go on." Jaden moaned.

"After not eating for days, can't blame you," Claudio groaned. "But what can we do? I see nothing edible around here."

Both of them collapsed onto their knees, holding their growling stomachs.

"If there's someone out there... please bring us some food!" The Slifer yelled out to the sky.

"And show us the way back to Duel Academy while you're at it!" The Ra yelled out as well.

Both of them passed out after their shouting.

* * *

In another part of woods, a cart filled with loads of household appliances was being pushed around by an unknown person. All of a sudden, it stopped right where the fallen Slifer and Ra boys were which prompted the person to look around the cart. The strange this was, that person wasn't a person; it wasn't even human... it was a monkey with a duel disk and black shades!

The monkey tilted its head before cautiously walking over to the two boys. It then turned them over both on their backs, getting a good look on their faces. The one with the yellow jacket had his black hair styled in dreadlocks with a guitar and duel disk on either side of him. Next, it turned to the person in the red jacket and something seemed familiar about him aside from his brown hair. Suddenly something clicked!

* * *

(Flashback)

 _The monkey remembered how it was being in a building where they trained animals for dueling. It remembered it wearing some machine that allowed it to translate human speech plus help it think out the best moves for the deck. But despite learning a new skill, the mistakes it made during the training led it to being abused by the oppressors. One night, the monkey broke out of the building pursed by its oppressors so it had to resort to taking a girl in blue hostage._

 _It was then it remembered the brown haired kid._

 _"Hey, that monkey's wearing a Duel Disk! Either that, or a strange-looking banana!"_

 _"That's no banana, or an ordinary monkey," It then saw a short old man, one of its captors come out. "His name is Wheeler and he's a trained Duelist."_

 _He then remembered dueling the kid but lost and released the girl he had captive. But when his captor's tried to get him and the rest of his monkey family, the kids and another person saved him and he was allowed to leave in peace._

(End Flashback)

* * *

Seeing the same kid that saved him in trouble, the monkey went back to the cart and pulled out a batch of bananas. He held one of them up to the red jacket kid's nose, stirring him from unconsciousness.

"Hmm," Jaden groaned, opening his eyes and saw the banana in his face. "FOOD!" He grabbed it, opened it up and started to munch on it. "So good!" He then turned to the yellow jacket boy. "Hey Claudio, we got food!"

"Wha?" Claudio started to wake up and saw Jaden munching on the bananas. "Right on!" He then started to grab some bananas and eat them up as well. "Where'd you get these, Jaden?"

"It was just staring at me in the face when I woke up." Jaden said.

"Food just can't find you." The Ra said.

"Well that's what happened," The Slifer replied with his mouthful.

They then heard some angry screeching coming from in front of them. Turning their heads, they saw a monkey right in front of them growling at them.

"A monkey?" Claudio wondered and then he took notice of a duel disk on its left arm. "And a duel disk?"

"Hey, that's not just any monkey, that's Wheeler!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Wheeler?"

"Last year, when Chazz left Duel Academy, Syrus and I, along with Alexis, Jasmine and Mindy went to look for him in these woods," The Slifer explained and pointed to Wheeler. "We ran into this guy and he kidnapped Jasmine to get away from these scientist guys who just wanted to use him for some experiment. I had to beat him in a duel to get Jasmine back and just before Wheeler was captured again, Professor Banner stepped in and saved him as well, letting Wheeler go back to his family."

"Wow, a dueling monkey," Claudio said. "But if he's back with his family, what's he doing by himself?"

"No clue?"

Wheeler started screeching again and smacked Jaden across the face.

"Ow! What was that for?" Jaden groaned, rubbing his face.

The monkey then pulled the bananas away from him, frowning.

"What did you do, Jaden?" Claudio asked. "You didn't steal those from him, did you?"

"No..." Jaden replied. But then thought when he grabbed the banana. "Oh wait, I think I took it from him when I woke up."

The Ra sighed and turned to Wheeler. "Listen, we're sorry about this and we haven't eaten in days. Can you give us those bananas back or at least show us to some other fresh ones?"

Wheeler put on a thinking pose for a minute before he raised his duel disk in the air and held up another batch of bananas.

"You want to duel for the bananas?" Claudio asked.

Wheeler nodded.

"This'll be sweet! I get to use my new deck!" Jaden cheered as he pulled out his deck and skimmed through it. But then he noticed some of his cards were still blank. "Huh? I thought I could see all of my cards?"

"That's weird," Claudio then pulled out his new deck and skimmed through it. And just like Jaden's deck, some cards were left blank. "My deck, too... guess we have to decline the..."

Suddenly, another set of cards slipped out of Claudio's pocket.

"Hey Claudio, what are those?" Jaden asked.

The Ra picked them up and thumbed through them. "Oh, these are the cards Masaki gave me, forgot I had them."

"Can you see them?"

"Yeah, every single one; guess I have the honor of dueling." Claudio picked up his duel disk from the ground and inserted the deck into the slot and turned it on.

Already having his deck inside the duel disk, Wheeler turned on his duel disk.

"DUEL!"

Claudio: 8000

Wheeler: 8000

"I'll go first, if you don't mind," Claudio asked. Wheeler gave him a thumbs up, prompting the Ra to draw out his opening hand plus one. He overlooked the cards in Masaki's former deck. "Wow, now I know how he anticipated that first move during our duel on opening day." He grabbed one of his cards and placed it on the disk. "I'll summon the Singing Superstar in attack mode!"

In a flash of light, a brown haired man appeared. He wore a plain, white shirt and carried a microphone. (4/1700/1300)

"And next up, one card facedown," A facedown card appeared behind the Superstar. "Your turn, monkey dude."

Wheeler nodded and drew his sixth card. He turned over a spell card showing a magician casting two pillars of light as Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts stood guard.

"Double Summon, so he can Normal Summon twice now!" Jaden said.

The monkey then summoned a furious looking brown gorilla, who began to beat its chest. (4/2000/1600)

"Berserk Gorilla," The Slifer recognized. "It's how he started our first duel."

Next, Wheeler played another gorilla monster that had crimson red fur with a golden chest. Every time it beat on its chest, it let loose a bolt of thunder. (4/1800/1000)

"And that's Voltic Kong," The Ra added.

Wheeler then screeched out some chatter, causing Berserk Gorilla to charge at Claudio's monster and slugged him right in the gut.

Claudio: 7700

Wheeler: 8000

Wheeler spoke out again, causing Voltic Kong to rush over and slam Claudio with an electric fist, shocking him.

Claudio: 5900

Wheeler: 8000

The little monkey did some flips for his enjoyment. He pointed at Claudio and then his deck.

"Oh yeah, my deck." Claudio said as he sent the top card of his deck to the graveyard.

"What'd you do that for?" Jaden asked.

"It's Voltic Kong's effect: after it does damage, I have to send a card from my deck to the graveyard for every LIGHT monster he has." The Ra explained.

After playing a facedown card, Wheeler then pointed to Claudio, making a drawing gesture.

"My turn," Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "Good, I play the Spell Instant Fusion! I pay 1000 Life Points to summon a level 5 Fusion Monster!" A red aura surrounded the Ra, translating the payment.

Claudio: 4900

Wheeler: 8000

"And I'll bring out Musician King!" He announced as the spiky blonde musician appeared rocking his red guitar. (5/1750/1500)

"You know, I always wondered why you never had this card played in your original deck." Jaden said. "I mean it totally fits you."

"You may be right, but it doesn't fit the true concept of my Jukebox Heroes," Claudio said as he activated his facedown card. "I use the Trap, Metalmorph and equip it to Musician King!" A metal covering slid over the guitarist. (5/1750-2050/1500-1800) "Now I can sacrifice him to bring out the Heavy Metal King!"

The metal covering solidified, making Musician King more hardcore. He now wore a black leather jacket and pants with two large shoulder spikes on them. (6/2050/1800)

Wheeler gasped and chattered, knowing his monsters were in trouble.

"Now, I'll have him attack Voltic Kong!" Claudio announced. "And his special ability activates, causing him to grow stronger like Metalmorph's effect, so use Heavy Metal Rock!"

Amplifying his guitar, Heavy Metal King strummed wildly on it sending sound waves across the field. (6/2050-2950/1800) Voltic Kong screeched as it covered its ears before shattering into pixels.

Claudio: 4900

Wheeler: 6850

"And after another facedown card, I'll turn it over to you!" He concluded.

"Nice one!" Jaden cheered. "And thanks to Berserk Gorilla's effect, he'll have to attack you! Meaning he'll have nothing left to fight you with."

Wheeler drew his next card and played it immediately. He played a Continuous Spell card showing a weird and mystical forest.

"Darn it, Spiritual Forest!" Claudio said.

"What does that do?" Jaden asked.

"Wheeler can now save his Beast-Type monsters from being destroyed in battle by one attack."

The monkey played a facedown monster and had Berserk Gorilla attack the Heavy Metal King. The rocker retaliated by slamming the beast with the neck of his guitar sending it back to its side.

Claudio: 4900

Wheeler: 6800

Wheeler played another facedown card and ended his turn.

"Not much of choice, but to take the heat!" Claudio stated, drawing his next card. "Heavy Metal King, attack!"

The metal king sent another giant sound wave against the Gorilla, which only served to make it angrier. (6/2050-2950/1800)

Claudio: 4900

Wheeler: 5900

"Your turn." Claudio concluded. "As long as I got a monster that's always powerful than yours, you're not long for this duel."

Wheeler drew his next card and played Pot of Greed quickly, drawing two more cards. It gave a grin as it switched Berserk Gorilla into defense mode, making both boys look at the monkey like he was crazy.

"If he does that, Berserk Gorilla's..."

The gorilla held its head in agony before shattering, finishing Jaden's sentence. However, the stranger thing was that Wheeler had a red aura surrounding him.

Claudio: 4900

Wheeler: 4900

"He lost Life Points?" Claudio asked. "What's going on?"

He got his answer when a gigantic baboon jumped out of the forest wearing a leather jerkin, carrying a massive wooden club. (7/2600/1800)

"Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest... That's not good..." Jaden muttered.

Wheeler then sacrificed his facedown card for a muscular ape in leather pants. (5/1900/1200)

"Fighter's Ape, even worse." Claudio added.

Finally, Wheeler placed a Field Spell inside the side slot and the forest added a new edition of trees with thorny vines wrapped around them.

"Closed Forest!?" Both boys shouted.

They watched as green auras surrounded both beasts when the spirits of Berserk Gorilla and Voltic Kong flew around the forest. (7/2600-2800/1800), (5/1900-2100/1200)

Wheeler then commanded Fighter's Ape to slug Heavy Metal King in the gut, destroying him.

Claudio: 4850

Wheeler: 4900

Fighter's Ape then flexed its muscles and screeched. (5/1900-2300/1200)

"It gets stronger from destroying a monster?" Jaden asked. "Not good!"

Next, Green Baboon made its move and raised its club over its head.

"I activate Draining Shield, negating your attack and gaining life points from your monster's ATK!" Claudio countered as the club smacked against a green shield. And on impact, the shield's energy poured into his duel disk, feeding the life point meter.

Claudio: 7650

Wheeler: 4900

"Alright, a big buffer of Life Points!" Jaden smiled.

"And I need to keep it that way..." Claudio replied.

Wheeler pointed Claudio, signaling the end of his turn.

"What have we got," Claudio said, drawing his next card. "First, I'll use the Graceful Charity Spell card!" He drew three cards: Dancing Elf, Lady of Faith and a new monster _. 'Oh, there are more of those Songstress monsters! And it looks like I got two of the components needed!'_ He thought as he discarded Dancing Elf and Lady of Faith. He then played another Spell depicting a female dancer taking her place at the front of the stage. "I'll now activate the Spell, Step Up! With this card, I can search for any normal monster level 4 or below from my deck and summon it to the field!"

Claudio searched his deck and found what he was looking for. "I summon Muse-A!"

A lady in a white cloak and blue headdress appeared with a large harp. (3/850/900)

"Next, I'll set a facedown monster and activate the Continuous Spell Card, Energizing Shower to end my turn."

After a face down monster, a Spell card appeared showing the Gold Sarcophagus with a happy memory of four friends inside it.

Wheeler drew his next card. He played Supremacy Berry to gain 2000 Life Points.

Claudio: 7650

Wheeler: 6900

Next, he had Fighter's Ape attack Claudio's Muse-A, breaking her harp and shattering her into pixels. (5/2300-2700/1200) Then, Green Baboon struck the facedown monster revealing to be the Drummer Superstar. Wheeler signaled the end of his turn.

"My draw!" Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "Now it's time to reap some benefits, monkey dude!"

Wheeler was wondering what was Claudio's plan.

"Thanks for destroying Muse-A," Claudio continued. "With Dancing Elf and Water Omotics along with her in the graveyard, I can remove all three of them from play to summon the Songstress of Dance!"

Appearing out of pillar of light, came a woman with short brown hair with a single long braid in a pink running down her back. She was clad in a blue halter top, ribbons around her wrists, black skirt with an ankle length half-dress like sash resting on her left hip and brown boots. She took a microphone with a short blue stand and struck a pose. (7/2600/1800)

"Nice, but you need more ATK to match those baboons." Jaden warned.

"Which is why my Energizing Shower's on the field," The Ra stated. "While it's on the field, my monsters gain 100 ATK for every Normal Monster that has been Banished. And I just did that three of them to bring my Songstress out!"

The Songstress smiled as a rain of sparkles showered over her. (7/2600-2900/1800)

"Next, I'll summon Guitarist Superstar in attack mode!" He continued as he electric guitar playing superstar appeared as the rain of sparkles showered over him. (4/1800-2100/1000) "Finally, I'll activate Songstress of Dance's special ability, giving my Guitarist Superstar an extra 700 ATK!"

The Songstress started dancing, which the Guitarist approved of. (4/2100-2800/1000)

"Now, let's get rid of the big ape first! Guitarist Superstar, take it away!" Claudio shouted.

The guitarist played the guitar making it sound like a cry as it slammed into Fighter's Ape, shattering him upon impact.

Claudio: 7650

Wheeler: 6800

"Now Songstress, attack!" He continued as Songstress of Dance did a cartwheel before doing a roundhouse kick, shattering the Fighter.

Claudio: 7650

Wheeler: 6600

But the sending the ape away, causing the Green Baboon to gain more power. (7/2800-2900/1800)

Then, two monsters slid out of graveyard, Ape Fighter and Voltic Kong and then another baboon appeared with leather armor around its body and holding a bow and arrow. (7/2600-2700/1800), (7/2900-2700/1800)

"Another Baboon?" Jaden asked.

"Yellow Baboon, Archer of the Forest," Claudio recognized as he put two cards into his disk. "I end my turn with two facedown cards."

Wheeler drew his next card. He played Card of Demise and drew until he had five cards. Next, Wild Nature's Release that made the Green Baboon roar out in power. (7/2700-4500/1800)

"Whoa, 4500 ATK!?" Jaden gasped.

The monkey duelist then commanded the same monster to attack the Songstress.

"Not so fast, I activate Shift to switch the attack target to my Guitarist Superstar!" Claudio said.

The Green Baboon switched its gaze towards the guitar player and slammed him down with the club.

Claudio: 5950

Wheeler: 6800

Claudio then revealed his facedown card, a Trap. "Now, I activate Soul Rope to pay 1000 Life Points to summon out Water Omotics in defense mode!"

Appearing in a kneeling stance was a purple-haired, nude woman holding a gourd in her hands. Her hair was able to cover her intimate parts effectively. (4/1400/1200)

Claudio: 4950

Wheeler: 6800

Wheeler then commanded his Yellow Baboon to fire an arrow straight through the monster, shattering her to pixels.

After facedown card was set, Green Baboon shattered into pixels giving the Yellow Baboon an ounce of power. (7/2700-2800/1800)

"Okay, my move," Claudio drew out his next card. "I summon Dancing Fairy in attack mode!" Three fairies in white dress appeared, flying around the field. (4/1700-2000/1000) "Next, I'll use my Songstress' effect to power them up!" The three fairies flew around the songstress who smiled at them. (4/2000-2700/1000)

"It's still not enough," Jaden mused.

"Then let me see if I can ante up as I use MY Card of Demise!" Claudio drew out his five cards from his disk. He grinned as he inserted another card. "I'll also play the Continuous Spell, Banner of Courage! My monster can gain 200 ATK when they attack!"

A red banner appeared in between Claudio's monsters.

"Now, Dancing Fairy attack first!"

Powered up by the Banner, the Fairies circled around the Baboon and trapped it in a blue ring. (4/2700-2900/1000)

Claudio: 4950

Wheeler: 6700

"Now Songstress of Dance, attack and destroy the Yellow Baboon!"

The dancer delivered another devastating kick to the baboon shattering it. (7/2900-3100/1800)

Claudio: 4950

Wheeler: 6400

"Take that!"

Wheeler smirked as he brought back the Green Baboon for another go, paying his Life Points (7/2600-2800/1800)

Claudio: 4950

Wheeler: 5400

"I forgot he can bring it back from the graveyard," Claudio slapped his forehead as he set a facedown. "But then again, I can take it since he can't defeat my monsters with 2800 ATK."

Wheeler drew out his next card. He smirked as he summoned a short, stocky gorilla in magician's robes appeared, wielding a staff with two curved, horn-like prongs. (3/800-1000/1200)

"What the heck is that?" Jaden asked.

"You got me," Claudio replied. "But from the way it's dressed, I'd say some kind of an ape magician..."

Wheeler gave him a thumbs up.

"That's what it's called?"

The monkey duelist nodded his head. But then he discarded a copy of Voltic Kong, letting the Ape Magician's staff glow that drew in the Songstress of Dance to his side. (7/2900-2600/1900), (7/2800-2900/1800), (3/1000-1100/1200)

"I'm in trouble..." Claudio groaned.

Then Wheeler used the Songstress' effect on Ape Magician. (3/1100-1800/1200)

"Time to brace myself..." He moaned as he blocked with his duel disk.

The Green Baboon leapt over the field and struck down the fairies.

Claudio: 4750

Wheeler: 5400

Next, Songstress of Dance struck Claudio over his head, knocking him down.

Claudio: 2150

Wheeler: 5400

And then with Ape Magician conjured up dark lightning, Claudio activated his Trap Card. It showed an unknown female duelist shedding tears down her cheeks. "Since you called a second direct attack, I can activate Teardrop ending your turn automatically!"

"Whew," Jaden said "Nearly lost us some lunch..."

"I would've had Life Points left even if that last attack hit me." Claudio scoffed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence..."

Wheeler jumped up and down, gathering Claudio's attention.

"Oh right, my turn," Claudio stated as he drew his next card. "Alright, I summon Witch of the Black Forest in defense mode!" The three-eyed witch woman appeared, in a kneeling stance being powered by Energizing Shower. (4/1100-1400/1200) "Next, I use the spell card Share the Pain, causing both of us to sacrifice a monster!"

Witch of the Black Forest vanished.

Wheeler decided to sacrifice Ape Magician, letting the Green Baboon gain more power. (7/2900-3000/1800)

"And with Witch of the Black Forest effect, I can get a monster with up to 1500 DEF!" Claudio explained, getting a card out of his disk. "And I'll even play it by removing Water Omotics, Dancing Fairy and Witch of the Black Forest to Special Summon the Songstress of Pop!"

The next Songstress that appeared was a blonde woman wearing red elbow length gloves, an orange coat showing off her midriff and short blue skirt with orange-red boots. She grabbed her microphone and struck her pose. (7/2400-2800/1500) "And when she's summoned, I can destroy one of your monsters like that Baboon!"

The Songstress slammed her microphone into the ground, sending an explosion that engulfed the baboon and destroyed it.

"And next, I'll use Fissure to destroy the Songstress you took from me!" He continued as he activated the Spell, opening a crack in the ground swallowed the captured Songstress into the ground. "Now, here's a direct attack!"

The Pop Songstress was eager to start her attack as she threw her microphone at the monkey, startling him as it passed by and then it came back to the girl like a boomerang, (7/2800-3000/1500)

Claudio: 2100

Wheeler: 2400

"And I'll end my turn with another facedown." Claudio concluded.

Wheeler shook off the shock of the attack and drew his next card. He activated one of his facedown cards since round 1, a Jar of Greed, letting him draw once. Then, he used facedown card number two, Burial from a Different Dimension to put Ape Fighter and Voltic Kong right back into his graveyard. Finally, facedown number three, it was a spell card showing a white furred monkey with an evil look on his face and wearing a helmet with a red light on it.

"Is that a Ritual Spell?" Jaden asked. "Monkey Uprising?"

"Oh man, the little monkey's been holding out on us!" Claudio cringed. "I thought it was strange he never used his facedown cards!"

Wheeler turned over two monsters, Ancient Crimson Ape and another Berserk Gorilla as he deposited them into the graveyard. Finally, appearing in a flying high-tech chair was an albino monkey wearing a helmet and a black suit. (8/3000-3700/3000)

"Okay... he summoned the Monkey Lord Specter..." Claudio muttered.

"I take it that's a bad thing..." Jaden said.

"With his points alone he's a threat..."

Wheeler discarded his last card and then all of a sudden he pulled out four cards from his deck and then, Monkey Lord Specter was surrounded by two Ape Magicians, Berserk Gorilla, and another Voltic Kong! (3/800-1500/1000) x2, (4/2000-2700/1000), (4/1800-2500/1000)

"Aw man, with a special ability like that Wheeler can win the duel!" Jaden said.

Specter then created a blue electric orb and then threw it at the Songstress, shattering her in electrified pixels.

Claudio: 1200

Wheeler: 2400

The monkey duelist then pointed at Claudio, signaling the end of his turn.

"He could've won the duel, just now." Claudio wondered.

"I think it's because it was summoned by Specter's effect," Jaden figured. "It must mean that they can't attack."

"Then he's got one heck of a shield," the Ra stated. "Even if I can pick them off, it'll just make the guy stronger since Closed Forest is still on the field."

"Better hope for a miracle..."

"Wish me luck..." Claudio drew his next card. He then nodded as he played it. "I'll use the Quick-Play Spell Rising Weather Hallelujah!" The spell appeared showing a duelist rejoicing over a wave of water on a sunny day. "I pick up five cards from my deck and show them, any monsters from it, go to the graveyard and I keep any spells or traps."

Claudio picked up Sonic Maid, Hibikime, Spirit of the Harp, Chorus of Sanctuary and Pot of Greed. He discarded the monsters. And then continued on...

"Next, Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards as the grinning pot appeared. "Yes! I remove Sonic Maid, Hibikime and Spirit of the Harp to Special Summon the Songstress of Rock!"

The rocker Songstress from Claudio's first duel with Masaki appeared, and took in the sparkling rain of Energizing Shower. (7/2450-3150/1900)

"And, don't worry Wheeler, I'm not fighting Specter," Claudio smirked. "But those Ape Magician's are in trouble since my Songstress can attack all of your monsters and with both of those in attack mode, this duel is done!"

Taking her cue, the Songstress of Rock pulled out her white guitar from thin air and strummed it wildly, making the apes and monkeys screech and cover their ears as the magicians both shattered into pixels.

Claudio: 1200, Winner

Wheeler: 0

"These cards rock," Claudio grinned as his victory while the holograms disappeared.

"And Wheeler's did too!" Jaden added. "I never thought he had those kinds of monster in his deck. Now I'm jealous that I couldn't duel him."

Wheeler shrugged and handed Jaden the bananas.

"Thanks!" He said. "Now all we need is the way to get out of here."

"And with no signs around here, it'll be hard to." Claudio added.

"At least we got food!" Jaden replied taking a bite out of another banana.

"And I'll take those!" The Ra said, taking the batch of bananas. "You really need to learn to ration your food after the way you went down on that fish. Plus, I need some."

Jaden sighed. "Alright, but let's get back now. I'm really full of energy now!" He started to run off in a random direction. "Thanks Wheeler!"

Wheeler waved at the retreating Slifer.

"Better go after him," Claudio sighed. "Thanks for the food and the duel, Wheeler. If they let monkeys into the Academy, you'd be a definite high-ranked duelist." He then ran off after the Slifer.

Wheeler nodded and went back to his cart. Along the way, he saw a sign that pointed out the direction of Duel Academy. One look at the sign, made him groan and sweat drop.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Slifer Dorm, Spencer set up another practice duel between Allyson and Jachin, who were shuffling each other decks before the match up.

"This is a first," Allyson noted.

"How?" Jachin asked.

"Out of everybody here, I have never seen you duel publicly." She replied. "Any reason?"

"Guess I've been caught up in trying to find Jason," He replied. "I haven't seen him since we were looking for Jaden and Claudio in the woods." He then thought, _'Especially with what he pulled the last time we duel... His power was on par with what I've got..._ '

"Maybe after this duel we could help." The Spirit Duelist mused.

"Sounds good to me..."

Both of them returned each other's decks and walked back over to their sides.

"Both of you ready?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah," They said.

"Then duel..."

"Attention residents of the Slifer Dorm!"

Everyone was interrupted by Bonaparte walking up to the dorm with the Disciplinary Action Squad.

"What do you want, Bonaparte?" The Slifer Headmaster asked. "We're trying to get in a practice duel here."

"Well, I've come to tell you that your practice duel as now become a real one." Bonaparte grinned. "And with some very high stakes..."

"Oh no..." Syrus muttered.

"What's he planning?" Alexis wondered.

"If the Slifer wins, every Obelisk has to leave the dorm!" The Vice-Chancellor stated, leaving everyone gasping. "And if the Obelisk wins, the Slifers shall leave the dorm."

"What!?" Jachin shouted. "If that happens..."

"Without any Slifers in the Slifer Dorm, we have no choice but to shut it down!" Boneparte grinned. "After all, with only Ras and Obelisk, we'll have the perfect status quo!"

"Then we won't duel," Allyson shouted.

"You don't have a choice, mademoiselle," Bonaparte said. "This is now a mandatory official match at the Academy and failure to duel will result in a failing grade for the rest of year. And that goes for the same if you don't duel with everything you have!"

"There's no rule involving that!" Bastion yelled.

"I can't believe how far he is to just shutting down one dorm!" Lily exclaimed.

"Fine, let's do it."

Everyone looked to Jachin and Allyson who turned on their duel disks.

"But this is crazy!" Jeremy said.

"Like he said, we don't have a choice." Allyson said drawing her opening hand.

"Besides, I'll make sure none of us have to leave." Jachin added drawing his opening hand.

"How are you going to do that?" Melody asked.

"Just watch the duel..."

Allyson: 8000

Jachin: 8000

"I'll start," Allyson drew her sixth card. "First, I'll set a monster facedown and then a facedown card and end my turn." Two Set cards appeared perpendicular to each other on her field.

"My draw," Jachin drew his sixth card. "I activate the Continuous Spell card: The Velvet Room." A spell card showed a light blue door that was slightly opened. "With this card, I can Special Summon a Persona monster since you have a monster, while I don't. So I'll special summon Persona – Tomoe Gozen!"

The lady samurai Persona appeared, slashing the air with her blade. (4/1900/100)

 _"My chance to deal first blood!" She stated._

"And for my Normal Summon, I'll bring out Persona – Kintoki Douji!"

The young kid Persona appeared holding his missile. (4/1000/1000)

 _"Alright!" He cheered._

"Now that we have the monsters," Jachin said. "Let's move on to the attack, go Tomoe! Attack with Blade of Soul!"

The samurai Persona spun her blade around, before connecting it towards Allyson's hidden monster. It revealed a red-haired woman in a purple top and skirt, who smiled.

"That was Otohime!" The Spirit duelist stated. "And when she's revealed I can change the battle position of one of your monsters. And since Kintoki hasn't attacked, I'll pick him."

The spirit shined a white aura at the kid Persona who was forced to get on the ground in defense mode. Otohime vanished afterwards.

"All right, one card facedown and that's my turn," Jachin concluded.

"Here's my turn again," Allyson announced, drawing her next card. "I begin with Star Blast, letting me show off a monster and then pay multiples of 500 life points to reduce the level by 1 each." She revealed a level 6 monster, Dark Dust Spirit. Most of the spectators gasped as they knew what was coming. "I play 1000 life points to reduce its level by 2!"

Allyson: 7000

Jachin: 8000

"Now I summon the Dark Dust Spirit!" She declared as a dust tornado kicked up, making everyone on Jachin's side cover up their faces. Emerging from the tornado was a red skinned zombie with long white hair and black spikes on its shoulders and arms. Its yellow eyes shined brightly on its foes. (6-4/2200/1800) "And as everybody knows, once it's summoned to the field or flipped face up it destroys all other face up monsters on the field!"

The spirit blew up another dust storm, blowing over both Persona monsters and leaving nothing on Jachin's field.

"Now Spirit, attack directly!"

Dark Dust Spirit now jumped towards the Slifer and slashed down on his body, making him flinch.

Allyson: 7000

Jachin: 6800

 _'I really hate this,'_ Allyson thought. _'Either the Obelisks leave the dorm or the Slifer Dorm getting torn down... Bonaparte's not being fair with this...'_

"I activate my trap card!"

She was brought out of her thoughts when Jachin activated his facedown card.

"After a direct attack, Reach Out to the Truth lets me summon a Persona monster from my deck for every 1000 points of damage I took." The Slifer said as two cards slipped out of his deck. "I bring out Personas – Take-Mikazuchi and Phaeton the Falling Star!"

 _"Ready to battle, my Lord!"_ Take stood at attention as he took out his thunderbolt sword. (4/1000/1000)

" _So am I, get ready!"_ Phaeton grinned as he carried his reigns. (4/1000/1000)

"And with Take-Mikazuchi out, all of my Persona monsters gain 1000 ATK and DEF!"

The demon was surrounded by electricity and Phaeton was surrounded by flames as their powers heightened. (4/1000-2000/1000-2000) x2

"And when you declare the end of your turn, I'll be able to deal 4000 points of damage!" The Persona duelist smirked.

"Put those dreams on hold," Allyson said as she pulled out another card. "I activate the Book of Moon, which has the ability to switch a monster to facedown Defense Position! Guess who I pick..." Her Spirit monster was replaced by a facedown monster card.

"If Jachin attacks, his monsters will be done for," Bastion stated. "Spirit Monsters are able to activate their effects the moment they are summoned or flipped face-up."

"But he can't leave it alone otherwise he'll be attacked again." Alex added.

"Any which way, we'll lose either a big part of the resistance or the Red Dorm altogether." Alexis said.

Bonaparte was grinning. _'The quicker this duel is done, the quicker the Red Dorm will be gone!'_ He thought.

"I end my turn!" The Obelisk declared.

"My draw," Jachin drew. _'There's no other choice...'_

 _"Do what you have to do," Phaeton said as he looked back to his friend. "I just hope I come back..."_

 _"We trust you to make the right decision," Take added._

Jachin nodded then looked up to Allyson. "Attack her facedown Spirit!"

 _"I got him!"_ Phaeton used his flaming reigns and struck the facedown card, revealing Dark Dust Spirit. (6/2200/1800)

"Spirit, take them with you!" The spirit duelist commanded.

The zombie spirit roared as it grabbed both Personas and they all disappeared into a dust explosion.

"Now, I activate the trap Phoenix Revival!" Jachin countered, revealing a Trap depicting a phoenix rising from its ashes. "Since I lost Phaeton, a FIRE attribute monster, I can summon another one from my deck," A card slipped out from his deck. "Persona-Konohana Sakuya, come forth!"

The fire priestess shot out of the trap card and landed gracefully on her feet. (4/1000/1000)

"Nice entrance," Jachin smiled.

 _"Thanks,"_ Konohana winked at him.

"How about you show off that grace for a direct attack?"

 _"Done,"_ She replied, taking out her red fans that burned with flames. She began to encircle the fire around her, enhancing her beauty before she launched at Allyson who blocked it with her duel disk.

Allyson: 6000

Jachin: 6800

"Next, I place this facedown and end my turn." He concluded.

Allyson drew her next card and smiled. "First, I'll summon a little birdie called Yata-Garasu!" A small purple raven appeared. (2/200/100) "Next, I'll use the Spell Card Mystic Box! I can destroy your monster and give to you my Spirit monster!"

Two black boxes materialized around Phaeton and Yata-Garasu. Swords pierced through the one the raven was in... but when it opened, the card image of Konohana was skewered! And from the other, the spirit monster flew out! The Persona duelist was not pleased

"Jachin's getting his monsters thrashed more than he can set up a strategy!" Syrus said.

"Then, I activate my Trap! The Legacy of Yata-Garasu!" Allyson's Trap showed Yata-Garasu, pecking at an orb. "With this trap, since you have a Spirit monster on your field, I can draw two cards!" Allyson drew twice. "Finally, I end with Spring of Rebirth, and that's Yata-Garasu's cue to come on back!"

The raven turned to blue energy as it flew back to Allyson's hand and giving her life points.

Allyson: 6500

Jachin: 6800

"My turn..." Jachin sighed as he drew. "I summon Sangan!" The furry three-eyed fiend appeared. (3/1000/600) "Attack directly!"

The fiend did a rolling tackle against the Spirit user.

Allyson: 5500

Jachin: 6800

"And I end my turn."

"Not much has gone on since both of them can't keep on monster on the field," Erika said.

"Yeah, Jachin's monsters are initially weak and Allyson's monsters can't stay on the field unless she has her loophole cards." Alister added.

"It's not easy for them..." Spencer said. "All they are doing is attacking each other."

"Sounds like they want it to end..." Kenji thought out loud.

"My move..." Allyson said as he drew her next card. "I place two cards facedown..." Two reversed cards appeared. "Then, I play Card of Sanctity to have us draw until we have six cards!"

Both players drew 'til they held six cards.

"Now, by removing Otohime from my graveyard, I can special summon Yamato-no-Kami!" She announced, retrieving her Spirit Monster. A dark portal opened up and from it came a twisted looking, dark haired spirit. He wore only white pants as his upper body wouldn't allow him to wear a shirt with the six tendrils coming out of his back. (6/2200/1200) "Next, I remove Yata-Garasu in my hand to summon Izanagi!"

The calm, white-haired spirit monster appeared. (6/2200/1000)

"With him in play, I can keep all Spirit Monsters on the field." She stated as she summoned another card. "And finally, I can summon the Fushi No Tori in attack mode!" Erupting into flames came a flaming phoenix, letting out a mighty call. (4/1200/0)

"Three Monsters!?" the spectators exclaimed.

"Now I'll have Fushi No tori attack Sangan!" Allyson announced as the phoenix spirit fired flames at the fiend who cringed in fear.

"Go Sliver Dollar!" Jachin countered, revealing his facedown card. A barrier blocked the bolt, leaving Sangan unharmed. "Since a monster with 1000 ATK was struck, I can negate your attack!"

"But Yamato will finish what he started!" the Obelisk girl countered as the dark spirit laughed as he grabbed the fiend and crushed it with his bare hands.

Allyson: 5500

Jachin: 5600

"With Sangan's effect, I can move a monster with up to 1500 ATK from my deck to my hand!" Jachin announced as he collected his card.

"But with Yamato's effect, I get to destroy a Spell or Trap card, like the Velvet Room!" The Continuous Spell Card shattered. "Now Izanagi can add on some direct damage!"

The spirit fired a white bolt at Jachin, electrifying the Slifer.

Allyson: 5500

Jachin: 3400

"And with another facedown card that's that..." Allyson concluded.

"Jachin's far behind now," Jethro noted.

"But with him about to have 8 cards in his hand, he should have some great moves coming up." Lily added.

"My draw!" Jachin announced, drawing his next card. "I have what I need now, but first I'll set three cards facedown." Three reversed cards appeared at his feet. "Next, I'll set one monster in defense mode." A reversed monster appeared. "I'll then use the Spell Card Never More and combine it with the Quick-Play Spell called Serial Spell!"

The first Spell card showed Take with a shadow of his Immortal behind him. Next to it was another Spell with a picture of a Spellcaster unleashing multiple spells.

"By removing any of my Persona monster from the game, I can special summon their Immortal form from the deck." He stated as two of his cards removed themselves from his graveyard. "And with Serial Spell, by discarding my hand I can use two for the price of one!"

He discarded his hand.

"I remove Phaeton and Konohana to special summon Personal Immortals Sol and Amateratsu!"

First, Pheaton shot of the graveyard and flew towards the sky in bright flames. From it came a golden chariot being pulled by flaming horses and the driver was Phaeton, but he was a lot older with impressive muscles flexed out of his longer toga. Finally, as no one thought possible, a large burning orb was behind him... the Sun! (8/2400/2000)

"Is that my imagination, or did his Persona Monster grow up?" Hassleberry asked.

"Forget that!" Vincent interrupted. "How did he get the Sun down here?"

"Sounds like you caused quite a stir, my friend." Jachin said to his evolved friend.

 _"Hey, people do expect the Sun in space rather than in front of them," Sol replied in a mature man's voice. "I just control the brightness of it at this rate."_

Afterwards, Konahana flew out of the graveyard next and became surrounded in flames as well. And from it, the priestess grew into a lovely young woman especially with her form being illuminated and her red eyes glowing. In her hands, she carried a hand mirror (8/2000/2400)

"I swear you get more and more beautiful," The Persona duelist smiled.

Amateratsu giggled and replied in a rich, soft voice. _"You always say that."_

"Only because it's true." Jachin replied. "Now, can you be a dear and attack Fushi No Tori?"

 _"Gladly!"_

Amaterasu held her mirror up high and shot a red hot laser at the spirit.

"Before he goes, I activate the trap card Ceasefire," Allyson quickly activated her Trap Card. "It reveals your facedown monster and dealing 500 points of damage for every effect monster on the field!" The facedown Monster card revealed to be Witch of the Black Forest. (4/1100/1200)

"That's 6 monsters," Melody gasped. "Meaning he loses 3000 points!"

Red auras surrounded the monsters and then their combined energies zapped Jachin down.

Allyson: 5500

Jachin: 400

Amateratsu gasped at seeing her master's pain. When Jachin looked up to see her worried eyes, he gave her assuring look.

"Keep going," He told her. She nodded as she finished chanting letting a red hot laser to blast the phoenix.

Allyson: 4300

Jachin: 400

"Next, I'll destroy Izanagi with Sol, attack!" He continued.

 _"Let's go!"_ Sol cracked the reigns, allowing the horses to pull him towards the opposing side.

"I activate another card, Interdimensional Matter Transporter to send Izanagi away until the end of the turn!" Allyson countered as Izanagi vanished into glowing pixels.

"Switch to Yamato-no-Kami!" Jachin quickly commanded.

The Immortal turned his chariot around so he rode out in front of the Spirit. Once he was face to face with Yamato, Sol used the sun's power and burned the spirit to nothing.

Allyson: 4100

Jachin: 400

"Now, I activate Groundbreaking!" Allyson announced as her Trap Card showed a table with mystical items on it. "With this trap, I can bring back any Spirit monster from the graveyard to my hand, so Yamato-no-Kami returns!" The spirit monster slid out of the discard slot, letting Allyson collect it.

"I end my turn here." Jachin announced.

"Which means, Izanagi returns to the field!" She replied as the calm spirit returned. (6/2200/1000)

"And it also means, the effects of Sol and Amateratsu activate!" Jachin concluded. "On the End Phase, I can deal 1200 points of damage with Sol while restoring 1200 of mine with Amateratsu!"

Using the power of the Sun, Sol sent a blast of flames towards Allyson making her scream. All the while, Amateratsu placed her right palm on Jachin's heart, sending soothing energy inside.

Allyson: 2900

Jachin: 1600

"Jachin just made a comeback," Alex said.

"And just in time, too." Bastion added. "It was almost looking bleak for him."

"But the fact remains is that we're gonna lose much of our force, no matter who's the victor," Lyra stated.

"Thanks for cheering us up, Lyra" Kenji said sarcastically.

"Okay, my draw!" Allyson announced, drawing her next card. "I'll use the Spell Card, Next World!" The Spell card revealed an angel showing the way into a new world. "This allows me to Special Summon a Spirit Monster just as long as it has the same level as one of your monsters." She explained. "And since both of your monsters are level 8, I can Special Summon the big one, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi!"

In a blaze of flames, a tan and muscular spirit appeared. He had red tattoos on his arms, wore a white toga and had his hair on fire. (8/2800/2900)

"The strongest Spirit Monster." Spencer noted.

"Next, I use the Equip Spell called, the Sword of Kusanagi letting me pierce through your defenses!" Allyson continued, inserting her card. The Fire Spirit grabbed the red lightning sword and grinned as he combined it with his fire. "Now, attack Witch of the Black Forest!"

Everyone gasped.

"If it connects, the Slifer Dorm is gone!" Lily shouted.

Bonaparte chuckled.

"Not quite!" Jachin countered, revealing his facedown card, a Quick-Play Spell. "I activate Shrink to take half of your monster's ATK away!"

Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi shrunk to half his size. (8/2800-1400/2900) Still, he was able to strike the witch in half and shattered her into pixels.

Allyson: 2200

Jachin: 1200

"With Witch of the Black Forest in destroyed, I can bring Jiraya to my hand!" The Persona Duelist said, collecting his Monster card.

"But since my Spirit damaged you, you're going to have to discard it before you draw for your turn." Allyson stated. "In which case, I end my turn now!"

As Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi's attack points returned to 2800, Jachin discarded his monster.

"It's just fine since when Jiraya's discarded, I can Special summon him to the field!" He announced.

In a gust of wind, Jiraya stepped out to the field. (4/1000/1000)

 _"Finally, it took a while for me to get out!" He said. But when he saw Sol and Amateratsu... "Hey, you couldn't wait for me to evolve!"_

 _"You weren't here at the time..." Amateratsu replied._

"Guys, cool it," Jachin said as he drew his card. He smirked, "Here you go, Jiraya! I activate my facedown card, Persona Evolution, to bring out Persona Immortal Susanoo!"

Jiraya glowed brightly as his form changed. Once finished, a man with short black hair and in a male kimono appeared. He then conjured up a wind storm around him. (8/2400/2000)

 _"Now this is me!"_ Susanoo grinned.

"Who else would you be?" Jachin chuckled.

"He's sure having fun, despite what the stakes are." Alexis said.

"Maybe he knows something we don't," Kenji shrugged.

"Wouldn't be surprised," Masaki added.

"And now I activate my final facedown card," The Persona Duelist exclaimed as his facedown card revealed itself. "Heartfelt Cry!" The Spell showed four Persona Immortals fighting against each other while another watched in agony. "Since I have at least two Persona Immortals on the field, I get to remove two of your monsters off the field!"

Allyson gasped as Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi vanished leaving behind the sword and Izanami vanished as well.

"Now normally they wouldn't stay gone, unless you lost at least 1000 life points in a single attack or effect, but it's not going to be an issue." Jachin explained. "So, Susanno attack directly with Sacred Storm!"

 _"Coming right up!"_

The Immortal conjured up a tornado and launched it at Allyson who did her best to keep from being blown off the platform.

Allyson: 0

Jachin: 1200, Winner

"Alright!" Everyone turned to Bonaparte who was addressing the DAS. "Start getting the Obelisk back to their proper dorms!"

The Obelisks stepped back towards the advancing security force until...

"That's far enough!" Jachin yelled.

"And what are you going to do kid?" The Vice-Chancellor asked.

"Not me... them..."

The Slifer pointed to Sol, Amateratsu and Susanooo who were standing between the Slifer Dorm residents and Bonaparte's security. Everyone then noticed that the Persona duelist didn't turn off his duel disk, and left that to their explanation of why Jachin's Persona Immortals were still out.

But still the Vice-Chancellor laughed. "What're a bunch of holograms going to do to stop me?"

"Get over here and find out." The Persona duelist challenged. "You really want everyone to leave just for your selfish purposes, let's see how far you'll go."

"Uh, Jachin, what's going on?" Syrus asked.

"You are going to tell us right?" Kenji added.

"You'll have your answer if Bonaparte wants to follow through with his threat," Jachin said.

"You want to see how serious I am, fine!" Bonaparte yelled. "Go through those holograms and get those kids away from that dorm."

The security force charged on planning to march through the holograms, but...

*WHAM!*

All of them were pushed back by the monsters in question!

"What!?" Bonaparte shouted. "What are you doing; they're just holograms!"

"But sir, they felt real!" One of the security guards said.

"Impossible!"

"No way..." Alex muttered.

"Yes way," Melody replied. "Jachin can make his monsters or anybody else's monsters become real."

"He can!?" The rest of the people asked.

"If you still want to try me," Jachin said to Bonaparte, "Sol, Amateratsu, chase them down!"

Both Immortals gathered flames in the palms of their hands and grew it to immense heights, scaring the Security.

"I'm outta here!" One of them said as they ran off leaving Bonaparte by his lonesome.

"Get back here, it's just holograms!" He shouted to the retreating men.

It was then Susanoo picked up the short man by the collar of his coat.

 _"I feel pretty real to me,"_ He smirked.

"AAAHH!"

Bonaparte took off at incredible speed, screaming his head off.

"Thanks guys." Jachin said to his monsters as they faded away. But as he turned around, all the people excluding Melody gave him questioning looks. "Guess I have some explaining to do."

"Pretty much," Lily said.

"It would be a start." Jeremy noted.

"Don't take it the wrong way; we are grateful for the save." Allyson smiled.

"Just tell us so we're not left out of the loop," Spencer added with a smile of his own.

"Okay, but first if you're mad at Melody, don't be," the Persona duelist stated. "I told her and Claudio not to tell anybody until I decide to come out in public."

"And this would qualify," Lyra said.

"Be in for a long explanation guys..." Jachin sighed.

* * *

A big change to the recap episode that this was normally supposed to be. Thanks to the episode of Devack in the 5D's series I got to upgrade Wheeler's deck, hope you liked it! Also, Jachin came out with his secret, which I'll give the full details next chapter since it'll be more collective than just with Claudio and Melody. Anyway onto the cards stats!

Songstress of Dance (Yuna in FFX-2 in her Songstress Dressphere)

Level 7

LIGHT

2600/1800

Spellcaster/Effect

This monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 of each of these monsters: "Dancing Elf, Lady of Faith, and Muse-A" from your hand to the graveyard. Once per turn, you can select 1 other face-up monster you control. It gains 700 ATK while you control this face-up card. (A monster cannot gain more than 700 ATK from this card's effect.)

Songstress of Pop (Rikku from FFX-2 in her Songstress Dressphere)

Level 7

WIND

2400/1500

This monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 of each of these monsters: "Water Omotics, Dancing Fairy, and Witch of the Black Forest" from your side of the field to the graveyard. When this card is special summoned, destroy one monster your opponent controls.

(The top two cards were created by me. Card idea rights go to me but the characters inspired go to Square-Enix.)

Step Up

Normal Spell

Image: A female dancer taking her place up on a stage.

Special summon 1 Level 4 or below Normal Monster from your deck in defense mode.

Energizing Shower

Continuous Spell

Image: Gold Sarcophagus with an image of a happy memory of four friends inside.

Your monsters gain 100 ATK for each normal monster removed from the game.

Teardrop

Normal Trap

Image: An unknown female duelist shedding tears.

Activate when your opponent makes a second direct attack. It is now the End Phase your opponent's turn.

(The top three cards were created by me. Card idea rights go to me, but the songs inspired go to their respective singers and bands.)

Monkey Lord Specter

DARK

Beast/Effect

Level 8

3000/3000

This monster can only be Ritual Summoned by the effects of "Monkey Uprising" Ritual Spell Card. Once per turn, you can discard 1 card to Special Summon as many Level 4 or lower monsters with "Gorilla, Ape or Monkey" in there names as possible from your Deck. A monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot declare an attack and its effect(s) are negated while on the field. If this card is targeted by a Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster's effect, you can Tribute 1 other Beast-Type monster to negate the effect and destroy that card.

Monkey Uprising

Ritual Spell

This card is used to Ritual Summon "Monkey Lord Specter". You must also Tribute monsters whose total Levels equal 8 or more from the field or your hand.

(The top two cards were created by me. Card idea rights go to me, but the character inspired goes to Sony Computer Entertainment.)

Heartfelt cry

Continuous Spell Card

Image: Four Personal Immortals fighting each other while another Persona watches in agony

Activate when there are 2 'Persona' monsters on the field. Remove from play 2 of your opponent monsters that will only return when either player lose 1000 life points.

Velvet Room

Continuous Spell Card

Image: A light blue door that is a bit opened

When you have no monsters on the field: You can Special Summon 1 Persona monster on the field.

Never More

Normal Spell

Image: Take with a shadow of his Persona Immortal behind him, conjuring lightning.

Effect: Remove 1 Persona monster from your graveyard; Special Summon the respective Personal Immortal from your hand or deck.

(The top three cards were created by Trickymander. All rights go to him.)

Next World

Normal Spell

Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Special Summon 1 Spirit monster from your hand with a Level equal to the selected monster's, ignoring the Summoning conditions.

(This card was first used by Noah in the second series episode "Noah's Final Threat." All rights to the creators.)

* * *

Next time: Bonaparte's done playing Mr. Nice Guy. He enlists Aster to come back to Duel Academy to take out the Slifer Dorm. After his deck defeated Jaden, is anybody strong enough to defeat a pro?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	21. The Power of Neos!

Alrighty, a little note I need to get out. For these two Neo-Spacians debuting, I'm doing a gender change since I felt only five of them were guys and only Glow Moss being a girl was uneven for this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 21: The Power of Neos!

* * *

A shooting star passed through the night sky, catching Jaden and Claudio's attention. But nearly like the last time, it turned out to be a blast of light that hit the far side of the volcano.

"What the heck was that all about?" Jaden asked.

"I don't know, it was pretty strange," Claudio replied.

 _"Jaden, Claudio, we need you!"_

They both gasped as they heard several voices in their heads calling out to them.

"Did you hear something?" Claudio asked.

"Yeah, it came from that light over there." Jaden said as the both of them ran towards the source. "If someone's calling us, we need to find out."

"Something tells me it may not be pretty if we have to go near a volcano." The J-Hero duelist noted with worry.

* * *

Minutes later, the reach where the light hit the volcano. They discovered a hole inside and went in to see inside, only to find themselves in a cave filled with the volcano's magma.

"Man, I baking in here." Claudio said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "What are we looking for anyway?"

 _"The means to restore the balance of the world,"_ Two female voices answered.

Suddenly, the magma rose up to a pillar and unleashed a life-form from it. It was a large scarab with the body covered by black, insectoid armor, with her helmet extending into a long horn and gossamer wings visible under the slightly-open wing cases on its back.

Then next, a gust of wind blew from the top and landed next to the insect. It was another humanoid covered in red feathers, with the head of a hummingbird. From the voices, they had to be female, especially the hummingbird's curvy figure.

"Okay, this is different." Claudio said.

"We've been waiting for you, Jaden." The scarab spoke.

"Really?" The Slifer asked. "Do I know you guys?"

"We are Neo-Spacians like Aquos," The hummingbird replied.

"I figured all of you were dolphins," Jaden admitted. "Guess I was wrong."

"Jaden, who are these guys?" Claudio asked, feeling left out of the loop.

 _"I am a Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab_." The scarab stated.

 _"And I would be called a Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird."_ The hummingbird added.

"Got it," Jaden said. "So you two came here in that light?"

They both nodded.

 _"The time has come to face the enemy!"_ They both declared as they vanished into red and green lights and zoomed inside Jaden's deck.

"So you got two more to the deck, huh?" Claudio asked.

"Looks like it," Jaden smiled. "I guess we need to get more of your Ironheade cards, huh?"

"Yeah, but how?"

On cue, a red orb appeared in front of them and zoomed out of the volcano.

"Guess that's my sign." Claudio shrugged as he ran after it.

"Wait up!" Jaden said as he ran after him.

* * *

The orb zoomed through woods and finally stopped at certain point. When Claudio and Jaden reached their destination, the light expanded and went into two forms. One was a tall, blonde man wearing a brown vest with nothing underneath to conceal his tattoo covered arms and torso. He also wore dark blue jeans, black boots and carried a large broadsword and scabbard. The other however was one, Claudio knew well.

"Lita?"

 _"Nice to see you, kid."_ The woman replied. _"Glad to see you're back safely."_

"Even after you knocked me out?" Claudio asked slyly.

 _"Don't push it..."_ She growled.

"I was just kidding." The J-Hero duelist said, raising his hands in defense.

"Okay, it's time you introduce me to your new friends." Jaden said, patting the Ra on the shoulder.

"Well, I only know Lita," Claudio pointed to the blonde woman and then looked to the blonde man. "But I haven't met you, yet."

 _"My name is Lars Halford,"_ The man spoke with a noble voice, also bowing _. "I must thank you for helping Ophelia and my sister for defeating Lionwhyte once and for all."_

"No problem," The Ra smiled. "So I guess you're from Bladehenge as well?"

 _"That is correct,"_ Lars replied _. "Lita and I also came here to help you defeat your enemy that also uses the sinister light. It is the least we can do after the liberation from Lionwhyte."_

 _"So don't screw up this time around,"_ Lita added as she and Lars vanished into brown and blue lights before they dove into Claudio's deck.

"Now we got six monsters between the two of us, ready to kick butt!" Jaden cheered.

"Yeah, but..." Claudio sighed.

"What's up?"

Claudio picked up the only blank card in his deck. "I can see all of my cards except one, and that's Coheed Cambria."

Jaden sighed as he picked up a blank card as well. "Yeah, I can't see Winged Kuriboh either."

 _"Kuri..."_

 _"I hope you're not giving up on us..."_

Both boys gasped.

"Did you?" Jaden said.

"I did. Come on." Claudio replied.

* * *

Both of them ran further into the woods until they came across an exit among it. They saw a rainbow – colored light rising up to the sky and from it came two familiar figures. One was a small, furred brown monster with black pupils, four green limbs and two small white wings. The other was a man with brown hair reaching down to his shoulders appeared holding a red double-neck guitar. He wore black shirt with a symbol of blue triangle with three big circles and four smaller circles in a formation, along with black jeans and shoes.

"Winged Kuriboh!"

"Coheed Cambria!"

Both spirits floated down to their respective duelists.

" _Miss us?"_ Coheed asked with a smiled.

"You have no idea." Claudio replied. "Lost a best friend during that long period."

"Yeah, it's good have you back, too Kuriboh!" Jaden added.

The small spirit smiled as he and Coheed Cambria vanished into the blank cards, showing off their artwork and stats.

Claudio looked up from his card and grinned. "And that's not all we got back! Look there!"

Jaden looked up where his friend was pointing at and saw another incredible sight.

Duel Academy!

"We made it!" They shouted as they gave each other high-fives and ran towards the building.

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, everyone was in the common room, ready for Jachin to tell his story.

"Alright," The Persona duelist said. "You guys ready to hear it."

"All ears," Spencer added.

Jachin took a deep breath as he started.

"It all started 10 years ago..."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _The scene displayed a 7-year old Jachin at a school being picked on by bullies._

 _"I was always the outcast among the kids and for that I was constantly being picked on." Jachin started. "I got subjected to every torment they threw at me, especially in Duel Monsters."_

 _(You're such a loser!)_

 _(No wonder you're always by yourself!)_

 _(No one wants to be your friend!)_

 _"Then one day, some men came by with some duel disks and let us play around with them outside. They were trying to find child prodigy duelists among us." Jachin sighed. "I played against one of the bullies who kept hammering me down with his taunts. That's where it all went down; this deck I had, I couldn't use it properly and nearly got beaten for it. Of course I became the butt of the bully's taunts again."_

 _(Face it, wimp! No matter how much you play, you can't win because you're a freak!)_

 _"Something set me off then, I started to grow more vindictive and angrier. The next thing I knew, the next proper move I did involved a really dark monster and I could feel it_

 _(Attack and shut him up!)_

 _"I could feel the monster feeding off my anger and it tackled the bully's monster. Then, the worst happened, it kept going and hit the bully head on and sent him flying into the wall, knocking him out! It was no surprise that everyone became afraid of me afterwards, including the teachers."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"What happened to you after that?" Allyson asked.

"A lot of families wanted me out of that school, and I had to be home schooled by my mother." The Persona duelist shrugged. "Also, because of those things, my father left and I pretty much swore off dueling, especially how I was aware of everything that happened and did nothing to stop it."

"That's harsh," Alister said.

"But you duel now," Alex spoke up. "What's up with that?"

"It revolves around the next two people I came across." Jachin replied, "They came by my house and told my mother they could help me control my powers. Since she was so grateful to find people to trust, she naturally accepted and had me go over to their facility to help me out." He then shook his head. "But of course, it was too good to be true since all they did was force me to use my powers on numerous dummy robot duelists and they kept goading me to it. And I was so naïve at the time, I kept listening and obeyed. Pretty soon, I let that destructive part of me took over and destroyed all of their machines to their delight."

"Sounds like hard cases to me," Spencer said. "I mean, why would they have you do such a thing?"

"For a plan of complete world domination," Jachin replied.

The second-year students gasped as they heard that.

"Wait a second," Alexis interrupted. "That's sounds familiar, who were the ones that took you in?"

"Chazz's older brothers, Slade and Jagger Princeton." Jachin answered.

Syrus, Melody, Jethro, Kenji, Alexis and Bastion all gasped.

"We know those jerks!" Melody said.

"Yeah, it was back at the school duel against North Academy." Syrus added.

"After Chazz lost, they basically disowned their brother for it." Alexis said.

"And they even tried to shut down Duel Academy by setting up Chazz in a duel with only weak monsters." Jethro said.

"Luckily, Chazz still won with the Ojama monsters." Kenji concluded. "Surprisingly, all the Monsters he had were 0 ATK cards."

"I know," Jachin replied. "It is how I came to be here."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _After Chazz's lost, they called me into Princeton Corporation's main building and told me about it._

 _"Alright Jachin, listen up!" Slade said. "Apparently, Chazz is a lost cause!"_

 _"So I guess you didn't buy out Duel Academy?" I asked him._

 _"Don't get smart!" Jagger growled. "As of right now, we're pulling all on efforts on you! When the next school year comes around, you're going to Duel Academy!"_

 _"And while you're there, make sure Chazz knows he's on hot water with us." Slade added. "Give him a reason to come crawling back to us for help."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Simple-minded fools," Lyra stated.

"My thoughts exactly," Jachin chuckled at her statement.

"But how did you cope with all that?" Bastion asked. "Surely, Chazz's brothers made you suffer much."

Jachin smiled and pulled out his deck. "That's where these guys came in."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _After a few months of training with them and that deck I received from those people at my old school, I really sunk into anger and depression that time around. I even got sick of seeing and dealing with Duel Monster cards. When I got home, I received a package from an unknown sender and it said:_

 _"This is the key to your balance."_

 _Figuring what the heck, I took the package up to my room and opened to reveal a Duel Monster deck. But it was different from my old deck and it felt more... inviting. When I picked it up, I felt a cold voice from inside me telling me to get rid of the cards._

 _Next thing I know, I'm about to throw those new cards into the ocean of the beach when another, friendlier, voice spoke to me._

 _"Whoa hold on there, pal!"_

 _That's when I met Phaeton for the first time and he stopped me from throwing away the deck._

 _"You shouldn't throw these cards!" He told me._

 _"And why not?" I asked him._

 _"You don't remember that note saying that this deck is the key to your balance?"_

 _He reminded me of the note and quickly snapped me out of following through to what that other voice told me. Ever since then, it's been smooth sailing on my part._

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Of course, Slade and Jagger kept pressuring me to use my other deck because I'm more destructive that way, so I had my Personas to follow through on destroying whatever crap I had to." The Persona duelist continued. "At least, when they had me battle Chazz I had to suppress my powers a bit so I wouldn't disrupt their plan."

"Well, I guess you're not following through with their World Domination plan." Erika noted.

"No way! It's really stupid." The Persona duelist scoffed, "If anything, thanks to the deck I wield now, I don't have to worry about harming innocents anymore."

"I'm happy for you on that," Spencer said with a smile.

Suddenly, a voice message came from his DP and he looked at. The look on his face told the kids he wasn't pleased.

"What's up, Headmaster?" Alister asked.

"Apparently, Jachin's display of real monsters didn't do the trick of stopping Bonaparte's rampage on this dorm and he arranged an all or nothing duel at midnight." Spencer replied. "And he's getting hired help outside."

Erika sighed. "Figures, he'll try to go outside for help after what happened earlier."

"And whoever he's got for his side, I'm guessing I need to choose one of you to face his duelist." Spencer added. "So everybody, grab your decks and duel disks."

"Then that's fine with me," Alexis said with a frown. "I may be an Obelisk, but my heart belongs to the Red dorm."

"That's really touching Private Lexi," Hassleberry said, tears coming to his eyes.

"I know we can beat down whoever Bonaparte throws at us," Kenji agreed.

"Though I am partial as to why, they want a duel at midnight." Bastion wondered.

"Let's find that out now, it's almost time to go." Lily stated.

"Good, I want to see the look on Bonaparte's face when his guy loses it for him!" Jeremy added.

* * *

Later on, everyone grabbed their dueling gear and headed over to the main building and arena.

But as they left, they failed to notice Jason appearing around the Slifer Dorm and turning on his duel disk.

"Time to weed out the weak and keep the strong for my master," He said as he faced the unoccupied dorm with an evil smirk.

* * *

Approaching the docks was a white yacht. And from it came Aster Phoenix!

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Aster walked himself back to Sartorius' white room after being called in._

 _"Thanks for coming on such short notice," The tarot-reading duelist said._

 _"Sure, I'm done with my matches for today," Aster replied. "What's up?"_

 _"I actually booked you a last minute match before you turn in," Sartorius stated. "Your yacht is ready for you to head on to Duel Academy."_

 _"You're making me go back to that place?" The Pro Duelist asked with a frown. "If you need something done there, why not Masaki?"_

 _"He's done his part for now, but it's in your best interest to go. Haven't we've been through this before?" the tarot reader smirked._

 _"But what about my schedule? Aren't I'm booked for the next two years?" Aster protested._

 _Sartorius turned around to face him with a smiled. "Leave that to me."_

 _"But I don't see how this is good for my career? It's a step backwards."_

 _"You got to have more faith in the cards. And you'll receive a call from the faculty explaining why you should go..._

(End Flashback)

* * *

He stepped off his yacht and headed over to the main building. The D-Hero duelist now had a determined look on his face. Along the way, he had received a phone call from Bonaparte explaining why he should participate in his duel. Not only they were offering him and Sartorius payment upfront, but if Aster won, they would talk to certain people that could lead him to his father's murderer. Having the best lead his whole life, he walked towards Duel Academy's main building where he was met with Chazz Princeton leaning on the side of the entrance.

"Hey Aster!" He greeted.

"Uh, hi, do I know you?" Aster asked.

"No, but since we're in the same club as Jason and Masaki, I figured I'd introduce myself." The white coat Slifer replied with a smirk.

"My fan club? Masaki's not even in that close circle." The Pro Duelist scoffed.

"No, I meant the Society of Light!"

"Sorry, doesn't ring a bell." Aster said, confusingly.

Chazz sighed as he walked up to him.

"You're kidding right? I know Sartorius sent you here right? To kick Jaden's butt again?"

"No, I'm here for duel though, just with someone else." Aster replied. "Didn't say who, but Jaden's not even here I last heard."

"Oh I get it." Chazz smiled. "You celebrity types need to keep your secrets. But you can trust me, since I'm one of you! I've seen the Light!"

"Yeah... I have to go now, I can't be late..." Aster said as he made his way inside the building.

"Just go in there and make those slackers see the Light!" Chazz shouted as he left as well.

"I sure get my share of weird fans," Aster thought out loud.

* * *

At the main arena, the Slifer Dorm gang sat down in the stands while Alexis was standing at the duel platform.

On the opposite side were Crowler and Bonaparte.

"Well, well," Bonaparte said. "Looks like the whole gang made it to the soiree."

"Let's just get on with this," Alexis glared. "The Red dorm is not going anywhere!"

The vice-chancellor grinned. "You haven't met your opponent..."

"Hey dudes, long time no duel."

Everyone gasped as they saw Aster Phoenix come out to the arena.

"Aster Phoenix!?" The students said.

"Yeah, expecting someone else?" The Pro Duelist asked.

Even Crowler was surprised and leaned in towards Bonaparte to whisper.

"How did you get him out here? He was booked solid for the next 2 years!"

"Well, since the Slifer Dorm's about to be torn down, I took the liberty of taking the money from its budget to pay off Sartorius." The Vice-Chancellor stated.

The Chancellor growled. "Are you out of your mind!"

"Like you haven't done anything productive! So I had to resort to extreme measures! Besides, this duel will be totally worth it." Bonaparte smirked. "Besides, I also told him about some people that could help him find the person responsible for killing his father."

Crowler gasped. "Do you actually know that person?"

"Such as person doesn't exist..." the Vice-Chancellor grinned.

Down below, Aster and Alexis prepped up their duel disks. But Alexis had more on her mind...

 _'Beating a Pro like Aster, won't be easy,'_ She thought with worry.

"Attention," Bonaparte stood up. "Should Alexis lose this duel, it's 'Au revoiur, Red Dorm!'"

"Not going to happen!" Alexis shouted.

"Then get your game on!" Aster challenged.

But as they were about to start...

"That's my line!"

"You should get copyright laws for it..."

Everyone stopped and turned to another part of the arena.

From there emerged Jaden and Claudio! Albeit a little tired from their run from the forest to the Academy, but still in the flesh...

"Jaden! Claudio!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Miss us?" Claudio asked as he saw Melody run up to him and gave him a crushing hug.

"Only a whole lot and more, you big jerk!" She replied and then planted big kiss on her boyfriend's lips causing him to deepen it a bit before they stopped.

"Oh yeah, they missed each other," Alister grinned.

"No surprise," Erika smiled at the reunion.

"Welcome back, guys!" Alexis greeted.

"Yeah, where have you guys been?" Syrus asked them.

"Funny you should ask that," Jaden replied. "I've actually gone where no man has gone before!"

"You couldn't have stayed there?" Aster said.

"No way, they didn't have cable!" The Slifer replied. "I went to outer space and talked with this alien dolphin who gave me these awesome cards for my deck! And even met up with two more aliens on Earth!"

"And I thought dueling Professor Sartyr with that bag on his head was weird," Vincent muttered.

Suddenly, Jeremy jumped down from his seat and landed in front of Jaden.

"So aliens do exist in outer space!?" He asked with hope in his voice.

"Actually, I think it's called Neo Space." Jaden replied.

"YES! I knew it!" The alien duelist cheered as he jumped up and down "I told you guys there was life on other planets!"

"It is official, Jeremy's off the planet and into his own." Alex said.

"Cut him some slack, Alex," Lily added. "He's been telling us that aliens exist ever since he came around. Now he's actually got concrete proof..."

"I never thought it would be in the form of animals on this planet." Jethro stated.

"You should see his other two aliens," Claudio noted. "A hummingbird and a scarab."

"And where exactly did you go?" Jeremy asked with glee. "Another planet, perhaps?"

"No, at least I think I don't since it was inhabited by humans." The music lover shrugged.

"Aw..."

"Actually, I was on a world where it was ruled by heavy metal!" Claudio exclaimed.

Now it was everyone's turn to stare at Claudio with puzzled looks.

"Okay, I think you got hit on the head in that forest, Claudio." Melody groaned.

"I did, but it was by my own new cards who thought I was part of a rebellion." Claudio said, rubbing his forehead.

"I think both of you need to lie down," Bastion stated.

"No way," Jaden exclaimed. "Now that I got my deck back, I need to get back in the game!" He then turned to Aster. "Hey Aster, how would you like having the honor of being the first duelist to lose to my new deck?"

"Will you listen to yourself?" The Pro Duelist stated. "There's not a hero on Earth that can stand up to my Destiny Heroes!"

"Weren't you listening? My heroes are not from Earth!" Jaden then turned to Alexis. "Let me take your place, you won't regret it."

"No fair!" Bonaparte yelled.

"Very fair," Spencer stated. "Since Jaden is a true representative of the Slifer Dorm, he has more of a right to defend it than majority of my dorm." He then looked to the Chancellor. "Crowler, you have the authority. What do you say?"

"Very well!" Crowler nodded, to the horror of the Vice-Chancellor. "The press will eat this up! A rematch of hero duelists!"

"You're letting those fools walk over you again!" Bonaparte stated.

"Good luck," Alexis said, giving Jaden her duel disk.

"No prob!" He replied as he stood opposite Aster.

"Just be ready to become a two-time loser," Aster taunted as both players inserted their decks into the disks and drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!"

Jaden: 8000

Aster: 8000

"I'll kick things off," Aster announced as he drew his sixth card. "And who better to start with than Destiny Hero – Dunker in attack mode!" In flash of darkness, a tanned man with black dreadlocks wearing sliver armor appeared. (4/1200/1700)

"At least he's opting for all Destiny Heroes this time." Masaki said.

"Then, I use his special ability, by discarding another Destiny Hero, like my Disk Commander, Dunker deals 500 points of damage to you!" Aster continued, discarding one Monster Card from his hand.

Dunker created a dim yellow orb and smacked it against Jaden, making him stagger back.

Jaden: 7500

Aster: 8000

"Looks like Aster, gets first blood." Claudio muttered.

"And after that a facedown card," Aster concluded as a reversed card appeared at his feet. "That's it for me. Now let's see your new cards."

"Gladly!" Jaden smiled as he drew his sixth card. "Time for you to meet with one of the new heroes in my deck and he's guaranteed to make a splash!" He placed the card onto his disk and announced, "Come on out, Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin!"

In a giant wave of water, the humanoid dolphin from Neo-Space appeared. (3/600/800)

"Huh?" Aster said.

"Told you my new monsters were out of this world," The Slifer grinned.

"It's true," Bastion gasped. "There are aliens!"

"I knew it!" Jeremy cheered. "Never thought of a dolphin alien, but I'm not complaining!"

"Next, I activate Double Summon to bring out Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Jaden continued, inserting his Spell Card into his disk, prompting him to play the blue and gold armored hero of lightning. (4/1600/1200) "Now, I can use Aqua Dolphin's effect, but first I need to discard one of my cards."

Jaden discarded his Hero Kid.

"Now, I can check your hand and see if you have a monster card in your hand! Sonar Wave!"

The space dolphin sent out a clear wave that revealed Aster's hand: Destiny Hero – Captain Tenacious, Ring of Magnetism and Graceful Charity.

"Looks like only Captain Tenacious," Jaden declared. "Now if I have a monster on my side of the field that's stronger than the selected monster, I can destroy it and deal 500 points of damage to you! Take it away, Sparkman!" Sparkman zapped the card out of the Pro's hand, causing him to discard it.

Jaden: 7500

Aster: 7500

"Not bad, huh?" the Slifer grinned, as he inserted two more cards into his disk, "Now I'll set two cards and end my turn!"

"He's not going after his Dunker?" Lily wondered. "Sparkman was way stronger!"

"Maybe it's that facedown card," Alexis pointed out on Aster's field.

"Let's see if it's the right moves though," Kenji added.

"My turn then," Aster announced, drawing his next card. "First, I'll use Graceful Charity to draw three cards and get rid of two!" After he drew his two cards, he discarded Ring of Magnetism and Destiny Hero – Doom Lord. "Now, I activate the Field Spell card, Mausoleum of the Emperor!"

The entire arena was replaced by the ancient mausoleum with many statues below the bridge, connecting the duelists.

"Now instead of using our monsters for sacrifices, we can give up our Life Points in increments of 1000 to summon a high-level monster." Aster explained. "So I'll give up 2000 Life Points to summon a monster you know all too well, Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster!"

Two of the statues below vanished letting out the iron masked Destiny Hero that defeated Jaden last time! (8/?/?)

Jaden: 7500

Aster: 5500

"Oh great, it's the monster that beat Jaden." Allyson said with worry.

"That thing?" Claudio asked.

"Don't worry, since it wasn't summoned by my Clock Tower Prison, he can't protect my other Destiny Heroes like before or bring out the ones in my graveyard." Aster stated, but revealed his Set card "But with my facedown card Dread Destiny, I can use the latter effect!"

The Spell card showed Dreadmaster escaping the Clock Tower Prison with Doom Lord and Diamond Dude.

"Now I can bring out Destiny Hero - Captain Tenacious and Destiny Hero - Disk Commander in defense mode!" Aster announced, retrieving two Monster Cards from his discard slot.

First, the orange haired Destiny Hero appeared with his two armguards defending him. (3/800/800) Then, a blue suited hero appeared with two giant disks on his back as wings and two on his wrists that he uses as shields. (1/300/300)

"If you remember last time, Dreadmaster's ATK and DEF is equal to the combined ATK of the other Destiny Heroes!" He stated as Dreadmaster roared as he flexed out his power. (8/?-2300/?-2300) "Also, since Disk Commander was summoned from the graveyard, I can draw two cards!" He then drew his next two cards.

"He's really got the major lineup to face Jaden's field," Alex noted. "I can see why he's a Pro Duelist."

"Now, Dolphin Boy let's see what kind of tricks you can do!" Aster said as he pointed to said Neo-Spacian. "Dreadmaster, strike him down!" The muscled Destiny Hero jumped into the air, ready to slam the Neo-Spacian.

"Hold on, Muscle-Head!" Jaden said as he activated his facedown card. "I activate Negate Attack, stopping your attack and the Battle Phase!"

A red spiral vortex appeared in front of Jaden's monsters, sending Dreadmaster flying back.

"Better luck next time, pal!" Jaden smirked.

"I'm not your pal!" Aster snapped as he set a card and signaled the end of his turn.

"This kid needs to chill out," Hassleberry said.

"He needs to be in a freezer," Allen added.

"Oh well, my draw!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "Thanks for the Field Spell, Aster! I'll pay 2000 life points to summon my Elemental Hero Neos!"

"What?" Aster gasped, not believing what his ears heard. "There's no Elemental Hero with that name!"

But then he saw the white bodysuit wearing hero drop down to the field and that instantly shut him up. (7/2500/2000)

Jaden: 5500

Aster: 5500

"And guess what else Aster, my Neo-Spacians can fuse with Neos to form a new hero!" Jaden exclaimed. "And all I need to do is shuffle them back into my deck for little ability called Contact Fusion!" He turned to his new monsters. "Okay guys, fuse!"

A small galaxy appeared in the sky as both Neos and Aqua-Dolphin jumped inside, creating a bright light.

"There's no such thing!" The D-Hero duelist protested. "Where's Polymerization!?"

"It's totally legit with these guys! And I won't need it!" Jaden added. "Now here comes Elemental Hero Aqua Neos!"

The new hero that appeared resembled Neos except it had the traits of Aquos with its cobalt blue armor and the fins on its back and its forearms. (7/2500/2000)

"Did Jaden really go to outer space?" Alexis wondered.

"Sure seems like it," Syrus replied.

"Of course he did!" Jeremy exclaimed. "This is going to be sweet!"

"There's nothing special about him," Aster shook his head. "He has the same ATK as the original Neos."

"Wanna bet?" Jaden asked. "I'll discard another card like my Necroshade to activate Aqua Neos' special ability to destroy any card in your hand!" Aqua Neos created a blue water arrow and threw it at one of the pro's cards, making him discard it. "Next, I use my facedown card R-Righteous Justice! Since I have two E-Heroes on the field, I can use it to destroy your facedown card and the Field Spell!"

The yellow R came out of the card and struck the facedown D-Shield and obliterated the entire Field Spell, bringing the scenery back to the main arena.

"Now it's time to show some moves, Sparkman attack Captain Tenacious with Static Shockwave!" Jaden commanded.

Sparkman created a blue bolt of lightning, zapping the orange-haired hero to pixels.

"Great, now Aster can't summon back a Destiny Hero after Jaden knocks one off!" Kenji cheered.

"Also, Dreadmaster loses 800 ATK/DEF since he needs the others to get stronger!" Alex added.

Dreadmaster growled at Sparkman for defeating his comrade. (8/2300-1500/2300-1500)

"Now Aqua Neos, destroy Dreadmaster with Sonic Zoom!" Jaden continued.

Glowing cosmic energy surrounded Jaden's monster as it fired a stream of crystal water at giant, masked hero destroying him.

Jaden: 5500

Aster: 4500

"Alright, he dismissed his highest ranking officer!" Hassleberry cheered.

"And if he keeps this up, the Slifer Dorm will be safe in no time!" Melody added.

"It's not like it will happen, at this rate." Lyra stated.

"It shouldn't have happed in the first place," Masaki added with a frown. "I didn't Aster would stoop this low."

"My Dreadmaster... blown to pieces..." Aster muttered as he was shaking with fury. "Your Martian mutants are nothing next to my Destiny Heroes!"

"Really?" Jaden smiled. "Cause it looks like..." He was interrupted by a rainbow colored light enveloping Aqua Neos as it sucked him right back into Jaden's deck. "Huh? Neos, where'd you go?" He gasped.

"Where did he go?" Jethro asked.

"I think there may be a side effect for his Neos not to use Polymerization on his fusions this time around." Claudio figured. "And that's what caused him to return to Jaden's Fusion Deck."

"Well I think, Jaden needed to learn about his new deck before he started the duel." Bastion added.

"That could explain it." Jachin said.

"And Aster will capitalize to the fullest extent," Masaki said, looking at the smirk on the pro's face.

"Since you're fresh out moves, I'll assume you're done!" Aster stated as he drew his next card. "First, I'll use the spell Destiny Draw!"

A spell card appeared showing a person in tailored suit drawing cards.

"I'll discard Destiny Hero – Malicious to draw two cards!" He stated as he discarded the named monster and then drawing twice. "Now since Malicious is in the graveyard, I can remove it from play to summon another from my deck!"

Flying out of the D-Hero duelist's deck was a black demon looking warrior with wings and a sharp, whip-like tail. (6/800/800)

"Next, I'll sacrifice my Disk Commander to summon Destiny Hero – Dasher!" He announced as Disk Commander vanished as next D-Hero appeared. Its entire body was garbed in thick black armor and a black helmet covered its head. On his hands and feet were black tires. (6/2100/1000) "Want more? Then here comes Fiend's Sanctuary to summon a Metal Fiend Token!"

The sliver marbled fiend appeared. (1/0/0)

"Now I use Dasher's special ability to sacrifice it to give him 1000 ATK!"

The fiend exploded into darkness, enveloping Dasher. (6/2100-3100/1000)

"Jaden's about to get hit hard in the worst way." Syrus moaned with worry.

"Now Dasher, destroy his Sparkman!" Aster commanded.

Getting on his hands and feet, Dasher morphed into a black vehicle that ran over the E-Hero before it shattered.

Jaden: 4000

Aster: 4500

"Now, Destiny Hero – Dunker and Malicious, direct attack!"

Dunker rushed up and jumped into the sky. When he came down, it was like he was doing a slam dunk as he struck Jaden down with his right hand. It was quickly followed by a flying tackle by Malicious who knocked Jaden on his back.

Jaden: 2000

Aster: 4500

"And finally, I'll discard my last card, Destiny Hero – Departed, for Dunker's effect, dealing another 500 points to you!" Aster discarded his Monster as Dunker unleashed another orange blast of energy was thrown at Jaden while he was still on the ground.

Jaden: 1500

Aster: 4500

"Soon you'll lose your Life Points, and then you'll lose your dorm!" The pro taunted.

"What's the rush, Phoenix?" Jaden asked, as he got back to his feet. "I'm just warming up!" He then took a deep breath. _'But talk about a landslide, my Neos Fusion monster only lasts for one turn. If I knew that, I wouldn't be behind.'_

 _'All I have left are the Destiny Heroes that my father left behind,'_ Aster thought. _'I owe it to him to defeat everyone that stands in my way.'_

"Jaden's going to have to mount a big comeback to get the best of Aster now." Claudio said.

"Do you know what else he has that could do it?" Melody asked him.

"I know of two more monsters he has," He answered. "But if they are as weak as Aqua Dolphin, he'll need some powerful combos along with it."

"I'll end my turn, meaning Dasher now has to go into defense mode!" Aster concluded as the black armored hero knelt down and crossed his arms.

"Okay, time for some action!" Jaden announced, drawing his lone card. He showed off his card, revealing to be a monster. "Since Elemental Hero Bubbleman is the only card in my hand now, I get to Special Summon him to the field!"

The water themed Elemental Hero appeared, raising his right arm to aim his gun (4/800/1200)

"And since he's alone on the field, I draw two cards!" He drew two more cards and grinned at one. "Alright, I got Spellbook Inside the Pot letting us both draw three cards!" Both players drew three times. "Sweet, I use Bubble Blaster giving him 800 extra ATK!" The giant water cannon appeared in Bubbleman's arms. (4/800-1600/1200) "Next, making her debut on planet Earth is Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird!"

A green light zoomed from the card and unleashed the red-feathered, humanoid hummingbird. (3/800/600)

"An alien hummingbird, nice," Jeremy smiled.

"This is certainly Jeremy's night." Syrus said.

"Hey, he did tell us about life on other planets." Jethro shrugged. "I figured they'd be like his cards though."

"Pretty sweet threads, don't you think?" Jaden asked Aster. "Or should I say feathers?"

 _"Let us win this, Jaden!"_ The hummingbird said.

Jaden nodded. "Now Hummingbird, activate Honey Suck!"

A green aura illuminated the Neo-Spacian as she flew to the skies. Suddenly, Aster's three card hand lit up and giant flowers sprouted out from it, letting Air Hummingbird extract the nectar from it.

"With this effect, I gain 500 life points from each of the cards from your hand!" Jaden explained as a green aura surrounded Jaden, restoring his life points.

Jaden: 3000

Aster: 4500

"It's going to take more than that," Aster challenged.

"I know which is why I'm giving her the Neos Energy Equip Spell, letting her gain 800 ATK!" Jaden replied, inserting his Equip Spell. A white aura surrounded the hummingbird, giving her power. (3/800-1600/600) "Now, Bubbleman attack Dunker with Bombarding Bubble Barrage!"

Taking aim, Bubbleman launched a high powered water blast, wiping Dunker from the field.

Jaden: 3000

Aster: 4100

"Now Air Hummingbird, attack Dasher with Slaughtering Swoop!"

Once again, the Neo-Spacian took to the skies and stabbed the defensive monster with her beak.

"Now, I place this down and give you a shot!" A reversed card appeared in front of Jaden as he signaled the end of his turn.

"What a comeback," Alexis praised. "Jaden almost lost that one and now he has the field advantage!"

"He certainly has a flair for the dramatics." Bastion stated.

"Still, Jaden needs to keep it up!" Syrus cheered.

"Well played, Sarge!" Hassleberry added.

"My move," Aster announced, drawing his next card. "On my Standby Phase, I get to bring back Destiny Hero – Departed back from the graveyard. And since I'm a nice guy, he gets to hang with you!"

Jaden was started as an undead-looking man with purple hair and wearing a grey tailored suit, carrying a skull cane appeared on his field. (2/1000/0)

"Why me?" He asked.

"I'll get to that later," The pro replied. "Right now, I play Destiny Hero – Fear Monger!" The dark green armored Destiny Hero appeared. (4/1000/1000) "Then I activate the field spell card Dark City!"

The arena was once again changed, but this time into a night time city with completely black buildings surrounding the players.

"A dark, silent city," Lyra noted. "My kind of place."

"We're supposed to be cheering for Jaden," Allyson said.

"It's alright," Alister said. "She's just admiring the cards."

"She's not openly rooting for the other side that's trying to destroy the Slifer Dorm." Erika added.

"Now with this card in play, when a Destiny Hero attacks a stronger monster, it gains 1000 ATK!" Aster declared. "And we don't want you getting any more life points, so bye-bye birdie!"

Fear Monger raised its arms and fired rounds at the Hummingbird. (4/1000-2000/1000) She didn't have a chance as Fear Monger shot her down to pixels.

Jaden: 2600

Aster: 4100

"Now, Malicious attack Bubbleman with Dark Claw Rush!"

Malicious flew into the sky feeling a rush of power. (6/800-1800/800) He then swooped down and smashed the blaster right out of Bubbleman's hands. (4/1600-800/1200)

"Sorry, but the Blaster goes instead of Bubbleman," Jaden noted.

"Well, I'll place a facedown and end my turn," Aster concluded.

"My turn then!" Jaden exclaimed, drawing his next card. "I equip Bubbleman with Bubble Rod, giving him back his 800 ATK!" A blue rod appeared in the water E-Hero's hands. (4/800-1600/1200) "And I'll have him destroy your Fear Monger!"

Bubbleman raised his new weapon over his head, collecting the moisture in the air. Then, he launched the water at Fear Monger blasting him down.

Jaden: 2600

Aster: 3500

"And now, I can use your Destiny Hero – Departed to destroy your Malicious!" The undead hero floated to the demon hero and smacked him down with his cane.

Jaden: 2600

Aster: 3300

"And I'll call it a turn." Jaden concluded.

"Almost there," Spencer said.

"My move," Aster announced, drawing his next card. "And thanks for destroying my Fear Monger! When he's destroyed, I can summon a Destiny Hero from the graveyard and I pick my Destiny Hero – Disk Commander!"

The disk wielding hero reappeared. (1/300/300)

"And with revived from the grave, I draw two cards!" He drew two more cards and played one. "Now I'll sacrifice him to summon Destiny Hero – Double Dude!" Disk Commander vanished once again letting a man in a black suit, top hat and a black cane appear. (6/1000/1000) "Now I add the Equip Spell Card, Fighting Spirit, giving him 300 ATK for each of your monsters!"

A yellow aura appeared around Double Dude. (6/1000-1600/1000)

"I think that's the reason he wanted Departed on the field," Melody noted.

"Now, attack Departed!" Aster commanded. The Destiny Hero twirled his cane around before charging towards his fellow Destiny Hero, and destroyed him on the spot. (6/1600-1300/1000)

Jaden: 2000

Aster: 3300

"Now, Double Dude's effect lets him attack twice, so I'll destroy Bubbleman with Dark City's effect!"

Suddenly, the black suit hero went under a startling transformation that ripped through his clothes. (6/1300-2300/1000) He was now taller and muscular, showing off an angry look before he slammed Bubbleman into the ground.

Jaden: 1300

Aster: 3300

"Since Bubbleman was destroyed with Bubble Rod, I can draw one card!" Jaden declared as he drew his next card, he then revealed his facedown card. "Then, I activate the trap, Rookie Fight!" His trap showed a hero about to fight a Battle Ox. "Since you destroyed one of my monsters, I can summon a level 3 or below Elemental Hero from my deck." A card slipped out of his deck. "I bring out Elemental Hero Burstinatrix!"

The female E-Hero in red appeared. (3/1200/800)

"I think that's enough for now." Aster concluded.

"You're funeral!" Jaden stated as he drew his next card. "I activate Legacy of the Hero, letting me draw three cards since I have at least two Elemental Heroes in my graveyard that's at least level 4!" He drew three times. "And now I activate the Continuous Spell card, Common Soul!"

A spell card showed Elemental Hero Neos gathering energy from the cosmos.

"Thanks to this, I can summon Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab!"

The Neo-Spacian of fire appeared from the spell. (3/500/500)

"Another one of your alien friends," Aster asked sarcastically.

"Sure is!" Jaden grinned. "And they were the ones that found me, how cool is that?"

"You're nuts!" The D-Hero duelist argued. "Stop living in your fantasy world and grow up! I duel with the power of destiny and fight for justice!"

"Really, Aster?"

Everyone turned Masaki.

"Of course, do have to explain it to you one more time!" the D-Hero Duelist shouted.

"I'm just saying; you say you're fighting justice, but if you win this duel you'll be just as crooked as the criminals out there!" The S-Hero duelist shouted. "You'll be responsible for forcing students home without a good reason all because of your misplaced anger! If you were a true hero, you'd stop this along with us since you're enrolled as a student!"

"Plus," Jaden turned the attention back to him. "Your dad wouldn't want you to use the cards he designed to hurt innocent people right?"

That line made Aster think back to when his father created the very first Destiny Hero and showed it to him.

 _'They're right,'_ He thought sadly _. 'What would he think of me now, using the Destiny Heroes to cause pain? Maybe that's what's wrong with me...'_

"Hey you!" Bonaparte shouted. "Stop interrupting the duel!"

"And you're the worst criminal out there," Masaki glared at the Vice-Chancellor. "The Slifers have done nothing wrong but come to this Academy to improve themselves and you try to kick them out because of being the low ranked!? Let them improve, for God's sake!"

"I said, be quiet!" The Vice-Chancellor yelled. "Once this duel is over, that Red Dorm is going down."

"Okay, back to the duel," Jaden said, returning the attention to the arena. "Now let me clue you in on Flare Scarab's effect, for every Spell and Trap card you have on the field, she gains 400 ATK for each one!"

Three fireballs ignited from Aster's facedown card, Dark City and Fighting Spirit, fueling her power. (3/500-1700/500)

"And thanks to Common Soul, she can share her power with another monster on my field, like Burstinatrix!"

Common Soul unleashed small comets from itself, merging with Burstinatrix. The E-Hero of fire's power skyrocketed as she unleashed a flame more than twice her size! (3/1200-2900/800)

"Now that's power!" Spencer gasped.

"Burstinatrix, attack Double Dude with Flare Storm!" Jaden announced.

Burstinatrix used that large flame and started enveloping Aster's hero, destroying the aura around him. (6/1300-1000/1000)

But it also, weakened Flare Scarab and Burstinatrix due to the loss of Fighting Spirit. (3/1700-1300/500), (3/2900-2500/800)

Jaden: 1300

Aster: 1700

"Now, Flare Scarab, finish the job!"

The fire Neo-Spacian launched fire darts at Double Dude next, reducing him to ashes.

Jaden: 1300

Aster: 1400

"I'll activate my trap, Destiny Signal!" Aster countered, revealing his facedown card. A spotlight shone from Aster's trap, unleashing the symbol of the D-Heroes. "Now I can summon to the field, Destiny Hero – Defender from my deck!"

Rising from the ground, came a giant brick solider with massive defense power! (4/100/2700)

"That's a whole lot of defense points!" Jaden exclaimed. "I'll end my turn."

"Lucky for you, Defender will let you draw a card during your Standby Phase if it's still on the field," Aster explained as he drew his next card. "But on my Standby Phase, after Double Dude was destroyed in battle, I can summon two Double Dude Tokens!"

Suddenly, two copies of Double Dude appeared in his black suit. (4/1000/1000) x2

"Next, I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Common Soul and kick your space monster off the field!"

A harsh windstorm ripped apart the spell card, causing Flare Scarab to vanished back into Jaden's hand and reducing Burstinatrix's power. (3/2500-1200/800)

"Now, I'll use Gift of the Martyr to sacrifice one of my tokens and give them to my other one!" Aster continued as one of the tokens shattered into gold particles and flew into the other one. (4/1000-2000/1000) "Now token, attack Burstinatrix!"

The Double Dude token jumped towards the fire E-Hero and struck her down with its cane.

Jaden: 500

Aster: 1400

"And I'll leave it at that." Aster concluded.

"Then it's my draw!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "And thanks to your Defender's effect, I can draw again!" He drew once more. "Now I bring out Flare Scarab again!" The fire Neo-Spacian returned to the field. (3/500-900/500)

"Next, I use Monster Reborn to revive Hero Kid in defense mode!" A little boy in a space suit, wearing a red mask and high-tech looking gear flipped onto the field (2/300/600) "And thanks to his effect, I can summon two more to the field from my deck!" As soon as he said those words, two other boys, identical to the first one, leapt out of the deck slot and landed alongside the first, crouching. (300/600) x2

"Then, I place two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"Guess you couldn't get a lot out of that one!" Aster smirked, drawing his next card. "First, I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew two more. "Next, I summon Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude!" The diamond embedded warrior appeared. (4/1400/1600) "But that's not all, since he's going to the graveyard along with Defender and my token!"

All three heroes erupted into pillars of light.

"Now meet Destiny Hero – Dogma!"

The pillars combined to one, unleashing a tall, dark armored hero with wings. From his arms, two sharp blades were unleashed. (8/3400/2400)

"Now that's what I call a monster," Jaden gasped, stepping back.

"Oh man, if he attacks Flare Scarab it's over," Claudio gasped.

"Dogma, destroy Flare Scarab and end this!" Aste commanded as the new D-Hero gathered up immense darkness and fired it at the Neo-Spacian.

"Sorry, I activate Kid Guard!" Jaden countered, revealing his Trap Card, taking a defensive stance. "With this, I can sacrifice one of my Hero Kids to cancel your attack and add an Elemental Hero to my hand!"

One of the Hero Kids flew up in front of Flare Scarab and emitted a shield that blocked the darkness, but made him vanish in the process. All the while, Jaden collected Elemental Hero Neos from his deck.

"I won't let your sacrifice be in vain..." The Fire Neo-Spacian said and then turned her head to Jaden. "We must now use the power of Neos!"

"I place this card facedown and end my turn!" Aster concluded as a reversed card appeared at Aster's feet. (3/900-1300/500)

"My draw!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card.

"Hold on, now I activate Dogma's effect! During the Standby Phase after the turn he's summoned, I can take half of your Life Points away!"

Everyone didn't get the message until they saw a dark purple light erupt from under Jaden and then zapped into Dogma's body.

Jaden: 250

Aster: 1400

"He's almost out of points!" Syrus gasped.

"I hope he's got a big move ready," Melody said.

"If he can properly use his Neos card right, he will." Spencer stated.

"Just one more attack, and I'll rid the Slifers from the Academy for good!" Bonaparte cheered.

"It's still a long shot," Crowler said.

"Not bad," Jaden smiled. "But I still can move on!"

"Please, none of your heroes can beat my Dogma!" Aster stated.

"Not in my old deck, but in my new deck it's a different story!" Jaden smiled, "And I'll show by using my field spell Neo Space!"

Jaden's Field Spell slot opened up as he set the card in. Dark City started to crack up and shattered as he and Aster were transported to a world with multicolored lights surrounding them.

"Next, since I have Necroshade in my graveyard, I can summon Elemental Hero Neos without a sacrifice!" Neos returned to the field. (7/2500/2000) "And thanks to Neo Space, he gains 500 ATK!" The light of the field spell enveloped the E-Hero. (7/2500-3000/2000)

"It's still not enough, though," Lyra stated.

"Oh it will be, since I'll do another Contact Fusion with my Flare Scarab!"

Both monsters fused themselves with each other and in a bright light came Neos now in Flare Scarab's armor and bringing out flames as he landed. (7/2500/2000)

"Meet Elemental Hero Flare Neos," Jaden introduced, "And not only he gains 500 ATK from Neo-Space, but he gains an additional 400 ATK for every Spell and Trap card on the field!"

"And with two on Jaden's and one on Aster's, he gains 1700 ATK with Neo Space!" Claudio calculated. Flare Neos was now enveloped in a flaming aura, amplifying his power. (7/2500-4200/2000)

"That's enough to beat Dogma!" Aster gasped.

"That's the whole point! Flare Neos attack!" Jaden shouted as Neos gathered a giant fireball in his hands and stormed it down on Dogma.

"He's not going anywhere," Aster activated his facedown card. "I activate the Trap, Soul Anchor to keep Dogma grounded!"

A red aura surrounded Dogma as he braced himself for the fire that enveloped him next. Luckily, he was able to stay on the field, but barely.

Jaden: 250

Aster: 400

"Darn," Erika said. "If Dogma was gone, Jaden could've had a chance to finish this afterwards!"

"I wouldn't worry about it, Jaden still got this won," Alister assured her.

"I end my turn," Jaden declared.

"I guess your Field Spell keeps your fusion monster on the field right?" Aster asked as he drew his next card. Jaden nodded. "Well it won't be here for long, I use Cyclone Blade and equip it to Dogma!" One of Dogma's blades was replaced with a triple-bladed sword that spun like a pinwheel.

"You just made Flare Neos 400 points stronger!" Jaden declared as Flare Neos' aura got stronger. (7/4200-4600/2000)

"Well fine, because I'm not after him!" Aster smirked. "Dogma, destroy one of those Hero Kids with your Cyclone Blade!"

Dogma flew up into the sky and started to spin his new blade, creating a giant tornado sweeping up the young hero in its wake and destroying him.

"And when a Destiny Hero attacks with Cyclone Blade, I can destroy one spell or trap card, like Neo Space!"

The tornado moved to the middle of the field, which served to blow away the field spell from existence. (7/4600-3700/2000)

"Without that, Jaden will lose his hero!" Lily stated.

"And without another strong hero, Jaden will lose the duel!" Allyson added.

"And now I end my turn, meaning you hero has to go away!" Aster smiled as the rainbow aura started to form around Jaden's hero.

"No way, I use my facedown card!" Jaden quickly said as he activated it. "The Quick-Play Spell, Contact Out!" The spell showed Elemental Hero Neos in a puff of smoke with six other monsters jumping away. "With this card, I can put Flare Neos back in my Fusion Deck!" Flare Neos vanished.

"Then, if I have the monsters that made him in my deck, I can Special Summon them to the field!"

Neos and Flare Scarab returned to the field. (7/2500/2000), (3/500-900/500)

"No way!" Aster gasped.

"Alright!" Claudio cheered. "Now Jaden can re-fuse them and take him out!"

"That was a nice move!" Kenji grinned.

"My draw!" Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "Now Neos and Flare Scarab, use Contact Fusion again!"

Both monsters combined to recreate Elemental Hero Flare Neos. (7/2500-2900/2000)

"He's not as strong as before," Aster stated.

"But that'll change, thanks to this card Elemental Sword!" The E-Hero duelist smiled, activating his Equip Spell. Flare Neos held a black sword handle. (7/2900-3300/2000)

"Now, I'll get ready to attack!"

"What are you doing, Jaden!?" Alex yelled. "Your monster's 100 ATK short from winning!"

"It's all good," The Slifer assured him. "When a monster with Elemental Sword battles another monster with a different attribute, he gains 800 ATK!"

A black light erupted from the Elemental Sword. (7/3300-4100/2000)

Aster gasped. _'That means Jaden wins! But Sartorius said I was destined to win this duel... Is Jaden more powerful than destiny?'_

In Sartorius' room, he turned over a card and it revealed to be the Wheel of Fortune in reverse.

"Flare Neos, attack with Elemental Sword!" Jaden commanded.

The E-Hero dashed across the field and slashed his sword across Dogma, who survived the hit but the excess damage, carried over to Aster.

Jaden: 250, Winner

Aster: 0

"That's game!" Jaden said, giving his two-finger salute. "And a sweet one, too!"

"He won!" Syrus and Hassleberry cheered and hugged each other. Until a second later, they noticed who they were hugging and let go.

"Nothing like the power of extraterrestrials, huh guys?" Jeremy grinned.

"We get it, partner," Jethro said.

"And the Slifer Red Dorm stays!" Spencer declared.

"At least, I got to see Aster duel with his real cards," Masaki declared. "Win or lose, meaning he's coming out with his true ability."

"Speaking of matches," Claudio said. "How about we have a rematch in the morning?"

"Why not now?" Melody asked.

"I'm tired, plus I need to be in a soft bed." Her boyfriend replied.

"Fair enough," The S-Hero duelist said. "Besides, I owe you for what happened to you after our previous duel."

Down at the arena, Aster walked up to Jaden.

"Jaden, I don't say this often, but I'm impressed." He stated. "But don't think I'll lose to you next time."

"Well thanks, I think," Jaden replied. "Especially since we're 1-1 against each other since we don't count the duel before opening day."

"I plan to break that tie in the future," The D-Hero duelist declared as walked off the duel platform.

In the stands, Crowler and Bonaparte were astonished at Aster's defeat.

"A professional who can't beat a slacker," The Vice-Chancellor gaped.

"At least he's not staying around, despite his enrollment," The Chancellor shrugged.

"Hey guys."

Both heads of the school freaked out when they saw Aster near them all of a sudden.

"I'll be sticking around, if you don't mind." He said. "But no morning classes..."

"We wouldn't dream of it!" Bonaparte nervously chuckled.

"Welcome aboard!" Crowler added also in a nervous tone.

* * *

Later outside the main building, Aster tried to call his manager but ended up getting voice that said it wasn't listed.

"He's not there, is he?"

The pro turned to see Masaki walk up to him.

"How did you know?"

"Because, when I saw you coming in, I called him to see why you were here." Masaki replied. "Only to get an invalid number."

"I'm thinking we're being duped about this whole thing," Aster said. "I came here because Sartorius said there was a threat around here. Also, did you ever really think why he's interested in Jaden and Claudio?"

"I have wondered, but I just thought he was going to seek to manage and mentor them like he did us." The S-Hero duelist replied.

"I don't think so now. Have you met this kid named Chazz?"

"Yeah, he's a little wacky these days. Kept talking about this Society of Light after Jaden and Claudio went missing,"

"Yeah, I ran into him on the way here. And get this, he said Sartorius was his leader."

Masaki gasped.

"I know we don't see eye to eye mostly," Aster confessed. "But I now know for certain he's been keeping secrets from us!"

"Oh man and I bet whatever threat he was talking is Jaden and Claudio, right?"

Aster nodded. "Yeah, and they're probably a threat to him and not us."

"So what should we do?" Masaki asked. "Me and Claudio agreed on a rematch in the morning."

"Then do it, but keep this conversation between us." The pro declared as he left for his yacht.

"Alright," He said.

*BEEP!* *BEEP!*

Masaki pulled out his Duel Pilot and played the message.

"It's Jason! Something's happened to the Red Dorm! Get over here now!"

The S-Hero gasped as he wasted no time as he ran towards the direction of the Red Dorm.

* * *

Once Masaki got there, he was met with a horrible sight...

The Slifer Red Dorm was torn down. There was nothing left standing. The pieces of wood that held it together were all broken.

"No..."

He then saw Jason kneeling down in front of the shattered dorm, looking like he was about to tear up.

"What happened!? Who tore down the dorm!?" He asked Jason.

"I don't know," Jason replied. "I panicked when I heard the sound of the dorm being demolished. I just ran out the dorm and kept going!"

The S-Hero duelist growled as he looked at the shambles of the dorm.

"I know who did, and I can't believe Bonaparte would go so far as to set us up!"

"Masaki!"

The S-Hero duelist didn't need to turn around to know that Jaden and the gang showed up. And he even heard the collective horrified gasps that were directed at the sight of the shattered dorm.

"They tore it down!" Jaden said.

"And right where everyone was out watching the duel." Bastion stated.

"So they launched a sneak attack while no one was left to watch the dorm." Hassleberry scowled.

"Exactly."

Everyone looked to Spencer who had a blank expression on his face when he replied.

"Professor Sojourner, are you okay?" Allyson asked.

He took a deep breath before he answered. On the inside, he was burning with anger. But he didn't want to scare the students.

"No... and yes..." He replied.

"'No and yes'?" Alexis asked.

"No, because Bonaparte wouldn't follow his word... it always angered me that he'd target the Slifer Dorm for his selfish reason that he'd lead us away." The Headmaster said. "But..."

He turned to see numerous boats approaching the island and had a shadow of a smile.

"At least I had the foresight of wanting to rebuild the Slifer Dorm to make your lives easier."

"You mean..."

"That's right, Syrus. None of you are going home... unless you're graduating if I have my way..." He said to the small Ra. "But for now, let's go see Sartyr and see if he's got spare bedrooms or can at least have you bunk with our Ra friends."

As everyone left for the Ra Dorm, Jachin stared at the retreating form of Jason.

'I'm not convinced it was Bonaparte...' He thought as he followed the group.

* * *

Just when you thought it was a good when Jaden defeated Aster, the Slifer Red Dorm still got trashed! But fret not friends, next chapter will hopefully bring smiles to your faces.

The idea of the Slifer Dorm being demolished was Colossal Figher GX's idea, since Spencer did stated he wanted to rebuild it anyway.

Dread Destiny

Quick-Play Spell

Image: Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster escaping the Clock Tower Prison with Doom Lord and Diamond Dude.

Activate only when you summon a 'Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster' without the use of Clock Tower Prison. Special summon up to 2 'Destiny Heroes' from your graveyard in defense mode.

(This card is my own invention. Creative rights go to me)

* * *

Next Time: With Spencer's plan of trying to rebuild the Slifer Dorm underway, to liven up the spirits, Claudio and Masaki have their rematch! Can our J-Hero duelist win now he's got back up from the Bladehenge cards?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	22. Start a Revolution!

Time for the second rematch! Read on! After this, I'm going right back to finishing my third season before coming back to finish this and go on to season 4.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 22: Start a Revolution!

* * *

In the morning, everything was taking place at the remains of the Slifer Red Dorm. The boats that came last night happened to be filled with architects and builders who brought out some extra lumber and steel to help rebuild the dorm. Spencer was overseeing the build and even did a little work to keep him busy until it was time for his classes to start. The beginning was starting to look great and even though it was only done with the basics, people would know the next edition of the dorm would probably match Ra Yellow in looks.

"Hey, Professor!"

Spencer turned around to see Jaden, Masaki and Syrus running up to him.

"Whoa, these guys are working fast!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Spencer smiled.

"But wait," Masaki said. "Wasn't they supposed to just make additions to the dorm when you hired them?"

"Well, I told them about the unexpected demolition of the dorm, and it turns out it gave them something they could work with!"

"How's that?" Syrus asked.

"Starting from the ground up, they could make every part of the dorm room even better," Spencer answered. "And with all those pieces left behind, it was easier to work on."

"But didn't they charge you for the extra work?" Jaden asked.

"I got that covered when I cleared it with Crowler." He replied.

"Crowler!?" Jaden and Syrus shouted.

"It surprised me, too." The headmaster stated with a smile. "But apparently, he lost his eye-to-eye understanding with Bonaparte. Plus, if you think about it, all Crowler did was try to hype the students, annoying but not actually hurting standards. When I told him about the Slifer Red Dorm he was genuinely shocked until I told him about how my plan for rebuilding the Slifer Dorm and make it better in the process. So I know, it wasn't his doing."

"And his answer?" Masaki asked.

"He was up for it, but mostly in it for publicity of course." Spencer sighed, "Which, I actually don't mind since it changes the outlook on the Slifers."

"Now that you mention it, the dorms do kind of reflect on the status of how people look at them." The S-Hero duelist nodded. "And I just hate it; Slifer the Sky Dragon is a powerful card, despite needing a lot of cards in the hand just to stay powerful."

"Oh well, how did Sartyr take to moving the Slifers in?" The headmaster asked.

"He said he was happy to do it," Syrus replied. "Of course, some of us had to share rooms, but it worked out."

"And he treated us to some great breakfast!" Jaden grinned. "I never ate so much in my life!"

"I can relate!" Masaki added. "Plus, I never seen Claudio eat that much pancakes as well! With him eating like Jaden and I do, we almost ran out if Melody didn't stop him."

"He and Jaden did spend a little over a week in the woods, where they had to fend for themselves." Spencer said. "Being away from proper nourishment will do that to a person."

* * *

At the Ra Yellow Dorm, Claudio was sitting on the roof with Melody, close together.

"I feel so full!" Claudio exclaimed, patting his belly.

"You did take in about 12 pancakes," Melody giggled. "When was the last time you ate?"

"It was actually 2 days ago, after Jaden and I ran out of bananas in the woods." He replied. "I swear that kid has a black hole for a stomach. He doesn't know the meaning of conserve until later... MUCH later."

"It's a wonder how you got lost in the woods, when we've been in there with Alexis and Kenji that one time." The Magician Duelist noted.

"Jaden kept getting us lost." The J-Hero duelist sighed, "He'd just walk in random ways and I had to try to get him back on track. Once, we smelled curry and he ran the other direction. He really needs help,"

Melody then cuddled up against him. "Still, I really missed you. Right when you were in plain sight, you just vanished."

"I missed you, too." Claudio said and kissed her on her forehead. "The thing is, I didn't know I vanished until I woke up from my sulking. Despite being in cool place the next moment, the thought of everyone, especially you, being worried about me overweighed that."

"Aw, you put me before music?" She gushed.

"Of course, you're my girlfriend!" The J-Hero duelist exclaimed. "I love you more than just passing time with music alone, don't forget that."

"Oh I won't," Melody grinned as she pulled him for another passionate kiss. "But don't you have a duel with Masaki to get to?"

"Later," He said, pulling her right back into the kiss.

* * *

At the Chancellor's office, Crowler was in the signing document groove.

He sighed. "Clearing this okay for rebuilding the dorm, makes me wish I were grading papers again. Oh well, it can't be helped. Sheppard would kill me if he returned with one of the dorms gone." He then paled. "Or worse... the one man who envisioned this Academy." He shook off the fear and continued his work.

Suddenly, the front door busted through, letting Bonaparte in. And he wasn't happy.

"Crowler!" He shouted.

"What is it? I have some work to do!" The Chancellor shouted back.

"I'll have to add on to your problem! That Slacker Red Sojourner's rebuilding the Slifer Dorm!"

"And?"

"If that dorm comes back, Duel Academy's going down the drain!"

"That's one man's opinion." Crowler said, taking a breather from signing papers. "Besides, Aster lost to Jaden so it should have stayed in the first place! You didn't have the right to have someone tear down the dorm!"

The Vice-Chancellor looked at him strangely. "What are you getting at?"

"I know you had to have something planned while all the inhabitants of the dorm were at the arena."

"If I did it, I wouldn't have left a trace!" Bonaparte said turning around and leaving the office. _'Which is precisely what I'll do to make sure the Slifer Dorm stays down!'_ He pulled out his cell phone and started dialing a few numbers.

* * *

Back at the Slifer Dorm, the workers were taking a break from the build and were served some breakfast by Miss Dorothy and her assistant, Sadie.

"Things are looking up for the dorm," Spencer smiled, overlooking the dorm.

"I'd say about another day before it's up, the way they're working." Masaki said.

"And think about it, everything can be lot better for transfer students and new arrivals." Syrus added.

"Which is going to make the Slifer Red Dorm a sweet pad!" Jaden concluded. "How about we celebrate with a duel?"

"Oh that's right," The S-Hero duelist snapped his fingers. "Claudio and I did want a duel each other today. I'll bet he's more than ready after breakfast."

"Then that means, we'll see Claudio's new set of heroes!" The E-Hero duelist grinned. "I wonder if they can do Contact Fusion like mine."

"Nah, Claudio's not big on fusion as much as you are." The vehicroid duelist thought out loud. "Despite him having some, I figure he'll have some way of bringing them out like band."

"Well you're about to find out!"

Every turned to see Claudio and Melody walking up to them hand-in-hand.

"I figured you two would be together." Spencer smiled.

"Hey, a week away from her," Claudio pointed to his girlfriend. "I had some major catching up to do!"

"Big time," Melody added, proudly.

"So Claudio, you ready to duel?" Masaki asked, holding up his duel disk. "New cards or no, you're still going down."

"Then, you haven't begun to fully rock my friend!" Claudio said, as he revealed his duel disk as well. "I will have fun all the same!"

"Good we haven't missed it!"

Pretty soon, everyone begun to gather near the Slifer Dorm, not only greeted with a nearly half done dorm, but a duel as well. Even the workers looked up from their meal to watch.

"Looks like we have a show on our hands, boys," Spencer said as everyone looked on. "Give them a good clean match, or at least nothing brutal."

Both players turned on their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!"

Claudio: 8000

Masaki: 8000

"I'll go first," Masaki announced, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Shonen Hero Skull Musician!" Rising from the ground, a tall skeleton appeared wearing an all-black gentleman's ensemble consisting of a coat, pants and top hat. He also had a black afro and a cane sword. (3/1200/1200)

"Next, I use the spell Gold Sarcophagus which allows me to remove any card in my deck from the game." The S-Hero duelist pulled out his deck and took out a card, placing into his pocket. At the same time, a hologram of a giant, golden box took in the image of the named Shonen Hero. "In two turns, Shonen Hero Yellow Flash comes to my hand."

"That's the monster that beat Claudio!" Melody gasped.

"Looks like he wants a second performance," Alex added.

"And I end my turn with a facedown card." Masaki concluded. "Let's see your new deck."

"Go time!" Claudio shouted, drawing his sixth card. "Meet one of my new guys... or rather gals, Ironheade – Ophelia the Rebel in defense mode!" He announced, playing the card on his disk. The brown haired rebel jumped out of her card and pulled out her two daggers to cross them. (3/1200/1200)

"A monster that's not a musician?" Bastion wondered.

"I guess he wasn't kidding when he upgraded his deck," Vincent said.

"I like to know where she gets her clothes," Lyra added. "I could definitely get more black styles."

"And then I'll also set one card facedown as well." Claudio concluded.

"A repeat of our second duel," Masaki stated, drawing his next card. "But I'll have a different approach. I sacrifice Skull Musician to summon Shonen Hero Saiyan!"

The skeleton disappeared and in his place, the high powered fighter in the orange gi appeared. (6/2400/2400)

"Already, he's pulled out his high level heroes." Jaden said.

"He does know that Claudio's tough enough for the fight." Erika added.

"Saiyan, attack his Rebel!" Masaki commanded as the Hero charged up his ki and flew straight at the young woman.

"Hold on, I activate my Trap!" Claudio countered, revealing his facedown card. "Let There Be Rock... Or Not!" The trap showed people throwing tomatoes at some fat people on stage who tried to pass themselves off as Jukebox Heroes. The same was happening to Saiyan, who dodged the tomatoes being ejected from the Trap Card. "For this turn only, monsters with 1500 ATK or higher can't attack!"

"I'll end my turn with another facedown." Masaki shrugged as he set his card while Saiyan turned to his side, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, that happened..."

"Hey, the audience didn't like what was happening," Claudio smirked as he drew his next card. He then smiled at his find. "Well, you get to see another new face earlier than expected. I play Ancient Rules letting me summon a high level Normal monster without any sacrifices." He stated, activating his Spell Card.

"If you're talking Jukebox Heroes, I didn't think you have one high level monster that is a Normal one." The S-Hero duelist said.

"Well, now I do! Say hello to Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs!" Claudio announced, playing his new card. Appearing onto the field was the black clad roadie who crossed his arms and spat out a cigarette which he put out. (7/2500/2000)

"Another new Jukebox Hero as well," Kenji said.

"Still, I don't know about him going to another world to get new cards," Alexis added.

"Well, I don't see any microphone or guitar on him," Masaki said. "You sure he's a Jukebox Hero?"

"100%" Claudio replied. "But like the name implies he's a roadie, a guy who takes care of a band's equipment and fixes anything behind the scenes. Although he has a lot of instrument playing experience, his job is to make whatever band he travels with look good." He then smirked, "However, from that music, he gained power. And this one can work well with my Ironheade monster."

"How so?"

"Like this, you see Ophelia's a Union monster Meaning she can equip herself on to an appropriate monster and give it special effects!" The music lover explained. "And I'll have her for the union with Riggs!"

Ophelia jumped into the air, landing on Riggs' shoulder

"Union monsters, alright," Vincent smiled. "Let's see how he uses them."

"And with her Union effect, she allows Roadie Riggs to attack twice!" Claudio announced.

"Oh boy," Masaki muttered.

"Riggs, Ophelia attack Saiyan with Spinning Dagger Strike!"

As Riggs charged towards the Shonen Hero, Ophelia hopped off his shoulders. Seeing this, the roadie took out his axe and then held it out so that she could land on it then jump off and perform a rapid spin with her daggers out on her sides. She sped past the Sayian and sliced him into pixels.

Claudio: 8000

Masaki: 7900

"Now, here's attack number two!" Claudio continued as Riggs kept his running pace and then slashed his axe across Masaki's duel disk.

Claudio: 8000

Masaki: 5400

"Alright," Hassleberry cheered. "Private Osbourne took out Masaki's monster and shave off enough points with it!"

"If he can keep this up, Claudio can win in a few turns!" Melody added.

Masaki shook off the shock of the hit and smiled. "Wow, I haven't been down this far in years. And we're only a few turns in."

"I have been busy regaining my skills and..."

Claudio was interrupted when Roadie Riggs and Ophelia started to glow then vanished right into Claudio's deck!

"What!?"

"Where'd they go!" Syrus said.

"They vanished on him," Jethro replied.

"This is just like Jaden's Neo Spacians." Alister noted. "They return to the deck at the end of a turn."

"That's not what I expected." Claudio groaned. "I'll end my turn. Union Monsters never did that..."

"My move then," Masaki drew his next card, and then addressed his opponent. "I would've checked the card's effect before you rushed in like that. Now, Yellow Flash comes to my hand since it's the 2nd standby phase." He collected his monster card from his pocket. "Next, I activate the effect of Skull Musician. Once per duel, I can summon him from the graveyard!"

Skull Musician rose out from the ground and laughed. (3/1200/1200)

"Next, I summon Shonen Hero Jack!"

Standing by the skeleton was now a Japanese man in a white kimono and wielded a magical, samurai sword. (4/1600/1600)

"Now guys, double attack!"

First, Skull Musician wacked Claudio over the head with his violin and then Jack sliced the Ra across the chest.

Claudio: 5200

Masaki: 5400

"Masaki put their scores to nearly even." Erika stated as she looked on.

"Yet he clearly has the advantage with all the cards on his field." Lyra added.

"I end my turn here." Masaki concluded.

Claudio took a deep breath before he drew his. "Minor setback, so I have to bounce right back. First, I'll use the Double Summon Spell card!" He announced, activating his Spell. "First up, I summon Ironheade – Lita the Force!"

Lita jumped out of the spell card, slicing the air once with her halberd. (3/1500/400)

"Another one, okay," The S-Hero duelist noted.

"Yup and trust me, I'm told she can be high-strung at times." Claudio replied.

" _Shut up,"_ Lita mumbled.

The Ra shook his head as he brought out another card. "Now I summon Jukebox Hero Li in attack mode!"

In blaze of fire, an Asian guitar player with long, brown hair jumped out wearing armor made up of dragon scales. The Hero played a fast guitar solo with his dragon-scaled guitar that ended with a flame ring around his feet. (4/1600/1200)

"Then, I use my facedown card: The Continuous Spell Rock of Ages!" Claudio continued, revealing his Set card. Rising from the ground, came a giant rock that was cracked open with green mist flowing out from it. "With this, for every Jukebox Hero on my field, my Warriors gain 200 ATK!"

The mist surrounded both Lita and Li, increasing their strength. (3/1500-1700/400), (4/1600-1800/1200)

"Now, ladies first, Lita attack Skull Musician! Power Halberd!"

Lita charged in towards the skeleton and chopped him down to bone fragments.

Claudio: 5200

Masaki: 4900

"Now, Li attack Jack with Force of the Flames!"

Li played a fast solo, summoning a fire dragon spirit that soared towards Jack and burned him down.

Claudio: 5200

Masaki: 4700

"Now that your attack his done, I can use my facedown! Quick-Play Spell Hero-In-Training!" Masaki countered, flipping over his face down. The facedown card showed a younger Shonen Hero Taijutsu Fighter combat training on a log. "With this, I can summon a high level Shonen Hero but they become 500 ATK/DEF weaker in the process."

"I know what that means!" Jeremy said.

"He's bringing out Shonen Hero Yellow Flash!" Lily answered.

"Right you are!" Masaki smiled. "Come on out, big guy!"

Yellow Flash jumped on to the field and smirked at his competition. (7/2600-2100/2600-2100)

 _'He knows about Li's effect of gaining more power from a chain,'_ Claudio figured as he set his facedown card on the field. "I'm done."

"My draw!" Masaki announced, drawing his next card. "I play Spellbook Inside the Pot letting us both draw three cards!" Both players drew the three cards. "Now I summon Shonen Hero Guitar Girl in attack mode!"

Jumping from the sky, came a girl wearing a bright red coat, black pants, white boots, and lemon chiffon colored scarf. In her hands, she carried a black guitar. (3/1400/1400)

"Now you got one?" Claudio asked with a smile.

"Yup!" Masaki grinned, "And you know with another Shonen Hero on the field, I can have Yellow Flash attack you directly! Hiraishin!"

As soon as S-Hero unveiled his three-pronged kunai, Claudio took the liberty to unleash his facedown card.

"I activate Defense Draw!" He countered, revealing his Trap Card. Yellow Flash quickly struck the barrier as soon as it appeared and reclaimed his kunai. "Not only do I negate the damage, but I can draw a card as well!" He then drew another card.

"Good play, but I have another, the Trap Forceful Tag!" Masaki continued as his trap activated showing Shonen Hero Sword Marimo throwing in Shonen Hero Skull Musician into the battlefield with the latter having a surprised face. "This trap activates during my Battle Phase and it lets me switch out a Shonen Hero for another with the same level, and I'll have Yellow Flash back to my hand!"

The S-Hero in question vanished back into Masaki's hand.

"And even though, I can use the loophole of putting him back on the field, I'll opt for getting your monsters off the field first so here comes Shonen Hero Whitebeard!"

A flash of blue light appeared on the field. And emerging from it was person that everyone had to stand back in order to get a good look at him. This hero had a white mustache and was about five times the size of a normal human being! He wore a black bandanna around his head and adorned himself with a white captain's coat which hung loosely from his broad shoulders and bore the symbol of a skull with a white mustache and crossbones. He also wore light, loose pants tucked inside his large boots, and a dark pirate sash around his waist. (7/2700/2700)

"He's enormous!" Bastion gasped.

"I think the creators at Industrial Illusions jumped the gun with this guy," Jeremy added.

"And since my Battle Phase is still on," Masaki said, getting the attention back on him. "Whitebeard, let loose the big quake on Li!"

Whitebeard yelled as he slammed the ground, sending violent shockwaves towards the Jukebox Hero who shattered on impact.

Claudio: 4300

Masaki: 4700

"Also, Guitar Girl can attack directly but her damage will cut in half," Masaki turned to his monster. "Go crazy!"

The girl was thrilled to hear as she jumped way up in the sky before bashing Claudio on the head with her instrument. Everyone cringed at as it sent the Ra to the ground.

Claudio: 3600

Masaki: 4700

"And next, two facedown cards and end my turn." The S-Hero Duelist concluded as two reversed cards appeared at his feet. "Also, to let you in on something about Whitebeard; he's the only monster you can attack and he's unaffected by Trap Cards!"

Claudio groaned.

"And I thought he was making a big mistake by not using Yellow Flash," Kenji noted. "But this monster's in another league if he can keep his other monsters from getting destroyed."

"Even with his new monsters, Claudio won't be able to touch him without his high level monsters." Alexis added.

"My move!" Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "I'll switch Lita into defense mode and summon the Band Roadie in defense mode!" As Lita defended with her halberd, a man with a goatee and a mullet hairstyle, in black leather clothes, carrying a toolbox appeared right next to her. (3/700/500) "And then play two cards facedown and activate the Spell Welcome Home!"

The Continuous Spell appeared showing five video screens with symbols inside.

"He's calling for Coheed Cambria," Melody smiled.

"Let's just hope it's not destroyed before he can bring it out." Lyra added.

"That's my turn," Claudio concluded.

"Then it's my draw," Masaki announced, drawing his next card. He then immediately played it. "I summon Shonen Hero Wild Samurai!" Jumping out of the card image was a man with black hair wearing a red jacket and black shorts. He carried a double-edged sword on his back. (4/1500/1500) "Now then, I activate one of my facedown cards, Final Attack Orders! As long as this card's on the field, all monsters have to be in attack mode!"

Claudio gasped as Lita and Band Roadie stood right back up.

"Now it's time for some big damage, Whitebeard attack Band Roadie!" Masaki shouted as his giant Hero created another massive earthquake and shattered the roadie. Claudio blocked with his duel disk, making sure none of the debris got into his face.

Claudio: 1600

Masaki: 4700

"Don't count me out, just yet," Claudio declared, taking out a Monster Card from his deck. "When Band Roadie's destroyed I get to summon a Level 3 or below Jukebox Hero from my deck! I bring out Jukebox Hero Jovi! And with Rock of Ages still on the field, he and Lita become 200 ATK stronger!"

Where the Roadie stood, a blonde man wearing a blue vest and jeans appeared. He also carried a brown guitar. (3/1300-1500/800), (3/1500-1700/400)

"Also since a monster was destroyed, my Welcome Home field spell card gains a C&C counter!"

A TV screen popped up behind Claudio. (WH: 1)

"Wild Samurai has to attack, since his ability causes it..." Masaki muttered. "Attack Jovi!"

Claudio grinned, "And he triggered the Trap card, Spolin' For a Fight!" A trap activated showing Jukebox Hero Slash taunting some warrior monsters into a fight. "With this all your monsters have to attack since I have Jukebox Hero on the field. And since Whitebeard already attacked and is unaffected by traps, he won't lose 100 ATK times his level like your other monsters!"

Masaki gasped as Guitar Girl and Wild Samurai, who leapt into the fray, got weaker. (3/1400-1100/1400), (4/1500-1100/1500)

"Jovi, counterattack!"

Jovi jammed on his guitar engulfing both heroes in water as they shattered. Two more TV screens appeared behind Claudio. (WH: 3)

Claudio: 1600

Masaki: 3900

"That was close," Jaden sighed.

"But still, with Whitebeard on the field he's still on the receiving end of a beating, if he doesn't defend himself." Jethro added.

"Even though Claudio could suicide Jovi to get rid of him, that'll send him to 400 life points," Alex said. "And that's a big risk if he doesn't have the winning move to follow up."

"I'll end my turn," Masaki declared, "This is getting fun!"

"I hear ya," Claudio replied, drawing his next card. "I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards underneath the grinning pot. "Alright, I sacrifice Jovi and summon Jukebox Hero Kill Master!" Jovi vanished letting the cowboy looking musician appear. (6/2400-2600/1700) Lita then looked at him with surprise.

"Kill Master?"

"Well, look who it is," Kill Master greeted.

"Wait a sec," Claudio interrupted. "You two know each other?"

"Yeah, he used to live in Bladehenge as well." Lita replied.

"Man, I had Bladehenge cards and I didn't even know it." Claudio smiled as he inserted a card. "Anyway, I'll place this card facedown and have to end my turn again but at least I gain 600 life points." Kill Master played a bass solo, revitalizing Claudio's points.

Claudio: 2200

Masaki: 3900

"I'll have to stop it there!" Masaki stated, drawing his next card. "Now, Whitebeard attack!"

As the giant man raised his fist for another Earthquake...

"Here ya go, I activate Covering Fire and this trap let's Kill Master gain ATK equal to Lita's!" Claudio countered, revealing his facedown card. Lita stood by Kill Master as she got her halberd ready. (6/2600-4300/1700)

"Now strike him down!"

Both of Claudio's monsters jumped into the air to avoid the earthquake and then double teamed the giant, making him shatter in an explosion. (WH: 4)

Claudio: 2200

Masaki: 1600

"Back in the game!" The J-Hero Duelist cheered. "Finally got out of the gutter!"

"Aw man, I'm really getting hammered here!" Masaki gasped with a smile. "But don't think this is over yet!"

"It's close now." Lily noted.

"At least Claudio got to keep monsters on the field," Allen added.

"That'll be far enough, Claudio!" Masaki stated as activated his Trap Card. "With Card of Inheritance I can draw until I hold five cards!" He drew up to five cards, plus one for starting his turn. "Next, I use Mystical Space Typhoon, too bad Coheed Cambria's not coming!"

Claudio watched in horror as his spell was destroyed and the TVs broke down.

"Then, I use Magic Planter to destroy Final Attack Orders and draw two more cards!" Masaki announced, letting his Trap Card shatter, letting him draw twice more. "Now, I Special Summon Shonen Hero Afro Samurai in defense mode!"

Jumping down to the field came a black man with an afro hairstyle wearing a white garb and holding a curved blade. (4/1600/1600)

"How can he do that?" Claudio wondered.

"Since I was free of monsters at the time, I could summon him this way." Masaki continued, playing two cards into his disk. "Now, I place one card facedown and a monster facedown as well." Two cards appeared perpendicular to each other. "My turn's done."

"I draw!" Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "Lita take out Afro Samurai!"

The blonde woman stabbed the samurai with her halberd.

"Now Kill Master, attack his facedown card!"

The J-Hero strummed his guitar, forcing the card to flip up showing Shonen Hero Rubberman standing his ground with a grin. (4/1500/1500)

"I end my turn." Claudio concluded.

Masaki drew his next card, but then pointed to his Set card. "I now use my facedown card, Call of the Haunted! I use it to bring back Whitebeard!" the Trap Card flipped over, unleashing Whitebeard onto the field. (7/2700/2700)

"Oh great, the wall's back," Melody sighed.

"Next, I use the Equip Spell Card Black Pendant to Rubberman to give him 500 ATK!" the S-Hero duelist continued as a black jeweled necklace appeared out the S-Hero, who didn't pay it no mind (4/1500-2000/1500-2000) "Now Whitebeard, attack Kill Master!"

The S-Hero shook the ground once again, shattering the cowboy. (3/1700-1500/400)

Claudio: 2100

Masaki: 1600

"Now Rubberman, attack Lita with Gum Gum Pistol!"

The straw hat boy reeled back his fist before launching it into a stretched out punch knocking out the Ironheade monster.

Claudio: 1600

Masaki: 1600

"That's it from me." Masaki concluded.

"Need to get a comeback here," Claudio muttered, drawing his next card. "Let's go! I play the Spell, Card of Sanctity!"

Both players drew until they had six. Claudio smiled at his find.

"I use another Spell, Soul Exchange, on Whitebeard so I can sacrifice him to summon Ironheade – Lars the Brave!" He continued as a white aura surrounded Whitebeard and sucked his soul right out. It flew over to Claudio's side of the field and brought out the tall blonde Warrior who drew his sword. (6/1900/1400)

Rubberman gasped seeing his fellow hero shattered into pixels.

 _"Finally, I can join the battle and bring about the victory!"_ Lars praised.

"Since I used Soul Exchange, I can't go into the battle phase, so I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn." Claudio declared.

"Then, it's my draw!" Masaki drew. "First, I'll use the Shallow Grave to allow both of us to bring out a monster and set it on the field. And I pick Shonen Hero Saiyan!"

A facedown monster card appeared on his field.

"I pick Jukebox Hero Kill Master!"

A facedown monster appeared on Claudio's field.

"Next, I play Junk Dealer to summon two more monsters from my graveyard, but with half the strength so here's Shonen Heroes Whitebeard and Afro Samurai!"

Both heroes appeared on the field, but with weakened power. (7/2700-1350/2700), (4/1600-800/1600)

"Now I..."

"Stop right there," Claudio countered as his facedown card activated. "I activate Mind Crush!" The trap showed a blue-haired man, losing his memory. "I get to name one card, and if it's in your hand, you have to discard it!" The J-Hero duelist smiled. "And I pick Shonen Hero Yellow Flash!"

Masaki sighed as he sent it to the graveyard.

"Perfect, now Claudio won't have to suffer from the direct attack!" Melody cheered.

"He was almost goner, that's for sure," Spencer nodded. "With all those monsters he was summoning and then with Yellow Flash's effect, Claudio would have lost."

"Well, you stopped that plan Claudio," Masaki praised. "Now I have to use a different strategy, like summon Shonen Hero Taijutsu Fighter!" The green jumpsuit wearing hero appeared in a fighting stance. (4/1900/1900)

"All I see is a wall to defend yourself," Claudio shrugged. He then gasped. "Unless..."

"Unless I have another card to play..." Masaki turned over his next card.

Polymerization!

"And I do and it involves any five Shonen Heroes, but they have to be on the field first!"

A fusion vortex opened up from the sky and sucked in all of Masaki's monsters.

"I don't like the look of this," Jaden said.

"Yeah, I never seen a fusion gate that big," Syrus added.

"Looks like Masaki's calling in the big guns, boys," Hassleberry stated.

"Meet one of my most powerful Shonen Heroes, the Ultrazord!"

Slowly descending from the vortex a machine over 7 times bigger than any person! It had two legs and feet that seemed to be made of a yellow tiger and blue triceratops. The arms and shoulders were black and had a red 'M' on them. The torso was covered by a red chest plate and the head had two metal horns on it. It drew a giant metal sword. (10/3000/3000)

Claudio bugged out seeing the power of the machine. "Oh boy..."

"3000 ATK!" Bastion gasped.

"It won't be pretty for Claudio if that machine attacks." Alexis added.

"I now activate Fairy Meteor Crush and equip it to Ultrazord!" Masaki continued as a red aura surrounded the machine's sword.

"Now I can pierce through your defenses, like your facedown Kill Master!"

Thunder rained down on the sword, allowing Ultrazord to bring down a massive slash that completely ripped through the facedown card and subjected Kill Master to shocking end.

Claudio: 300

Masaki: 1600

"He's down to 300 Life Points!" Melody exclaimed, worriedly.

"And with Fairy Meteor Crush, he'll get damage no matter what monster he sets." Bastion added.

"But still, there's a way he can get out of this." Jaden stated. "He needs to summon his new Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs!"

"It has only 2500 ATK," Allen said to him. "He can't beat that machine!"

"Unless, he has a something to make it stronger," Lyra added.

"I place my last two cards facedown and it's your move, Claudio!" Masaki concluded. "Let's see you try to beat me!"

 _"We need to call on our comrades,"_ Lars said to his ally.

"Coming right up," Claudio said as he drew his next card, and then waved his hand towards his facedown card. "I activate the trap: Coming to the Stage!" The Trap Card showed Jukebox Hero ZP greeting the fans on stage. "Now, I get to look at the top card of my deck. And if it's a Jukebox Hero, I can summon it to the field!"

Claudio then placed his fingertips on his top card and flipped it over.

"Well?" Masaki asked.

The Ra grinned. "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs, return!"

The J-Hero Roadie returned to the field. (7/2500/2000)

"And since Rock of Ages is still on the field, he gains 200 ATK as well as Lars!"

Both Lars and Riggs knocked fists as the glowing rock empowered them. (6/1900-2100/1400), (7/2500-2700/2000)

"You'll need to step it up," The S-Hero duelist stated.

"Gladly, I'll use the Field Spell card, the Age of Metal!" Claudio grinned as he inserted a card into the Field Spell Slot.

Suddenly, the whole area turned into the place where Claudio was transported to. Mountains and ancient symbols of Rock bands and swords surrounded the field.

"So this is the world Claudio went to..." Melody mused.

"Now then, since Lars the Brave is a Union monster, I can equip him onto Roadie Riggs!" Claudio announced as Lars hopped on to the air and stood on Roadie Riggs' shoulders and held his sword high. "And in the Age of Metal, when Roadie Riggs is equipped with an Ironheade Union Monster, he gains 500 ATK!"

Riggs gripped his axe, ready for the chance to strike. (7/2700-3200/2000)

"Finally, I'll equip Roadie Riggs with Clementine, giving him 600 ATK!"

The new J-Hero smiled as a black, flying-V guitar appeared in his hands. He tuned it with care. (7/3200-3800/2000)

"Now, Roadie Riggs attack the Ultrazord with Metal Shocker!"

Riggs, with Lars, ran up to the metal zord and then jammed his guitar unleashing electricity that rained down on the tall opponent.

"I activate Invincible Hero to keep it on the field!" Masaki said, activating his Trap card. Ultrazord grabbed a black shield in a shape of a mammoth and used it to block the lightning.

Claudio: 300

Masaki: 800

"He was so close!" Alex said, snapping his fingers.

"I may not have destroyed your monster in battle, but I can still activate the union effect of Lars!" Claudio stated. "When I deal battle damage, he can destroy 1 card on the field!"

Masaki gasped.

"I know you said that Ultrazord's not affected by Monster effects, but thanks to Union monsters' effects of being Equip Spell cards, its fair game!" Claudio turned to Lars. "Take it away, Lars!"

The brave warrior nodded as he jumped off from Riggs' shoulders, drew his sword and went to stab the machine and cleave it through.

"Oh no you don't, I activate De-Fusion!" Masaki countered, revealing his Quick-Play Spell. "Ultrazord, separate!"

The Ultrazord glowed a bright white until it separated into five lights. Lars missed the timing as he saw the five lights morphed into the monsters that made the fusion monsters. Shonen Heroes Saiyan, Whitebeard, Afro Samurai, Rubberman and Taijutsu Fighter returned and stood ready to fight. (6/2400/2400), (7/2700/2700), (4/1600/1600), (4/1500/1500), (4/1900/1900)

"I end my turn, but since Age of Metal is still on the field, Roadie Riggs and Lars don't have to return to the deck." Claudio concluded.

"Alright, my move then," Masaki drew his next card and smiled. "Now it won't matter if you have that Field Spell out, since I drew the Heroes Unite equip spell!" The Spell showed the Shonen Hero group standing in a white backdrop. "I'll equip it to Whitebeard, giving him 500 ATK for every Shonen Hero standing on the field!"

Everyone gasped as Whitebeard laughed heartily as he flexed his muscles. (7/2700-5200/2700)

"That's way overkill!" Jeremy shouted.

"Yet, it was the only card I could use to win this," Masaki shrugged. "Now end this duel, Whitebeard!"

The Shonen Hero raised his fists again, but instead opting for to charge in head first. Riggs and Lars nodded to each other as they charged in to meet the S-Hero head on.

"It's all over!"

"Not quite!"

When Whitebeard threw a right hand, a windstorm knocked him off balance, pushing him back.

"What!?"

"I guess you missed my facedown card," Claudio revealed his Set card. "Negate Attack! Ending the Battle Phase!"

"Too close!" Melody said, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Guess I have to get you next turn, but to make sure you don't get any ideas, I'll just switch my other monsters to defense mode and end my turn." Masaki concluded as the monsters surrounding Whitebeard had took a knee.

"Give me a miracle here!" Claudio said as he drew his next card. He then cheered, "Yes! I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Heroes Unite card!"

The wind ripped apart the spell, leaving Whitebeard gasping as his power left him. (7/5200-2700/2700)

"Now then, to commemorate the memory, I think it's time to rock out with an old favorite!" The Ra smiled as he took the guitar of his back.

"Here we go!" Melody smiled.

(Die for Metal – Manowar)

The J-Hero Duelist played a rough guitar intro, getting everyone starting to nod their heads to the beat. After a moment, he started singing softly while providing a few riffs amongst the lyrics. Hanging on every word, the audience heard Claudio speak out for his love of metal and felt the intensity behind it.

What was mesmerizing is that during the song, everyone felt that they weren't the only ones there as thunder and lightning flashed through the skies and even heard massive cries from around them.

Claudio grinned as he truly felt reborn as he sung the chorus, holding his head up high and putting emphasis on every lyric. He too heard the many voices from around the field, but that only served to amp him up as he loved a bigger audience.

And that's when he saw it...

On the cliffs, surrounding the Age of Metal Field Spell, were the many warriors of Bladehenge. The Headbangers, Razor Girls, Bouncers, and many men riding chopper-style motorcycles all cheering and singing along. The students of Duel Academy and the workers were all amazed at the extra people that came across, and some even provided the extra instrumentals.

Masaki smirked. Despite knowing he was going to lose, this was the Claudio Osbourne he wanted to face since coming to Duel Academy. He felt bad that the Ra had collapsed over their second duel and thought he caused a massive shock that made Claudio lose everything he loved.

Suddenly, during the second playing of the chorus, he found himself facing an army of the same people that were up on the cliffs. Even shocking that there were different people amongst his Shonen Heroes, forming an army and they were reading to take them head on.

Once done with the chorus, Roadie Riggs yelled the battle cry that caused his army to charge. Whitebeard, not wanting to pass up a challenge, told his army to charge as well and soon the war was on.

As the battle raged on, Claudio started playing a wild solo that got everyone cheering. They were amazed that someone who was just losing his focus and couldn't play the simple notes, was now playing with such skill and intensity. Even Claudio was shocking himself that was doing what he was doing, but he didn't stop and starting whooping and hollering, shouting "I'M BACK, BABY!"

Once done with the solo, he raised his guitar over his shoulders and saw that the war had took its toll. Surprisingly, everyone present wasn't dead... just either knocked out or tired. But there were only two men standing...

Roadie Riggs...

And Whitebeard...

Both men took out their respective weapons and held them out as a sign of respect to one another.

Then the fight was on! The Jukebox Hero and Shonen Hero clashed weapons, matching each other move for move as Claudio continued playing for the fight. Despite the difference in ATK, it was an even battle and it looked like no end in sight.

At the outro, however, Riggs found an open spot and cut Whitebeard across the chest. The Shonen Hero didn't even let out a cry of agony, he just smiled thinking he had a good run. He held out his fist to Riggs before falling to his back, shattering into pixels.

Claudio: 300, Winner

Masaki: 0

The holograms disappeared as the duel disks were shut down and the crowd cheered for the conclusion of the duel.

 _'Guess he's really something after all,'_ Masaki thought with a smile. _'I knew I couldn't win them all, but this was unexpected to say the least. Also, that music... Wow!'_

"Claudio won!" Melody cheered.

"His monsters were interesting to say the least," Bastion said.

"Just interesting? Those Ironheade cards were great!" Alex told them with a smirk on his face.

"And you all heard that music?" Jethro asked. "Whoo! That was impressive!"

Claudio walked up to Masaki and held out his hand. "I don't know if we can call it 1-1 since all those times we've dueled, you used your real deck."

Masaki shook it and said. "Since virtually used the same deck as last time, we can call it that. Just expect a tie breaker sometime in the future."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," The J-Hero duelist grinned.

"Alright, kids," Spencer announced, getting everyone's attention. "Time for my classes to start so everyone in the rooms! You too, Jaden..."

"Aw man," The Slifer whined.

"You missed out on a lot more work than normal," Kenji stated. "I'd say it's time for some extra credit."

"Don't remind me." Jaden moaned.

"It's alright bro," Claudio said, assured him. "I'll help you out since we're in the same boat."

"Good luck," Melody smirked. "About two dozen homework assignments you guys missed out on."

"TWO DOZEN!?" The boys shouted.

"My parents are going to kill me," The J-Hero Duelist whined.

Everyone laughed at the Ra's misfortune.

* * *

Another rematch done, and the Slifer Dorm's going crazy on rebuild. Besides anime, who else can do a build that fast!?

Also, to escape the overpowering of the Ironheade monsters, I added in they have to go back to the deck rule like the Neo-Spacian fusions.

Let there be Rock! Or not...

Trap Card

For this turn monsters over 1500 cannot attack.

Picture: Shows people throwing tomatoes to some fat people on stage dressed as Jukebox Heroes

(Created by Joshua Chung, all creative rights go to him.)

Ironheade – Lita the Force

Level 3

EARTH

1500/400

Warrior/Union

Once per turn, you can equip this card to a "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" you control, OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a monster by this effect, the equipped monster gains 500 ATK. At the End Phase, return this card and the monster equipped to the owner's deck. (A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, this card is destroyed instead.)

Ironheade – Lars the Noble

Level 6

WATER

Warrior/Union

1900/1400

Once per turn, you can equip this card to a "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" you control, OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a monster by this effect, when that monster inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, destroy 1 card on the field. At the End Phase, return this card and the monster equipped to the owner's deck (A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, this card is destroyed instead.)

Live Stage – Age of Metal

Field Spell

When "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" is equipped with an "Ironheade" monster gains 500 ATK. Union Monster effects that state they must return to the deck at the End Phase, does not apply.

(The preceding three cards were created by me. Card idea rights go to me, but the characters and places inspired go to Double Fine.)

Shonen Hero Afro Samurai

Level 4

EARTH

Warrior/Effect

1600/1600

This monster can be Special Summoned when there is no other monster on your side of the field.

Shonen Hero Guitar Girl

Level 4

WIND

Warrior/Effect

1400/1400

This card can attack directly. If you do, you opponent takes half of the battle damage.

art: Haruko Haruhara from Fooly Cooly

Shonen Hero Wild Samurai

Level 4

EARTH

Warrior/Effect

1500/1500

If this card is face-up on the field, it must attack if possible.

art: Mugen from Samurai Champloo

Heroes Unit

Equip Spell

A Shonen Hero equipped with this card gains 500 ATK and DEF for each Shonen Hero on the field.

Art: All the Shonen Heroes standing together.

Hero in Training

Quick-Play Spell

You can Special Summon a Level 5 or higher Shonen Hero from your hand. Reduce that monster's ATK and DEF by 500.

art: rock lee in his younger days hitting a log.

Forceful Tag

Normal Trap

Target 1 Shonen Hero you control; return it to the hand, and if you do, Special Summon 1 Shonen Hero from your hand with the same Level as the monster that was returned to the hand.

(The preceding 6 cards were created by Cooking Samurai. Card idea rights go to him but the characters inspired go to their respective creators)

Next Time: It's all coming to ahead now that Bonaparte is teaming with a demolition owner to take down the Slifer Dorm! Even though Spencer and Crowler team up after finding a common enemy, can they overcome their opponents who knows their dueling strategies?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	23. Last Stand of Slifer Red

Alright, it is time now for the big stage of the Slifer Dorm Defense! And it's not one on one, its two on two! Let's get ready to rumble!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 23: The Last Stand of Slifer Red

* * *

"That Dorm is staying rebuilt!"

"Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged since you destroyed it!"

"It wasn't me! It was just a twist of fate in my favor!"

At the conference room, all the heads of the school were having a meeting over the red dorm that was nearly completed thanks to the overseas workers. Of course, the only two were talking was Spencer and Bonaparte who butted heads like two boxers in a prize fight.

"Will both of you cool it!?" Crowler yelled, causing both men to sit down quietly. However, they still glared daggers at one another. "Thank you. Now, since the cause of the dormitory's destruction was unknown we must investigate on the cause, since a natural disaster's out of the question."

"That is a start," Sartyr said. "It is getting rather cramped in the Ra Dorm, but I'll still help out those Red students..."

"Besides, in case of such an emergency we have the budget to worry about since the Slifer Red is being rebuilt." Fonda added with a thought.

"What!?" Bonaparte shouted angrily, "We shouldn't waste any money on those slackers!"

"Those 'slackers' are students!" Spencer growled. "And they have the right to continue their education here!"

"Besides, we can't send them home because of accident," The Obelisk Headmistress added towards the Vice-Chancellor. "And you don't have authority to make this happen!"

"But we don't have enough money for the Academy workers to rebuild Slifer Dorm," the Vice-Chancellor stated with a triumphant smirk. "Unless you want the dorm to be a collapsible dorm ready to fall over with a single touch."

"Which is why, I already had workers outside the island called over here." The Slifer Headmaster replied with a smile. "The dorm's almost done being rebuilt as we speak."

"But you don't have authority for that!" Bonaparte countered.

"Last I checked, I am the Slifer Headmaster still under contract," Spencer noted. "It's my responsibility to help out everyone in my dormitory, including the Ra and Obelisk students that lived there for the duration of your fight. And even though we don't have enough money with the Academy budget concerning the Slifer Dorm, I added my own wealth into the line to hire those workers."

"Well, I'm cancelling it!"

"It's not happening!" Crowler noted. "I've already authorized it to be rebuilt, it's what all those documents were for. Not to mention that the Slifer Dorm won the rights to stay in business, adding in another reason that it will stay."

"But you started the documents while the build was in progress," Bonaparte grinned. "Meaning I have all the power in the world to demolish right now!"

"You'll do no such thing!" the acting Chancellor shouted.

"Too late, the demolishers are already here and once I get over there its 'Au Revoiur Red Dorm'!"

"You're insane!" Spencer yelled. "It's not going to happen."

"I have more of a reason to it after one of your students struck me this morning!" Boneparte huffed as he recalled the event.

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Bonaparte was having a phone call at lunch time._

 _"So you'll be here! Excellent I'll meet you at the dorm!" The Vice-Chancellor grinned as he hung up. "Just in case they pull out all the stops, I'll definitely have the upper hand with my special guest coming in to re-smash the red dorm!"_

 _"You're still on that, huh?"_

 _Bonaparte turned around to see Masaki behind him with a glare._

 _"Buzz off, kid," He said. "Being in good graces with Sartorius won't save you now."_

 _"This is high-way robbery, Bonaparte," Masaki growled. "Even if you go through with this, you'll just hurt yourself in the process. So, I'd advise you to stop this now, while you have the chance."_

 _"And I say, no! You should start packing your bags, kid."_

 _"Hmm, then let me give you a special parting gift..."_

 _*WHAM!*_

 _Masaki dropped Bonaparte with a right hand and left out with no words. When the short man got up, he glared at the retreating form of the Slifer and shouted..._

 _"Your dorm is dead, kid!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

The faculty gasped at the explanation of the Vice-Chancellor.

"Well, I'm not surprised." Spencer said. "You did deserve a good smack for all you've done."

"And for that, I'm tearing down the dorm!" Bonaparte declared.

"You'll do no such thing!" Crowler stepped in. "The documents are signed, who cares about the timing?"

The Vice-Chancellor growled, until he smirked. "Since you won't listen to words, let's settle this the old-fashioned way. A duel!"

"Fine!" Spencer declared as he stood up from the table. "I wanted to shut you up since opening day!"

"No!" Crowler interjected, also standing up and staring at the small man. "I'll duel you and crush you like the pathetic little butterball you are!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please," Bonaparte smirked as he waved his hands in a condescending manner. "If you're both dead set on challenging me, I'll duel both of you!"

"So a 2-on-1?" Fonda asked.

"No, 2-on-2! If my team wins, the Red Dorm is trashed along with the expulsion of the Slifers!"

"And if our side wins," Crowler stated. "The Red Dorm stays with no further interference from you!"

"Also, none of the students will be penalized." Spencer added as well.

"Deal and my partner should be here any moment!" The Vice-Chancellor grinned.

* * *

At the Slifer Area, everyone gathered around Masaki and bombarded him with questions.

"They're tearing down the dorm again!"

"Are you certain?"

"Who's your source?"

"Guys!" Alexis stopped the questions, letting the S-Hero duelist gain some space. "Now, what happened, Masaki?"

"Bonaparte's still tearing it down, and even heard he had some kind of backup plan in case something like what Jachin pulled happens." He said.

"What did Jachin do?" Claudio asked.

"I basically came out with my secret and stopped him from booting the Obelisks from the dorm." The Persona duelist stated.

"And that secret is?" Jaden asked.

"Jachin's a Psychic duelist," Allyson explained. "One who can make his monsters, come to life."

"Cool!"

"But this isn't cool," Melody said. "If he's got a plan to stop us that's sure to tear down the dorm, then we need to be ready for this."

"Well they've threatened to do that," Alister noted. "But there was no retaliation the day we've started to rebuild."

"Maybe they want the workers to finish up," Erika pointed out as she saw the construction continuing.

"Then they could just crush it," Allen added.

"With what?" Lyra asked. "I see no demolition crew."

"She's right," Vincent agreed.

"Must we duel in front of the students?"

Everyone turned to see Crowler yelling with Spencer and Bonaparte all carrying their duel gear. Of course, Spencer had the standard Academy duel disk and Crowler had his giant duel vest.

"Pourquoi? Having second thoughts?" Bonaparte asked. He also had a duel vest as well, but it also had a wheel on the edge of it so that he could walk the ground.

"We're not," Spencer stated. "I thought we were dueling at the arena and waiting for your partner to arrive."

"Oh, I just have a special treat for the dorm." The Vice-Chancellor said.

"It can't be good."

"Just prepare to eat dirt, Shorty!" Crowler mocked.

"You too, Amazon," Bonaparte said.

"Wait a sec," Kenji muttered. "They're dueling over here?"

"That's not all; Crowler's helping Professor Sojourner out?" Lily asked.

"That's surprising." Alex stated.

"So he's on our side?" Jeremy asked.

"Looks like it." Claudio concluded.

"Looks like a sweet duel to me!" Jaden exclaimed. "Is it a two-on-one? Kinda unfair, don't you think?"

Everyone groaned at the Neos duelist's antics of loving a duel over the fate of the dorm.

Suddenly, they heard rumbling coming towards the dorm.

"What's going on?" Jachin asked.

They got their answers as five bulldozers and power shovels rolled out and stood behind Bonaparte.

"So this is your 'special treat'?" Spencer growled.

"Actually more of the appetizer..." Bonaparte stated.

Then, the conversation was cut short as a loud whirring sound soon filled the sky and a powerful wind made everyone cover their heads.

"Now what?" Crowler looked up to see a helicopter coming down from the sky. Then, a guy jumped off it as soon as it got close enough towards the ground letting the helicopter fly away. He wore a black tank top with camouflage pants and black boots. He had a muscular physique and had a shaved head and a scar over his left cheek.

"Gentlemen, meet Mr. Samuel Nash!" Bonaparte introduced.

"But I go by the name, Scar!" The man greeted in a scruff voice.

Masaki gasped. "Oh boy."

"What?" Claudio asked.

"Aster told me about this guy," The S-Hero duelist said. "He's currently a high-ranking duelist in the Pro League!"

"So Bonaparte hired an experience high-ranked duelist?" Jachin gasped. "That's foul!"

"Then again, hardly anyone on the island likes him," Alex shrugged. "Heck, I have half in mind to lay off Crowler to mess with the little butterball."

Scar shook Bonaparte's hand.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice." The Vice-Chancellor said.

"Don't worry, you paid me to take care of a problem," The Pro duelist said as he overlooked the competition. "And from the looks of these two, I'll have no problem ripping them apart."

Crowler was seething while Spencer narrowed his eyes.

"A Tag Duel with a Pro Duelist? Sweet!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Yeah, but don't forget if Crowler and Professor Sojourner loses, the Red Dorm's trashed!" Alexis added.

"So don't get overly excited." Lily stated.

"Okay!" Crowler shouted. "I don't care who your partner is, you're going down!"

"I have no complaints." Spencer said. "Beating you in a fair duel will only cement the fact that Slifer stays."

Bonaparte chuckled. "Oh you'll care..."

"And you'll cry after you lose!" Scar concluded.

Crowler and Bonaparte activated their duel vests while Spencer and Scar activated their duel disks.

"DUEL!"

All players drew their opening hands.

Crowler/Spencer: 8000

Bonaparte/Scar: 8000

"I'll start this duel!" the Vice-Chancellor declared as he waved a hand over his deck holding, letting a card slipped out of the vest and add it to his hand. "I summon the Toy Soldier!"

Appearing on the field was a small toy soldier wearing a French soldier uniform with a musket rifle in hand. (3/800/300)

"That small monster doesn't look so tough," Jaden noted.

"But it's deadly," Alexis noted.

"Exactly right, mademoiselle," Bonaparte grinned. "And I'll fortify my troops with three facedown cards!" Three reversed cards appeared at his feet. "Your turn, Crowler!"

"Hmph, that monster is nothing," Crowler stated as a sixth card slid out his vest, "I'll begin with Graceful Charity! You know the drill; I draw three cards and then discard two to the grave." Once he drew his three cards, he discarded his choices and continued.

"I then summon Ancient Gear Statue!" He announced as a pile of metal fell onto the field and combined into a rickety statue. The noticeable thing about it was that Ancient Gear Golem's head was the centerpiece. (2/500/500) "Then, I use its Special Ability to sacrifice it to summon the Ancient Gear Golem without any restrictions!"

The statue's base broke apart and let the head dig into the ground. After a rumbling from the ground, it unleashed a giant machine made of old parts and visible gears that stood tall. (8/3000/3000)

"Crowler's best card!" Claudio smiled.

"Impressive, Chancellor," Spencer added.

"Now you're calling me Chancellor?" The Ancient Gear duelist raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you're finally acting like it..." The Slifer Headmaster shrugged. "Taking action against Bonaparte's mess..."

"Someone had to," Crowler shrugged.

"Excuse me boys, but I was planning for Crowler to summon that!" The Vice-Chancellor smirked as he raised his hand over one of his facedown cards. "Go trap card, Toy Cannon!" A trap activated unleashing the small cannon on wheels. Toy Soldier ran behind it and lit a fuse. "Now I can change your monster's mode and you lose 400 Life Points from it!"

After the fuse burnt out, a cannon ball was fired and hit the Golem on the forehead. It lurched back some and then dropped to its knees, smacking Crowler down to the ground as well.

Crowler/Spencer: 7600

Bonaparte/Scar: 8000

"Not bad... for a toy..." The Chancellor groaned.

"Now then, to make sure your Golem stays that way, I activate Gulliver Chain!" Boneparte continued as he revealed another Trap card. Large chains erupted from the ground and locked the golem in place.

"With this trap in play, you can't attack or sacrifice with your golem." Bonaparte smiled. "And if you switch it back to attack mode, the entire thing will be ripped to shreds!"

"Crowler had him right where he wanted him," Bastion said.

"But it appears, Bonaparte knew Crowler would try to end it quickly," Lily added.

"Yeah, in one move he's shut Crowler down." Kenji stated.

Crowler groaned as he inserted a card into his large disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"And begins mine!" Scar announced as he drew his sixth card. "Now I summon Storm Commando E-2 Virus!"

Flying from the sky was a white aircraft carrier that looked to be 6 feet tall with a weather satellite on its back. Suddenly, it started to transform into a robot with the wings folding up like an insect's, the cockpit folding forwards to reveal a silver head and the tail splitting up to create the legs. (3/1400/1850)

"Sam Hill!" Hassleberry gasped.

"What's up?" Melody asked.

"This is what he's known for," Masaki stated. "His monsters are based from military crafts that transformed into mechs. And those things have dangerous effects once they're on the field!"

"And now, this machine has one of three effects, I can choose from!" Scar explained. "And I'll use the effect of sending one of your cards to the graveyard Spencer, the middle card please!"

Spencer sighed as he sent the card Draconis Warrior Long to grave.

"And I'll end my turn with one three facedowns as well." The Pro concluded as three reversed cards appeared at his feet.

"My turn then!" Spencer announced, drawing his next card. "I'll set one monster in defense mode and then add two facedown cards as well. After the Set Monster was placed, two reversed cards appeared at Spencer's feet. "My turn's over."

"Not much on your part, huh monsieur," Bonaparte smirked.

Spencer stayed silent.

"Finally, nothing to say!" the small man exclaimed as he drew his next card. "I activate the effect of my Toy Soldier, letting me summon two more from my deck!"

Two more soldiers appeared next to the first. (3/800/300) x2

"Next, I summon the Toy Infantry in attack mode!"

Another red uniformed soldier appeared, holding a rifle with a bayonet attached to it. (4/1500/1000)

"All your monsters are toys, eh?" the Slifer Headmaster noted. "Not much from where I'm standing."

"Who cares you think?" Bonaparte grumbled. "Even though my monsters are smaller, like me the best things come in small packages!" He then took a spell card showing numerous Toy Soldiers marching up a flight of stairs. "I activate the Forced March spell card! Witness the march of the Toy Soldiers!"

The three soldiers stood at attention with their rifles at their right soldiers.

"Now... CHARGE!"

All three soldiers ran as fast as they could towards their enemies...

But they only managed to get a 1/3 of the way before they exhausted themselves. (3/800-400/300) x3

Crowler laughed. "You pushed your men to hard!"

"But of course, it's part of my master plan!" The Vice-Chancellor wagged his finger as he pointed to the last facedown card he had. "I now activate my facedown card, Fife and Drum Corps!" From the spell came more Toy Soldiers playing fanfare and pepping up the tired soldiers. (3/400-800/300) x3

"What!?" Crowler shrieked.

"This Spell card doubles my Toy Soldiers' ATK!" Bonaparte explained with a smirk. "Now my soldiers, ready..."

The soldiers loaded up their rifles with corks...

"Aim..."

They aimed them at Spencer and Crowler...

"FIRE!"

One shot fired at Spencer's face, and he ended up blocking with his disk with timed accuracy.

Crowler, however, wasn't lucky as the second hit his nose, causing him to hold it.

Then, he wished he didn't as the final shot hit him straight where even the strongest man would fall to his knees.

"No more!" He said in a squeaky voice.

Even the students cringed at the sight as Crowler was trying to hold in the pain.

Crowler/Spencer: 5200

Bonaparte/Scar: 8000

"And now for the fun part," Bonaparte continued with an evil smirk. "I was going to wait until you had lost 1000 life points, but losing nearly 3000 is better!"

"What are you talking about?" Spencer asked with frown.

"For every large amount life points you lose, I get to tear down a big piece of that dorm!" the Toy Duelist shouted.

The Slifer Headmaster gasped and turned around towards the workers. "The workers are still on it!"

"Then they better move!" Scar grinned.

Everyone gasped as the power shovels moved in to demolish the dorm. The workers were scrambling off ladders and away from the dorm when the demolition crews were about to make impact...

"No you don't!" Jachin activated his duel disk and summoned a few cards, "Tomoe Gozen, Kintoki Douji and Take-Mikazuchi block 'em!"

All three Persona monsters materialized and flew up to the shovels and chopped off the necks.

"Whoa..." Spencer whispered. "So it goes even this far..."

Bonaparte was shocked as he frighteningly exclaimed, "I thought that real monster fiasco was just a bad dream!"

"Nope," Jachin shouted as he pointed to the Vice-Chancellor. "Continue to strike at the dorm, and I'll just have my friends here chop 'em down!"

"Maybe it's good we have a Psychic duelist on board." Hassleberry said.

"Maybe, try definitely!" Masaki added a smirk. "He's defending the dorm single handled while the Headmaster shows Bonaparte not to mess with us!"

"Everyone, go back to work," Spencer told the workers. "You're in good hands!"

The workers were too frightened after what they almost endured. Even seeing the monsters come to life and breaking the power shovels got them questioning how serious this was.

"Now then, I place one card facedown and end my turn!" Bonaparte concluded as he inserted a card into his vest. "Looks like our little battle as stopped the construction!"

The Slifer Red Headmaster growled as he turned to Crowler. "You alright, Crowler?"

"Sure, I'm standing tall!" Crowler replied, sitting up... only to fall back to his knees, holding himself. "Not by much though..."

"You have to get up. It's your turn!"

Crowler fought through the pain as he drew his next card. "I use this... the spell Ancient Gear Castle!" Rising behind him and Spencer came an ancient castle lined with cannons. "With this card, all Ancient Gear monsters gain 300 ATK, and I'll summon Ancient Gear Soldier!"

A smaller version of the Golem appeared, except that its right arm was a machine gun. (4/1300-1600/1300)

"And don't think I'm done, I'll use the spell card Ancient Gear Tank, giving it 600 ATK!"

An old small tank appeared as the soldier stepped inside it and closed the door. (4/1600-2200/1300)

"And since when Ancient Gear monsters attack, leaving your spell and traps facedown, your virtually defenseless!" The Chancellor grinned. "Ancient Gear Solider, attack one of the Toy Soldiers!"

The tank revved up as the Soldier rode across the field and fired the cannons at the toy, obliterating it.

Crowler/Spencer: 5200

Bonaparte/Scar: 6400

"Alright, finally brought down Bonaparte's points a bit!" Lily exclaimed.

"Next, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." Crowler concluded.

"My draw!" Scar announced, drawing his next card. "I summon Storm Commando E-3 Controller in attack mode!"

Another white aircraft appeared with a black tracking device on its back appeared. It then transformed into another mech using that tracking device as a shield. (4/1500/1750)

"Another one!?" Spencer shouted.

"And here comes some combination moves, first E-3 Controller can let me look at any cards I want, but I have to choose where." The Storm Commando duelist stated. "I choose your deck, Red Boy! And I can see the top three cards from it!"

E-3 Controller's tracking device sent a transmitter revealing Dragon's Devil Eyes, Pot of Greed and Yamata Dragon.

"And seeing as your next card can become a hindrance, I'll use E-2 Virus' effect and make you send the top card of your deck to the grave now!"

E-2 Virus sent a red beam, coating Spencer's card in red ink, forcing him to send Dragon's Devil Eyes to the grave.

"And I'll end my turn." Scar concluded.

"Well then it's my move!" The Headmaster stated as he drew his next card. "I summon Draconis Warrior Drago!" Jumping onto the field was a green humanoid dragon wearing a black vest and pants. In his hands, he carried two red chakrams. (4/1600/1400) "Then, I use my facedown card Double Summon to bring out Draconis Warrior Draco in defense mode!"

Another humanoid dragon appeared wearing a red vest and pants. In his hands was a short sword. (4/1400/1600)

Scar grinned as he pointed to his first monster. "I'll then use E-2 Virus' effect!"

"On my turn!?" Spencer shouted.

"Yup, send the next card of your deck to the graveyard!"

Spencer frowned as he sent Yamata Dragon to the grave. "Now, let's stop some soldiers, attack a Toy Soldier, Draco!"

"But he's in defense mode!" Bonaparte protested.

"Well, his special ability lets me attack with him in any mode!" The Slifer Headmaster smirked. Soon, the Toy Soldier was sliced in half by the dragon's blade.

Crowler/Spencer: 5200

Bonaparte/Scar: 5800

"And next, I'll make double attacks courtesy of my Draconis Warrior Drago's effect!" He continued as he pointed to the machine, "But I'll strike Scar's Storm Commando first!" Drago ignited his chakrams and threw them at the Storm Commando...

"You just triggered the trap card, Electric Shock!" Scar announced, revealing his facedown card. The trap showed a sentry robot shocking the life out of a beast monster. "This negates your attack and drains 500 ATK from it!"

A lightning bolt flashed from the trap, and zapped Dragon and dropped him to the ground. (4/1600-1100/1400)

Spencer frowned but continued, "No matter, I'll use his second attack on another Toy Soldier!"

The Chakrams redirected themselves to strike number two of the Vice-Chancellor's monster...

"The first attack caught me off guard, but not now!" Bonaparte growled as he activated his facedown card. "I use Rush Recklessly to raise its ATK by 700 to counterattack!"

The Toy Soldier dodge rolled the chakram and loaded its gun. (3/800-1500/300) It then fired a shot that pierced through Drago as he shattered as well.

Crowler/Spencer: 4800

Bonaparte/Scar: 5800

"They're getting creamed out there!" Syrus gasped.

"I activate my traps, Bond of Dragons and Immortal Dragon!" Spencer announced as he revealed his facedown Trap Cards, "With Bond of Dragons, I can bring Draconis Warrior Double Head to the field!"

Descending to the field, was a white dragon in black armor holding a whip in his hands. And he fit the name as this warrior had two long heads. (4/1500/1300)

"And Immortal Dragon summons back Drago from the graveyard!"

Drago flew out from the ground and landed near his partner. (4/1600/1400)

"Alright, if the Prof can keep this up, he and Crowler can maintain field advantage at least." Bastion stated.

"But too bad, they're not gonna move!" Scar scoffed as he activated his Trap Card, "I use the trap card, A Rival Appears! Letting me summon Storm Commando FA-18 Archangel!"

Another aircraft appeared from the sky, a sliver fighter jet complete with two missiles. Like the first Storm Commando, it transformed into another robot and the missiles transformed into twin Gatling guns. (4/2000/1800)

"And with this one on the field, you can't destroy any other monsters without going through him first!" He stated

"And both of Professor Sojourner's monsters are weaker," Kenji noted.

"It won't do anything to stop my attacks!" Spencer stated. "Go Double Head, and when he attacks your Archangel loses 600 ATK!" The left head blasted green flames at the mech, stunning it. (4/2000-1400/1800)

"I activate Stygian Dirge!" Scar's final card showed a black cloaked woman, mourning in front of a black fog. "Now all of your monsters lose one level! Including Crowler's!"

Ancient Gear Golem, Draconic Guard, Double Head and Drago suddenly had a black fog looming over their heads. (8-7/3000/3000), (4-3/1600/1800), (4-3/1500/1300), (4-3/1600/1400)

"It still won't save you!" The Draconis Warrior duelist declared. "Double Head, finish it!"

The right head of the dragon warrior shot blue flames at the mech, engulfing it in the flames.

"Oh yeah, it's time for an explosion!" Jaden cheered.

"Look again," Lyra pointed out.

When the flames extinguished, the Storm Commando was still standing!

"What!?" Erika shouted.

"How come it's still standing?" Allyson added.

"It's my Archangel's effect; it can't be destroyed in battle against monsters of a lower level!" Scar grinned. "And if you're wondering why the Life points didn't change, it's because I don't take Battle damage unless you're using a level 4 or higher monster!"

"So that's why Stygian Dirge is out!" Jeremy deduced, "I wondered what's the point of lowering Monsters's levels.

Spencer growled as he inserted a card. "I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew twice underneath the grinning pot and smiled at his find. "Now I'll set three cards on the field and end my turn."

"And starts mine!" Bonaparte announced, drawing his next card. "I'll play Spellbook Inside the Pot! Everyone gets to draw three cards!"

All players drew the needed number with the Vice-Chancellor smirking as he revealed one of the cards he drew. "Next, I'll use the spell card, the Crowing of the Emperor!" The spell showed a red crown in a spotlight.

"Now, I can sacrifice a Toy Soldier to summon the Toy Emperor!"

The soldier saluted as he vanished. Then, riding out on a white, toy horse was another solider but in a black high-rank soldier's uniform with a red cape. It drew its sword, pointing out to the enemy. (6/2300/800)

"And then, I summon another Toy Infantry!"

Another ranked soldier appeared. (4/1500/1000)

"And I'll use the Spell Power of Toy Invasion to increase the Emperor's power by 400 for every Toy Infantry on the field!" He continued as Toy Emperor felt the power of his subordinates boost his power. (6/2300-3100/800)

"Now attack that Ancient Gear Soldier!"

The Emperor rode out to the field and drove the sword into the tank, making it explode!

Crowler/Spencer: 3900

Bonaparte/Scar: 5800

A bulldozer moved in towards the dorm.

"Phaeton, block the path!" Jachin ordered as he summoned his monster.

The Falling Star Persona unleashed some flames that put the bulldozer on halt and in reverse to get away.

"But by destroying the tank, you lose 600 of your points!" Crowler shouted as he put the attention back on the duel.

Bonaparte growled as a red aura struck him.

Crowler/Spencer: 3900

Bonaparte/Scar: 5200

"Still, with Toy Emperor's effect, I can take a Trap Card from my deck and add it to my hand." He took a choice trap and put it in his hand. "I'll end my turn, with these two facedowns." Bonaparte concluded.

"And my draw," Crowler moved his hand to his deck.

"And I activate the Unequal Treaty!" the Vice-Chancellor shouted, revealing his card. It depicted Toy Emperor giving another leading official a treaty paper, one that made the latter frown as he was forced to sigh. "With this card in play, you two will agree to lose 100 Life Points during the Draw Phase and then Mr. Scar and I gain those points!"

Crowler/Spencer: 3800

Bonaparte/Scar: 5300

Crowler scoffed as he played his next card, "Alright, I'll do this then, sacrificing my Ancient Gear Castle to summon Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon!" The castle vanished letting a massive mechanical dragon made of the old rusted metal appear, but from its stats, it could still do damage. (8/3000/2000)

"And that activates Trap Hole, destroying a monster that's summoned with 1000 ATK or higher!" The vice-chancellor declared as a narrow hole opened from the ground, surprising the dragon that couldn't fly out and fell in.

"You see Crowler, you can't win!" Bonaparte laughed. "I've watched every duel you've been in your career and studied your moves!"

"No wonder Crowler's getting beat," Alex stated. "His opponent's been one step ahead of him."

Crowler growled. "I'll end my turn..."

"And begins mine!" Scar announced as he drew his next card. He then opened up the side slot of his disk, placed a card and closed it. "I activate the field spell card War Torn City!"

Now the area around the Slifer Dorm was transported to a destroyed city like a big battle ran through it.

"Like this place?" He grinned. "Despite those monsters somehow stopping the dorm from being destroyed, it's going to be like a small-scale version of the field after what I'll do here. And here are the rules of this card."

"This doesn't sound good," Hassleberry said.

"With this card, we can place any Monster card in our Spell/Trap card zone, if our monster zones are full." The Pro Duelist explained.

"That's a little too helpful," Alexis said.

"Oh, and that's what the second effect is for which I'll demonstrate as I first bring out my Grinder Golem, and I'm feeling generous to send him over to your side!" Scar continued as he played a humongous metallic behemoth appeared, with a buzz-saw blade for a head and spikes all over its body. It made its way behind Crowler and Spencer. (8/3000/300) "And when Special Summoned, I can bring out two tokens to my side!"

Then, two small Grinder Golems appeared on Scar's field. (1/0/0) x2

"Now I'll use the spell Enemy Controller to sacrifice one of my tokens to take control of Grinder Golem!"

A giant controller appeared as the Grinder Token vanished.

"Up, A, Down, Start!"

The controller followed the commands and attached the cable on to Grinder Golem, forcing it back to Scar.

"Now, here comes the boom!" the Pro duelist shouted, "I remove Grinder Golem from the game to destroy monsters with equal or fewer points than the monster removed! And for everyone destroyed, you guys lose 300 Life Points!"

Crowler shrieked and Spencer growled.

"That's all of them!" Melody shouted.

Grinder Golem vanished from the field and suddenly many fighter jets stormed the skies and launched missiles to destroy Crowler's Ancient Gears and Spencer's dragons.

"They're wide open for a direct attack!" Claudio gasped.

"I can't wait to..." Bonaparte was interrupted by the sight of a giant armored dragon that matched Spencer's Heavy Wyvern in height. It wore light armor and carried a red shield and sword. Also, he had three heads! (8-7/3000/3000)

"Where'd did he come from!" The Vice-Chancellor shouted.

"That's what I like to know." Crowler added, though grateful for the sight.

"Oh, I activated my facedown Urgent Fusion amid the craziness." Spencer smiled. "I fused Drago and Draco in the nick of time. So, everyone meet Draconis Warrior Quetzel!"

"But my field spell should have destroyed it!" Scar protested.

"And did I mention little number can't be destroyed by any card effects, so you only got rid of two monsters out of the whole deal!"

Crowler/Spencer: 3200

Bonaparte/Scar: 5300

"Ha! Fakeout!" Alex grinned.

"I'll end my turn with one facedown!" Scar scoffed, "You got out lucky..."

"I'll then draw!" Spencer announced drawing his next card, causing Unequal Treaty to kick in.

Crowler/Spencer: 3100

Bonaparte/Scar: 5400

"I now use my Riryoku Spell Card to steal half of Toy Emperor's ATK!"

A green aura shot out of the Emperor, causing him to lean on the horse, weakly. (6/3100-1550/800)

"And I'll give them to Quetzel!"

The aura fused into the Draconis Warrior who bulked up from it. (7/3000-4550/3000)

"Now, your Archangel machine may not be able to be destroyed by a level other than 4, but I'll give you a hefty amount of damage! Go Quetzel, Triple Breath and Blade attack!"

Quetzel roared as he launched at massive white flame breath on Archangel and then dove in and slashed it across the chest, leaving it badly burned and beaten.

Crowler/Spencer: 3100

Bonaparte/Scar: 2250

"I end my turn!" Spencer said pleased with his work.

"Yeah, go Prof!" Jaden said.

"All they have to do is maintain the lead and they have it!" Melody added.

"I draw!" Bonaparte announced as he drew his next card. "I'll switch all of my monsters into defense mode and set one card facedown!"

All of Bonaparte's monsters took cover as a facedown card appeared behind them.

"And it's my turn!" Crowler announced as he drew his next card. Unequal Treaty activated...

Crowler/Spencer: 3000

Bonaparte/Scar: 2350

"And I think I'll take your Field Spell for a spin, Mr. Scar," Crowler smirked. "I use Monster Reborn to revive my Ancient Gear Dragon!"

The Gadjitron Dragon flew out from the grave. (8-7/3000/2000)

"Now, I remove my monster from play and destroy all of your monsters!"

As soon as Crowler's monster left, the fighter jets returned and fired their missiles and ripped apart Bonaparte's and Scar's monsters, leaving a giant pile of smoke.

"And I recall you losing 300 points for every monster destroyed!" Crowler grinned.

The opposing duo was left to glare at the ground as their Life Points took a huge drop.

Crowler/Spencer: 3000

Bonaparte/Scar: 250

The Spectators cheered.

"Almost there, if they can score another hit their finished!" Claudio smiled.

"And then we can stop defending the dorm from these bulldozers," Masaki added as he looked at the Psychic duelist. "Cause Jachin and the Personas look exhausted."

Suddenly, Scar and Bonaparte just laughed very hard.

"What's up now?" Erika asked.

"Yeah, they're almost done!" Alister added.

Scar stopped his laughter and smiled. "Oh I'm sorry. This is the part where I'm supposed to be angry and full of rage. You've destroyed all of our monsters; I should be upset, shouldn't I?"

"I would if all my monsters were destroyed like his," Jethro noted.

"Ditto," Melody added.

"Oh yes," Bonaparte added. "In fact we're furious! But you overlooked one minor detail..."

"My facedown card," Scar finished as it opened up. "Storm Scramble!"

The trap showed many Storm Commandos, transformed and initial cluttering the skies over the War-Torn City.

"By destroying all my monsters at once, you've allowed me to bring as many Storm Commandoes as I can with the combined level of the destroyed monsters of my side!"

"So how we have three level 4 monsters, making 12..." Alexis started.

"Two level 3 monsters, adding 6," Kenji continued.

"And with a level 6 and level 1, that's 7," Bastion concluded.

Crowler and Spencer gasped as they took in the equation.

"He can summon monsters adding up to 25 levels!" Crowler yelled.

"Meaning, he'll break out the big ones!" Spencer added.

Everyone gasped.

A few cards slipped out of the Pro Duelist's deck.

"And here they come!" Scar said as he laid them down. "First, Storm Commando B-2 Shadow!"

A flying black aircraft appeared in the sky, more different than an airplane. (4/1800/1650)

"Next, Storm Commando CH-47 Transporter!"

A twin rotor helicopter appeared and transformed into a mech using the rotors for blades. (7/2550/2600)

"Third, Storm Commando C-130 Hurricane Commander!"

A large grey transport aircraft appeared and transformed into a mech with two double blade rotors. (8/2600/2800)

"And finally, Storm Commando KC-135 Life Supporter!"

Finally, a large refueling aircraft appeared. (7/1500/2900)

"These guys are everywhere!" Alister yelled.

"And with them, I can cause a lot of damage!" Scar said. "But the downside is, I can't attack with them when my first turn with them comes around."

Everyone sighed.

"That's good news; well I end my turn with one card facedown." Crowler concluded.

"And begins mine!" Scar announced as he drew his next cards. "I use Magic Planter to remove Stygian Dirge and draw two cards!" He drew two more cards as the Continuous Trap Card melted. "I summon the Healing Wave Generator in defense mode!"

Coming up out of a light was a small mirror with mechanical frame and lights flickering. (4/800/1600)

"Now, I'll use its effect and gain 100 times the level of my Hurricane Commander!"

The generator floated above Scar and rained tiny particles on him.

Crowler/Spencer: 3000

Bonaparte/Scar: 1050

"Now I use my Trap card," Bonaparte interjected, revealing his facdown cards "Nightmare Archfiends to sacrifice one of my partner's monsters and summon three Archfiend tokens to your side of the field, boys!" He turned to Scar. "I must thank you for the donation!"

"It's a good trap," The Storm Commando duelist stated. "Now, I'll kindly let go of the Healing Wave Generator!"

The Generator emitted a Dark Aura that split himself into three black, white-haired archfiends that stood at attention on Crowler's field. (4/2000/2000) x3

"And then, I'll kindly remove my Transporter to destroy those Archfiends and deal 300 points for each one!" Scar said.

"And that's not all," Alex cringed. "Those Archfiends take 800 points for being destroyed!"

"Time to tear down that dorm, boys!" Bonaparte cheered as Transporter was removed.

Everyone watched in horror as the fighter jets rolled in and dropped the missiles once they dropped the whole field was surrounded in smoke.

"Au revoir!"

"I don't think so, Bonaparte!" Crowler declared.

When the smoke cleared, the field on Crowler's and Spencer's side was left bare.

"I even got rid of the Dragon!" Scar exclaimed more out of surprise.

"How?" Spencer growled, knowing it couldn't be possible.

"Actually gentlemen," Crowler interrupted. "Look at the Life Point meters."

Everyone reviewed the scores...

"WHAT!?"

Scar and Bonaparte couldn't believe it...

Crowler/Spencer: 2700

Bonaparte/Scar: 1050

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but how'd they lose only 300 life points?" Jeremy wondered.

"Simple!" The Chancellor smiled. "Look at this card."

He held up a spell card from his graveyard.

"Mystik Wok!?" Scar growled.

"I get it!" Kenji figured. "He sacrificed Quetzel and gained 3000 Life Points and the damage done was 3300 Life Points, leaving the 2700!"

"Wow, did Crowler just save us?" Alex asked.

"He really does care." Syrus stated.

"Thanks, Crowler," Spencer smiled.

"Don't read too much into it," The Chancellor tried to wave off. "I wanted to stick it to that overweight dwarf."

The Slifer Headmaster smiled. "I hear ya..."

"That means, I can't use those bulldozers..." Bonaparte growled.

"I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn!" Scar concluded.

"And before you do, I activate Scapegoat to summon four sheep tokens!" Spencer shouted as he revealed his Quick-Play Spell. Four sleeping sheep appeared with different kind of colors. (1/0/0) x4 "Then, I begin my move!" he continued to draw his next card, activating Unequal Treaty.

Crowler/Spencer: 2600

Bonaparte/Scar: 1150

"Now you two are going to get it now, you two have been trying to destroy a place and kick out the Slifers just for being Slifers for the last time!" The Headmaster yelled. "And its high time I delivered the fitting punishment for you! I'll summon Draconis Warrior Tiamat!"

Descending from the field was a small dragon that wore no armor and had different colors of red, blue, brown, green and black swirling around. (4/500/500)

"What's that little runt going to do?" Bonaparte scoffed.

"In a minute," Spencer said. "I activate my facedown, the trap D. Tribe!" The trap showed dragon heads materializing on monsters. "This transforms all monsters on my side of the field to dragons until the end my turn!" The scapegoat tokens transformed into furry dragons that still slept.

"Now, I activate a second Polymerization to fuse them together!"

Lily gasped in excitement.

"What's up, Lily?" Jaden asked.

"There's only one monster that can be fusion summoned with five dragons!" She said.

Everyone suddenly got the message.

"Oh no," Scar panicked as he revealed one of his facedown cards "I activate Magic Jammer, to discard one card to negate Polymerization and destroy it!"

The trap snuffed out the fusion vortex, dousing everyone's hopes.

"Minor setback, I activate Dragon's Mirror removing all the monsters on the field!" Spencer continued as he revealed his second Spell card, creating a giant mirror that loomed over his side of the field.

"He had a backup plan!" Jaden looked on.

"Which also destroyed by Magic Drain!" Scar countered, revealing his next Trap Card, "Unless you have a Spell in your hand..."

Spencer sighed. "I don't..."

The mirror was shattered into pixels.

"Oh man, there's no way he can summon it now!" Jethro said.

"Yes," Bonaparte cheered. "That was close! For a second there, we could've been done for!"

"No joke!" Scar added, breathing hard.

"You still are." Spencer stated.

"Huh?" Everyone asked.

"But your fusion cards..." Crowler said.

"We're just a decoy," the Slifer Headmaster noted. "I have one on the field already; I just needed to see what those facedown cards were."

"Then where is this so-called fusion card!?" Scar asked.

"Turn your eyes to the small, multicolored dragon." The Headmaster pointed out.

"What does that pipsqueak do?" Bonaparte taunted.

"Simple, I remove it and five dragons from my graveyard to summon the monster you tried to avoid..."

The color was drained from the opponents' faces and the kids cheered.

"Now Tiamat, I activate your special ability!"

Tiamat let out a large roar, despite its size and flew to the middle of the field.

"I remove, Draconic Guard, Draconis Warrior Drago, Draco, Yamata Drago and Quetzel!"

The spirits of all five dragons combined with Tiamat. It then glowed and suddenly grew.

"I summon... FIVE HEADED DRAGON!"

The light died out and brought out tremendous sight that left Bonaparte and Scar quivering in fear and for that matter the entire demolition crew. It was a tan scaled dragon of tremendous height and wingspan. And like the name suggested, it had five heads, but only one matched the color; the middle one with spikes on its head. The far-left head was made of fire; the mid-left head was a water serpent's head. The mid-right head was pitch black, and the final head was black steel. (12/5000/5000)

"It's game over!" Claudio grinned.

"Forget game over, the whole game system's broke!" Melody added.

"Now, any last words?" Spencer said in a low tone.

"Uh, we surrender?" Bonaparte squeaked out as he held up a white flag.

"Should've thought of that before trying to get rid of us Slifers," The headmaster said. "You think we're weak and hurting this school's image? No, sir it's your way of looking at the picture. If you stop to think about it, any potential can be found anywhere; it's how some of the Slifers became Ra and Obelisks, so I think how the socialism of the students is stupid! And I was an Obelisk my three years as a student."

Everyone on his side smiled, even Crowler had to be impressed.

"So, when this attack is beaten into your head, think about what I just said. Especially when your demolition crew tried to hurt my dorm, my students and workers who had no hand in this!" Spencer smiled, before turning to his giant dragon. "Five-Headed Dragon, have fun!"

All five heads inhaled the air and charged up their attacks. Then all at once, they unleashed a flame, water, sand, fog and spike breaths that collided and ripped apart all of Storm Commandoes blocked out the field spell.

Crowler/Spencer: 2600, Winners

Bonaparte/Scar: 0

All the holograms disappeared, just as the kids cheered.

Crowler and Spencer sat down and caught their breaths.

"Well, I may not have earned the last strike..." Crowler sighed.

"But you kept us in the game enough to save the students." Spencer said. "So, I'd say you had the real last laugh."

"Awesome dueling you guys!"

Both turned back to see the students praising them for their win. Spencer gave them some thumbs up, while Crowler smiled, before catching himself and clearing his throat.

"Well, of course we won." He said, in a proud way. "Now don't you have to finish the dorm?"

"Right," Spencer turned to the workers. "It's cool boys, go ahead!"

The workers went back to the dorm, but they were still freaked at almost getting crushed. They figured the sooner they get done, the sooner they'd get out of there!

* * *

A few hours later, everyone stood in awe of the New Slifer Dorm.

It was nothing like the old dorm, aside from the color. It was larger, wider and could accommodate more people with a three story buliding and extra spot for the recreation room. Also, it didn't look like it would fall apart neither.

"Whoo! Look at that dorm!" Jethro whistled. "I'm really jealous of you Slifers now!"

"Yeah, it's like the size of the Ra Yellow Dorm." Claudio stated.

"But it has that touch of style like the Obelisk Dorm, too." Allen added.

"It looks like any place that all the new Slifers for the upcoming years would feel better about themselves." Jeremy looked on.

"Coming back to a sweet pad!" Jaden noted. "Who could ask for a better place to hang out?"

"Masaki, Jaden and I will be more than happy to stay around." Jachin said.

"Well, the rooms also a lot larger and I even had that rec room recreated as well." Spencer noted.

"Still, thanks Professor." Masaki said.

"No thanks needed, all of you contributed to this by helping out to defend it." The Headmaster stated. "I'm very thankful to all of the Obelisk and Ra students who left their own dorms to help the Slifers." He said. "Makes me see that you all share the same vision I had; all the students becoming friends and respectful rivals in dueling without ridiculing the seemingly weak. Hopefully, we can spread that to all the students."

The crowd applauded.

"But enough of all that! Let's have ourselves a housewarming party!"

"YEAH!"

* * *

Storm Commando B-2 Shadow

Machine/Effect

Level: 4

Attr: Dark

Effect: This card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. If you use this effect, you must reduce the attack of this card by half of its original ATK

ATK: 1800 DEF: 1650

(basis: B-2 Spirit)

Storm Commando E-3 Controller

Machine/Effect

Level: 3

Attr: Light

Effect: During each of your Main Phases, you can activate one of the following effects:

See 1 card in your opponent's hand.

Flip one of your Opponent's face-down cards face-up without activate its effect and then return it to its original position on the field.

Look at the top 3 cards in your Opponent's deck and then place them back in their original order.

ATK: 1500 DEF: 1750

(basis: E-3 Sentry)

Storm Commando E-2 Virus

Machine/Effect

Level:3

Attr: Dark

Effect: Once per turn, either yours or your Opponent's, you can activate one of the following effects:

Select one card from your Opponent's hand and send it to the Graveyard.

Destroy one face-down card on your Opponent's side of the field.

Send the top card of your Opponent's deck to the Graveyard.

ATK: 1400 DEF: 1850

(basis: E-2 Hawkeye)

Storm Commando CH-47 Transporter

Machine/Effect

Level: 7

Attr: Wind

While this card is face-up on the field, during your Standby Phase, if you have less monsters on your side of the field than your Opponent has on theirs, select monsters on your Opponent's field equal to the difference, and Special Summon the same number of monsters with "Storm Commando" in their names as the difference between the number of Opponent's monsters and your monsters whose Levels are each equal to or less than that of each of the selected monsters.

ATK: 2550 DEF: 2600

(basis: CH-47 Chinook)

Level of each Special Summoned monster must equal to or less than that of at least one of the selected monsters.

Storm Commando C-130 Hurricane Commander

Machine/Effect

Level: 8

Attr: Wind

While this card is face-up on the field, when a monster with "Storm Commando" in its name is destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon a monster with "Storm Commando" in its name from your hand or deck to the field whose ATK or DEF is equal to or less than the ATK or DEF of the destroyed monster, depending on the destroyed monster's position on the field when it was destroyed.

ATK: 2600 DEF:2800

(basis: C-130 Hercules)

Storm Commando FA-18 Archangel

Machine/Effect

Level: 4

Attr: Wind

While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent cannot select a face-up monster as an attack target except this card. If there is another monster with "Storm Commando" in its name on your side of the field, this card cannot be destroyed by battle, and you take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card if the opposing monster is not the same Level as this card.

ATK: 2000 DEF: 1800

(basis: F/A-18 Hornet)

Storm Commando KC-135 Life Supporter

Machine/Effect

Level: 7

Attr: Light

While this card is face-up on the field in defense mode, if a monster with "Storm Commando" in its name destroys a monster as a result of battle, you gain Life Points equal to the destroyed monster's Attack Points.

ATK: 1500 DEF: 2900

(basis: KC-135 Stratotanker)

Storm Scramble

Counter Trap Card

Effect: Activate only on your opponent's turn when all the monsters on your side of the field have been destroyed. Special Summon from your hand or deck the same number of monsters with "Storm Commando" in their name as your monsters that have been destroyed this turn of equal Levels or less. You cannot attack on your turn after activating this card.

War-torn City

Field Spell

Effect: Both players are allowed to summon monsters in their Spell & Trap Card zones if their Monster Card zones are full. The turn player can remove one monster on their field from play to destroy all of their opponent's monsters whose ATK or DEF, depending on their Position, is equal to less than the ATK of the removed monster. Inflict 300 points of damage x the number of monsters destroyed by this effect to your opponent's Life Points. The turn player cannot attack on the turn they use this effect.

(The Preceding cards were all created by Rocket Knight 777. Creative ideas go to him, but the inspiration goes to the US Armed Forces)

Toy Soldier

EARTH

Warrior/Effect

Level 3

800/300

During your Standby Phase, you can Special Summon up to 2 "Toy Soldiers" from your Deck.

Toy Emperor

EARTH

Warrior/Effect

Level 6

2300/800

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Crowning of the Emperor". When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can select and add 1 Trap Card from your Deck to your hand

Crowning of the Emperor

Normal Spell

Tribute 1 "Toy Soldier". Special Summon 1 "Toy Emperor" from your hand or Deck

Forced March

Normal Spell

Halve the ATK of all "Toy Soldiers" you control, until the End Phase. This turn, those monsters can attack your opponent directly.

Fife and Drum Corps

Quick-Play Spell

Double the ATK of all monsters you control with 1000 or less ATK until the End Phase.

Toy Cannon

Normal Trap

Select 1 face-up Attack Position monster your opponent controls. Change its battle position, and inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent.

Unequal Treaty

Continuous Trap

Each time your opponent draws a card(s), gain 100 Life Points and inflict 100 points of damage to your opponent.

(The preceding six cards were used by Bonaparte in the GX episode Dormitory Demolition. All rights to the creators)

Toy Infantry

EARTH

Level 4

Warrior

1500/1000

(This card was used by Yugi Moto in the R manga. All rights to the creators)

Toy Invasion

Continuous Spell

For every 'Toy Infantry' on your side of the field, 'Toy Emperor' gains 400 ATK.

(This card is my own creation. Creative rights go to me.)

Next time: After the rise of the new Slifer Dorm, tensions rise towards the Obelisk Dorms in the case of one girl named Shion. She's fed up with Juli's attitude and wants to leave the clique. But when Juli takes no for an answer, Allen steps in to defend Shion's honor.

Please Read and Review! Later!


	24. The Heavens

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 24: The Bright Heavens

* * *

At the Obelisk Girls Dorm, Juli was in her room with her group of Obelisk Girls. She received word that all attacks on the Slifer Dorm were now over due to the efforts of their Headmaster with Crowler backing up his statements plus making the documents to have Spencer recreate the dorm from the ground up.

"I can't believe it!" Juli shouted. "They let those weak Slifers stay! And they even rebuilt that dorm after it was demolished!"

"I thought after it was trashed, the weak should have been shipped off back home!" Another girl said.

"They just had to get a new headmaster," A third Obelisk girl stated. "If it weren't for him, this would have blown over."

"No matter," Juli sighed and then grinned, "I guess we get to have more punching bags to toss around for the torment, eh Shion?"

The glasses-wearing Obelisk girl blinked and muttered, "Oh, uh, maybe?"

"'Maybe?' How about 'Yeah'!?" Juli shouted.

"Well, think about it. I heard they had numerous duels with conditions that the Slifers would be booted out or anyone else from settling in the dorm. And every time they faced those conditions, they won." She stated her case. "Probably means that the Slifers are not as weak as people say."

"Are you still thinking about Jason?" Juli asked and then scoffed. "Forget him! After showing him up for the weakling he was, I bet was afraid to face anyone in the Obelisks again! I bet he stopped dueling altogether!"

"That's enough!" Shion snapped, standing up to her 'boss', "You beat him, okay that's fine, but that doesn't give you the right to call him weak. He had you close to losing before you took his best monster and beat him!"

Juli smirked, "Oh that, I lead the little sucker around. I could've won in a few turns, but I get thrill of just letting them have fighting chances before I smash their dreams."

Shion gasped as she realized how bad this had gotten...

"No wonder you were at low Life Points," One of the Obelisk girls said.

"You're terrible!" Shion shouted. "I shouldn't have gone with you! Who cares about ranks if you can't be friendly as well?" She then stormed out of the room and left.

Juli sighed. "Looks like she'll have to learn the hard way..."

* * *

Around the main building, Allen was just leaving from there and carrying his duel disk.

"Pretty good day!" He said. "Saved the Red Dorm and got to celebrate with that party last night. Really enjoyed Claudio's impromptu concert as well and he really let's anyone have a voice in the matter." He then scratched his head as he looked over to where the Obelisk Boys' Dorm was. "I kinda feel out of place now that I went back to the Obelisk Dorm, but oh well. At least we got the Slifers back to standards and showed them they are as much as elite the higher ranks. Now what to do with my free time?"

"Get back here, Shion!"

"No, leave me alone!"

Allen turned his head to see two Obelisk girls, one with short red hair being harassed by another one with dark hair styled in horn-like bangs.

"Let's see what's going on here..."

* * *

With the Obelisk girls, Juli kept getting in Shion's way of going wherever she wanted.

"Juli, get out of my way!" Shion shouted. "I'm done with you!"

"No, you think just because you don't agree with me means, you get to hang with the Slifers." Juli growled. "Not happening!"

"We don't have anything to do with each other, so goodbye!"

When Shion turned around, she was suddenly tripped up but Juli's foot.

"And I say, you're going back to the dorm! No one leaves my group!" Juli growled.

"With the way you're acting, I'd leave your group too..."

The girls turned to see Allen walking up to them.

"Buzz off!" Juli scoffed. "This is between me and my little friend here."

"I'm not your friend!" Shion shouted. "I was just on the way of becoming one of your 'flunkies!'

"Be quiet!"

Juli was about to give Shion a kick, until Allen stepped in and dragged Shion away before it landed.

"Okay, you really need an attitude adjustment." The Obelisk boy said with a frown. "But let's settle this with the cards, not fists and feet."

"Hmm, fine with me." Juli shrugged. "I'll take you down for getting into my business."

"Well it became mine, when you decided to get physical." Allen stated. "I don't like it when people harm others..."

Both players started up their duel disks and then drew their opening hands.

Allen: 8000

Juli: 8000

"I'll go first," Juli announced, drawing her sixth card. She immediately took out another Spell card and activated it. "I'll start by using the Ritual Spell card, Curse of the Masked Beast!"

Allen gasped, "A Ritual Summoning, already?"

"That's right, and I'll only sacrifice this monster, Ritual Raven, paying off the ritual for a DARK monster!"

A giant purple pedestal appeared in front of the field and on top of it was a black bird with two golden faces. (1/100/100)

"Now come out, The Masked Beast!"

Ritual Raven was engulfed by a flare that spread out and unleashing a centaur-like creature. The body was covered in several types of masks as armor and even wore a red one. It also carried a staff that had a mask like his as well. (8/3200/1800)

"And then to end my turn, I place two facedown cards!" She concluded as two facedown cards appeared at her feet.

"She already has a powerful set up on the field!" Shion noted.

"Nothing I can't handle," Allen said.

"I'd just like to see you try!" Juli challenged.

"If you insist," Allen replied, drawing his sixth card. "I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew twice underneath the grinning pot. Once he saw the current hand, he smiled. "Now, here's a little number you'll love! First, I activate the Continuous Spell called Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen!"

Behind Allen, came a sacred room filled with marble statues of great angels and pillars with red roses around them.

"Then, I activate another Continuous Spell called the Court of Justice!"

Appearing over Allen's field was a giant, golden disk that shined a clear light on the field.

"Now, I use the effect of Valhalla, since I don't control any monsters, I can Special Summon the Fairy-Type Victoria to the field!"

Riding out of the halls, came a golden, four-headed dragon soaring into the skies. Riding on it, was an elegant woman with blonde hair and a golden dress. She also had two dragon's wings on her back and carried a scepter also with dragon wings. (4/1800/1500)

"Next, I summon Freya, the Spirit of Victory!"

Jumping out of to the card image was a purple haired young woman giving off a bright smile. She wore a black and purple dress with sandals and a necklace. On her wrists and ankles were halos and she carried two red pom-poms. (1/100/100)

"All that fanfare for those wimps?" Juli asked. "Nothing my monster can't handle."

"Hey, don't trash my ladies," Allen said with a smirk, "Especially with my cheerleader on the field! While Freya's on the field, all Fairy-Type on my side gain 400 ATK and DEF!" He then turned to Freya. "Freya, if you would be so kind?"

The young fairy nodded happily and then started to jump around and cheer as Victoria praised her. (4/1800-2200/1500-1900), (1/100-500/100-500)

"And in another good thing, I can now use the effect of my Court of Justice. Since Freya, a level 1 Fairy monster is on the field, I can summon another Fairy-type monster to the field." He picked up another card from his hand. "And I pick Fairy Archer!"

In a flash of light, another woman appeared, wearing a blue sleeveless top seemingly made of flower petals and a miniskirt made from leaves. She wielded a bow of gold, with a ruby tipped arrow strung and ready to fire, and her angular wings were crimson and gold in color. (3/1400-1800/600)

"You went through five cards and only summoned weak Fairies?" The Obelisk girl asked.

Fairy Archer suddenly got angry and got ready to release her arrow.

"Well, that comment caused you to let me activate Fairy Archer's effect," Allen stated. "She can deal 400 points of damage for every LIGHT monster I have! Sure, it gives up her right to attack, but I won't suicide my monsters so, fire away!"

Fairy Archer was more than happy as she raised her bow and fired an arrow, which exploded in a burst of white light as it struck Juli.

Allen: 8000

Juli: 6800

"I place one card facedown and activate the Equip Spell Mist Body on Victoria to end my turn." He concluded as a facedown card appeared at his feet and a clear mist surrounded the dragon-riding fairy. "It's your turn."

"I'll pay you back for that!" Juli growled as she drew her next card. "I'll use the Equip Spell Mask of the Accursed on your Fairy Archer!"

The mask with nails appeared on the Archer causing her to scream. Victoria and Freya looked on helplessly.

"Next, I my facedown card, Mask of Dispel and attach it to Court of Justice!" She continued as a ghostly-looking purple mask with white claws on the bottom appeared over the halo.

"Now, since I must attack Victoria because of its protection to your other Fairies, I'll strike her down first! Masked Beast, destroy her!"

The masked centaur rushed over to the fairy and got ready to slam its scepter against her.

"I activate Spirit Barrier, making all battle damage 0 if I have monsters on my field!"

The fairies erected a barrier just in time for the Masked Beast to smash its scepter. They held their ground and pushed the monster back to Juli's side.

"I'll activate Dark Room of Nightmare to end my turn!" Juli concluded as a dark dungeon appeared behind her with an ominous mist spreading out from it.

"And I'll draw!" Allen announced, drawing his next card.

"And now you'll suffer the effects of my Masks!" The Obelisk girl grinned. "Mask of the Accursed and Dispel takes 500 Life Points each!"

Allen felt a red aura surround him as the masks' collective curse struck him.

Allen: 7500-7000

Juli: 6800

"And because of Dark Room of Nightmare, you lose 300 points every time Effect Damage effect is inflicted on you!"

The mist from the dark room spread to Allen as he tried to wave it off.

Allen: 6700-6400

Juli: 6800

"Nice moves, couldn't strike me with Battle Damage so you got me with effects like I did." The fairy duelist praised. "You're a very promising duelist."

"Of course I am," Juli said proudly.

"But you're shaping up to be an unworthy one since you mock the seemingly weak." He frowned.

"Who cares, they should've been wiped from the island!" the Mask Duelist stated.

"That will cost you, with the effect of Court of Justice, I summon Tethys, the Goddess of Light!" Allen announced, playing his next card.

Descending from the court, a beautiful Goddess flew down to the field. She wore an elegant white dress with her upper body in armor and had two long wings that spread when she landed. (5/2400-2800/1800)

"And since I'm not strong enough to face the Masked Beast, Fairy Archer can still use her effect!"

The archer used her other senses to pinpoint Juli's location. She then raised her bow and managed to fire a shot at Juil, who clutched her arm.

Allen: 6400

Juli: 5200

"Amazing!" Shion exclaimed. "He's not even attacking and he's winning!"

"It's your turn!" Allen concluded.

Juli growled as she drew her next card and then raised her hand over her facedown card, "I play Spellbook Inside the Pot, while chaining it to my Jar of Greed Trap Card! You draw three cards while I'll get four!" The players drew their needed cards.

"That's fine," Allen smiled. "Since I drew a card, I get to activate the effect of my Tethys! Since I drew a Fairy-Type monster, I can reveal it to draw again!" He then revealed the second card he drew.

Juli and Shion gasped at the artwork...

The Splendid Venus!

"He has one of the Legendary Planets!" Juli gasped.

"Yeah, lucky that I came across it in my kid days!" Allen said as he placed the named monster into his hand and drew agin. "And I've drawn, Nova Summoner so I can draw again!" He then drew another card, but it wasn't a Fairy. "But this is where it stops."

 _'If he gets that thing out, I'm sunk!'_ Juli thought. _'Lucky for me, I've got just the remedy!'_ She then raised her card and announced, "I'll use the Spell Preparation of Rites!"The spell showed cloaked men setting up for a ritual."This lets me bring any Ritual Monster up to level 7 from my deck and a Ritual Spell from my graveyard!"

Not only she got a new Ritual Monster, she got Curse of the Masked Beast into her hand as well.

"Now then, I summon the Sonic Bird in attack mode!" She continued as a brown and white feathered eagle appeared. It wore some air goggled and a jet pack on its back. (4/1400/1000) "And with this card, I can take any Ritual Spell card from my deck!" Another card slipped from her deck. "And then I'll play it! The Ritual of Destruction!"

Shion gasped. "She played that against Jason!"

"And it'll be this fairy wimp's downfall!" The Obelisk girl stated. "I'll sacrifice the Dijinns: Prognosticator of Rituals and Presider of Rituals in my hand!"

An altar appeared with a dark orb with horns being held by chains. Then two overweight fiends came by and were pulled into the orb by a dark force.

"Now come out, Garlandolph, King of Destruction!"

The orb pulsated with energy and broke apart the chains. Emerging from it was a purple, demonic fiend with long claws and horns starting down Allen's field with malice. (7/2500/1400)

"Wow," Allen muttered.

"And when he's summoned, I get to destroy all other monsters on the field with DEF less than his ATK!" Juli explained.

Allen gasped, "You're giving up, Masked Beast and Sonic Bird too!"

"That's right!"

Garlandolph unleashed a dark shockwave blowing up all four of Allen's monsters. Then, it jumped onto the Masked Beast's back and sunk its claws in its back, draining its life force! Shion was horrified at the sight. It got more gruesome when it grabbed Sonic Bird and chomped it down!

"And for every monster destroyed by his Majesty, he gains 100 ATK!"

The remnants of the shockwave and the blood of Juli's monsters seeped into the King and powered him up. (7/2500-3000/1400)

"And here's another card for ya, my Ritual Buster!" Juli's facedown activated showing Lycanthrope striking with his deadly claws.

"Now, you won't be able to activate any Spell or Trap Cards or use their effects until my next Standby Phase!"

Allen growled nervously.

"Now Garandolph, attack him directly!"

The King of Destruction zoomed from Juli's side to Allen's in a split second, startling him. Then, the fiend scratched across his chest sending him down.

Allen: 3400

Juli: 5200

"Are you okay!?" Shion shouted ran up to the fallen Obelisk.

"You see that Shion," Juli grinned. "You're not gonna do any better than me if you want to get to the top! I can run circles around anybody in the school!"

Shion scowled at her before noticing Allen getting into a sitting position.

"That was fun," He said, shaking off the shock of the attack.

"You alright?" She asked.

"No problem," Allen said as he got right back up, dusting off his blazer. "Although next time, I rather not get hit."

"And now that you're up," Juli interrupted. "Since Djinn Prognosticator was used in part of Garandolph's summoning, you have to discard one card to your grave!"

Allen shrugged as he sent a card in his hand to the grave.

"I'll end my turn with a spell card, Ritual Cage!" She stated as a bright cage surrounded her field. "Now, I take no battle damage from battles involving Ritual Monsters and you can't destroy or target them with Effect monsters' abilities!"

Allen whistled as he drew his next card.

"And don't forget, Mask of Dispel is still on the field with Dark Room of Nightmare, making you lose 800 more points!"

Allen sighed as his points dropped again.

Allen: 2600

Juli: 5200

"I'll just set this monster in defense mode and end my turn." He stated. A facedown monster appeared.

"Fine by me!" Juli said as she drew her next card. She grinned at her hand, "And what do you know, I have another ritual card to use, my Zera Ritual card!"

"Aw man," Allen groaned as Warrior of Zera rose from the ground on a throne. "That thing's rare!"

"Juli comes from a rich family," Shion explained. "Despite her being a good duelist and all, she does get to most rare cards through connections."

"Now, remember my Djinns in the graveyard?" The Ritual duelist smirked. "Well I can remove them from the grave, and send the Battle Fader in my hand to the grave to summon Zera the Mant!"

The Djinns as well as Battle Fader appeared in front of the throne. Zera used a mystic chant that drove the fiends' essences into him. It then drove him crazy and violent as he kneeled in front of his throne and started to bulk up. During it, he tore the throne apart as he screamed and then grew into a giant blue fiend with a dark purple cape. It let out a massive roar. (8/2800/2300)

"Now let's have some fun, Zera rip apart that facedown monster!"

Zera sent a slash that telepathically cut up the card, Nova Summoner. (4/1400/800)

"That was Nova Summoner, and its effect lets summon a Light-Fairy type monster from my deck!" Allen announced as a card slipped out his deck. "Now it's time to stop your attacks, go Consecrated Light!"

A burst of bright light and the peaceful pink sphere appeared. (1/0/0)

"And since your monsters on the field are DARK attributes, you can't attack anymore!" Allen smiled.

"So what?" Juli growled. "At least since Djinn Presider of Rituals was a part of Zera's ritual, I can draw one card, since he destroyed your monster." She drew her card and looked it over. "And I'll end my turn!"

"And starts mine!" Allen announced, drawing his next card and causing Mask of Dispel and Dark Room of Nightmare to activate.

Allen: 1400

Juli: 5200

"And then, with the effect of Court of Justice, here comes the Splendid Venus!"

The Court shined once again and from it came another fairy. But this one was wearing a golden armored dress, mask and helmet. She had four elegant wings and a golden scepter with a red jewel inside. (8/2800/2400)

"Wow..." Shion whispered in awe. "The Legendary Planet monster!"

"I'd be more afraid, if I didn't have the stronger monster!" Juli stated.

"But you don't," Allen wagged his finger. "For someone who knows Venus when she seen it, you don't know about the effects. All non-Fairy Type monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF, and it can bypass Ritual Cage's effect since it doesn't target!"

Juli gasped as when Venus' armor that gave off a light that made Garandolph and Zera blind. (7/3000-2500/1400-900), (8/2800-2300/2300-1800)

"And then, I'll activate a little Ritual of my own, the End of the World!"

The skies went ominous as the field instantly changed. The players and Shion were surrounded by homes being consumed by blue flames.

"And guess what, I sacrifice the level 8 Majestic Mech- Goryu to summon Ruin, Queen of Oblivion!"

Right between the players was a giant house that was incinerated within moments. Then, a figure walked out of the flames, an albino lady with a strange complex crown on top of her head that matched with her attire, a sleeveless dress that was red around the upper body, black on the bottom and cream colored around her midsection and hips. She carried a long scepter that was red and smirked at her competition. (8/2300/2000)

"And I'll activate another card, Megamorph to double her ATK since I have a lower amount of life points than you!"

Ruin watched in fascination as a bronze rune appeared at the top of her scepter. (8/2300-4600/2000)

"Now, let's fight! Splendid Venus, attack with Divine Light!"

Venus' scepter collected the light and fired it at the King of Destruction, ending his reign.

"I still don't lose points thanks to my Ritual Cage!" Juli shouted.

"Now Ruin, attack Zera with Scepter of Oblivion!" Allen continued.

Ruin showed off her speed, despite her state of dress, as she stormed the field and pierced Zera and cut him straight down the middle.

"And then Ruin's effect activates, when she destroys a monster, I can have her attack again!" Allen stated.

The Queen used her speed again to slash Juli and send her to the ground.

Allen: 1400

Juli: 600

Suddenly, Ruin got weaker when the runes of Megamorph drained her. (8/4600-2300-1150/2000)

"And that's my turn."

Juli got up and growled. "You won't beat me!" She practically snapped the last card of her hand. "I can't summon monsters, but I can still use Spell and Traps and I'll set these two!" Two facedown cards were set by her feet.

"Then it's my draw." Allen drew his next, affecting Mask of Dispel and Dark Room of Nightmare.

Allen: 600

Juli: 600

"Since I'm convinced your facedown cards will hurt me if I attack, I'll activate Heavy Storm to blow away every spell and trap on the field!"

A strong windstorm was starting to blow everything away.

"I gotcha!" Juli yelled. "I use Judgment of Anubis! After discarding my last card, I can negate youe spell and destroy one of your monsters. And then I can deal damage equal to its ATK, it's over!"

"It would if it wasn't for this!" Allen said.

On Allen's cue, Venus removed her mask showing her beautiful face. She then threw the mask at the trap card and destroyed it.

"What! H-How did she do that!?"

"Venus' other effect, she keeps my spell and trap cards safe by stopping any effects that negates them." Allen explained.

Juli then fell to her knees as the storm continued wiping the field clean of the rooms, masks, cages and weapons. (6/1150-2300/2000)

"Now Ruin, since Venus did her part, you have the honor of the ending attack!"

Ruin turned and smiled at Allen before rushing after Juil striking her with her normal scepter.

Allen: 600, Winner

Juli: 0

"Now that should knock you down a peg," Allen said as the holograms disappeared.

"It should," Shion said as she walked up to him. "Thanks for helping me out."

"No problem," The fairy duelist said. "Man, first I dealt with Obelisk harassing Slifers, now I see Obelisks harassing Obelisks? Maybe I should turn in my blazer for a red or yellow one..."

"I'd be with you on that one. Only, I might have to settle for yellow."

"Well," Allen looked at Juli. "Let's leave her to think about what she's done." He turned back to Shion. "Where are you going anyway?"

"I was going to find Jason at the Slifer Red Dorm and apologize for putting him through so much." Shion replied.

"You didn't..."

"No! I never tried to harass Jason in anyway," She protested but frowned. "I just didn't stick up for him every time Juli ridiculed him."

"I see," Allen nodded. "Well, at least you're coming clean with your past mistakes and trying to make good. I'll vouch for you, come on he should be around the dorm."

"Thanks, I really am sorry." She continued.

"With a sincere voice like yours, I believe you. Now let's go see him."

Allen and Shion left down the path to the Slifer Dorm as Juli growled.

"How could he beat me!?" She yelled as she got up. "My moves were flawless and because of that Legendary Planet card, he turned it around!" She sighed heavily. "Forget this, I'm going back to my room!"

* * *

Juli made it to the moat separating the girls' dorms from the rest of campus. But right in front of the boat was someone she never expected...

"You..."

"Me..."

It was Jason with a smirk on his face.

"What's up with the white get up?" Juli scoffed.

"Let's just say, after our duel weeks ago, I finally had a breakthrough in obtaining a new deck." Jason stated. "I would like to duel you."

"So you can lose to me again?" the Obelisk scoffed and smirked.

"Like you lost to Allen just a few minutes ago."

Juli growled. "Who told you that!?"

"Oh, I saw it." The Lightsworn duelist replied. "Oh well, at least he didn't play around with you for the thrill of it, right?"

The ritual duelist got angry at that.

"Angry that you know it's true? It's hard I know, but I offer you a chance at redemption."

Jason turned on his duel disk.

"You beat me again and I'll do whatever you say for a month."

Juli grinned. "And if you win, as if..."

"Since I have no desire to humiliate you, I'll invite you into an organization that helped me out: The Society of Light!" Jason exclaimed. "And I'll even give you this handicap: I won't make a single attack."

"Ha! You got a deal!" She said turning on her duel disk. "No way am I losing with what you, yourself setup!"

"We'll see..."

"DUEL!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Juli: 8000

Jason: 8000

"I'll go first!" Juli announced as she drew her sixth card. "I play the Advanced Ritual Art to send Melchid the Four-Faced Beast and Grand Tiki Elder from the deck to the grave and it lets me summon a Ritual monster!" Two monsters slid out from the deck and went into the grave.

"I summon the Black Luster Soldier!"

From a green light, an armored soldier appeared. His armor was deep purple outlined with gold and carried a longsword. (8/3000/2500)

"Then I place one card facedown and end my turn!" She concluded as a facedown appeared in front of her.

"A very strong monster on your first turn," Jason smirked as he drew his sixth card. "But let's see what I have. I use Solar Recharge!"

The card showed Jain, Lightsworn Paladin pleading to the light.

"First, I'll discard the monster Wulf, Lightsworn Beast..." He discarded the monster. "Then, draw two cards." He drew twice. "And finally, send two cards from my deck to the graveyard." Two cards were sent to the grave.

"So your new deck causes you to lose cards?" Juli wondered.

"Partially, but let's continue. I summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner!"

In a flash of light, a dark-skinned woman with short white hair appeared. She wore sleeveless white dress that went down to her knees and had a scarf around her neck. (3/1000/1000)

"And I'll then activate her effect, once per turn by discarding one card from my hand I can summon back a Lightsworn from the graveyard." He announced as he discarded once. "And I summon a monster I dropped to the grave, Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress!"

Another flash of light summoned a woman with long, black hair in a white dress and cape. She carried a golden scepter with an emerald on top. (4/1700/200)

"Now to activate her special power, by switching her to defense mode, I can destroy your facedown card!"

Lyla waved her scepter and shot a green light at the facedown card, shattering it.

"I then place one card facedown and now the milling begins as both Lumina and Lyla forces me to drop three cards from the deck to the grave each!" Jason stated as he took the top six cards of his disk and sent them to the graveyard.

"I don't know what your game is," Juli announced as she drew her next card. "But I'm not going to let it happen! I use the spell card Brain Control to take that sorceress!"

Lyla vanished from Jason's field and appeared next to the Black Luster Soldier.

Juli: 7200

Jason: 8000

"Then, I use Call of the Haunted to bring back Melchid the Four Face Beast!" She announced, raising her facedown card up. Rising out from the grave was the four-masked monster. (4/1500/1200) "Now I sacrifice both to Special Summon the Masked Beast Des Guardius!"

Both monsters disappeared into a veil of smoke. Emerging from it, a large horned monstrosity appeared, with big sharp claws. On its face, it wore a big blue mask, and on either side of its chest were two smaller blue masks. (8/3300/2500)

"And that activates my Trap!" Jason yelled as he waved his hand over his facedown card, "Go, Vanquishing Light!" The Spell showed Celesita using her scepter to call up the light. "I can sacrifice Lumina to negate your summon and destroy it!"

Lumina erupted into a pillar of light and wiped out Des Guardius in its wake.

"And you can't use Mask of Remnants since I don't have any monsters!" He grinned.

Juli growled. "I can still attack you directly!"

Black Luster shoulder charged at Jason and swung his blade. Jason just sidestepped as the blade missed.

Juli: 7200

Jason: 5000

"I end my turn!" Juli declared. "Come on, you can't expect to beat me by not attacking! I'll give you a free shot!"

"No, I'll stick to my claims, thank you," Jason stated as he drew his next card and activated it on the spot. "I activate the Charge of the Light Brigade!" The spell showed Ryko jumping out from the light. "I send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard and grab a level 4 or below Lightsworn monster from the deck!"

After dropping three cards, he grabbed his desired monster from the deck.

"Then, I set one card facedown and play Soul Release to remove the five cards you have in the graveyard!" He stated as Juli pocketed every card she had in the graveyard. "And I'll set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Fine, I'll end you right now!" Juli said as she drew her next card.

"And this is where I activate my special trap card!" the SOL Duelist laughed as he revealed his facedown card with a snap of his fingers.

When Jason's trap flipped over, it put Juli on high alert.

The trap showed a red and blue skeleton rotating together in a cycle.

"Exchange of the Spirit!?" Juli screamed.

"Correct, since I have at least 15 cards in my graveyard now, and after paying a grand in Life Points, we now have to swap our decks and graveyards!"

Juli's hand shook as she took her entire deck into the graveyard while Jason swapped his deck cards and graveyard cards.

Juli: 7200

Jason: 4000

"I have to end this quick!" Juli panicked as he played her next card. "I won't lose again! I summon Sonic Bird!"

The jet equipped eagle appeared. (4/1400/1000)

"And I bring out my Ritual Spell Contract with the Abyss so I can sacrifice Zera the Mant in my hand and summon the Masked Beast!"

The masked centaur appeared quickly. (8/3200/1800)

"Now, I've got you! Black Luster Solider attack!"

The soldier cut apart the facedown card, revealing a small white wolf.

"Sorry, you just exposed Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter!" Jason grinned. "By sending three cards from my deck to the grave, I can destroy your Masked Beast!"

"NO!"

A bright light engulfed the Masked Beast and shattered it.

"I can see it," The Lightsworn duelist said with a smile. "No wonder you pride yourself on being strong; you're afraid to be looked down on as a loser."

"Shut up!" Juli shouted. "What do you know!?"

Jason shook his head. "And you thought by making other Obelisks girls follow you around with your talk about accomplishments, you'll have them right under your finger."

"I said shut up!"

"Difficult to hear, yes?" Jason said as white aura surrounded as he suddenly spoke with a double voice. "But don't worry, that's why I set up the condition that you'd join my group, the Society of Light!"

"H-Huh?"

"If you can swallow your pride and accept the fact that even Obelisks can learn something, you can be better than ever." Jason continued. "All you have to do is to end your turn now. Without another powerful monster to back up Sonic Bird, it's hopeless. But I promise you, the Light will provide you with everything you need to succeed!"

The Ritual Duelist was shaking. "A-Are you sure?"

"Positive! I'm always able to help. All you have to do is open yourself to the Light!"

"Then let me join, please!" She pleaded. "Let me see the Light!

"Excellent choice!" Jason laughed manically. "And turn end!"

Suddenly, the space where Juli's deck was flashed with a dark light that blinded her. It then stunned her as it changed Juli's wardrobe into an all-white version of the girls' uniform before she collapsed.

Juili: DECK OUT

Jason: 4000, Winner

"Feels good to have my past done away with," Jason said as he shut off his duel disk and pulled out some new cards that were infused with dark light. "Now then, I hope you're ready for the first assignment."

He slipped the cards into Juli's deck that was fanned out from the graveyard slot.

"So what are you doing?"

Jason turned around to see Chazz coming up to him.

"Fulfilling a duty to Master Sartorius," The Lightsworn duelist replied. "Like you shall now!"

Chazz gasped as Jason suddenly sparked with a Dark Light Aura. He then calmed himself as he listened to the SOL's second-in-command.

"Go to the Obelisk Boys Dorm and spread the light!"

The new SOL member grinned. "You can count on it!"

Chazz then left towards his mission. As that happened, Juli woke up with a white aura around her.

"Good, you're up!" Jason said. "Now, you'll go to Obelisk Girls' Dorm and deliver them into the light!"

Juli gave a wicked smile. "It shall be done!"

* * *

We are in serious trouble! Especially with my first deck out win duel!

Next time: With Chazz and Juli SOL members now, converting the Obelisks into the light, Kenji faces off against Chazz again to stop him. Will he succeed?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	25. From Blue to White

Alright guys, another two chapters became one due to it being on the same 'day'.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

S2: Chapter 25: From Blue to White

* * *

At the Obelisk's Blue Dorm on the boys' side, Chazz walked up to the front doors with a look of a man on an evil mission.

"Time to crash the party," He stated before kicking the doors open.

It served to startle the several Obelisks that were inside the main room of the dorm. Two of them had turned to be Chazz's flunkies from the prep school he attended to gain his Obelisk status last year. A guy with blue, wavy hair and glasses named Torimaki and a guy with brown, buzz-cut hair named Raizou.

"Chazz?" The boys asked seeing their old dorm mate with confusion.

"Long time, no see boys," Chazz said with a grin. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"Get out of here!" Torimaki scoffed, losing the surprise on his face. "You're Slifer Red, you don't belong here anymore!"

"Yeah, beat it, Slifer Slacker!" Raizou added with a taunt Chazz would've loved to use and it caused the other Obelisks to laugh.

"And what's with the white clothes?" A third Obelisk boy asked, grinning. "Trying to start a new trend?"

"You can say that," Chazz replied, not even phased by the taunts and jeers he was receiving. "I just came here to let you on a little something... Obelisk Blue, Ra Yellow and Slifer Red, they're all a big joke! If you really want to be on the path of greatness, then come with me and see the Light!"

"What light?" Torimaki asked, confused again but angry with what he said at the same time. "And who are you calling our dorm a joke?"

"You're just jealous because Crowler kicked you out of Obelisk Blue for losing to Yellows and Reds!" Raizou added with a scowl of his own.

The SOL member laughed hysterically. "Me? Jealous of you dorks! I'm an elite member of the most powerful organization in the world! The Society of Light!"

"Yeah... good luck with that..." Torimaki muttered, now just looking mildly disturbed.

"So just leave already!" A fourth Obelisk boy yelled.

Chazz sighed. "Looks like you all need a demonstration of my power... as I take all of you pathetic losers into the Light!"

"You take down all of us!" Raizou exclaimed. He and all the Obelisks with him laughed.

"I can spare a few minutes," The SOL member stated as he held up his duel disk and turned it on. "With my power, you're all going to see the Light!"

* * *

And in those few minutes, the entire dorm was filled with a holographic explosion that spread to the outside to surround it completely before it fizzled out.

* * *

Now, at the Obelisk Girls Dorm, Juli returned to her room with her girl group sitting around waiting for her.

"Hey Juli, what happened to you?" One of the girls asked.

"Yeah, did Shion get away?" The second girl added.

"Enough about her," Juli said with a blank smile as she looked at each of the girls. "Let's talk about how you all are going to serve the Society of Light." She cut on her duel disk.

"The Society of Light?" A third girl asked confusingly. "What are you talking about?"

"And what happened to your clothes?" A fourth girl stated, noticing all the blue colors were missing from her uniform and leaving only white.

"Like it?" Juli asked, keeping that same blank look. "You'll have it too, when you join me into the Light!"

* * *

Suddenly, another holographic explosion engulfed the girls' dorm and surrounded the area.

* * *

From a spot separating the girls' dorm from the boys' dorm, Jason sat in a white rowboat watching it all unfold.

"And so… it begins, Master Sartorius," He said with a proud smile. "First this island, and then the entire world will share your philosophy of the glorious Light!"

* * *

Later that day, Alexis and Kenji were walking towards the Slifer Dorm.

"I think it's good that Professor Sojourner allowed us to stick around the new dorm until the next year." Alexis said.

"He truly is great for allowing all of us to stay in," Kenji added. "It's going to be hard for me to adjust living the 'fancy' Obelisk life again. I was starting to like being in the red dorm with all its new features."

"Well, think about it," The Cyber Girl duelist stated. "You always said that around the Obelisk Blue Dorm was great for you to train at speed and jumping. Once you go back, you can run around the rooftops all you like."

The ninja duelist thought about it for a minute before getting a grin on his face. "I totally forgot about the rooftops! Thank you, Lex!"

"No problem!" She chuckled at her friend's happiness.

"Alexis! Kenji!"

Both turned around to see two girls from the Obelisk Girls' Dorm. One was a brunette named Jasmine and the other was a black-haired girl named Mindy. They had tired and worried looks, probably from running from their dorm.

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked with the look of concern.

"It's the Obelisk Dorms..." Jasmine breathed.

"Something weird has happened..." Mindy added.

"Like what?" Kenji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It'll be better to show you," Jasmine stated.

"What's going on?"

Jaden, Syrus, Hassleberry, Claudio and Melody ran from the Slifer Dorm and saw the four Obelisk students talking to each other.

"Jasmine and Mindy say that something's gone wrong with the Obelisk Dorms." Kenji told the group of Slifers and Ras.

"Is it bad?" Claudio asked, looking worried.

"Just come see, okay?" Mindy pleaded.

"Alright, alright," Alexis said trying to console her friend. "Let's go check it out."

* * *

The gang ran to the boys' Obelisk dorm, only to find the weirdest thing about it...

"Is that the blue barracks?" Hassleberry asked, staring at the dorm strangely.

"Not anymore," Syrus noted.

The entire blue dorm had turned completely white!

"Whose idea was it to paint the Obelisk Blue Dorm white?" Jaden asked.

"Someone who's messed up in the head, probably," Melody said.

"And I think I know who that someone is..." Claudio said, pointing out to the front of the dorm.

Once everyone looked to where Claudio was pointing...

"You gotta be kidding me..."

They saw Chazz sitting in a makeshift throne carried by several students, now wearing all white clothes!

"Hello, losers," Chazz greeted. "Like what I've done with the place? Because soon, the entire world will be like this: following the way of the Light!"

"All hail the Chazz!" The white clad duelists proclaimed. "All hail the Society of Light!"

"You're too kind," Chazz said to his flunkies. "But we have a very special person to thank… and that's Sartorius!"

"All hail Master Sartorius!"

"Sartorius?" Alexis wondered.

"That's Aster's manager!" Jaden exclaimed in remembrance.

"Correct, slacker," Chazz replied with a smile. "But he's so much more than that; he holds the answers to the greatest questions to the universe!"

"What's wrong with him?" Syrus said, turning to his group.

"I think he was exposed to too many paint fumes," Jaden shrugged.

"Typical," The white clad Slifer stated. "All of you are in need some truth, so I'll have to beat some of it into you."

"You know me, I can't say no to a duel," The Neos duelist stated with a smile. "Get your game on, Chazz!"

"Wait a sec, Jaden," Kenji stopped the Slifer from running up to the white students. "I'll duel you, Chazz!"

"Why you?"

"Because, even though I'm not living in the Obelisk Dorm, I'm still an Obelisk," The ninja duelist stated as he pulled his duel disk from inside his coat. "And I defend my own!"

"But Kenji, the guy's insane!" Jasmine stated.

"Then, I'll have no problem defeating him." Kenji declared as he pointed to his intended opponent. "So Chazz, we have a duel?"

"Of course," Chazz said. "But it'll be fair to warn you that I've defeated every single one of these boys single-handedly!"

"You're not the only one," The ninja duelist shrugged, not even phased by the declaration. "I've done that last year, as opposed to the current first years since I haven't battled all of them.."

Everyone gasped at both duelists hearing their statements.

"Anyway, let's go!" Kenji said.

"Ask and you shall receive," Chazz smirked. "But I already know how this duel will end, thanks to a dear friend of mine."

* * *

In the white room, Sartorius was shuffling his cards.

"This is most puzzling," He said, deep in thought. "My predictions told me that Aster was sure to defeat Jaden and Masaki was to defeat Claudio. But from what Jason has told me, they've defied the predictions and won."

Suddenly, two cards slipped out of the card pile with one lying face-up in the upright position and the other facedown. Sartorius ceased his shuffling and picked up his dropped cards and staring at the face-up card. It depicted a man in royal red robes outlined in white, a large golden crown upon his head and a small blue scepter in his left hand. He also held up his right hand with two fingers pointing upward.

"The Right-Side Up Hierophant," He exclaimed and smiled. "Well, another potential member! Someone with the knowledge and skill to further my success, in spreading the Light!"

But when he turned over the other card...

"What's this!?"

The card showed a completely black card!

"They're no cards like this in the Major or Minor Arcana! I don't even know what this means!" He gasped feeling disturbed. But then, he quickly calmed himself and looked at the Hierophant card. "No matter, I'll be getting a new servant and I'll receive the call soon."

* * *

Back at Duel Academy, everyone from the new Society of Light and Kenji's friends went down to the main arena to see Chazz and Kenji duel.

"To be truthful, I wanted to duel Alexis," Chazz stated as he turned on his duel disk causing the person in question to narrow her eyes.

"Alright, you just went from annoying to creepy!" Alexis yelled, not pleased with the Society member's statement.

"And besides, you're dueling me, not her." Kenji stepped in, turning on his duel disk. "And I don't like how you're always going after Alexis like some kind of stalker."

"Oh, don't you worry, Kenji," Chazz said. "Once I win, you'll be away from her as well. Your destiny is with the Light also."

"And let me guess, there's a white room with a white bed and white curtains waiting for me." The ninja duelist said. "Sorry, white's not really my color to wear."

"Then how about, I change your mind as I deliver you into the light!"

The white clad duelist behind Chazz cheered in adoration as both players drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!"

Chazz: 8000

Kenji: 8000

"I'll start!" Chazz said as he drew his sixth card and grinned at his initial hand. "I activate the spell Infernal White!"

The SOL Member slipped in a spell that showed a candle with white bat wings and a skull as the base.

"With this is play, I have to reveal all my cards, but during your standby phases you lose 600 life points!"

Holographic images of Chazz's hand appeared: Masked Dragon, Armed Dragon LV7, Level Up!, Mystical Space Typhoon and Level Modulation.

"What's up with revealing his entire hand?" Claudio wondered.

"I don't get it either." Jaden added, just as confused as his friend was. "Now Kenji can prepare for everything Chazz has."

"I'm not sure..." Alexis said, looking thoughtful. "Kenji can prepare now, but if Chazz plays it in all now, it won't matter."

"Next, I summon Masked Dragon in attack mode!"

From a burst of light, a large dragon with a long neck and big wings appeared with a snarl. Most of its body was covered in white scales, but the underbelly was covered in red scales. As for the name, the face looked like was a covered by a mask. (3/1400/1100)

"Then, I'll set this down and end my turn."

Mystical Space Typhoon was set.

"I know what he's going for." Melody said.

"Yeah, if Kenji destroys that Masked Dragon, he can get Armed Dragon LV3 and level it up all the way to LV7 with the cards in his hand." Hassleberry noted.

"My draw," Kenji declared as he drew his sixth card.

"And Infernal White deals 600 points of damage!" Chazz announced as a white aura appeared around the ninja duelist as it drained his life points.

Chazz: 8000

Kenji: 7400

"That's nothing," Kenji stated defiantly as he slapped a card down on his disk. "I summon Ninja Reptile in attack mode!"

A puff of green smoke enveloped a spot on the Obelisk's side of the field, unleashing the green clad ninja staring intently at Chazz with his reptilian slit eyes. (4/900/2000)

"Next, I use Secret Pass to the Treasures!" Kenji announced, playing a spell that showed three cloaked men, two in purple, one in brown, inside of a pyramid and uncovering a secret door way with a bright light behind it. "This spell card allows one monster on my side of the field to attack directly, so long as they have up to 1000 ATK! And since Reptile has 900 ATK, I pick him."

Suddenly, Reptile noticed a bright light right next to him and turned his head to see a gateway opening. Inside it was Chazz who also noticed the same gateway next to him and saw the ninja narrowing his eyes.

"Now Reptile, use the passage and attack Chazz directly with your Venom Punch!" The ninja duelist commanded as his monster nodded and walked up to the portal. Once there, Reptile raised his right hand and threw a punch that connected to the SOL member's face. Chazz grunted in pain and rubbed his face where the blow landed.

Chazz: 7100

Kenji: 7400

"Then, I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Kenji concluded with two facedown cards appearing at his feet.

"Well, I'll destroy one with Mystical Space Typhoon!" Chazz retaliated, revealing his not-so-secret facedown card.

A harsh wind conjured up and then cut apart Kenji's right facedown card.

"Now I draw!" Chazz drew, holding that smirk on his face. The card he drew revealed to be Armed Dragon LV5.

"Uh oh," Jasmine said worriedly.

"I sacrifice Masked Dragon and summon Armed Dragon LV5!"

Masked Dragon vanished letting the giant spiked dragon appear with an angry face and gripped its fists. (5/2400/1500)

"Next, I'll use Armed Dragon's special ability!" Chazz continued, taking his LV7 dragon into his right hand and putting it in the discard slot. "By sending Armed Dragon LV7 to the graveyard, I can destroy a monster with less than 2800 ATK!"

Kenji gasped. _'He's not leveling up the dragon!'_

"Now destroy Ninja Reptile with Shrapnel Blast!" The SOL member commanded his dragon.

Everyone on Kenji's watched confusingly and/or worriedly as the spikes on Armed Dragon's back shot outward like a volley of missiles and rained down upon his monster, blowing him away.

"He didn't attack?" Alexis asked with that confused look.

"It is strange that he had the cards to summon the LV7 but discarded it instead." Syrus stated, just as confused as he was.

"He does have Level Modulation on hand," Melody said, pointing out the second spell card above. "But that would help out Kenji first because he could get something to destroy it before Chazz can use it effects."

"What's his game then?" Claudio wondered with a thoughtful look.

"Now," Chazz pointed to his opponent with a grin. "Armed Dragon, attack Kenji directly with your Inferno Roar!"

Armed Dragon let out a fierce roar that made the walls vibrate as spinning blades that glowed red shot out of its body.

"I have a trap, Defense Draw!" Kenji called out as the trap flipped over. It created an emerald barrier that deflected the blades away from him. "This turns all battle damage to 0 and lets me draw a new card!"

"You saved yourself from the big shot," The SOL member stated flippantly. "Still, with Infernal White on the field I can chip away at your life points piece by piece!"

"So long as it doesn't hit 0, I'll still take you down!" The ninja duelist declared as he drew for his draw phase. Then, Infernal White hit him with another aura, draining his life points.

Chazz: 7100

Kenji: 6800

"Okay, I remove Ninja Reptile from the grave, so that I can Special Summon Raizo, the Ninja Assassin!" Kenji declared as he removed the monster card from his graveyard. Then, rising from the ground was the body of a young Asian man wearing an open black leather jacket and black pants, his wet black hair covering most of his eyes as he held a Kusarigama weapon in his hands, the blade swinging freely from his right hand as the weighted ball was clutched in his left. A murderous expression filled his face. (6/2400/1850)

"Wow, looks like Kenji went card shopping during his break!" Claudio said, stunned at the sight of the ninja duelist.

"If you like that," Kenji took another card from his hand and showed it to reveal a spell card that showed a Ninja Soldier Katana standing up straight with a hand sign and his shadow slowly rising out of the ground beside him. "I'll bring back an old favorite, by using the spell card Shadow Clone! I can use this spell to summon a Ninja monster from my deck that has the same level as another ninja on my side of the field or lower."

Kenji then took out his deck, fanned it out and picked out a choice card from it before shuffling the deck and putting it back. "And I choose my Ninja Kasumi in attack mode!"

Raizo performed a string of hand signs, letting his shadow stretch out to the left and from it another figure emerged. Rising up from the shadow was a beautiful, red-headed kunoichi with her slender build clad in a blue ninja outfit, holding the same hand sign as the ninja assassin. (5/2000/1500)

"And with her summoning, I can add another ninja to my hand from the deck that's level 4 or below." The Obelisk announced as a card slipped out of his deck and let him retrieve it into his hand. "And I'll pick Ninja Sheik, which I'll play now!"

After he placed the card onto the field, jumping out of the card image was a short-haired blonde, androgynous female with her muscular build clad in a blue and silver tight jumpsuit. She also had a scarf concealing her nose and mouth and a white turban on her head that only showed her right red eye that started at the Armed Dragon. (4/1500/1450)

"Three monsters!" Chazz gasped, taking a step back.

"Yup, would you like to see them attack?" Kenji smirked as he turned to his first ninja. "Okay, Raizo, you have the first attack! Destroy Armed Dragon LV with Assassin's Swing!"

"But it has the same ATK as the dragon," Mindy pointed out, gasping. "He's destroying them both in a suicide attack!"

The ninja assassin held the chain of his weapon with his right hand and started swinging the ball end, swinging it faster and faster until finally flinging it at the Dragon.

"You want a kamikaze?" Chazz asked, not deterred at his opponent's move. "Well fine, Armed Dragon use Spiked Spinner and counterattack!"

The dragon roar as it started spinning its large arms around with speed matching the ninja's weapon as they met halfway and launched their strikes. Armed Dragon landed his blow, knocking Raizo back but...

*POOF!*

He vanished into a puff of smoke!

"Where'd he go?" Chazz growled as he and the Armed Dragon started looking around. Then, the dragon stiffened up as it felt something sharp against its back. Once the SOL member, turned his direction back to the dragon, he growled even more when he saw Raizo using the scythe end on his weapon and sliced down its back, before exploding into pixels. "Why wasn't Raizou destroyed!?"

"It's his special ability!" Kenji smirked as Raizo stood next to his master. "Raizou can't be destroyed in a battle! He won't die while there are enemies needing to."

"Ha! Kenji faked him out!" Syrus cheered.

"Now Kenji can attack directly and take it to Chazz again!" Alexis added.

"Now my kunoichi, attack Chazz directly again!"

Kasumi and Sheik rushed in from both sides and pulled out a grey metal kunai. Chazz braced himself as he crossed his arms when both kunoichi jumped from their running points and sliced the white clad duelist from front to back, leaving him on his knees before jumping back to Kenji's side.

Chazz: 3600

Kenji: 6800

"I like to see Chazz try to win now!" Jaden smiled. "With three monsters, and one of them who can't be destroyed in battle, Kenji's got this one in the bag!"

"Plus, I never seen Kenji summon out his powerful ninjas with such ease!" Melody looked on, impressed with the move made by the ninja duelist.

"What do you expect from one of the few Obelisks who actually trains to keep his status?" Alexis asked, feeling proud of her friend's accomplishment.

"I'll end my turn with two facedown cards!" Kenji concluded as he emptied out his hand with the two facedown cards set near his feet.

Chazz looked like he didn't even care about the battle as he drew his next card, Card of Demise.

"I'll activate the spell Level Modulation!" He said as the card shined. "Now, draw two cards from your deck."

Kenji stared straight at Chazz as he drew twice.

"Now, I can summon Armed Dragon LV 7 to the field!" The SOL member declared as he took the monster card from his graveyard and slapped it on his disk with a wicked smile on his face.

The sharp-bladed, armored dragon appeared and roared loudly at the Cyber Angel. (7/2800/1000)

"Next, I'll use my Card of Demise!" Chazz continued as he activated a spell card showing a dark cloaked man, cutting his duel deck with a small guillotine. "With this card played, I can draw until I hold five cards in my hand!"

Chazz drew four more cards to appease the rules of the spell, revealing to be Level Copy, Enchanting Fitting Room, Chthonian Polymer and Armed Dragon LV10! Kenji gasped as he knew what was going to happen, while Chazz was eager to play one of them as he quickly slipped one of them in.

"Now, I sacrifice my Armed Dragon LV7 to summon forth the Armed Dragon LV10!"

The Armed Dragon suddenly glowed into a bright yellow aura that grew to immense size that toppled over the field. When the aura vanished, the Armed Dragon was now wearing black and silver metal armor around the red scales. All the sharp blades became sharper and the claws were larger than ever than its previous form. (10/3000/2000)

"It's not going to be pretty after this," Syrus stated watching Chazz place one of the spell cards in his disk.

"I'll activate Level Copy!" Chazz announced with a grin. The spell card he played showed off the three LV forms of the Silent Swordsmen, flashing their swords in the light. "And like the name states, it makes a copy of a LV monster that's currently on the field!"

Syrus gasped. "That means..."

A second LV10 Armed Dragon appeared and roared at the stunned ninjas. (10/3000/2000)

"See Kenji, you're not the only one who can summon many powerful monsters at once!" Chazz boasted to his opponent, "It's just I can do better! And once you join the Society of Light, you'll be more powerful than ever!"

"It's not going to happen, Chazz!" Kenji declared defiantly. "You can take your offer and shove it!"

"Such language, let me respond to that in the following way," The SOL member declared as he discarded his Enchanting Fitting Room. "I use Armed Dragon LV10's ability! By discarding one of my cards in my hand, I can destroy all of your monsters on the spot." He looked to his dragons. "Now go, Sonic Cutter Screech!"

The original Armed Dragon inhaled deeply and then roared out sonic waves that destroyed all the ninjas on the field, reducing them to pixels as Kenji shielded himself and retaliated by activating his facedown cards.

"I now activate my facedown cards, my trap, Burial's Last Gift and I'll chain it with the quick-play spell, Emergency Provisions!" The ninja duelist announced as the two cards appeared face-up showing the trap's picture of a live human hand sticking out of a graveyard plot and carrying five duel monster cards. The quick-play spell revealed to show numerous food items like cracker packages and canned fruit.

"First, Emergency Provisions activates sending my Burial's Last Gift to the grave and restore 1000 of my life points!"

The Trap Card vanished into sparkles and then seeped into the Obelisk's body as it restored his health.

Chazz: 3600

Kenji: 7800

"And even though it was sent to the graveyard, the effect of Burial's Last Gift still resolves!" Kenji declared as he drew three cards, making five cards in his hand. "And it lets me draw until I have five cards whenever a monster of mine is destroyed."

"Go ahead and have your five cards, but it won't save you from my direct attacks!" Chazz bellowed. "Now my dragons, attack Kenji directly with Double Static Orb Thrust!"

The Armed Dragon and its doppelganger roared again, rearing their giant claws into the sky, and created electricity that gathered into a large, sparkling orb. When they were maxed out, the dragons tossed their orbs at the ninja duelist, making him scream out as he was bombarded with lightning bolts.

Chazz: 3600

Kenji: 1800

The ninja duelist dropped to his knees, gasping for air.

"Had enough yet?" Chazz grinned. "Cause if you don't, it's your turn now."

"Kenji!" His friends cried out, worried for their friend who didn't get up.

"He doesn't look so good," Mindy said.

"He only has half the points Chazz has," Jasmine stated reviewing the scores. "Maybe he should just throw in the towel."

"NO!"

Everyone in the audience jumped at the outburst of Alexis Rhodes who stood up with an angry look on her face. "Get up Kenji! You still have life points left!"

"I don't know," Kenji said as he stared up at the dragons. "I don't know if I have anything to beat down 3000 ATK now."

"Stop talking like that!" The Obelisk girl yelled again. "You've faced stronger monsters than those two, or do I have to remind you of the Sacred Beast cards!"

The ninja duelist gasped as he turned his direction towards Alexis as she continued to speak.

"You have weaker monster than that dragon, so what? It's never stopped you from having the skill and strategy to pin them down and have your ninja monsters finish them off!" She said, keeping that glare firm. "I know you have the ability, I have faith in you as your best friend! We're two people known for using weaker monsters effectively just as the stronger ones. So use the skill that got you into the Obelisk dorm and shut Chazz up!"

Kenji smiled wholeheartedly as he got up. "Thanks Lex, I really need that!" He then turned to Chazz keeping that smile. "Hey Chazz, my draw!" He drew his next card, giving him a hand of six.

"And don't forget the effect of my Infernal White!" Chazz announced. "It deals 600 points of damage on your standby phases!"

The ninja duelist didn't even flinch as the white aura surrounded him.

Chazz: 3600

Kenji: 1200

"It didn't even faze him!" Claudio cheered. "Awesome!"

"Looks like that pep talk you have him, really spirited him up, huh Alexis?" Melody asked the Obelisk girl.

"He's lucky he's in a duel now," Alexis stated with a proud smile. "Otherwise he'd get a smack to his face for his sulking."

Jasmine and Mindy giggled to each other.

"If you ask me, I think you like Kenji more than you let on." The brunette Obelisk girl stated.

"Yeah, she's never spoke out like this to other boys," The black-haired Obelisk girl added with a knowing grin of her own. "Even Zane."

"Don't start with me, girls," Alexis said as she sighed.

"Okaaayyy..."

"Whatever you saaayyy..."

Kenji looked over his sixth card hand and found himself a great combo to use as he picked up a card and turned it over. "From my hand, I activate the spell card, Legacy of the Dragon Clan!" He announced as he slipped in the spell card. It showed a picture of a circular emblem of a black dragon that had its wings stretched out to the sides of the plaque, the tail encircling around the edges and the dragon's head stretched out to the right bearing its teeth. "And this special summons from my hand, the one and only, Ninja Hayabusa!"

Kenji's friends cheered as the spell card image spun rapidly until it launched another ninja out. He looked like the epitome of a present-day ninja, as his thin, yet muscular build was clad in a tight, black shirt and pants with tabi boots, ninja head piece, mask, scarf with shin forearm guards. He stood in front of Kenji staring down the dragons. (7/2700/1900)

"Alright, he brought in the big guns!" Claudio grinned.

"But I'm not done, Chazz." Kenji continued as he set another card inside his disk. "I'll give him his weapon of choice: Ryuken, the Sacred Blade! And it grants him 800 ATK!"

Hayabusa held out his left hand as a katana materialized into it that had a red hilt. He then released it from its scabbard, revealing its hard steel and workmanship as its wielder took it into his right hand, ready to strike. (7/2700-3500/1900)

"And then, I'll use my final three cards, all of them Fuhma Shuriken!" The ninja duelist continued as he played is final three cards.

The three spells laid out on the field, depicting the Strike Ninja expertly throwing small silver shuriken with unknown Kanji on them.

"And as you know, one Fuhma Shuriken grants a Ninja monster with 700 ATK!" Kenji explained. "And with three, Ninja Hayabusa gains 2100!"

The ninja monster held out his hand as three small shuriken landed inside it. (7/3500-5600/1900)

"Now my ninja, attack one of the Armed Dragons with your mighty blade!" Kenji commanded as his ninja jumped high into the air and then dived down to the copy of the Armed Dragon. Hayabusa took his sword in both his hands and when he reached the dragon's head, he swiftly sliced it right down the middle and continued to drive it down until he reached the floor. The dragon let out a dying gasp as it exploded into many pixels that Chazz and the other Society members shielded themselves from.

Chazz: 1000

Kenji: 1200

Alexis nodded. _'That's the way, Kenji.'_

"Kenji's has got the ultimate lock!" Melody exclaimed, looking over the field.

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked the Ra girl.

"Remember that Fuhma Shuriken can deal an additional 700 points of damage when it's destroyed and sent to the graveyard." Melody explained, as Jaden nodded in understanding. "Well, with three of them gone, Chazz will lose 2100 life points."

"I got ya," Claudio grinned. "If Chazz makes it strong enough to beat Hayabusa by force or use its special ability to wipe him out, he's done either way!"

"Exactly what I'm saying," The magician duelist smiled.

"I end my turn," Kenji announced. "Are there any last words, Chazz?"

"Yes," Chazz replied as he drew, revealing it to be Magical Mallet. "I'll activate Magical Mallet!" He announced as he played the card he just drew. It showed nothing more than a large red mallet with small white wings on it. "This card allows me to reshuffle any number of cards in my hand to my deck and redraw the same amount!"

Chazz did just that as he placed his two cards on the top of his deck and shuffled it up, and then he redrew. This time, the card images showed Mage Power and a strange new Equip Spell card.

"What the heck is that card?" Kenji asked, perplexed by the new card.

"Why don't you see it up close?" Chazz offered as he put both of his cards into the spell/trap card slots. "I activate Mage Power and White Veil and equip them to my Armed Dragon!"

The two spells appeared behind the dragon. Mage Power showed a picture of several, green robed, old mages raising their arms with red auras and fueling the cauldron behind them as it burst in flames. The second card, White Veil showed the back of a woman with long, silver hair blowing back, wearing a magenta gown that clung to her figure. And for the name, she held a clear white veil around her.

"The end is near, Kenji!" Chazz rejoiced. "First, Mage Power grants my Dragon an extra 500 ATK and DEF for every spell and trap card on my side of the field! And with three, it gains 1500 ATK and DEF!"

The Armed Dragon roared as a red aura surrounded him, granting him more power. (10/3000-4500/2000-3500)

"You're still shy by 1100, Chazz!" Kenji stated, crossing his arms. "Unless White Veil boosts its attack by at least that much, Hayabusa won't go down. Besides, even if you do the effect of my three Fuhma Shuriken will send your life points down the drain!"

"Yeah, who's Chazz trying to kid anyway?" Hassleberry wondered for the SOL member's play.

"He's completely lost it," Syrus replied. "Plain and simple!"

"No, it's the power of the Light that will now fuel my dragon and show Kenji its glorious power!" Chazz rejoiced as the White Veil cards suddenly expended a huge amount of light as the Armed Dragon's color went completely white! "Now my dragon, show Kenji the way to the Light!" He commanded.

The Dragon roared as it charged right at Hayabusa.

"You made your last mistake!" Kenji shouted as Hayabusa jumped straight at the dragon with his katana out in front of him.

"No, you made YOUR last mistake!" Chazz yelled. "When a monster with White Veil attacks, it destroys all of your spells and traps and negates any effects they have!"

Kenji let out a horrified gasped as all the weapons Hayabusa had on him shattered into pixels. The ninja gasped and widened his eyes as he found out he jumped into a fight he can't win. (7/5600-2700/1900)

"Now destroy him and deliver Kenji into the Light! Armed Luminizer Blast!"

The Armed Dragon continued its charge and crushed the ninja into pixels and then unleashed a white pulse of energy that washed over Kenji and engulfed him into the light!

Chazz: 1000, Winner

Kenji: 0

"Oh no!" Mindy and Jasmine cried out as Kenji collapsed face down on the floor.

"Kenji!" Alexis shouted as she ran up to the duel platform.

"What are going to do?" Chazz scoffed as he walked up to the fallen duelist. "Your speeches won't help him, Alexis. He's one of us now! And soon, you'll all be joining him!"

Alexis ignored Chazz's statement even has Jaden and the rest of the gang came down with her.

"Kenji, get up!" The Obelisk girls yelled to him.

Everyone smiled when Kenji finally got up, but only kept his head down with his hair covering his face.

"Hey don't look down, ninja dude," Claudio said to him. "You fought your hardest and even pulled off an amazing combo with your favorite card!"

Kenji grinned beyond his hair. "You fools don't get it... I'm glad I lost!"

Everyone except Chazz, who grinned, gasped at what came out the ninja duelist's mouth

"What did he just say?" Jaden asked, not believing what he just heard.

"Thanks to seeing the Light, I can finally be me!"

Kenji raised his head, showing the vindictive smile appearing on his face. Also, the headband on his forehead suddenly dropped off his head.

"As it should be," Chazz said as he placed a hand on the ninja duelist's right shoulder. "Welcome to the Light!"

"No way..." Claudio whispered.

"Kenji..." Alexis muttered.

"Now, how about we check out how Juli did with the Girls Dorm?" Chazz asked his new member.

"Nah, you stay, I'll check it out," Kenji offered as he jumped over his former group's heads and ran out the dorm.

"Come on, we gotta follow him!" Jaden shouted as he ran out the doors as well, prompting everyone to follow.

Once they were gone, Chazz smirked. "You're next, Alexis..."

* * *

Jason was still sitting in his rowboat, taking a meditative state with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and smirked.

"We have a new member, Master." He said. "Chazz has done well!"

 _"I can now sense his power, Jason."_ Sartorius contacted from inside his mind. _"Now that there are even more people have seen the Light, I can fully see them from your eyes!"_

* * *

From inside the white room, Sartorius was staring into the image of what Jason was seeing now. Both Obelisk Dorms now painted white.

"And now the soul of the Hierophant is mine!" He rejoiced, staring into the image of the tarot card that now held Kenji's face! His expression changed to concern as he looked at the dark card that fell with the Hierophant card. "But still, this card troubles me. How is it that a card with no meaning in the Arcana cards now appears after all these years? What is this trying to say? Is it about the soul of the Hierophant?" He then turned to his deck and drew a card. "Let's see what it tells me..."

The next card that showed was of a large, tree-like tower ascending to the sky as it was shown among the clouds. But the card was upside down.

"The Tower in the upside-down position," The tarot reader declared. "If right-side up, it indicates catastrophe, but upside down it indicates the rise after a fall." He looked at the dark card again and set the upside-down Tower card over it and the upright Hierophant card. "This is most intriguing." He then connected back to Jason.

"Jason, what is the name of my new servant?" He asked the eyes of the SOL.

* * *

Before he was about to answer, something caught Jason's eye. He saw a person, male, dashing across the water without any difficulty. As the person jumped into the air, the Lightsworn duelist was able to see that it was guy also dressed in an all-white blazer and pants with a white headband.

"It's Kenji Yuuyami, sir." Jason confirmed. "A ninja based duelist who is one himself."

 _"Follow him, and make sure to keep an eye on him."_ Sartorius commanded. _"Something is not right about this one."_

"At once, Master." The Lightsworn duelist said as he rowed his boat towards Kenji's destination, the Obelisk Girls' Dorm.

* * *

With Jaden and the gang, they had also reached the entrance to the Girls' Dorm and were met with a horrible sight.

"Not them too," Alexis shouted as they saw that the Obelisk Girls' Dorm was painted white like the Boys' Dorm.

"I wonder who the one that did this is." Melody said, crossing her arms.

"It was Juli," Jasmine stated.

"Juli?" Jaden asked.

"One of the new Obelisks this year," Alexis informed him. "In my opinion, she's like how Chazz was in the beginning."

Except for Hassleberry, everyone started to remember how arrogant Chazz was as a first-year Obelisk.

"It's difficult to picture that," Syrus said.

"I don't WANT to picture that!" Claudio added.

"Well it's my opinion to find this Juli chick and set her straight!" Hassleberry shouted, raising his right arm and flexing it.

"Looking for me boys and girls?" A self-righteous voice called out from behind the doors

Everyone turned to see the front door of the dorm open up, revealing the ox-hair styled girl and numerous girls wearing an all-white version of the Academy Girls' uniform.

"Welcome to the new home of the Society of Light for girls!" Juli greeted as the white clad girls cheered.

Claudio leaned towards Alexis and whispered. "Is that her?"

"Yeah," She replied. "And here I thought Missy was the strange one of the bunch."

Juli chuckled. "Alexis, Jasmine, Mindy... you've come back to join our glorious club. Come; let's get you fitted for your new, sparkling uniforms!"

"No way!" Jasmine shouted.

"All white is so not our color!" Mindy added.

"Your silly antics only justify my right to help you see the Light!" Juli declared as she held up her duel disk. "Who's the first among you to join?"

"If you mean the chance to get out of this crazy fad that all the Obelisks seem to have in common," Alexis stood up. "I'll duel you!"

"Aww, is there something wrong, Alexis?" The ritual duelist asked, tauntingly. "Because you do look a lot different today..."

"What are you talking about?" The cyber girl duelist asked.

Juli snapped her fingers. "I know, you must be upset that dear Kenji as finally opened his eyes to the truth!"

Everyone now looked at her in disbelief.

"And just how did you figure that out?" Jaden asked. "That happened across the moat!"

"Because, I told her about it," A voice called out from behind the crowd of girls. They split apart to show Kenji walking up to the group.

"How'd he come here before us?" Syrus gasped. "We saw one extra boat when we crossed!"

"Easy, I crossed the moat by running across the water." The new SOL member stated. "Things are much simpler to reach when you've finally achieved perfect ascension."

"Oh man, this is worse than we thought," Claudio said.

"I only speak the truth, Claudio." Kenji replied as he turned to Alexis. "Alexis, I hear you'll be joining us as well once Juli beats you."

"I won't lose, Kenji." The Cyber Girl duelist stated. "And what's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"

"And why are you passing up such a great thing?" The ninja duelist countered. "You can just join up and find your real self, like I have." He then sighed. "You know, why I even bother explaining when actions speak louder than words. How's this; I'll strike up a bargain with you. You duel Juli and if she wins, you join up with the Society. But if you win, you get a request from any member you want."

"Alright," She nodded. "And I'll have you removed from the Society when I win."

"I'll consider it," Kenji said.

"There's no 'when'," Juli stepped in. "There's not even an 'if', after I'm done with you!"

Standing around a corner, Jason saw the stakes of the duel being thrown down.

"This should be interesting," He said. "Two strong players, for the price of one..."

* * *

At the main arena, everyone returned there to see the two girls battle it out.

"Alright Alexis," Jaden called out. "You can win this just don't let her rattle ya!"

"The sarge is right, Private Lexi!" Hassleberry added. "Just keep your head in the game, and we'll have our ninja soldier back where he belongs."

On the Society's side, Jason walked up to Kenji and Chazz, who never left the arena since the last duel.

"I knew Alexis would end up seeing things our way," Chazz stated. "And once she loses, she'll be welcome with opened arms."

"And with another elite member into our Society, nothing we'll stand in our Master's way." Jason concluded, but turned the new member. "By the way, welcome Kenji."

Kenji stayed silent, staring intently at the duel.

' _He does seem troubling indeed, Master.'_ The Lightsworn duelist thought.

On the duel platform, Alexis and Juli drew their opening hands and turned on their duel disks.

"Just think, Alexis." Juli spoke up. "Once you join the Society, it will be the best thing that ever happens to you!"

"I rather we get this over with, Juli," Alexis replied. "The sooner I win, the sooner I can get my friend back!"

"DUEL!" Both players shouted.

Juli: 8000

Alexis: 8000

"Society members first," Juli said as she drew her sixth card. "I start with Senju of the Thousand Hands in attack mode!"

In flare of radiance, a strange, monk like person appeared that had a strange bronze color to him from his clothing, which consisted of a medium-sized hat and a ceremonial robe of a Buddhist. And just like the name suggested, he hand exactly 1000 hands appearing out of his body from various places. (4/1400/1000)

"And with his appearance, I can bring any Ritual Monster card from my hand to the graveyard!" The Ritual duelist continued as she picked up her deck and took a card from it. "And I'll pick my Elemental Mistress Doriado!" She stated as she reshuffled her deck and placed it back in her disk.

'That's a new one, I haven't heard about for her deck.' Alexis thought. 'With her Ritual Cards, she's more on power. So why would she have a level 3 monster?'

"Next, I'll play the Double Summon spell card so that I can summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands in attack mode!"

Juli placed another monster on the field. It looked even stranger than Senju's appearance has this one's body was made up of liquid silver arms and hands! And at the very top, was a weird looking head with red eyes and even more arms and hands growing out of it! (4/1400/1000)

"Eww..." Melody muttered, disgusted with the next monster's appearance.

"I think that's an understatement, Mel." Claudio added with a disgusted face of his own.

"And when he's normal summoned, I can choose either another Ritual Monster card or a Ritual Spell card from my deck," Juli continued as she grabbed another card from her deck as soon as it pushed it out. "And I'll choose my Doriado's Blessing card! But before I play it, I activate the continuous spell card Ascending Soul!"

Next, Juli slipped in a spell card that showed the background of the heavens with a Ritual Raven in a white robe reviving another Ritual Raven that was unconscious.

"Now, I'll use the Doriado's Blessing spell to sacrifice the Djinn Releaser of Rituals in my hand and Ritual Summon my Elemental Mistress Doriado!"

Out of nowhere, three orange fairies appeared and started to fly around a chubby purple female fiend wearing a purple dress and a headdress with a gold and blue design on the trim, and held a golden scepter. Suddenly, the form of the Djinn monster started to crack apart like hardened clay until her body crumbled. But now, in her place was a woman, a lot more beautiful than the sacrifice, with long blonde hair and an aura of pleasantness around her. She was dressed in a white robe with a blue crest on the front and blue shoulder padding with it and a red and green headdress with a yellow star on it. (3/1200/1400)

"A ritual monster with 1200 ATK," Jaden wondered. "She must have some special ability."

"She does," Juli replied. "Not only being a LIGHT monster, she's counted as a FIRE, WATER, EARTH and WIND monster as well! Also, with the Djinn I used for the ritual, you're not allowed to special summon!

Alexis and her friends gasped.

"Oh great, she's cut off from summoning Cyber Blader or her Cyber Angels!" Jasmine stated.

"She still has a lot of other moves to use." Mindy consoled her friend.

Kenji grinned on his side. "Without the ability to special summon, Alexis is sunk plain and simple."

"Maybe she'll join us sooner than we thought," Chazz smirked.

"Or maybe if the cards I gave Juli, wouldn't give enough skill for her to get Alexis to join." Jason concluded.

"Okay, enough about Doriado," The ritual duelist said as she pointed to her continuous spell card. "Let's get to the effect of my Ascending Soul!"

"What about it?" Syrus asked, as he looked the spell that was shining now.

"Once per round, whenever a Ritual Monster is Ritual Summoned, I can take one of the monsters used for the summoning from the graveyard and add it to my hand!" The Ritual duelist smiled as she collected Djinn Releaser of Rituals.

"I hate to say it, but that was a good move." Hassleberry stated. "Now she can use that monster on her next turn for another Ritual Summon."

"I'll end my turn with a facedown card." Juli concluded.

"Finally," Alexis muttered as she drew and looked at her whole hand. 'Looks like I'll have to stick with the individuals.' She thought before taking a card from her hand and placing it on the field. "I summon Blade Skater in attack mode!"

An ice pillar rose up to the field right in front of Alexis. Suddenly, it shattered as a bald woman appeared wearing a grayish-purple leotard, ice skates and wrist blades. She skated around the field before stopping right in front of her mistress. (4/1400/1500)

"Time to take of Doriado," Alexis declared as she waved her hand to her monster. "Blade Skater, attack her with Whirlwind Rage!"

The skater dashed towards the ritual monster and then went into a furious spin, turning her into a raging tornado!

"This is where I activate the trap card Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zin!" Juli interrupted as she flipped over her trap card. It showed a samurai's outfit coming to life in a demonic white aura. "I am only allowed to activate this trap card when I have monsters of FIRE, WATER, EARTH and WIND attributes." She then developed an evil smirked. "And how lucky for me that my Elemental Mistress carries all of that, which means I can choose one of the four effects of my trap card."

"Four effects!" Jaden gasped.

"Oh yeah," Claudio said, racking his brain for his thoughts. "Kenji played that card, too. You can either draw two cards, make your opponent discard two cards, destroy all spell and traps or..."

"I choose the effect that destroys all of your monsters, Alexis!" The ritual duelist declared as the trap card sent out a sinister dark light that gripped Blade Skater through the whirlwind and smashed her into pixels. "Aww, your monster fell to pieces..."

"It still won't stop me from using my own Double Summon spell to set one monster facedown before I end my turn." Alexis concluded as a set monster was placed onto the disk and showed up in holographic form.

"Now, it's my turn again!" Juli said as she drew her next card. "I summon Djinn Releaser of Rituals in attack mode!"

The chubby purple fiend appeared, brandishing her wand. (3/1200/2000)

"And, I know that monster you set has to have a high defense points," The ritual duelist narrowed her eyes as she took another card in her hand. "So, I'll use an equip spell, you may be familiar with: Ritual Weapon!"

The cyber girl duelist took a step back in slight fear as Doriado gained a giant white aura, filling her body with boundless power. (3/1200-2700/1400-2900)

"Now my Mistress, attack her facedown monster! Elemental Fury!"

Doriado then clasped her hands in prayer and started chanting mystically.

Then all of a sudden, a bolt of lightning stormed down from the ceiling and struck the facedown card, revealing it to be Etolie Cyber before she shattered into pixels.

"And here comes a triple attack! Senju, Manju, Releaser of Ritual, attack the unbeliever!"

Alexis' friends watched on helplessly as the Cyber Girl duelist was repeatedly struck by thousands of palm strikes from the two-thousand hand monsters before leaving her weakened enough for the Djinn to wave her wand and conjured another lightning bolt that shocked Alexis and sent her to knees.

Juli: 8000

Alexis: 4000

"She took her down to half her life points!" Melody gasped as the onslaught ended.

"Come on, Alexis," Jasmine shouted with encouragement. "It's still early in the duel to give up now."

Alexis grunted in pain. "You're right... I can't let my friends down..."

"I'll end my turn then, Alexis," Juli said. "Now, I hope you're not throwing the duel just to be with your friend. I wanted a worthy adversary to help serve Master Sartorius, not a quitter!"

"I plan on staying," Alexis stated as she drew. "And I plan on getting everyone out of this stupid cult you joined! I summon the Cyber Gymnast!"

Appearing onto the field was a dark-skinned woman with a muscular build and long blonde hair. She wore a form-fitting purple and black leotard and a white mask that hid her expression. (4/800/1800)

Alexis held up one of her cards, which was Polymerization, and stared sternly at the dragons "Now I discard one of my cards, to activate her special ability: she can destroy one face-up attack position monster!"

As she sent Polymerization to the grave, Cyber Gymnast jumped up to Manju and grabbed him by the head. Everyone gasped at the impressive strength of the gymnast as she took lifted the strange monster high into the air before body slamming it to the ground into pixels.

"Yikes!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Yeah, who knew her special ability was that destructive?" Claudio added, with eyes wide open in surprise.

"But guys," Hassleberry interrupted. "She could've used that special ability on the ritual monster instead of one of the weaker ones!"

"Hassleberry's right," Syrus added. "Why'd she do that?"

"Now, I'll deal with Doriado," Alexis said with determination as she placed another card into her disk. "I use the equip spell card Buster Rancher!

A spell card appeared, showing the image of a yellow suited space warrior on a distant planet. It was holding a giant, red blaster that was more than twice the warrior's size!

"I can only use this equip spell on a monster with up to 1000 ATK. And I'll equip it to my Cyber Gymnast!" She explained, as the red laser from the card materialized into the air and dropped towards the Gymnast, who looked up and caught it. She then adjusted it firmly so she could hold it up and kneeled on her left knee.

Juli just scoffed. "It doesn't change her ATK, though!"

"We'll see about that," Alexis said dully as she waved her hand at her monster. "I'll attack your Ritual Monster with Cyber Gymnast!" She said as Cyber Gymnast aimed her large blaster at the Elemental Mistress.

"A suicide mission, huh?" Chazz asked as he chuckled a bit. "It's a done deal."

"Not sure, if that equip spell has effects specific for a weak monster." Jason wondered.

"And I'll let you in on the special effect of Buster Rancher," The Obelisk Girl said with a triumphant look, "When the monster equipped attacks, it gains 2500 ATK during the damage calculation when it battles a monster with at least 2500 ATK! Thanks for powering up your monster!"

The SOL member dropped her jaw when the laser charged up and fired a straight magenta laser blast at her monster. (4/800-3300/1800)

It hit it directly at the bottom of Doriado's feet, causing a giant flame to build up around her. She cried out in agony as she finally shattered.

Juli: 7400

Alexis: 4000

Melody smiled at the current exchange. "Finally, Alexis turned it around!"

"I gotta say, that Buster Rancher thing did leave me confused!" Claudio said, voicing his surprise.

"Now, she needs to keep it that way since Juli has one card coming to her along the one in her hand," Mindy added exuberantly.

"She also needs to get her points out of the gutter," Jaden stated. "4000 life points, is not a place you want to be."

"I end my turn, with a facedown card," Alexis concluded with a smile of accomplishment as a facedown card appeared at her feet.

"Lucky, aren't you," Juli asked as she drew her next card. "I activate the spell card Graceful Charity, letting me draw three cards and then getting rid of two from the overall hand!"

She drew her next three cards, looked them over with the one she had left and grinned as she tossed away two of them.

"And next, Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" She continued as she drew two more. "Now I use the spell card, Preparation of Rites!" The ritual duelist declared as she showed of a card depicting three black cloaked people, gathering up various items and setting them up for a ritual of sorts. And hiding behind an arch, a Ritual Raven was watching it unfold. "With this card, I can add a Ritual monster up to level 7 as well as a Ritual Spell card from the graveyard!"

A card slipped out of her discard slot, and one slipped out of her deck, and she took both into her hands.

"Not another ritual..." Claudio moaned.

"Now, I activate the Field Spell card, Luminous Spark!" Juli declared as she opened her Field Spell slot. Once she inserted the Field spell, her entire side was blanketed in light, prompting the Society members to. Everyone on Alexis' side nearly had to shut their eyes to get a glimpse of the field to risk going blind.

"Hey, turn down the lights, will ya!" Jaden shouted as he also put his right arm in front of his face.

"Now with my LIGHT Attribute monsters, they gain 500 ATK and lose 400 DEF!" The ritual duelist continued as she looked to her Djinn, "Sorry sweetie, but you'll just have to bear it."

The Releaser of Rituals had to cover eyes like a certain half of the crowd, while Senju and Manju were basking in it the light. (4/1400-1900/1000-600) x2

"So, I sacrifice Djinn Releaser of Rituals and Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands to activate Ritual of Grace!" She continued. "Since their levels total exactly 7, it brings out my new monster: Divine Grace – Norsewemko!"

Suddenly, a marble altar surrounded by four pillars with a glass window with a sun design appeared behind her. The Luminous Spark's light passed through the window and created a rainbow-colored light that bather the two sacrifices in it before vanishing. Then slowly, a beautiful figure floated down from the heavens. It was a lovely woman, with blonde hair down to her waist, dressed in a fancy black dress and a headdress. She carried a long staff topped with the same sun design that was on the altar. (7/2700-3200/1200-800)

"Tt begins," Jason stated silently.

"3200 ATK!" Syrus gasped.

"Don't worry, Juli's still in trouble," Melody said. "The moment she uses Northwemko to go after Cyber Gymnast, she'll only destroy herself since Buster Rancher makes her ATK 3300."

"Oh..."

"Now, let's talk about my Ritual monster." Juli announced. "When she's Ritual Summoned, I can choose cards on my field equal to the number of sacrifices I used to bring her out and if their out on the field, my Norsewemko cannot be destroyed by card effects!"

Alexis narrowed her eyes. 'I could've made it easier to destroy her with Cyber Gymnast next turn. Oh well, I still got her on the battle."

"With two sacrifices use for the summoning, I choose my Senju and my Luminous Spark to protect Norsewemko from card effects! Plus, with Releaser of Rituals used for the ritual summoning, you can't special summon again!"

Senju and the field spell were now marked with the emblem of the sun on the chest and on the ground of the arena.

"And for your Buster Rancher, I'll have something you've might have seen just a few minutes ago," Juli grinned as she turned over the card.

Alexis and her friends gasped and the Society members rejoiced at the appearance of the card...

White Veil!

"Oh no, that's the card that beat Kenji!" Jaden stated as Juli equipped it to her ritual monster, making her clothes all white colored.

"I hope you have fun in the Light, Alexis!" The ritual duelist laughed evilly.

"I won't, I activate Waboku!" Alexis declared, quickly activating her trap card and from it, came three priestesses in blue cloaks defending the Obelisk girl by erecting a yellow barrier. "Now for the rest of this turn, my monsters can't be destroyed or take battle damage!"

Juli growled. "I can still shatter that Equip Spell, by having Norsewemko attack! Go Grace of Light!"

The spellcaster raised her staff into the sky and chanted. Everyone watched as if the whole field was coming after Alexis and Cyber Gymnast as the field spell itself launched giant white stars that rained down upon them. The priestesses kept up the barrier, but one star managed to pierce through and destroy the large laser, forcing the Gymnast and Alexis to the ground.

"I knew you'd eventually fall," Juli smirked. "I'll end my turn now!"

"Alexis, get up!" Jasmine shouted.

"Hurry before she uses that White Veil card again!" Mindy added worriedly.

The Cyber girl duelist struggled to get on her feet, but she was still exhausted.

"She still fights," Kenji said. "I've never seen a duel come about this quickly."

"And to have Alexis join our group, will be the greatest!" Chazz added.

Alexis shook off her fatigue and stood straight up _. 'This is it, if I don't draw the right card, Kenji and all the Obelisk girls are stuck.' She thought as she placed her fingertips on the top of her deck. 'And I'll end up joining them.'_

"Alexis, do it!" Jasmine and Mindy yelled in encouragement.

The Cyber Girl duelist nodded as she drew it out.

"Well..." Juli asked impatiently.

"I've got another shot, with my own Pot of Greed!" She declared drawing her two cards. She nodded sternly at her find and took one of her cards to use. "I use the spell card, Hidden Armory!" The spell card appeared, showing a picture of a giant hand crossing over into another dimension and reaching for a sword. "I'll send the top card of my deck to the grave to retrieve the Buster Rancher from my graveyard!"

Alexis dropped the top card of her deck into the discard slot and was rewarded with the Buster Rancher card that slid out, letting her take it.

"Now, I'll play it!" She declared as the giant laser dropped into Cyber Gymnast's strong hands again. "And finally, I activate my final equip spell card, Nitro Unit, and attach it to your Northwemko since she can be targeted by cards that don't destroy her!"

Juli looked confused when her Ritual monster was strapped to a black box with a green core and attached to a green canister fueling the box with green, nitrous liquid.

"What's this supposed to do?" The SOL member growled. "It hasn't caused my monster to lose a single point."

"Then, how about I show you how it works," Alexis smirked as Cyber Gymnast turned to her and nodded, which the Obelisk returned. "Attack Norsewemko!"

The cyber girl charged up her laser and aimed it at the core of the Nitro Unit. (4/800-3300/1800) Then, she fired the laser and hit the nitro box dead center, pushing the ritual monster all the way right next to Juli.

Juli: 7300

Alexis: 4000

Suddenly, the green canister's gauge was going off the charts when smoke hissed out of it!

"W-What's going on?" Juli stuttered, not liking what was taking place.

"The effect of my Nitro Unit, that's what!" Alexis declared with yell. "When a Monster is destroyed while equipped with it, you lose life points equal to its original ATK!"

The gauge hit critical mass until...

*BOOM!*

Norsewemko was lost in an explosion of fire and light, forcing Juli to the ground.

Juli: 4600

Alexis: 4000

"Alright, Lex!" Jaden cheered.

"Yeah, that's showing her!" Claudio added as he high-fived the Slifer.

"So what!?" Juli yelled, "I'm not... huh?" She was then interrupted by a light energy circle that formed around her. "What else are you doing?" She barked at the Obelisk.

"I'm not doing anything..." Alexis muttered, not knowing what that light was about now.

Suddenly, the circle erupted into a large pillar of light!

"AAAAHHHH!" the SOL member screamed at the top of her lungs. It horrified everyone on the spot, even when it stopped and caused Juli to fall to the floor, passed out.

Juli: 1900

Alexis: 4000

"What just happened?" Melody asked, still horrified at the effect that happened.

"She lost another 2700 life points!" Hassleberry stated, reviewing the scores. "But how?"

That's when it hit Jason as he gasped.

 _'It was White Veil!_ ' He deduced. 'The card has a side effect if the monsters destroyed while wearing it!' He then turned to Alexis who was stunned at the fallen SOL girl, _'She couldn't have figured it out!'_ He then saw Juli and gasped at what he saw. The ritual duelist was lying on her right side with her body twitching from the shock. Her face was stunned with shock and pain. Seeing this, he turned to his other members. "Chazz! Kenji!"

The boys nodded as they ran up to the field, with the ninja duelist taking the girl's shaking right hand and placing over the deck holder.

"This duel is over," Kenji stated with a glare.

"What?" Alexis asked, getting out of her shock.

All the holograms started to disappear when the converted ninja duelist removed the duel disk from Juli's arm.

Juli: SURRENDER

Alexis: 4000, Winner

"They had her give up?" Claudio wondered. "What's up with that?"

"You didn't see her twitching on the ground?" Melody pointed out. "That White Veil card did something major to her."

"That card's a lot more dangerous than we thought," Jaden said as Chazz picked up the fallen duelist and started to leave out.

"Well Alexis," Kenji said to her former friend as his fellow Society members started to clear out. "Looks like the Light will have to catch you another day. Have fun trying to survive with your friends." He stated as he turned to leave as well.

"Wait!" Alexis shouted, stopping him from taking another step. "I won the duel! You have to come back with us. That was the deal we made, remember?"

"Actually, I recall saying that I would be consider it." The ninja duelist said, still with his back turned. "And I say no."

Alexis gasped. "But..."

"You just don't get it," Kenji interrupted. "It's over; I'm not a part of your playgroup anymore. You're lucky Juli stepped in to take you on; otherwise I'd see to it personally that you joined by my own hand! So count your blessing today, Miss Rhodes, somehow you defied your fate today... I commend you." He applauded a bit as he finally left out.

The Obelisk girl just stared at the dark hallway with a look of failure on her face.

"Alexis!"

Jasmine and Mindy ran up to her friend.

"We're so glad you're alright!" Mindy smiled.

"Yeah, after that White Veil card was played, we were afraid for you," Jasmine added. "But you already exploited the weakness and got out on surrender!"

"That's not what I wanted!" Alexis snapped, making everyone look at her with astonishment. "I came here to help out the Obelisks, but I failed!"

"It's just one duel," Jaden said, coming down to meet the Obelisk Girl. "You'll get another chance to get Kenji back, and help out."

Alexis sighed as she begun to leave out the arena from the opposite hallway. "I don't know guys I'll have to think about this by myself for a while."

"Poor Alexis," Syrus said. "I know how she feels, losing her best friend like that."

"Let's just hope she recovers," Hassleberry added. "Because even though we kept a soldier from falling into enemy hands, there's now an entire army of those Society guys now."

"And we lost Kenji to them," Claudio said. "And we have to do whatever it takes to stop this crazy cult thing from taking over the island."

"We just gotta hold on to the rest of our friends and students, for now." Melody stated.

* * *

Yup, Alexis has been spared! But at what costs...

Also, I wanted to use that combo with Nitro Unit for a while now and Alexis was the perfect one to use. Plus, I got to show ya'll that nasty side-effect of White Veil that never occurred in the anime.

Ninja Sheik (Sheik from Legend of Zelda series)

Level 4

DARK

Warrior/Effect

ATK: 1500

DEF: 1450

Effect: Place Spell Counters on this card each time a Spell Card is played (max 5). This card gains 200 ATK points for each Spell Counter on it. You may remove any number of Spell Counters from this card to destroy the same number of Spell and Trap Cards on your opponent's field.

Raizo, The Ninja Assassin (Raizo from the Ninja Assassin movie)

Level 6

DARK

Warrior/Effect

ATK: 2400

DEF: 1850

Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing one "Ninja" monster in your Graveyard from play. This card cannot be destroyed by battle.

(The top two cards were created by Psycho Duelist. All creative card rights go to him. The rights of the character Sheik go to the creators of the Legend of Zelda)

Infernal White

Continuous Spell

Play with your hand revealed. During each of your opponent's Standby Phases, inflict 600 points of damage to your opponent.

White Veil

Equip Spell

If the equipped monster attacks, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls and negate their effect(s). When the equipped monster is destroyed, take damage equal to the equipped monster's ATK.

(These two cards were first played by Chazz Princeton in the GX episode: Obelisk White! All rights go to the creators)

Level Copy

Normal Spell

Select 1 face-up "LV" monster you control. Special Summon 1 "Copy Token", with the same original Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, DEF and effect(s) as the selected monster.

(This card was first played by Chazz Princeton in the 166th GX episode. All rights to the creators)

Next time: To acknowledge the White Dorm, Chazz enlists Society Member Lorenzo to take on Jaden, where if he loses, the Slifer Dorm is trashed! I thought we got passed this!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	26. Boss Rush!

For all you game heads out there, I hope you like this!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 26: Boss Rush!

* * *

At night, Jason was now in his room of the new White Dorm. He was sitting on his bed, in mental contact with Sartorius.

"Master, I know you saw what happened yesterday," Jason said in a panicked voice.

"Yes, an unfortunate event that befell Miss Juli's condition," Sartorius said from his white room, "I never thought the White Veil card was incapable with her."

"That was my fault, Master," The Lightsworn duelist cringed, "With such untapped power released as she was welcomed into the light, the White Veil card was calling out to her."

"So... that's what happened," The tarot reader mused. "No matter, she'll recover in time, but make sure she stays away from Jaden and Claudio when she does. In the meantime, prepare one of our members to battle Jaden Yuki."

"Yes, sir," Jason nodded as he severed his contact from him and sighed. "I shall not make that mistake again, Master."

Outside, the room, Kenji was leaning on the wall near the door. He was staring at the White Veil card, he just acquired.

"So, this White Veil poses a threat to the user," The ninja duelist said to himself as he pocketed the card, "Thanks, but no thanks. My own cards are enough to fight. I just need a shot at using new ones from my arsenal."

* * *

In the main room of the dorm, Chazz received a call from his Duel Pilot from Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte. And he wasn't too happy about the changes...

"What do you mean, you don't like the paint job," Chazz shouted to the image of the Vice-Chancellor.

"Look Chazz, this Academy has rules," Bonaparte informed him, "You can't just change the color of dorms! Besides, Crowler's partial to the color blue and being the school's Chancellor, he has the authority."

"Crowler's a joke of a Chancellor," The SOL member scoffed.

"Well, if another dorm is to, how should we say, vanish without a trace, Crowler would have to recognize your new colored dorms," The Vice-Chancellor stated with a devious grin.

"What are you getting at," Chazz asked.

"If you get rid of either the Red Dorm or the Yellow Dorm, I can guarantee your White Dorms will take their places," Bonaparte told him.

"Good," Chazz smirked as he cut off his Duel Pilot, "And after those dorms are gone, no one will stand in the way of the Society of Light. Not even Jaden or Claudio."

* * *

In Sartorius' white room, the tarot reader pulled out the familiar card of a jester playing a horn.

"The Fool," Sartorius declared, "It seems Jaden will play an important role in my plans. But will he stand by my side or in my way? He must be tested again! And whoever Jason has chosen for this role, will make him see the Light!"

* * *

Somewhere inside the White Boys' Dorm, a kid with shiny, jet-black hair that was pointed forward and spiky eyebrows was frantically pressing buttons on a small arcade game called Gradius. He was quickly moving his space fighter around, firing at a giant sliver battleship.

"Hey, bada-bing," He shouted in a loud, Italian accent as he fired at the center of the battleship, destroying its shields, "You aliens think you can take on Lorenzo," Then after numerous shots, the space fighter destroyed the battleship. He then stood up, flexing his fingers and shouted, "Fuggedaboutit!"

"Lorenzo!"

The Society member turned to see Jason walking inside of the room.

"Hey Jason, what's going on," Lorenzo greeted.

"I got a job for you, from Master Sartorius," The Lightsworn duelist said to him, "He needs you to defeat Jaden in a duel."

"That kid from Slifer Red? No problem! No amateur can topple a video game champion like me!"

"Do not underestimate him, Lorenzo," Jason warned him with a glare, "Juli made the same mistake on Alexis, and look where she ended up..."

"Alright, I'll do whatever I gotta do," Lorenzo stated.

"Good, with your victory, we only have Claudio to deal with to take over the school since Chazz struck up a deal with Bonaparte," The elite SOL member stated as he left.

Lorenzo turned back to his game, imagining Jaden in place of the next boss and destroyed the boss, "You're next, Jaden!"

* * *

*ACHOO! *

Jaden sneezed hard as he was hanging out with Jeremy, Syrus, Hassleberry, Allyson and Alexis, rebuilding their decks.

"That was some sneeze, Sarge," The dino duelist said, "You alright?"

Jaden sniffed a bit, scratching his nose, "I think so. This sneezing just caught up with me suddenly."

"You might have a cold," Allyson said, placing a hand his forehead, "Maybe you should go rest or something."

"Nah, I'm fine," Jaden said, going back to his cards, "See look, I'm not sneezing."

"Okay then," The Spirit duelist said as she pulled her hand back.

"No use trying to convince him of anything, Allyson," Syrus told the Obelisk Girl, "Unless you lure him into a duel, that is."

"Speaking of dueling, what's up with that White Veil card," Hassleberry wondered.

"It is a strange card," Alexis said deep into thought, "I haven't seen anything like it."

"Hey, it could be Aliens brainwashing people," Jeremy stated, "Not like mine, of course."

"Oh, come on, Jeremy," Allyson waved off.

"I'm telling you guys, if Jaden got his cards from an alien, who's to say that White Veil card isn't alien in origin," The Alien duelist explained to them.

"You know, he's got a point," Jaden interjected, "I mean, when I was in Neo Space, Aquos told me about the Society of Light. Soon, I was fighting an Alien from it. And now, most of the Obelisks are now a part of it. Jeremy could be right about Aliens taking over."

"Finally, someone believes in more intelligent life beyond this world," Jeremy rejoiced, but then calmed down. "Or maybe I should tone it down now, since we're dealing with the kind that wants to take over the world," He sighed, "Guess there's some Aliens that can't be trusted."

"Yeah, this Society of Light is bad road," The dino duelist nodded.

"You know, let's go to the observatory today," Jeremy offered. "It's inside the museum and it's pretty cool. I started to hang out there more after my promotion to Ra Yellow."

"Why not," Alexis said as she pulled out something in her skirt pocket. It was long, thin blue headband that once belonged to Kenji, "After all that's happened yesterday, we need to take our minds off it."

"Hey don't worry about it, Alexis," Jaden said as he stood up and put his deck into his blazer pocket, "We're going to get him back and see if we can snap all the other Obelisks out of it."

"We just need to find out how to do that," Allyson added.

"Alright, follow me," Jeremy cut in as he led the way, "I hope you've gotten in touch with history as well."

* * *

Later, the group passed through some doors to a hallway showing off holograms of Duel Monster cards.

"Sam Hill," Hassleberry exclaimed at the sight, "What in tarnation is that!?"

"Cool, right," Jeremy asked with a smile, "This hallway is connected through duel history, especially carrying the first dueling holographic projectors."

The next hallway overlooked a room that had the first dueling platforms that were used during Duelist Kingdom and Kaiba Land theme parks.

"Very cool," Allyson looked on.

"And that's not all," The Alien duelist said, leading the group into the final room. It was large and very spacious with black projectors around, "You can use the Observatory as a dueling arena. It's where I get my best ideas for my deck!"

"We'll how about we duel then?" Jaden offered.

"Sorry, but you won't be dueling your friend, Jaden!"

Everyone turned to the higher ground to see Chazz, Jason and a group of Society Members appearing around the balcony railing.

"Today, you'll be dueling our friend across the stage," Chazz announced pointing down at the other side of the room.

The group turned back around to see a kid with spiky, jet-black hair and eyebrows wearing a duel disk on his left arm.

"J-Man, how you doin'," He greeted, "Whadaya say, we dim the lights and get started?"

With a snap of the fingers, the light was turned off and the projectors were turned on, making the entire observatory having the feel of outer space.

"Okay, who's that guy," Jaden asked.

"Oh man, that's Lorenzo," Jeremy exclaimed as he recognized the Society member.

The SOL member started hard at Jeremy and grinned.

"Well, well," Lorenzo said, "Jeremy, how's my favorite runner-up?"

The Alien duelist got so steamed he had steam blowing out his ears!

"That's it, I'll...!"

"Whoa, calm down Private Roswell," Hassleberry shouted as he quickly put his fellow Ra in the full nelson hold to keep him in place while he thrashed.

"What's with Jeremy," Alexis asked as she and Allyson backed away from them.

"Don't know, but it's surprising to see him so worked up over a familiar face," Allyson added.

Suddenly, Jeremy slipped out of the dino duelist's hold and stood with an angry look on his face, "I'll tell ya, he's a three-time World Video Game Champion!"

"And that gets you mad because," Syrus pried.

"The first year I met him and this past summer, he's beaten me down," The Alien duelist shouted, "And all on my favorite game too, Gradius!"

"Gradius," Jaden repeated, "As in the monster card Gradius?"

"No, the arcade game," Jeremy shouted again, "Every time we played against each other, he's always beaten me!"

"As much as I like to beat ya again, Roswell," Lorenzo said, relishing the anger of the Alien duelist, "I've got my sights on the J-Man!"

"And I hope you've got your best, Jaden," Chazz said, "Since you're always looking for a challenge, you can say I've helped you out. You win, congrats, you lose, and the Slifer Red dorm is gone!"

"Let me guess, Bonaparte's at it again," Alexis asked angrily, "Is he part of your group, now!"

"Temper, temper," Jason said, "Be thankful, we don't want you for now when we can take out your best."

"Hey, are we dueling or what," Lorenzo shouted impatiently.

"Sure, let's throw down," Jaden exclaimed, "I mean, I'm getting to duel another pro!"

Soon Jaden and Lorenzo met on opposite sides and turned on their duel disks.

"GAME ON!"

They both drew their opening hands.

Jaden: 8000

Lorenzo: 8000

"How about I start this showdown," Lorenzo stated with excitement as drew his sixth card, "I'll use the spell card Foolish Burial to send B.E.S. Armored Core to the grave!"

The SOL duelist removed his desired card from the deck and place into the grave.

"Then, I set one monster in defense mode and place three cards facedown!"

A set monster appeared with three facedown spell/traps.

"Now bring it on, J-Man," Lorenzo grinned and started flexing the fingers in his right hand wildly.

"I'll bring it, alright," Jaden replied with the same amount of excitement as he drew. He scanned the six cards before settling one, "I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart!"

In a flash, a dark-skinned, muscular man with red tattoos around his chest and shoulders appeared, holding a large jagged sword. He had wild black hair wrapped in a giant tail and a small, clean beard. The only clothing, he wore was a small, brown native collar with white tassels and white loincloth that covered him from the waist down, but leaving his legs and feet bare. (4/1500/1600)

"Good thinking," Alexis said, approving of Jaden's choice, "Lorenzo's cards have to be traps with the number he has."

"No kidding," Jeremy added thoughtfully, "And if I guess right about him, he's using a deck that's from the video game Gradius."

"Wildheart, attack his facedown monster with Wild Slash," Jaden commanded to his hero.

Wildheart let out a battle cry as he jumped into the air and cut down the card on his descent. It revealed to be a small bipedal machine with two turret guns before it exploded. (2/500/500)

"That was DUCKER Mobile Cannon," Lorenzo grinned as a card slipped out of his graveyard and turned to it to reveal B.E.S. Armored Core, "And this little baby brings back a level 4 monster from my graveyard and into my hand! And I'll bring B.E.S. Armored Core back to the hand!"

"A B.E.S. deck, I knew it," Jeremy exclaimed with a snap of his fingers.

"Alright, I'll throwdown a facedown and call it a turn," Jaden concluded as a facedown card appeared in front of his feet.

"My draw," Lorenzo drew next card, but looked to his field cards, "First, I'll activate the trap card Cyber Summon Blaster!"

The laser on a chassis appeared.

"He's setting it up now," Syrus looked on, "With a machine type deck, he's sure to have that ready to deal out some damage!"

Lorenzo took a card from his hand and slapped it down on the disk, "Now, Armored Core, get ova here will ya!"

In the starry display came an intergalactic battleship that was grey metal with a bright core in the center. It gave off a loud hum as it ascended higher up. (4/1300/2000)

"And that pal, was a special summon so my Cyber Summon Blaster, activates!"

The laser activated and unleashed a red and white massive beam that nailed Jaden who tried to block with his arms as best he could.

Jaden: 7700

Lorenzo: 8000

"Next, I activate my facedown Inferno Reckless Summon," Lorenzo revealed his second facedown card showing the ground of a graveyard being tore open by lightning and unleashing four skeletons with red glowing eyes from it, "Since I special summoned a monster with less than 1500 ATK, I can summon two of the same monster out on the playing field," He announced as he pulled out his deck, scanned it, and pulled out two more cards, "So, I bring out two more Armored Cores to the field!"

Jaden and his friends gasped as two more Armored Cores appeared around the third and took up the ceiling. (4/1300/2000) x2

"And with Cyber Summon Blaster, I can unleash twice the pain!"

Another massive blast fired from the laser, but a lot bigger than the previous shot, and shot down the Slifer with more force.

Jaden: 7100

Lorenzo: 8000

Lorenzo then pulled out another card from his hand, keeping his crazy grin, "Next, I sacrifice one of them to summon B.E.S. Tetran!"

One of the Armored Cores became engulfed in a white life and started to evolve into a larger and more armored battleship. It was a little wider than its predecessor and had a tan color to it and not only it had two turret guns on either side of it, it was also complete with four metal tentacles. But there was an opening to the core that could prove fatal to it. (6/1800/2300)

"And let me clue you in on its special ability," The SOL member continued, pointing to his new machine, "Once Tetran is normal summoned, I can equip it with some shields and it prevents it from being destroyed in battle every time it gets into a scrap up to three times!"

Three white shield gates appeared at the opening to the core, giving it more defense to its weakness. (T: 3C)

"Now, I'll attack Wildheart with Tentacle Laser," He commanded as Tetran's front tentacles started to straighten up and fired blue lasers from it that shot at Wildheart. Using the rails of the Observatory, the wild-man hero could get into the inner parts of the battleship and chop off a shield with his blade. But it cost him his life after a tentacle grabbed him and squeezed him into pixels. (T: 2C)

Jaden: 6800

Lorenzo: 8000

"You got me there," Jaden stated as he pressed a button on his duel disk, "Now I activate the trap, Hero Signal!"

A bright light flashed from the trap card, and on the wall behind Lorenzo, a giant, black H was displayed.

"With this, when my monster's destroyed in battle, I can special summon an Elemental Hero up to level 4," Jaden informed him as a card slipped out of his deck. "And I pick Elemental Hero Stratos!"

Answering the signal, a blue skinned hero appeared wearing a dark blue vest guard, white helmet with a visor and white form-fitting pants with boots. On his back was a pair of sliver mechanical wings with turbines inside both of them. He hovered over the field and stared down the battleships. (4/1800/300)

"And since he's summoned, I can get an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand," The E-Hero duelist declared as he saw another card slipped out of his deck and showed it to his opponent, "I pick Elemental Hero Heat!" He placed it to his hand, awaiting the end of the turn.

"Okay, I set a facedown and end my turn," Lorenzo concluded.

"My turn then," Jaden drew his next card and moved to his monster card. "I summon Elemental Hero Heat!"

In a blaze of fire, another Elemental Hero appeared and cracked his knuckles for battle. He wore a helmet, mask and tight-fitting suit, showing off the muscles that was white but outlined red and gold colors that shaped into flames emblazoned on. In the mid-section was burning hot core. (4/1600/1200)

"And for every Elemental Hero on the field, he gains an extra 200 ATK," Jaden continued as the flames roared around Heat as they seeped into the red center of his suit. (4/1600-2000/1200)

"Next, I use Double Summon to bring out Elemental Hero Knopse!"

Another E-Hero appeared that was more different than the others. It was basically a little flower bud wearing a little necklace. (3/600/1000), (4/2000-2200/1200)

"Aw, he's so cute," Allyson gushed.

"He's a she," Syrus told her.

"Really?"

"Yup," Jaden called to her as he played another spell, "Watch, I use the spell Rose Bud to sacrifice Knospe to summon Elemental Hero Poison Rose!"

Knospe was enveloped by a whirlwind of flower petals as she started to bloom. She was now replaced by a violet-skinned teenage girl, clad in a knee-length dress made of leaves, her hair formed from daisy petals, a gold belt around her waist set with an amethyst. She gave an alluring smile and twirled like a ballerina. (6/1900/2000)

"Wow, it is a she," The Spirit duelist gasped as Poison Rose giggled.

"Now, Stratos will attack an Armored Core with Turbine Windstorm," Jaden commanded.

Suddenly, a red light flashed around the room and siren sounded.

"What's going on," Alexis asked looking around.

"Jaden just set off my trap card, Alert," Lorenzo answered.

The trap showed off a red warning light inside a ship. And it was giving off that red light and siren.

"This card let's me activate a Continuous Spell card that's currently face down on my field," He said as his other card flipped up, "I play Boss Rush!"

The spell showed different B.E.S. monsters firing and evading small space machines.

"What's the story on Boss Rush," Allyson asked Jeremy.

"With that card out, Lorenzo can't summon any monsters normally," The alien duelist informed him, "But he can special summon more of the B.E.S. monsters on the End Phases when they are destroyed and sent to the graveyard."

"And with Cyber Summon Blaster he can shave off Jaden's points every which way," Hassleberry added.

"Still, Stratos' attack is still happening," The Slifer stated as Stratos took flight above one of the Armored Cores and then launched a double wind strike at the core of the ship, making it explode from the inside out.

Jaden: 6800

Lorenzo: 7500

"Next, I'll have Heat attack the second one with Flaming Fists!"

Heat pointed his palms at the core and launched fireballs into it, blowing it sky high.

Jaden: 6800

Lorenzo: 6600

"He's in the lead," Allyson cheered.

"Now Poison Rose, knock off one of Tetran's shields with Poison Ivy Punch!"

The plant heroine leapt into action and then karate chopped the second shield away from Tetran. (T: 1C)

Jaden: 6800

Lorenzo: 6500

"And when Poison Rose deals battle damage, she gains 200 ATK but loses 200 DEF."

Poison Rose gave off a purple aura, giving and taking power. (6/1900-2100/2000-1800)

"You may be ahead, but not for long," Lorenzo laughed.

"Well let's see what you mean by that," Jaden said, "I set one more card facedown and end my turn with Climax Hour!"

A spell showed a family of heroes watching TV.

"In my third turn after playing this card, if I draw a monster, I can special summon it to the field!"

"It'll be over before that," The B.E.S. duelist stated, "Since a B.E.S. monster was destroyed while Boss Rush was on the field, I can bring out another one from my deck."

Lorenzo fanned out his deck.

"Now which one will it be," He asked himself, "Even though two of them were destroyed, I can only summon one."

"That's good, if Jaden can get Tetran off the field he can dwindle down the numbers," Jeremy stated.

"I got it," Lorenzo took out a choice card before shuffling his deck and reinserting it inside his disk, "B.E.S. Crystal Core, you're on!"

Another battleship appeared, but this time it was covered in ice. (5/2100/1000)

"And since a special summon occurred, get some!"

CSB fired another round at Jaden.

Jaden: 6500

Lorenzo: 6700

"Now I draw," Lorenzo drew on his draw phase, "I'll play Pot of Greed," He drew two more cards, and immediately played one of them, "I activate the spell, Shield Recovery to give Crystal Core three shields!"

Three shield gates appeared at the opening to the Crystal Core. (CC: 3C)

"Now, I'll use its special effect, once a turn, I can bring one of your monsters to their knees, like your fire guy!"

Jaden gasped as Heat was forced to kneel and cross his arms.

"Now Tetran, attack him!"

As Tetran charged its lasers, Heat jumped up and melted the second shield off Tetran before it was struck by the tentacles. (T: 0C)

"And then Crystal Core, attack Stratos with Ice Laser!"

The ice battleship fired a blue laser straight through the hero who let out a gust of wind that blew off the first shield before he shattered. (CC: 2C)

Jaden: 6200

Lorenzo: 6700

"I'll end my turn with one card facedown," Lorenzo concluded.

"My draw," Jaden drew, "I activate Legacy of the Hero! Since I have at least 2 Elemental Heroes in my graveyard that's at least level 4, I can draw three cards," He drew three cards from his deck and smiled at them, "Sweet I activate Polymerization and fuse Avian with Clayman to form the Elemental Hero Desert Sand," He announced as Avian and Clayman jumped into the fusion vortex and coming out was the Elemental Hero Avian but instead of wings, he wore a brown bulky suit that Clayman wore and carried jars of sand on his waist. And speaking of sand, it was surrounding him like an instant shield. (6/2000/2000)

"Another new fusion, sweet," Alex said.

"And now, Desert Sand attack Crystal Core with Sandstorm Wave," Jaden commanded.

"But he's 100 points short," Syrus warned him.

The Neos duelist looked back to Syrus and flashed grin, "But his special effect drains the ATK of a WATER monster to 0 when it battles with one!"

Lorenzo gasped as the E-Hero unleashed a sandstorm from the jars that bound the battleship. (5/2100-0/1000)

"I'll activate Spacegate," The B.E.S. duelist announced, "And every time your monsters attack or get attacked, I can put some counters on this card!"

At that, Desert Sand went up to Crystal Core and destroyed the second shield as he tore it off with his bare hands. (CC: 1C), (SG: 1GC)

Jaden: 6200

Lorenzo: 4700

"Ouch," Melody stated, looking at the life point gap.

"Poison Rose, take down his Tetran," Jaden continued as the plant heroine flew up to Tetran again and launched seed bombs from her hands that were shape of tennis balls. Once it reached the core, the battleship was destroyed in a giant explosion before Poison Rose floated back down. (SG: 2GC), (6/2100-2300/1800-1600)

Jaden: 6200

Lorenzo: 4400

"Now with this facedown, I'll call it a turn," Jaden concluded with a reversed card at his feet.

"Okay," Lorenzo grinned, "With Tetran's destruction, I can summon another B.E.S. monster to the field!"

The B.E.S. duelist fanned out his deck and took out another card.

"Here comes, Big Core!"

A gun-metal grey spaceship with its core orb flew out. It was slimmer with more firepower around it. (6/2300/1100)

"And now Cyber Summon Blaster hits ya again!"

Another blast came from the summon blaster and shocked Jaden again.

Jaden: 5900

Lorenzo: 4400

"Now, I draw," Lorenzo declared as he drew his next card, "I activate Crystal Core's effect to switch the mode of your Poison Rose!"

Poison Rose was forced down by CC's red and white tentacles.

"Now, I'll switch Crystal Core to defense mode and set this card facedown."

A facedown card appeared as Crystal Core shifted its position.

"Okay, my draw!" Jaden drew, "I'll have Desert Sand attack Crystal Core!"

The E-Hero blew another Sandstorm at the shield, crushing it from the pressure. (CC: 0C), (SG: 3GC)

"Then, I use my facedown card De-Fusion," The Neos duelist continued as one of his facedown cards activated. "Now Desert Sand, separate!"

Desert Sand split apart getting Avian and Clayman to emerge. (3/1000/1000), (4/800/2000)

"Now, Avian attack Crystal Core with Quill Cascade!"

The winged E-Hero launched some feathers at the core of the battleship, creating another large explosion. (SG: 4GC)

"And now Clayman, take down the Big Core!"

Jaden's friends gasped.

"Jaden, you're mad," Jeremy shouted.

"Sarge, don't do it," Hassleberry protested.

But it was too late when Clayman bravely charged head first into the core and took both in the explosion. Somehow, Jaden felt an aftershock of Clayman's destruction as he groaned in pain. (SG: 5GC)

"Are you alright," Allyson asked worriedly when Jaden staggered to his feet.

Jaden: 4400

Lorenzo: 4400

"Why did he do that?" Syrus asked.

"It was a good move, actually," Alexis stated.

Everyone turned to her strangely.

"So, he just hurt himself to destroy Big Core for a reason," Allyson spoke out, not believing what she just heard.

"Yeah, do you remember what Lorenzo said about Boss Rush?" The Cyber Girl duelist asked.

"Oh yeah!" Jeremy figured, "He said that even if multiple monsters are destroyed, Boss Rush only allows one to be summoned!"

"Right, so Jaden was right for taking down Big Core," Alexis confirmed, "He's trying to make sure only one monster stays on the field."

"I'll end my turn with another facedown," Jaden concluded.

But Lorenzo wasn't finished yet as he pulled out another card from his deck, "And Boss Rush activates letting me summon the next B.E.S.! And I choose, B.E.S. Covered Core!"

Emerging from space, another heavily armored battleship appeared... except the small opening to the core that is. (7/2500/800)

"And remember Summon Blaster," Lorenzo grinned as the blaster launched another shot at Jaden.

Jaden: 4100

Lorenzo: 4400

"Now it's my draw," Lorenzo drew out his next card and played it without missing a beat, "I activate my Card of Demise to draw up to five cards," Lorenzo drew five more cards from his deck and grinned at his choices. "Next, I activate the effect of my Spacegate trap card," The SOL member continued as the trap card vanished, "I may not be able to normal summon the monsters in my hand, but I can still Special Summon from there! I summon another B.E.S. Crystal Core!"

Another crystallized battleship appeared over the field. (5/2100/1000)

"Also, I'll activate another Boss Rush!"

A second Boss Rush revealed itself from the field.

"Now then, how about some damage, J-Man," Lorenzo asked with a grin, "Covered Core will attack Avian!"

The battleship let out a massive beam from its core, vaporizing the E-Hero, but it destroyed itself in the process.

Jaden: 2600

Lorenzo: 4400

"I activate my trap, a second Hero Signal to summon Bubbleman to the field in defense mode!" Jaden declared as the E-Hero of water came out. (4/800/1200) "And since he's alone, I can draw two cards!"

Jaden drew two cards and looked at one of them. 'Hey it's...'

"Crystal Core, attack Bubbleman!" Lorenzo continued with his move as the crystal battleship fired a laser from its tentacles, but the water hero shot down the core of the battleship before he was vaporized.

"Now I activate my other trap, Hero Call," Jaden declared as another trap flipped over. It showed a bright light being sent up to the top of the Skyscraper Field Spell. "This lets me take my Elemental Hero Neos from my deck and place on top of my deck!" He said as he fanned out his deck, took Neos out and placed it on top of his deck.

"Not so fast," Lorenzo said as he slipped in another spell card. It showed a picture of a stage selection screen, like what you would see in a video game. "With Stage Select he won't be there for long! Now I get to shuffle your deck!"

With that, he ran across the field as fast as he could and snatched Jaden's deck from his hands.

"So how do you like this" Lorenzo shouted as he started to shuffle them in every kind imaginable! First was the overhand shuffle, "Bada-Bing!" Then, he went crazy as he started shuffling them as the cards were flying from one hand over his head and into the other hand. "I'll shuffle these boys really good! Betcha never had skills like mine!" He declared as he rifle-shuffled next.

"You gotta calm down," Jaden said as he tried to snap his opponent out of his shuffling frenzy.

During shuffling, go into the scramble style now, Lorenzo turned to Jaden, "You don't get it? I must prove myself to Sartorius, and then he'll start bookin' me some real duels!"

"That's what this is about," Jaden asked as Lorenzo finally stopped and slipped the deck back into his disk.

"Looks like this kid isn't true to the cause," Chazz glared down at the B.E.S duelist.

"Sartorius will hear about this," Jason added in low tone.

"Also, Stage Select puts any card I want on top of my deck," Lorenzo then pulled out his deck, took a card and placed on top, "But since I end my turn, I have to shuffle anyway when I search out for my next monster with Boss Rush. Lucky for me, the monster I want to summon IS on top," The SOL member picked up that card and placed on the field. "Big Core MK- II, you're on!"

Once again, Big Core emerged in the sky, only it was wider with red strips and had not one, but two cores! (6/2400/1100)

"A dual core B.E.S monster," Jeremy gasped, "I never saw that!"

"And you'll never forget it," The Video Game champion boasted, "And the difference with this one is that he gets shields from being special summoned!"

Three shields covered the way to the cores. (BC MK-2: 3C) Also, it activated the CSB and it shot at Jaden again.

Jaden: 2300

Lorenzo: 4400

"And with a second Boss Rush, I can summon my B.E.S. Misfit!"

Also, flying in the star display was another battleship but smaller than most of the B.E.S monsters, but larger than Armored Core. This space was all black and had a triangular-shape to it. (6/2400/2100) CSB struck again, taking another small portion of Jaden's points.

"It's just like a video game," Lorenzo grinned, "When one of my lives is up, I get to use another one and fight again!"

"Whoa, hold on," The Neos duelist interrupted, "You're going about this the wrong way! Dueling's not about just blasting one another's cards it's more about planning strategy and thinking about what cards to use."

"Did I just hear a smart lesson from Jaden!?" Jeremy asked in disbelief.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing," Syrus added.

"He's growing up," Hassleberry said, "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Hey, don't go puttin' down video games in front of the champ, capiece," Lorenzo shouted, "Now make your move, wise guy!"

"Okay, here goes!" Jaden drew and smiled at his find, "And guess what I drew? Elemental Hero Neos!"

"But you don't have enough monsters to summon it," The B.E.S. duelist shrugged.

"Yeah, I do! Remember Climax Hour," Jaden reminded him, "It's the third turn and since I drew a monster card, I can special summon him!"

Neos floated out to the field and struck a pose. (7/2500/2000)

"Then, thanks to Bubbleman I can play another new card! Meet Neo-Spacian Glow Moss!"

Rising up to the field, was a bright, white light that formed into a feminine humanoid figure with black holes for her mouth and eyes mouth. (3/300/900)

"Now that's a true alien," Jeremy grinned at the sight of the Neo-Spacian, "It's what most of the first aliens appeared to be."

"It does fit the part," Alexis added.

"Now, it's time for a little attacking with my new friend," The Neos duelist said as he turned to Glow Moss, "Ready?"

"I shall do my best," Glow Moss responded in an echo-like voice.

Jaden turned to Lorenzo. "Alright, whenever my Glow Moss is in a battle, she activates her effect which lets you draw one card from your deck. Depending on the card's type, Glow Moss gets to use an effect of her own. So, Glow Moss, activate Signal Check!"

The bright Neo-Spacian held out her hands and materialized three orbs from them of light-brown, green and purple colors. Once Lorenzo drew, the green orb lit up.

"Looks like a spell card," Jaden grinned, when Lorenzo showed off his third Boss Rush, "And since you drew it, Glow Moss gets to attack directly! Spore Spear!"

Glow Moss then created a spear out of bright light and threw it straight at Lorenzo's disk, piercing it before it vanished.

Jaden: 2300

Lorenzo: 4100

"And now, Neos take out one of the Big Core's shields with Cosmic Crush!"

The E-Hero flew up to the bigger spaceship and knocked off a shield with one of its fists. (BC MK-II: 2C)

"And now I'll call it a turn with one card facedown," Jaden concluded as a reversed card appeared at his feet.

"Alright J-Man, my draw," Lorenzo drew his next card. "Now, I'll activate my final Boss Rush and send Misfit to attack your Neos!"

"Now he's about to suicide his monster," Allyson wondered as Misfit's core was started to light up more, "I never would have thought."

Jeremy gasped, "And he's got a good reason, too," He shouted, "Since Misfit doesn't have shields, it'll destroy itself like the rest, but kill every other monster on the field!"

Alexis gasped as she read into the Alien duelist words, "And with a monster destroyed while three Boss Rushes are on the field, Lorenzo could get three B.E.S. monsters on the field!"

"Jaden, ya done for," Lorenzo declared.

"Not quite, I activate Hero Barrier," Jaden declared as he activated his trap card that created a barrier made of wind and electricity that threw off Misfit's direction away from Neos. "Sorry, but since an Elemental Hero's on the field, I can negate one attack!"

"I'll just go after your Glow Moss," The B.E.S. duelist waved off as he turned to his other ship, "Hey Big Core, knock off that white blob over there!"

"You'll have to draw first and show me what it is," The Slifer interrupted as Glow Moss held up the orbs again.

Lorenzo drew again, making the light-brown orb glow, "Okay, I drew Moai Interceptor Cannons, a monster card!"

"Then sorry to disappoint ya, but your battle phase ends now," Jaden declared.

The Society Member growled, "Why are you putting me on pause, J-Man," He shouted.

"I didn't mean to," The Slifer apologized as he drew for his turn, "Hey, I found a way around your Misfit's effect! Meet Neo-Spacian Grand Mole!"

In a flash of light, a brown mole larger than average and with buck teeth appeared. It also had a strange collar with two halves of a drill on its shoulders. (3/900/400)

"Hey, a space mole alien," Jeremy cheered, "I'm glad I came to see him duel!"

"Alright, Neos attack the Big Core again!"

Neos flew up to the battleship and chopped off its shield. (BC MK-2: 1C)

Jaden: 2300

Lorenzo: 4000

"And now, Grand Mole time for you to go," Jaden spoke to the other Neo-Spacian.

"Okay, boss!" The mole responded in a hillbilly voice.

"Attack his Misfit!"

Jaden's attack declaration caught everyone off guard.

"Jaden, that mole's gonna be roadkill," Syrus cried out.

"Yeah, don't let an alien race die out," Jeremy whined.

"Not to mention his life points will die out as well," Alexis added.

The drill halves combined, creating a sort of helmet for Grand Mole as Neos took it and threw him into the core of the triangular shaped battleship.

"Looks like ya lose a lot of life points," Lorenzo laughed.

"I'm fine but I can't say the same for your monster," Jaden pointed out.

"Huh," The B.E.S. duelist gasped as a black hole sucked in both Misfit and Grand Mole. But instead of being lost in another part of space, they appeared back into their owners' hands. "What the-?"

"When Grand Mole battles, he and the opposing monster goes back to the player's hands before any damage is dealt," Jaden declared and turned to Glow Moss, "And now Glow Moss attack!"

Lorenzo angrily drew his next card, showing off a trap card called Riryoku Field.

"Aw man, Glow Moss goes into defense mode, if a trap shows up," He whined as he saw Glow Moss morph into a small shield, indicating her defense position, "I'll end my turn!"

"Okay, my move," Lorenzo announced as he drew his next card, "I activate Pot of Avarice to send my two Armored Cores, Crystal Core, Covered Core and Big Core back to the deck, shuffle it and draw two more cards!"

The five mentioned monsters slipped out of the SOL members discard slot, letting him shuffle them back into his deck and draw out two more cards.

"Next, I'll special summon my Armored Core again!"

The first of the B.E.S. line reappeared. (4/1300/2000) It activated the CSB again, striking Jaden.

Jaden: 2000

Lorenzo: 4000

"Now, I'll have my Armored Core attack Neos," Lorenzo declared. "Go get 'em!"

"He's trying to activate his three Boss Rush cards," Alexis figured.

"Neos, counterattack," Jaden commanded as he sent his E-Hero to the skies again. He flew straight through the core quickly enough to escape the explosion.

Jaden: 2000

Lorenzo: 2800

"Now, I'll end my turn with this facedown card," Lorenzo concluded, "And that sets off my three Boss Rush cards! Come on out B.E.S Crystal Core, Covered Core and Big Core!"

Darkening the light of the stars, Lorenzo's three B.E.S. monsters invaded the field. (5/2100/1000), (7/2500/800), (6/2300/1100)

CSB let out a blast that was three times the size of the original shot, pushing Jaden back.

Jaden: 1100

Lorenzo: 2800

"My draw again," Jaden drew his card. "And I'll summon Grand Mole again!"

The Neo-Spacian mole reappeared. (3/900/400)

"And since you like space so much, I'll activate my field Spell Neo-Space!"

The black star display was now blocked out by the multicolored area of the Neo-Spacians, filling Neos with power. (7/2500-3000/2000)

"Hey, this is cool," Lorenzo exclaimed at the sight of the field spell.

"Thanks, but I'm not through yet," Jaden replied as he continued, "Now I'll have Neos and my Glow Moss, perform a Contact Fusion!"

Everyone looked up to the skies as the Elemental Hero and Neo-Spacian of light flew up to the highest point and came together in a bright light. And from that light, Neos came right back with most of his suit in a light-green glow, leaving only his shoulder and chest armor along with his boots and forearm guards. He now had white dreadlocks flowing from behind his head and the bottom part of his face removed, showing off his mouth. (7/2500-3000/2000)

"Now, I activate Glow Neos' special ability! I get to destroy one card, like one of your Boss Rushes," Jaden announced.

Glow Neos then created a large, glowing spear that was as tall as he is. He then aimed at Lorenzo's spell card and threw it, piercing the hologram and shattering it.

Lorenzo shrugged, "If you attack my monsters, Boss Rush will bring back more! I'm talking constant protection!"

"They won't save you now," The Neos duelist replied, "Since Glow Neos destroyed a spell card, he's now allowed to attack you directly!"

"Ah!"

"Now Glow Neos, attack directly with Glowing Double Blade!"

The fusion hero created another glowing weapon, this time a double-bladed sword. He flew through the defenses of the B.E.S. monsters and reached the SOL member and finished the battle with a mighty spin of his weapon, knocking Lorenzo on his butt.

Jaden: 1100, Winner

Lorenzo: 0

Jaden then gave his two-finger salute and shouted, "That's game!"

Jaden's friends cheered for his victory.

"Oh well, that's what happens when you duel for selfish reasons," Chazz told the other Society members, "You can't fool the Light."

Lorenzo dropped to his knees, just as the light came back on and the holograms turned off.

"Guess I never should've tried to cut corners," He said to himself, "A little patience never hurt anybody."

"Nice game!"

Lorenzo looked up to see Jaden offer his hand for a handshake. He was about to accept when...

"Foolish!"

Everyone saw Jason jump from his spot from the balcony and landed in between Lorenzo and Jaden, but focused on the former.

"Your future is with Master Sartorius and the Light!"

The Lightsworn duelist placed his right hand on top of Lorenzo's head and started to flash a blinding light on him. The B.E.S. duelist gasped as he felt something influence his mind, turning his hair stark white. Once done, Jason stepped back a bit as Lorenzo raised his head with a demented smile.

Jaden and his friends gasped as they backed off.

"It's Master Sartorius," Lorenzo rejoiced, "I can finally see the Light!"

Jason smiled evilly, "That's very good, Lorenzo. Now come and join your family."

"Hey!"

The Lightsworn duelist turned to see Alexis stare at him with a scowl, "What is your problem! How many people are you going to brainwash for twisted cult! Is my friend not enough for you!"

"We'll take many as we can to spread the Light," Jason replied, "And pretty soon, all of you will join. Your days with your heads in the darkness are numbered!"

With that, he led Lorenzo and the rest of the Society out, leaving Jaden, Alexis and their friends with mixed feelings with what just occurred.

* * *

Whew! Brings me back to all this arcade madness!

B.E.S. Armored Core

LIGHT

Machine/Effect

Level 4

1300/2000

If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.

Shield Recovery

Normal Spell

Select 1 "B.E.S." monster or "Big Core" you control. Place 3 counters on it.

Stage Select

Normal Spell

Shuffle your opponent's Deck. Then, select 1 card from your Deck and place it on top of your Deck.

Alert

Normal Trap

Activate 1 face-down Continuous Spell Card you control.

(The top 4 cards were used by Lorenzo in the GX episode 'Duelfellas.' All rights to the creators)

Climax Hour

Normal Spell

During your 3rd Draw Phase after this card's activation, if you draw a Monster Card, you can Special Summon it, ignoring the Summoning conditions.

(This card was used by Jaden in the GX episode 'Duelfellas.' All rights to the creators)

Elemental Hero Desert Sand

EARTH

Warrior/Fusion/Effect

Level 6

2000/2000

Elemental Hero Avian + Elemental Hero Clayman

When this card battles with a WATER monster, that monster's ATK become 0 until the end of Damage Calculation.

(This card was created by jcoggsina. All rights to him)

B.E.S. Misfit

DARK

Machine/Effect

Level 6

2400/2100

When this monster is normal summoned or flip summoned, it gains 3 counters. When this monster battles with a counter, it loses one counter, but it cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. When this monster battles without a counter, it is destroyed after the damage step. When this monster is destroyed by its effect, destroy all other monsters on the field.

(This card was created by Ruin Queen of Oblivion and used with her permission. All rights to her)

Next time: Claudio deals with a Pro League duelist that's also in the SOL! Not only that, but his deck is lethal in its profession. Can our Ra stop him before he decks out?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	27. The Deck Destroyer

Alright, for this duel, it'll show the number of cards in the deck since the opponent runs a full-time Deck-Destruction deck.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 27: The Deck Destroyer

* * *

The next night, Aster Phoenix was sitting on his yacht having a cup of coffee. He was still contemplating on Sartorius' sudden action ever since the tarot reader sent him and Masaki to Duel Academy.

 _'Has Sartorius been lying to me,'_ He thought, taking a sip of his drink, _'Sending Masaki and I to duel Jaden and Claudio, this Society of Light Chazz was ranting about... what does it all mean? What's he planning?'_

Suddenly, a boat horn sounded snapping the D-Hero duelist out of his thoughts, alerting him to another yacht pulling up. Once docked, one person stepped off the vessel and stopped to look at his watch. It was a tall, lanky figured person with head-length black hair wearing a three-piece dark blue suit with a red tie. Aster immediately knew who this person was...

 _'X, number 5 in the Pro League! What's he doing here!'_

The man known as X, continued down his path down the docks, when he spotted a small, white flower blooming in the darkness.

"A young blossom," He mused in a raspy voice, "So full of potential, yet so easy to destroy!"

The Pro League duelist stomped down on the plant, killing it.

"Mr. Osbourne, you're next," He declared as he continued down his path.

* * *

In the white room, Sartorius was musing with another reading of the cards.

"Jaden has achieved the impossible," He stated, "He was able to overcome my predictions twice! But let's find out if Claudio can do the same..."

The tarot reader drew a card and placed on the table. It depicted the Grim Reaper raising its scythe in a solar eclipse.

"The Death Card is upright," He declared, "This signifies Claudio's defeat. Now, let's see if he can prove me wrong as well!"

* * *

At the White Dorm, Bonaparte stormed in and yelled at Chazz who was reclining on a couch. With him was Kenji, leaning his back against the wall.

"I thought we had a deal, Chazz," The Vice-Chancellor shouted, "You eliminate either the Slifer or Ra dorms, and your White dorms become permanent!"

"I told you two Lorenzo would screw up," Kenji said with a smirk.

"Can it, you," Chazz shouted at his fellow member, "It was a minor setback! But not to worry, I can find someone else to take out Jaden."

Kenji rolled his eyes, "And this is why, I called Sartorius to send down a representative from the Pro League," The ninja duelist said as he jumped to the ceiling, upside down, "But he's after Claudio."

"Who gave you permission!?"

"Me, of course," Kenji replied walking along the ceiling while Bonaparte was stunned speechless, "I was actually thinking when I called him to set up this plan. I gave Claudio an offer he couldn't refuse: his never-ending love for music. He thinks he's doing another concert, but what he'll find is his next opponent."

"How come we weren't involved," Chazz continued to rant.

"Sartorius told me to," Kenji shrugged, "After what happened with Lorenzo, it was best to have some outside help."

* * *

Meanwhile, Claudio was walking around campus at night with Melody, Alister and Erika. The J-Hero duelist had a map in his hands, pointing out a location on the island.

"So, you're doing another concert," Melody asked.

"Yeah, I heard from Professor Sojourner that everyone's already there," Claudio replied, "All they need is the entertainment section!"

"But inside a cave," Erika pointed ahead of them, "Now it's getting suspicious."

"Yeah, why not in the open," Alister wondered, "I'd say we go find out who is messing with us."

"My thoughts, exactly," The J-Hero duelist declared as the group walked through the entrance. "I knew the whole time..."

* * *

Inside the cave, aside from the numerous tunnels that was to be expected, there was also numerous puddles came from drips at the top of the cavern. Also...

"Claudio Osbourne, welcome!"

A voice called from the darkness and suddenly, lights were turned on revealing a business suit and glasses wearing man with a thin, lanky build at the end of the tunnel. Claudio wasted no time to get to the heart of the matter.

"Let me guess, you're the one who sent this map and the fake tip off about this concert," He said, pointing at the guy.

"No, but I do represent the group that has," The person said, "But all that aside, let me introduce myself..."

"I know you," Erika interrupted, "Howard Miller, the number 5 rank in the Pro League; also, known as X."

"A pleasure to see you and Mr. Gates again," X greeted with a slight bow.

"Wait so... he's a Pro duelist," Melody asked the engaged couple.

"Yeah, and he's good," Alister stated, "That number 5 rank in the Pros is just one above Aster's."

The Ra couple gasped.

"Now you've spoiled the fun," The Pro duelist gave a fake whine, "But I guess you're wondering why I'm here, yes?"

"I'm dying to know," Claudio replied flatly.

"I am here to pose an invitation to you, Mr. Osbourne: You and I shall duel here and now!"

"No thanks," The Ra boy waved off, "Now I know that this thing is a bust, I rather go back to the dorms and sleep."

"Yeah, thanks for wasting our time," Melody added as everyone turned to leave.

"Then I guess the Ra Dorm will be destroyed," X grinned.

Everyone turned around and stared at the Pro duelist in disbelief.

"I guess I have your attention then, kid," The Pro smiled, "Now, shall we get down to business?"

"Is there a catch if I do duel you," Claudio asked, crossing his arms, "There are stakes, aren't they?"

X chuckled, "You've read my mind. If I win, the Ra Dorm shall be destroyed! And like I said before, if you turn down this challenge, it'll be destroyed anyway."

Melody widened her eyes with a thought, "You're a member of the Society of Light! No wonder you're targeting our dorm!"

"Wait what," Alister asked.

"Alexis called me and Claudio the other day, saying that Chazz's group had someone challenge Jaden to and try to destroy the Slifer Dorm," The magician duelist explained. "And he was a new arrival!"

"The Slifer Dorm's is being hit again! This is ridiculous," Erika sighed, placing a hand on her forehead, "But now the Yellow Dorm's in trouble, too..."

"Now we know, someone's starting a power struggle," Alister added.

"Alright, if this gets you out of our way, I'll duel you despite your ranking," Claudio declared as he activated his duel disk.

"Glad you see it my way," X said as he activated his own duel disk.

"DUEL!"

Both players drew their opening hands. (X's deck: 35), (Claudio's deck: 35)

Claudio: 8000

X: 8000

"I shall begin," X declared as he drew his sixth card (X's deck: 34), "I'll start with Card Destruction, forcing us to drop our five card hands and drawing new ones!"

"Discarding already," Claudio wondered as he and X dropped five cards in their hands and drew five more from the decks (X's deck: 29), (Claudio's deck: 30), "What's going on?"

The Pro League duelist showed off one of the cards he discarded, a trap card, "For one thing, one of the cards discarded from my hand was Elegant Light LV4!"

Appearing at the top of the cave, a giant lantern with a bright light shining appeared.

"When this trap card is sent to the graveyard, I can summon a monster that's level 4 or below from my deck!"

A card slipped out of X's deck. (X's deck: 28)

"I summon the Warm Worm in defense mode!"

Scurrying out of its card, a small worm appeared. It was dark mauve colored and had a fiery crest upon its forehead. The worm shrieked at Claudio before it curled itself up. (3/600/1400)

"Next, I summon another Warm Worm in attack mode!"

A second Warm Worm appeared and shrieked at Claudio like its doppelganger. But this time, it stood tall and ready for a fight. (3/600/1400)

"And then I'll end with two cards facedown!"

Two reversed cards appeared at X's feet.

"Is Claudio going to be alright," Melody asked Erika, "I mean, if he's stronger than Aster..."

"I wouldn't bet on it..."

The spectators turned around to see Aster approaching them.

"Aster, what's up," Alister greeted.

"Finding your friend in way over his head," Aster stated, "This guy X will tear apart his deck, if Claudio doesn't play his cards right. Heck, no one's been able to beat him on the first try ever since he got into the Pros."

"Come to think of it, I've never dueled him," Erika pondered.

"Me neither," Alister added, "Maybe it's because when we shot up from the ranks in a quick pace, we skipped him on choices."

"Then you and your managers made the right decision around then," The D-Hero duelist told them, "After people duel him, they just lose their edge and give up altogether."

Everyone gasped, turning back to the duel.

"Then what chance does Claudio have," Melody wondered now feeling more worried.

"Okay, it's my move," Claudio said as he drew his sixth card, (Claudio's deck: 29) "I'll start the show with Jukebox Hero JB in attack mode!"

JB came out to the field and strummed his guitar before setting it on his shoulders. (4/1400/1200)

"And I'll thank you for discarding my hand, because one of them was Jukebox Hero KG, which I can summon from the graveyard with JB's summon!"

KG rose up from the ground and set his guitar in front of him. (4/1200/1400)

"And I'll help myself with Call of the Haunted," X stated, activating his trap that brought out a dark purple mist, "And with it, I call Shield Worm to the field!"

Rising from the purple mist, a black and orange worm wearing a blocky armor appeared and hissed at Claudio. (4/800/2000)

"First when he's summoned, it goes straight into defense mode..."

Shield Worm slid back near the Warm Worms and used its arms to help defend it.

"Then, for every Insect-Type monster I have on the field, you send a card from your deck to the grave!"

Claudio growled as he took the top three cards of his deck to the grave, (Claudio's deck: 26) and then held up one card from his hand, "I still have the cards in my hand and I'll play the Rock of Ages to boost their ATK by 200 for every Jukebox Hero on the field!"

After the J-Hero duelist played his card, the ancient rock appeared behind the heroes and filled them with green mist that hyped them up. (4/1400-1800/1200), (4/1200-1600/1400)

"Now let's squash some worms," The J-Hero duelist declared. "JB, attack the Warm Worm in attack mode with Tenacious Jam!"

JB grinned and started run up to the worm and raised his guitar over his head.

"Stop right there," X interrupted as he revealed his facedown card, "I activate the trap card, Assault on GHQ!"

The trap card showed the Marauding Captain getting a surprise attack on the Goblin Attack Force.

"I'll destroy the monster you tried to attack..."

Warm Worm exploded before JB hit home with his guitar.

"And then you lose the top two cards of your deck," X grinned, "Also, since Warm Worm was destroyed as well, you lose another three cards!"

"No, Claudio's going to lose his entire deck if that guy keeps doing this," Melody shouted as she watched her boyfriend send five cards from his deck to his graveyard. (Claudio's deck: 21)

"He's dealing with a pro duelist," Aster stated. "And X is as deadly as they come given his skills of deck destruction."

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," Claudio concluded with a sour face.

X chuckled, "What's the matter, kid? It's like you lost your best friend when I dismantled your deck."

Claudio narrowed his eyes in anger, "Just move."

"As you wish," X drew the card smoothly into his hand (X's deck: 28), "I remove my Warm Worm from the graveyard to summon Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior in attack mode!"

Warm Worm slipped out of the graveyard, a large green centipede burrowed out of the ground. Its four red eyes glared at the JB and KG as it snapped its mandibles. (4/1900/400)

"Time for it to get worse, as my worm warrior attacks KG with Burrowing Demise!"

Aztekipede jumped right back into the ground, making Claudio and his monsters hold their breath.

"Where's it going," Alister wondered.

Everyone got there answer when the centipede popped up right under KG and grabbed him with its mandibles. It then went back into the ground, taking its meal along with it, making JB weaker. (4/1800-1600/1200)

Claudio: 7700

X: 8000

"And when it deals battle damage, you lose another card from your deck!"

"Oh man, will you stop this already," Claudio shouted as he sent another card to the grave. (Claudio's deck: 20)

"Claudio's taking this hard," Jethro stated.

"Since Claudio's a duelist who shares a bond with his cards, it was bound to happen," Aster stated.

"He needs to snap out of his anger," Erika added, "Otherwise he's losing more than the Ra Yellow dorm."

"Not to mention, half his deck is gone," Melody said, worriedly.

"Now, I'll end my turn with my final facedown cards," X concluded as two reversed cards appeared at his feet.

"My turn," Claudio drew, trying not to lose his cool (Claudio's deck: 19), "I summon Jukebox Hero Slash!"

From a tower of fire, came a guitarist wearing a leather jacket with a white shirt underneath and blue jeans. He was noticeable from his wild, black hair under a black top hat and large, black shades. He wielded a black guitar with a sharp, red guitar pick. (4/1300-1700/1500), (4/1600-1800/1200)

"Next, I activate my facedown card, Let There Be Rock!"

Claudio activated his trap card, showing Jukebox Heroes Bon-Fire and Black Angus rocking out onstage.

"With this card, I can send any number of cards from hand to the grave..."

Claudio discarded two of his three cards.

"And in exchange, I can summon some low-level Jukebox Heroes!"

"Alright, Claudio's using that brain," Melody smiled, "Sure he's losing monsters, but he's having an easier time summoning them! Plus, since Jukebox Heroes are going to be summoned while Slash is on the field, he'll lose 500 points for each one."

"Too bad, he's not getting them out," X stated as his other facedown card flipped up, "I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy it!"

Everyone gasped as the trap was shattered by piercing winds.

"And don't think you're off the hook with not attacking me, I'll use the trap Battle Mania to make sure it happens," The Pro League duelist continued.

A trap flipped up showing two high school students and a little kid about to gang up on a martial artist.

"Now Claudio must attack," Melody gasped, "And he'll lose more cards when he destroys those worms!"

The music lover turned over his last card, "Then, I'll use my last card, Big Bang Shot and equip it to JB, giving him 400 ATK and the ability of piercing," He announced as JB did a wild solo and turned red. (4/1800-2200/1200) "Now JB, attack the Warrior Worm!"

JB played another wild solo and send red hot sound waves that burned the centipede and melted it.

Claudio: 7700

X: 7700

"And then Slash, attack with November Rain on Warm Worm!"

Slash tipped his hat before playing a fast solo of his own, summoning acid rain to burn down the worm, forcing Claudio to drop three more cards in his deck. (Claudio's deck: 16)

"And then, I'll end my turn," Claudio concluded.

"And begins mine," X drew (X's deck: 27), "I'll play Pot of Greed," He drew two more cards (X's deck: 25) and placed them on the field, "I'll place one monster in defense mode and one card facedown."

A facedown monster and reversed card appeared.

"Take your turn, kid."

Claudio narrowed his eyes as he drew (Claudio's deck: 15), "I summon Jukebox Hero Tom Sawyer!"

White fog rolled around and a warrior with a stern look appeared in silver battle armor. He had brown hair that reached his shoulders and carried a guitar that looked like a spear point at the neck. (4/1900-2500/1000), (4/2200-2400/1200), (4/1700-1900/1500)

"Time for some payback, since a Jukebox Hero was summoned with Slash on the field, you lose 500 life points!" The Ra declared as Slash summoned his November Rain attack and burned down X's life points.

Claudio: 7700

X: 7200

"And I'll go after that facedown card with JB!"

JB sent another burning hot sound wave that burned the facedown card and revealed a rock-like monster with white eyes peering from beyond the shell. (4/500/500)

Claudio: 7700

X: 5300

"That had to hurt," Alister grinned.

"But it was necessary," X smiled as he held up the card that was attacked, "You revealed my Level Jar which activates its special effect, sending all monsters back to the players' decks!"

He didn't pay any mind as Shield Worm vanished. (X's deck: 26) But Claudio gasped as all three of his monsters vanished. (Claudio's deck: 19)

"It's going bad for Claudio in a worse way," Erika noted.

X took out his deck and spoke again, "Now to explain the rest of Level Jar's effects: we now shuffle our decks."

Claudio then took his deck and he shuffled his deck with X.

"And do you remember the combined levels of your monsters," The Deck Destruction duelist asked.

"Yeah, all of them were level 4, so twelve why?" Claudio replied as he and X slipped them back in the card holder.

"Draw that many cards, please," X said, "And I'll draw 4 due to my Shield Worm." X drew 4 cards (X's deck: 22), while Claudio drew 12 (Claudio's deck: 7), "Now, if you drew a monster that you have returned among them you get to keep your hand."

Claudio looked them over and sighed when Jukebox Hero Tom Sawyer was seen as the top card in his hand, "I got one."

"And since I don't have any, I send them to the grave," X stated as he discarded his hand.

"Finally, a silver lining," Claudio said with a sigh of relief.

"Not a chance," The Deck Destruction duelist shouted as he activated his trap card, "I play Purse with a Hole!"

A cartoonish looking wallet appeared on the field.

"When you have more than five cards in your hand, you must discard them randomly until you hold five!"

The wallet opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue at Claudio's cards. Then, it split apart into seven tentacles and grabbed that many cards and spat them in the graveyard.

The Ra grumbled, "No!"

"This X guy has problems," Melody said, seeing the crazy look on the SOL duelist's face.

"He's high-ranked for a reason," Aster said, "Even higher than me."

"And one more thing," X continued, "You can't use any of the cards in your hand for the rest of this turn!"

"I end my turn," Claudio growled, "So just go!"

X laughed, "It hardly seems fair doesn't it? You only have 7 cards left in your deck and there's not a thing you can do about it," He then drew for his draw phase and immediately played it (X's deck: 21), "And I use the Spellbook Inside the Pot, turning that deck into four!"

Both players drew three cards more cards, much to the Ra's chagrin. (X's deck: 18), (Claudio's deck: 4)

"Now then, I summon the Goblin Zombie in attack mode," X announced when a living goblin skeleton that carried a sliver blade appeared from the darkness. (4/1100/1050)

"Now my Zombie, attack Mr. Osbourne directly!"

The zombie rushed over to Claudio and sliced quickly across his body before punching him down.

"Claudio," Melody cried out, seeing her boyfriend hold his chest.

Claudio: 6600

X: 5300

"And when Goblin Zombie does damage, you must send the top card of your deck to the grave," X informed.

Claudio sat up and sent his card into the graveyard. (Claudio's deck: 3)

"Now, I'll place a facedown card and the spell Dark World Dealings forcing us to draw a card and discard one from your hand," X stated as both he and Claudio drew once and discarded one, "Now, I'll end my turn." (X's deck: 17), (Claudio's deck: 2)

 _'What am I going to do,_ ' Claudio screamed in his mind, _'I only got a few cards left in my deck, aside from the eight in my hand. And I can't even get his points to zero with them once they're summoned!'_

 _"I can't believe this is the guy who killed Lionwhyte!"_

 _'Huh?'_

Claudio looked at his deck and saw a red light glowing from the top card.

 _"With a deck with the power of the Ironheade commanders to back ya up, you shouldn't be whining! Play this duel until the end and show them you mean business!"_

The J-Hero duelist snapped out of his sulking, "Here's my draw," He drew his card and looked at it with a gasp. (Claudio's deck: 1)

X laughed. "You should now give up; there's nothing more you can do even if you can summon a monster to take on my Zombie! You'll only have one attack!"

The J-Hero duelist looked up from his hand with a smirk, "No deal, pal," He stated.

Everyone gasped.

"But there's nothing he can do," Aster said, looking over the field, "X is right; with only one monster, he can't get his points down to 0. It's over!"

"Well, I'm not giving up on Claudio," Melody stated, "If he has a move that can save him, I believe him."

"Yeah, Claudio's been in tough spots before and he always came out okay." Erika said.

"I bet those two cards he drew can help him," Alister added, "And somehow uses the cards he has also,"

"Thanks for the props, guys!" Claudio smiled, "And those two cards did help me out. First, I summon my new Ironheade – The Baron!"

Suddenly, the sound of a motorcycle was heard alerting everyone.

"Who's coming now?" X asked, looking around.

"Me!"

On cue, a chopper motorcycle rolled in from behind X, spooking him. On it was a man in black leather jacket with nothing underneath, hat and leather pants. He also wore black shades that covered his eyes. (4/1900/1000)

"Another Ironheade monster," The Guardian duelist asked.

The Baron rolled up to Claudio and gave him a once over.

"So, you're the outfit that beat Lionwhyte," He asked in a rough, British accent.

Claudio just nodded.

"Right then, just say the word and I'll burn the other guy," The Baron replied with a snap of his fingers that conjured a flame.

"You still won't be able to finish me," X stated.

"Not for long, I activate the Scratch n' Sniff Revival Spell!"

A spell appeared that looked like colors of the Polymerization on a black record being spun around.

"With this card, I can fusion summon by removing the desired cards from play from in my graveyard. So, I'll fuse my Jukebox Heroes Sandman, Kill Master and Mullet Hounddog in my hand!"

Three monsters appeared on the giant record. The first was a person made from sand, the second was the cowboy bassist and the final one was the mullet hairstyle having guitarist. Once on, the record started spinning, fusing the three monsters together and picking up speed.

(Play: The Ring in Return by Coheed and Cambria)

X covered his eyes as a bright light ripped through the cave, even brighter than the lights already inside the cave. Everyone watched and as a new monster appeared. From the light descended a man in Roman armor. Strapped to his back were a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back. (10/3500-3700/2500), (4/1900-2100/1000)

"X, meet Jukebox Hero Apollo, the Deity of Sound!"

"Alright, I was wondering when I see this guy again!" Melody said.

"With him out, Claudio's sure to win!" Erika added.

"How, he doesn't have enough attack points down to 0." Aster stated.

"He's right, Mr. Osbourne." X added. "Please save yourself the embarrassment and stop this senseless move."

"Oh, it makes sense!" Claudio grinned. "When he's fusion summoned, I can return all the monsters in my graveyard and the removed from play zone comes right back to the field."

"And that means he won't deck out!" The machine duelist realized. "Claudio's still in this!"

"And that's not the best part," The music lover continued. "For every one of those Jukebox Heroes coming back to the deck, Apollo gains 400 ATK!"

X gasped.

"And I have exactly 22 monsters in my deck, with 6 of them not being Jukebox Heroes. So, that leaves 16 and among them I only have 11 in the graveyard and removed from play, giving Apollo a grand total of 4400 extra ATK!"

The graveyard shined as the monster cards flew out and surrounded both Claudio and Apollo, empowering them both and then slid inside the deck. (10/3700-8100/2500) (Claudio's deck: 22)

"8100 ATK," The Deck Destruction duelist freaked out, "Uh, can we talk about this?"

"Nope, but I'll have the Baron attack first since he's out. Go, Flame Ride!"

The Baron yelled as he revved up his motorcycle towards X, who flinched as the bike past him by. But before he could sigh in relief..

"AAAH!"

He was surrounded by a ring of flames from the Union Monster!

Claudio: 6600

X: 4500

"Now, Apollo attack with Solar Light Arrows!"

"Hold on there," X shouted as he activated his facedown card, "I activate Nutrient Z! Since I'm about to take at least 2000 points of damage, I gain 4000 life points before your attack hits!"

A purple aura surrounded X's form...

Claudio: 6600

X: 8500

...Then, the arrow pierced through his body making him fall to his knees, mostly out relief.

Claudio: 6600

X: 400

"You had me going there for a minute kid," X grinned, "But I'm not through yet!"

"Good, because I still have some cards left to play," Claudio declared as he set two cards on the field, "With only monsters in my deck now, you better hope I can't get at your life points! So, make your move!"

"And if I counted right for both, X's now in danger of decking out," Erika said.

"Okay, my draw," X drew nervously, but smiled at his drawn card, and set it on the field. (X's deck: 16), "I play Card of Sanctity to allow us both to draw until we both have six cards!"

X drew out five cards and Claudio drew four to make their hands hold six cards. (X's deck: 11), (Claudio's deck: 16), the former laughed at his find, making Claudio and the gang wondering what he was planning.

"Now, I'll set three cards facedown and activate the spell card, Super Guard!"

After a trio of facedown cards, a continuous spell card appeared right beside them. It showed an artwork of a couple of knights guarding a large gate of a castle, providing high alert security.

"If this card remains in effect, all my monsters cannot be destroyed in battle," The pro league duelist informed, "Next, I'll set a monster in defense mode."

A facedown monster appeared in front of the reversed cards.

 _'That's a Goblin Zombie,_ ' Claudio thought.

"Now, I'll remove my last two Warm Worms and summon the Doom Dozer!"

Busting out of the cavern floor, another centipede-like insect monster appeared. But this was a lot longer and larger with black exoskeleton armor over its pink body. Its four mandibles snapped menacingly at Claudio as it leered with its large, purple eyes. (8/2800/2600)

"Doom Dozer, destroy his Baron," X declared as the massive bug charged at the biker.

"Oh, bloody Hell..." The Baron cringed.

"I activate my trap card, Feathers," Claudio announced as his trap card flipped up showing an unsuspected man about to be struck by a beautiful woman with dark wings, holding a meat hammer, "This card stops your monster from moving and takes away 800 ATK from it!"

The trap launched a volley black feathers at the centipede, making it snarl in confusion. The feathers made their way onto the Doom Dozer's back making wings that wrapped themselves around the bug's body. (8/2800-1800/2600)

"I'll end my turn," X concluded.

"Here I go," Claudio drew his next card. (Claudio's deck: 15)

"Hold that thought, I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device," The Pro duelist interrupted as he activated a trap card, "This lets me return one monster to the field, back to the owner's hand, in Apollo's case the extra deck!"

Suddenly, a large bronze machine appeared that had red prongs to keep it stationary. Then, it made a sucking motion that pulled in Claudio's fusion monster and then ejected it off the field leaving the Baron by his lonesome. (4/2100-1900/1000)

"Aw, Claudio could've ended the duel with that," Alister groaned.

"I still have Apollo's final effect," Claudio shrugged as he took out his monster only deck and searched for card, "When's he removed from the field, I can bring any Jukebox Hero from my deck to my hand! And Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire's what I need!"

He added the desired card to his hand.

"Next, I'll summon Jukebox Hero Voodoo Child, who will be empowered by the Rock of Ages!"

A purple smoke appeared and from it came a black man with a pink bandana wrapped around his afro. He wore a silk green shirt with white pants and carried a white guitar. (4/1600-1800/0), (4/1900-2100/1000)

"After that, I'll activate the spell card, Gotta Be Somebody!"

A spell showed up on the field showing Jukebox Heroes Voodoo Child, Master of Puppets and Tenacious D in at the Colosseum - Cage of the Gladiator Beasts playing for the Gladiator Beast monsters.

"I can activate this when I have Jukebox Hero monster that's not as strong as the monster you have out," Claudio explained, "And this lets me summon two more level 4 or lower Jukebox Heroes, like Bon-Fire and JB!"

In two flashes of light, JB returned with the shirtless and flame wielding Jukebox Hero who swung his burning microphone around. (4/1400-2000/1200) (4/1800-2400/300), (4/1800-2200/0), (4/2100-2500/1000)

"You do know that your monsters don't stand a chance at beating my Doom Dozer, right," X declared, _'Especially when I activate my facedown card...'_

"All I have to do is declare the end of my turn and that's it," The J-Hero duelist stated, "With Bon Fire's effect, you'll lose 300 life points for each of my Jukebox Heroes! So, bad luck for you!"

"Then I'll just do this, activate the trap card the Black Horn of Heaven," X interrupted as he activated a facedown that released a black horn with bat wings on it, "Now I get negate the summoning of Bon-Fire and destroy it!"

The horn created an eerie sound that made Bon-Fire shut his ears and shatter him into pixels. (4/2000-1800/1200), (4/2200-2000/0) (4/2500-2300/1000)

"Now, what do have to say to that," X grinned.

"You're a big dunce," Claudio replied with a grin of his own.

"What?"

"I activate my trap card, Thunderstruck!"

Claudio's lone facedown activated showing a spirit of Bon-Fire passing on his microphone to another person who was surrounded by thunder energy.

"I knew you'd somehow destroy Bon-Fire after hearing what his effect was, so I had this laid out until the time was right," The J-Hero duelist proclaimed as a card slipped out of his deck, "Now then, this trap reminds of how when one person of a band dies, a successor comes out and continues his music for the fans. And here he is, Jukebox Hero Brian-Thunder!"

A flash of lightning zoomed out from the duel disk and brought out a middle-aged, brown-haired man to the field. He was dressed in a dark blue sleeveless shirt, blue jeans and short light blue hat. He was now in possession of Bon-Fire's microphone, now being charged with electricity. (6/2400-3000/1200), (4/1800-2000/1200), (4/2000-2200/0), (4/2300-2500/1000) (Claudio's deck: 14)

"And now I'll move in to attack and damage you with the Baron," Claudio declared as he turned to the biker, "Get in there!"

"Right then," The Baron shouted as he revved up his chopper and started to surround himself with a flaming aura.

"So, close... and yet so far," X shouted as his last facedown card flipped over, "I activate Recycle Barrier!"

The trap revealed a junkyard filled with lots of old appliances with a robot made out of old frying pans defending them.

"Now until the end of the turn, I don't take any battle damage, giving my life points immunity," The Pro explained, "And with Super Guard my monsters have immunity! So, I'm indestructible!"

The flames of the Baron were repelled by a thin, pink barrier as the Baron retreated.

"Now, end your tu... no!"

X stopped his ranting when he saw Claudio's next card, Mystical Space Typhoon! The harsh winds of the spell cut apart the Super Guard spell!

"Now, your monsters lost that immunity," Claudio stated.

"Yes, but you won't damage me!"

"Try telling that to Brian-Thunder's effect: when destroys a monster in battle, he can deal 200 points of damage times the level of your monster! Meaning Doom Dozer will cost you 1600 points of damage!"

The spectators, minus Aster, cheered.

"And you know what, I was supposed to play a concert here for ya, but since it was only a trick, I'll just settle for one song now!"

Claudio pulled out his guitar from his back and started the song.

(AC/DC – High Voltage)

As the J-Hero Duelist played the intro, it sounded a bit of the rock songs from the days of old, but that was what he was going for. The new frontman had to sing one of the greats.

Brian-Thunder started to swing his microphone around like Bon-Fire did and wrapped it around the Doom Dozer, who struggled against it.

As Claudio performed his solo, BT sent a big jolt across the microphone, frying the giant centipede into pixels.

Finally, BT charged the mic again and swung it at X, giving him the big shock and knocked him straight out.

(End Music)

Claudio: 6600, Winner

X: 0

"And that's all you're getting for a free show," Claudio said, pumping his fist towards the fallen pro.

X struggled to sit up, and widened his eyes to the victor.

"But how? This wasn't supposed to happen..." He said with a dazed look.

"Alright, Claudio saved the Yellow Dorm," Melody cheered as she ran up to her boyfriend and hugged him from behind.

Alister whistled, "Impressive, he beat a pro in a singles match."

"Not to mention one that struck fear into many retired pros," Erika added, "I'll see him in the circuit, after next year of course."

All during the celebration, Aster left out of the cave but not without giving one last look in acknowledgement to Claudio.

The J-Hero duelist pulled out his deck and fanned out his cards, 'I owe it all to you guys, for putting on a rockin' show!'

Back the white room, Sartorius saw that the Death card fell off the table by an unknown force and landed on the floor facedown.

"So, Claudio could overcome the card's prediction as well..." Sartorius said as he picked up the card, "He and Jaden must see the Light!"

* * *

Oh yeah, I like to thank Wild Ceteruler for giving me the inspiration of having AC/DC's current lead singer to show up. Bon Scott, R.I.P., after hearing your era of the band, you sung some great songs. And Brian Johnson thanks for continuing the band. Also to the other cards submitted to me, I'll get to them as Claudio duels.

Elegant Light LV4

Normal Trap

When this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below monster from your Deck.

Level Jar

EARTH

Rock/Effect

500/500

FLIP: When this card is destroyed by battle, return all monsters on the field to their owner's Decks. Then, each player must draw cards equal to the combined Levels of their returned monsters, and reveal those cards. If a player doesn't draw one of their returned monsters, they must discard all cards they drew.

Purse with a Hole

Normal Trap

Activate only while your opponent has 6 or more cards in their hand. Your opponent discards random cards from their hand until they have 5 cards in their hand. During this turn, your opponent cannot play any cards from their hand.

(The top three cards were used by Howard X Miller in the GX episode 'Not Playing with a Full Deck' All rights to the creators)

Greed Pact

Normal Trap

Both players draw one card from their decks.

(This card was used by Aster Phoenix in the GX episode Ultimate Destiny. All rights to the creators)

Ironheade – The Baron

Level 4

FIRE

Warrior/Union

1900/1000

Once per turn, you can equip this card to a "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" you control, OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a monster by this effect, when that monster inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, destroy 1 spell/trap card on the field. At the End Phase, returned this card and the monster equipped to the deck. (A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, this card is destroyed instead.)

Thunderstruck!

Normal Trap

Image: Jukebox Hero Brian-Thunder at Bon-Fire's grave and meeting his spirit who gives him his microphone. In the exchange, the mic's flames fizzle out in place of electricity.

Activate only when Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire is destroyed while face-up on the field. Special Summon 1 "Jukebox Hero Brian-Thunder" to the field.

Jukebox Hero Brian-Thunder

Level 6

LIGHT

2400/1200

Warrior/Effect

This monster cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This monster can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Thunderstruck!" When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict 200 damage x the level of the destroyed monster to your opponent.

(The preceding three cards were created by me. The inspiration of The Baron goes to Double Fine, and the inspiration of Thunderstruck! And Jukebox Hero Brian-Thunder goes to AC/DC.)

Gotta Be Somebody

Normal Spell Card

Image: A scene from the music video of Gotta Be Somebody (in the Colosseum bit round the start), with Jukebox Heroes Voodoo Child, Master of Puppets and Tenacious D in place of Nickelback, and Colosseum - Cage of the Gladiator Beasts for the Colosseum.

Activate only while you control only 1 face-up 'Jukebox Hero' monster, whose ATK is not higher than the ATK of any of your opponent's monsters. Special Summon up to 2 Level 4 or lower 'Jukebox Hero' monster(s) from your hand.

(This card was created by Digidramon and creative rights go to him. Inspiration goes to Nickelback for the name.)

Next time: Sartorius searches for the sources that may alter his fate, and it turns out that Hassleberry's one of them. Who's the other source and what will happen when the Arcana Force Duelist and the Dinosaur duelist throw down? Find out next chapter!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	28. Altering Fate

I now got the biggest tarot reading in this chapter, since it finally reveals what I see the characters, aside from Jaden will represent after reviewing the Tarot cards. Also, another two for one chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 28: Altering Fate

* * *

In the White Room, Sartorius divined his cards again with the upright Wheel of Fortune card up top and six cards facedown under it. He flipped over the four in the middle.

 _'The cards have predicted what I have suspected,_ ' He thought to himself as he went over the cards.

He started with the card that revealed a jester playing the horn.

 _'The Fool represents Jaden...'_

Next, he looked to the card that revealed an old man sitting on a throne wearing a red robe over his suit of armor. He also held a gold scepter in his right hand.

 _'The Hierophant represents Aster...'_

The third card showed a prince steering a chariot drawn by two horses, one white and the other black. The prince wore a full suit of armor with his helmet covering his face and held a sword in his right hand.

 _'The Chariot represents Masaki...'_

Finally, the fourth card revealed a feminine angel wearing a white robe who had her right foot on water and the left on land. She held two golden chalices that she was pouring water from one to the other.

 _'And Temperance represents Claudio will all be integral to my plan,_ ' Sartorius stated and then turned to the other facedown cards, _'but who could these be?_ '

He turned over one card on the left and it revealed to show a Goddess with an infinite symbol on her head, petting a red-furred dog.

 _'The Strength card...'_

Then, he turned over the card on the right and revealed a man in white robes kneeling by a lake. One foot is on the water, the other is on land. Above his head a bright, yellow star shines out with seven stars around it. In each hand, he holds a jug. From one jug, he pours a liquid into the water. From the other jug, he pours a liquid onto the land.

 _'And the Star card,'_ He said, _'both cards represent great powers that cannot be swayed. I must discover the source of these powers, and I'll suspect Duel Academy will hold the answers!'_

He then got up from his chair and walked out of the room, contacting Jason via mind-link.

"Jason, I have two new sources of power to investigate at Duel Academy," He stated, "Go and find one of these sources while I'll have the other!"

* * *

At the White dorm, Jason was in his meditative state receiving his master's command. He opened his eyes and stood up from the bed he was sitting in.

"As you wish, Master Sartorius," Jason said as he strapped on his duel disk.

But he was completely unaware of Kenji, listening in from outside his window as he sat on a tree.

"Sorry Jason, but I got a feeling of who's one of the lucky two to be my opponent," The ninja duelist declared as he vanished out of sight.

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm...

The new rooms of the Slifer Dorms were now bigger and better than ever so that each room held two people. The cramped bunk beds that held three people now held two and had more room for people to get in and out of bed. They also had a great stove top, microwave and mini-fridge to store and cook food. Finally, they had room to install a bathroom!

In one of the new dorm rooms, Hassleberry was inside his bed snoozing the day away, dreaming of his dinosaur monsters. Stepping out of the bathroom was his roommate, Jethro who was wiping his face with a towel as he started at the sleeping dino duelist.

"Hey dino soldier," Jethro called out to Hassleberry, "Classes are about to start, you should get up and get a move on!"

His protest fell on deaf ears as Hassleberry turned over, making the cowboy Obelisk sigh.

"Alright, I gotta use something my mom used to do to get me up to work," He said as he opened the door, leaving the room, "I just need to find me a bucket to put water in."

As soon as the door slammed, it stirred Hassleberry out of bed and he fell to the floor with a thud.

"Ow, that smarts," He shouted while rubbing his back. Then, he looked up to see a strange man in white clothing, like the Academy Style. He had long, blue hair flowing down his back with a white part in the middle, "Identify yourself," He shouted to the stranger.

"Hello," The man in white greeted, "I was looking for Jaden's room, but it seems I took a wrong turn. Would you kindly point me to the right one?"

"That information's classified!"

Suddenly, the man in white was hit with a revelation.

"He's the one I was warned about; he is the Strength card, I can feel it," He proclaimed.

"You're talking out loud, you know," Hassleberry told him, as he stood up, "Now state your business!"

"Of course, my apologies," The man in white said as he stood up and pulled a business card from out of his blazer, "I manage several Pro League duelists. My name is Sartorius."

"Hold on, you're 'Master Sartorius'? The one Chazz always yaps about," The dino duelist asked suspiciously.

Sartorius raised an eyebrow at that statement, "What are you insinuating, young man?"

"You brainwashed him! And now Kenji and most of the Obelisk Blue Dorm are in on it as well!"

"But I haven't done a thing to your friends. What they do is of their own free will," Sartorius stated.

Suddenly, Hassleberry's eyes changed into brown dinosaur slit pupils.

"Look, I know you're up to something," He shouted, "And mark my words, I'm gonna stop you!"

Sensing a red aura around the Ra, the tarot reader smirked.

 _'He harbors an incredible force within, and I must have it!_ ' Sartorius thought until he spoke out loud again, "Let's make a compromise, shall we? I'll address your concerns if you agree to face me in a duel."

"So, if I duel you, you'll disband your Society of Light," Hassleberry asked.

"Not quite, but I will ask your friends to leave the group, "the tarot reader stated, "But only if you manage to defeat me."

"Fine!"

* * *

Coming down the pathway towards the Slifer Dorm, Jaden, Syrus and Miss Dorothy were each holding a brown bag filled with eggwiches.

"You're not planning to go through all those eggwiches in one day, are you," Miss Dorothy asked.

"Of course, with enough of these eggwiches, I'm sure to get the golden one," Jaden proclaimed.

"But if you eat through them, you'll get sick," Syrus warned him. "That's what happened to Bastion after you goaded him!"

"No way, Bastion got to one last time, and I'm not taking any chances!"

Syrus sighed, knowing there was no stopping his friend. But in his line of sight, he saw Aster staring at the Slifer Dorm for something.

"Hey Aster," Jaden called out, grabbing the D-Hero duelist's attention, "What's up?"

"I came to check out this duel, in front of your dorm," He replied as Jaden, Syrus and Miss Dorothy looked over to see what Aster was talking about. They saw Hassleberry beginning a duel with someone.

"Hey, it's Hassleberry," Syrus identified.

"But who's the guy in white," Jaden asked.

"Sartorius," Aster answered, "He used to be my manager and Masaki's mentor. But we found out recently he's been using us. And from the looks of things he's about to brainwash one of your friends like what I've been hearing lately."

"No way," Jaden said as he gave his bag to Dorothy before running towards the duel.

"Wait up," Syrus called after him, but tripped on his feet.

* * *

At the duel, Hassleberry activated his duel disk.

"Alright, let's go," He called out.

But Sartorius was looking at his duel disk like it was the first time he had one.

"Hurry up!"

"How exactly do you work this contraption," Sartorius asked.

"By pressing the 'on' button," The dino duelist told him. "It's on the side of the disk."

The tarot reader found the button which turned on his disk, "I may be an excellent duelist, but I never used a duel disk."

"Can we duel already?"

"Nothing would please me more!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Hassleberry: 8000

Sartorius: 8000

"This war... is on," Hassleberry declared as he drew his sixth card, "Giant Rex, front and center!" The large finned T-Rex appeared. (4/2000/1000) "Also, I'll special summon Gilasaurus, to provide assistance!" Next, the small brown velociraptor appeared and roared at Sartorius. (3/1400/400) "And with a facedown card, that'll do it!" A reversed card appeared at Hassleberry's feet.

"A powerful start, impressive," Sartorius praised.

"You are too creepy," The dino duelist sighed.

"Hassleberry!"

He then turned around to see Jaden and Syrus call out to him.

"You gotta call off this duel," The Slifer protested, "Do you have any idea who you're up against?"

"Of course," Hassleberry replied, "It's why I accepted the duel. With this clown eating dirt, we can get Chazz and Kenji back!"

"Let's move on, shall we," Sartorius said calmly as he drew his sixth card, "I play the spell card Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards from his deck underneath the grinning pot. "Then, I'll activate a Continuous Spell card, Spell Absorption!"

The continuous spell appeared, showing off a magician's hand draining the energy of an enemy monster.

"While this card is on the field, whenever a Spell card is played, I gain 500 Life Points immediately after it resolves! Now, I summon Arcana Force I – The Magician!"

A thin man in a white bodysuit, with black and white billowing trousers and pointy red shoes appeared, waving his hands, which had purple eye patterns on them. (4/1100/1100) And then the card image appeared over its head and started to rotate clockwise.

"What in Sam Hill is that?" Hassleberry asked.

"Do you believe in destiny," Sartorius asked, "All events are predetermined, but give off the illusion of free will."

"Huh?"

"Take the effect of my Magician: When right-side up, after a spell card is played, the Magician doubles its original ATK! But if upside down, you gain 500 life points whenever a spell is played. The choice is yours, simply tell it to stop." Sartorius explained.

"Okay, a game a chance," Hassleberry deduced, "Alright then, make it stop!"

The card slowed down and stopped right-side up.

"The effect is set! Next, I use the spell card Vision of a Future World!" The spell card showed a large red eye looking over a person and the moon.

"This card will allow you to pick up the cards from your deck until you come across a monster card," Sartorius explained as he walked over to Hassleberry. "And if it's the same type as the ones on the field, you gain 1000 life points. But I wonder, will it be a Spellcaster you come across, or a Beast perhaps?"

"You know it's going to be a Dinosaur!" The dino duelist stated as he started to go through his deck from the top.

The first card was Dino Blast, the second was Big Evolution Pill, and the third was a monster, Ultimate Tyranno.

"What do you know, it is a Dinosaur!" The Arcana Force duelist said. "So, you keep all the cards you've picked up and gain 1000 life points, and I gain 500 due to Spell Absorption."

Sartorius touched the top of Hassleberry's duel disk and filled it with energy before returning to his side.

Hassleberry: 9000

Sartorius: 8500

"I don't get it," Jaden wondered, "He knew Hassleberry would have a Dinosaur-Type, so what's the point of that spell being played?"

"There must be a reason," Syrus added.

"He got to look at Hassleberry's deck," Aster explained.

"Now the right-side up of the Magician activates," Sartorius declared, "Since a spell card was played, the Magician's ATK doubles!"

Magician let off a white aura that amplified his power. (4/1100-2200/1100)

"Looks I like messed up that time," Hassleberry sheepishly rubbed his hair.

"And since I played a second spell card on my turn, I get to special summon this from my deck: Arcana Force IX – Hermit!"

Hermit appeared holding his sword in a gentlemanly way. (5/1900/1900) The card image appeared.

"Do all your cards do that?" Hassleberry asked.

"Precisely, when right side up, he gains the ATK equivalent of one of your monsters. But if upside down, one of your monsters will gain the equivalent of one of mine!"

"Okay then, stop!"

The card slowed down to right-side up.

"Now Hermit, match Giant Rex's power!" The Arcana Force monster raised its sword gathering a bit of power from the light. (5/1900-2000/1900) "Now, Arcana Force IX, attack Gilasaurus with Hex Blade!"

Hermit drew its sword and sliced the small dinosaur, right down the middle before it shattered.

Hassleberry: 8400

Sartorius: 8500

"Next, Arcana Force I, attacks Giant Rex with Spellbinding Light!"

The eyes of the Magician hands lit up as he raised them at the dino, who then vanished without a trace.

Hassleberry: 8200

Sartorius: 8500

"Now, I'll end my turn with two facedown cards." Two reversed cards appeared at Sartorius' feet. The Magician's ATK returned to 1100.

"My draw," Hassleberry declared, drawing his next card, "First, I use my facedown Trap known as Fossil Excavation! By discarding Sauropod Brachion, I can special Summon Giant Rex back to the field!" The giant dinosaur reappeared. (4/2000/1000)

"Perfect!" Syrus cheered. "Giant Rex's effect prevents him from attacking directly! And with that Trap, it's freed from that effect!"

"Alright," Jaden added.

"But I've got a better plan," the Dino Duelist stated as he played a Spell card, "Next, I use Big Evolution Pill to sacrifice it so for three turns, I can bring out any dinosaur monsters free of charge!" Giant Rex vanished as the spell card appeared.

"But now, Magician doubles in strength and I gain 500 life points!" Sartorius intervened.

The white aura appeared around the Magician again. (4/1100-2200/1100)

Hassleberry: 8200

Sartorius: 9000

"That's okay, because I'll have Ultimate Tyranno report to the field!" The heavy armored t-rex appeared, letting off a huge roar. (8/3000/2300) "And my heavy hitter can attack all your monsters so, rip them apart, boy!"

The dino roared as it stomped down the Magician with its foot.

Hassleberry: 8200

Sartorius: 8200

Then, Hermit was met with the business end of Ultimate Tyranno's tail, knocking it out of the park.

Hassleberry: 8200

Sartorius: 7200

"Didn't see that coming, huh," Hassleberry taunted, "And I'll end my turn with a facedown card!" A reversed card appeared. "You should quit while it's good, because I've got the strength of a dinosaur!"

"And the brains of one, too," Syrus muttered.

"I HEARD THAT!"

Syrus collapsed on the spot, having Jaden and Miss Dorothy laugh.

"Impressive move, but let us continue," Sartorius praised as he drew his next card. "First, I activate Cup of Ace!" The golden cup appeared as its card rotated above. "When right-side up, I draw two cards. When upside-down you draw two cards, now choose your fate!"

"Wait which side?" Hassleberry asked, but then forgot about it, "Just stop!"

It landed right-side up and Sartorius drew two cards.

Hassleberry: 8200

Sartorius: 7700

"Guess it should've been the other way," The dino duelist sulked.

The Arcana Force duelist placed another card on the tray, "Now I summon Arcana Force VII – The Chariot!"

A jet-black monster appeared, consisting of a humanoid upper body mounted on an inverted-pear-shaped lower half. The humanoid body had six long metal tentacles for arms, while the lower half had three tentacles ending in hose-like nozzles extending out from it. (4/1700/1700) Then the Chariot's card appeared over it and began to rotate.

"Stop!" Hassleberry said, not bothering to hear the explanation of the effect.

It was upside down.

"Finally, I get a break from all the right-side up effects," The dino duelist sighed.

"How lucky, when the Chariot is upside down it becomes your monster!" Sartorius said as the Chariot floated towards Hassleberry and turned around to face Sartorius, "Now I activate Suit of Sword X!"

The card image appeared and started to rotate steadily.

"If it's right side up, you lose all of your monsters! But if it's upside down, I lose all of mine."

"This is too much," The dino duelist shook his head, "Okay, stop!"

The card went right side up.

"Oh no!"

Ten swords rained from the skies and pierced the monsters and destroyed them.

Hassleberry: 8200

Sartorius: 8200

"Next, I activate the trap card, Ace of Wand!"

Sartorius' facedown activated showing a black wand emitting light, and then it started to rotate.

"I can activate it when at least one monster is destroyed. Now to see if fate can be kind to you: if it's right-side up, you gain Life Points equal to the destroyed monsters' ATK. But if it's upside down, you'll lose them!"

"Stop!"

The card landed upside down.

"Not again!"

"Now you'll take damage," Sartorius smiled as the trap unleashed a massive blast of light that pushed Hassleberry back a couple of feet.

Hassleberry: 3500

Sartorius: 8200

"And I'll place this card facedown and that'll do it for now," Sartorius concluded.

"This is bad," Syrus whined, "Hassleberry's down way to far!"

"What can you expect," Aster stated, "Your friend is playing right into Sartorius' hands."

Hassleberry drew his next card and smiled. "Alright, I place one card facedown and then I'll summon one of my new soldiers, Jurrac Tyrannus!" Letting out a giant roar was an orange and dark green T-Rex. It had a glowing green aura on its back and neck. (7/2500/1400)

"Wow, a new dinosaur, sweet," Jaden smiled.

"Then I'll use Monster Reborn to summon Ultimate Tyranno back from graveyard!"

Ultimate Tyranno came back from the grave with a big roar of his own. (8/3000/2300)

Hassleberry: 3500

Sartorius: 8700

"Now attack Sartorius directly with Jurassic Rampage!"

Tyrannus let out another massive roar and launched a flamethrower that surrounded itself around the Arcana Force duelist.

Hassleberry: 3500

Sartorius: 6200

"Next, Ultimate Tyranno will attack directly as well! Forward March!"

Tyranno ran across the field and smacked Sartorius with its tail.

Hassleberry: 3500

Sartorius: 3200

After taking the pain, Sartorius just grinned. "Perfect!"

"What?" Syrus wondered. "He just lost 5500 life points, and he's happy?"

"He's loony." Jaden said.

"I don't know," Aster added, "He must have something up."

"Well, Mr. Hassleberry, with your second direct attack you activated the effect of a monster in my hand!" Sartorius stated as he turned it over. "Now I can special summon Arcana Force XVI – The Tower!"

The ground rumbled and shook up the dinosaurs as they became alerted to what was happening. Suddenly, a 10-ft. tall, grey tower rose from the ground and grew a white mask-like face that peered deep into the eyes of Hassleberry. (7/2600/2600)

The card image appeared above and rotated.

"Now, if the card's right side up, it can destroy every monster on your side of the field and deal an extra 1000 points of damage for each. But if it's upside down, you can summon two monsters from your graveyard."

Hassleberry looked closely at the card this time until he said...

"Stop!"

The card stopped upside down!

"Alright, I get to summon some monsters!" He cheered as he took out two Monster Cards from his graveyard and placed them sideways on his disk, "I summon Sauropod Brachion and Giant Rex in defense mode!"

Along with the finned T-Rex, a large dark-armored Brachiosaurus appeared and set itself on the ground. (4/2000/1000), (8/1500/3000)

"And to end my turn, I use my Dino Blast spell card!" The spell showed Sabersaurus shooting off electricity at a duelist. "I choose one of my dinos and it can deal 300 points of damage times its level! And I'll pick my Ultimate Tyranno!"

Ultimate Tyranno let off a blue electric storm attack that shocked Sartorius to the bone, but Spell Absorption returned to some energy to him.

Hassleberry: 3500

Sartorius: 1300

"With all those dinos out, Sartorius is finished," Syrus cheered.

"And with 3500 life points to his 1300, Hassleberry won't have to wait long," Jaden added.

Sartorius drew his next card calmly and set it on the field, "I activate the spell card, Spellbook Inside the Pot, to have us both draw three cards." Both players drew their three cards.

Hassleberry: 3500

Sartorius: 1800

"I activate the spell Necro Sacrifice!" He continued as the spell showed an undead monster being revived by a dark orb with tentacles.

"First, I get summon monsters from my graveyard to your side of the field and then for every monster I brought out, I can summon a high-level monster!" He explained. "So, by summoning Arcana Force VII – The Chariot to your field, I can summon a monster from my hand that requires one sacrifice! But you get to choose its mode..."

"I choose Attack mode," Hassleberry declared as the Chariot returned to the field, rising straight up. (4/1700/1700) The card image appeared above it and started spinning.

"Stop right there!" Sartorius said.

It landed upside down, prompting the Arcana Force monster to float back to Sartorius.

Hassleberry: 3500

Sartorius: 2300

"Now I summon Arcana Force VIII – The Strength!"

A burst of light brought forth a white robotic creature with blue sigils surrounding its form. (5/1800/1800) And then, the card started to rotate again.

"Now, if this card is right side up, I can switch the control of one monster on the field," Sartorius explained, "But if upside down, you gain control of all of my monsters except the Strength!"

Now the dino duelist was staring real hard at the rotated card, watching the movement closely until...

"Stop!"

The card slowed down until it hit... upside down!

"Looks, like I get control of all your monsters," The Dino Duelist cheered.

"But you only have one spot left, so choose," Sartorius pointed out.

"I'll take your Tower monster!"

The Tower sunk into the ground and rose again on Hassleberry's side.

"Yes, very good, but now it's time I took one of your monsters, courtesy of my Reversal of Fate!"

Sartorius' final facedown card activated, revealing a trap card with a picture of a living roulette board with eyes, tampering with the outcome of the ball.

"This allows me to switch the effect of my Strength card, so it's right-side up now!"

The card image above the Strength card, flipped to right-side up.

"Now get to take control of one of your monsters like your Ultimate Tyranno!"

The giant hard-scaled monster walked over to the Arcana Force duelist's side of the field in a trance.

"And finally, I activate the spell card Brain Control, by paying 800 life points I can take control of another monster you have, like your Brachion!"

Suddenly, a giant brain appeared and emitted waves that subjected Sauropod Brachion to mind control, making it raise itself up and walk over to Sartorius.

Hassleberry: 3500

Sartorius: 1500

"And then, I'll switch it to attack mode..."

The brachiosaurus stood straight up, roaring viciously.

"Now feel the sting of destiny," Sartorius shouted, "Ultimate Tyranno, attack Hassleberry's monsters!"

Everyone watched as white auras surrounded Sartorius, Ultimate Tyranno, Strength, the Chariot and Sauropod Brachion. The giant t-rex ran in and then tore apart the Tower, making it tumble down.

Hassleberry: 3100

Sartorius: 1500

Next, Tyranno struck Jurrac Tyrannus with its tail and sent it straight into Giant Rex and then stomped them both down with one massive foot.

Hassleberry: 2600

Sartorius: 1500

"Now Sauropod Brachion, attack him directly!"

The mind controlled dino gave out a giant roar before rushing across the field and trampling its former master, causing Hassleberry to fall to his knees.

Hassleberry: 1100

Sartorius: 1500

"Now Strength, make him see the Light!"

In a quick motion, the Strength card disappeared from its master's side and reappeared behind Hassleberry. Before the dino duelist could look, the Arcana Force monster grabbed him from behind and shocked him before throwing him face first into the ground.

Hassleberry: 0

Sartorius: 1500, Winner

"No way," Jaden shouted.

"Hassleberry," Syrus cried out.

The tarot reader started walk towards the fallen Ra as the holograms disappeared.

"This was all meant to be, my young friend," Sartorius declared, "Everything in your life has brought you here; every decision you made has carried you to this very moment. Now the pathway to the Light shall stretch out before you!"

"Hey back off!"

"Yeah, stay away from Hassleberry!"

Sartorius saw Jaden and Syrus running towards him and then emitted a purple aura with his eyes becoming stark white. It somehow stopped the boys in their tracks.

"What's the deal, I can't move," Jaden said, losing the feeling in his legs.

"Me neither," Syrus added, trying to move his arms to no avail.

Hassleberry then started to stir from his knockout, "That was some duel," He grunted as he raised himself up, "Amazing tactics, soldier!"

Hearing the praise, Sartorius gave a vindictive smile at the dino duelist.

"Oh no, he's one of them," The Neos duelist claimed.

That's when Hassleberry looked up with a grin of his own, "No, I'm not!"

The tarot reader gasped in astonishment, "But how! No one can resist the power of the Light!"

Jaden and Syrus sighed in relief.

"Well, I'm not just anyone, have a look here at this scar boys!"

Hassleberry then lifted up the left pant leg, revealing a stitched-up scar.

"A few years ago, while I was at an archeological dig, I was caught in a rock slide that nearly tore apart my leg by the tibia," He explained, "But with some quick thinking by the doctors, they used a bone I found during the dig and replaced the broken bone. And ever since then, I've had Dino DNA in my blood, making stronger than your average Joe."

Syrus put on a sour face, "He's gotta be making this up,"

"Nah, it was in a cartoon once," Jaden said with an amused expression.

"This is real life, Jaden..."

"So even though I lost, I won't be joining your club," The dino duelist declared as his eyes changed to reptile-like slits.

Sartorius then turned around with a small smile on his face before he walked off as Jaden and Syrus praised Hassleberry.

* * *

At the beach, Jethro scooped up a bucket of water and started to carry it away, until he saw a shadow loom over him. He turned around to see a familiar person in a white blazer.

"Hello, Jethro," Kenji Yuuyami greeted the Obelisk cowboy at the beach.

After hearing about what happened at the Obelisk Dorm, Jethro was being wary of the ninja duelist, "Hey Kenji..."

"No need to be alarmed by my appearance," The ninja duelist told him, "I just came here to see if you wanted a duel, for old time's sake."

"Are you sure there's anything else you want from me, partner," Jethro asked.

"What else would I need from you?"

"How about trying to get me into this Society of Light, Claudio told me about?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't try and beat around the bush; I heard nearly all of us Obelisks were taken down and converted into a group called the Society of Light," Jethro said, narrowing his eyes, "You and Alexis tried to stop Chazz, but you ended up joining."

Kenji sighed, "Such gossip, do you believe everything you hear?"

"Not much, but that white blazer you wear hits the nail of the coffin, don't you think?"

The ninja duelist chuckled a bit, "I hoped it wouldn't come to this, I hope to get you into the Society with your free will intact. But it seems, the Light will have to reeducate you!"

"Then I hope to snap you out of this crazy club of yours," Jethro declared as he strapped on his custom disk and turned it on, "And after this, I'll go knock some sense into Chazz!"

Kenji scoffed, "I just hope you're more worthy than the last time!"

Unbeknownst to either player, Jason showed up over the cliffs and saw Jethro about to duel Kenji, focusing more on the former.

 _'I found the power, Master Sartorius desires,'_ He thought, and then turned to Kenji, _'but how did he get here before me?'_

"I see that young Kenji has taken arms against the second power."

Jason gasped and turned to see Sartorius standing right behind him.

"No matter," He continued, "At least we'll have one of the two powers under our control."

"But what happened with the first," The Lightsworn duelist asked.

"A simple twist of fate that blocked the Light," Sartorius stated, "Our friend wasn't completely human having the DNA of another living being."

The SOL member turned to observe the duel, watching both players draw their opening hand, "I don't sense anything special about this one," Jason stated.

"Therefore, we're here to observe, my young friend..."

Walking down the beach, Claudio and Melody took the time to talk about recent events...

"I still can't believe they sent a Pro League duelist after you," Melody grumbled.

"Surprising ain't it," Claudio replied with a shrug, "Now we know this Society of Light has people outside the island working for them."

"It'll be bad if they have people at the place of our field trip next week," The magician duelist added, "I wonder where we are going."

"Knowing Crowler and Bonaparte, they're fighting over the places they want to go to and not thinking of the students."

"That's bad..."

Melody trailed off in her sentence and looked ahead. Claudio took notice of it and stopped their walk.

"What's up, Mel?"

"I think there's a duel going on with one of those Society members," She said pointing across the distance and showing one person wearing a white blazer and another wearing a blue one.

"Meaning they're trying to get one of the people from the Slifer Dorm," Claudio realized, "Let's go stop them!" He declared as he and Melody ran towards the duel.

"DUEL!"

Jethro: 8000

Kenji: 8000

"Let's see if I can get you back, partner," Jethro declared as he drew his sixth card, "First, I'll summon the Tribal Warrior – Blackhorn the Strong, in attack mode!"

With a loud battle cry, a muscular Native American man appeared. He wore black pants and vest, moccasins, and a black headband holding back his long black hair. He had leather gauntlets on both hands that extend midway up his lower arms, both have the Buffalo horn totem stitched into the part on the back of his hands. (4/2000/1150)

"So, you're using your Tribal Warriors against me, eh," Kenji noted.

"That's not all, I'll set two facedown cards as well," The cowboy added, setting two reversed cards on the field, "And that's my turn."

"Powerful start," Kenji noted as he drew his next card, "I'll summon the Vengeful Shinobi in attack mode!"

Jumping off the cliffs, a dark outfitted ninja appeared with armor and mask appeared, with a kunai ready to strike. (2/400/800)

"And then I'll end my turn with a couple of facedown cards as well."

Two reversed cards appeared at Kenji's feet.

"Your move..."

Jethro stared calmly at the setup Kenji had, _'It's an obvious trap with a monster that weak_ ,' He then drew his next card and looked at it, 'but at least now I got the remedy, just in case he tries something.'

"I'm getting impatient here, Jethro," The ninja duelist said flatly, "So I'll activate the trap card, Multiple Destruction!"

The Obelisk gasped as he saw the trap image of two Blade Knight's being blow away by a massive explosion.

"Since we know hold at least three cards in our hands, we now discard them all and draw five new cards," Kenji explained as he discarded willingly and drew five cards, "This may have changed any plans you had."

Jethro sighed as he discarded and drew five cards of his own.

"But don't worry, there's a side effect for me," The SOL member continued, "I lose 300 life points, because I discarded 3 cards by this trap."

Jethro: 8000

Kenji: 7700

"Okay, you clearly lost something in your head when you got brainwashed," Jethro stated as he took a card from his hand and played it, "You disrupted one play and gave me another, like summoning Tribal Warrior – GreySting the Silent!"

Jumping out of his card image came a Native American youth, in grey colored tribal garb consisting of a vest, skinned pants and a necklace with a scorpion's tail made of stone. He was armed with the Bowie knife and spun it around once. (2/1050/700)

"And then, I'll activate a trap card: Roll Out!"

Jethro's own trap activated, revealing the Perfect Machine King being outfitted with the Heavy Mech Support Platform. A card slipped out of the Obelisk's graveyard and set it into his spell/trap zone.

"One of those cards you sent to my grave was a union monster that's compatible with my new friend here, the Tribal Spirit – Grey Scorpion! And with Roll Out, it's automatically equipped to him!"

Burrowing out of the graveyard, a 2' tall grey scorpion revealed itself snapping its pincers and waving its tail dangerously. (3/0/1000) The scorpion went transparent and then fused itself with Greysting. The young Native's wrists and necklace developed grey, spinning auras.

"Now GreySting, take out his Vengeful Shinobi! Poison Knife Stab!"

"Before your attack goes through, Vengeful Shinobi's effect lets me draw a card since it was declared an attack target while in attack mode," Kenji announced as he drew once.

GreySting dashed across the field and struck a blind spot on the shinobi's back. On that wound, a grey color began to spread.

Jethro: 8000

Kenji: 7150

"And then when GreySting destroys a monster in battle, you lose an additional 500 points of damage!"

The shinobi gasped as the poison spread out from his wound, making him shatter. The pixels spread over the ninja duelist, who shield with his disk.

Jethro: 8000

Kenji: 6650

"And then I'll attack directly with Blackhorn," Jethro continued, "Attack with Strong Arm of the Natives!"

Blackhorn punched his fists together and then charged at the defenseless SOL duelist.

"I activate Defense Draw, letting me negate the damage with a draw of the card," Kenji countered as he drew. An emerald shield blocked the Tribal Warrior's fist and pushed him back to Jethro.

"So, you were looking for cards," The Obelisk realized.

"That's right," The ninja duelist stated as he drew, "It pays to spend some life points to take a lot more from my foe! And next I summon Ninja Sub-Zero in attack mode!"

The room suddenly got colder as a blizzard rolled in and brought another ninja in like Reptile appeared. Only his black outfit was outlined in blue and his arms were covered in ice. He also didn't wear a mask showing of a stern face with a red scar over his right eye. (4/1800/1000)

"Hey look!"

Kenji and Jethro turned to the direction of the voices and saw Claudio and Melody run up to them.

"It's Jethro and Kenji!" Melody said.

"Hey guys," The cowboy Obelisk waved to them, "Can't exactly talk right now, got a friend to save!"

The ninja duelist looked at each of the spectators, seeing the look of sadness on both before turning to Jethro and activating a spell card in his hand, "Next, I'll use a spell card called Obligatory Summon!"

Jethro gasped as the card revealed a giant red hand reaching out of a portal to grab a purple ghost with the face of despair on it, "You're going to summon more monsters to my field! What's going on?"

"Like you said, I'm giving you a helping hand, and with Obligatory Summon you get to fill up your field because all your monsters are EARTH attribute!"

The Desperado/Tribal Warrior duelist took out three cards from his deck.

"Alright, I summon these: Tribal Warriors –RedFeather the Archer, ViolentFang the Cunning and Yellowtail the Quick, all in defense mode!"

A young, teenage Native appeared wearing a red tunic and shorts lined with red feathers. He carried a small bow and a quiver of arrows. (4/1450/1200)

Next, a thin, teenage Native appeared with the same style of clothing Blackhorn did, but the color of the clothing was violet. On his hands were gauntlets with a snake totem stitched into them. (4/1750/1050)

Finally, another young, barefoot Native kneeled onto the field wearing a yellow tunic and loincloth. (3/1200/1000)

"Okay, I now I have five monsters on the field," Jethro stated, "Now what?"

"This, the Equip Spell Card Fatality!"

A spell card appeared showing off Ninjas Reptile, Scorpion and Sub-Zero smashing their fists into Hitotsu-Me Giant, Marauding Captain and Terrorking Archfiend. It appeared behind the ice ninja who developed an icy blue aura.

"With this card, my Ninja gains the ability to destroy all of your monsters and deal 500 points of damage to your life points for everyone destroyed!"

"Jethro will be completely defenseless," Melody gasped, "Not to mention losing 2500 points."

"Stay strong, bud," Claudio called out.

"Sub-Zero, put them on ice and shatter their bodies," Kenji declared.

The ice ninja launched a massive ice wave that blew over the entire Tribal Warrior army and made them frozen solid! After that, Sub-Zero crushed the ice on the floor causing a major tremor that shattered all of the bodies of Jethro's monsters...

But GreySting survived and shook off the ice!

Jethro: 6000

Kenji: 6650

"Wait, 2000!? How did your monster survive the Fatality card?" Kenji demanded.

Jethro smiled, "You forgot that GreySting was equipped to a union monster, so I just got him left !"

He pointed out the lone Tribal Warrior who lost his aura.

"That was close," Claudio let out a breath of relief.

Kenji silently placed two cards on the field and signaled the end of his turn.

"My draw," Jethro drew, "I'll use the Spell Pot of Avarice to bring back every monster you just destroyed and then draw two cards!"

Blackhorn, RedFeather, Yellowtail, ViolentFang and Grey Scorpion all slipped out of the graveyard slot, letting the Obelisk retrieve them and shuffle them into his deck before drawing two cards.

"Next, I summon my Desperado Sharpshooter in attack mode!"

A black-haired cowboy appeared wearing blue jeans, white shirt and leather vest. He also wore a white cowboy hat, handkerchief and brown boots. He had a short moustache over his lip and a Colt Revolving Rifle in his hands. (3/1200/900)

"Then, the trap card Gachi Battle!"

The trap card flipped over showing two robots, punching each other in a "Rock'em Sock'em Robot" fashion.

"While this card's in play we, both can summon one monster our decks during our first Main Phase," Jethro explained. "It has to be at least level 4 and in attack mode, plus it's destroyed at the turn's end."

Kenji smirked, "You know you're risking a lot as most of my monsters are of that level!"

"Yes, but I'll have the advantage since it's currently my turn," The cowboy stated as he took a card out of his deck, "I'll summon the Tribal Spirit – Grey Scorpion again!"

The small scorpion reappeared again. (3/0/1000)

"And I'll summon Ninja Reptile!"

Kenji brought out his green clad ninja who stood next to Sub-Zero. (4/900/2000)

"Now that's been taken care of, I use the spell Frontline Base to summon Tribal Spirit – Yellow Coyote from my hand!"

As Jethro's Frontline Base started glowing, he summoned a yellow colored coyote that jumped out and howled. (3/0/1300)

"And next, I'll have an arrangement for my Desperado, by using the Equip Spell Tribal Totem – Coyote Paw!"

A wooden carving a yellow coyote's paw appeared in Sharpshooter's hands.

"What's that's supposed to be?" Kenji asked.

"All of my Tribal Warriors have totem carvings made from the symbol and animal they represent," Jethro explained, "And it's these Tribal Totems, they fostered a friendship with the Desperadoes so that one carrying it, can channel the spirits of that animal," He turned to Yellow Coyote and Grey Scorpion, "Now form with Desperado Sharpshooter and GreySting!"

Both animals went transparent and fused with the Desperado and Tribal Warrior, having a yellow and grey aura surrounding each of them.

"So, I guess with that equip card, it lets your monster become a Tribal Warrior," The ninja duelist deduced.

"For Coyote Paw, Desperado's name becomes Yellowtail the Quick! " The Obelisk explained, "Now there's one thing left to do, I activate the spell card Spirit Release!"

The spell card showed Tribal Warrior – Blackhorn the Strong running towards the Tribal Spirit –Black Buffalo who was running towards him as well.

"Now the full power of all my current Tribal Warriors will unleash by sending them and their spirits back to the deck to summon fusion monsters!"

Both Sharpshooter's and GreySting's auras let out battle cries as the aura of their spirits grew too immense heights, letting them vanish from sight. Jethro collected the monster cards from his tray and shuffled them back into his deck.

"Now, I summon Tribal Spirit Warriors – Yellow Coyote and Grey Scorpion!"

The auras died down to reveal the Native American warriors, but with drastic changes!

For Desperado Sharpshooter, he immediately transformed into Yellowtail the Quick! Also, the body was now covered in yellow fur and his human head was replaced with the head of a coyote! (6/2200/2000)

Next to him, GreySting matured into a muscle-bound adult with his hands becoming claws and grew a tail from behind! (5/2100/1800)

"Now I've seen it all with fusion," Claudio stated.

"Yeah, who knew those Tribal Warriors could do that," Melody added, "In fact, I never thought he could do much other than just union monsters equipping like Vincent's deck."

"And now, Yellow Coyote attacks Ninja Sub-Zero with Rushing Spirit," Jethro commanded.

The Tribal Spirit Warrior howled and then rushed across the field. It was all a blur, even to the ninjas on the field as Sub-Zero gasped as he felt giant slashes across his chest and shattered.

Jethro: 6000

Kenji: 6250

"I figured it would attack directly, seeing as the union version did the same to Yellowtail last year," Kenji figured.

"And he does: once this Tribal Spirit Warrior destroys a monster, he can attack you directly with half his ATK," The cowboy Obelisk replied as he turned to his monster, "Now get him!"

The Spirit of the coyote phased out of the Tribal Warrior and snarled at the SOL duelist. (6/2200-1100/2000) Then, it rushed past Reptile and tackled his master before fusing back into the Tribal Warrior.

Jethro: 6000

Kenji: 5150

"Alright, he knocked Kenji down below his score," Melody cheered.

"But he fell into a trap; I activate Damage Condenser," Kenji declared, pressing a button on his disk, activating a trap card with a test tube being held by a machine with electricity strikes it. "When I take damage to my Life Points, I can Special Summon one monster from my Deck to my field with ATK points equal to or lower than the damage I received!"

Kenji pulled out his deck and fanned it out for his search. Upon finding his choice, he took it out of his deck, reshuffled the rest and returned it to the deck holder.

"I bring out my Ninja Dog Kurojaki!"

The trap card spun around to reveal the card image of the monster card, Kenji announced. Jumping out of the card image, a dog of the Shikoku Inu breed appeared. His fur was of mixed shades of brown with his tail slightly curled up. Around the canine's head was a headband with his name written in kanji. (4/300/300)

"And don't get any ideas about attacking him since I have a ninja on the field, he's off limits to attacks," Kenji announced, "Furthermore, he gains 500 ATK for every monster I have on the field!"

Kurojaki howled to the sky as his power skyrocketed. (4/300-1300/300)

"He'll be a sitting duck after Gachi Battle's second effect, sends Reptile to the graveyard," Jethro declared.

"Oh, he'll go to the graveyard... by my own hand!"

Kenji pressed another button, triggering his second facedown card. It was another trap card that showed a scroll with the Kanji for 'Forbidden' stamped on it in red.

"Thanks to my Forbidden Art: Resurrection, I can sacrifice Reptile to summon a ninja monster from the graveyard!"

Reptile's body suddenly became a skeleton-like statue and sunk into the ground as the ninja duelist sent his monster card into the graveyard and took out another one from the graveyard.

"Now come forward, Ninja Hayabusa!"

Kenji slammed the card on his disk and unleashed his signature ninja, performing a battle-ready stance. (7/2700/1900)

The spectators gasped seeing that ninja so early in the duel.

"Kenji usually feels out an opponent before summoning him to the field," Claudio stated, recalling his very first match with the ninja duelist, "Usually during the final moments of a duel, like Zane with Cyber End Dragon. But they both changed for the worse..."

"Unless he's got something to ensure those final moments," Melody deduced.

"So, now Jethro, I've rendered your next monster unable to attack unless he commits suicide," Kenji smirked, "Now what do you do?"

"I'll just set this facedown card and end my turn," Jethro concluded.

"Very well, my draw," Kenji said as he drew his next card, "Now for your Gachi Battle, I'll summon the Ninja Commando Kabuki!"

As the SOL duelist set the card, the monster in question was approaching the field by running on the water. This ninja wore a white mask and white armor with black pants. (3/700/700), (4/1300-1800/300)

"And once summoned, I can summon any Ninja monster on to the field, so here's my Ninja Kasumi in attack mode!"

Suddenly, the field was surrounded by sakura petals as they blew across the field. During it, a red-haired female ninja appeared wearing a blue kimono, her eyes matching her hair as she held a katana in her hand. (5/2000/1500), (4/1800-2300/300)

"And when she's summoned, I can move a ninja monster up to level 4 from my deck to my hand," the ninja duelist continued as a card slipped out of his deck, "And I'll select Ninja Uchiha!"

"He's bringing everything out too quickly," Jethro gasped as he took a card from his deck and set it on the field, "At least with Gachi Battle, I'll bring out my Tribal Warrior – Blackhorn the Strong again!"

The Obelisk brought back his dark, muscled Native warrior again who shouted for battle in his native tongue. (4/2000/1150)

"Want more? Here's the Warrior Returning Alive to bring back my Vengeful Shinobi back to my hand!"

Kenji brought his dark armored shinobi back to his hand and played another spell card, showing off Ninja Hayabusa performing a handsign with the silhouette of a large dragon behind him, "Now for the final piece, the spell card Ninja Summoning Art to fuse the Ninja Uchiha and Vengeful Shinobi in my hand," He announced as the transparent image of the Vengeful Shinobi returned with another image of a boy in his early teens wearing white shorts, blue shoes, a blue t-shirt and had raven-black hair with a headband around his forehead. Both performed a string of handsigns before their images melded and flashed between them.

"Come forward, Evil Ninja Uchiha!"

"'Evil Ninja'," Jethro and the spectators gasped.

The ninja appeared was the Ninja Uchiha who had grown noticeably taller and more muscular from the fusion. He now wore a white long-sleeved shirt which was open at the torso and black pants with a blue cloth hanging from halfway up his stomach to his knees. He also wore a purple rope around his waist, tied in a bow. (7/2500/2300), (4/2300-2800/300)

Claudio gasped, "He's got five monsters!"

"Powerful ones except for Kabuki," Melody added.

"Meet another ninja who has seen the truth," Kenji declared as the ninja's black eyes suddenly changed into red eyes with three tomoe in them. As Uchiha stared at the Coyote Warrior, the tomoe started to spin.

"What's he doing," Jethro asked.

"You should know, remember our battle last year," The ninja duelist asked, "It's basically how I used Uchiha's lesser form with another card."

(Flashback)

 _"And then, I'll activate the equip spell card Last of the Bloodline and equip it to Uchiha!"_

 _A spell card appeared, showing only a single drop of blood. "This lets him copy one monster effect, and I have copy that Sharpshooter's!"_

 _The ninja's eyes closed for one second and then opened them up again revealing red eyes with three tomoe in them. As Uchiha stared at the sharpshooter, the tomoe started to spin. "Now I'll cut his attack points in half to Attack!"_

(End Flashback)

"He's copying my monster's abilities," Jethro realized.

"Right and, he'll use your Tribal Spirit Warrior – Yellow Coyote's special effect and attack your Blackhorn, Chidori Current!"

The evil ninja suddenly disappeared, spooking Jethro and his monsters. Before anyone could notice, Uchiha reappeared behind Blackhorn with a long blade sparkling with electricity and jabbed it into the body of Blackhorn before he shattered.

Jethro: 5500

Kenji: 5150

"Next, when Evil Ninja Uchiha destroys a monster in battle, I can draw one card from my deck and send the top card of your deck to the graveyard!"

As Kenji drew from his deck, Jethro sent his into the discard slot.

"Now, attack Jethro directly," Kenji ordered again as Uchiha sped past the cowboy and slashed him across his right arm. (7/2500-1250/2300)

Jethro: 4250

Kenji: 5150

"And that's going to stop as I activate Flashbang," Jethro immediately declared as his trap flipped up and shined a bright light at Kenji and his monsters, "Your turn ends automatically!"

"Then postpone your defeat all you like then," The ninja duelist shrugged as Kabuki shattered. (4/2800-2300/300)

"I draw," Jethro announced and drew his next card, "And I activate Gachi Battle to summon Desperado Six-Shooter to the field!" Six-Shooter appeared and spun his pistol around before setting it inside its holster. (4/1400/1200)

"And I'll summon Ninja Scorpion!" Kenji announced as another ninja identical to Reptile and Sub-Zero appeared, but with his clothes carrying an orange color to it. (4/1900/1200), (4/2300-2800/300)

"Next, I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" Jethro announced as he drew two more cards and played one of them. "Now I activate the Ties of the Brethren spell card!" The spell showed three identical lizard warriors side by side. "By paying 1000 life points, I can summon two level 4 or below monsters that has the same attribute as the one on the field! Problem is, they can't attack right away."

Jethro: 3250

Kenji: 5150

"I summon my Desperado Twin-Six Shooter and GreySting!"

Jethro's double pistol wielding cowboy arrived on to the field along with the Tribal Warrior of the Scorpion. (4/1500/1200), (2/1050/700)

"And now, I'll sacrifice those two along with Desperado Six-Shooter to special summon the Desperado Legend!"

Both Desperadoes and Greysting combined into a pillar of brown light that even made Sartorius and Jason back up a bit from their spot on the cliff. Jumping out from the highest point was another cowboy doing numerous lasso tricks during his descent. Once he landed, the people noticed his blond hair under his blue cowboy hat. He wore magenta colored shirt under a blue vest and a green handkerchief around his neck with brown pants and boots. Everyone took notice that his lasso was actually a green rattlesnake! (9/3100/2450)

"Whoa, 3100 ATK," Claudio grinned, "Jethro has got this!"

"But it's still a long shot with that Evil Ninja on the field," Melody added, "I just hope Jethro can find a way to beat him."

"You're looking at the greatest Desperado that's ever lived," Jethro announced proudly, "And he will help me get you out of that group!"

"It won't help since I'm having my Evil Ninja Uchiha copy all of your new guy's tricks," Kenji countered as the evil ninja stared at the Legend with his spinning red eyes.

"I'll worry about it later," The Obelisk continued placing the last card in his hand on the field, "Now, since I haven't made a real summon, I'll bring one monster in defense mode!"

A facedown monster card appeared on the field.

"Now getting back your evil ninja," Jethro continued, "He won't be the one I'm after, in fact my Tribal Spirit Warrior – Grey Scorpion needs to have a fair shot at one of your monsters, like your Ninja Scorpion!"

Grey Scorpion was more than happy to strike the ninja by holding him with his claws and then using his tail to stab him through the chest, sending the ninja to the graveyard.

Jethro: 3250

Kenji: 4950

"And if that wasn't something to worry about, his special ability knocks off 1000 life points for destroying your monster!"

Kenji braced himself as the Tribal Spirit Warrior whacked him with his tail and driving the point inside the disk.

Jethro: 3250

Kenji: 3950

"Next, Yellow Coyote attacks Kasumi!"

The second Spirit Warrior rushed through to the enemy lines and unleashed a double slash against the kunoichi who exploded into pixels.

Jethro: 3250

Kenji: 3750

"Now attack directly!"

The coyote's spirit emerged again. (6/2200-1100/2000) It let out a howling shockwave that pushed Kenji back a bit before merging back with the warrior.

Jethro: 3750

Kenji: 2650

"Now it's time for the Legend to show off his power, attack Hayabusa with Rattle Lasso!"

The Legend took the rattlesnake from around his neck and fashioned into a living lasso making the snake's head bite apart of its body. He then wrapped it around the black clad ninja, squeezed him tight and tossed him far away across the ocean. (4/1800-1300/300)

Jethro: 3750

Kenji: 2250

"And I'll end my turn here," Jethro concluded as he crossed his arms.

"It's close..." Melody looked on.

"What does he think he's doing," Jason growled angrily, "He just lost a huge advantage!"

Kenji drew his card without a spoken word and looked at his two cards carefully and then looked to the Evil Ninja, "Destroy his Grey Scorpion!"

Uchiha wasted no time and sent an electric blast through his sword and broke down the young warrior into pixels. Kenji then drew a card and Jethro dropped one from his deck.

Jethro: 3350

Kenji: 2250

"I'll use the Spellbook Inside the Pot," Kenji stated as he and Jethro drew three cards, "Now I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"That's it, huh?" Jethro asked as he drew his next card, "But I guess with your ninja dog unable to be touched and your Evil Ninja taking my Desperado's ability from battle destruction, I could be worried but thanks to this card I drew, I can bring out some added help!" He then placed a card on the field, revealing a duelist facing a Luster Dragon with an unexpected explosion of a star above the latter, "I activate Star Blast, reducing the level a monster in my hand by one, paying 500 life points for it!"

The Obelisk showed off a new level 5 monster to reduce the level to 4.

Jethro: 2850

Kenji: 2250

"Now, come on out Tribal Warrior – CrimsonClaw the Hunter!"

Appearing next to the Legend, a tall and handsome Native American with long black hair appeared holding a spear made of wooden pole and a sharp rock. He wore a long loincloth that went down to the middle lower leg and had crimson bear paw prints upon his chest. He had a serious expression on his face. (5-4/2100/1700)

"And next, I flip over my facedown monster, his Tribal Spirit – The Crimson Grizzly!"

Rising from the facedown card was a large, black Grizzly Bear who roared loudly as a red aura surrounded it. (4/0/1900)

"Now, when Crimson Grizzly forms his union with CrimsonClaw, he'll give him 1000 ATK!

The grizzly went transparent and fused itself with the Tribal Warrior who now carried its aura. CrimsonClaw started to look fiercer as he pointed his spear at the ninja and ninja dog. (5/2100-3100/1700)

"Still, with the power of my Ninja, I can keep the effect of your Desperado Legend until the end of this turn as well," The ninja duelist declared not even worrying about the power boost as Uchiha stared at Desperado Legend.

"Maybe, but I'll go after your dog first thanks to this handy spell, card Forbidden Chalice to negate effect of Kurojaki and give it 400 ATK!"

As Jethro inserted the spell card, a golden chalice appeared above the dog and splashed holy water on him, soaking him wet. (4/300-700/300)

"Now, CrimsonClaw, attack the ninja dog with Hunter's Strike!"

The Tribal Warrior let out a fierce battle cry and ran at Kurojaki with a killer instinct.

"Not so fast, I activate my spell Monster Replace," Kenji interrupted as he activated his facedown card. It revealed to be a spell that had silhouettes of a monster upfront and a knight in the background of a forest. There was a yellow arrow pointing from the monster to the knight and a blue arrow showing the opposite of the yellow arrow, "I can use this effect to swap out Kurojaki for a monster in my hand, like Ninja Edge!

A light surrounded the dog, making him vanish and then was replaced with the sliver-caped ninja. (4/1800/1200) But his arrival was short lived as CrimsonClaw drove his spear into Edge who shattered into pixels.

Jethro: 2850

Kenji: 950

"He's got one more attack left," Claudio cheered.

"And to set you up for next turn, Desperado Legend attacks Evil Ninja Uchiha!" Jethro continued as the Legend gave a shining grin while throwing the rattlesnake onto the ninja who caught it before it tried to bite.

"You know my ninja copied your monster's ability of preventing his destruction and any damage done to me," Kenji stated, "So what's the point?"

"It's because he has another effect for when he's the attacker and the monsters not destroyed," The cowboy Obelisk countered, "When that happens the Legend can reduce the ATK of your monster by the value of his own until the end of your turn. In essence, that means 0!"

Kenji gasped as he saw the rattlesnake break free of his ninja's grip and constricted him enough to land a devastating bite. (7/2500-0/2300)

"And I'll end with my last facedown card," Jethro concluded as he saw his facedown appear on the field, _'If he tries to summon a monster, I can spring my trap card taking it off the field!'_

"My draw," Kenji drew and then played another from his hand, "I activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards and then discard two!"

The ninja duelist drew three cards. He widened his eyes when found White Veil in his deck.

 _'How did this card get back into my deck,'_ He wondered _, 'Even if I were to use it, I don't want run the risk of his facedown card that could activate it before I get the chance! I will not end up like Juli!"_

Sartorius looked on and smiled, knowing what was in Kenji's hand at that moment, "Time for our duel to end and gather another member."

Jason looked back to his master, "You mean..."

The tarot reader nodded as the Lightsworn duelist looked back to the duel with an evil smile, "Maybe I can let it slide that Kenji took my place..."

"Is he hesitating," Melody asked.

"It must be something he drew that he didn't expect," Claudio deduced, "You think someone slipped something in his deck without him noticing?"

"I just hope it isn't that White Veil card," The magician duelist stated as she was forced to remember how it turned Kenji over to the SOL's side and Juli's knockout from it being destroyed.

The ninja duelist saw his overall hand again and then developed a knowing smile on his face _, 'Looks like I don't need it after all...'_ He thought as he finally discarded the two cards he needed, Ninja Dog Kurojaki and White Veil, "Now, I activate Uchiha's effect to copy a monster from the graveyard!"

Jethro gasped, "The Graveyard!"

"That's right, it's the reason I brought Edge to take the blow so that Uchiha can use his power and next, I'll use the effect of Misfortune to deal damage equal to half of your chief's ATK!"

Jethro: 1800

Kenji: 950

"Next, I'll use two equip spell cards, Fuhma Shuriken!"

Uchiha held out his hand and collected two shuriken with the unknown kanji on them. (7/0-1400/2300)

"He can't attack," The magician duelist wondered, "He used Misfortune."

Claudio gasped, "Wait a minute he said he used his monster's effect to copy Ninja Edge's effect. I never seen Kenji use the card but I remember the ability I read off it: by sending equip spells equipped to him, he deals 600 points of damage!"

"And thanks to Fuhma Shuriken's effect, he's losing 700 more," Melody added, "Meaning he's dealing 2600 points of damage!"

Jethro groaned, "I'm sunk..."

"At least you lost without relying on luck, so I'll commend you on that," Kenji said, "But now you'll be able to become a better person after your defeat," He then turned to his ninja, "Now Uchiha, throw those shuriken and end this duel!"

The evil ninja spread out his ninja tools and then launched them at the Obelisk who took them directly to his shoulders, knocking him off his feet and knocking away his hat.

Jethro: 0

Kenji: 800, Winner

"Jethro," The spectators cried out as all the holograms disappeared.

"Oops, guess I hit him a little too hard," Kenji scoffed, "Oh well, I'm done here."

"Not yet!"

Everyone saw from the highest point of the cliffs, Jason and Sartorius was looking down on them.

"Jason!" Claudio shouted and then turned to the taller person, "But who's the person with him?"

"About time you got here, slowpoke," Kenji shouted to the Lightsworn duelist, "At least I didn't keep Master Sartorius waiting!"

"That's 'Master Sartorius'!" Melody asked before narrowing her eyes at the tall man in white, "Then you're the one responsible for all of this!"

"Be quiet, girl!" Jason scowled and then directed his attention to Kenji, "And you! You're just lucky you won us a new member, despite taking away my assignment!"

"Excuse me for your lack of speed," The ninja duelist waved off.

Sartorius ignored the rants and then started to develop a white aura around him and sent a Light tendril moving straight for the fallen Jethro.

"Now join us, my young friend," He rejoiced.

"Jethro!" Claudio shouted as he ran towards to save his friend.

"Sorry, no interference," Jason called out as he flashed a sinister Light from his hand and shone it over the Ra, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Claudio!" Melody cried out as she ran over to her boyfriend, "What's happening?"

"I can't... move..." Claudio strained to say.

Everyone watched as the Light tendril soon reached Jethro's body...

Only for it to be repelled by a golden aura around it that extinguished the Light!

"Again!?" The SOL leader gasped in anger, "How can he resist!?"

Jason also widened his eyes as he released the hold he had over Claudio as he and Melody gave a happy sigh of relief.

Suddenly, Jethro raised himself to his knees and rubbed his head.

"That hurt..." He muttered. He then noticed the aura around him, "Wow... I guess it finally happened..."

Kenji looked on, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the aura as well, but he noticed something inside the aura that he couldn't make out, "Is there something in there?"

But then something about that light blinded him, causing him to grunt and dash off before anyone could notice.

"Whew," Jethro said as he dusted the sand of his clothes and placed a hand over his heart, "I'll have to thank Grandpa when I come back home!"

"Jethro, you're alright," He heard Melody say with Claudio following her, "But how, we saw that light thing hit you dead on!"

"It did, but I guess this spirit my Grandpa put into me saved me from it," Jethro replied.

"Spirit?" Both Ras asked.

"Guess it's time for a little story."

Jethro pulled down the collar shirt to reveal a healed bullet hole on his chest that was close to his heart, making the Ra couple gasp.

"You've been shot," Claudio said with fear in his voice.

Jethro nodded, "It happened when I was real young."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _The scene changed to a large area of landscape during a sunny afternoon. A great number of livestock like sheep, cattle and goats were pastured in separate fences with some dogs and cowboys on horses watching over them. At a plain, wooden house nearby a trio of children, two boys and one girl were playing outside with a Native American woman watching over them along with an older Native American grandmother and a pale-skinned grandmother._

 _One of the Children was a younger Jethro running along._

 _"I was living life out on the ranch with my folks, brother, sister, and grandparents from both sides. My siblings and I were still too young at the time to help out so, we pretty much fooled around a lot inside the house under the watch of our mom and grandmothers."_

 _Next, Jethro and his brother found an old pistol inside of a floor board._

 _One day, we ended up finding dad's old gun and decided to play Cowboys and Indians and, I got to be the Indian._

 _*BANG!*_

 _Now the young Jethro was lying on the ground, holding his wounded chest from a bullet._

 _What shocked all of us was the fact that the guns were still loaded and when one of my brothers pulled the trigger, the light went out in Georgia._

 _Sometime later, Jethro awoke to find his Native American grandfather near him, chanting over a bonfire._

 _When I came too, I found out that I was out for about a week and a half, and all throughout that time, Grandfather Silverwing had been watching over me, chanting an old Spell of his Tribe, hoping that I might earn the Great Spirit's blessing. As you can see, it worked_.

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Thanks to that blessing you could say I got a got guardian angel watching over me, or maybe I should say... four."

Suddenly, four transparent figures appeared behind him! They were Crimson Grizzly, Red-Tail, Shotgunner, and a Shaman-dressed native dressed in sliver pants and a white mask with red markings on it; the Sliver Spirit Warrior.

"You've got duel spirits, too," Melody said, amazed at the sight.

"Yeah..." Jethro said, rubbing his head, nervously, "Over the years, I had this kind of sight that allowed me to see the spirits of cards. I thought it'd be a little awkward for someone to see other living beings that couldn't be seen by normal people, so I kept it to myself."

"You were scared?" Claudio asked.

"Yup."

"Then you shouldn't be," the Magician duelist said with a mock angry look on her face, "A bunch of us can see spirits!"

Jethro gasped, "Really? Like how many?"

"You got time?"

As the three friends were talking, Sartorius walked off hearing enough.

"Let's go, Jason," He said, "There's been a change of plans."

"Yes, sir," The Lightsworn duelist replied.

* * *

Later that day, the entire student body showed up at the main auditorium as per Crowler's instructions.

Alright settle down, I have an important announcement to make!" Crowler announced on his microphone, "We have received a new student today, so make him feel welcome!"

"Just get on with it, Mrs. Crowler," Alex grumbled.

"So, Jethro, you can see duel spirits, too," Jaden asked the cowboy Obelisk as they sat with Claudio, Melody, Alister and Erika.

"Yeah, I just thought I was the only one," Jethro stated, "Never knew there were a lot more."

"I wondered what Robotic Knight kept talking about whenever he was around you," Erika said, "Every time I looked your way for duel spirits, there was nothing but air."

"Oh that, I guess they only come out when something's trying to corrupt me," Jethro replied, "Gives them a sense of security over me."

"That explains it," Alister nodded as everyone turned back

"Please welcome our newest freshman student, Sartorius!"

Jaden and the gang gasped as they saw the tarot reader revealed himself next to the Chancellor with a big smile on his face. Of course, everyone in the white blazers was ecstatic.

"I'm telling ya," The Neos duelist spoke up to his friends, "Crowler made the biggest mistake for the school."

"No joke," Claudio added.

Oh man, they let a cult leader into the school! You can't do that! Also, from now on, I'm going to shoot for a combination Desperado/Tribal Warrior deck for Jethro. This was just the first run, it'll get better with his next duels.

* * *

Vision of a Future World

Normal Spell

Activate only while your opponent controls a face-up monster. Your opponent picks up cards from the top of their Deck until they find a Monster Card. If it is the same Type as a monster on the field, your opponent gains 1000 Life Points and adds all picked up cards to their hand.

Ace of Wand

Normal Trap

Activate only when a monster(s) is destroyed by a card effect. Toss a coin. ● Heads: The controller of the destroyed monster(s) gains Life Points equal to the total ATK of the destroyed monster(s). ● Tails: Inflict damage to the controller of the destroyed monster(s) equal to the total ATK of the destroyed monster(s)

Necro Sacrifice

Normal Spell

Select 1 Level 5 or higher monster in your hand. Special Summon monsters from your Graveyard to your opponent's side of the field equal to the number of Tributes required to Normal Summon that monster. (Your opponent selects the battle position(s) of the Summoned monster(s).) During this turn, you can Normal Summon the selected monster without Tributing.

Arcana Force VIII – The Strength

LIGHT

Level 5

Fairy/Effect

1800/1800

When this card is Summoned, toss a coin. ● Heads: Switch control of one Monster on the Field. ● Tails: Your opponent gains control of all monsters you control (except this card) while this card is face-up on the field.

(The above cards were used by Sartorius in the GX episode The Source of Strength. All rights go to the creators)

Dino Blast

Normal Spell

Select 1 face-up Dinosaur-Type monster you control. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's Level x 300.

(Used by Hassleberry in the 172th episode of GX, all rights to the creators)

Arcana Force XVI – The Tower

LIGHT

Level 7

2600/2600

When you take damage from a second direct attack, you can special summon this card from your hand. Toss a coin. ● Heads: Destroy all monsters your opponent controls and deal 500 points of damage for each one. ● Tails: Your opponent can special summon two monsters from their graveyard.

(This card is created by me. Based off the sixteenth card in the Major Arcana class)

Desperado Legend

EARTH LV: 9

(Warrior/Effect)

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This cannot be Special Summoned, except by Tributing 3 monsters, including at least 2 "Desperado" monsters. This card cannot be destroyed by battle and you take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card. If this card attacks a monster, and that monster is not destroyed, you can reduce the ATK of that monster by an amount equal to this card's ATK until the end of your Opponent's turn.

ATK: 3100 DEF: 2450

(Basis: Pecos Bill as portrayed in the Disney Movie "Tall Tale", with a live rattlesnake for a lasso)

Tribal Warrior - GreySting the Silent

(Warrior)

EARTH

LV: 2

While he may not speak much, he is skilled with his knife and allows that to talk for him

ATK 1050 DEF: 700

(a Native American youth, in grey colored tribal garb, armed with a stone knife, maybe even a Bowie Knife, with the relations tween them and the Desperados)

Tribal Spirit - Grey Scorpion

EARTH

LV: 3

(Insect/Union)

Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on the field, you can equip it to your "Tribal Warrior - GreySting the Silent" as an Equip Card, OR unequip the Union equipment and Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a monster by this card's effect, when the equipped monster destroys an Opponent's monster through battle and sends it to the graveyard, inflict 500 points of damage to your Opponent's Life Points. (1 monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster is destroyed as a result of battle, destroy this card instead.)

ATK: 0 DEF: 1000

Tribal Spirit Warrior - Grey Scorpion

Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect

Level: 5

Attribute: Earth

Effect: This card can only be Special Summoned from your Fusion Deck when "Tribal Warrior - GreySting the Silent" equipped with "Tribal Spirit - Grey Scorpion" is returned to your deck by the effect of "Spirit Release". If this card successfully destroys a monster as a result of battle, inflict 1000 points of damage to your Opponent's Life Points. If this card attacks an Opponent's monster, but does not destroy it, reduce that monster's ATK by 500 during each of your Opponent's Standby Phases.

ATK: 2100 DEF: 1800

Tribal Warrior – CrimsonClaw the Hunter

EARTH LV: 5

(Warrior)

The greatest warrior of the tribe. He leads the others in all of their expeditions across the nation.

ATK: 2100 DEF: 1700

(a tall and handsome Native American warrior in crimson red colors the tribal totem that'll go with him…think of Kocoum from the Disney movie Pocahontas)

Tribal Spirit – Crimson Grizzly

EARTH LV: 4

(Beast/Union)

Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on the field, you can equip it to your "Tribal Warrior - CrimsonClaw the Hunter" as an Equip Card, OR unequip the Union equipment and Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a monster by this card's effect, the equipped monster gains 1000 ATK. (1 monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster is destroyed as a result of battle, destroy this card instead.)

ATK: 0 DEF: 1900

Tribal Spirit Warrior – Crimson Grizzly

Beast Warrior/Fusion/Effect

Level: 9

Attr: EARTH

This card can only be Special Summoned from your Fusion Deck when "Tribal Warrior - CrimsonClaw the Hunter" equipped with "Tribal Spirit - Crimson Grizzly" is returned to your deck by the effect of "Spirit Release". This monster can attack twice during the same Battle Phase. When this card battles, any Battle Damage to your opponent becomes 0.

ATK: 3100 DEF: 2550

(The top 7 cards were created by Rocket Knight 777. All card creative rights go to him.)

Ninja Dog Kurojaki

Level 4

EARTH

Beast/Effect

ATK: 300

DEF: 300

Effect: This card cannot be attacked while there are other monsters on your side of the field with "Ninja" in their card name. This card gains 500 ATK for every monster on your field.

Artwork: Kurojaki from Ginga Nagareboshi Gin

Evil Ninja Uchiha

Level 7

DARK

Warrior/Fusion/Effect

ATK: 2500

DEF: 2300

Effect: "Ninja Uchiha" + "Evil Shinobi". This card can only be Special-Summoned by Fusion Summon. This card can only be Fusion-Summoned by the effect of "Ninja SUmmoning Art". Once per turn, during either player's turn, this card can copy the effect of any monster on the Field or in either player's Graveyard. When this card destroys an opponent's monster, your opponent sends the top card from their deck to the Graveyard and you draw 1 card.

Artwork: Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto Shippuden

Ninja Summoning Art

Spell

Effect: Select 1 Fusion monster in your Fusion Deck that lists at least 1 "Ninja" monster as a fusion material. Send the Fusion Material monsters to the Graveyard from the field or your hand to Special Summon the selected Fusion monster.

Artwork: Ninja Hayabusa performing a handsign with the silhouette of a large dragon behind him

Forbidden Art: Resurrection

Trap

Effect: Tribute 1 monster on your side of the field. Special Summon 1 monster with "Ninja" in its name from your Graveyard.

Artwork: A scroll stamped with the Kanji for "Forbidden"

(The top four cards were created by Psycho Duelist. All card creation rights go to him and inspirations to the monsters go to their creators)

Monster Replace

Quick-Play Spell

Activate one of these effects:

● If 1 monster on the field is targeted by a monster's attack or the effect of a Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster, switch the target to another appropriate monster on the field.

● Select 1 monster you control and another Monster Card on the field or in your hand. If both monsters are on the field, have them switch Monster Card Zone. If 1 Monster Card is in your hand, return the monster you control to the hand, and Special Summon the selected monster from your hand.

(First used by Yugi Moto in the second series anime episode, Double Trouble Duel Pt. 3. All rights go to the creators)

Gachi Battle!

Continuous Trap

During each player's Main Phase 1, both players must select and Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from their Deck in Attack Position. Those monsters are destroyed during the End Phase

(Used by X in the GX episode Not Playing with a Full Deck. All rights go to the creators.)

Next time: With two factions, the Society of Light and Duel Academy wanting to choose the location of the field trip, Alister and Erika battle a royal couple with a love of amphibians, if you catch my drift.

Please read and review! Later!


	29. The Royal Frogs

Hello again, time for a tag-team duel off!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 29: The Royal Frogs

* * *

After classes, everyone at the White Dorm was happily cheering for the arrival of their glorious leader.

"Long live Master Sartorius!"

"All hail the Society of Light!"

Right in front of the entire crowd of white clad students, Jason, Chazz and Kenji greeted their master formally.

"Do you like the white paint, Master?" Chazz asked, "It was all my idea!"

"Please stop sucking up..." Kenji muttered, "He didn't come here to listen to about the paintings you've done, he came for business."

Before a full-blown argument broke out, Jason stepped in and bowed to Sartorius, "What they meant was that, we hoped you are now feeling right at home, sir."

"I am," The Arcana Force duelist replied, "Thank you for your generosity, gentlemen."

Hearing this prompted the SOL crowd to cheer again as their leader turned to address them, raising his hand for them to be silent.

"Please, I am no more deserving of cheers than all of you," He stated, "I am just an eager student like yourselves. Before the eye of destiny, each one of us is a mere pupil, waiting for the hands of fate to mold our future," He then developed a triumphant smile, "That time is now here!"

"Sartorius! Sartorius!" The group cheered as Jason walked up to his Master.

"I would also like to inform you about the upcoming field trip, the Chancellors of this school are putting together," The Lightsworn duelist whispered into his ear.

"Interesting, do they have a destination?" The SOL leader asked.

"Not yet."

Sartorius had a devious grin on his face, "Then I would like to have a word with them about this..."

* * *

Right outside the White Dorm, across the lake, Jaden, Claudio, Spencer, Jethro, Melody and Alexis heard the cheers coming from inside.

"He brainwashed the entire dorm," The Slifer Headmaster asked.

"Yeah, it's unbelievable, but we've seen what Sartorius has done," The J-Hero duelist replied.

"I can't believe Crowler let him in here," Jethro added, "After what he almost did to me and Hassleberry."

"I heard about that," Alexis spoke up, "I'm just glad you two aren't in there."

"The problem is, how to get them out of the influence," Melody wondered.

"That's the question of this entire year, Melody," Jaden replied.

"Well, we can't let them ruin the field trip tomorrow," Hassleberry added, "They could send us somewhere that brainwashes all without a fight!"

"It's a good thing that Alister and Erika are already over there," Claudio stated, "But maybe we should go over there and provide backup, in case the White Band come together..."

* * *

In the Chancellor's office, Crowler and Bonaparte were having a fight over the field trip destination...

"I'm the Chancellor around here," Crowler shouted as he pulled out a map, overlooking one specific country, "And for our field trip, we're going to Italy!" He then got happy and started spinning around in his chair, "A whole week of pasta, gondola rides and even the ancient ruins!"

"No one's going to be interested in all that," Bonaparte shouted as he ripped up the Chancellor's map and pulled out his own, "This is the place to go: Paris, France! Escargot and frog legs for all!"

"Ugh, gag me! I say Rome and pasta!"

"Escargot, Paris or bust!"

"Rome!"

"Paris!"

Suddenly, the doors opened and let Alister and Erika inside, stopping the Chancellors from nearly tearing each other apart.

"Were we interrupting something?" Alister asked.

"Yes," Crowler grumbled, "We're planning your field trip to Italy!"

"No, we're not," Bonaparte shouted, "We're going to France!"

"So, you haven't decided yet," Erika stated, seeing the argument take place. "If I may, Alister and I have a proposition for a field trip that can be perfect for everyone at the school."

The Chancellors stopped their fighting and turned to the engaged couple," Go on..." They said.

"Good, now I have to say that France or Italy is a bad idea."

"WHY!?" The Chancellors cried.

"Because, we'd have to pass through the Panama Canal," Alister interjected. "And that's right outside your price range if I may say so. You don't want to exhaust your money to go make a round trip without any lodging, food or any other places to visit, right?"

Crowler sighed, "He's right... So much for that gondola ride..."

"And what do you propose, pray tell?" Bonaparte asked, with a look that seemed unconvinced.

"Okay, you want something that provides education, fun and not to mention the best thing for a dueling school," Erika said.

"Just spit it out!" The Chancellor shouted impatiently.

"We'll go to..."

"So, what's on today's agenda?"

Everyone turned to see Chazz, Jason and a small congregation of Society White students standing in the doorway.

"Ever hear of knocking," Crowler shouted.

Erika sighed, "If you must know, I was just about to give out a proposal for the field trip location."

"Well, you can forget that," Chazz stated. "We have someone else that has the perfect idea!"

"Chazz, just go away," Alister waved off. "Any ideas your band of white coats have is not something we want to hear."

"Tough talk for someone who's outnumbered," The SOL member replied, "Besides, our new leader has something to say."

"What leader?"

"Pardon the interruption of my young friends," A voice called out. The Society students stepped aside and bowed as Sartorius walked up to the desk. "But like Chazz said, I have perfect destination of the field trip. It came to me in a vision."

"We're open to all suggestions!" Bonaparte said as he jumped at the chance to get on the SOL leader's good side, "You can assure your choice will be at the top of the list."

"I knew you'd try to take his side against ours," Alister scoffed as he turned to Sartorius, "And you really have no business being here with this so-called cult of yours."

The SOL members glared at the Guardian duelist.

"Don't even try it," Erika growled at the group.

"And I suggest you listen to reason and let Master Sartorius pick your choice," Jason spoke up.

"Hey, don't we get a say in this?" Once again, the eyes of everybody in the room fell to the office entrance, this time inhabited by Jaden, Syrus, Claudio and Hassleberry.

"Take a hike slacker!" Chazz scowled.

"Unless you decide to join us," Jason added, straightening out his white blazer.

"Okay," Claudio spoke up and turned to Alister and Erika, "I guess you didn't get the chance to talk to them."

"More like we were about to get snubbed off," The Machine duelist stated and then turned to Sartorius, "Alright, how about this? We settle this with a tag duel!"

"Interesting," The tarot reader smiled, "You win, and you choose the location of the field trip. You lose both you and your partner will join the Society of Light!"

"She won't be joining up," Alister declared, wrapping around his fiancée's shoulders, "Not with me being her partner."

"I still don't like those odds," Syrus said.

"Yeah, and those clothes, they use too much bleach," Hassleberry added.

"Don't worry about this brainwashing stuff, guys," Jaden said.

"Besides, Alister and Erika are too tough to beat in a tag-duel," Claudio added.

"And that's precisely why, I have other duelists to represent me in this contest," Sartorius interjected, "As a new student, I rather not stand out too much."

"Then change up your image," Alister cracked.

"Touche," The tarot reader replied as he turned to the engaged couple, "Now then, I already know your answer, so my duelists will meet you at the arena."

With that, the SOL group left the Chancellor's office, leaving everyone else to get ready for the upcoming match...

* * *

At the White Dorms, Kenji walked along the hallways and soon stopped in front of one of the doors and knocked on it.

"Yes?" A regal man's voice responded from inside.

"You're needed downstairs for a tag-duel, Derek," Kenji said. "Sartorius asked for you to contact Rose and head to the main arena."

"As you wish," Derek replied.

* * *

At the main arena, Alister and Erika were already standing ready at their side while awaiting their opponents.

"Okay, what's up with the no-shows?" Alex asked.

"I guess they wouldn't show up," Alexis replied.

"But still, I thought they would jump at the chance to get Alister and Erika," Lily added.

"Which is why they won't," Melody proclaimed.

"I guess we might have spooked the competition, eh Erika," Alister asked.

"I hope that's the case," The machine duelist replied, "The sooner we're declared the victors, the sooner we can declare our location for the field trip."

Suddenly, from the other side of the arena a red carpet rolled out with two people in white running out. One had a brass horn and the other had a white scroll in which he unraveled. The horn player played a lively tune before the scroll holder stepped up and recited:

"People of Duel Academy, I give you Their Royal Highnesses, Princess Rose and Prince Derek!"

Everyone watched as two people walked down the red carpet and bowed slightly. Princess Rose was lovely young woman with two bangs of her silver hair running down to her shoulders. She wore an elegant blue dress and a sliver tiara with a ruby in it on her head.

Prince Derek was a handsome young man with sheen, brown hair that seemed flawless in appearance. He wore a blue tuxedo with a white sash across it and a sliver crown on his head.

"Hey look guys, a princess," Syrus said in awe of the princess.

"10-4," Hassleberry said with same look.

"Indeed," Bastion blushed.

"What a hottie!" Mindy gushed as the sight of the prince and taking in his handsome features.

"It's too bad that he's taken," Jasmine whined.

Both Prince and Princess walked up to the arena with their duel disks on their left arms and faced their opponents.

"I thought you two would be taller," Rose spoke up in a valley girl voice, "Love your hair, though!"

"Uh, thanks?" Alister asked.

"So, you're former Pro League duelists, am I correct," Derek asked in his regal tone, "You two don't look that impressive."

"Well if what you see and hear from others won't impress you, our actions will," Erika declared as he turned to her fiancé. "Ready, Alister?"

"After you, sweetie!"

Both turned on their duel disks.

"Shall we, my dear Rose?" Derek asked his princess.

"You're always the charmer," Rose smiled as she and Derek turned their duel disks on.

"DUEL!"

Rose/Derek: 8000

Alister/Erika: 8000

"Here goes," Rose said as she drew her sixth card, "I'll start with T.A.D.P.O.L.E."

Inside a blue bubble, a small green tadpole appeared with a strange red and white marking on its head that made a scary face. (1/0/0)

"That's an ugly looking thing," Hassleberry stated.

Rose then glared up at the stands, "You would know..."

"She got you!" Syrus laughed.

"And I'll end my turn," She concluded, "So Erika it's, like, your move now."

"That's it, huh," Erika said as she drew her sixth card, "I'll just set two facedown cards and end my turn."

Two reversed cards appeared right in front of her.

"Then, I'll go," Derek announced as he drew his sixth card, "I summon the Poison Draw Frog!"

Materializing from another bubble was a brown colored frog that was larger than a normal frog. It let out a lively, 'Ribbit!' (2/100/100)

"And, I'll end my turn with a facedown card," Derek concluded.

"I'll bring up the rear," Alister said as he drew his sixth card, "I'll use the Guardian Treasure spell card! It lets me discard five cards and trade them in for two cards," He announced as he sent the rest of his hand to the grave and drew two more of his deck, "Also, I can draw two cards from now on as while it's on the field. But for now, I'll do this set this monster..."

A facedown monster appeared on the field.

"And then, I'll use the Book of Taiyou to flip it up! Reveal yourself, Guardian Kay'est!"

The card flipped up, revealing the guardian mermaid who appeared out in the open with a soft smile. (4/1000/1800)

"And, since I have the last turn, I'll attack the Poison Draw Frog with your Aqua Spear!"

Kay'est moved her arms around gracefully as she materialized a spear made from the moisture in the air. With simple hand gesture towards the grown amphibian, the spear shot itself at it.

"And I'll activate my trap," Derek declared as he flipped over his trap card. It showed a Treeborn Frog protecting itself inside a thin, yellow barrier, "You just triggered the Froggy Forcefield which destroys all of your monsters in attack mode!"

"And I'll counter with my facedown card, Royal Decree," Erika declared activating her facedown card, "This negates all trap card effects except for this, of course. So, Froggy Forcefield is done!"

Derek watched as his trap card sparked out and vanished. Finally, the spear pierced through the frog and shattered it.

Rose/Derek: 7100

Alister/Erika: 8000

"Well, at least I get to draw a card when Poison Draw Frog was selected as an attack target," The Prince said as he drew one card.

"I'll end my turn here," Alister concluded and then turned to his fiancée, "Thanks for the save!"

"I'm lucky, that's the monster you summoned out," She replied, "Provided the defense for your monster."

"Excuse me, hun," Rose interrupted as she drew her next card, "I hope you haven't forgotten it's my turn. Now I'll use my Graceful Charity spell card to draw three cards, and ditch two in the graveyard."

After drawing out three cards, she picked out two of them to put in the graveyard.

"Now, I'll switch T.A.D.P.O.L.E. to defense mode and place one monster in defense as well to end my turn," Rose concluded as she brought out a facedown monster and her baby frog curled up.

"Time to make my move," Erika declared as she drew, "I'll summon my Robotic Knight to the field in attack mode!"

Erika's militaristic machine took the field, raising its sword at Rose's cards. (4/1600/1800)

"Fire a round into her facedown monster," The machine duelist commanded.

[Acknowledged,] The Machine said as it raised its gun arm and unloaded some bullets into the facedown monster card. It turned out to be another T.A.D.P.O.L.E.! (1/0/0)

"You just activated the effect of my monster," Rose announced as a card slipped out of her deck and it revealed to be a third T.A.D.P.O.L.E! "Ta-da! Another little cutie comes right to my hand!"

"Then it's your move, Derek," Erika concluded.

"Thank you," Derek declared as he drew, "I'll activate the Field Spell card, Wetlands!"

The field was suddenly transported to a marshland with tall grass surrounding the players while they stood on wet ground. And in the middle of the field was a pond that stretched from the left side to the right. Substitoad took it upon itself to hop right into the pond, swimming around happily.

"And here's how this field spell works," Derek informed his opponents and spectators, "When this card is in play, all monsters that are a combination of Aqua-Type, WATER attribute, and are level 1 or 2 gain 1200 ATK!"

Alister and Erika gasped as they saw the frog offspring jump out of the water once before splashing back in. (1/0-1200/0)

"And then, I'll do this, by discarding the Treeborn Frog in my hand, I can special summon my Swap Frog, also from my hand!"

An orange frog, covered with darker orange patterns and designs on its skin, materialized in the air before splashing inside the pond with Substitoad. (2/1000-2200/500)

"Next, I'll use its effect to send a level 2 or lower Aqua-Type WATER monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, like another Treeborn Frog," The prince continued as he slipped in his monster to the grave, "And next I'll summon the Unifrog in attack mode!"

Hopping out of the pond, a small bluish-purple frog appeared with a unicorn's horn on its forehead. (2/400-1600/400)

"And I won't have to worry about crossing paths with your Kay'est, Alister or your Robotic Knight, Erika," Derek stated, "My Unifrog has the power to attack directly!"

Alister gasped he saw the small frog hop over his Guardian and stabbed his shoulder.

Rose/Derek: 7100

Alister/Erika: 6400

"And since he successfully attacked directly with another frog on the field, my Unifrog can destroy a spell or trap card," The prince smiled as his frog now pierced though Erika's Royal Decree card.

"Now, Swap Frog attacks Robotic Knight!" Derek commanded as Swap Frog hopped out of the pond to tackle the machine.

"Sorry, I have my spell Rush Recklessly to juice up my Robotic Knight's ATK by 700," Erika countered as her Spell Card flipped up, turning the machine's red eyes green. (4/1600-2300/1800) "Counterattack, now!"

[Switching to close-range combat,] Robotic Knight declared as he raised his sword arm and sliced down the Swap Frog as it came by, shattering it to pixels.

Rose/Derek: 6900

Alister/Erika: 6400

Derek growled a bit, "I end with a facedown card."

A reversed card appeared on the wet soil while Robotic Knight's power returned to 1600 ATK.

"My turn," Alister said drawing two cards, "I equip the Butterfly Dagger – Elma to Erika's Robotic Knight, giving it 300 ATK!"

The machine sheathed its sword and took up a small green dagger with butterfly-shaped hilt on it in its sword hand. (4/1600-1900/1800)

"And that allows me to summon Guardian Elma!"

A red-headed woman appeared wearing a green vest in the shape of a butterfly and red short skirt that showed off her slim and beautiful figure. Attached to her arms was a white veil that flowed behind her. She and Kay'est shared friendly smiles. (3/1300/1200)

"And since she's been summoned, I can take an equip spell card in my graveyard and equip with it," The Guardian duelist continued as he took one from his discard slot, "And I discarded a couple in there, like my Mage Power and with two spells on my field, that's 1000 extra points!"

Elma felt a giant power soar inside as a green aura surrounded her. (3/1300-2300/1200-2200)

"Now Elma, attack the Unifrog with Light-Speed Magic!"

The red-headed Guardian wasted little time in using her newfound power to launch a green wave at the water and pulled out the horned frog, putting it to a shocking end.

Rose/Derek: 6200

Alister/Erika: 6400

"And since Wetlands doesn't increase your monsters' defense, Kay'est can destroy that T.A.D.P.O.L.E while it's down!"

Kay'est went into the water and then used her tail to smack the baby frog right of the pond into pixels.

"I end my turn." Alister concluded.

"Then, I'll go," Rose drew her next card, and immediately played it, "I'll use this, the Premature Burial spell card, letting me pay 800 life points..."

Rose/Derek: 5400

Alister/Erika: 6400

"And my first T.A.D.P.O.L.E. is all like 'Hello, I'm back!'"

T.A.D.P.O.L.E. reappeared on the field and dove into the pond. (1/0-1200/0)

"She just paid 800 life points to bring that back?" Vincent asked.

"Well it is the only monster in her graveyard," Allyson stated.

Melody gasped, "That monster's tribute fodder!"

"So obvious," Rose announced as her monster vanished, "It's a sacrifice for my Des Frog!"

In T.A.D.P.O.L.E.'s place, a fully-grown frog appeared that was the normal color of green with a white underbelly. (5/1900/0)

"And when Tribute Summoned, he gets to do a little trick," She said as two small tadpoles appeared in the pond, and stared at them fondly, "They're so cute, but they grow up so fast... Isn't that right, my wittle boyfriends?"

The audience saw the life stages of the frog take place before their very eyes. First, the tadpoles grew some legs and then some arms. Next, the frog spawn started to grow, losing their tails little by little in the process. Once the tails were gone and with two splashes of the water, two more Des Frogs showed up! (5/1900/0) x2

"How did that happen," Claudio wondered.

"For every T.A.D.P.O.L.E. in her graveyard, she can special summon a Des Frog from her deck," Lyra replied, "It's about the only reason to have them in her deck aside from another frog monster she could have."

"You know about the frogs," Melody asked.

"Let's just say, I'm one of the few girls not squeamish to dissect a frog," The Infernity duelist stated.

"Gotcha," The Magician duelist nodded.

"These frogs are swarming by the minute," Erika said, staring at all of them in the pond.

"Yeah, it's a very strange occurrence," Alister added, tilting his head a bit. "Still their combo is deadly."

"These green hotties are so not frogs," Rose interrupted.

The engaged couple, looked baffled, "They're not?"

"No, they're my princes!" She gushed as the Des Frogs let out a collective croak.

"Princes," Jethro wondered. "Where's this coming from?"

"The only prince I see is that guy down there," Jachin replied as he saw the prince just standing there with his eyes closed, "I'm surprised he's not jealous of the attention Rose is giving those frogs."

"Oh please, I'm so not buying into your game," The princess says to Alister and Erika as she gestured to her frogs, "I know the two of you can see spirits, so can't you seen mine?"

The Guardian and Machine duelist stared hard at the frogs and saw nothing out of the ordinary with them.

"I just see frogs," Alister stated before turning to his fiancée, "How about you Erika?"

"I'm with you, I don't see any princes," She added.

"You two are faking it!" Rose snapped, making them flinch.

"Yet another who can't see what I see..." Derek sighed as he turned to Rose, "Don't let them get you so worked up, darling. I can see them..."

Rose's emotions did a 180 as she turned to her prince, "Oh I knew you could," She gushed, "Why can't anyone else see that?"

"Because they are unique only to you, my dear," The prince stated, "Besides, you deserve some princes in your deck, it's why I gave them to you."

"Oh Derek..."

"Oh Rose..."

They suddenly ran to each other like in a slow-motion love scene and then held each other's hands and started into each other's eyes dreamily.

"Okay, I'm up for romance, but I still can't see her princes..." Claudio stated, looking at the Des Frogs.

"Me neither," Melody added.

"I just see frogs like you guys," Jaden said.

Chazz and Kenji were looking on from the stands and they were just as baffled as the rest on the monster spirit thing.

"Uh, guys, we still have this duel going on..." Alister called out to the Royal couple.

Rose and Derek lost their dreamy looks and turned to their opponents with anger in them.

"Oh great..." Erika muttered.

"How dare you interrupt our moment," Derek shouted.

"Don't worry, babe," Rose consoled him as she placed a card in her disk, "This will make them sorry! I activate Des Croaking to let my frogs... I mean, princes destroy your all of the cards on your field!"

"Every card," Erika shouted.

"Look at it this way: I'm giving your field a makeover!"

On cue, all three Des Frogs unleashed a louder and more powerful croak that caused every monster, spell and trap Alister and Erika had to shatter into many pixels. Except...

"Hey, what's she still doing here!" The princess shouted as she pointed at Guardian Kay'est.

"It's her special effect," Alister said as Kay'est smiled, "She's unaffected by all spell cards! So you got everything but my mermaid friend here," He then picked up another spell card, "But out of all those cards, I got to keep my Butterfly Dagger since when it goes to the graveyard from the field, it comes back to my hand.

"Grr..." The princess growled, "I'll just get you next time..."

* * *

In a secluded room inside the White Dorm, Sartorius was divining his cards again and laid down two cards, with one revealing to be the upright Wheel of Fortune.

"This duel will serve as a test..." He said flipping the second card. It showed two nude people, a man and a woman on opposite side of the card. The setting was the Garden of Eden with a fruit tree behind the woman and a flam tree behind the man. In the between them was a God with red wings and wearing a grey robe, sitting on a cloud in front of the sun, "The Lovers... how fitting for the two of you, Alister and Erika. Along with the Wheel of Fortune, I'm told you two are of the select few to possess the ability to see monster spirits, now's your chance to prove it!"

* * *

(Back at the Arena)

"Okay, my draw," Erika drew and turned over one of her cards she already had, "I play the Cost Down spell card!"

The spell revealed a close-up of a Duel Monster card with two of its stars being pierced by small daggers.

"After discarding one card, I can reduce the level of all the monsters in my hand by two," She announced as she discarded one card, "And that allows easy access to my Maverick Dizzy!"

Flying out from the card, came a robotic humanoid with all the features of a bat. It was purple and black from its large wingspan and body armor, and carried had yellow ears on the top of its head. (5-3/2100/1850)

"That looks like one wacky bat," Jeremy stated.

"And even though, I could take out the Des Frogs..."

"Princes," Rose shouted over Erika's statement.

"I'll settle for taking down the Unifrog and any chance at your direct assault," Erika stated as she turned to her Maverick, "Dizzy, attack with Vampiric Bite on the Unifrog!"

The Maverick Bat squeaked again as he flew at horned frog and chomped down the amphibian.

Rose/Derek: 4900

Alister/Erika: 6400

"And next, Dizzy's effect let's Alister and I gain life points equal to half the destroyed monster's points!"

Dizzy then flew at Erika's duel disk and placed his hand on it, chaining the life point score.

Rose/Derek: 4900

Alister/Erika: 7200

"Wow, they really got a plan going," Jaden exclaimed.

"Well thanks to Guardian Kay'est, they have a big protection on themselves," Claudio added.

"And next, one card facedown and end my turn," Erika concluded.

"You're not out of the clear yet," Derek boasted as he drew, "I summon Substitoad in attack mode!"

Another adult frog appeared on the lily pad of the pond. This one had the right side of its body was pink, and the left side was black. It had small wings on its back, the right one feathered and the left one bat-like. (1/100-1300/2000)

"Now, I'll activate the trap card, Graceful Revival to bring back my cute little T.A.D.P.O.L.E.," Rose stepped as she revealed her trap card and brought back the baby frog. (1/0-1200/0)

"Thank you, my dear Rose," The prince bowed to his princess, "I can now use the effect of my Subsititoad and send T.A.D.P.O.L.E. back to the graveyard and bring out another Frog from the Deck!"

The baby frog vanished into pixels...

"Now I summon my Flip Flop Frog!"

The next frog that appeared was a bit shorter than the Des Frogs... and a lot weirder. It had pale blue skin, but the part that made it weird is that the entire body, save for the arms and legs was upside down! (2/500-1700/200)

"And I'll use his special ability to set him on the field!"

Flip Flop Frog gave a small croak that was interrupted by being replaced by a set monster card.

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Derek concluded.

"Then it's my draw, finally," Alister said as he drew, "I'll set this card facedown and play Card of Sanctity to let's all draw until we have six cards!"

All players drew until they held six in their hands.

"Next, I'll use the spell card, Guardian Revival!"

The Guardian duelist activated his spell that revealed the hand of Guardian Grarl, breaking out of a graveyard plot.

"By paying 500 Life Points, I can summon a Guardian monster from my graveyard, ignoring her usual conditions!"

Rose/Derek: 4900

Alister/Erika: 6700

"And now Guardian Elma, return to the field!"

A light shone on a spot and rising from it was the red-headed guardian who had an angry look, directed at the Des Frogs. (3/1300-1800/1200)

"Then her special ability lets me bring out an equip card from the graveyard as well, like Fairy Meteor Crush. Plus, I'll give her the Butterfly Dagger because... hey, it's hers!"

Elma developed a red aura around her as she held up her signature dagger as well. (3/1800-2100/1200)

"Now, attack the facedown Flip Flop Frog!"

Elma flew across the field and stabbed the facedown card, revealing the inverted frog. (2/500-1700/200) But the problem was that it survived the blow by holding Elma's dagger arm by its tongue!

Rose/Derek: 3000

Alister/Erika: 6700

"Hold on, why is it still there!"

"Because, while my Subsitoad is on the field, you can't destroy the Frogs by battle," Derek boasted, "Not only that, but since you flipped it up, I can send cards from your field back to your hand equal to the number of Frogs on our field!"

"That means he can send four cards back to the hand," Spencer said.

"They'll be defenseless after that," Vincent added.

"Now Flip Flop Frog, send back his Guardians and Erika's Maverick and facedown card!"

The small frog finally lifted its tongue and threw Elma up into the air. Then, it used its tongue to whiplash her, Kay'est, Dizzy and Erika's facedown card back the owners' hands. With Butterfly Dagger's destruction, it went back to Alister's hand as well.

"Now you'll have to place some cards facedown if you wish not to discard from your hand," Derek smirked.

Alister looked over his hand and then set two cards in the spell/trap slot, "I'll stop here."

"You're such a bore," Rose stated as she drew, "And it's time I did something about it; I play another Des Croaking to destroy those facedown cards!"

Once again, the Des Frog Trio let out their horrible melody and shattered Alister's facedown cards, pleasing their princess as she happily clapped.

"Now that the field's cleared, strike them directly, boys!"

For the third time, the green frogs shocked the engaged couple with their voices, dropping their life point way down.

Rose/Derek: 3000

Alister/Erika: 1000

The entire SOL crowd cheered for Rose's onslaught.

"Aw man, Alister and Erika are in big trouble," Syrus said.

"Yeah, how are they going to stop that?" Jachin wondered.

"Eat them with barbeque sauce!" Hassleberry replied.

"And if that doesn't work," Bastion asked.

"Honey mustard..."

"Hey, if you think my boys are strong now, watch this," Rose said as she held up the familiar spell card, Polymerization as she turned to her monsters, "Now boys, show me your cute little merging trick!"

Everyone watched as the Des Frog Trio hopped out of the water and jumped into the fusion portal that appeared above them. But what came out of the portal freaked out most people. It was arguably a large and very wide frog that sat behind Rose and Derek in the tall grass, rather than in the pond. (8/2500/2000)

"That's one huge monster!" Alister gasped.

"I know, and he's a total hunk!" Everyone fell out as Rose imagined a very handsome prince in place of the large frog. "His name is D.3.S. Frog and I am so crushing on him! He's cute don't you think?"

"Oh boy..." Alister and Erika muttered.

"And he's even got to most rad ability," She continued, "Since Derek has two Treeborn Frogs in the graveyard, my big guy gains 500 ATK for each!"

The giant frog let out a huge croak and a dark green aura surrounded it. (8/2500-3500/2000)

"And I'll end my turn right here!"

"My move," Erika announced as she drew her next card, "First, I can use the Monster Reborn card to revive Maverick Dizzy!"

The bat Maverick returned to the field. (5/2100/1850)

"Next, I'll summon the Maverick Metal Shark in attack mode!"

Rising out from the ground, came a bipedal, metal hammerhead shark. It wore a dark blue armor with armored boots and aqua blue gloves that held a black anchor in them. (4/1700/1500)

"And I'll finish with four cards facedown," Erika concluded as four reversed cards, nearly taking up the field.

"And starts mine," Derek declared as he drew his next card, "First, I'll set my Flip Flop Frog again."

The inverted frog was replaced by a facedown monster card...

"And I'll activate my facedown card," The machine duelist interrupted with a trap card, one that had deadly spores with the kanji for demon on them. "I activate the Deck Devastation Virus, sacrificing Dizzy to destroy all monsters on your field and hand with 1500 ATK or less!"

Dizzy shook rapidly and exploded into deadly spores that spread across the Frog Tag-duelists' hands. D.3.S. Frog paid it no mind when it him, but when it reached Subsititoad and flipped over the Flip Flop Frog, they both shattered into pixels.

"Now let's see the hands!"

Rose scoffed as she showed off Poison Draw Frog, De-Fusion, Flute of Hammelin, Salvage and Umiiruka, only having to discard the lone monster in her hand.

But Derek wasn't as lucky as he had Treeborn Frog, Dupe Frog, Submarine Frog, Shield and Sword, One for One, Curse of Aging and the newly drawn Star Boy. He had to discard four of his cards on the spot.

"Now I see what's going on," Bastion figured out.

"What?" Alexis asked.

"Rose is carrying the stronger frogs and cards to supplement them, while Derek has the weaker ones," The intellectual duelist replied, "It's why he played Wetlands."

With only one card to use, Derek had to make the only choice he had, "I set one card facedown and end my turn..." He growled.

"And it's my move," Alister said as he drew, "I activate a Ritual Spell Card Contact of the Void!"

Erupting from the ground were two black pillars of equal height. Emerging behind them was a dark portal.

"With this ritual, I offer Guardian Grarl and Guardian Elma... to summon forth another Guardian!"

Elma and the dinosaur Guardian stood up on top of the pillars and were then sucked into the portal by their free will.

"I summon Zeratul – Guardian of the Void!"

Suddenly, a strange figured emerged from the portal that made everyone bug out. A large alien creature appeared wearing a large purple cloak with two shoulder pads holding him together and purple veil where its mouth would be. He stood about three meters tall and carried a large glowing sword in its right hand. (8/2500/1900)

"Yes, another alien," Jeremy cheered. "I gotta get me one of those!"

"I wasn't aware of any new Guardians coming out," Spencer added.

"Ew," Rose cringed. "Why is that repulsive thing on the field!"

"I concur," Derek added. "Monsters like that should stay away from the playing field."

Zeratul glared his small, yellow eyes at the Royal couple.

"You know, if you really know about monster spirits, then you remember they have feelings too," Alister pointed out as he held up to spell cards, "And my new friend will have to teach you that the hard way, I activate Shooting Star Bow – Ceal and Butterfly Dagger - Elma and equip them to him!"

Sheathing his sword, Zeratul held out his bony hands for the small butterfly-hilted dagger and a long bow and arrow. (8/2500-1800/1900)

"Now attack directly!"

Zeratul pulled back on the bow and then released the arrow, piercing the prince through the arm.

Rose/Derek: 1200

Alister/Erika: 1000

"Vile foe..." Derek grumbled.

"And I'll end it right here," Alister declared.

Rose drew, revealing Amphibian Angel – Frog Hael, making her discard it from Deck Devastation Virus.

"Looks like you lost out on a big opportunity," The Guardian duelist proclaimed.

"So what, I still got my big guy and with his attack, you're done," Rose shouted, "Now my prince, attack that repulsive Guardian!"

Everyone gasped as the giant frog's tongue lashed out and headed for Alister's newest Guardian.

"If this hits, Alister and Erika are gone," Lily exclaimed worriedly.

"Oh no!"

Alister smirked, "He'll be going away, but not to the graveyard!"

On cue, a dark portal opened up in front of Zeratul and sucked him in before the giant frog's tongue grabbed at the weapons he left behind.

"What!" Rose shouted.

"When my Guardian's targeted for an attack, he leaves the field for the rest of the turn before getting hit," Alister explained as he collected Butterfly Dagger – Elma.

"Hmph, I still have that machine to deal with!"

D.3.S Frog's tongue did a 180 as it launched itself towards the Maverick shark.

"And I'll activate, Mirror Wall cutting your monster's attack in half," Erika interjected as her trap flipped up, creating the crystal reflective wall. The Frog's tongue smashed itself into the wall, draining its strength. (8/4000-2000/2000) But it still had enough force to break through a part of it, grab the Maverick around the torso and pulled it in for a snack.

Rose/Derek: 1200

Alister/Erika: 700

"I then activate another card, my Call to the Doomed," Erika continued with another facedown card showing two pillars of light rising out of graveyard. "This trap allows me to sacrifice my Mirror Wall and summon a monster that's level 6 or below from my graveyard!"

Mirror Wall shattered as the machine duelist took out a card from her graveyard.

"And here's a surprise, it's Dark Magician Girl in defense mode!"

Everyone gasped as from the graveyard, a young and beautiful magician appeared... She had a long blonde hair and blue eyes, with a slight blush on her cheeks. She wore a blue magician's hat, robe and boots with a pink mini-skirt and carried a small scepter. (6/2000/1700)

"She has Dark Magician Girl too?" Melody asked surprised seeing one of her signature monsters used.

"But she has really nothing for it, so what's up?" Claudio wondered.

Rose however scoffed as she plays another card from her hand, "Please, De-Fusion will take care of her!"

"She's bringing her back the Des Frogs!" Syrus gasped as D.3.S Frog split apart and brought back the original Des Frogs who let out collective croaks. (5/1900/0) x3

"My princes, they've come to my rescue!" The Princess gushed.

"From what," Erika wondered.

"It's called 'drama', just go with it," Rose scoffed, "But now your girl's about to croak!"

At her command, the Des Frog trio jumped at the defending magician...

"Sorry, but I activate Metalmorph to increase her ATK and DEF by 300, enough to ward off your princes… if that's what you see them as..."

A liquid metal appeared and covered the magician, boosting her defense. (6/2000-2300/1700-2000) And as the frogs found out when they ran smack into her, only to bounce off and fall on their backs hard at Rose's feet.

Rose/Derek: 900

Alister/Erika: 700

"Oh Jeffery, Roosevelt, Percival," Rose cried out to her frogs.

"Her frogs have names?" Jaden wondered.

"Of course, they do," Derek shouted to the Slifer. "Royals like us have the most honored names!"

Everyone sweat-dropped at that statement...

Up above, Chazz had to think for a second, "I don't think those royal losers have the power to see duel spirits."

"What was your first guess," Kenji replied. "The lack of anything floating around your head?"

"Okay, I activate Salvage letting me take Amphibian Angel and Poison Draw Frog into my hand," Rose stated as she collected her two cards from the discard slot, "I then sacrifice my boyfriends to invite Amphibian Angel to the party!"

As the Des Frogs left the pond, a larger frog appeared right where they stood. It had pebbly, orange skin, large sacks on its cheeks, and feathered wings on its back. (5/1400/800)

"A Level 5 monster in need of three sacrifices," Alister wondered.

"Well, with those sacrifices, it makes up his special abilities," Rose stated. "With one sacrifice, he's totally off limits from your attacks but only if I have monsters on the field."

"It's like Kay'est in a way..."

"And with two sacrifices, your entire spell and trap card set must sit this one out!"

Erika watched as Metalmorph shattered, dissolving the metal covering over Dark Magician Girl. (6/2300-2000/2000-1700)

"And then, with three sacrifices, all of my princes are like, totally party crashing!"

Four ripples of water surrounded Rose and unleashed the three Des Frogs in front of her and the D.3.S. Frog right behind her! (5/1900/0) x3, (8/2500-4000/2000)

"Can it get any worse than five high powered frogs?" Jaden wondered.

"And to end my turn, I activate Umiiruka to power up my princes since they are WATER attributes!"

The Wetlands disappeared and transformed into calm sea field with a sandbar holding up the Des Frogs and the Amphibian Angel, while D.3.S. Frog was about feet deep inside. (5/1900-2400/0) x3, (5/1400-1900/800-400), (8/4000-4500/2000-1600)

"Now beat that!" Rose challenged as Zeratul returned to the field. (8/2500/1900)

"My draw," Erika declared as she drew. "I play Spellbook inside the Pot!" All players drew out three more cards, without any discards from Rose or Derek, "And then I activate my Trap Booster spell card to discard one card and activate this trap from my hand."

She turned around to show off another Metalmorph!

"Another one," The royal couple wondered.

"Yup, and guess who's getting it," Erika said as the liquid metal covered DMG again. (6/2000-2300/1700-2000) "And then, I'll sacrifice it to summon from my deck, a little present from Alister!"

The metal shined brightly blanketing the field.

"Say hello to the Dark Metal Magician Girl!"

Taking the Magician Girl's place, was a completely machine version of her! But instead her normal attire, it had a cyber-punk style to it as she wore a black version of her normal clothing and a metal staff in her right hand. (7/2500/2100)

"And don't think she'll rust because she gains 200 ATK for every Machine and Spellcaster on the field," The machine duelist continued, "And she counts as both so..."

The machine counterpart sparked up with blue electricity, gathering her power into her staff. (7/2500-2900/2100)

"She will, thanks to my Curse of Aging trap card," Derek interrupted as he activated his not-so-secret facedown card. It showed an Arabian person opening

a treasure chest that was booby trap and made the person age into an old man. "By sacrificing a card in my hand to the graveyard, your machine loses 500 ATK and DEF until the end of your turn!"

Dark Metal Magician Girl started to rust a little and lost her some of the power she gained and a little more power. (7/2900-2400/2100-1600)

"I won't let you harm my princess' cards!"

"That's sweet, but I have one more card to use," Erika said as she turned over her next card. "Celestial Sword – Eatos, giving her 300 ATK!"

Alister grinned, "I'm glad I stuck that inside your deck!"

The machine held up a beautiful diamond blade that somehow removed the rust from its body. (7/2400-2700/1600)

"And not only that, it can attack multiple times!" Erika added with a smile.

"And with those Des Frogs in attack mode, Rose and Derek are finished," Claudio cheered.

"Dark Metal Magician Girl, take out those princes!"

The metal girl flew across the field and sliced through the first Des Frog.

"Bye, Jeffery..." Rose whined.

Rose/Derek: 600

Alister/Erika: 700

Then, the second frog went after the first when it was struck by the blade...

"Roosevelt!"

Rose/Derek: 300

Alister/Erika: 700

Finally, DMMG launched a dark pink orb that blasted the final frog on impact.

"Percival!"

Rose/Derek: 0

Alister/Erika: 700, Winners

As the holograms disappeared, Rose fell to her knees as Derek ran up to comfort her.

"It'll be okay, Rose," He said, "We tried our best against these Pros..."

"Is everything alright over there?"

The royal couple turned to the engaged couple who had concerned looks on their faces.

"Yeah, we're fine," Derek smiled.

"Well, I'm not," Rose raised her head up with an angry look on her face. "I broke two nails!"

She then huffed and walked off the stage. Derek sighed as he followed after her.

"Someone's high-maintenance..." Erika muttered.

"No kidding..." Alister added.

Suddenly, the spirits of Robotic Knight and Guardian Eatos showed up next to Erika and Alister.

"But they weren't lying about the spirits," Eatos said. "But they did exaggerate a bit."

"What are you talking about?" Alister asked.

[Sensing two spirits approaching...] Robotic Knight said.

"Huh?"

Appearing from the retreating prince and princess's decks were two green bubbles. Inside were two small frogs, one dressed up like a prince and the other dressed like a princess. They both bowed to the duelists and their spirits, with the former stunned at the sight.

"There were spirits!?" Erika exclaimed.

"Hey, I can see them!" Jaden stated.

"I guess we were looking in the wrong places," Claudio said.

"More like thought they were human spirits," Melody added.

The frog prince and princess followed their duelists.

"Well Erika, ready to tell everyone where we are going," Alister asked.

"Oh right, I need a microphone!"

Erika dashed over to the side of the field and grabbed a cordless microphone.

"If anybody can hear me, I have only one place in mind for this field trip...

* * *

In his room, Sartorius laid down a card on the table.

"So Alister and Erika are victorious..." He said. "But sooner or later, fate will catch up with them along with Jaden and Claudio."

* * *

"... And that's to go where dueling was at its finest, Domino City!" Erika announced, prompting cheers all around.

"Sweet! We're going to Yugi's hometown," Jaden exclaimed.

"I'm getting my things packed!" Melody said as she ran out to her room.

"Her day has just been made..." Claudio chuckled at his girlfriend.

* * *

Sartorius flipped over his card, showing a large tree tower that extended beyond the clouds.

"How appropriate," He laughed before he drew another card. He gasped at seeing an upside-down card revealing a moon in the sky that's in between two clay pillars. Two wolves were crying at the moon and a lobster emerging from the lake. "The upside-down Moon card, another power is emerging but from what?"

He drew another card and it showed a card he hasn't seen in a while.

"The Magician, the power that has eluded me," He said. "There's something else about him... a darker side..."

* * *

To Domino City, baby!"

Contact of The Void

Type- Ritual Spell

Effect- Send two or more cards equal to 8 or more stars from your field or your hand to summon "Zeratul- Guardian of The Void"

Art- A dark portal with two alters

Zeratul- Guardian of The Void

Type- Warrior

Attribute- DARK

Level: 8

ATK: 2500

DEF: 1900

Effect: If this card is targeted as an attack, this card can be removed from play for one turn. It deals piercing damage

Art:

(To see this guy in action: type in on YT Starcraft 2 Campaign - Cinematic: "The Prophecy")

Dark Metal Magician Girl

Type- Machine

Level 8

Attribute- Dark

ATK: 2500

DEF: 2100

Effect: This card cannot be normal summoned or set. This card can only be special summoned from the deck by sacrificing "Dark Magician Girl" equipped with "Metalmorph". This card is also treated as a Spellcaster and its name becomes "Dark Magician Girl". This card gets 200 ATK for every Machine and Spellcaster on the field.

(The three above cards were created by RoyalShowStopperXIII. Card creation rights go to him, while the inspiration of the Guardian goes to the creators of Starcraft.)

Call to the Doomed

Normal Trap Card

Sacrifice one face-up Continuous Trap Card. Special summon 1 Level 6 monster from your graveyard in defense mode.

(This card is created by me and all creative rights go to me.)

Celestial Sword – Eatos

Equip Spell

The equipped monster gains 300 ATK and can attack all of your opponent's monsters once each during your Battle Phase, but it cannot attack directly.

(This card was first used by Rafael in the second series anime episode: Fate of the Pharoah. All rights to the creators of that episode.)

Amphibian Angel – Frog-Hael

WATER

Aqua/Effect

Level 5

1400/800

You can Tribute up to 3 "Frog" monsters, excluding "Frog the Jam", to Tribute Summon this card. This card gains effects based on the number of "Frog" monsters used in its Tribute Summon: ● 1+: This card cannot be selected as an attack target. ● 2+: When this card is Tribute Summoned, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field. ● 3+: When this card is Tribute Summoned, Special Summon as many "Frog" monsters as possible that were Summoned during this Duel, except "Frog the Jam".

Next time: We reach Domino City, home of the dueling legends! Also, Melody takes on a tour guide that happens to be her older brother! And his deck is nothing people would expect!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	30. Welcome to Domino City

It's time boys and girls! We have made it to the Domino City Arc, complete with mostly tag duels and a couple of single duels to strike your fancy! We'll open with a duel with family battling! So let's get started!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 30: Welcome to Domino City!

* * *

The sun rose again to greet a new day, but the place wasn't at Duel Academy Island...

It was at a large city located around the cost of Japan, filled many skyscrapers, residences and bustling with activity... Domino City!

At the docks, two boats, one a moderate sized red colored boat and a large, white boat like a cruise liner, and a white yacht belonging to Aster pulled up and docked. From the large cruise ship, Crowler, Bonaparte and the entire Society of Light group walked out and took in the sights of the historical city. From the red boat, Jaden jumped and stretched out his arms.

"We're here," He exclaimed as he looked around.

"It took long enough inside that boat," Claudio added as he walked out.

"No kidding, it was getting cramped in there," Alexis sighed.

"But it's well worth it to get back to Domino City," Melody cheered as she ran out the boat.

"'Back,'" Lily parroted as she, Jeremy and Alex got off the boat next. "You live here?"

"Around the Battle City Tournament, I did," The magician duelist replied. "How else would I get into dueling?"

"Cool," Alex said. "Now I know the reason for having Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl in your deck."

"She must've seen one of Yugi's duels," Jeremy figured out.

"Well every one of the top duelists' cards are famous," Jachin stated as he walked off the boat next, "I'd imagine everyone who seen them would leave a big impact on them."

"I was just lucky to start, when I found some cards that fit me perfectly," Allyson said once she, Vincent and Jethro stepped off, "Hardly anyone used Spirit monsters because of their effects."

"I know everyone had their stories for choosing their cards," Allen added. "Mine was like being closer to my parents with all the angels and fairies in my deck."

"I figured it was something like that," Lyra said, walking up to group and carrying her black umbrella. "You seemed all too happy every time you summoned a card."

"This used to be my father's deck, with some cards added from my mother and myself," The fairy duelist stated. "Call it a 'family deck', if you will."

"What about you, Lyra," Jethro asked the goth girl. "What got you into Infernities?"

"Mostly, it was the fact that not having a hand is liberating," She stated. "Other decks I had never really fit my style of dueling."

"Yeah, most people would hate not having a hand," Vincent figured. "It's why people have card effects that draw cards."

"Just shows you how strategies are concerned in the game of Duel Monsters," Spencer said as he walked out of the boat with Fonda. "Now, I see everyone from our dorm is here."

"Wait a sec," Jaden interrupted. "Where are Syrus, Bastion and Hassleberry?"

"Behind you..."

Everyone turned to see Syrus and Hassleberry holding up Bastion who was looking a little pale.

"What happened to him," Alexis asked.

"Not a big fan of boat travel..." Bastion muttered.

"We found him hunched over the side of the boat," Syrus stated.

"Poor guy," Claudio said.

"May I have your attention!"

Bonaparte stood up on one of the anchor pipes with megaphone in hand.

"We need to review the schedule of the..."

"I beg your pardon..." Sartorius interrupted. "My dorm and I will be following our own agenda."

"But the regulations state..."

"Good day," The SOL leader interrupted again as he and his society left off to who knows where.

Feeling snubbed off, Crowler and Bonaparte turned to the rest of the students along with Spencer and Fonda.

"Well, it looks like your babysitting the rest of the kids," the Chancellor told to the Slifer Headmaster and Obelisk Headmistress as he left out. "I'll be at the hotel."

"Me too," the Vice-Chancellor exclaimed as he followed Crowler. "Room service, here I come!"

"Of course," Spencer sighed. "He makes the arrangements of the field trip, and then hangs us out to dry."

"This is Crowler, we're talking about," Fonda added. "If anything, he never called in for a tour guide or anything for our group."

"Excuse me, Professor," Melody spoke up. "I use to live here and I know a place where they show tourists around the city, so I could take the group there."

"Really," The Slifer Headmaster asked as the Ra girl nodded. He then turned to the Obelisk Headmistress. "Maybe we should see if Crowler reserved the rooms for the kids and not for himself."

"Good idea," She replied, and then turned to the students. "Well, have fun guys."

Both she and Spencer left out towards the direction of the hotel, leaving the students by themselves.

"Alright," Melody said to the group, "Time to go do some sightseeing!"

"Sorry Melody, but we got our own plans for around the town," Jaden said as he ran off in a random direction.

"Hey wait up Jaden," Syrus shouted as he ran after him with a book in hand, "You're going to need a guidebook!"

"He's right," Hassleberry added, running after them both, "You need a guidebook with all the right facts!"

"Of course, Jaden would run off," Alexis said.

"But he does have an idea," Vincent pointed out. "Maybe we should be in small groups to get around faster."

"I guess that's okay," Melody said, "But who's with whom?"

"I'll hang with Vincent," Allyson raised her hand, "I mean we all had assigned partners anyway."

"That's true," The Dragon/Rider duelist said as he and the Spirit duelist walked off, "We'll see you guys later."

"Hey, I guess we'll hang out," Alex exclaimed, wrapping his arms around the shoulders of Jeremy and Lily.

"I figured as much," The Alien duelist shrugged, "The three of us is usually together ever since that Shadow Rider mess last year."

"Don't even remind me," Lily groaned, "Let's just poke around town a bit and forget all that."

"Whatever you say," The Gemini duelist replied as he led her and Jeremy to their part of the city.

Lyra took it upon herself to leave through another part of the town without saying anything. Allen saw this and ran after her.

"Hey Lyra, wait up," He shouted as he continued to catch up.

"Hmm, you know, I'll go join them to make sure they don't hurt themselves," Jachin added as he followed them.

"And there they go," Claudio said, as he turned to Melody, Alexis and Bastion.

"Leaving the rest of us to do as we please," Bastion added as he turned around to see Aster and Masaki walk off the former's yacht, "Hey Aster, Masaki, wait up," The D-Hero and S-Hero duelist stopped and turned their heads to the intellectual duelist as he spoke, "Tell me, what's Sartorius planning to do?"

"No clue," Masaki shrugged.

"But he's your mentor and manager; surely he must have divulged some secrets to the both of you."

"He's not our manager anymore," Aster stated, "After hearing about how he used us to brainwash others for his Society of Light, we parted ways."

"Still, either of you must now something," Bastion continued to pry.

"Sorry, but we don't know more than just the brainwashing," The S-Hero duelist replied.

"Even if we did know, a duelist of your caliber wouldn't understand," The D-Hero duelist said smugly.

"My caliber," The Ra asked, feeling offended, "I have high marks and my dueling skills are top notch, thank you!"

"Then why hasn't the Society of Light come for you," Aster added, causing the Ra to gasp. "They have all the best duelists at the school on their side, meaning that you're not that good enough!"

"Hey guys, back me up," Bastion said as he turned around, only to find that Claudio, Melody and Alexis have also left. "Where did they go?"

When he turned back around to question Aster and Masaki, they walked off as well!

"WHY IS EVERYONE LEAVING ME!?"

* * *

With Claudio, Melody and Alexis, they left the docks and went off to a nearby restaurant called Burger World and sat inside, eating a burger.

"So where to first," Alexis asked the Ras.

"Hmm... well, I thought could find a place with a tour guide," Melody stated in thought, "But I guess they took it down..."

"And we don't have a travel guide either," Claudio added before taking a bite out of his burger.

The magician duelist sighed, "My plan was a bust..."

"Don't worry about, Mel," The J-Hero duelist said, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. "We can just go sightseeing for ourselves, could be fun..."

"Yeah..."

Alexis looked at them both with a sad smile and sighed, grabbing the attention of the Ra couple.

"Something wrong, Alexis," Melody asked. "You look more bummed out than I am."

The Obelisk Girl shook her head, "It's nothing..."

"Kenji right," Claudio said. "I miss having around, too."

"It's more than that," Alexis continued. "After that match against Chazz, you should've seen the way he looked at me every time I got into a conversation with him."

"What was it?"

The Obelisk took out Kenji's blue headband, "It's like he was never was our friend; never was himself... and I hate that I didn't step in against Chazz that day!"

"If you did that, there might have been a chance you'd join up," Melody said. "And no one would've wanted that!"

"And if you think about it, Kenji would be moping around in your place," Claudio added. "Either way, it would suck! And that's why as soon as I find him, I'm going to duel him and beat the sense back into him."

"No, Claudio," Alexis shook her head. "If anyone's getting Kenji back, it's me."

"I hope this isn't Obelisk pride thing," The J-Hero duelist warned, "It's how ninja dude got into this mess even though his heart was in the right place."

"Yeah," Melody added. "And no offense, that pride thing needs to stop with all you Obelisks."

"That's not it," Alexis shouted, startling her friends and nearby patrons in the restaurant. Noticing this, the Obelisk girl calmed herself before talking again, "I just want to get Kenji back. At first, I just saw myself aiming a little too high and thought I got it even with Juli's unintended surrender. But now I just want my best friend back..."

Claudio and Melody smiled.

"You really care about him, don't you," Claudio said. "Then here's the deal, I think we should both take on Kenji in the future."

"You mean a 2-on-1 duel," Alexis asked.

"If that's what it takes to bring him back," the Ra shrugged. "Besides, with all the Society of Light exclusive cards Kenji may have since joining, we both need all the help we can get."

"But don't you have those new cards that improved your deck," Melody asked.

"Hey, I can't rely on just them and my own skills for this one," Claudio replied as he turned to Alexis. "In fact, we do need to face him 2-on-1."

"It's going to be tough with him hanging around that white group all the time," Alexis stated.

"Which is why we're going to wait 'til after the field trip. That way, he has to go out since he knows the island enough to do so."

"Sounds like a plan," The Obelisk girl nodded.

"Cool, how about we shake on it," Claudio extended his hand across the table. "Once one of us gets the chance to stare down Kenji, we call the other and battle him together."

"Okay," She replied and shook the J-Hero duelist's hand.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's go explore this city," Melody exclaimed as she got up from her chair and ran out the front doors.

"Girl's got some speed on her," Claudio said as he and Alexis chuckled. "Let's go catch up to her before we lose her."

Both got up from their seats and walked out the food joint's doors when...

"Aaaaahhh!"

Claudio gasped and turned to the right, "Melody!"

"We gotta hurry," Alexis shouted as she and Claudio ran down the street and around the corner.

But only to find that Melody was okay...

In fact, she was happily hugging some tall, muscular guy with short, spiky brown hair. He wore an opened red jacket with a black shirt underneath, white sweat pants and black boots. Seeing the sight of his girlfriend hugging another guy the way she was, Claudio was ticked off to say the least...

"Okay, who the heck is that guy," He mumbled through his teeth.

"Wait a second, Claudio," Alexis said, preparing to hold him back. "They're saying something..."

"... I never thought you'd be here," Melody said, releasing the guy from the hug.

"Well, I heard the students from Duel Academy were making field trip here," He said, "I supposed to get there around 10 to take the whole class on the tour, but I guess I'm a little late."

"It wouldn't have mattered," The magician duelist stated. "Our Chancellors let us go about as we please."

"So, you're by yourself?"

"No, I'm with a friend and boyfriend, come on I'll take you to go see them."

The guy suddenly looked up, spotting Claudio and Alexis and said, "Do they look like a girl with a white blouse and blue skirt and a guy with a yellow blazer and a guitar?"

"Yeah, how did you know," Melody asked.

"Over there," He pointed ahead of him as the magician duelist followed seeing the two people in question.

"Oh, Alexis, Claudio, come over here," Melody exclaimed, waving them over. "I got someone for you to meet!"

"Wow, Melody, you're a lot happier than ever," Alexis claimed as she and Claudio walked over.

"What can I say, I'm thrilled to see my big brother again," The Ra girl said ecstatically.

"Your brother," Claudio asked, looking at the guy.

"Isaac Hikarii, nice to meet ya," The guy waved. "And you must be Claudio, right? Melody says a lot of nice things about you."

"Really," The J-Hero duelist said, now feeling awkward from what he was thinking earlier.

"Yeah," The elder Hikarii replied, wrapping an arm around the shorter guy, "I just hope she stays happy, otherwise we would have a little talk before Dad could have the chance."

"Isaac, let him go," Melody said, putting her hands on her hips, "You know Claudio's not that kind of guy to make me regret having him for a boyfriend."

"Yeah if anything, he's been charming to her," Alexis added, "And I know he wouldn't screw up their relationship."

"Thank you, girls," Claudio grinned as he turned to Isaac, "Now can be so kind as to let me go?"

"Okay," Isaac said as he released the Ra from the hold, "Anyway, I was assigned by a Chancellor Crowler to take the students around the city, but it seems he left ya'll hangin'."

"That's Crowler for you," Alexis stated, "So we decided to check out the city ourselves."

"Nonsense, guys, "The elder Hikarii waved off. "I was given a job, I should see it through. Besides, I got paid in advance for it!"

"Sweet," Claudio exclaimed.

"And know what else? Before the tour, I plan on treating one of you to a duel!"

"And I'm going to be the one to battle ya," Melody stepped up.

"Saw that coming," Alexis stated. "Ever since the Battle City Tournament, a lot more people have gotten into dueling around Domino City."

"And after hearing how Melody saw Yugi and Joey battle, it would never be a dull moment," Claudio added.

"I even got the perfect place for us to battle," Isaac said, prompting his sister and her friends to follow, "One of Yugi's toughest battles took place at this location."

* * *

A few minutes later, Isaac led the trio of students to a large canal under a bridge.

"Ladies and gentleman welcome to the site where Yugi Moto stared down his first Egyptian God Card, Slifer the Sky Dragon," Isaac introduced. "And, the site where he took it down without destroying it,"

"I remember," Alexis nodded. "He had to force his opponent to deck out, exploiting the weakness of the player's strategy of keeping Slifer safe and powerful: Revival Jam and Slifer's special ability."

"I think the combo was having Revival Jam and Jam Defender to serve as the defense, while Card of Safe Return and Infinite Cards to keep drawing and preserving Slifer's strength," Claudio added. "And that bypass the six-card limit."

"Correct," The elder Hikarii praised. "But another event will take place; the duel between a brother and a sister."

"I'm ready for you this time," Melody grinned as she turned on her duel disk. "Your cards are not gonna beat mine!"

"I beg to differ since I got a whole new set of cards to play with," Isaac countered, activating the KC 2nd edition duel disk.

"Still, it won't beat me!"

Both players drew out their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Isaac: 8000

Melody: 8000

"Alright, I'll start," Isaac declared as he drew his sixth card, "I hope you're ready sis, because here's the Toon Gemini Elf!"

Melody, Alexis and Claudio bugged out once they saw two women jump onto the field, leaning back to back. A blonde one with a blue dress down to her mid-thighs, and a red head in a purple dress with slits on both sides, showing off her legs. But the thing about them that set them apart from the original was the strange markings on their faces and the fact that they looked more... toony... (4/1900/900)

"Toon monsters!" The Ra couple shouted.

"But the only person to use them is Maximillion Pegasus," Alexis added, just as shocked. "How did he get to them?"

"Yeah, I got a big break on a contest Industrial Illusions, winning me a set of these Toon monsters," Isaac smiled, "Pegasus broadcasted the world saying he wanted his Toon monsters to shine in the outside world. And now they'll be fighting alongside me!"

The toon elves giggled and winked at the three kids.

"And if he gets Toon World on the field, they'll be really trouble," Claudio stated. "Because the strongest Toons can only come out with that on the field,"

"Okay sis, you have the honor," Isaac concluded.

"You asked for it," Melody smirked as she drew, "I summon the Crusader of Endymion in attack mode!"

From a blue flash, a man in red clothes and covered in special blue appeared, staring down the opponent. (4/1900/1500)

"I then end with a facedown card," She concluded, "Let's see how you use those Toons!"

"I guess Melody's more interested in seeing them in action," Alexis figured.

"That's it, huh," Isaac stated as he drew again and immediately played it. "I activate Toon Table of Contents!"

The spell showed the index page of a colorful book and had the letters fly off.

"This lets me bring out any card with the word 'Toon' in it or the Manga Ryu-Ran," He replied while taking a card out of his deck. "And I think you know which one!"

"Uh-huh..." Melody said as her brother inserted the same card in his disk.

Isaac grinned, "I think Pegasus said it best as he says "Welcome to Toon World!""

(Play Toon World theme)

Appearing out of the ground was a large green hard cover book. Once it reached the highest point of the sky, it dropped back down the ground and opened up with a giant pink smoke with cartoon sound effects. After the smoke cleared, it showed a diorama of a haunting, yet childish storybook-type land. In fact, it looked like a child's pop-up book!

"And all I have to pay is 1000 life points to keep it running!"

Isaac: 7000

Melody: 8000

"And, I can let loose the 'Toon' effects of my Toon Monsters, but let's bring out more, like my Toon Goblin Attack Force!"

Toon World flipped its pages until it reached a forest land with pop-ups of trees, bushes and woodland creatures. And jumping out of it were four little green goblins wearing purple overalls and holding giant metal clubs! (4/2300/0)

"Also, I summon the Toon Mermaid in defense mode!"

The pages in Toon World flipped to show an underwater city filled with bubble and fish pop-ups. Popping out was a little mermaid wearing a shell bra, had a blue tail and carried a bow in arrow. She was lying inside a giant clam, but it was also alive as it had eyes on top! (4/1400/1500)

"Oh yeah, some of those Toon Monsters can swarm the field, I heard," Claudio stated as he saw the mermaid appeared.

"Meaning he's got a strong offense and defense because without Toons of her own, Melody will get hit directly," Alexis added.

"Now, let's do some attacking with the Toon Gemini Elf and I choose you Melody!"

Melody gasped as the twin elves ran towards her, together and then struck her duel disk with a double kick.

Isaac: 7000

Melody: 6100

"And they have a special ability to use," The elder Hikarii continued. "Once they've inflicted damage, you have to randomly discard one card from your hand!"

The elves then snatched the spell card Mega Ton Magical Cannon from the younger Hikarii and dumped it into the graveyard.

"Next, I'll play the spell card Magic Reflector to boost the defense of Toon World!"

A small six-legged machine appeared under the large pop-up book and emitted a large light on it.

"And with one more card facedown, I end my turn!"

"It's not going to be easy to destroy Toon World now," Claudio said.

"But it's not stopping me from beating the Toons," Melody declared as she drew. "I summon the Maiden of Macabre in attack mode!"

Appearing from a black fog, a geisha emerged wearing an elaborate robe and headdress giving off a menacing aura. She also carried a large, bone-hilted scythe. (4/1700/0)

"Sca-ree," Isaac muttered as his toons also cringed at the sight of the maiden.

"And it's about to get scarier as I activate the trap card, Pitch Black Power Stone," The magician duelist continued as a black stone emerged from the trap card. Then three white stones appeared inside them, creating a triangle. (PBPS: 3SC) "Next, I use its effect giving my Maiden a counter to boost her power by 200!"

One of counters shot out from the stone and then disappeared into the Maiden's headdress, storing energy. (PBPS: 2SC) (MoM: 1SC) (4/1700-1900/0)

"Now, I'll have her attack your Toon Mermaid with Dark Spell Scythe!"

The little mermaid squealed in fear as the Maiden dashed over her and raised her scythe in the air...

"No can do, I activate the trap Toon Defense," Issac interrupted as his facedown activated, revealing a protective chain around the closed Toon World book. "With this trap card, I can change an attack made on a low-level Toon Monster and direct it towards me!"

Suddenly, Toon Mermaid lost her fear and started to giggle as she zoomed right back inside Toon World as the book closed, leaving the Maiden to slash across the Toon duelist's chest.

Isaac: 5100

Melody: 6100

"You let yourself get hit without any thing to protect yourself," Melody said as Toon Mermaid reappeared again waving to her. "I figured you'd let your monster take the hit."

"And where's the fun in that," Isaac grinned.

"He should've had some cards like Spirit Barrier to prevent battle damage," Alexis said.

"I think using the Toon monsters made your brother a little wacky, Mel," Claudio noted.

"I don't know, but I'll let my Crusader figure that out as I attack her again," The magician duelist declared as her armored magician charged in.

"Toon Defense, protect Toon Mermaid again!"

Toon Mermaid launched herself inside the book again as Issac willingly took the hit again.

Isaac: 3200

Melody: 6100

"Anything else, little sis," The elder Hikarii asked.

"Uh, just this card facedown..." Melody concluded.

"And that's my cue," Isaac exclaimed as he drew. "I play Card of Sanctity, letting us both draw until we have six cards," Both players drew until they reached the sixth card in their hand, "Now I attack directly Toon Goblin Attack Force!"

The green goblin force suddenly leapt into action and struck her duel disks with the clubs before running back to Isaac.

Isaac: 3200

Melody: 3800

"And because of that direct assault, I get to use the spell card Sebek's Blessing!"

Rising from the ground, a large green crocodile appeared wearing a holy white robe and carrying a golden staff with a red jewel.

"With this Quick-Play spell, I regain the Life Points you lost during a direct attack!"

Sebek struck the ground with his staff, creating a wave of water that washed over the elder Hikari, revitalizing some life points.

Isaac: 5500

Melody: 3800

'Why didn't Melody use her facedown cards to stop him,' Claudio thought. 'I know those cards could have kept her in the lead...'

"And let's hit you again with the Toon Gemini Elf again!"

"Sorry, but I'll use my facedown card Magician's Circle," The younger Hikarii declared as she flipped over her trap card, revealing a Spellbinding Circle inside of an ice cavern, "Since you attacked with a Spellcaster monster, Magician's Circle lets us both summon a Spellcaster monster with up to 2000 ATK!"

Both players searched through their decks and took out their desired monster.

"I pick my Magical Marionette!"

Appearing on the field was a red cloaked purple marionette. It had glowing strings attached its clawed fingers, controlling a tan puppet carrying two daggers in its hands. (5/2000/1000)

"I'll summon the Toon Masked Sorcerer!"

Toon World's pages flipped over to a strange looking purple tower. Suddenly, a golden ring shot out of it like a rocket. But emerging from it, came a goofy looking, red haired man wearing a purple robe, red clown shoes and blue masked that seemed like it was his face. (4/900/1400)

"Okay, you summoned us another monster each," Isaac frowned. "It's still won't stop my Toon Gemini Elf from attacking!"

The twin toon elves grinned as they dashed across the field, intending to hit the Ra girl.

"And this is where my other facedown card comes in, Magical Dimension," Melody interrupted as spell card turned over, showing an elaborate coffin held by chains. The same coffin on the card rose from the ground to stop the toon elves from attacking. "With this card, I can sacrifice one monster, like my Crusader of Endymion to summon another spellcaster from my hand..."

The coffin burst open and unleashed a suction force that brought in the Crusader and closed shut.

"... And this time, I bring out my Dark Magician Girl!"

Popping out of the coffin, the famous magician apprentice stood out and winked at Isaac. (6/2000/1700)

"Uh oh..." Isaac muttered.

"That's the least of your worries, because with the final effect of Magical Dimension, Toon Gemini Elf goes away!"

The elves screamed in fright as they stopped in their tracks and tried to run to the safety of Toon World. But thanks to the powers of the golden coffin, it sucked them right inside, closed and sunk into the ground.

"Now Magical Marionette gains a spell counter because of a spell card was played giving it 200 ATK!"

A spell counter seal lit up on the Marionette's arm. (MM: 1 SPC) (5/2000-2200/1000)

"Whoa, what a plan," Claudio exclaimed. "You stopped him destroying the cards in your hand."

"And if she plays more spell cards, Melody can destroy a monster her turn," Alexis added. "Clever move..."

"Well, I've been outsmarted this time," Isaac stated. "But I have more cards to use. First, I sacrifice my Toon Goblin Attack Force and Toon Masked Sorcerer to summon the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!"

The two mentioned toons flew back into the book as it closed up. When it opened back up, the pages turned to mountain area with pop-up clouds. The area unleashed a smaller, crazier version of the feared dragon in Seto Kaiba's deck. It had the same blue eyes and white scaled body, but the demeanor of it was downplayed greatly as it laughed manically. (8/3000/2500)

Melody, Alexis and Claudio stared at it as the dragon tried to scare off the former's monsters.

"This is a toon version of the Blue-Eyes," Melody said, raising an eyebrow.

"It's so weird imaging a high-ranking monster as a toon," Alexis stated, frowning a bit.

"It's not so scary," Claudio scoffed. "Now I know Kaiba was really angry when this card was made."

"Oh, you guys don't know the half of it," The Toon duelist stated as the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon held up a sign that says: "Seto Kaiba hates me." "Anyway, I'll set two more cards and end my turn."

"Okay," Melody nodded as she drew. "I use the effect of my Pitch-Black Power Stone to send my second Spell Counter over to Magical Marionette!"

The second counter flew out from the stone and then flew straight into the stones on the puppet master's body. (PBPS: 1SPC) (MM: 2SPC) (5/2200-2400/1000)

"Now I can use the effect of Magical Marionette to send those two spell counters away and destroy a monster on the field!"

The two spell counters flew out from the spellcaster's body and into the puppet's knives. (MM: 0SPC) (5/2400-2000/1000)

"Go get Blue-Eyes!"

The little puppet cut itself off from the strings and then started to jump in a weird motion to towards its target. The Blue-Eyes Toon dropped its jaw and screamed like a frightened little girl before it was cut to ribbons.

"Now, Maiden of Macabre will attack the Toon Mermaid!"

"I'll use the effect of Toon Defense!"

The cartoon mermaid was sucked right back into Toon World, letting Isaac take the hit.

Issac: 3600

Melody: 3800

"Ha," Melody smirked, "I knew you wouldn't let my Maiden's effect activate!"

The elder Hikarii snapped his fingers in frustration, "I ended up calling your bluff, didn't I?"

The magician duelist nodded, "Meaning my Marionette will attack Toon Mermaid next!"

The Marionette suddenly created more strings and attached them to the puppet, allowing it to slash the little mermaid and her clam to ribbons.

"Nice one, Mel!" Claudio cheered.

"Now Dark Magician Girl, attack directly with Dark Burning Magic!"

Melody's spirit monster twirled her staff above her head before launching a pink, sparkling orb heading straight for the Toon duelist.

"I activate my other facedown card, Call of the Haunted to revive Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon," Isaac quickly announced as his trap activated. The toon dragon dragged itself out of the graveyard and then pulled a baseball bat from behind his back and swatted DMG's attack right out of the park. (8/3000/2500)

"Aw, I knew it," Melody groaned as she stomped her foot. "I'll just set this card facedown and end my turn."

"Now's my chance," Isaac stated as he drew his next card. "I use Magic Planter to destroy my Toon Defense and draw out two more cards!"

Toon Defense shattered, letting the elder Hikarii draw two more cards and the Magical Marionette earn a spell counter. (MM: 1SPC) (5/2000-2200/1000)

"Then, I summon Toon Cannon Soldier!"

Now, a purple, robotic monster appeared with a weird face and a stretched-out cannon. (4/1400/1300)

"But he won't be here for long, since I'll sacrifice him to Special Summon a favorite of mine!"

The toon vanished as the pages turned to an elaborate town where lots of streamers were flying out of the book. What startled Claudio, the girls and even the Dark Magician Girl was a toon monster that seemed like a younger caricature of the latter! She spun around and gave a wink to her opponents. (6/2000/1700)

"It's a Toon Dark Magician Girl," The Ras and Obelisk exclaimed as DMG was still in awe of her toon version.

"Yup, and in my opinion the best one of the bunch," Isaac proclaimed as the toon DMG giggled and hugged him around the neck. "And as you know most of the Toon monsters have to wait until next turn to attack, but she doesn't have that restriction!"'

Melody and Claudio gasped.

"And with 5500 ATK between the two of them..." Alexis started.

"... Game over," The toon duelist said. "I'll attack with Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon first, but it costs me 500 life points to attack with."

Isaac: 3100

Melody: 3800

"Now attack directly with White Lightning," Isaac commanded as the Toon Dragon by sucking in some air, making its body expand before launching a massive lightning blast heading Melody's way.

"Gotcha, go Magic Cylinder," Melody declared as her trap activated, creating two red cylinders with yellow diamonds and question marks decorating it. "This takes your attack and turns it into a direct effect damage assault back to you!"

"No chance, sis," The elder Hikarii stated as he played card from his hand. "I use Book of Moon to set my Toon Dragon facedown, negating effects of your trap!"

In the midst of the attack, the Toon Dragon was replaced by a facedown monster card. It served to fizzle out the White Lightning before it reached the first cylinder.

"Aw man, almost had him," The J-Hero duelist grumbled.

"Not to worry, I still have Magical Marionette's effect," Melody smiled as a spell counter seal lit up on the Marionette. (MM: 2SPC) (5/2200-2400/1000)

"I still have one more direct to serve from my favorite card," Isaac declared as Toon DMG flew across the field, "Attack directly!"

Twirling her staff in the air, the toon magician dove down on Melody and bonked her on the head.

"Ow!"

Issac: 3100

Melody: 1800

"One more attack and you're done, little sis," Issac stated as he set his final card.

"We'll see about that," Melody said as she drew. "Too bad, I can finally beat you know!"

"How?"

"First things first, I'll give up the last spell counter of Pitch Black Power Stone to Maiden of Macabre this time!"

The last counter of the stone vanished into the Maiden, making it crumble. (PBPS: 0SPC) (MoM: 2SPC) (4/1900-2100/0)

"Then, I use Magical Marionette's effect and destroy your Blue Eyes Toon again!"

The toon dragon peeked out from under the facedown and dropped his jaw again, pulling out a sign that says: "Nobody loves me!" After another slice of the daggers, it was sent back to the grave in pixels. (MM: 0SPC) (5/2400-2000/1000)

"And now with him out of the way, I can take out Toon Dark Magician Girl and end this duel," She cheered. "Maiden of Macabre, go and attack his Toon!"

Isaac smirked, "Sorry, but you fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book!"

The facedown card flipped over to reveal...

"Mirror Force!"

In front of the Toon DMG was a clear windowpane-like barrier. Once the Maiden's scythe connected, it broke apart into many shards that pierced through every single monster Melody had on the field and shattered them like glass.

"Oh no..." Claudio grumbled.

"Sorry Melody, but I win again..." The toon duelist said.

"Not yet, I still have some cards to play like my Tribute to the Doomed," Melody declared.

Isaac gasped as his sister discarded one of her cards, unleashing long white bandages that wrapped around the Toon and pulled her into the graveyard.

"Finally, one card facedown and Illusion Magician in defense mode to end my turn!"

After facedown card, the smaller copy of the Dark Magician appeared defending with his staff. (4/1100/1900)

"A fighting chance," Isaac said as he drew his next card. "And it's over! I activate Monster Reborn to summon Toon Dark Magician Girl back to the graveyard!"

Toon DMG popped right back out of the graveyard pages of Toon World and pointed her staff at Melody. But then he noticed a slight change in her points. (6/2000-2300/1700)

"Huh," The Toon duelist wondered. "She only gets 300 points for a Dark Magician in the graveyard like the original." He then gasped. "Unless..."

"Yup, I've got him and I'll bring him out with Dark Renewal!"

Melody's facedown activated, revealing a purple and bronze coffin with a pentagram over a sword cross marking on it.

"Oh yeah," Claudio shouted.

"She's got this down," Alexis cheered.

"Now, since you made a summoning, I can sacrifice your monster and one of mine to bring a Spellcaster back from graveyard and onto the field," The magician duelist said happily.

The coffin opened, expending two red energy tendrils that turned both magicians into orbs and sucked them inside before closing.

"Now, I revive the Dark Magician!"

The coffin reopened itself and unleashed a sleeping blonde haired, light blue-skinned magician in a dark violet robe and wielding a scepter of the same color. He opened his eyes and hopped out of the coffin and crossed his arms. (7/2500/2100)

"It's true... you got a Dark Magician," Isaac exclaimed. "You've been trying to get that card for years."

"And with Claudio's help, I did," Melody smiled as she drew her next card. "And with this spell card, Magic Formula, you're done!"

The spell card let out a brown formula book that appeared in the mage's hands. He opened it up and read through a few pages, letting him gain new magic. (7/2500-3200/2100)

Isaac sighed, but smiled at the end of it, "Looks I like I finally lost one to ya..."

"Thanks for the duel, big bro," Melody said and then turned to her magician, "Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"

The Spellcaster raised his staff as the end of it shined brightly. The magician let loose an orb of powerful energy that washed over the elder Hikari, making him look like a screaming photo-negative before dropping to his knees.

Isaac: 0

Melody: 1800, Winner

All the holograms disappeared, letting Melody run up to her brother.

"She beat the Toons!" Claudio cheered. "I thought it would be hard since he got to keep Toon World on the field."

"Especially with all the direct attacking," Alexis pointed out. "It would be too easy for someone who doesn't keep a leveled head."

"Nice duel, sis," Isaac smiled. "The Academy taught you well... heck, maybe I should take a few classes."

"It'd be too easy for you," Melody replied. "But it would be nice having you around and catch up on old times."

"It's what we'll do now," He stated as he stood up. "I'm still taking you guys on the tour, right?"

"Right," She smiled.

"Hey Mel!"

Melody turned around to be caught in a hug from, causing her to laugh.

"You just keep getting amazing, don't you," He asked as he put her down.

"Only way to get to the top," She stated.

"And nice moves at the end," Alexis praised. "Turned that bad luck with Mirror Force into good with the cards you had ready."

"Alright, alright," Isaac interrupted. "We can talk about how badly Melody kicked my butt later; we got a tour to finish."

"Then lead on," Claudio stated as he and the girls followed the elder Hikari to more historic sites.

Little did they know; there was someone was watching them from the bridge...

"Contact Sarina... I found one of those chosen brats Sartorius wanted her and her sisters to test..."

* * *

That was fun! As you heard, I'm having two other girls along with Sarina that will be revealed later.

Next time: As Jaden, Syrus and Hassleberry take their part of the tour; a tag duo lures the Ras into another historic dueling site. But who are these guys?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	31. It's a Cold Storm

For those wondering about my final chapter for the season 3 fic, it's been rough because of the holiday season and having personal problems of my own, but I finally have a deck in mind for enemy to use. Sad to say, it won't be up until the new year. Until then, I got a big upload today.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 31: It's a Cold Storm...

* * *

Somewhere beyond Domino City among the mountains, inside a man-made cavern, a woman with her raven-colored hair arranged in ponytail was meditating with candles decorating the cave's interior. She wore the ceremonial red and white clothes of a miko with sandals and round earrings.

"Tempest winds and arctic squall," She chanted. "The time has come, so heed my call!"

A chilly breeze and lightning bolt suddenly struck the area as two people wearing brown robes with white masks appeared, kneeling behind the miko. One had the symbol of a snowflake while the other had the symbol of a lightning bolt.

"What can I do for you," The snowflake mask asked.

"What can 'we' do for you," the lightning mask corrected.

"That's what I said."

"Yeah right..."

"Silence," the miko said calmly. "Our targets have arrived in the town of Domino today. Give them a warm welcome and bring them to me."

"I'm all over it," Snowflake Mask exclaimed, "Those punks are walking on thin ice!"

"Chill out, Frosty," The Lightning mask shouted, "This is a team effort!"

"Enough," The woman shouted over them, "This will be your toughest job yet. From what I hear, Jaden and Claudio are no ordinary duelists. In fact, my brother says they could be the two he needs." She then threw two envelopes to the masked men, "Should your own skills prove to be too weak, subdue your opponent with those! Now be gone!"

The two masked men disappeared with lightning flash and a cold wind.

"I have a feeling they'll need those cards," A monotone voice called out from the shadows on the right.

"Yeah, my Fortune cards tell me they'll have bad luck," A younger, cheery voice called out from the shadows on the left.

"Which is why, they're only luring the bait, my sisters..." The miko replied.

* * *

Walking down the streets, Jaden, Hassleberry and Syrus were still taking their self-guided tour. Of course, only the Slifer was trying to enjoy it while the Ras were arguing about the previous sites they've visited...

"Your guide book's outdated," Syrus shouted to the dino duelist. "Yugi's first Battle City Duel was against Seeker the Rare Hunter at the Domino Plaza!"

"That's what I said," Hassleberry countered, "And used a different Dark Magician in his deck!"

"Uh, no he used Exodia cards that were actually fakes! At least I was able to research the history of the tournament and not find my guide book at a cheap store!"

That comment made Hassleberry's blood boil with anger.

"How about we go back to the docks so I can tie you to that anchor back there," He growled.

"So I can beat you again," Syrus taunted.

"Chill out guys," Jaden said, breaking up the fight, "This is supposed to be fun, so apologize to each other and make up."

The only answer he got was the Ras turning their back to each other with their arms crossed.

The Slifer sighed, "I just hope we find Yugi's place soon..."

* * *

A few minutes later, they were greeted by a moderate sized building with the words "GAME" on the ceiling front. It was yellow with a green roof, red shutters and glass door. It also had the millennium symbol on the side door and sign with a turtle's picture on it.

"We are so not worthy to be standing here," Jaden exclaimed in awe of the place. "The Kame Game shop: Yugi's house!"

"Yugi!"

Suddenly, the front door of the store opened up a revealed a short, elderly man with grey hair in a style similar to Yugi's. He wore a black bandana over his head and a pair of dark green overalls over a white, long sleeved shirt. He sighed as he looked around...

"I thought Yugi came back... oh well," He mumbled.

"Hey, is that..." Syrus gasped.

"It's gotta be..." Hassleberry stated.

"Yugi's grandpa," Jaden confirmed as they walked up to him. "Excuse us?"

"Hmm..."

"Are you Yugi's grandfather," Syrus asked the elderly man.

"And the author of this book," Hassleberry added, holding up his guide book. "Solomon Moto?"

"Yes, that's me," The elderly man replied.

"Uh... is Yugi home right now," Jaden asked.

"He's traveling on a journey somewhere," Solomon replied as he looked towards the sky. "I wonder where he is right now..."

Jaden chuckled a bit before the store owner continued...

"But I just felt a strange familiar aura now..." He stated as he turned to the Academy students. "And who are you young kids?"

"We're students of Duel Academy," Jaden introduced. "Our school chose this city as our field trip!"

"Duel Academy, you say," Solomon replied. "I've heard rumors about that place! How would you like to come inside and sample some cards I have?"

"Sure!"

* * *

Inside the shop, the kids automatically kneeled to the shelves and checked out the selection cards.

"Sam Hill," Hassleberry exclaimed. "Look at all these rare cards!"

"What an awesome collection," Syrus added as he turned to Solomon. "I can tell you really Duel Monsters, Mr. Moto."

"Thank you," He nodded. "Although, the images of the cards disappeared during a strange cycle of occurrences a while ago. I was very worried."

Hassleberry stood up and pointed at Jaden, "If you're talking about the same incident I think you are, my pal's one of the three guys who took care of it!"

"You weren't even there," Syrus whispered to him.

Solomon gasped and turned to the Slifer, "Really?"

"Well Claudio and Kenji helped," Jaden replied.

"Still, Jaden's a pretty great duelist," The little Ra stated. "Unlike the Sarge here..."

"Then about I walk around you youngsters," Solomon offered.

"You'd do that for us?" Hassleberry asked.

"Sure, I just hope you kids can keep up with me!"

* * *

Later on, Jaden and the gang were running along the streets with Solomon following after.

"Hey, Mr. Moto, hurry it up," Jaden called back as he, Hassleberry and Syrus ran ahead.

"Wait, I have short legs..." The elderly man stated as he skidded to a stop to catch his breath. "Can't run... very fast..." He then looked up to see the kids running off. "They certainly are energetic children! But it just shows how everyone looks up to Yugi!"

*ZAP!*

Suddenly, a strange jolt shot threw him and knocked out the old man, next to two pairs of sneakers.

Jaden stopped and turned back to find that Solomon was gone.

"Uh oh, we lost Mr. Moto..." Jaden said as he looked around. "We need to split up and look for him."

"Got it!" The Ras nodded as they all ran in different directions to search.

* * *

At the secluded caverns, the miko was chanting to the candles again, conjuring up something...

"Shadow, Darkness, Earth, Light, Ice, Wind, Fire and Thunder," She chanted. "Cover this land and keep all spirits within!"

* * *

From the outside, a giant dark cloud loomed over the city of Domino and blanketed the sky in darkness.

"That was weird, it was just sunny out," Jaden muttered as he looked at the sky.

"Coo!"

Suddenly, Winged Kuriboh and Air Hummingbird appeared.

"What's up, guys," The Slifer asked.

"Can you not see them Jaden," Breeze asked as she looked towards certain parts of the sky. "Look around you more closely..."

Once Jaden got a good look at the sky, he saw eight armored monster spirits at four corners of the city.

"Who are they and what are they doing here," He asked.

"They're ancient duel spirits and they're creating a barrier preventing anyone from leaving this city," The Neo-Spacian stated. "We'll have to defeat the person or persons responsible."

"But the only question is who's controlling them?"

* * *

With Syrus and Hassleberry, they met back up around the streets again.

"Did you find Mr. Moto," Syrus asked.

"Negative," Hassleberry replied.

"Then go check out the alleyways and I go..."

"Don't go bossin' me around," The dino duelist interrupted him. "Just because you beat me last time, it didn't make that second-in-command condition permanent!"

"So..."

"Then let me tell you something, I could've won back then but I let you win! I just didn't feel like humiliating you back there..."

Syrus growled, "How about we settle this once and for all?"

"Fine by me!"

Both Ras were staring daggers at each other until, something at the corner of their eyes caught their attention and stuck to the ground.

"What's that," Hassleberry asked.

"It's Mr. Moto's bandana," Syrus indentified, "And it's frozen solid!"

Suddenly, they turned to see Chazz walking up to them.

"Chazz, what did you do to him?"

"I did nothing to the old geezer," The SOL duelist said smugly. "But if you want to see him again, be on the roof of that building in five minutes!"

The Ras turned to see the tallest skyscraper in the city as Chazz took his leave.

"So Gramps was kidnapped," Hassleberry wondered.

"Of course, he was," Syrus shouted. "Now let's go!"

"Oh right!"

* * *

Both Ras made it to the top of the skyscraper and looked around to find no trace of Solomon.

"He's not here..." Syrus said.

"Wait, look," Hassleberry pointed to the very center of the rooftop. It was a giant, four squared glass window. "This is the place Yugi and Seto Kaiba duel as a tag team to gain their last locator cards for the Battle City Finals!"

"And there are two duel disks at the center of it!" The little Ra pointed out as he and Hassleberry ran over to pick them up.

"You know, I'm starting to think someone's coming to reenact the same stakes of the duel," The dino duelist stated.

"You mean when our life points drop to 0, the glass breaks and send us falling to our deaths," Syrus cringed.

When both of them looked down, they gasped and spotted a life point counter at 4000 with bombs strapped to them.

"And if you walk away from that spot, it'll explode!"

The Ras looked up and look on either side and saw two people come out of nowhere.

"We've got company, Private," Hassleberry stated as he faced a street thug with short brown hair and a goatee. He wore a black snow hat, jeans and coat along with red shirt underneath.

"Yeah, I can see that," Syrus replied as he faced another thug with wild blue hair and yellow eyebrows. He wore a dark blue coat and jeans with a white shirt underneath.

Both Ras stood with their backs against each other.

"Who are you?"

"Speak up!"

"You can call me Frost," The first duelist introduced in a Hispanic accent.

"Yeah and I'm Thunder..." The second one stated in a crazy tone.

"What did you to Mr. Moto," Syrus demanded.

"He's out taking a rest in some trash," Thunder grinned.

"But I'd be more worried about yourselves," Frost added as he and Thunder jumped up on the glass corners. "'Cause you guys are coming with us!"

"And why would we do that," Hassleberry asked defiantly.

"Because if you don't, we'll just blow up this glass and send you way over six feet under," Thunder cackled.

"We still won't go with you," Syrus declared.

"Then let's settle this the hard way!"

Both Frost and Thunder activated their duel disks.

"Get your game on!"

Hassleberry and Syrus strapped on theirs and activated them.

"Time to show you preppies how the Light Brigade does things around here," Frost stated as everyone drew their opening hands.

"'Round here, we all duel with separate life points in this tag duel," Thunder informed them. "Not collectively!"

Frost: 8000 + Thunder: 8000

Hassleberry: 8000 + Syrus: 8000

"Let's start this duel on ice," Frost exclaimed as he drew his sixth card and immediately put one down. "I'll start with the spell card Side Attack!"

A continuous spell card with a picture of four ninjas in the corners with the bottom two facing off and the top two facing off appeared. Also on the card, were small arrows pointing at the face-off competitors, while blue and red arrows were pointing diagonally.

"Check this out, this card was made for tag duels," The Hispanic duelist stated. "As long as this card's on the field, we can only attack the player that's directly across from us!"

Both Ras looked straight at their opposing player; Hassleberry faced Frost, Syrus faced Thunder.

"But of course, we have the slight advantage," Frost continued as he and Thunder grinned. "If either one of you schoolboys is fresh out of monsters, then our crew can attack that player directly!"

"A card made for tag duels," Syrus asked, looking over Hassleberry's shoulders.

"That means you punks have an unfair advantage," the dino duelist claimed.

"Who said this was fair duel," Frost sneered as he played another card on the field. "How 'bout you chill out with my Ice Knight!"

Appearing on the field knight-like figure made of ice, dressed in rounded plate armor, with a dark blue cape and wielding a dual-bladed lance. (4/1300/1200)

"And here's the deal, for every Aqua-Type monster he hangs with, my knight gains 400 extra ATK!"

The knight's aura became a bright white as it gained power. (4/1300-1700/1200)

"Settle down soldier, it's my move," Hassleberry declared as he drew. "And I got the perfect monster to melt your Ice Knight! Meet my new solider, Jurrac Velo!"

A strange looking velociraptor appeared in front of the dino duelist. It had blue claws, a yellow-green colored body and a red colored head. It snarled at the knight with bloodlust. (4/1700/1000)

"Next, I use the field spell card Jurassic World giving my dinosaur monsters 300 extra ATK and DEF!"

The entire rooftop transformed into forest filled with palm trees and volcanoes. Velo roared, feeling right at home. (4/1700-2000/1000-1300)

"And I'll end with a facedown card."

A reversed card appeared at Hassleberry's feet.

"Listen, do you hear that," Thunder whispered as he drew his sixth card and then placed another on the field. "It sounds like thunder... Thunder Knight to be exact!"

Facing Syrus was another knight like Frost's, only it wore white and gold plate armor with black armguards, bronze shoulder guards and wielding a sliver longsword. (4/1300/1200)

"And if I have some thunder-type monsters on my field, he gains 400 ATK as well!"

The knight gathered electricity from the clouds in the sky and powered up. (4/1300-1700/1200)

"And I'll set two cards facedown..."

Two reversed cards appeared at Thunder's feet.

"But this is the calm before the storm…"

"That's it, huh," Syrus said as he looked at his overall hand. "Uh... okay... I summon Ein Roid in defense mode."

The small transmitter appeared with a small 'beep!' (1/200/1800)

"And that's my turn..." He concluded.

"Now that we've broken the ice, let's get on with round 2," Frost declared as he drew. "I play Cold Wave, blocking every spell and trap card from being played until my next turn comes around!"

Hassleberry and Thunder gasped as their facedown cards were frozen over.

"Hey, what's up," the thunder duelist yelled. "I've got no protection!"

"Oh well, back to my move," The ice duelist shrugged as he played another monster. "I summon another Ice Knight!"

Another frozen knight appeared on the field, empowering it and its doppelganger. (4/1300-2100/1200) x2

"And since you can't protect your little lizard, dino man, it's time to make them extinct! Ice Knight one, go attack that Jurrac Velo!"

The first Ice Knight charged at the multicolored raptor and stabbed it in the chest, making it cry out in pain before it shattered.

Frost: 8000 + Thunder: 8000

Hassleberry: 7900 + Syrus: 8000

"Now you're defenseless," Frost grinned.

"Not quite," Hassleberry countered as he searched through his deck. "When Jurrac Velo's destroyed in battle while in attack mode, I can special summon another Jurrac monster from my deck that has 1700 ATK or less!"

He found his choice card and shuffled up his deck and putting back inside his disk. He then slapped the monster card, sideways on the tray.

"And I summon the Jurrac Stauriko in defense mode!"

In blaze of flame, a small purple and lime Staurikosaurus appeared with three flame blades on its back. (2/500-800/400-700)

"That's some pretty weak defense," The ice duelist taunted. "How about I put it on ice?"

Taking that as a command, the second Ice Knight drove its lance through the neck and shattered into pixels.

"And you activate his special ability also," the dino duelist returned. "It leaves two Jurrac Tokens on the field in defense mode!"

Two multicolored eggs appeared on the field. (1/0-300/0-300) x2

Frost growled, "Lucky punk."

"Nah, I just knew what to do," Hassleberry responded as he drew. "But I can't say the same for you as I summon the Jurrac Protops in attack mode!"

Rushing out of the forest, a large, red and blue triceratops appeared. It dragged its front feet in the dirt and stomped harshly. (4/1700-2000/1200-1500)

"And he gains 100 ATK for every monster you and your partner has," the dino duelist grinned. "Making another 300 points to come Protops way!"

The triceratops roared as it gained a firey aura. (4/2000-2300/1500)

"Now let's take out one of them Ice Knights with Dino Burning Charge!"

Protops stormed the battlefield and ran though one of the armored knights.

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 8000

Hassleberry: 7900 + Syrus: 8000

"Nice one," Syrus praised. "And with one knight gone, the other one loses attack points!"

"Yeah, but his dino loses points because of that, too," Frost said as both Ice Knight and Protops got weaker. (4/2100-1700/1200), (4/2300-2200/1500)

"And I'll end it there," Hassleberry concluded.

"Let's see what I've got," Thunder said as he drew his next card. "Alright, I got the Calculator!"

Appearing on the field next was a small robotic monster with a number pad on its chest, sliver hands and a screen as the head. (2/?/0), (4/1700-2100/1200)

"It has no attack points," Syrus stated.

"That's where its special ability comes little man," The blue haired duelist continued, "With every combined level of the monsters on my field it gains 300 times that number. So with Thunder Knight at 4 and the Calculator at 2, and multiply that by 300, that's 1800!"

The small machine started to calculate on its number pad as the screen scrolled to say: 6 X 300 = 1800. (2/?-1800/0)

"Now Thunder Knight, strike down that little toy!"

The electric armored knight unsheathed its sword as it ran down the field sliced down Syrus' roid to bits.

"I activate the effect of my Ein Roid," Syrus declared as he took out his deck and fanned it out. "I can take two roids in my deck and send them to the graveyard, like my UFOroid and Submarineroid!"

The Vehicroid duelist sent his two mentioned cards into the graveyard and shuffled his deck.

"So what, I still got a direct attack to deal ya," Thunder boasted as the Calculator opened up its sliver hand launched a lightning bolt straight at the smaller Ra, making him cry out in pain.

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 8000

Hassleberry: 7900 + Syrus: 6200

"You alright, Sy," The dino duelist asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I'll be alright..." He replied as he drew his next card. "I summon... Steamroid in attack mode."

Rolling out to field was the cartoonish steam locomotive, standing on its hind wheels. (4/1800/1800)

"Attack his Thunder Knight and when my Steamroid attacks he gains 500 ATK!"

The locomotive blew its whistle as it gained power. (4/1800-2300/1800) It then charged the knight and crushed it under the wheels.

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 7800

Hassleberry: 7900 + Syrus: 6200

"And I end my turn," Syrus declared as the ice melted off the facedown cards.

'Finally...' Thunder thought as he stared as his facedown cards.

"Now I go," Frost declared as he drew his next card. "I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He drew two more cards and immediately put one down. "I now sacrifice the Ice Knight and summon out the king of cold... Mobius the Frost Monarch!"

Ice Knight vanished into a cold blizzard and unleashed an icy white armored warrior wearing a blue cape and carrying a large lance made of ice. (6/2400/1000)

"And when he hits the field, two of your spell and trap cards say 'Adios!'"

The ice Monarch created a larger blizzard than the one that summoned him as it froze over Hassleberry's facedown card and Jurassic World, weakening the dinosaurs. (4/2200-1900/1500-1200), (1/300-0/300-0) x2

"And that's not all, I activate Mobius Castle," Frost continued as the ice started to freeze over everything from his part of the field to Hassleberry's. Also, a great white palace rose behind the ice duelist made of ice pillars. "The ice age is here, bro! In here, all your dinosaurs lose 500 ATK and DEF!"

Protops started to succumb to the cold and lay down. (4/1900-1400/1200-700)

Frost laughed at the weakness of the dinosaur, "Yo Mobius, make a popsicle out of that runt with your Ice Lance!"

The Frost Monarch threw its large lance at the triceratops, piercing the body, freezing it and breaking it down.

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 7800

Hassleberry: 6900 + Syrus: 6200

"And with these facedowns, it's time to chill," Frost concluded.

"Time to get back in," Hassleberry said as he drew. "I play MY Pot of Greed!" He drew out two more cards. "Next, I use my Earthquake spell card switch every monster on the field into defense mode!"

Suddenly, the entire floor rumbled making both Monarchs and Syrus' Steamroid kneel down and guard themselves with their arms.

"At least my monster losing attack points won't matter at this point," The vehicroid duelist said.

"Then, I sacrifice both of my Tokens and summon the Jurrac Tyrannus!"

Both eggs cracked opened and unleashed the multicolored T-Rex onto the field. (7/2500-2000/1400-900)

"You gotta be kidding using a dinosaur out here," The ice duelist taunted. "Forget the Mobius Castle?"

"Not if it allows me to use the spell card Dinosaur Wing," The dino duelist continued as an equip spell card showing a Black Tyranno growing wings was put into play. Suddenly, black flame wings grew onto Tyrannus' back. "With this card, I can send in my dino in for a direct attack as long as my opponent's monsters are all in defense mode!"

Jurrac Tyrannus tested out its new wings and took flight a few feet above ground.

"Now, forward march boy!"

Tyrannus roared as it dove straight for Frost.

"You really are stupid," The ice duelist taunted as his trap activated. "I use my Bit Shoot trap card and it lets me summon Reflector Bit from my deck!"

A round machine appeared and shot out a small, spinning reflective panel that flew in front flying dino. (1/0/0) But suddenly, the dino rammed its head straight into the panel, creating an orange shockwave.

"What the-?"

"Oops, looks like your boy hit the wrong target, because I summoned it in attack mode," Frost said as the Reflector Bit turned to Thunder and launched a blast right at him. "And when Reflector Bit takes the pain, he dishes it out to my partner!"

Syrus looked over Hassleberry's shoulder and spoke to the ice duelist, "You'd let your own partner take the fall?"

"Frost, that's not cool," Thunder protested as the shockwave headed for him. "Lucky I have my own Bit Shoot trap to bring out my Reflector Bit!"

Another machine shot out a second Reflector Bit. (1/0/0) It absorbed the shockwave of the hit.

"Another one," Syrus wondered.

"Yup, and you'll deal with part 2 of the effects," the thunder-based duelist explained. "When it absorbs the attack of another Reflector Bit, you lose 500 points!"

The second Reflector Bit released the shockwave and blasted the smaller Ra.

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 7800

Hassleberry: 6900 + Syrus: 5700

The taller Ra cringed, "Sorry about that, private."

"You boys came to the playground, unprepared," Frost sneered. "Reflector Bit's another tag-duel card, so even if you take out any other monster we've got, you'll hit yourself sooner or later even with our monsters in defense mode!"

"Hey, icehead," Thunder shouted to his partner. "Next time, how about a little heads up? I almost got nailed!"

"Chillax, bro," The ice duelist waved off. "I knew you had your Reflector Bit ready, that's why I played Cold Wave to hold out on mine."

"Whatever..." Thunder grumbled as he drew. "I sacrifice the Calculator and summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"

The small Machine jolted up into the air and unleashed another person in white armor, green helmet and a yellow highlander kilt. He created thunderbolt in his hands and grinned at Syrus. (5/2400/1000)

"And when this guy is tribute summoned, a monster of yours bites the dust!"

The thunder monarch charged up and raised his arms to the skies summoning a thunder cloud to smite Syrus's locomotive.

"Now Zaborg, attack directly!"

Zaborg then charged up another bolt of lightning in his right fist and fired it at the vehicroid duelist.

"Aw man..."

"Don't worry little dude, I got you with my trap Revolving Stage," Frost said as he activate the last facedown card. It showed a trap card image of three people, a knight, a maid and a princess standing on a red carpet covered gear. A spotlight shined on the princess.

Suddenly, Syrus and Hassleberry felt the ground move under them turning clockwise. Now the dino duelist was staring down the lightning bolt intended for Syrus!

"This allowed me to flip the script, making my opponent take the damage!"

"AAAAHHH!" Hassleberry yelled as the bolt zapped him to the bone.

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 7800

Hassleberry: 4500 + Syrus: 5700

"Hassleberry, are you okay," Syrus cried out.

The ice duelist laughed as the opponents switched back to their original positions, "Sorry Thunder, couldn't resist!"

"You idiot," Thunder shouted, "I had him so close to losing!"

In the midst of the fight, Syrus tapped Hassleberry's back to grab his attention, "Are you seeing this?" He whispered.

"Yeah, despite having tag card advantage, they're not much of a team themselves," The dino duelist replied.

"You thinking, what I'm thinking," The vehicroid duelist asked.

"Let's try and work it to our advantage? 10-4!"

After the secret conversation, they tuned into the Light Brigade's argument again.

"Maybe if you didn't be such a wimp, your guy would be dead by then," Frost shouted.

"That's because I'm doing what Sarina said we should; and that's working as a team," Thunder countered.

"Sarina," Syrus wondered. "Who's that?"

Frost groaned, "See what you did? You just gave away our contact!"

"Alright you two," Hassleberry growled as he stood up from his shock. "Fess up, who's Sarina?"

Thunder chuckled, "Oh well... you two ever heard of the name, Sartorius?"

The Ra duo gasped.

"That's a 'yes'," The ice duelist smirked. "Sarina's one of Sartorius' three younger sisters that lives around here!"

* * *

Around the mountains, Chazz found a man-made cavern among them.

"So this is place, where Sartorius' sisters live..." He said to himself as he walked inside.

The SOL duelist found the place littered with candles and sitting right in the middle was the miko.

"Sartorius sent me here to get you and your sisters," Chazz bowed. "The name's Chazz Princeton."

The miko stood up and introduced herself.

"I'm Sarina..."

Suddenly, coming from Sarina's left was another raven haired woman wearing a red, long sleeved dress that went down to her knees and knee-length boots. She had a cold stare in her eyes that unnerved Chazz a bit.

"My name is Mokoto..." She said in a monotonous voice.

Then, from Sarina's right came a little girl with short, black hair wearing a grey sweater dress, black stockings and dress shoes. She carried a red teddy bear close to her that was carrying a hand mirror close to it.

"My name's Hanabi," She said cheerfully and held up her bear, "And this is Mr. Bear... let's be friends!"

"Uh okay..." Chazz said, feeling a little weird around her.

"Hanabi, what does the cards tell you about Frost and Thunder's match," Sarina said to her youngest sister with affection.

"Let me see!" The little girl replied as she pulled out a deck of duel monster cards. She shuffled them up and drew the top card. It showed a cute little sprite dressed in a blue and white frock, her long blue hair adorned by two beautiful wings. "Fortune Fairy Sui says it may turn for the worse!"

"I see..." Sarina muttered. "Keep an eye on the duel..."

"Me and Mr. Bear will watch!" Hanabi exclaimed as she turned her bear around and peered into the mirror. It was showing a clear vision of the duel between the Ras and the Light Brigade duelists!

"And for you Mr. Princeton, we have much to discuss..."

* * *

Back at the rooftop duel...

"Quit stealing my thunder, we're supposed to be on the same team," Thunder complained to his partner.

"Dude, chill out," Frost replied. "I'm trying to have me a good time, so step off! Besides I can put the freeze on both of these chumps without you!"

"You wish, Frosty," The thunder duelist scoffed. "I've always been the power behind this team and you know it!"

"Fine, let's see who beats their opponent first," The ice duelist challenged.

"You're on!"

"I'll tell you what," Hassleberry interrupted. "Let us go now and both of you can duel each other!"

"No joke," Syrus agreed. "I'm tired of your constant arguing!"

"Oh-ho, the little twerp's got an attitude," Thunder laughed.

"Yeah, these preppies think since they go to the academy, they're the hottest things since jalapenos," Frost added.

"Too bad we're the ones schooling them!"

"I'll show you," Syrus shouted as he drew. "And I can finally get at your Zaborg thanks to Drillroid!"

As Syrus placed the card on the tray, a purple, cartoonish machine burrowed out of the ground and stretched out its arms. (4/1600/1600)

"And even though, Zaborg's got low enough defense points as it is, Drillroid can automatically destroy any monster in defense mode," The little Ra explained, turning to his monster. "Attack Zaborg with Drill Force!"

Thunder gasped as the drilling machine charged the line and buried its three drills into the body of the Thunder Monarch, breaking him apart into pixels.

"Nice one, private," Hassleberry praised.

"Thanks," Syrus nodded as he set a card. "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Good, I can continue to put the freeze on dino brain," Frost stated as he drew. "I set one monster in defense mode and switch Mobius into attack mode!"

A facedown monster appeared as Mobius stood up.

"Now attack Jurrac Tyrannus with Ice Lance!"

Mobius created another large lance of ice and pierced the dino through the gut, shattering it to pixels.

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 7800

Hassleberry: 4100 + Syrus: 5700

"And with one card facedown, I end my turn." Frost concluded.

"Combat time," Hassleberry shouted as he drew his next card. "I place two cards facedown and summon the Black Stego in defense mode!"

After the two reversed cards, the dark colored stegosaurus appeared in a crouching stance. (4/1200-700/2000-1500)

"It's kinda weak with that Mobius Castle still out," Syrus stated.

"Hey, at ease," The dino duelist shouted. "I got a plan, little man!"

"Mad props on the self confidence," Frost smirked. "But the little dude's right, as long as Mobius Castle's on the field your dinos get weaker... and it gets worse!"

"Oh boy..."

"I activate Mobius Glacier!"

Frost activated another trap card showing Leghul, Mystic Tomato, Electric Lizard, Yata-Garasu and Kaitoptera running across an arctic glacier, trying to escape the cold.

"As long as this card's on the field, all Dinosaur monsters have to stay in attack mode and are frozen in place!"

Black Stego stood up straight, only to have its feet frozen over.

"Fine, I'm done," Hassleberry grumbled.

"That's it," Syrus said to him.

"Hey twerp," Thunder shouted as he drew his next card, "Focus on what's in front of you! Besides, your machine deck is powerless against mine!"

"And what makes you say that," The vehicroid duelist shouted.

"I'll show ya, I play System Down!"

Another spell showed up revealing a giant generator being shut down, turning off every machine around it.

"After paying a grand in points..."

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 6800

Hassleberry: 4100 + Syrus: 5700

"I can remove all Machine monsters from your field and graveyard from play," Thunder grinned. "Looks like you can't play with your little toys anymore!"

Syrus growled as he took of Drillroid of the field and removed his Ein Roid, Submarineroid and UFOroid from his graveyard, pocketing all four cards.

"Now then, I summon Thunder King Rai-Oh in attack mode!"

A massive thunderbolt stormed the field unleashing a strange blue robot with power generators hooked up to its shoulders and two golden conductors on either side of him. (4/1900/800)

"Attack the little squirt directly with Rolling Spark!"

Two small bolts flashed out from the conductors and combined into the thunder king, letting him push out a giant blue blast knocking Syrus for a loop.

Frost: 7800 + Thunder: 6800

Hassleberry: 4100 + Syrus: 3800

"And if you like that, I activate Rampage Condenser!"

Thunder played another spell card that showed a giant battery being charged with electricity.

"As long as this card's out, I can deal 500 points of damage to you when you're dumb enough to attack with a Machine-Type monster!"

"Looks like you're not doing so hot yourself," Hassleberry told the smaller Ra.

"Gee thanks," Syrus mumbled.

Thunder chuckled, "You two are pathetic! But I guess that's why you're bait."

"What do you mean by that!"

"Like he said," Frost stated. "We're only dueling you two to get to your pal Jaden. We're going to lure him to Sartorius!"

"That won't happen!" Hassleberry snapped.

"Please, you two preppies are getting schooled left and right," The ice duelist pointed out. "You only got to 200 points from either of our scores! You lucky you punks even touched us!"

Both Ras stared at their opponents angrily.

"This means war," The dino duelist growled.

"Got that right," Syrus nodded as he turned to Hassleberry. "We're going to have to put our differences aside to save Jaden."

"I got your back on this one, private."

"And I got yours," The vehicroid duelist replied as he drew. "First up, Pot of Greed," He drew two more cards, "Now I use Double Summon to summon Stealthroid and Tankroid!"

Two monsters, a small, all black aircraft and a small, green tank with eyes appeared. (4/1200/0), (4/1500/1900)

"And then, I activate the Roid Bomber spell card," He continued. "And for every roid monster I control, I can destroy an equal number of spell and trap cards! Like Rampage Condenser and Mobius Glacier!"

Frost and Thunder gasped as their spell and trap cards were destroyed by Stealthroid, firing a clear colored missile at each of them. Black Stego was able to break out of the ice and shake it off.

"Now I can switch my monsters into defense mode," Hassleberry grinned.

"And I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." Syrus concluded.

"Nice try," Frost said as he drew. "But even without Mobius Glacier, I'm about to dominate! Yo, Mobius attack dino dork's old fossil!"

Mobius created another Ice Lance and threw it at the ancient dino.

"Ready, Private," Hassleberry whispered.

Syrus nodded as he flipped over one of his facedown cards, "Hold on, Frost! I activate Dark Computer Virus!"

The facedown card revealed to be a trap that had an image of a dark ghost infecting a laptop with a virus.

"I sacrifice a DARK machine-type monster like my Stealthroid..."

Stealthroid vanished into particles.

"... now I can use a spell card on the field and retarget the effects! And I choose Side Attack to make it so that I face Frost and Hassleberry faces Thunder!"

The Light Brigade duelists gasped as the Side Attack emitted an electric jolt on the floor, switching Hassleberry and Syrus around to face their new opponents along with their cards.

"Now, Hassleberry's monsters are free from Mobius Castle's effects!"

Black Stego roared as it felt more heat pass through its body. (4/700-1200/1500-2000)

"Grr... I'll turn your Tankroid into a popsicle then!" Frost shouted as Mobius threw another lance at the tank.

"My turn to clear the air," Hassleberry stated as he activated his facedown card, "I activate the Jurassic Impact trap card!"

The trap showed a giant meteor falling towards Earth, about to impact.

"All right troops, listen up," The dino duelist announced as his normal eyes changed to dinosaur ones, "Since I have fewer life points than the opponents, all monsters on the field are destroyed and the commanders of those monsters loses 1000 life points each!"

"Say what!" The Light Brigade duelist shouted.

"Storm the battlefield!"

From the sky, burning meteors blanketed the field tearing apart Frost's facedown monster, Mobius, and Reflector Bit, Thunder's Rai-Oh and Reflector Bit and Hassleberry's Black Stego. But somehow, Syrus' Tankroid survived! Despite that, the entire field was now a molten lava pool that melted the Mobius Castle and had Syrus' machine standing on a high point.

Frost: 4800 + Thunder: 4800

Hassleberry: 3100 + Syrus: 3800

"Hold on, how come you still got your monster!" Frost protested.

Syrus smiled holding up a trap card showing three workers do a quick fix-up on a Jetroid. "It's because, I activated my trap Emergency Repairs right after Hassleberry activate his! I sent my Cycroid from my deck to the grave to save Tankroid from being destroyed!"

"Aw man, how did these guys get so good," Thunder growled. "We had these twerps on the ropes!"

"I don't know dude," Frost replied, also feeling flustered. "They must have been holding out us, either that or we're getting played!"

"Hey street boys," Hassleberry shouted, grabbing his opponents' attention. "There's another little side effect to worry about, until the end of Frost's next turn, we can't summon any monsters."

Frost growled, "Just go..."

"Gladly," The dino duelist said as he drew. "I'll end my turn without playing any card for now."

"Then it's my turn," Thunder drew. "I activate Card of Sanctity to let us all draw until we're holding six cards."

Everyone drew until they reached the six card limit.

"Then, I set three cards facedown and end my turn," He concluded.

"My draw," Syrus declared as he drew. "I attack directly with Tankroid! Fire Missle!"

The tank launched a shot from its barrel and blasted the defenseless ice duelist into the ground.

Frost: 3200 + Thunder: 4800

Hassleberry: 3100 + Syrus: 3800

"And after two facedowns, I'm done," Syrus declared.

"My turn," Frost drew his next card and gasped at the identity, 'It's Sarina's card... I gotta wait though,' He then took two cards from his hand and placed them on the field, "Your turn."

The lava cleared up, letting the field cool back down to the normal rooftop floor.

"All clear," Hassleberry shouted as he drew his next card. "I activate the spell card Ultra Evolution!"

The spell card showed a T-Rex being powered up by a giant red and white pill.

"With this card, I can remove the Dyna Base in my hand with the Jurrac Tyrannus in my graveyard to summon Super Conductor Tyranno in attack mode!"

Rising up from the field came a giant green tyrannosaurs rex. But this one had metal armor around the upper body, on its legs and tail. (8/3300/1400)

"3300!" Thunder shouted.

"That's not all! Next, I summon Sabersaurus in attack mode!"

Next, Hassleberry brought out a giant red and white spiked triceratops that stomped the ground with rage. (4/1900/500)

"Alright, Thunder's done for," Syrus cheered.

"That's right, Super Conductor Tyranno attack," Hassleberry commanded as the armored dinosaur launched a massive, multicolored blast from its mouth, heading towards Thunder.

"Just what I needed, so I can play this," The thunder duelist stated as he activated a trap card showing numerous trees being struck by lightning except one that had a talisman on it with a red X. "My Lightning Talisman trap card negates your attack!"

"Darn it," Hassleberry growled.

"But also, you, the little twerp and Frost draw a card and then lose 400 points for each of the cards in your hand!"

"Sam Hill!"

"Aw man!"

"What!"

As the three players drew their cards, the multicolored blast was absorbed into the trap card. Then it shot up into the sky and launched three multicolored lightning bolts, draining most of the players' points with screams of pain.

Frost: 400 + Thunder: 4800

Hassleberry: 300 + Syrus: 1400

"I still got Sabersaurus to attack you with," Hassleberry shouted as the triceratops rammed through Thunder dealing him his own pain.

Frost: 400 + Thunder: 2900

Hassleberry: 300 + Syrus: 1400

"And then Dino Blast will hit you with 300 points times the level of my Tyranno! Here's a taste of my thunder!"

Super Conductor Tyranno let out a blue electric storm attack that shocked Thunder to the bone.

Frost: 400 + Thunder: 500

Hassleberry: 300 + Syrus: 1400

"Almost there," Hassleberry concluded.

"Payback time," Thunder shouted as he drew his next card and gasped at it. 'Sarina's card! But I don't have enough life points to play it!' He then turned to his facedown card. "I activate Monster Reincarnation to discard one of my cards and bring back my Thunder Knight to my hand and summon it in defense mode!"

Thunder discarded the card he just drew and brought back his Thunder Knight to the field, who crossed his arms for defense. (4/1300-1700/1200)

"I'll unleash my devastation on my next turn!"

"And it's my turn," Syrus drew. "And I activate my facedown card, Return from the Different Dimension!"

A dimensional rip opened up from the sky, warping it.

"Now I pay half my life points to bring back all the monsters I had that were removed from the game!"

Frost: 400 + Thunder: 500

Hassleberry: 300 + Syrus: 700

"Now come back to the field, Ein Roid..."

The small transmitter roid reappeared. (1/200/1800)

"UFOroid..."

A small flying saucer appeared in the sky. (6/1200/1200)

"And... Submarineroid!"

The small submarine machine appeared holding up his torpedo. (4/800/1800)

"And I activate my facedown card, Gift of the Mystical Elf," Frost interrupted as a tall, blue skinned female elf in a green robe appeared, waving tiny sparks of life over him. "With this card, I gain 300 life points for each monster on the field! Meaning I get 1800 for six monsters!"

Frost: 2200 + Thunder: 500

Hassleberry: 300 + Syrus: 700

"It still won't help you, since I have enough monsters to take you out," Syrus pointed out as Submarineroid, dove underground and launched his missile at the ice duelist.

Frost: 1400 + Thunder: 500

Hassleberry: 300 + Syrus: 700

"And after this attack from Tankroid, I can have UFOroid attack Thunder for the win," The vehicroid duelist claimed while Thunder cringed.

"Well I'll be," Hassleberry smiled. "Take 'em down, Private! They're all yours!"

"You heard him, Tankroid, take out Frost," Syrus shouted as the tank rolled out and charged at the ice duelist.

"A'ight, I better act quickly, unless I'll lose this," Frost muttered as he activated his facedown card. It showed a mirror being held by shadow hands with a green talisman behind it. The same mirror on the picture materialized next to the ice duelist. "It's called Mirror of Duality!"

"Whoa, hold on, that'll..."

"Right Thunder, it's going to end this duel to the extreme," Frost grinned, finishing his partner's thoughts. "It'll cost me 1000 points, but it kills every monster on the field and deal 500 points to their owners!"

Suddenly, the mirror extracted a dark portion of Frost's soul and drew it into the center. That darkness materialized into a dark shadowy figure that towered over the field, spooking everyone before it exploded into dark arrows, destroying every monster out and leaving them in a pile of pixels.

"What's the deal...?" Thunder tried to protest, but one of the dark arrows struck him down and knocked him out. The same was done to Hassleberry and Syrus, dropping them unconscious where they stood.

Frost: 400 + Thunder: 0

Hassleberry: 0 + Syrus: 0

Winner: Frost

The ice duelist stepped over the destruction and grabbed the fallen Ra's by the collars of their blazers, and looked towards him fallen partner.

"Sorry, Thunder," Frost laughed. "But there was a cold front I couldn't stop, and you just happened be in the way!"

The ice duelist then vanished in big blizzard, taking the Ra duelists with him.

* * *

At the cavern, Hanabi watched the duel conclude.

"Frost won," She informed her sisters and Chazz. "But he did a bad thing when he took out Thunder with big sister's card!"

"So his own skills weren't enough," Makoto asked.

"Nope," The little sister stated. "The yellow duelists beat them up, so Frost had no choice!"

Sarina smirked, "Then he'll receive his punishment when he gets here..."

Chazz was left dumbfounded as he wondered what was going to happen to the ice duelist...

* * *

Uh oh, Syrus and Hassleberry went down for the count! And I hope you like how I did this duel!

Side Attack

Continuous Spell

Activate only in a Tag-Team Duel. Select 1 of your opponents. Monsters you control can only attack that player's monsters, and can only be attacked by that player's monsters. That player's monsters can only attack your monsters, and can only be attacked by your monsters. If a player controls no monsters, their opponents can attack them directly.

Ice Knight

WATER

Aqua/Effect

Level 4

1300/1200

This card gains 400 ATK for each face-up Aqua-Type monster on the field.

Mobius Castle

Continuous Spell

If you do not control a face-up "Mobius the Frost Monarch", destroy this card. All face-up Beast-Type, Beast-Warrior-Type, Winged Beast-Type, Plant-Type, and Dinosaur-Type monsters your opponent controls lose 500 ATK/DEF.

Mobius Glacier

Continuous Trap

Activate only if you control a face-up "Mobius Castle". All Beast, Beast-Warrior, Winged Beast, Plant, and Dinosaur-Type monsters must be Summoned in Attack Position, and cannot attack.

Revolving Stage

Normal Trap

Activate only in a Tag-Team Duel, while you control a face-up "Side Attack". If an opponent would take damage, you can switch that damage to their partner.

Mirror of Duality

Counter Trap

Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Pay 1000 Life Points. Destroy all monsters on the field. All players take 500 points of damage for each of their destroyed monsters, except for you.

(The above 6 cards were used by Frost in the GX episode Taken by Storm. All rights to the creators)

Thunder Knight

LIGHT

Thunder/Effect

Level 4

1300/1200

This card gains 400 ATK for each face-up Thunder-Type monster on the field.

Rampage Condenser

Continuous Spell

Activate only if you control a face-up Thunder-Type monster. Each time an opponent's Machine-Type monster attacks, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

Lightning Talisman

Counter Trap

Activate only in a Tag-Team Duel when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Negate the attack. Then, each player draws 1 card and takes 400 damage for each card in their hand. You take no damage from this card's effect.

(The above 3 cards were used by Thunder in the GX episode Taken by Storm. All rights to the creators)

Bit Shoot

Normal Trap

Special Summon 1 "Reflector Bit" from your hand or Deck.

Reflector Bit

LIGHT

Machine/Effect

Level 1

0/0

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Bit Shoot". The following effects are negated if the Duel is not a Tag-Team Duel: ● This card cannot be destroyed by battle, and it cannot attack. Your partner takes any Battle Damage that you would take from battles involving this card. When you would take damage from your partner's "Reflector Bit", you can inflict 500 damage to your opponent instead.

(The above 2 cards were used by Frost and Thunder in the GX episode Taken by Storm. All rights to the creators)

Dark Computer Virus

Normal Trap

Tribute 1 DARK Machine-Type monster. Change the target of 1 Continuous Spell Card that targets 1 monster on the field to another appropriate target.

(This card was used by Syrus in the GX episode Taken by Storm. All rights to the creators)

Emergency Repairs

Normal Trap

Activate only when a "roid" monster you control would be destroyed. By sending 1 "roid" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard, that monster is not destroyed.

(This card was used by Syrus in the GX manga. All rights to the creators)

Ultra Evolution

Normal Spell

Remove from play, from your hand or Graveyard, 1 Machine-Type monster and 1 Dinosaur-Type monster. Special Summon 1 LIGHT Dinosaur-Type monster from your hand or Deck

(This card was used my Hassleberry in the GX episode Taken by Storm. All rights to the creators.)

Dinosaur Wing

Equip Spell

Equip only to a Dinosaur-Type monster. If your opponent has all of his/her monsters in defense position, the equipped monster may attack directly.

(This card is my own invention. All creative rights go to me.)

Next time: What's going to happen to Frost? Find out next time!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	32. Melting the Ice

Alright people, time to find out what's going to happen to Frost!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 32: Melting the Ice

* * *

Sometime after the tag duel on the roof took place, a white limousine pulled up in front of another large skyscraper with a blue window roof. On the front, it had the letters 'KC' over the front door. This place is the Kaiba Corporation Building. Walking up to the limo were two black suits with black shades covering their eyes.

"Welcome to KaibaCorp," One of them greeted as the limo doors opened up to reveal Sartorius!

"Thank you, gentlemen," The tarot reader replied, "I suggest Mr. Kaiba is ready for our meeting?"

"He's in his office on the top floor," The suit stated. "We'll take you to him right now."

Looking over the windows outside his office was the CEO and the majority shareholder of KaibaCorp himself: Seto Kaiba! He had short brown hair and cold stare that graced upon his face. He wore a long white sleeveless KaibaCorp designed coat featuring shoulder pads and a raised studded collar, with black sleeves from his shirt coming out from under. He also sported extra belts in pairs strapped around his upper arms and shins.

Footsteps brought his attention away from the window and saw his men leading Sartorius into his office.

"Greetings," He said in calm, but stern voice, "You must be Sartorius."

"Thank for seeing me," Sartorius greeted. "I know you are a busy man, Mr. Kaiba. It's an honor..."

"Let's cut to the chase, why are you here," Kaiba asked firmly. "I understand you lead a powerful organization and I must say that intrigues me, but what do you want from my company?"

The tarot reader smiled, "Everything I heard about you is true; not only haven't you aged in over ten years, but you are as shrewd as the day you stepped in," He stated. "I have a proposition for you and trust me when I say I have the means to make it worth your while..."

"And that is..."

"All I ask is for the exclusive use of your Kaibaland amusement park," The SOL leader offered.

"That can be arranged," Kaiba stated. "For the right price, of course..."

"You won't be disappointed," Sartorius said as he bowed in respect, and then took his leave. "And thank you for your time."

"Don't worry about him," The CEO ordered his men as they bowed and followed after the white clad man.

* * *

Back in the secluded cave, Chazz, Sarina, Makoto and Hanabi were still waiting on something...

"So what's your plan, exactly," The SOL duelist asked.

"Quiet," Sarina snapped. "You're about to find out."

Makoto opened her eyes, "Frost is back..." She responded in her monotone voice.

On cue, the ice duelist appeared behind the quartet with Hassleberry over his right shoulder and Syrus carried under his arm.

"I brought some gifts, compliments of Frost," He stated, dropping the unconscious duelists on the ground. Frost then turned around and shouted, "Yo Blaze, T-Bone!"

Seconds later, a blast of fire unleashed another teenager. This one had brown hair running down the back of his neck and a bang sticking out the front. He wore a pair of sunglasses, a grey shirt inside his black blazer and tan jeans.

Then, the ground opened up to reveal a heavy-set teenager wearing a baseball cap backwards, a brown hoodie over a white shirt and a pair of brown sweatpants.

"Take them to Kaibaland," Frost told them.

"And what's wrong with you, your arms don't work," Blaze spoke up. After seeing Frost sneer at him, he backed off. "Fine, let's go T-Bone... we get no respect..."

Blaze picked up Syrus and the other guy, T-Bone carried Hassleberry off to another location.

"So why do we have those dorks anyway," Chazz asked.

"To trap Jaden," Frost grinned. "But when he gets there, he'll find yours truly!"

"So you succeeded at the cost of Thunder," Sarina finally spoke up.

Frost gasped, realizing the reasons behind his victory was found out, "You know?"

"Nope, I told her," Hanabi giggled as she stared up at the ice duelist with an innocent look and pointed at him. But Chazz noticed that it terrified Frost as he took a few steps back, "You've been a bad boy, Frost!"

"And as for taking on Jaden," Makoto spoke again, "Don't bother; you had a hard time beating those pathetic friends of his."

"But Thunder was holding me back," The ice duelist protested, "I could've taken them on myself!"

"Hanabi, be a dear and shut him up," Sarina said to the youngest sister.

"Frost goes bye-bye," Hanabi replied in a sing-song voice as she held up her teddy bear as the mirror it held in its hands started to shine brightly. Seeing this, Frost started to panic and fell on his butt, backing up against the cavern wall.

"Wait, just give me another chance," He pleaded with his eyes shutting, fearing the worst, "Give me any duelist you want me to face! I'll show you I'm worth it!"

The little girl still walked up to him with the teddy bear still aimed at him.

"Hmm... Hanabi, stop..." Makoto said as Hanabi pulled her bear back to her.

The mirror lost its light. When Frost noticed it, he sighed heavily and slumped to the ground.

"Alright," Sarina mused. "I suppose you do deserve a reward for at least being the victor of your duel."

"Thanks, Sarina, you won't forget it," The ice duelist exclaimed.

"Quiet," The miko shouted. "Now, go find Masaki Oda and bring him to me!"

"Gotcha," The ice duelist obeyed as he disappeared into a spinning, cold wind. Sarina turned to the youngest sister and smiled.

"Hanabi, when he loses... seal him shut," The eldest sister said to her.

"Okey-dokey," Hanabi exclaimed as she transformed into a black bird and flew out the cave with the bear in tow.

Makoto laughed a bit, "So that was your punishment?"

"Frost won't stand a chance against one of the four possible chosen ones," Sarina smirked, "Are the others ready to take on their assignment?"

"They're luring their targets as we speak," The middle sister replied. "We just need to wait for Blaze and T-Bone to come back and accept theirs."

"Good..."

* * *

Back around the streets, Jaden was still running around looking elderly Solomon.

"Mr. Moto, you around here," He shouted as he passed by a few alleyways.

"Oh..."

Hearing a groan, the Slifer backtracked and peered into the last alleyway, shocked at what he found...

"Mr. Moto!"

It was Solomon lying unconscious in a pile of trash! Still, the old man managed to open his eyes and see Jaden looming over him.

"Hmm... what happened to me," He muttered as he looked around to where he was, "And why am I in a pile of trash?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing," Jaden replied as he helped the old man to his feet.

Solomon gasped, "That's right; someone came from behind and shocked me in the back," He then felt around his hair and noticed something missing. "My bandanna's gone..."

"Jaden?"

The Slifer turned to see Aster and Masaki standing behind them.

"Hey guys," The Neos duelist greeted and turned back to Solomon, "Mr. Moto, these guys go to the same Academy as me."

"You mean Aster Phoenix is going to a dueling school," The old man wondered.

"Surprising isn't it," Masaki chuckled.

"Forget all that," Aster said as he turned to the sky, "Anyway, something weird is going on here..."

"What's up," Jaden asked.

"I'm seeing eight monsters surrounding this city," the D-Hero duelist stated as he saw the eight armored monsters with two at each of the four corners. "Either that, or I'm going nuts."

"And they arrived right when this big black cloud did," The S-Hero duelist added.

"You mean you guys can see Duel Monster Spirits, too," Jaden asked.

"After dueling you and Claudio, yeah."

"Spirits," Solomon wondered.

Suddenly, everyone was alerted to a lightning bolt that destroyed one of the spirits, a white and gold armored one and left the icy white armored monster by itself.

"One of them disappeared," Masaki exclaimed.

"I just hope it stays gone," Jaden added.

"Of course it'll stay gone!"

The quartet turned around to see a guy with short brown hair and a goatee, wearing a black snow hat, jeans and coat along with red shirt underneath.

"What's up, boys," He greeted in his Hispanic accent. "You look a little lost..."

"Who are you," Masaki demanded.

"Chill out, you can call me Frost of the Light Brigade!"

"The Light Brigade," Aster wondered. "What the heck is that?"

Frost chuckled, "I know, you're the friends of those two yellow twerps I beat down in a duel. Perfect!"

"Yellow..."

Jaden gasped, "Syrus and Hassleberry! What did you do them!"

"I'll tell ya," The ice duelist grinned as he threw a duel disk at him. "If you're Masaki Oda!"

"Huh?" Jaden and Aster said, turning to the kid in question.

"And what do you want with me," The S-Hero duelist questioned.

"I have orders from Sarina to take you to her," Frost stated as he activated his own duel disk, "But since I know you'll resist like the others, let's get this over with!"

"Sarina!" Aster and Masaki gasped.

"Who's Sarina," Solomon asked.

"One of Sartorius' three younger sisters," Aster explained. "But what does she want with Masaki?"

Masaki took the disk from Jaden and strapped it on, "I plan on finding out," He then turned to Jaden, "And I'll make sure he pays for taking Syrus and Hassleberry."

The Neos duelist nodded, "Good luck..."

"How cute..." Frost mocked as Masaki turned on his duel disk. "But cute won't cut it against me!"

"DUEL!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Frost: 8000

Masaki: 8000

"Here I go, kick it," Frost said as he drew his sixth card. "I use the spell card Ice Age Panic!"

A spell card revealed to be a white laser crushing through an arctic glacier. The ice duelist took a card out from his deck and held it up.

"Since I don't have any monsters on the field, I can special summon one WATER monster from my deck," He explained as he slapped it down on the tray, "I think Defender Iceberg will do nicely!"

Rising up from the ground, a huge 10 ft. glacier appeared in the form of a polar bear. (5/0/2450)

"Whoa, that's huge," Jaden exclaimed.

"And as long as that monster's on the field, Masaki will have to attack it," Aster explained.

"And there's more, I activate A Legendary Ocean," Frost announced as the whole street became drenched with ocean water with Aster, Jaden and Solomon standing on high ground and Frost and Masaki standing knee deep inside the water, "And with this spell, not only the WATER monsters lose a level from the hand or field, but they also gain 200 ATK and DEF!"

More ice built up on the Iceberg, making it appear to have armor around it. (5-4/0-200/2450-2650)

"And if that doesn't terrify you, I summon the Catapult Turtle in defense mode as well!"

A huge splash came from underwater, alerting Masaki and the spectators to a mechanical turtle with a green shell and catapult weapon attached to it. (5-4/1000-1200/2000-2200)

"And that's my turn," Frost concluded. "Whatcha gonna do now, kid?"

"I'll show you," Masaki declared as he drew his next card and slapped it on the tray, "I summon the Shonen Hero Cyber Officer in attack mode!"

Jumping out of the card image was a tall, grayish-black haired woman with a provocative dress style. She wore nothing more than thigh-length boots, a strapless, purple leotard, and a black leather jacket. (4/1900/1900)

"Whoa, a girl like that could melt my ice," Frost grinned lecherously as Cyber Officer sent him a death glare that causes him to lose the look.

"Just because I got some girls in my deck dressing the way this one does, doesn't mean you can disrespect them," Masaki warned. "And besides she's a WATER monster too, giving her 200 ATK and DEF as well!"

A blue aura surrounded her as her power grew. (4-3/1900-2100/1900-2100)

"Aw snap," The ice duelist groaned. "It was supposed only work for me!"

"That's the beauty of field spells," The S-Hero duelist smirked. "And here's the beauty of Cyber Officer's effect: while she's on the field, you have to show me your hand!"

Frost gasped as holographic images appeared over his head, revealing Ice Mirror, Ice Block and Mobius the Frost Monarch!

"Hey, that's one of those monsters in the sky," Jaden indentified.

"So, he's probably one of the guys who set up this barrier around Domino City," Aster added, glaring at Light Brigade duelist.

"Nice setup," Masaki stated as he reviewed the cards in his opponent's hand, "and even though I know about Mobius' effect, I'll still place a facedown card on the field."

A reversed card was set near his feet.

"Back to you, ice head!"

"Funny," Frost said as he drew Ice Knight. "But my Ice Knight will leave your act cold!"

The ice armored knight appeared, fortified by the field spell. (4-3/1300-1500/1200-1400)

"And he gains 400 ATK for every Aqua-Type monster on the field! How fast can you add up?"

Ice Knight drew in the power from Defender Iceberg and Catapult Turtle, strengthening himself. (3/1500-2700/1400)

"2700!" Solomon gasped. "It's not going to be pretty!"

"Sure won't gramps," The ice duelist grinned as Catapult Turtle stood up, "Yo Ice Knight, attack his chick!"

Cyber Officer braced herself as the knight came up with his lance.

"Sorry, I activate Forceful Tag," Masaki declared as he activated his trap card. "And with this, I can swap out my Cyber Officer and summon another monster with the same level! And because of A Legendary Ocean, it has to be a level 3, but I can still satisfy the requirements!"

Cyber Officer vanished into a blue light and zoomed right into Masaki's hand, letting him take another card from his hand and place it on the disk.

"Come out, Shonen Hero Rubberman in defense mode!"

The happy-go-lucky teen pirate jumped out a wooden boat that appeared suddenly with him and got ready to face the Ice Knight. (4-3/1500-1700/1500-1700) The Knight's lance struck Rubberman in his gut, but all it did was stretch him out and flung the knight back to Frost's side of the field.

"I set one card facedown," Frost stated as a reversed card appeared at his feet, "Next, I use Catapult Turtle's effect and sacrifice Ice Knight to hit you up with half his strength!"

The knight jumped up on the launch pad of the catapult and was fired straight at Masaki as a blue torpedo by the turtle. The Slifer was pushed back a few feet.

Frost: 8000

Masaki: 6650

"And that's it from me," The ice duelist concluded.

"Ouch," Masaki groaned as he drew. "But like that's gonna stop me; I summon Shonen Hero Innocent Diviner in defense mode as well!"

A flash of light zoomed onto the field and brought out a light green eyed and haired little boy that looked very feminine. He wore a long white overcoat with a pair of short shorts, gloves and black sea boots. (3/1200/1200)

"Ha, you really know how to pick your monster dude," Frost laughed at the sight of the new hero.

"Can I just get down to the special effect," The S-Hero duelist groaned. "When he's with another Shonen Hero, we can look at the top three cards of my deck and then I get to place it back on top in any order."

The Diviner casts a white aura around him and from it, comes a small, slender, pink fairy with a pair of goggles over her head. She then holds up her hands and brings out three cards: Shonen Hero Monster King, Mirror Force and Primary Lotus. Masaki only switched the first around and kept the last where it was.

"But how about we show them off right now with Graceful Charity," Masaki declared as he drew those three cards, but discarded Primary Lotus and one other card. "And I'll end my turn with two face downs!"

"What's he thinking," Jaden wondered. "Now Frost is gonna use Mobius for sure!"

"I think he wants it that," Aster stated.

"Alright, I got you now," Frost grinned as he drew. "I know Mirror Force is on your field, so I'll sacrifice my Catapult Turtle to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!"

The mechanical turtle vanished and brought out the ice monarch. (6-5/2400-2600/1000-1200)

"And not only he gets stronger, he destroys your two facedown cards so I can get of any problems," Frost explained as his monarch withdrew his cape and set in the water, "Freeze Play!"

Mobius unleashed a large blizzard that blew away the facedown cards and scattered them through the winds. Despite all this, Masaki grinned.

"You may have good eyes on seeing that Mirror Force was one of the facedown cards," He admitted. "But it was bait to lure out your monarch!"

"What are you talking about, kid," Frost asked cockily.

"My other facedown card you destroyed was my Shonen Blast card," Masaki said as he held up a trap card showing Shonen Hero Saiyan firing a massive blue wave at a pure white alien, "And when it's destroyed while we have an equal number of monsters, I get to destroy one of yours and deal damage equal to its current ATK!"

The shattered remains of the trap rained upon the two Shonen Heroes, amplifying their powers with a blue aura. Rubberman and Innocent Diviner combined that power and created a massive blue wave that launched itself across the water, splitting it apart to reveal the ancient city underneath and blowing up the Frost Monarch into pixels.

Frost: 5400

Masaki: 6650

"Nice work, young man," Solomon praised.

"Nothing to it," Masaki replied with a thumbs up.

"You're gonna be sorry you did that to me," Frost growled as another reversed card was set near his feet, "I set another card facedown and end my turn!"

"Don't be such a downer," Masaki declared as he drew. "Or better yet, you can stay down as I summon the Shonen Hero Queen in attack mode! Another WATER monster I might add!"

"Aw man, I'm getting duped here," Frost whined as a blue light emerged from the water. What appeared next, made everyone cringe in disgust. It was person with a purple afro wearing reddish-purple women's garments and fishnet stockings. But the problem was, it was a short, fat drag queen wearing those clothes! (4-3/1900-2100/1900-2100)

"What the..." Jaden whispered.

"Who the..." Aster said.

"How in the..." Grandpa Moto added.

"Strange, isn't he," The S-Hero duelist asked. "But his special ability is nothing to sneeze at. Once per turn, I can have him switch the battle position of a monster on the field, like your Defender Iceberg!"

Frost gasped as he saw the iceberg stand straight up, forgoing its defense.

"Next, I'll switch Rubberman into attack mode and have my Hero Queen attack the iceberg," Masaki commanded letting the drag queen hero started to spin around like a ballerina, moving towards the icy polar bear.

"Hold on bro, I activate Ice Block," Frost declared as the trap emitted a freezing wind that froze hero in his place in a pirouette position.

"My monster," Masaki gasped.

"That's right, my trap negates your attack and switches it to defense mode," the ice duelist grinned. "Not only that, but he can't attack until the end of my next turn!"

"That's why, I've got two more attacks to use," The S-Hero declared as Rubberman stretched his arm way back and shot it straight at the iceberg's head.

"And I use my other facedown card, Twin Pillars of Ice," Frost continued as he flipped over a spell card that created two pillars of ice, shielding Defender Iceberg from harms as Rubberman shattered one of them. "Sorry, hot-shot! But this card creates two Ice Pillar Tokens that prevent the destruction and battle damage of my monster! So even with your second attack, you can't touch my Defender Iceberg!"

"But I'll destroy your last token with my Innocent Diviner! Go Zelel's Spirit!"

Another white aura appeared from Innocent Diviner and it formed into a robotic angel with wings at its hips and wielding a fencing sword. It charged straight at second Ice Pillar and chopped it down before vanishing from sight.

"And it's not over yet, Frost," Masaki continued as he held up a spell card showing a person in an orange jumpsuit, answering the call of an emergency. "From my hand I activate Quick Summon, letting me normal summon an additional monster on the spot! So by sacrificing Queen and Innocent Diviner, I can summon Shonen Hero Monster King!"

Both mentioned monsters sunk into the depths, creating a giant ripple in the water and an earthquake to boot. Everyone except for Masaki gasped as a giant dinosaur rose up from the water and toppled over the iceberg monster. It had rough, bumpy charcoal grey scales, a long powerful tail, and bone colored dorsal plates shaped like maple leaves. Its massive roar could be heard for miles. (8-7/2500-2700/2500-2700)

"Aw, no," Frost shouted.

"Attack Defender Iceberg with Atomic Breath," Masaki commanded the large beast.

Monster King's dorsal fins started to glow ominously as he opened his mouth. Then, he let loose a blue, concentrated blast of radiation from it that hit the iceberg and melted it quicker than any fire. The Light Brigade duelist was knocked on his butt seeing the destruction.

Frost: 2900

Masaki: 6650

"It's over," Aster stated as he shook his head. "I don't why this guy would try and mess with us."

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little underwhelmed now," Jaden added. "Despite the opening move he had, Frost hasn't been playing that well."

Frost gasped with his duel disk arm shaking, "N-No way," He muttered. "How can he be that powerful?"

"I suggest you give up, and tell us where our friends are," Masaki offered. "From the looks of things, Mobius was your strongest monster and even with his power boost from your field spell, Monster King would take him out. And I know that Ice Mirror's the only card in your hand and it can't help you. So surrender!"

The ice duelist growled, "Fat chance! There's no way a punk like you can deal with a duelist like me! My move," He shouted as he drew, "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn!"

A facedown monster appeared in front of Frost.

"Your funeral," the shonen hero duelist stated as he drew. "Rubberman, attack his facedown monster with Gum-Gum Rocket!"

Jumping on top of Monster King and then stretching out both his arms on a couple of its scales, Rubberman launched his whole body at the facedown card...

*CLANK!*

... Only to be stopped by a little penguin wearing a black tuxedo and holding up its hat as a defense against the straw hat boy. (4-3/900-1100/1800-2000)

Frost: 2900

Masaki: 6350

"You just ran smack into my Nightmare Penguin, kid," Frost grinned. "And when's flipped up, I can return one of the cards you have on the field to your hand! And it's a no-brainer!"

The penguin tossed its hat straight at the giant dino's head and turned him into a blue energy that shot back into Masaki's hand.

"Got a little cocky didn't you," The ice duelist continued as he drew. "Now it's my turn to dish out the onslaught! While Nightmare Penguin's on the field, all of my WATER monsters gain 200 ATK!"

The penguin gave a happy squawk as it straightened out his tux. (3/1100-1300/2000)

"And next, I use Spellbook Inside the Pot to draw three cards!"

Both players drew three cards.

"And next, I play Premature Burial and play 800 life points..."

Frost: 2100

Masaki: 6350

"And bring back Mobius the Frost Monarch!"

Mobius rose out of the water and waved out his cape to the winds. (6-5/2400-2800/1000-1200)

"And I'll summon another Ice Knight for good measure!"

Another Ice Knight rose down to the shallow waters and held his lance up high. (4-3/1300-2900/1200-1400)

"And I'll even use the 'useless' Ice Mirror to bring out my last Ice Knight!"

A blue light shined on the knight, causing him to be split in two. (4-3/1300-3300/1200-1400) x2

"Now, my third Ice Knight can't attack due to Ice Mirror's effect, but I can still bring out my normal summon with Blizzard Dragon!"

Flying overhead came a frozen-looking dragon that was the about same size as Frost. It glared at Rubberman intently. (4-3/1800-2200/1000-1200)

"Now boys, put a beat down on that Rubberman," Frost commanded.

Rubberman cringed as the Blizzard Dragon exhaled an icy breath that locked his feet in place. Now helpless, Mobius and Ice Knight used the lances and kept pummeling the poor kid until he was left bruised and battered on his boat.

Frost: 2100

Masaki: 3150

"And I end my turn," Frost concluded. "I can keep up this freeze play all I want because even though your monster can't be destroyed in battle, Blizzard Dragon will keep it in place for me to keep up the attacks!"

"Come on, Masaki," Jaden encouraged his fellow Slifer, "A duel's not over until the last card's played!"

"He'll have to mount a quite a comeback," Solomon said, looking over the field. "Blizzard Dragon stopped his monster from moving so, if he doesn't have what he need in his hand the duel's over."

"Even if Masaki could get his Monster King out, it'll soon get beat by one of those Ice Knights," Aster added.

"Then let's see what I pull out next! My move," Masaki declared as he drew and looked over his hand, "This will work... I summon Shonen Hero D Note!"

A light pillar erupted from inside the water, bringing a blond, teenage boy to the field. He only wore a white dress shirt with a red tie around it and a pair of black khakis. In his left, he carried a notebook that had the words 'D Note' on the cover. (4/900/900)

"That's weak bro," Frost stated. "How about I give you one last chance to surrender and come join your friends?"

"How about no," The S-Hero duelist replied. "Aside from the low scores, D Note has a pretty powerful special ability. Once he first appears on the field, both players lose 1000 life points, no questions asked..."

D Note raised his notebook high over his head and opened it up. Two pulses of light shot from the pages and blasted the duelist straight in the chests, leaving them grunting in pain.

Frost: 1100

Masaki: 2150

"That was rough," Jaden noted.

"It still won't save you..." Frost said.

"No, but with Double Summon, I can bring out someone that will," Masaki stated as he held up another card, "Since I have a Shonen Hero monster on the field, I can bring out this one. Shonen Hero X Avenger, show yourself!"

Another light pillar erupted from the water, unleashing a blonde average sized man wearing a pair of bulletproof lens glasses. He sported the same outfit Innocent Diviner did: a long white overcoat but had a pair of long pants and black boots along with it. He stared up at Frost with a smirked as he pushed up his glasses. (6/2000/2000)

"He may be stronger than your other two flunkies," the ice duelist admitted, "But doesn't hold a candle to my boys!"

"That's why he's borrowing power from my other heroes, so he can shut you up," The S-Hero duelist declared. "Once a turn, I can have this Shonen Hero's gain the other Heroes ATK until the end of my turn! Problem is, he's the only one that can attack... then again it's only a problem for you!"

The ice duelist bugged seeing D Note, Rubberman and X Avenger shoot out white, blue and gray auras right in front of them, creating another life form. It created another robotic angel having a slim body wielding a knight`s sword and carrying a large shield on its left shoulder with a weight scale and five stars, forming a pentagram, imprinted on it. It also has some sort of skirt amour around its legs. (6/2000-4600/2000)

"Time to melt the ice man... X Avenger attack!"

The angel rushed across the waters, parting it to reveal the entire ocean floor and underwater city underneath. With one mighty swing of its knight sword, the angel cut apart the Frost Monarch into icy flurries and then unleashed an arc of blinding light that knocked Frost of his back, stripping him of his hat and coat.

Frost: 0

Masaki: 2150, Winner

The water vanished, returning everyone to the streets of Domino City.

"I win..." Masaki claimed.

"Man, what a duel," Jaden cheered. "That last monster was incredible!"

"I have never seen anything like them," Solomon applauded.

"Eh, he did alright," Aster shrugged. He then turned to the sky and saw the image of Mobius disappear from his spot around the city, "And it looks that spirit is gone now."

Jaden looked up and confirmed it as well, "Oh, I get it now... we defeat the duelists who're holding these Monarch monsters, and the city will be safe."

"Don't tell me you just figured it out," The D-Hero duelist groaned.

Frost groaned as he picked him, "Aw man... Sarina was right... he was the real deal..."

"Alright, time for you to talk," The S-Hero duelist demanded walking up to the Light Brigade member. "Where are you holding our friends?"

The ice duelist growled and turned his head away...

"No use trying to hide it, you lost this duel, so talk!"

"I..."

"Frost lost, Frost lost..." A little girl's voice echoed through the silent streets in a sing-song voice.

"Hmm, who's that," Aster wondered, looking around.

"Sounds like a little girl..." Solomon figured, "Hope she isn't lost..."

"But wait, what's wrong with this guy," Jaden asked as he pointed to Frost, who stared at his left with terror in his eyes.

"Frost lost, Frost lost..." The voice got closer and closer until everyone was met with a little, black haired girl in a grey sweater dress, skipping along the road with a stuffed bear holding a mirror, "Hi, everybody!"

"It is a little girl," Jaden said. "What's she doing around here?"

"Ah! Hanabi," Frost shouted in fear.

"This is one of Sarina's sisters," The D-Hero duelist realized.

Hanabi giggled happily, "Sorry, Frosty! But big sister says you have to go bye-bye now!"

"N-No, I'm not going away," The ice duelist shouted as he stumbled to his feet and started to run down the street.

"Bad boy," The little girl pouted as she held up her bear, "Get 'em, Mr. Bear!"

It was now Jaden, Aster, Masaki and Solomon's turned to be afraid as the mirror-holding bear flew out of Hanabi's hands and cut Frost off from his run. Next, the mirror shined a sinister pink and shined around the ice duelist.

"Noooooooo!"

Everyone watched in horror as Frost was sucked inside the mirror, letting the bear float back to the little girl as she hugged it and jumped happily.

"Yay, yay, that was fun," She cheered, before turning to the terrified quartet, "Be good boys now, or Mr. Bear will come after you... Bye-bye!"

She then shined brightly and transformed into a black-feathered bird and flew off, carrying the teddy bear by the claws of her feet. The entire scene left the guys who watched it in shock.

"Did... you guys... just see that," Masaki asked.

"We were right here with you, man," Aster stated. "I never knew she could do all that..."

"It's like déjà vu from 10 years ago...," Solomon added.

"What are we dealing with...," Jaden whispered.

* * *

Enjoyed the duel? Thanks to jcoggsina, I gave Frost another shot but with an opponent we all know couldn't win against. Sarina's devious like that... Also, how's your reactions to little Hanabi? Please tell!

Defender Iceberg

WATER

Aqua/Effect

Level 5

0/2450

Other monsters you control cannot be selected as attack targets.

(This card was used by Crump in the second series anime episode Freeze Play. All rights to the creators)

Shonen Hero Cyber Officer

Machine/Effect

WATER

Level 4

1900/1900

Your opponent must play with their hand revealed.

Art: Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the shell

Shonen Hero D Note

Spellcaster/Effect

DARK

Level 4

900/900

When this card's summoned to the field, inflict 1000 points of damage to both you and your opponent. (This effect is only used once per duel)

art: Light Yagami from Death Note

(The above two cards were created by cooking samurai. Card rights go to him, while the inspiration comes from the creators of Ghost in the Shell and Death Note)

Shonen Hero X Avenger

LIGHT/ Warrior/Effect /Level 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000

If you control a face-up 'Shonen Hero' monster, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributes. Once per turn, you can have this card's ATK become equal to the combined ATK of all 'Shonen Hero' monsters you control until the End Phase. If you do, it alone can declare an attack during this turn's Battle Phase.

Appearance: Marco from Shaman King.

Shonen Hero Innocent Diviner

LIGHT/ Warrior/Effect /Level 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1200

Once per turn, if you control another 'Shonen Hero' monster, you can look at the top three cards of your Deck, show them to your opponent and place them back on top of your Deck in any order you choose.

Appearance: Lyserg from Shaman King, in his X-Law attire.

(The above two cards were created by Digidramon. Card rights go to him while the inspiration goes to the creators of Shaman King)

Ice Mirror

Normal Spell

Select 1 face-up Level 3 or lower WATER monster you control. Special Summon 1 monster with the same name as that monster from your Deck. The monster Special Summoned by this card's effect cannot declare an attack that turn

(This card was used by Grady in the 5D's episode, A Web of Deceit. All rights go to the creators)

Ice Age Panic

Normal Spell

Activate only while you control no monsters. Special Summon 1 WATER monster from your Deck.

(Used by Noah Kaiba in the second series anime episode Brother in Arms. All rights to the creators)

Next Time: The next two members of the Light Brigade take on Vincent and Allyson in another tag duel.


	33. Earth and Fire

The next Tag duels here! And I've read the 5th volume of the GX manga, good stuff!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 33: Earth and Fire

* * *

Back in the mountain cavern, Sarina and Makoto were eagerly awaiting Hanabi's return.

"I sense that Frost has lost to Masaki," Makoto said, "As if we already didn't expect."

"Truly," Sarina agreed, "But that doesn't mean it was a lost cause... Masaki's strength was impressive; he is indeed a rival for Claudio."

"Sartorius did say as much," the middle sister stated, "Maybe we should test him next..."

"Maybe..."

Then, a bird call got their attention. They immediately knew who it was...

"Our dear little sister has returned," Makoto smiled.

The black bird with the teddy bear appeared inside the cave and then transformed right back into Hanabi, holding the bear in her arms.

"Hi," she exclaimed.

"I see that Frost was captured," Sarina acknowledged, "Well done, Hanabi."

"Thank you," The youngest sister smiled as she held up a duel monster card showing Frost trap within a mirror, "I also tried to find Thunder on the rooftops, but he wasn't there anymore."

"Tch. The little rat must've have woken up and hidden somewhere," Makoto figured, "But don't worry, we'll find him."

"Aside from that, we have visitors approaching..." The elder sister noticed as a blast of fire and a break of upturned earth brought back Blaze and T-Bone.

"We're back, Sarina," Blaze greeted.

"So, what's up," T-Bone asked in an amateur rapper voice.

Sarina chuckled as she through a card at them, which T-Bone caught. When he and Blaze got a good look at it, they gasped in fear.

"It's Frost," They exclaimed, frightened by Frost's look of terror on the card.

"The price of failure," Sarina stated, "And you'll be next, if you don't fulfill your duties. Fail, and your souls will be trapped like Frost's and soon, Thunder!"

Both boys cringed in fear.

"Now then," Makoto spoke up, "Thanks to Frost, we know the location of Jaden, Aster and Masaki. Now all we need is to locate Claudio, the fourth candidate."

"And how do we that," T-Bone asked.

"He wears yellow blazer and carries a guitar with him, as told by our sources," She replied, "And just to make sure you don't screw up, as soon as you corner him in a duel, I will be there watching you."

"Now get to work," Sarina added.

* * *

With Claudio, Melody, Alexis and Isaac, the elder Hikarii was still taking them on the tour of Domino City. Currently, they were at the museum looking at the various artifacts and stone tablets of Ancient Egypt.

"Ladies and gentleman, the Domino Museum," Isaac announced to the three person group, "One of the Battle City Finalists, Ishizu Ishtar used to be a museum curator for the exhibits she brought from Egypt, showing the origins of Duel Monsters. And I recall an old TV news event 10 years ago, saying she invited Seto Kaiba to see these exhibits."

"I never took Kaiba for someone who spends his time at a museum," Melody wondered as she stared at a sarcophagus in the middle of a room.

"Or rather anybody with multi-million corporation," Claudio added, staring at hieroglyphics on a wall that looked like duel monsters.

"I don't think all of this would have interested him anyway," Alexis said as she looked at some ancient tools that looked like duel disks.

"Well, if you think about," Isaac continued, "Right after that meeting with Ishizu, he started the Battle City Tournament and probably got Obelisk the Tormentor from her."

"What? Really," Claudio asked, "Will wonders never cease..."

"The date does fit," Melody shrugged, "Also, he suddenly comes in here and speaks to someone with ties to the Egyptian God cards..."

"And add in the Rare Hunters coming in," Alexis continued, "I think the Battle City tournament was a setup..."

"Half right," The Toon duelist stated, "It was a setup for the Rare Hunters, but of course Kaiba wanted that top glory spot back from Yugi and exploit it worldwide by obtaining the three Gods."

"Yeah and that made that battle at the finals an epic one," The J-Hero duelist smiled.

"Anyway, looking at the artifacts in here," Isaac said, walking over to the hieroglyphics next to Claudio, "You see the proof of Duel Monsters originating from Ancient Egypt, housing the earliest monsters of the game."

Then he walked over to where Alexis stood, near the old tools, "And this is what the sorcerers of the court used to summon the monsters from anywhere around the borders of Egypt. They called them DiaDhanks. Unlike the duels of today, where you lose the life points and lose the match, this time if you'd lose a portion of your life force when a monster is destroyed. Lose enough monsters, you'd be dead."

"What, no Shadow Realm," Melody asked.

"Sure, the Shadow Realm existed, but it was the stage for the duels rather than the prison. But some people have been trapped there because of some stipulations they call Penalty Games."

"That's a lot to take in," Alexis stated.

"I know, but you gotta know the stuff around the city to be a tour guide," The toon duelist said, "Well, we have other places to go to, so let's hit it."

* * *

The Academy kids followed their tour guide out, but were met with an unsettling sight...

"What in the-?"

Everyone saw that the skies were covered with dark clouds, looming over the city.

"That's strange," Alexis said, "It was supposed to be all sunny out this entire week."

"Man, the forecast can sure disappoint," Claudio joked as he looked up as well.

"Hey Claudio..."

Suddenly, Lars and Opheila showed up next to Ra.

"What's going on guys," He whispered to them.

"We are being watched from the skies..." Lars stated.

"Really," Claudio said as he looked around to the skies. After a good hard look he gasped, once he found six duel monster spirits at three corners of the city. But what really grabbed his attention was the identity of the monsters, "Monarchs!"

"Monarchs," Ophelia asked.

"Had a bad run-in with someone who used these monsters," He informed his Ironheade monsters, "At least he's in jail now... but now I wonder who's using them..."

"Whoever it is, we can't leave this city, until they're all gone," Ophelia stated.

"Great..."

"Claudio, something wrong," Melody asked.

"Look up at the corners of the city and tell me what you see," The J-Hero duelist told her.

Once she did just that, Melody gasped... "Monarchs... but who's using them? It can't be Striker again."

"That's what we need to find out..."

* * *

At the cemetery, Blaze and T-Bone were pondering over their latest assignment from their superiors. They felt a little uneasy given the consequences being laid out for them...

"I'm telling you, T-Bone," Blaze spoke up, "If we're not careful against this Claudio kid, we could end up like Frost. Also Thunder's in deep trouble when Sarina finds him..."

"I know," T-Bone sighed, "That's just whack. But all we gotta to his prove ourselves to the boss, and then she'll be giving us some mad respect."

"You're right," The fire teen nodded.

"Course I am, dawg," The earth teen stated.

"Okay, but still we need to find our target," Blaze stated, "But there are only a handful of guys in yellow, so it could be tough just finding this kid..."

"True dat..."

"Okay, remind me why we're walking through this cemetery again," A guy's voice asked.

"Because, we need to get to the hotel to see our rooms," A girl's voice replied, "I'm up for more of the sightseeing, but we need to make sure the Academy is taken care of."

Hearing 'the Academy,' Blaze and T-Bone gasped.

"Academy kids," T-Bone whispered.

"If we see a kid in yellow, that's when we get the drop on them," Blaze whispered back, "Let's hide behind those trees..."

* * *

Walking along the cemetery, Vincent and Allyson were walking along the path, with the latter looking around nervously.

"What's wrong with you, anyway," Allyson asked, noticing her traveling partner's uneasiness.

"I heard stories of what happened in this cemetery," Vincent replied, "One of the final duels took place here. A zombie duelist named Bonz had his last duel here."

"So, he retired," The Spirit duelist asked, "Because then again, I never heard of that person in the Pro Leagues or even in the Amateurs."

"I mean, Bonz was never seen or heard from again," The Dragon/Rider duelist replied, "When he lost his duel, he was actually dragged into the underworld!"

"Okay, that has to be made up," Allyson said as she shook her head, "I mean, he's probably among the common folk now."

"Trust me, I've seen a photo of this guy," Vincent said as he spat out a sucker stick from his mouth, "If he was among the common folk, I could still identify this guy."

"You're just letting these rumors get your head," She said, "What the odds of us being jumped by ghosts?"

"Zero!" Two voices called out from the trees.

Suddenly, jumping out from behind and in front of the Academy students were a couple of teenage street punks carrying academy issued duel disks. The one in front of Vincent had brown hair running down the back of his neck and a bang sticking out the front. He wore a pair of sunglasses, a grey shirt inside his black blazer and tan jeans.

In front of Allyson was a heavy-set teenager wearing a baseball cap backwards, a brown hoodie over a white shirt and a pair of brown sweatpants. Both Allyson and Vincent stood back to back, seeing themselves cornered.

"Who are you two," Vincent demanded.

"I'm Blaze," The one facing him stated.

"Call me T-Bone," the other guys added, "And we come to take you the boss for a little talk!"

"The boss," Allyson asked, "Was does this boss want with us?"

"Not you, homegirl," T-Bone corrected.

Blaze then pointed to Vincent, "You, the one in the yellow blazer!"

"For what," Vincent asked.

"Like we said, our boss told us to bring you to her," The sunglass-wearing teen stated as he turned on his duel disk, "And we're prepared to do this the hard way..."

"And for a bonus, we're taking you with him, girl," The hoodie wearing teen added as he turned his disk on as well, "No witnesses, you know what I'm sayin'?"

"Fools!"

Blaze and T-Bone gasped as they saw a dark vulture flying over them, staring with malice.

"A vulture in the city," Allyson asked in disbelief.

"That's already creepier than being in this cemetery," Vincent added, rolling his eyes.

"Oh great, Makoto's here," Blaze cringed.

"This is bad, dawg," T-Bone added.

"This is the wrong kid," Makoto shouted, "I sent you to look for Claudio!"

"You said he was wearing a yellow blazer," Blaze protested, "And this kid is currently wearing one!"

"Then you must not be good listeners when I said he also carries a guitar, you incompetent peons," The vulture snapped as the Light Brigade members cringed.

"Hey," Allyson shouted to the vulture, "What do you want with Claudio!"

"And what are you guys anyway," Vincent added, "Two guys taking orders from a scavenger bird? And they call my orange eyes weird..."

The vulture groaned, "Duel these two and shut them up, we don't need anyone to alert any others. And then we will discuss punishment..."

T-Bone sighed as he drew out his opening hand, "No love at all, yo..."

"Let's just get this over with..." Blaze said as he drew his hand as well.

Allyson and Vincent looked to each other and nodded as they switched on their duel disks and drew out their opening hands.

"And we'll make sure to take you out," Vincent said to Blaze.

"Plus, find Claudio and warn him," Allyson added to T-Bone.

"DUEL!"

Blaze: 8000 + T-Bone: 8000

Vincent: 8000 + Allyson: 8000

"No mercy, kids," Blaze stated as he drew, "I summon Solar Flare Dragon in attack mode!"

A burst of flames erupted in front of the duelist, bringing out a serpentine dragon, made of burning coal. (4/1500/1500)

"And next, I place one card facedown and end my turn," The fire duelist concluded, "And that activates the special ability of Solar Flare Dragon, dealing one of you 500 points of damage!"

The Academy students braced themselves for the choice...

"Target the yellow one!"

The burning dragon unleashed a molten fireball from its mouth and shot it straight at the Dragon/Rider duelist, knocking him backwards.

Blaze: 8000 + T-Bone: 8000

Vincent: 7500 + Allyson: 8000

"Are you okay," Allyson gasped.

"I'm fine...," Vincent grunted as he drew and held up the six cards in his hands, 'I don't have Frontline Base in my hand... but that doesn't mean, the dragons in my deck can't come out to play...' He then took one of his monster cards and set it on the field. "I summon Pitch Dark Dragon in attack mode!"

Roaring out, a moderate-sized, black-scaled dragon appeared on the field. (3/900/600)

"And next, I activate the Dragon's Soul spell card," He continued as he brought out a spell depicting a Luster Dragon surrounded by a white aura that looks like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, "With this, I can send a Dragon-Type monster from the field and summon another from my hand! So Pitch-Dark Dragon, I see ya later..."

The dragon vanished into a dark light...

"... And I'll summon Hydro Dragon to the field!"

A giant pillar of water appeared right where the dark dragon stood and from it another large Dragon with blue scales and two conical horns sticking out of the back of its head. (6/2400/1600)

"You triggered my facedown card," Blaze announced as he revealed a spell card, showing a humanoid dragon surrounded by dark flames, "My Dark Flare spell card can summon another FIRE monster from my hand... and I'll summon another Solar Flare Dragon!"

Another flaming coal dragon appeared and curled up with the first. (4/1500/1000)

"A lock," Allyson realized.

"Still, since my dragon was summoned, and I don't have a Hydro Rider in my hand, I can draw one card," Vincent explained as he drew, "And I'll end my turn."

"Let's kick it, ya'll," T-Bone shouted as he drew, "I be laying down one monster in defense..."

A facedown monster appeared at Light Brigade duelist's feet.

"Next, I'll lay down these spell cards, Guidance to Ore and Side Attack!"

Behind T-Bone, aside from the tag team spell card, a large mountain appeared with cavern at the base.

"Side Attack's a tag-exclusive card, and it makes it so we only attack the person across from us!"

Allyson was facing T-Bone and Vincent was facing Blaze.

"Also, if one of your sides is out of peeps, both players of the opposing side can go smackdown the defenseless one," He added, "Your turn, homegirl!"

"Er... right," Allyson muttered as she drew her sixth card, "I'll also set one monster in defense mode and one card facedown."

Another facedown monster and reversed card appeared the Obelisk's feet.

"Back to me," Blaze said as he drew, "I sacrifice both Solar Flare Dragons and summon the Firestorm Prominence in attack mode!"

The Academy students stared at the Fire user like he was crazy as he brought out a large crocodile made entirely out of flames. (7/2000/1500)

"He gave up a lock for that," Vincent pointed out, "He's too weak..."

"Keep talking, kid," The fire duelist goaded as he took a Solar Flare Dragon from his graveyard and pocketed it, "And by removing a FIRE monster from the graveyard, I summon Spirit of Flames!"

A pillar of flames erupted next to the crocodile, and unleashed a devilish looking beast that surrounded itself in the flames. (4/1700/1000)

"Now, Firestorm Prominence attack Hydro Dragon with Flamethrower!"

The crocodile raised its mouth and launched at full blast of flames, heading towards the dragon.

"Hydro Dragon, counterattack with High Pressure Pump," Vincent commanded as his monster fired a high pressured blast of water, pushing back the flames and dousing the burning reptilian.

Blaze: 7600 + T-Bone: 8000

Vincent: 7500 + Allyson: 8000

"And now the special effect of my Firestorm Prominence activates," Blaze announced, "When is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, it takes all non-FIRE and facedown monsters to the grave as well!"

Allyson and Vincent gasped as the crocodile exploded into a catastrophic explosion that washed over the entire field, destroying Hydro Dragon and Allyson's and T-Bone's facedown monsters.

"You just destroyed your partner's monster too," Allyson pointed out.

"Nah, it's all good," T-Bone grinned as he held up the facedown monster and set it back on the field, "The card he destroyed was my boy, Sand Moth and he gets to kick it on the field but with his ATK and DEF flipped, yo!"

Rising up from the field, a large brown monster with spikes on its back and lower legs appeared with sand falling from its body. (4/1000-2000/2000-1000)

"And if you think that's fly, check out Guidance to Ore," He continued as the cave flashed a bright light, bringing forth another Sand Moth! (4/1000/2000). "Whenever one of my Rock homeboys gets destroyed, I can bring the same player from my deck! And he'll chill in defense mode!"

"It's still my move," Blaze declared, bringing the attention back to him, "I'll now attack directly with Spirit of Flames, and he gains 300 ATK during my battle phase!"

The flames seeped into the spirit's body, which bulged up its muscles. (4/1700-2000/1000) It then swung its fist, firing a fireball at Vincent, burning him on the spot.

Blaze: 7600 + T-Bone: 8000

Vincent: 5500 + Allyson: 8000

"And then I'll set this card facedown and end my turn," The fire duelist concluded as Spirit of Flames' power returned to 1700.

Makoto perched herself on a nearby tree and watched the duel with intent.

'At least these two can cooperate with each other, unlike Frost and Thunder,' she thought, 'And I'll make a note to find that little rat...'

"Good, my move," Vincent stated as he drew, "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards," He then drew two more cards, "Perfect, I use the spell card Dragon's Olfaction!"

A spell card appeared, revealing a dark-scaled dragon hunting some buffalo in a canyon.

"Since your side has at least two more monsters than I do, I can summon another dragon monster from my hand, like Kiryu!"

As the Ra slapped the card on the disk, a large, long-necked orange dragon flew overhead roaring at the opposition. (5/2000/1500)

"Now Kiryu, attack with Skydive Hunter!"

Kiryu roared as it started fly down and snapped its jaws...

"And here's my trap card, Backfire," Blaze announced as the dragon chomped down on the flame spirit, "Now that a FIRE monster was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, you lose 500 points!"

A fireball launched itself from the trap, pelting the Dragon/Rider duelist again.

Blaze: 7300 + T-Bone: 8000

Vincent: 5000 + Allyson: 8000

"Stay strong, Vincent," Allyson encouraged her partner as he struggled to his feet.

"I place... two cards facedown..." He concluded with a facedown card appearing in front of him.

"Look out, boy," T-Bone said as he drew, "I'll kick my weaker Sand Moth to the curb to bring out my homey, Granmarg the Rock Monarch!"

The weaker Sand Moth melted into a pile of sand. Rising from it, was a large, tan armored warrior with blue banners on his legs and massive fists. (6/2400/1000)

"And when he's tribute summoned, I get to lay the smack down on a facedown card," The Earth duelist explained, "And I'll kick my partner's card off the field!"

"I bet that card's effect helps out Blaze..." Vincent figured as the monarch slammed its right fist on Blaze's facedown card, shattering it.

"Thank you, T-Bone," The fire duelist smiled, "You activated the Dormant Volcano trap card, which deals 300 points of damage to the opponent, the girl!"

A big eruption shook up the Spirit duelist, but she managed to keep on her feet.

Blaze: 7300 + T-Bone: 8000

Vincent: 5000 + Allyson: 7700

"And then, on the next standby phase, we all get to add a FIRE monster from our decks," Blaze concluded.

"But right now, the Sand Moth's keeping it real," T-Bone shouted as he pointed to Allyson, "Sand Storm!"

The sand monster leaned its head back and inhaled some air. It then shot his head forward, launching a burst of sand of its mouth and blew it across Allyson's form.

Blaze: 7300 + T-Bone: 8000

Vincent: 5000 + Allyson: 5700

"Next, Granmarg gets to lay the smackdown on your life points," The earth duelist continued as the giant monarch reared back his fist.

"I activate Defense Draw," Allyson declared as an emerald shield appeared over her and blocked the attack, letting her draw a card, "This makes the battle damage 0 and lets me draw a card!"

"Cool, I set these down and let you go," T-Bone concluded as two reversed cards appeared on the field.

"About time," She stated as she drew her next card, "I summon Susa Soldier in attack mode!"

A circle of thunder appeared right in front of her, bringing out the white-haired spirit warrior. (4/2000/1000)

"Next, I'll activate the spell card Flaming Fist giving him 200 more attack points!"

The hand holding the sword was suddenly ignited with flames, which extended to Susa Soldier's sword. (4/2000-2200/1000)

"Now attack that Sand Moth with Blazing Thunder Sword!"

The spirit followed his mistress' command and took his blade, driving it through head of the beast, making it explode into a pile of sand.

"He only does half the battle damage he normally would've done, but with Flaming Fist I gain 500 life points!"

Blaze: 7300 + T-Bone: 7900

Vincent: 5000 + Allyson: 6200

"But my Sand Moth doesn't retreat without a fight," T-Bone stated as the cave flashed behind him, unleashing the final Sand Moth. (4/1000/2000)

"And I'm not done," Allyson stated as she held took two card from hand, and put it inside the slots of her disk, "I place one card facedown and activate the spell card Dimensionhole to remove Susa Solider from the game, until my next turn!"

A dimensional gate opened up and sucked in the Spirit monster.

"Then it's my turn," Blaze declared as he drew, "Now the second effect of Dormant Volcano activates, letting us all take out a FIRE monster from our decks!"

Everyone, except for T-Bone, searched through their decks and took out one monster. Allyson took out Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, Vincent took out Flame Rider, and Blaze took out Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch.

"Another monarch," Vincent gasped.

"Now see it in action as I sacrifice the Spirit of Flames!"

Another pillar of flames surrounded the flaming spirit and died down to reveal another Monarch monster. He wore sliver armor with a gold symbol down the middle and a red cape around his back. (6/2400/1000)

"Now to activate his special ability, I can destroy a card in your hand... and if it's a monster, you'll lose 100 x times its level!"

The fire monarch snapped his fingers...

"WHOA!"

Suddenly, a flame ignited the Flame Rider Vincent held, making him yelp.

Blaze: 7300 + T-Bone: 7900

Vincent: 4600 + Allyson: 6200

"And that's only the ember, but I'll make sure you feel the inferno as I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back Solar Flare Dragon!"

The burning coal dragon returned to the field with a roar. (4/1500/1000)

"And next, I bring out Inferno Reckless Summon to bring back the dragon from my graveyard and the final one from my hand!"

The Academy Students gasped as the other two Solar Flare Dragon coiled around the first, making them seem like a three-headed dragon. (4/1500/1000) x2

"This is bad..." Vincent said.

"No joke," Blaze stated as he pointed to Kiryu, "Thestalos, burn down his dragon!"

The Firestorm Monarch raised his hands up high and created a large bird made of flames. He then took that bird and sent it towards Vincent's Dragon...

"Go Negate Attack," Allyson interrupted as she activated her trap card, "This trap card negates your attack and ends the battle phase!"

Everyone saw a spiral shield appear in front of the Dragon/Rider duelist and absorb the blow.

"Darn it," Blaze growled.

"That's not cool," T-Bone protested.

Vincent whistled, "Thanks for the save, Allyson!"

"I was happy to finally help you out," She stated. "Most of the damage you took was burn damage."

"And he's about to get more of the same," The fire duelist shouted, "Since with three Solar Flare Dragons, I can deal 1500 points of damage!"

The three burning dragons opened their mouths and prepared to fire when...

"I sacrifice Kiryu to activate the spell card, Dragon Spirit Cleansing," Vincent declared as Kiryu vanished into a veil of clear winds that blew gently across the field, "This card negates all monsters' effects on your side of the field until the end my next turn!"

The Solar Flare Dragons suddenly lost their flames and became hardened coal, stunning them in place.

"Oh no..."

"Oh yeah," The Ra grinned as he drew, "I'll summon Dark Blade in attack mode!"

The black armored and red caped warrior appeared with his twin swords. (4/1800/1500)

"Now, I activate my other facedown card, Roll Out! Letting me attach a union monster to an appropriate monster on my field and that would be Dark Blade!"

"So you're using Pitch-Dark Dragon," Allyson wondered.

"Nope," He stated, making her and the Light Brigade duelists seem confused, "Not a lot of people know this, but Dark Blade has two dragons tamed instead of one! And you just saw that second dragon!"

Blaze and T-Bone gasped.

"You caught on," Vincent smirked, "Kiryu, return to the field! And when equipped to Dark Blade, it gives him 900 ATK!"

The large, long-necked dragon return to the field as Dark Blade mounted it. The rider felt his power surge through his union with the dragon. (4/1800-2700/1500)

"He almost reached 3 grand, man," T-Bone gasped.

"And that's not all; I activate the spell card Berserker Assault!"

The Ra activated a spell card showing the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with the image of Berserk Dragon behind it, while blasting four Scapegoats.

"Now, I can have Dark Blade attack every single one of your monsters! So Dark Blade, have at 'em, pal!"

The armored warrior rode his dragon out towards the triple-headed coal dragons and sliced their heads clean off. Next, Dark Blade jumped off Kiryu and then stabbed the monarch through its armor, shattering him to the flaming pixels.

Blaze: 3400 + T-Bone: 7900

Vincent: 4600 + Allyson: 6200

"You still take 2000 points of damage since Backfire's on the field," Blaze shouted as four fireballs launched from the trap and pelted the Ra, who did his best to stand his ground.

Blaze: 3400 + T-Bone: 7900

Vincent: 2600 + Allyson: 6200

'It'll soon be over...' Makoto smiled.

"Can you still go, Vincent," Allyson asked, worried for her partner.

"Yeah," He nodded before turning to his opponents, "I end my turn."

"Time for the bomb to start," T-Bone declared as he drew, "I'll summon my Giant Rat in attack mode!"

A very large, blue furred rat holding a bleached white skull in its paws appeared, (4/1400/1450)

"Oh great, a rat," Allyson groaned.

"And here he comes to get you!"

The rat jumped from its standing point and charged at defenseless Obelisk girl...

"I got you now," The spirit duelist smirked as she revealed her facedown card, showing Izanagi confronting Izanami over the Souls of the Forgotten, "I activate the Confrontation of Spirits trap card! Since I have Izanami in my graveyard, thanks to Firestorm Prominence, I can summon Izanagi from my deck to join me!"

The rat's eyes bugged out as a white haired man in white garments and shoulder armor plates appear. He carried a brown staff with a blue fabric tied at the top. (6/2200/1000) It then met its untimely end once the staff struck its gut, shattering itself.

Blaze: 3400 + T-Bone: 7100

Vincent: 2600 + Allyson: 6200

"Now my rat's ability activates," The earth duelist stated as he took a card from his deck and then summoned it to the field, "I can summon any EARTH monster in attack mode that has 1500 ATK or less! Get up in here, Mine Golem!"

Busting out of the ground, a bronze, mechanical armored, stone golem appeared, staring intently at the Obelisk Girl. (3/1000/1900)

"And with Inferno Reckless Summon from my hand, I can bring out the whole posse from the deck!"

With that, two more Mine Golems busted out of the ground and stood next to Granmarg and the first Mine Golem. (3/1000/1900)

"Now eyes on my trap card, Minefield Eruption!"

Next, a trap card revealed showing one Mine Golem exploding with two others about to do the same thing.

"All of my boys are about to split, but you get hit for 1000 points damage for every one! This trap card's the bomb!"

The red lights of the Golems' 'eyes' flickered on and off until...

*KABOOM!*

All three golems exploded as the smoke blew around Allyson, damaging her points...

Blaze: 3400 + T-Bone: 7100

Vincent: 2600 + Allyson: 3200

"Now Granmarg, beats down your monster!"

The giant rock monarch slammed down Izanagi with another massive punch.

Blaze: 3400 + T-Bone: 7100

Vincent: 2600 + Allyson: 3000

"I'm out, so it's your move," T-Bone concluded.

"Alright, my turn," Allyson stated as she drew her next card. "And now, Susa Soldier returns!"

The Dimensionhole opened up again and released the spirit soldier. (4/2000/1000)

"And next, I play my Pot of Greed spell card!"

She drew two more cards and smiled at her fin.

"Yes, I activate the Level Award spell card," She exclaimed showing off the spell depicting a princess handing a dwarf a star award, "This changes the level of any monster I want from 0 to 8,"

"What's the point in that," Blaze asked.

"Yeah, what's your game," T-Bone added.

"You'll see," The Obelisk Girl stated as she pointed to Granmarg, "and I'll choose Granmarg, changing its level to eight!"

Appearing on the Rock Monarch's chest plate was yellow star with a white ribbon on it. On the star, the number 2 was planted on it. (6-8/2400/1000)

"And here's the reason, I activate the Next World spell card," She continued as large brown and white carpet appeared on the floor, "This lets me select one monster on your side of the field and if I have a Spirit monster with the same level, I can Special Summon it without any restrictions!"

"And with Granmarg at level 8, that means..."

"That's right Vincent," Allyson claimed, "I can summon Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi to the field!"

Emerging from the magic carpet, the tall, flame-headed spirit appeared. (8/2800/2900)

"So what," T-Bone shouted, "With Guidance to Ore out on the field, Granmarg will be coming right back. You can't get rid of him, girl!"

"I noticed that, which is why I'm not even going to touch you," The Obelisk stated.

"Huh," The three boys wondered.

"You forget that Side Attack makes me your only attack target while I have monsters on the field," The Earth duelist stated, "So come on wit it!"

That's when Vincent figured, "Now I remember, if one of you doesn't have a monster on the field, you're wide open to both players!"

"Wait, what," Blaze shouted.

"He's right," Allyson smiled, "And even with the half damage done with Susa Solider, combined with Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, you're done!"

The Light Brigade duelist gasped.

"Now my Spirits, attack Blaze directly with Thunder Sword and Blazing Fists!"

Susa Soldier led the charge as the fire spirit followed him.

"T-Bone, whatever happens take these guys out," Blaze implored him.

"You got it, bro," T-Bone nodded, "See ya soon..."

Afterwards, the fire duelist accepted his downfall as he took a shocking sword slash and firey punch to the chest, knocking him out.

Blaze: 0 + T-Bone: 7100

Vincent: 2600 + Allyson: 3200

"Hmph, a lost cause..." Makoto growled, "What a waste, Blaze..."

"Alright, we got away from the burn effects," Vincent stated, "You really are something, ya know?"

"Thanks," Allyson smiled, "Told ya before, I make the best out of these Spirit monsters!"

T-Bone looked to his fallen partner in place.

"Blaze..." He muttered as his fist shook, "Don't worry, these fools are going down!"

"I hope for your sake!"

Everyone saw that the vulture flew down on the fallen Fire duelist and revealed a circular mirror within her right wing. Suddenly, it started to shine a dark pink, sucking him in to the interior. Everyone who witnessed it was in shock.

"My homey," T-Bone cried out.

"No way..." Vincent gasped.

"I don't believe this..." Allyson added.

Then, the vulture stared a hole through the Earth duelist, "If you don't shape up and beat these two you're next, T-Bone!"

With fear instilled in the wannabe rapper, Makoto then flew back up to her tree, still with that piercing stare locked on her subordinate.

"N-No problem, boss," T-Bone shuddered. He then shook it off and stared as his opponents with a glare of his own, "I'll teach to mess with me!"

"We'll see about that, my move since you're partner's turn is skipped," Vincent stated as he turned around to stand next to Allyson. His holograms then repositioned them next to the Spirit monsters as he drew, "I activate the Equip Spell card Dragonic Attack! It makes my Dark Blade a Dragon-Type monster and increases both his stats by 500!"

A blue dragon spirit appeared from the spell card and fused itself into Dark Blade. Now the warrior's armored was cracked in a few places, showing off black scales underneath and giant wings growing out from it. Also, his neck stretched out and the eyes through the helmet became red slits. (4/2700-3200/2400-2900)

"3200!" T-Bone shouted.

"Quite right," Vincent shouted, "Now Dark Blade attack with Dragonic Soul Slash!"

The dark armored dragon flew Kiryu across the field once more, giving him enough leverage to strike down the Rock Monarch with his blades.

T-Bone: 6300

Vincent: 2600 + Allyson: 3200

"Guidance to Ore, bring out my 2nd Granmarg," T-Bone commanded as the cavern expended a light bringing out another Rock Monarch. (6/2400/1000)

"And that's my turn," Vincent concluded.

"Fine then, look out," The Earth duelist shouted as he drew, "Pot of Greed, show your stuff!"

He drew two more cards.

"Now, I'll sacrifice Granmarg... but don't worry, he'll be back!"

As the Rock Monarch vanished... he suddenly reappeared again! (6/2400/1000)

"I see, you activated his special ability," The Ra figured.

"That's right, and it's my Drowsing Point!"

Granmarg slammed his fist towards the reversed card at his feet, demolishing a trap card.

"Now, I can take any monster from my deck and add it to my hand!"

The Earth duelist took out his deck and took out a card from it.

"And finally, I remove all the Rock Monsters in my graveyard from the game..."

The Academy duelists gasped seeing T-Bone's 3 copies of Sand Moth, 3 copies of Mine Golem and 2 copies of Granmarg the Rock Monarch being taken out of the field.

"Give it up, for my ultimate gangsta monster, the MC Megarock Dragon!"

The ground broke apart in between the field and unleashed a large, four-legged dragon made up of jagged rock. It gave off a menacing roar as it started the opponents. (7/?/?)

'They forced T-Bone to take out his strongest monster,' Makoto looked on, 'Next time we should find better prospects for our group...'

"Oh no, undetermined..." Allyson muttered.

"That's right homegirl," T-Bone smirked, "For every Rock Monster I removed from the game, my homeboy gains 700 ATK and DEF! And that's a lot of pain!"

The spirits of all rock monsters removed fused into the rock dragon, making him grow even bigger. (7/?-5600/?-5600)

"5600!" Vincent gasped.

"That's right, ya'll! So bow down as Megarock Dragon takes out that Dragon of yours! Rock Avalanche, boy!"

The rock dragon broke apart into large boulders that rained down on Dark Blade, knocking him of Kiryu who was crushed by the impact. The armored dragon survived the fall, barely... (4/3200-2300/2900-2000)

T-Bone: 6300

Vincent: 200 + Allyson: 3200

"Now Granmarg, take out that Susa Soldier!"

The Rock Monarch smashed his fists against the sword wielding spirit.

T-Bone: 6300

Vincent: 200 + Allyson: 2800

"Now, I place one card facedown and end my turn," T-Bone concluded.

"And starts mine," Allyson stated as she drew.

"Hold up, girl! I activate Rock Bombardment," The Earth duelist interrupted as he turned over his trap card, "I send my rock monster, Lost Guardian to the grave and one of you loses 500 points of damage! And I choose you, Yellow!"

"That'll mean, I'm out,"

Vincent sighed, "Allyson, make sure you take this guy down,"

"Don't worry, I will," She nodded sternly.

"Now take this, dude!"

A large rock shot out from the trap card and hit Vincent in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

T-Bone: 6300

Vincent: 0 + Allyson: 2800

"Vincent," Allyson cried.

"I'm fine... just get him..." The Dragon/Rider duelist managed to blurt out, while holding his stomach, "I can't believe... how much that hurt..."

"Finally, one has fallen..." The vulture smirked as she looked to Allyson, "Now all we have to do is shut this girl up..."

"You're gonna pay for that," The Obelisk Girl snapped as she put in a card in her disk slot, "I'll activate Spellbook Inside the Pot, letting us both draw three cards!"

Both remaining players drew out their three cards. Then, Allyson opened up the field spell slot and inserted a card inside...

"I activate Mausoleum of the Emperor!"

The surrounding area was now transported to the ancient mausoleum, while both players were standing on a stone bridge.

"Next, I sacrifice 2000 points to summon Yamata Dragon!"

T-Bone: 6300

Allyson: 800

Two of the statues disappeared from under the bridge and brought out the eight-headed dragon. (7/2600/3100)

"And finally, I activate Shield and Sword to switch the attack and defense of all monsters on the field! Except for Megarock Dragon, of course..."

The holograms of the monsters started to flicker on and off, making Granmarg weaker... (6/2400-1000/1000-2400)

...And making Allyson's spirits stronger. (8/2800-2900/2900-2800), (7/2600-3100/3100-2600)

'She got him now...' Vincent thought as he grinned.

"Now Yamata Dragon, attack his Granmarg!"

The eight headed dragon breathed fire at the weakened Monarch who disintegrated into ashes.

T-Bone: 4200

Allyson: 800

"And because he dealt damage in battle, I get to draw until I hold five cards!"

She then looked at her deck and placed her fingers tips on the top card, 'I just hope it's something that helps me...'

"I draw!"

She drew out her five cards and looked them over and immediately played the next one, "I activate Forbidden Chalice to negate your Megarock Dragon's effect and give it 400 ATK!"

T-Bone gasped, "If that happens..."

"...Your monster's attack and defense would be set at zero, before the 400 ATK boost," Allyson finished as the rock dragon was instantly drenched in holy water, draining its strength. (7/5600-400/5600-0)

"This is payback for Vincent! Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack his dragon!"

The fire spirit ignited his fists again and broke apart the drenched dragon into rubble.

T-Bone: 1800

Allyson: 800

"And then, I end my turn with a facedown card and then return Yamata Dragon to my hand!"

The spirit dragon vanished in blue light, transporting itself back to Allyson's hand.

"One more hit, and he's done..." The Ra said, "You can do it, Allyson..."

"And after that, we're getting you some help..." She added.

T-Bone smirked, "You got some skills, homegirl. But with what I'm about to pull, you're about to join your friend!"

"If you're talking about the cards in your hand, it's not happening," Allyson countered, "Since I damaged you with Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, you have to send your current hand to the graveyard before you draw!"

With a snap of his fingers, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi burned the cards out of T-Bone's hands, leaving his hand burnt.

"That's it, here it comes," He then drew his next card and gasped... 'Sarina's card! I can stop this girl now!'

He then set the card into his disk, "I set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"That facedown card won't save you," The Obelisk Girl stated as she drew, "But to be on the safe side, I'll just have Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi try to end it now!"

At those words, the burning spirit charged forth to strike the Light Brigade duelist.

"I think this time, I'll bring the pain," T-Bone shouted as he flipped over his face-down card, "It's Mirror of Duality!"

The giant mirror materialized next to the Earth duelist and then painfully extracted a dark portion of his soul, leaving him gasping for breath.

T-Bone: 800

Allyson: 800

' _He's finally going to end this..._ ' The vulture thought as she narrowed her eyes.

"What's going on," Allyson gasped, seeing the opponent in pain like that.

"He just hurt himself hard..." Vincent added as he finally raised himself to his feet, still clutching his stomach, "What's the deal?"

T-Bone opened his left eye and grinned, "The end of the match! Mirror of Duality costs me 1000 points to activate, but it destroys your monster and deals 500 points of damage for every one!"

The mirror then materialized the darkness into a dark shadowy figure that towered over the field and exploded into giant, dark arrows that destroyed the spirit monster. As Allyson saw the next one come for her, she narrowed her eyes.

Vincent gasped, "Allyson!"

"Don't think so, I activate my final card, the counter trap, Divine Wind," She declared, flipping over her facedown card. "This card negates and damage done to me and flips the damage on you! And for an added bonus, the damage is doubled!"

T-Bone and Makoto were taken as a huge storm kicked up and extinguished the arrow, inches away from the Spirit Duelist. Then, the winds picked up speed and turned on T-Bone, catching him inside the eye of the storm, yet still dealing the damage.

T-Bone: 0

Allyson: 800, Winner

The holograms disappeared as T-Bone fell to his knees.

"You're done," Allyson said, turning off her duel disk.

"Nice one, Allyson," Vincent praised, "Too bad he finished me off, otherwise we would've been done."

"Hey, no problem," The Obelisk girl waved off, "I was sorry I couldn't damage him enough to stop him."

Suddenly, they felt a stunning jolt to the backs of their necks and fell down to a state of unconsciousness, revealing Makoto in her human form.

"Pathetic," She scoffed, "I came all the way out here to clean up," She then looked up to T-Bone, who was now looking up in fear, "Now it's your turn!"

The same mirror she held as a vulture appeared behind her and started to shine its sinister pink.

"Peace out, yo!"

T-Bone, not wanting to go through what Frost and Blaze experienced, created another tunnel and dove right in.

The middle sister growled in annoyance.

"Another escaped rat," She shouted, "Now I have two people to find!"

"But first, take those two Academy brats to Kaibaland, my sister," A familiar voice spoke as she turned around to see Sarina's face in her mirror.

Makoto managed to calm down in front and picked up the fallen Ra and Obelisk.

"Yes, sister," She replied as she transported into another dark pink light.

Unknown to them, from the entrance to the cemetery, Lily, Jeremy and Alex were in time to see Makoto take Allyson and Vincent to who knows where.

"Allyson and Vincent," Jeremy gasped.

"Who the heck was that," Lily wondered, "I'm having serious bad vibes on this!"

"We should find somebody and tell them what's up," Alex declared to his friends, "Come on!"

The trio ran from the cemetery, hoping to get some help.

* * *

What kind of world we live in where winning doesn't matter anymore? And yup, T-Bone is gone and Thunder's flew the coop! Wonder where they went...

Dragon's Soul

Image: Luster Dragon surrounded by a white aura that looks like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

| Spell | Send a Dragon type monster on your side of the field to the Graveyard then Special Summon a Dragon type monster from your hand.

Berserker Assault

Image: Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with Berserk Dragon in spirit form behind it, blasting four Scapegoats.

| Spell | Select one monster you control, until the End Phase it may attack every monster on your opponent's side of the field. Other monsters you control may not attack this turn

(These spells and the Dragon and Rider archetype were created by BringerOfPeace2. All creative rights go to him.)

Dark Flare

Quick-Play Spell

When a monster is Special Summoned, Special Summon 1 FIRE monster from your hand.

(This card was first used by Jack Atlas in the 5D's manga. All rights to the creators)

Guidance to Ore

Continuous Spell

When a Rock-Type monster you control is destroyed, you can Special Summon 1 monster from your Deck with the same name as the destroyed monster.

Dormant Volcano

Normal Trap

When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, inflict 300 damage to your opponent. Then, during your next Standby Phase, both players may add 1 FIRE monster from their Decks to their hands

Drowsing Point

Normal Trap

When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, add 1 Monster Card from your Deck to your hand.

(The above three cards was used by T-Bone in the GX episode: J-Dawg and T-Bone. All rights to the creators)

Dragon's Olfaction

Normal Spell

If your opponent controls 2 or more monsters, Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand.

(This card was used by Chazz Princeton in the GX manga. All rights to the creators)

Flaming Fist

Normal Spell

Image: Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi engulfing his right and in his flames.

Select 1 face-up Spirit monster you control. It gains 200 ATK until the End Phase. If it inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent this turn, gain 500 Life Points.

(Used by Noah Kaiba in the second series episode, Noah's Final Threat Pt. 3, All rights to the creators)

Dragon Spirit Cleansing

Quick-Play Spell

Tribute 1 Level 5 or higher Dragon-Type monster. Negate the effects of all face-up monsters on the field until the end of your next turn."

Confrontation of Spirits

Counter Trap

Activate only if you have an Izanami in the graveyard when a direct attack his declared. Special summon 1 Inzangi from your hand or deck and switch the attack target to that monster.

(The two above cards are my own invention, all creative rights to me)

Level Award

Normal Spell

Change the Level of 1 monster on the field to any number of your choice between 0 and 8.

(Used by Yako Tenma in the R manga. All rights to the creators.)

Divine Wind

Counter Trap

Activate only when an opponent activates an effect that would inflict damage to you. You take no damage, and your opponent takes twice the damage you would have taken, instead.

(Used by Yami Yugi/Atem in the second series episode, Self-Destruction. All rights to creators.)

Next time: T-Bone splits on his own accord and ends up finding the real Claudio! It's the aspiring rocker vs. the wannabe rapper!

Please read and review! Later!


	34. Rockin' Duel

Alright, it's time for my next one-on-one duel! Reason I'm doing these it's because, when they had test just Jaden before the duel with Sarina, Aster never went through the same thing. That's how Frost vs. Masaki came out, this chapter and since I had Thunder run off, he'll take on Aster.

Also, Bring has a story called Brillant Colors that's soon to bring the action! Don't miss it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 34: Rockin' Duel!

* * *

Running down the streets, Jeremy, Lily and Alex were trying to find their classmates and faculty to warn them about went down at the cemetery. Of course, with all the running around the city with no trace of red, blue or yellow blazers and or skirts, they had to stop for a breather.

"Man, it's hard trying to find everybody," Alex stated as he leaned on a building, "You know, we should have stayed in a group and find Melody's tour guide place..."

"No use crying about it now," Lily replied, "I think we should go find that hotel we were supposed to stay at."

"Yeah, with the sudden night time effect these clouds are causing," Jeremy added, "It's hard looking in this city period. Probably why most people are heading home..."

"Maybe..." The dragon duelist muttered.

"You know, with Claudio we should find a music store..." The Gemini duelist pointed out.

"Yeah, if I was him and I was on a field trip, I'd take some music with me home," The alien duelist agreed.

Lily growled, "We just passed one and he wasn't there. Now you two want to go all the way back?"

"The guy's in danger," Jeremy said, "For all we know, we're dealing with the Invasion of Body Snatchers here! And he doesn't know the identity of his soon-to-be abductor like we do!"

"Point taken," She stated.

"Alright then, let's book," Alex shouted as he ran the opposite way of the street.

"Wait for us, Alex," Lily and Jeremy yelled as they ran after him.

* * *

In fact, the trio was right on the money on Claudio's whereabouts. He, Melody, Alexis and Isaac were currently at a local music shop where the music lover was listening to some samples and holding about 6 or 7 CDs of music in their cases and a CD player.

"He really does love music," Isaac said as he took notice of Claudio's handling of CDs while sampling music.

"Yup, it's how he got the idea for his deck, the Jukebox Heroes," Melody stated.

"Jukebox Heroes?"

"A lot of his monsters revolve around the types of rock music," Alexis continued to add, "Of course, he has a few with other music genres, but he's always said rock music is his favorite."

"You think he's getting ideas from the music he's gathering up," The Toon duelist asked.

"Big time," The girls replied.

Claudio took off the headphones he used and hung them up, turning to his group, "Well, I got all I need. Thanks for the hookup, Isaac!"

"Hey, no problem man," The elder Hikarii replied, "Anybody that's good to my little sister deserves some praise from the family."

"You know, I figured you go into 'overprotective brother' mode, pump me for information and all that," Claudio stated.

"Claudio," Melody growled.

"Sorry," He cringed.

"That's okay," Isaac said, "I would have, if it wasn't for all the e-mail chats I had with Melody. Sending me photos of your dates, all the nice things she kept saying... I could go on..."

"Isaac," The magician duelist blushed.

"Don't be embarrassed, Mel," Claudio said, hugging her from behind, "Nice to know that you care enough to divulge our love to your family! I have!"

"I'm guessing you can play a ton of love songs for her then," Alexis stated.

"You already know, Lex," He grinned, "In fact, with Alister and Erika's wedding coming up, I'll ask for playing the song of their first dance."

"If you ask me, they'll make you and Melody the Best Man and the Maid of Honor," The Obelisk added on, "I've noticed you two on double dates and add in the story of all four of you in a tag-duel..."

"They could ask for others for those spots," Claudio shrugged.

"I hope for it," Melody exclaimed as he put on a dreamy look, "Walking down the aisle together and then dancing across the dance floor..."

"And she's gone," Isaac smiled as he turned to Claudio, "Make an honest woman out of her, dude."

"I think we're a little too early for that," The J-Hero said sheepishly.

"Well, just don't break my sister's heart," The toon duelist stated as he wrapped an arm around Claudio's shoulders a little too tightly, "Otherwise, 'overprotective brother mode' will find a suitable punishment, if you catch my drift?"

Hearing that freaked Claudio out, making his eyes bug out and the girls laughing.

"I'll go... pay for my things now..." He said as he got out of Isaac's grip and headed over to the counter. If anyone saw his face, it was a look of dread and fear. _'Just hope that never happens...'_

"Why'd you go and do that," Melody asked in between laughs.

"Sorry, it was too tempting," Isaac grinned.

"Now he'll be shaking in his shoes," Alexis added with a smirk.

*CRASH!*

*OW!*

"Huh?" The trio asked as they looked over the CD shelf and found the cause of the noise.

Claudio had bumped into another person, sending all the CD cases and CD player to the ground. The person was a heavy-set teenager wearing a baseball cap backwards, a brown hoodie over a white shirt and a pair of brown sweatpants, rubbing his head. Everyone noticed there were a lot more CDs on the ground and it wasn't from the shelves...

"Hey," The guy said in a wannabe rapper voice, "Watch where you step, you feel me?"

"Sorry about that, bro..." Claudio groaned as he then saw his CDs scattered across the floor, "Oh man..."

He started to pick some of them up until he came across one that wasn't his.

"This is a rap CD," He said.

"That's mine," The guy said as he snatched it from him.

"Sorry, I've got my rock CDs scattered around here," Claudio said as he carefully found his CDs and stacked them with his CD player.

"You a rock and roll fan?"

"Yeah, and I guess the Rap CDs make you a fan of that genre. Including the way you talk..."

"Straight up, boy," He replied as he retrieved his CDs and stood up, "Name's T-Bone, now peace out!"

Claudio shrugged as T-Bone walked to the counter. He then picked himself up as the others came up to him.

"You alright, Claudio," Melody asked.

"Just fine," He replied, "I just have to watch my step like that guy, T-Bone says."

"T-Bone," Alexis asked.

"The guy at the counter over there," Claudio pointed out, "I'll be right back while I pay for these."

"Okay, we'll be outside," Isaac said as he guided the ladies out of the music store.

The Ra walked up to the counter to pay for CDs and met up with T-Bone again. The wannabe rapper looked again at the Academy student, noticing his yellow blazer.

"So, you from that Academy, huh," He asked as he paid for his merchandise.

"Yup, Ra Yellow," Claudio replied as he stepped to pay for his, "You ever been around Duel Academy?"

"Tried to, but I bombed on the tests," T-Bone stated.

"The written exam, right," The Ra asked, "Sorry to hear that, you seriously would've won the duel exam, the proctors always used their lame exam decks."

"Well, I'm still the best duelist around, believe that," He then took out his duel disk, "And since you Academy kids think you're the bomb, then step up to my skills!"

Claudio smiled as paid for his merchandise and turned to T-Bone, "Alright. Besides the duels are more challenging then tests on paper, right?"

"True dat, holmes," He grinned back, "Let's step outside!"

* * *

Outside the music store, Melody was staring out at the sky as she, Alexis and Isaac waited for Claudio to come out.

"I still hate this dark cloud," Melody muttered.

Suddenly, the spirit of Dark Magician Girl appeared next to her, but with a more cheerful expression.

"At least those Monarchs are starting to leave now," She explained as she pointed to the corner where both spirits of Thestalos and Granmarg vanished, "Just four more to go!"

"Now all we need to do is find them..." The Magician duelist added.

"Hey guys!"

Everyone saw Claudio walk out of the store, with his bag of CDs and with T-Bone as well.

"Who's this guy with you," Alexis asked.

"My next opponent," Claudio replied.

"He's a duelist," Isaac asked.

"That's right, ya'll," T-Bone stated as he cut on his duel disk, "And your boy doesn't have a chance against my skills!"

"Who's he supposed to be, a wannabe rapper," Melody scoffed.

"Watch it, girl!"

"Control that temper," The elder Hikarii said, glaring at Claudio's opponent, "Hey Claudio, be sure to beat some respect into him."

That's when T-Bone gasped and looked at the guy in yellow in disbelief...

"You're name's Claudio," He asked the Ra boy.

"Yeah, why," Claudio asked.

'I can't believe it, he was right under my nose,' T-Bone thought.

Also, without anyone noticing, a giant mirror loomed over the five people. Inside, the face of Sarina smirked.

'Well done, T-Bone,' she thought, 'But still, after this duel, you're done!'

On cue, the black vulture flew around the skies and called out, alerting the group on the ground. It was no surprise that T-Bone was scared out of his mind.

"Makoto!"

"Makoto," Claudio and his group asked as the vulture landed behind T-Bone. They got a big shock once it transformed into a raven haired woman wearing a red, long sleeved dress that went down to her knees and knee-length boots.

"Did I just see a vulture transform into a girl," Isaac asked.

"We all did," Alexis replied.

"You thought you could get away from me," Makoto growled at T-Bone, "You failed in your duel against those two Academy brats!"

Hearing that, Claudio, Melody and Alexis gasped.

"What happened to them," Claudio shouted to the raven haired woman.

"And T-Bone, I'll make sure you have nowhere to run away..."

Suddenly, Makoto created a dark flash that surrounded the wannabe rapper and drained something brown colored from his body. Once it was done, T-Bone was still fine, but to him he lost a part of himself.

"I took your power of the earth away," She stated as she took a few steps back, "Now duel Claudio and test him!"

"Test me for what," Claudio asked as he strapped on his duel disk and inserted his deck to turn it on.

T-Bone suddenly just glared at Claudio with a dark look in his eye and a evil smirk.

"Time to duel, chump," He said with a double voice.

"What did she do to him," Melody gasped.

"She possessed him," Alexis replied with a whisper.

"T-Bone, duel," Makoto ordered as she vanished in a dark pink light.

T-Bone drew his opening hand.

"Hey T-Bone, snap out of it," Claudio pleaded.

T-Bone: 8000

Claudio: 8000

"No talk, duel," T-Bone said as he drew his card, "I activate Double Summon and lay these two monster cards facedown..."

Two set monster cards appeared in front of wannabe rapper...

"And next, I'll set two more cards facedown and end my turn!"

...Along with two reversed cards behind them.

"He used up five cards already," Isaac exclaimed.

"He must have a pretty good strategy set up," Alexis figured.

"I just hope Claudio's ready for it," Melody concluded, "And hope he doesn't get too rattled for this guy..."

"Looks like I'll have to beat the sense back into ya," Claudio said as he drew his opening hand plus one card, "Well, what do you know, I got a Double Summon spell too! And I'll use it to summon Jukebox Heroes LP Angel and Bon-Fire!"

Descending from the field, a winged, blonde man in black dress shirt and jeans appeared. He carried a microphone that he raised to the sky. (4/2100/0)

Next, the flame wielding singer jumped out and swung his microphone. (4/1800/500)

"With that much attack power, Claudio can destroy both of this guy's monsters," the magician duelist pointed out.

"Too bad he can't touch this," the Earth duelist stated as he pressed a button on his duel disk, flipping over one of his trap cards. It showed Freed the Matchless General mapping out a war path on a map, "With A Feint Plan, no facedown monsters can be touched!"

"Fine, I'll just place this down and end my turn," Claudio concluded as set a facedown card.

"And that activates this trap, Labyrinth of Nightmare," T-Bone interrupted as his other facedown card flipped over. It revealed an interior of a dark maze with several ghosts flying around, "At the end of a player's turn, the monsters gotta sit down in defense mode!"

The J-Hero duelist gasped as his monsters suddenly kneeled and covered themselves with their arms, "I can still use Bon-Fire's effect, hitting you up for 300 points of damage for every Jukebox Hero on the field," He continued as Bon-Fire swung his microphone, conjuring fireballs from it, pelting the large duelist.

T-Bone: 7400

Claudio: 8000

"That was weak, let me show you a real move," The possessed duelist taunted as he drew, "I be flipping up my facedown monster, Dummy Golem!"

In a flash, a small stone golem appeared having a drill from the waist down. (2/800/800)

"Uh oh," Alexis said, "Now he can swap the control of one monster Claudio has with that golem."

"At least Claudio has the choice," Melody added, "But which one?"

"So C-Dog, who's joining my crew," the Light Brigade duelist asked.

"I'll choose my Bon-Fire," The Ra guitarist declared. That's when Dummy Golem and Bon-Fire disappeared in a bright light and the reappeared on the opposite field.

"Next, I'll flip up another one of my posse, Golem Sentry," The earth duelist continued as his other facedown monster revealed a large rounded slab of stone appeared, carrying a spear. (4/800/1800) "And once he's flip summoned, I get to return one monster to the player's hand. So, I'll be taking back my Dummy Golem..."

The red doors of the sentry opened up and created a suction force that took in the Dummy Golem, before sealing the doors back.

"Now, I'll switch Bon-Fire into attack mode..."

Bon-Fire stood up...

"And then I'll have Golem Sentry attack your Angel!"

The small stone slab charged into the fray and held out its spear towards the winged hero.

"Go trap card, Negate Attack!"

Claudio's facedown card flipped up, creating a spiral force that stopped spear from reaching LP Angel.

"Now that your Battle Phase is over, you can't attack my monster anymore," Claudio grinned.

"Nice, he dodged a bullet with LP Angel's 0 defense points," Isaac praised.

"Told ya he's good," Melody smiled.

"Hold up, peeps," T-Bone shouted, "My turn ain't done yet! I'll sacrifice Golem Sentry to summon Castle Gate!"

Rising up from the ground, a large set of double red doors with a stone, castle tower frame around it appeared with arms. (6/0/2400)

"In attack mode," Claudio wondered, "It has no points in that mode."

"But it can still deal effect damage while in attack mode," the Toon duelist warned, "He just has to sacrifice a monster up to level 5!"

"Your homeboy's right, C-Dog," T-Bone grinned, "And I can ante up the damage with your boy, Bon-Fire!"

On cue, the giant doors of Castle Gate opened up and sucked in the Jukebox Hero and closed up again. When it opened up again, a big laser appeared and aimed itself at the Ra.

"Here comes the boom!"

*BOOM!*

The cannon fired out the J-Hero, turning him into a firey missile and hitting Claudio in the gut.

T-Bone: 7400

Claudio: 6200

"I'll end my turn here," T-Bone concluded, "And thanks to my Labyrinth of Nightmare, my Castle Gate gets to chill in defense mode!"

Castle Gate's doors sealed shut completely again.

"Alright tough guy, my move," Claudio stated as he drew, "I summon Soul Mic in attack mode!"

A silver microphone attached to a stand rose up from the ground and appeared in front of Claudio, letting him take it into his hands. (1/300/200)

"Now then, this card can attack directly, plus be safe from attacks since a Jukebox Hero is on the field," He announced with his voice amplified by the mic, "Also, I activate the spell card Power Slide!"

The card inserted into the disk showed Jukebox Hero JB performing the Power Slide move as he waved his guitar around.

"And by cutting Jukebox Hero's ATK in half for the turn, that monster can attack directly! So LP Angel, get ready to fly, my friend!"

LP Angel took to the skies, getting a good vantage point to travel across the field for an attack. (4/2300-1150/0) That's when Claudio kicked the stand away and started to swing the ball and chain that was attached to the microphone.

"Now let's get him, direct attack!"

LP Angel dove straight for the wannabe rapper who focused his attention on him. The Ra took his chance and then smacked him upside the head with the metal ball.

T-Bone: 7100

Claudio: 6200

"That hurt, fool," T-Bone shouted as he held his forehead.

"And it's gets worse," Claudio grinned as LP Angel performed a spinning dive kick that knocked the Rock duelist on his butt.

T-Bone: 5950

Claudio: 6200

"Now that I've gotten my revenge for Bon-Fire, LP Angel switches to defense mode after he attacks," He continued as his hero came back to kneel and cover himself with his wings, "I end my turn, but now your Labyrinth of Nightmare activates, switching the modes of my monsters."

"And with that, LP Angel won't be defenseless," Alexis realized, "I figured he find some way to turn the duel around!"

As Labyrinth of Nightmare shined for its activation, LP Angel stood right back up while Claudio brought back the stand set the mic right back on it for defense mode.

"Alright, I got you," T-Bone said as he drew, "I activate Spell Book inside the Pot, hooking us up with three cards!"

Both players drew their three cards from the deck. The Earth duelist looked pleased with his hand.

"Claudio better get ready for this one," Isaac stated, "I think T-Bone's got something for him if he was risking giving Claudio extra cards."

"First up, I activate Shield and Sword to flip the script on all monsters by swapping their ATK and DEF around, meaning your homeboy's outta luck!"

Once T-Bone inserted the card, the holograms of all monsters were being rewritten, making all monsters adjust to their new power, or lack thereof... (6/0-2400/2400-0), (4/2100-0/0-2100), (1/300-200/200-300)

"Crud," The J-Hero cringed.

"And now with Castle Gate in attack mode, it's time to smoke you for more of your points! Go Gate Cannon!"

The giant gate opened its doors and fired another cannon blast at LP Angel, complete obliterating it. The blast was so great that it reached Claudio, blowing his hair back forcefully as he blocked with his duel disk.

T-Bone: 5950

Claudio: 3800

"You think that was fun? Try out my Armor Exe for size, playa!"

Rising next to the gate, was a tall Minotaur monster with orange, webbed armor, green cape and sharp claws created out of reanimated rock... or at least it would if it were moving. (4/2400/1400)

"Oh no, it's another cannon fodder monster," Melody gasped.

"True dat, homegirl," T-Bone grinned as the new monster was sucked inside of Castle Gate's doors before it shut and reopened to the cannon that emerged, "Time for your boy to get blasted on! Here comes the boom!"

*BOOM!*

The cannon fired out the rock Minotaur, turning it into a giant rock that slammed into the music lover's gut, making him cry out as he kneeled and clutched his gut.

T-Bone: 5950

Claudio: 1400

"Claudio," Melody cried out.

"He won't last long with that Castle Gate still in play," Alexis stated, not liking the pain Claudio was going through.

"Then he better get a move on before T-Bone finishes him off," Isaac warned.

"Give it up, chump," The earth duelist said as he played a facedown card on the field, "You ain't gonna win against me!"

"The only way you're beating me, is over my life point counter hitting or my deck running out," Claudio grunted as he drew his next card, "And it I plan on taking you out before hand..."

"Please, your skills are whack," T-Bone scoffed as his Castle Gate was put into defense mode by Labyrinth of Nightmare, "You got nothing, kid!"

"Here's what I got, Pot of Greed to draw two cards," Claudio drew two cards, "Next, the Spell Cross Shift to take Soul Mic into my hand and then Special Summon my Level 3 Jukebox Hero Modest Mouse in defense mode!"

In a flash of light, the sliver microphone was replaced by a two-foot mouse appeared wearing a black-tie suit, with a banjo in hand appeared. (3/800/1200)

"And before you stop me on the lack of heavy metal on this mouse, let me finish up with his special ability," Claudio stated as he drew two cards and looked at his overall hand, "When I have nothing on the field after summoning him, I can draw two cards." He then took one of them, a spell card, which showed the earth split up and skeletons hanging out, being returned to human.

"I activate ritual spell card Cowboys from Hell!"

Suddenly, the ground started to shake and crack apart spooking T-Bone and the spectators as they looked on. But what really got the rap lover shocked, is the skeletons that came out, four of them to be exact.

"I thought you said heavy metal, not country," T-Bone shouted.

"I did, but hey even metal comes from the south," Claudio shrugged, "Now back to my move, for this ritual I need to sacrifice 8 stars worth of monsters. So Soul Mic will provide one star, Modest Mouse will provide three and the Jukebox Hero Manson from my hand will provide the final four!"

Appearing on the field along with Modest Mouse and Soul Mic, was a pale man in a black vest and pants with a microphone in his hands. He looked effeminate but his style said otherwise. (4/1500/1200)

Then, the souls of all three monsters were suddenly sent flying out their bodies as they vanished. The souls started to circle around the four skeletons rapidly, recreating the flesh on the bones and restoring the clothes of the skeletons.

"Now meet the rebirth of Jukebox Hero Pantera!"

Once the souls were done, the only three of the four skeletons were completely revived! They all wore black vests with shirts that had flaming skull heads. Also, they wore blue jeans with black boots. Each of them also carried a microphone, bass guitar and drumsticks. (8/3000/1200)

"They can't touch my Castle Gate! Or did you forget he can't be destroyed in battle," T-Bone wondered but then noticed the fourth skeleton, "Also what's with the other skeleton not getting back his body?"

"First of all, I didn't forget about Castle Gate, that's why Pantera's effect will destroy all monsters with DEF lower than their ATK," Claudio informed him, "And that's the reason the fourth skeleton didn't reform his body, he'll use the effect on Castle Gate to gain it!"

Once the sentence was finished, the last skeleton pounced on the Castle Gate's doors and ripped them open to break in. T-Bone laughed at, what it seemed to be, the suicide of the skeleton. But his laughing stopped when his monster broke apart from the inside out into rubble. And now standing on the remains was another brown, long-haired man in the same attire of his band members and carried a blue guitar with lightning bolt paint job. His fellow members cheered as he ran over to Claudio's field. (8/3000-3200/1200)

"That was a pretty big entrance," Isaac said, staring at the Jukebox Hero Band conversing with each other and Claudio.

"Yeah, all of his strongest monsters do that," Melody smiled, "Then again, Claudio's no different when he performs at school events."

"Cool..." The toon duelist nodded and smiled.

"And now without a monster on T-Bone's field, he can mount a comeback," Alexis added.

"Alright, Pantera take a walk," Claudio grinned.

(Play Walk-Pantera)

The band members cheered as they started playing while the cracks of the ground started to be set a flame. Keeping the tempo, the guitarist walked through the flames, unscathed and then slammed the wannabe rapper in the gut with his guitar.

T-Bone: 2750

Claudio: 1400

"He's closing the gap," The Magician duelist praised.

"And he activated my trap, Damage Condenser," T-Bone interrupted as he discarded his Dummy Golem into the grave, "By discarding a card from my hand, I can summon a monster with ATK equal to damage I took or less!"

"Oh no, he could summon a powerful monster to the field," Claudio muttered to himself, but then something hit him, "Okay, I wonder who's coming since there are no Rock monsters with 3200 ATK."

"Alright, here comes my Avatar of the Pot, kicking it center stage!"

In a flash of light, was the Pot of Greed itself. But this time, it was attached into a muscular green body wearing gold bands on the wrists and a red and black loincloth around the waist. (3/1200/1300)

"I can't see how you'll get out of this one, but a facedown card and Soul Drum in defense mode will set you straight," The rock n' roll fan concluded with a facedown card at his feet and the flaming aura drum set in front of it. (4/0/2200)

"Let's see what I got," T-Bone said as he drew, "I'll use Magic Planter to ditch my Labyrinth trap and draw two cards!

Labyrinth of Nightmare shattered as T-Bone drew two cards.

"Next, I'll discard Pot of Greed for Avatar of the Pot's effect! It lets me draw three cards instead of two!"

The Pot of Greed shined on the Avatar's head as the possesed duelist drew three more cards.

"Now, I'll sacrifice my Avatar to summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch in attack mode!"

The Pot-headed monster shattered into particles of light that called forth the rock armored Monarch to the field. (6/2400/1000)

"I get to destroy a facedown card, so say good bye to your ammo!"

The Rock Monarch revved its fist up and slammed down on Claudio's left facedown card.

"That was Dummy Marker," The Ra announced as he drew a card, "Letting me draw a card!"

"Whatever," T-Bone scoffed as he inserted a spell card, into his disk as it revealed on the field, "I play Polymerization fusing my Big Piece Golem and my Medium Piece Golem in my hand!"

Dropping onto the field was a large, craggy grey golem with short arms and legs, but large hands and feet, and a more humanoid golem with a gold-brown color. Both of them disappeared into the fusion vortex...

"Here comes the heavy Multiple Piece Golem!"

Towering over nearly every skyscraper around the city, golem about fourteen feet tall and carved out of various types of stone appeared. It had massive spherical hands with brick-like fingers at the end of them. It had red eyes peering through its rectangular slit carved into the bricks that made its body. (7/2600/1300)

"Now my golem, attack his drum set!"

The giant reared back its massive fist before hurling it towards Claudio's Drums, shattering it.

"And at the end of my Battle Phase, Multiple Piece Golem has to split, but he leaves behind the posse that brought him to the club!"

The golem then broke down into Big Piece Golem and the Medium Piece Golem, both of which blocked by holding out the palms of their hands. (5/2100/0), (4/1600/0)

"Now, since Medium Piece Golem was summoned with Big Piece Golem on the field, I get to summon my little homey, Small Piece Golem!"

Appearing in the middle of the golems, copying their stance was a dark brown golem with a cylindrical body, with medium sized limbs and blue eyes glaring out from a hole. (3/1100/0)

"It's your turn, rock fan," T-Bone concluded.

"Thank you kindly," Claudio said as he drew, "I summon Jukebox Hero Tom Sawyer!"

As he set the card on the tray, the guitar spear wielding hero appeared. (4/1900/1000)

"Now Pantera, attack Granmarg!"

Once again, the band started to rock out, but this time the singer made the move by slamming the microphone to the ground, creating another fissure that the Monarch fell in.

T-Bone: 1950

Claudio: 1400

"And Tom Sawyer attack Big Piece Golem!"

Seeing how easy it was to get through the defenses, Tom only jumped on top of the golem's hands and then drove the spearhead into the top of the rock monster. It created large cracks that eventually broke the monster down to rubble.

"And one card facedown and I'll end my turn," Claudio concluded as another facedown appeared at his feet.

"My move," T-Bone drew out and grinned, "Game over, C-Dog! I remove all 7 Rock Monsters in my graveyard to summon my gangsta MC Megarock Dragon!"

As T-Bone removed all the monsters in his graveyard, the large, jagged stone dragon appeared from the fissure that took Granmarg away. (7/?/?)

"And for every rock monster I removed from the game, my boy's hooked up with 700 ATK and DEF for each one!"

The spirits of all rock monsters removed fused into the rock dragon, making him grow even bigger. (7/?-4900/?-4900)

"4900 points," Alexis gasped, "If either one of those monsters take the hit, Claudio's life points will be all gone!"

"I just hope that facedown card helps him survive..." Isaac added.

"Don't worry, guys," Melody said eyeing Claudio's facedown, "He's not going to lose to some poser!"

"POSER!" T-Bone shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Methinks you hit a soft spot, Mel," Claudio said, turning to his girlfriends.

"Oops..." Melody replied, covering her mouth daintily with her fingers.

"That's it, Megarock Dragon go ham on Pantera and end this duel!"

The Dragon roared as it transformed itself into an avalanche of boulders, rolling down the field and quickly approaching.

"You're done, kid!"

"But then, you'll miss the after party," Claudio said, activating his facedown card that happened to be the name of the card, "This After Party!"

The quick-play spell card showed a picture of a trashed hotel room with Jukebox Hero KG asleep on a brown couch with a lampshade on his head. Also JB was asleep in a lazy boy recliner chair with bottles of drinks, large bags of chips, and sandwich wraps all over and around his body.

"During after parties, it's great to unwind after a job well done with wowing the crowd," The J-Hero duelist stated as his Jukebox Heroes switched to defense mode, "And that's the beauty of this spell card, I can switch every Jukebox Hero I have to Defense mode and then draw another card!"

Once he drew his next card, he smiled, 'Roadie Riggs, nice!'

"Your Pantera's still being crushed, C-Dog!"

As T-Bone stated, the boulder avalanche crushed all four band members of the group, leaving no trace. The boulders rolled back to the rock duelist and reformed into the rock dragon.

"I'm out, so it's your move," T-Bone concluded, "But don't be thinking you got me! I've got power to represent!"

"But you don't duel for real," Claudio said, staring at him in sadness, "You're not even yourself, man! So forget the scoreboard, you were beaten before we started! But after this duel, I'll bring ya back, homeboy."

"Nice little speech," Isaac praised, "I see what you like this guy, sis. He's not all brawn and brain, he plays with his heart."

"As we all should," Melody smiled.

"I just hope Claudio can end it next move, so we can find our friends," Alexis stated, "So he's got to make this count."

"Here we go, draw," Claudio called out as he drew, what he saw was one of his new cards, "Hey, new guy," He exclaimed as he put it on the field, "I summon Ironheade – Mangus the Engineer!"

In a dark flash, a guy with long dark hair and a moustache appeared. He wore a tan jacket with a white shirt underneath and dark jeans. Around his neck, was a backstage pass and on his head was a headset with a mic. He looked little unsuited to battle once he stepped up. (3/200/200)

"WHOA, dude," He shouted in a hippie voice, "I'm not supposed to be out here!"

"Huh," Claudio said, "But aren't you apart of Ironheade and Bladehenge?"

"Yeah, but not as a fighter," Mangus explained, "I'm what Lars called one of those tech guys... uh..."

"Engineers?"

"That's right! Of course, I gotta work with the boss; otherwise, I'm no good."

When Claudio looked at the rest of his hand, he smiled, "I got ya, dude."

"Hey, quit talking to your peeps and get a move on, C-Dog," T-Bone shouted.

"Okay, I activate Ancient Rules to bring out Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs!"

In a flash, the Roadie of the Jukebox Heroes took his place on the field. (7/2500/2000)

"And now, Mangus, join the big guy for a union!"

"Alright!"

The engineer just stood closer to the hero, trying to act tough.

"Finally, I can use Mangus' union effect, by paying half my life points..."

A red aura surrounded Claudio, draining the life points.

T-Bone: 1950

Claudio: 700

"And it lets me take any equip spell from my deck and add it to my hand," He announced as a card slipped out of his deck, letting him retrieve it, "And I'll use the Equip Spell card Nevan!"

A large thunderbolt zapped in front of Riggs and created a strange, otherworldly guitar. It was a white and light purple, flying V guitar with the V part shaped like bat wings.

"This equips onto a Jukebox Hero, changing them to a DARK Thunder Type monster," Claudio explained, "Also, grants the user 500 ATK for every Jukebox Hero in my graveyard, while taking 500 DEF each as well!"

Roadie Riggs took the guitar in his hands, letting the dark electricity course through him and granting him his new found power. It was painful to experience, but it was well worth the reward. (7/2500-5000/2000-0)

"Aw man, five grand!" T-Bone gasped.

"Yup, and then I'll switch Tom Sawyer back into Attack mode and lets have some fun! Take out Medium Piece Golem!"

Tom Sawyer wasted no time in running down the field and crushing the Medium Piece Golem.

"Now Roadie Riggs, destroy Megarock Dragon with Wild Lightning Rock!"

Using the power of his guitar, the Roadie played a wild solo creating a thunderstorm from the clouds above and broke apart the dragon into many pieces of rubble.

T-Bone: 1850

Claudio: 700

"You got nothing else, Claudio," T-Bone stated, "I win..."

He stopped himself when the Ra turned over his final card, Combination Attack!

"He has Combination Attack?" Alexis gasped.

Claudio turned to the Obelisk girl and answered her, "With these new union monsters, I traded Vincent some compatible cards with warriors for some of his excess copies of his union compatible cards."

"And now with Combination Attack, he can strike with both monsters and win," Isaac grinned.

Mangus stepped away from Riggs, who got his second wind.

"Alright Mangus, you got 200 ATK," He told the engineer, "Enough to take out Small Piece Golem in defense mode, so go get him, man!"

"You got it!" The engineer said, now being enthusiastic about his battling. He pulled out a monkey wrench and threw it at the small golem. A single hit in the eyes shattered the living rock.

"Now Roadie Riggs, end this game!"

The possessed duelist stood helplessly as Roadie Riggs charged across the field and then slammed the heavyset teen on his back, with a shocking end.

T-Bone: 0

Claudio: 700, Winner

All the holograms vanished as Claudio ran over to his fallen opponent.

"Hey, T-Bone you okay," He asked.

"Sorry, but he won't be!"

A dark pink light suddenly emerged, blinding everyone as they covered their eyes with their arms and hands. Once it subsided, the earth duelist was gone without a trace.

"What's going on here," Claudio shouted.

"That's what we'd all like to know..." Melody added.

"Claudio!"

The group of four turned to see Jeremy, Lily and Alex run up to them.

"You guys must've ran track or something," Alexis stated, looking at the tired forms of the trio.

Lily caught enough breath for her to speak, "Claudio, someone's after you! A girl who can turn herself into a vulture!"

"I know..." He replied.

"We were just approached by that same person and her lackey," Melody stated, "Of course, she probably disposed of him once he lost."

The trio gasped.

"She's the one that kidnapped Vincent and Allyson after their duel," Jeremy exclaimed.

"Oh great, now we got bigger problems!" Claudio shouted.

"Some field trip, this turned out to be..." Alexis muttered sadly.

* * *

At the secluded caverns, Sarina smiled, holding up two cards with pictures of T-Bone and Blaze trapped in mirrors. She let out a sinister laugh as two of the candles went out.

"Now for Aster... before we move on..."

* * *

Yup, Aster's next before we get back my half of the Light Brigade.

Jukebox Hero Pantera

LV: 8

Attribute: Dark

Type: Ritual/Warrior/Effect

Attack: 3000

Defense: 1200

This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card, Cowboys from Hell. When ritual summoned, destroy all other face-up monsters on the field with DEF less than or equal to this card's ATK. This card gains 200 ATK for each monster destroyed by this effect.

Cowboys from Hell

Ritual Spell

This card is used to Ritual Summon "Jukebox Hero Pantera". You must also Tribute monsters whose total Levels equal 8 or more from the field or your hand.

Picture: The earth is split as the band Pantera bodies are slowly beginning to reform from skeletons.

(The two preceding cards were created by Joshua Chung. Creative card rights go to him, but inspiration goes to the band Pantera. Dimebag Darrell Lance Abbot, R.I.P.)

Nevan

Equip Spell

Art: The demon axe guitar in The Game Devil May 3. The guitar has purple lighting striking it with a large swarm of bats made of the purple lighting flying behind it.

This card can only be equipped to a card with 'Jukebox Hero' in its name. When this card is equipped, the chosen monster is treated as Dark-Attribute Thunder Monster. Also for each Jukebox Hero in the graveyard, increase the ATK of the monster, equipped with this card, by 500 for each card in the graveyard and decrease the same amount of Def points.

After Party

Quick-Play Spell

Art: In a Hotel room, Jukebox Hero KG is on a brown couch asleep with a lampshade on his head. JB is in a lazy boy recliner chair asleep with a six bottles of drinks, two large bags of chips, and 3 sandwich wraps and the whole room is trashed.

Info: When this card played, all face-up ATK mode "Jukebox Hero" monster cards on the field are switch to Def mode and you draw 1 card from your deck and add it to your hand.

(The two preceding cards were created by x-knight20. Creative card rights go to him, but Nevan's inspiration goes to the creators of the Devil May Cry series)

Ironheade – Mangus the Engineer

Level 3

LIGHT

200/200

Warrior/Union

Once per turn, you can equip this card to a "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" you control, OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped to a monster by this effect, you can pay half your life points to take 1 equip spell card from your deck and add it to your hand. (A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, this card is destroyed instead)

(This card is created by me. Creative card rights go to me, but inspiration goes to the company Double Fine.)

Next Time: Where's Thunder been hiding? Tailing Aster!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	35. Destiny Intervention

Alright, time for Aster to battle again! Seriously, these Destiny Heroes need to be seen more for this arc!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 35: Destiny Intervention

In the alleyways of Domino City, Thunder, formerly of the Light Brigade was staggering and leaning against the walls. He was really ticked off after what happened to him earlier...

* * *

(Flashback)

 _"A'ight, I better act quickly, unless I'll lose this," Frost muttered as he activated his facedown card. It showed a mirror being held by shadow hands with a green talisman behind it. The same mirror on the picture materialized next to the ice duelist. "It's called Mirror of Duality!"_

 _"Whoa, hold on, that'll..."_

 _"Right Thunder, it's going to end this duel to the extreme," Frost grinned, finishing his partner's thoughts. "It'll cost me 1000 points, but it kills every monster on the field and deal 500 points to their owners!"_

 _Suddenly, the mirror extracted a dark portion of Frost's soul and drew it into the center. That darkness materialized into a dark shadowy figure that towered over the field, spooking everyone before it exploded into dark arrows, destroying every monster out and leaving them in a pile of pixels._

 _"What's the deal...?" Thunder tried to protest, but one of the dark arrows struck him down and knocked him out..._

(End Flashback)

* * *

"This time, it's my time," He growled as he walked on his way, "And I'll prove by taking on the next guy I see!"

As the thunder duelist stepped out of the alleyway, he found the Kame Game Shop and smirked.

"And I know just where to find one..."

* * *

Jaden, Aster, Masaki and Solomon were back at the Kame Game Shop, sitting around and thinking back to their encounter with Frost.

"So we've got eight guys from a group called the Light Brigade running around the city, looking for everyone from Duel Academy to take hostage," Jaden stated.

"Strike that, four of them," Aster corrected, "Before I came inside, I saw that two more of the Monarch spirits were gone."

"And these four are a lot more dangerous in the right hands," Masaki said, thinking of who was left of the Light Brigade and the powers of the four remaining Monarchs, "And whoever's dueling them has to be ready for anything."

"So then, you dealt with one of them," The Neos duelist said to the S-Hero duelist, "So that means that Syrus, Hassleberry and two others from our group beat them!"

"But it sounded like Frost survived the first duel he was in," The D-Hero duelist stated, "And he was a lightweight... it wouldn't surprise me if one of those that were defeated were still roaming the city, looking for Academy Kids and anybody associated with them.

"And from another perspective, this Light Brigade crew is head up by Sartorius' three sisters," Masaki pondered, "And they have powers like Sartorius, foretelling the future. But unlike Sartorius who uses tarot cards, they use mirrors and Fortune Fairy cards."

"Fortune Fairy," Solomon wondered, "Ah, I remember! Pegasus did get into fortune telling, so he thought about creating cards around the concept."

"I'm guessing that's where the Arcana Force monsters came in," Aster shrugged.

Jaden stood up from his chair, "I say we find all of these guys and take 'em down!"

"One problem, 'superhero'," The Pro duelist stated, "We don't know what they look like."

"Oh yeah..."

Just then, the bell over the front entrance rang and a new presence entered the Game Shop. "Can I help you?" Solomon asked.

"If any of you are duelists, then yes you can help me..." An enthusiastic and crazy voice spoke out.

The trio of duelist turned to see a person with wild blue hair and yellow eyebrows. He wore a dark blue coat and jeans with a white shirt underneath. He also carried an Academy-issued duel disk on his right arm.

"And you are," Jaden asked.

"Thunder," The person replied, "And I'm just itching to duel!"

The Neos duelist, grinned, "I can't turn down a challenge."

"You will this time," Aster said as he stood up, "Been a while since I dueled around the streets. You should be honored to duel a pro like me."

"Aster Phoenix, eh," Thunder acknowledged, "I can't wait to prove how powerful I am against you."

"Someone's a little eager," Solomon looked on.

"A chance to duel a Pro and upstage one," Masaki shrugged, "Lots of people would love to capitalize on that."

Jaden sighed as his chance to duel had gone to Aster, but quickly got over it and grinned.

"Well what are we waiting for," He exclaimed, "Let's go outside and watch a good match!"

* * *

On that, everyone started to leave out the shop as Aster readjusted his deck with a thought in mind.

 _'I've noticed that everyone has gone home in the city because of that cloud those spirits set up,' He thought, 'I wonder...'_

Soon, everyone was outside the shop with Thunder on one side, Aster on the other.

"I can't wait to put you through the shock of a lifetime," Thunder grinned as he inserted his deck into his duel disk and turned it on.

"I don't know about that, but Destiny will have my back in this duel," Aster replied as he turned on his duel disk.

"DUEL!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Thunder: 8000

Aster: 8000

"Alright, here I go," Thunder declared as he drew, "I activate the field spell card, Umi!"

After the card was slid into the field spell slot, water suddenly flooded the streets, like in Masaki's duel with Frost. Soon, the area was changed to a vast ocean.

"This is just like what happened with your match with Frost," Jaden said to Masaki.

"Yeah, except with this field spell it won't benefit Aster at all," Masaki added, "No Thunder monsters, which from his name, this guy has."

"Well that's the difference between him and me," the thunder duelist stated, "I had cards to help the both of us, but he just kept his cards to himself."

That's when everyone bugged out once those words left out of his mouth.

"I never thought you'd be this loose-lipped," Aster smirked and shook his head, "With all the streets being emptied out because of the clouds, the only people who'd be out are you Monarch users."

"You're with Frost," Jaden glared.

"Use to be," Thunder snapped, "Now I'm going solo! Plus, it'll show Sarina that she missed out on having a strong player for her team!"

"You better tell us where are friends out," Masaki demanded.

"I'll tell you what, since I'm in a good mood," Thunder stated, "If Aster can beat me, I'll tell you what I know."

"Deal, so finish your move," Aster replied.

"Gladly! I summon my Thunder King Rai-Oh in attack mode!"

The blue, thunder king appeared from the sky with its two lightning rods. (4/1900/800)

"And in Umi, Thunder monsters gain 200 ATK and DEF!"

Rai-Oh's electricity suddenly spanned across the sea, marking its territory... (4/1900-2100/800-1000)

"And with one card facedown, I turn it over to you," He concluded.

"A strong start," Masaki acknowledged, "Aster only has one monster card without his combos to defeat him."

"Still, I bet he can pull one out of his hand," Jaden said, "I mean he is a pro after all..."

"Here we go, folks," Aster said as he drew and slipped in a spell card into his disk, "I activate the spell card Misfortune! And this card let's me deal damage equal to half of your monster's original ATK!"

A dark beam flashed from the spell card and fired through the King, stunning him and then dealing Thunder with a smaller blast.

Thunder: 7050

Aster: 8000

"Next, I summon Vision Magician in attack mode!"

In a dark flash, a small skeleton appeared with its face covered by a white mask with yellow eyes and a red cape around its neck. It also wielded a grey scepter with a red jewel inside. (3/600/700)

"Vision Magician," Jaden wondered as he turned to Masaki.

"Must be related to Vision Hero Trinity," The S-Hero duelist shrugged.

"And then, I use the spell card D-Mind!"

Aster inserted another card that showed "Destiny Hero - Blade Master battling against "Return Zombie", "Pitch-Dark Dragon" and the Goblin Elite Attack Force.

"Since my field is fresh out of Destiny Hero monsters, I can summon a low level one from my deck," He declared as he took a card from his deck. "And I pick Destiny Hero – Doom Lord!"

In a dark flash, the caped and clawed D-Hero appeared. (3/600/800)

"Ha, that weak little thing," Thunder laughed, "I've seen bunnies scarier than him!"

"It's not polite to laugh at people you don't know," the D-Hero duelist warned, "Otherwise, they'll show you a side you'd never want to meet. For instance, by giving up the battle phase, I can send your so-called king two rounds into the future!"

"Say what!"

Everyone watched as Doom Lord gripped the Thunder King by the waist with his large claw. The king eyes lit up as he suddenly vanished.

"Aw man," Thunder whined.

"Too bad, he could've helped ya," Aster taunted as he set two reversed cards onto his field, "I'll end my turn here."

"I think this Thunder fellow doesn't duel so well," Solomon stated.

"What makes you say that, Mr. Moto," Jaden asked.

Masaki snapped his fingers, "Of course! Thunder King Rai-Oh had a special ability," He said, "Aside from forcing both players to just draw cards from their decks, it could've sacrificed itself to negate the special summon of Doom Lord and destroy it."

"He didn't see Doom Lord as a threat because of its low attack score," The old man stated.

"Common mistake, pal," Aster proclaimed to his opponent, "You underestimated my monster because of its low attack score. I don't think you're cut out for dueling against me..."

Thunder growled, "Okay, you asked for it," the Light Brigade duelist shouted as he drew, "I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan!"

A lightning bolt crashed into the earth and brought out a cute, red-haired catgirl wearing a bengal-skinned leotard, gloves and slippers, carrying drumsticks and for good reason. Around her was a drum set, connected by a large, metal ring. (4/1900-2100/800-1000)

"And now, I get to use my facedown card, Judgment of Thunder!"

Thunder's trap card flipped over showing an Oscillo Hero being charged up by lightning.

"Since I just summoned a Thunder-Type monster, I can destroy one card on your field," Thunder grinned, "And there is no better choice than your Doom Lord!"

A lightning bolt shot down from the sky and smite the dark hero where he stood.

"Now Thunder Nyan Nyan, attack Vision Magician with Lightning Drum!"

The catgirl screeched as she started a drum solo that attracted lighting from the skies, sending it through the water. The magician was then fried to a crisp and excess lighting shocked the D-Hero duelist.

Thunder: 7050

Aster: 6500

"Ouch," Jaden muttered.

Thunder laughed, "Now do you see how powerful I am now, 'Pro'?"

"I still think you're gullible," The Pro duelist replied.

"What!"

"My Vision Magician had a special ability that activates when it's destroyed in battle," Aster stated, as Thunder gasped, "I get to special summon any monster with 1000 ATK or less in defense mode with Hero in its name. Once again, you underestimated my monster."

"He used Judgment of Thunder on the wrong monster," Solomon stated.

"Plain and simple," Masaki added with a smile.

A card slipped out of Aster's deck, letting him take it and set it on his field.

"I choose, my Destiny Hero-Defender," The pro announced as the giant brick soldier appeared with its massive guard up. (4/100/2700) "Also, I activate Destiny Signal," He continued as his trap flipped over and shone a searchlight on the building behind Thunder, "It lets me summon another low-level Destiny Hero to the field, like Destiny Hero – Fear Monger!"

Answering the call, the dark green armored hero appeared, putting its guard up as well. (4/1000/1000)

"Alright, I set one card facedown card and let you go again," Thunder concluded.

"I draw," Aster said as he drew his card, looked at it and immediately slid it into his disk, "I set two cards facedown and its back to you."

"He emptied out his hand," Jaden pointed out.

"My move," Thunder declared as he drew, "And since that Destiny Hero-Defender is in defense mode, I can draw again!"

"And that activates my trap card, Appropriate," Aster interrupted as he flipped over his trap. It showed two thieves, counting up their stolen goods which consisted of many jewels, "Since your drawing outside of your Standby Phase, I can draw two cards!"

The pro drew two cards from his deck.

"And I summon my Calculator to the field," Thunder continued.

The small robotic number pad appeared, floating over the water. (2/?/0)

"And he gains 300 ATK for every level my entire monster line-up has, plus the 200 from Umi!"

The small machine started to calculate on its number pad as the screen scrolled to say: 6 X 300= 1800 + 200 = 2000. (2/?-2000/0-200)

"And next, I'll activate my Stop Defense card and switch your Defender into attack mode!"

Everyone gasped Defender was forced to stand up and off his guard.

"Now my Thunder Nyan Nyan, attack his Defender now!"

The catgirl screeched again as she attracted the lightning to the water again.

"This time, I rather not see my monster get destroyed," Aster stated as he activated his facedown card, "I activate D-Shield to switch it back into defense mode and keep it from being destroyed in battle!"

A dark blue aura surrounded the Destiny Hero and it caused some rocks to kick up in front of him. The thunder only destroyed the rocks in front of the Defender, softening the blow.

Thunder: 6450

Aster: 6500

"Grr... Calculator, destroy his Fear Monger!"

The Calculator opened up its sliver hand launched a lightning bolt through the water, shocking the weaker Destiny Hero into pixels.

"And I end my turn," Thunder concluded.

"Glad to hear it," Aster said as he drew, "And since it's been two turns, your Thunder King comes right back!"

With giant flash, Thunder King Rai-Oh returned to the field. (4/1900-2100/800-1000)

"And with a level 4 monster on the field, Calculator gains 1200 more ATK," Thunder pointed out.

The machine then calculated again for the screen to say: 2000 + (3 X 400) = 3200. (2/2000-3200/200)

"3200!" Solomon gasped.

"This is bad," Jaden stated.

"Yeah, but since Fear Monger was destroyed in battle last turn, I can summon a Destiny Hero from my graveyard," the Pro duelist added, "And it's the return of Destiny Hero – Doom Lord!"

A dark portal opened up in the ground, letting Doom Lord return to the field. (3/600/800)

"Aw man, not him again," Thunder shouted.

"Yup, he's back again, and I'll now activate Hand Destruction so that both of us have to send two cards and then draw two more from our decks," Aster continued, "And of course that will activate my Appropriate, letting me draw another two cards!"

Both players chose and sent two cards into the grave, letting Thunder draw two more and Aster four more.

"And now, let's change the scenery to with my Clock Tower Prison Field Spell!"

"Oh no!"

The ocean suddenly evaporated and then transported the duelists and spectators to the heavily built prison with the Clock Tower behind Aster. The lack of water, cost the thunder monsters their added power. (4/2100-1900/1000-800) x2, (2/3200-3000/200)

"Next, I summon Destiny Hero – Dread Servant in attack mode!"

The hands of the clock tower moved from six o' clock straight to twelve. The bell rang moving the fog away from the very top and standing where the fog was, a dark armored and caped warrior appeared with a large yellow shield on its left arm and a pole axe in its right. (3/400/700)

"And when he's summoned to the field, my Clock starts ticking..."

The clock tower's hands spun forward until it reached 3:00.

"Next, I activate my Eternal Dread trap card, letting Clock Tower move ahead again!"

Suddenly, the Clock Tower's hands moved a lot more swiftly, until it reached 9:00!

"And finally, I use Doom Lord's effect to send Rai-Oh two turns into the future!"

On cue, Doom Lord leapt into action and gripped the King again.

"Not this time," Thunder countered as he discarded one card and revealed his next facedown card, "I activate the trap card, Divine Wrath!"

"That destroys a monster trying to use its effect," Solomon gasped.

"Meaning, Doom Lord's gone," Masaki realized.

The sky flashed as a white lightning bolt and struck Thunder King Rai-Oh along with Doom Lord. But the electricity was too much for Destiny Hero as he shattered into pixels, seconds later.

"Now I don't have to worry about losing my monsters to the future," The Light Brigade duelist stated.

"So it would seem, but now I activate Monster Reborn to bring him back," Aster countered as he inserted his spell card into his duel disk.

"Oh no you don't, Aster," Thunder panicked, "I activate Rai-Oh's effect, causing you to lose your monster again by sacrificing him!"

As the ankh of Monster Reborn was reviving Doom Lord from the skies, Rai-Oh shined a dark blue and transformed into another thunderbolt and zapped the hero right back into the graveyard. The Calculator had to reevaluate its number pad so that it reads: 3000 – (4 X 300) = 1800. (2/3000-1800/0)

"Now he uses it," Jaden groaned.

"Don't count Aster out yet," Masaki said, assuring the Neos duelist, "I think he played Thunder around again."

"You think so?"

"I know so," The S-Hero duelist noted, "Monster Reborn could've been use at a later time, but he did it right in front of Rai-Oh with its effect present."

"So he was still worried about Doom Lord's effect," Solomon concluded, "It won't end well for this fellow, that's for sure."

"I end my turn, Thunder," Aster concluded, "So make your move."

"Gladly, and with your Defender still in defense mode, I can still draw two cards," The Light Brigade duelist grinned as he drew his cards.

"And you remember since that second card was drawn in your standby phase, I can draw two cards, courtesy of Appropriate," the D-Hero duelist added as he drew his two cards and pointed to his clock that spun again, "Plus, my clock starts ticking..."

When the clock hit Midnight...

*GONG!**GONG!**GONG!*

Suddenly, the whole field warped by the sound of the bells.

"Now I remember," Jaden realized, "This is how he beat me... meaning..."

"Yup, he's coming..." Masaki added.

"Enough with the noise already," Thunder shouted as he looked at his hand. When he did, he grinned and looked at Aster with a wild stare.

"I don't like the look of his face," Masaki said, feeling uneasy.

"I sacrifice Thunder Nyan Nyan to summon forth, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"

The cat girl transformed into a bright light and disappeared into the clouds. Then, another thunderbolt struck down ground and unleashed the white armored Monarch. (6/2400/1000) Then, the Calculator input: 1800-1200 + (6x300) = 2400 (2/1800-2400/0)

"And when he's tribute summoned, I can destroy one monster, like your Defender!"

The thunder monarch charged up and raised his arms to the skies summoning a thunder cloud to strike down and break down the Destiny Hero and D-Shield into stone rubble. But to Aster, he didn't care in the slightest, which the thunder duelist took notice.

"Now you don't care about your monsters being destroyed," He asked, "Maybe you will once my Calculator destroys your Dread Servant and deals 2000 points of damage to ya!"

The small machine opened up its metal hands and fired another lightning blast. That's when Dread Servant turned around and threw his weapon at the clock before being fired by the lightning.

"You monster shouldn't have turned his back on the battle," Thunder chuckled, "And since it was in attack mode, you... huh!"

The thunder based duelist gasped as the pixels from the battle aftermath were being repelled by an invisible force!

"Hey, how come you didn't take any damage?"

"Gee, I don't know," Aster replied sarcastically, "I wonder if it has something to with the Clock Tower behind me. Oh yeah, it does negate battle damage done to me after it hits midnight..."

Thunder growled.

"But I see you don't like that, so that's why Dread Servant's gonna help you out," The pro continued, "When destroyed in battle, I have to destroy a spell or trap card on my side of the field. And last I checked, he aimed for the Clock Tower before he was destroyed!"

Dread Servant's pole axe hit dead center of the clock, knocking off the hands to the ground and causing the gong to cease. Suddenly, cracks started to form around the tower and soon the entire field until it all came tumbling down, leaving a pile of rubble in its wake.

"And that activates Clock Tower Prison's second ability, freeing the monster trapped inside! So Destiny Hero – Dreadmaster, break out!"

On cue, the rubble was sent flying into different places of the city, unleashing the mask and chained Destiny Hero who roared in praise for his freedom. (8/?/?)

"And here are his effects! Once he's special summoned, I can summon two more Destiny Heroes from the graveyard!"

Two monster cards slipped out of the graveyard, letting Aster collect them.

"I summon Destiny Heroes – Dunker and Dasher!"

Thunder gasped as he saw two completely different heroes than he expected: a tanned man with black dreadlocks wearing sliver armor and a slim, dark armored warrior that covered him from head-to-toe. (4/1200/1700), (6/2100/1000)

"Hey, when did those get into your graveyard," Thunder demanded.

"When I activated Hand Destruction, get with it bro," Aster stated, "And thanks to their appearance, Dreadmaster gains ATK and DEF equal to their ATK!"

Dreadmaster roared as he flexed out his power. (8/?-3300/?-3300)

"3300!" Thunder shouted, "I gotta take out his monsters, and I'll start with Dasher! Zaborg, attack with Rolling Thunder!"

The thunder monarch conjured up lightning and threw it at Dasher. But before it hit, Dreadmaster blocked his comrade with his chains, repelling the electricity.

"Now what's going on!"

"That would be my Dreadmaster's final ability, activating" Aster cut in. "Since he was Special Summoned by Clock Tower Prison, my heroes can't be touched!"

"Alright I summon the Electromagnetic Turtle in defense mode," Thunder said, slapping the monster card sideways on the tray.

In front of him, a small, mechanical turtle appeared with a tail made of magnets and a shell made of a conductor with an S for South Pole and an N for North Pole. (4/0/1800)

"And that powers up my Calculator, by another 1200 points!"

The Calculator added up his score as it screen said: 2400 + 1200 = 3600. (2/2400-3600/0)

"Next, I activate Ring of Magnetism and equip it to him," He continued, "It may weaken his attack and defense by 500, but it makes him your only target!"

A ring of magnets appeared around the neck of the turtle, draining its strength. (4/0/1800-1300)

"Clever move," Solomon stated, "When Electromagnetic Turtle is sent, he can end the battle phase at any time during that turn."

"And Aster has no choice," Jaden added. "Otherwise the Calcuator will get stronger..."

"A decent move," Aster said as he drew, "Now let's get it off the field, Dreadmaster attack that turtle!"

The masked hero jumped across the field and then delivered a giant smack to turtle's shell, destroying it. (2/3600-2400/0)

"And now, I'll switch Dunker into defense mode and activate his special ability," He continued showing off three of his cards, "I send Destiny Heroes – Departed, Disk Commander and Malicious to deal 1500 points of damage to you!"

Dunker created a large orange orb in the palms of his hand and then threw at the opponent, bombing Thunder.

Thunder: 4950

Aster: 6500

"Now, I end my turn with one card facedown and removing Malicious from deck and summoning another from my deck," He concluded as the dark demon warrior flew onto the field and covered itself with its wings. (6/800/800), (8/4100/4100)

"With 4100 ATK, Aster has this one in the bag, despite the how high the points are," Jaden exclaimed.

"He is a pro duelist, after all," Masaki added.

"I should watch more of his matches," Solomon stated, "I haven't seen a great duel like this since I battled Yugi!"

"I won't be beaten, you hear me!" Thunder shouted as he drew, "I activate Blitz Draw!"

A spell card revealed to show Zaborg launching numerous lightning bolts at the Castle of Dark Illusions.

"For every Thunder monster I control, I draw two cards," He announced drawing out four cards.

"And I get to draw out two cards because of Appropriate," Aster interrupted as he added two cards into his hand.

"It won't matter, because I've got you now," The thunder duelist stated as he opened up his field spell slot and place a card inside, "I activate the field spell card, Mountain!"

For the third time, everyone was transported away from the streets and sent to a rocky area with a lot of mountains surrounding the spot.

"And this one boost the power of Thunder-type monsters, too," Solomon stated as Thunder's monsters were gathering electricity from the terrain. (6/2400-2600/1000-1200), (2/2400-2600/0-200)

"And next, I discard the Thunder Dragon in my hand to activate its special ability," He continued as he sent his monster in the graveyard, letting the deck push out two more cards, "bringing the other two Thunder Dragons into my hand!"

"Uh oh, I know what's coming..." Jaden said as the clouds above started to get darker.

"I activate Polymerization fusing the two Thunder Dragons into my hand to form my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

Flying though the air, two large and green, serpentine dragons appeared and then started to curl around each other in the middle. Then, a large thunderbolt zapped them both, feeding them energy. Once it died out, a giant pink two-headed dragon appeared with horns on their collective snouts and short blue claws. (7/2800-3000/2100-2300)

"And because of its level, the Calculator gets a whopping 2100 more attack points!"

With the appearance of Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, the Calculator fed off on its electricity as its screen read '4700' (2/2600-4700/200)

"Forty-seven hundred ATK!" Everyone exclaimed.

"It'll be even more once Thunder Knight appears and he gains an additional 400 ATK for every Thunder-Type monster on the field!"

Appearing next to the Calculator, the white and bronze armored knight drew its blade and fed more energy from its allies, plus giving some to the number pad monster. (4/1300-1500-3100/1200-1400), (2/4700-5900/200)

"And I can't wait to show you its newfound power," Thunder grinned, "First I'll destroy Dunker with Zaborg! Rolling Thunder!"

The Thunder Monarch created a giant thunder ball and threw it across the field, bombing the dreadlocked D-Hero. Dreadmaster growled at the loss of his comrade. (8/4100-2900/4100-2900)

"Now Thunder Knight, attack Dasher with Electric Blade!"

The knight charged through rocky terrain and slashed Dasher across the chest and shattering the armored warrior into pixels. (8/2900-800/2900-800)

Thunder: 4950

Aster: 5500

"Now Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack Dasher with Twin-Thunder Blast!"

Both heads of the dragon fired thunderbolts from their mouths, shocking the demon and exploding into smoke. (8/800-0/800-0)

"And finally, the Calculator will destroy your puny Dreadmaster! End this duel!"

"Aster!" Jaden and Masaki cried as a massive thunder ray fired from the Calculator's hand.

"Hate to interrupt you, but I'm activating the Hero's Guard trap card," The D-Hero duelist stated as he pressed a button on his duel disk, revealing the facedown card on the field. It showed a superhero in a red spandex suit and black hood with a cape. He was protecting a young boy from a large meteor about to impact the ground, "Whenever a Hero monster is attacked, this card prevents him from being destroyed by the attack..."

"But you'll still take damage from the attack," Thunder interrupted, "And who can say a common duelist beat a pro?"

"I can," Jaden stated as he raised his hand.

"Can it, Jaden," Aster turned to the Neos duelist, before turning his attention back to the opponent, "Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted by you, I can also remove a Destiny Hero from my grave, like Defender and cut the battle damage in half and draw one card!"

The ray hit Dreadmaster dead on, shocking him to the bone but stood his ground. Out of nowhere, the ray shot through the D-Hero and slammed into Aster as he drew the card, making him cry out in pain.

Thunder: 4950

Aster: 2650

"That had to hurt," Thunder cackled. "And my turn's done. But with only a monster with 0 attack points, I'd call it quits."

"Of course you would," Aster smirked with his hair covering his eyes.

"What did you say!?"

"You heard me," The pro continued, "All of this setup for your monsters, this duel we're having, you're just covering for the simple fact that you're afraid of the skills I possess!"

"I am not!"

"Really? In the majority of this duel, I have had the upper hand from the beginning due to your lame moves. And it took you all this time to bring the high powered monsters out? Pathetic!"

Thunder was seething as he breathed through his teeth with a burning stare at the Pro, "Just make your move so I can shut you up!"

"Gotcha," Aster concluded as he drew his next card. When he looked at it, he gave a small laugh.

"What's so funny!" Thunder shouted.

"I activate the effect of Dasher in my graveyard," The pro stated, holding up the card he just drew, "Since I drew a monster card on my Draw Phase, I can automatically summon it!"

"I bet it's a powerful card with the way he's smiling," Solomon looked on.

"But I don't know any card in his deck that could stand up to all of those monsters," Masaki said looking at the attack scores of Thunder's monsters, "But with four monsters with high scores, I hope that monster has a great effect coming."

"Don't leave us in suspense, Aster," Jaden exclaimed, "Let's see it!"

"Alright..." Aster said as he placed the monster card on the tray, "I summon the Legendary Planet, the Grand Jupiter!"

Everyone's eyes bugged out as a towering, 15 ft tall orange and sliver armored warrior armed with two spiked gauntlets on its fists and two large blades behind its back. In the dead center of its armor was jewel colored like the planet Jupiter! (8/2500/2000)

"He's got a Legendary Planet monster as well," Jaden gasped.

"I'm right here with you, man," Masaki added.

"Remarkable," Solomon said in awe of the creature, "One of eight monsters with extraordinary powers! I can't believe I'm seeing this!"

"Well, believe gramps and this guy will help me win the entire duel this turn," Aster proclaimed.

"With 2500 ATK," Thunder pointed out, "In your dreams!"

"Well, let see what Destiny Hero – Departed has to say as it crashes the last spot on your field!"

Thunder gasped as the undead D-Hero appeared on his field. (2/1000/0)

He then shook off his shock and grinned, "Calculator still gains more power from those 2 stars!"

The Calculator felt like it was going to overload in its systems as more electricity was sent into it, changing up its screen stats to '6500' (2/5900-6500/200)

"Now I'm gonna win!"

"I think it's time to activate Jupiter's special ability," Aster said as he sent two of his card to his graveyard, "By discarding two of my cards to the graveyard, I can equip any monster to this guy and he gains all of its power!"

"Whoa!" The Slifers and Solomon exclaimed.

"Go ahead, take my Calcuator," The Light Brigade duelist challenged.

"I'm not stupid," The D-Hero duelist said, "What I'll aim for is the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

Everyone watched as the image of the planet Jupiter emerged from Aster's monster. Then, the red spot on the planet went violent and caused a suction force to pull in the large dragon inside it. The powers of the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon then seeped into Grand Jupiter as it grabbed its large blades. (8/2500-5300/2000)

"Now that he's gone, the Calculator loses 2100," Masaki calculated, "Plus Thunder Knight loses 400 for the loss of a Thunder monster!"

Calculator and Thunder Knight felt a large spike of power drained out of them. (2/6500-4400/200), (4/3100-2700/1400)

"And one card left to do it," Aster continued as he held up his final card, "My Megamorph Equip Spell will double my Monster's original ATK since my Life Points are lower than yours!"

The Legendary Planet warrior gained a green aura, soaring through him as he gripped his blades tighter. (8/2500-5000-7800/2000)

"Now, destroy Destiny Hero Departed and end this duel!"

Jupiter charged forth to the undead D-Hero and then gave it a clean double slice of its blades, resulting in a huge explosion and sent Thunder flying a few on his back.

Thunder: 0

Aster: 2650, Winner

All the holograms disappeared as Jaden and Masaki quickly ran over to the fallen duelist and grabbed him by the arms.

"Now, tell us where our friends are," The Neos duelist shouted to him.

"I know nothing, twerp," Thunder grinned, despite his exhaustion, "Besides it won't do you any good... Frost knocked me out in my tag duel with your friends, remember?"

Jaden growled, "If you're part of this group responsible for those Monarch Spirits, then tell us everything you know, right now!"

"I could, if I was a part of the group," He groaned and laughed, "I only did it to show up Frost..."

"Well like we said, Frost is gone," Aster stated.

"And you're next, Thunder!"

Before anyone knew it a sinister pink light, like the one that took Frost, blinded the streets and caused everyone to cover their eyes.

"AAHHH..."

Once the light died down, Thunder was gone.

"Aw man, not again," Masaki grumbled, "Did Hanabi come back?"

"No," Aster said, "I know that voice... it was Makoto. And from the way her voice sounded, she was in a bad mood."

"She was always in a bad mood, one way or another," The S-Hero added,

"So, everyone in Sartorius' family has powers," Jaden asked the two.

"Yeah, but we don't know where it all went wrong," The D-Hero duelist replied.

"This is starting like to feel like the Shadow Games all over again," Solomon groaned, "I can never get past this..."

"Well, we have to warn Professor Spencer about what's going on," The Neos duelist stated.

"Good idea," Masaki nodded, "He's probably seen the clouds right now."

"Then let's get a move on!"

Both Slifers started to high-tail down to the hotel they were staying at.

"I'm getting to old for this," The old man sighed as he walked after the boys.

"I'm just getting used to this myself, gramps," Aster stated as he walked beside him.

* * *

Alrighty! The first half of the Light Brigade has fallen! Time for the second half!

D-Mind

Normal Spell

Activate only when you control no "Destiny Hero" monsters. Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower "Destiny Hero" monster from your Deck.

(Used by Aster in GX episode 145, all rights go to the creators)

Vision Magician

DARK

Spellcaster/Effect

Level 3

600/700

When this card is destroyed by battle, you can select and Special Summon 1 "Hero" monster with 1000 or less ATK from your Deck in face-up Defense Position.

The Grand Jupiter

WIND

Level 8

2500/2000

Discard 2 cards from your hand to select and equip 1 monster on the field to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the equipped monster until the End Phase.

(The preceding two cards were used by Aster Phoenix in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators.)

Hero's Guard

Normal Trap

Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Any "Elemental Hero", "Destiny Hero", "Evil Hero", "Masked Hero" or "Vision Hero" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle by that attack. Also, you can remove from play 1 "Elemental Hero", "Destiny Hero", "Evil Hero", "Masked Hero" or "Vision Hero" monster from your Graveyard to halve the Battle Damage you take from that attack and draw 1 card.

(Used by Jaden Yuki in GX episode 159, all rights go to the creators)

Blitz Draw

Normal Spell

Image: Zaborg the Thunder Monarch launching numerous lightning bolts at the Castle of Dark Illusions.

For each Thunder-type Monster you control, draw two cards.

(My own invention, creative rights go to me)

Next time: Bastion catches up with Jachin, just in time for the latter to be put in a high stakes duel against the fifth Monarch user. And let's just say, hang on to your legs folks!

Please read and review! Later!


	36. Shadows, the True Self

Happy New Year everybody! I just made this update to say, I finally have a working deck for the last duel of the third season and in the process of working it out. It's tough for the duel, but I'll make it work. Until then, here it comes! Another two-parter made into one!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 36: Shadows, the True Self

* * *

At the secluded caverns, Sarina sat in the same place, staring at the eight candles, with four of them lit. Hanabi sat in a corner, playfully tossing up her bear in the air. They were also waiting for Makoto to return from her pursuit of the rogue Light Brigade members.

"T-Bone and Thunder went bye-bye," Hanabi exclaimed as she cuddled her bear.

"Unfortunate for our forces," Sarina stated, "But necessary in finding out the strengths of Claudio and Aster. Now all we need is a duelist to test out Jaden Yuki..."

"Maybe we can invite our new friend to play with him," The youngest sister offered.

"Tempting, but we also need to cover an oversight," The miko replied, "But let's wait until Makoto returns..."

They didn't have to wait long as a large vulture swooped in and landed behind Sarina.

"Makoto's back," Hanabi cheered as the vulture transformed back into the middle sister.

"Finally, I got the rats," She declared with a shadow of a smile, "What's next on the agenda?"

"Sisters," Sarina announced, "It seems the students of Duel Academy have delayed our efforts in testing out our targets. It might be difficult to test Jaden now with the possibility of interference."

"So we can't play with Jaden yet," Hanabi asked, "Aw..."

"And how do we deal with that problem," Makoto asked.

Sarina stood up and faced her sisters, "If they want to interfere with us, then will give them what they desire."

Suddenly, a shadow of a man and a small tornado of wind emerged in the cavern. From the shadow, a black-haired man appeared with black shades over his eyes, a black muscle shirt and black jeans over his muscular form. Next, the tornado blew away and left another person wearing a green bandana over his head, a white muscle shirt and green sweatpants over his slim form.

"We've heard your call, Mistresses," The black clad person said.

"What are your wishes," The green clad man asked.

"We have some... mishaps regarding the matter of several Duel Academy students roaming around Domino City," Sarina explained, "And your previous cohorts have fallen before them..."

The miko then threw four cards to the ground in front of the duo, each showing terrified face of Frost, Thunder, Blaze and T-Bone.

"Ha. So they screwed up, didn't they," the black clad person laughed.

"Sad, isn't it," Makoto said, "But enough of the weak, we need you two to rack up any other Academy students you can find. Deal with them however you like, Red, Yellow or Blue jacket duelists."

"No sweat," The green clad person grinned, "We ain't the elite of the Light Brigade for nothing!"

"Then, I expect nothing but good things..." Sarina stated as she threw two more cards at them, "I just hope you don't have to use them... otherwise, Hanabi will have two new dolls to play with..."

Staring at Hanabi's innocent smile, the Light Brigade duo gave an uneasy stare back.

"I guess we are clear on the consequences," Makoto smirked, "Now, you'd best get to work!"

"We shall," the duo declared, disappearing into the shadows and the wind.

* * *

With the sky still darkened by the clouds, Jachin found it harder to get out around the city. Even with the Guide Book, the Slifer lost himself passing by every landmark at least four times each!

"Come on, where's the stupid hotel," He growled at no one particular, "I'm tired of being lost. At this rate, I'll be back at the docks for the boats!"

Appearing to the sides of him were Phaeton and Konohana in transparent forms.

 _'You're the one trying to chase after Allen and Lyra,'_ the toga wearing boy stated, _"You could've found another person to pal around with."_

"Hey, everyone was being paired off too quickly," The Persona duelist protested, "I wanted to hang with someone new for a change. Plus, with all this Society of Light business there's strength in numbers, right?"

 _"It's why you have us, is it not," the priestess added with concern, "You know we'd protect you from harm."_

"I know, but with Chazz a part of that crazy cult, it's frustrating," Jachin sighed as he pulled his Persona deck, "I almost became one of them if it wasn't for the trap I sprung in the end."

He then pulled out a different deck, causing both his spirit friends to gasp.

 _"That isn't..."_

"It is, the next time I face Jason I'll use a deck he hasn't seen," He stated, "And I'll have to bear this alone. Aside from all that, he said he'd back off."

 _"You know you can't trust that side of..."_

"Konohana, he's a part of me," Jachin told her, "No matter how hard I try to forget my past. Those days when all those kids angered me, when Slade and Jagger used for their world domination game... that's where it all came from. I've already accepted that part that's angry for people using me and berating me. And, I may be angry for Sartorius brainwashing Chazz, the only other person who can look me in the eye as a person and duelist, but I can hold my fury."

The Personas sighed, seeing there was no talking him out of it.

"Just don't let him win okay," Konohana pleaded as she and Phaeton vanished.

"Got it," The Slifer nodded.

 **'Easier said than done...'** A voice in his head said.

Jachin froze up hearing that voice in the dark recesses of his mind. He was about to voice a rebuttal when...

"Jachin!"

The Slifer turned around and saw Bastion sprinting down the street and then dropping to the ground, Indian-style, catching his breath.

"Bastion, what happened to you?" He asked.

"Left... behind..." The Ra breathed out, "Not even... waited for me..."

"Oh, I thought you'd be with Claudio and Melody," Jachin said, feeling bad for the intellectual duelist, "Never thought you'd be left out..."

"Well, if you haven't noticed, I've been left out ever since the Society of Light came onto the island," Bastion huffed, "Not even seeing me as a threat..."

The Person duelist looked at him strangely, "Are you for real? You should be happy they're not going after you! I know I am among the rest of us not in the SOL."

"Still, it's upsetting not being seen a top duelist," The Ra sighed.

"Maybe, it's because you have some sort of predictability about you. Like a hollow victory..."

Bastion glared at him, prompting the Persona duelist to hold his hands in apology.

"Don't take it like your weak, I mean I hear you have six decks based on the six attributes. If you put some time into making a single deck with several solid strategies, they won't know what hit them."

"Hmm..."

Suddenly, something fell between the two boys, making them look down. It looked like a small, sliver canister used for air freshener spray and it was already unleashing a white gas. Both tried to escape, but they unwillingly inhaled some of the gas and soon fell to the ground in a deep sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, Claudio and his group made it back to the hotel. It was a tall building, yellow in color and looked to be for the high-class. Unfortunately, the tenants weren't so kind to the group... since it was taken over by the Society of Light. The J-Hero duelist found that out the hard way once he tried to step through the doors, only to be pushed back by the several members, one of them being Kenji.

"Let us pass, Kenji," Claudio demanded as he tried to push through the members to get through to his brainwashed friend, "We gotta talk to Professor Sojourner!"

"And that's where I must stop you, Claudio," Kenji stated, "You won't find your teachers here at this hotel."

"But this where the Academy students are staying," Melody protested, "You can't keep us from going in!"

"As a matter of fact; we can," the ninja duelist declared, "There are not enough rooms to accommodate you all, especially with the number of Society members taking up residence. You Yellows and Reds have your own accommodations."

"And where are we supposed to sleep," Alexis asked, not liking the treatment she and her group were receiving. "The Obelisks have nothing!"

"Wherever you like, just not here..."

With a snap of the fingers, the white-clad flunkies threw Claudio away from them. Luckily, Isaac was in the line of fire and caught him.

"Oh, and I advise you to tell Jaden and any of the others he's not welcome either," Kenji said as he and his cohorts left inside the hotel.

"Just when I heard all the good things about this place," Isaac sighed as he stood Claudio up straight, "You okay, man?"

"I'll live," He grumbled staring at the hotel doors, "This is messed up..."

"You said it," Melody added, "Now they resort to violence to be noticed around here! They're lucky we don't have a big enough group or I'd start whacking them over the head with rocks!"

"Easy, Mel," Claudio said, rubbing her shoulders to calm her down.

"Hello! Did you not remember what they just did to you?" She protested.

"Great," Alex interrupted in a loud voice, "Now how are we supposed to get inside from this dark storm?"

"Any moment now, we might see a spaceship and reenact a movie where a large spaceship blows this place up," Jeremy muttered.

"Will you two quit it," Lily grumbled, "We gotta find out where Professor Sojourner and Fontaine went to. At any rate, they found a safer place than this."

"And we did..."

The kids turned to see the Slifer Red Headmaster and Obelisk Blue Headmistress walk up to them. They sighed in relief seeing them both alright.

"Thank goodness, you two are okay," The dragon duelist stated, "We just had a bad run-in with the white dorm."

"So, did we," Spencer stated, "Turns out, Crowler and Bonaparte left enough money for the round boat trip and lodging."

"But they failed to mention the little matter of the number of students," Fonda grumbled.

"So, what do we do," Isaac asked, making himself known to the teachers, "I got a place in mind if we can find the others. It may not be what you all have in mind, but at least you'll be comfortable."

"Oh, hello there," the Slifer Headmaster greeted, "You must've been the tour guide Melody mentioned."

"I'm her older brother, Isaac," the elder Hikarii greeted back.

"Well it's nice to meet a relative of one of our students," The Obelisk Headmistress smiled.

"Likewise to a teacher," Isaac stated, "And I remember a small hotel a couple of blocks down. If we hurry, we can get you all some rooms."

"Really!?" The kids asked.

"You can get that," Claudio asked further.

"For this crisis, it's high time to keep helping you guys out. Especially when some white-clad gang pushes you out..."

"Yeah..." Alexis sighed.

"Anyway, follow me to the hotel," Isaac said as he led them down the still darkened streets.

* * *

"Uh..."

Jachin's eyes slowly opened and looked at his surroundings. The room he found himself in looked like the inside of a carnival tent, but with only one ring taking up the entire floor. In the middle of the ring, the symbol of the Millennium items in a square pulled up to resemble a table with two duel disks on top.

"Duel disks," He whispered.

"What happened...?"

The Slifer then turned to his right and saw Bastion getting off the ground from the corner nearest him.

"Bastion, you alright over there," Jachin asked.

"I'm... fine..." The Ra replied as he looked around himself, "Where are we?"

"Don't know," The Slifer answered as he looked around the Guide Book, "It's not in this guide, but from looks of this place I think we found an underground dueling arena."

"Then we found ourselves in a tough spot, Jachin," Bastion stated seriously, "We have to get out of here."

"Well, from the looks of the duel disks on the table over there, we have to duel our way out," Jachin said as he pointed out the duel disks on the table and then ran over to them.

"Wait a moment," The Ra protested as he stopped the Persona duelist from grabbing one, "This could very well be a trap!"

"Look around you," Jachin stated, "It's safe to say we're as good as trapped now. Or did you forget how we got knocked out?"

Bastion sighed as he picked up a duel disk, "I just don't like how this is all setup."

"Let's just see who we have to deal with," the Slifer shrugged as he picked up the duel disk next.

When the last duel disk was lifted, the table slid into the floor and a tram moved the surprised Duelists to opposite corners, yet on the same side, of the ring.

"It is a trap," Bastion shouted.

Shackles came out and latched onto their ankles.

"Make that hostage situation," Jachin cringed at how tightly his ankles were being held.

But all of that went to the back of the mind when two saw blades popped out of the sides of the circle.

"And that would mean your lives are in danger..."

The boys looked to the door furthest from them that was covered by a curtain. Appearing out of it were two men, both about 6' tall and wearing black leather jackets and duel disks on their left arms.

The first guy, a black-haired person wearing black shades over his eyes and black jeans over his muscular form and the second one wore a green bandana over his head and green sweatpants over his slim form.

"Look Cutter," The dark-clad person said to his cohort in a deep voice, "Fresh fish!"

"And they're prepped and ready for the shredder, Shadow," The green-clad person said in a scuff voice and grinned.

"Alright, who are you," Jachin demanded, "And why have you trapped us in here!"

"My name is Shadow," The dark duelist introduced.

"And I'm Cutter, bro..." The green duelist stated, "And as for the location, it's a shame you duel kids don't know this place!"

"Enlighten us," Bastion said, narrowing his eyes.

Shadow grinned, "This is the spot where Yugi Moto dueled for his life against the Illusionist Arkana! But thanks to us, it's a lot wider for a tag duel, don't you think?"

"And they played with the same stakes and conditions as you both are about to play," Cutter added with a smirk.

"And that is..." The Academy kids asked.

"Look above the blades and tell us what you see," Shadow told them.

Bastion looked to his right, while Jachin looked to his left. On top of the blades were life point increments by the thousands from 8000 on down.

"Life point counters," Jachin said.

"Once they reach zero, our legs will be cut off," Bastion added.

"Yup, and look below you," Cutter pointed at between the Academy duelists' feet. A gold box appeared from the floor with the number 8000 displayed on top, "With that score, comes from the Shadow's life points for the red and my life points for the yellow. Once our life points hit zero, the box will open up to a key that will unlock the shackles."

"And you're not playing these stakes because..." The Ra asked.

"He does have a point, Cutter," Shadow shrugged as he stepped down to his corner across from Bastion's and was locked in place with the third saw blade appearing over Jachin's.

"Oh well, not like we're losing our legs anyway," Cutter sighed as he mimicked his partner's actions and got locked place with the fourth saw blade appearing over Bastion's, "Happy now?"

"As long as we're equals in this," Jachin stated.

"Good then gear up!"

All players activated their duel disks and inserted their decks inside them.

 _'I just hope I can use this deck without having to resort to extreme measures,_ ' Jachin thought, looking at his deck.

 _ **'Why not sooner than later?"**_

 _'Be quiet, this is my duel!'_

 _ **'Yet it is my deck, and I can properly wield it without fear!'**_

"Jachin, focus," Bastion called out to him as he drew his opening hand.

"Oh right," The Slifer said as he drew his hand.

Both Shadow and Cutter nodded to each other before drawing their hands.

"DUEL!"

Shadow: 8000 + Cutter: 8000

Jachin: 8000 + Bastion: 8000

"Here it comes, kid," Shadow grinned as he drew his sixth card, "First I'll use the Allure of Darkness to draw two cards from my deck."

A black aura surrounded his deck, as he drew his two cards.

"But now I must remove a DARK monster from my hand, to keep my cards. So I'll send Cyber Ouroboros away," He continued, pocketing his monster card, "Now I can use its effect to discard one card from my hand and draw a new card!"

He then discarded another card before he drew another card.

"And it continues as I summon another in defense mode!"

Erupting from the darkness, a long metal snake appeared and coiled itself on the field, biting its own tail. (2/100/600)

"A Cyber Monster," Bastion gasped.

"You run a deck like Zane's," Jachin asked, surprised to see the metal snake.

"Nah, but you'll see in a minute as I play Machine Duplication to bring the third out," Shadow continued as another cyber snake appeared, assuming the same stance as the first. (2/100/600) "And I'll finish here."

Jachin took a deep breath, 'Okay, just relax... it's just another duel.' He then looked to the spinning saw to the right of him, 'except with the possibility of getting your legs cut off!'

 _ **'Plain and simple, kid! Just let me free, and I'll make sure they lose their legs!'**_ The dark voice in his head shouted.

 _'Shut up! I got this... even if I'm using your deck now...'_ Jachin stated as he drew his sixth card, "I summon Witch of the Black Forest to the field in defense mode!"

A three eyed, purple haired woman appeared in a black robe dress. She chuckled at the weak, metal snakes. (4/1100/1200)

"Finally, I place one card facedown and end my turn," He concluded.

"Time for the winds to change," Cutter replied as he drew, "I activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards and ditch two!"

The green clad duelist drew out his three cards and then chose two out of his overall hand to discard.

"I now remove the monsters I just sent, Eagle Eye and Grey Wing to summon Silpheed and Garuda the Wind Spirit!"

A powerful gust of wind blew over and brought out two figures. The first, a purple-skinned fairy clad in a white suit outlined in red and blue appeared with a green, fan-shaped weapon in hand. (4/1700/700)

The second monster appeared looked like a red feathered eagle by the head and wings, but it had the body of a man with red pants. (4/1600/1200)

"Next, I summon Battlestorm in Attack mode!"

Another birdman, like Garuda appeared with a bird-like shriek of its own. This one clad in a dark purple and white bodysuit with crimson highlights, wearing golden bracers and greaves. He spread out his black and purple feathered wings. (4/1700/1000)

"And this bird gains 100 ATK for every Winged-Beast on the field!"

Battlestorm's wings glowed with energy. (4/1700-2000/1000)

"And he's got another great effect, since I currently have 3 Winged Beast monsters, I can destroy a spell or trap card on my opponent's field!"

The dark Winged Beast aimed his wings at Jachin's facedown cards and fired sharp wings, piercing it through.

"And I'll set two cards of my own as well!"

Two reversed card appeared at his feet.

"I'm up," Bastion stated as he drew, and then put two cards onto his disk, "I set a monster on the field and one other card and end my turn."

A reversed card and a set monster appeared at his feet.

"And back to me, kids," Shadow declared as he drew, "Now, I play Fiend's Sanctuary to summon a Metal Fiend Token!"

A small, ball-bearing monster appeared, floating in mid-air. (1/0/0)

"Now, I sacrifice it to summon Caius the Shadow Monarch!"

The token shattered apart unleashing a black mist across the field. Emerging from it, a Monarch unlike the previous ones... the armor was still similar, but with a dark purple color and a tattered, pitch-black cape attached to the back. But he didn't wear a helmet, showing off his demonic face with red eyes and yellow horns. (6/2400/1000)

"That's different," Jachin muttered.

"All a part of the shadows, my friend," The Shadow duelist replied. "Now for his special power, I can remove one card on the field from the game!"

 _'Try it and I'll spring it,'_ the Persona duelist thought.

 _ **'He's not doing that, idiot,'**_ The voice mocked him.

"And if you think I want that facedown card off the field, think again," Shadow stated, "I'll remove one of my Ouroboros monsters from the game!"

The Shadow Monarch created a dark void in its hands and forced the cyber snake into it.

"Why do that your own monster," Bastion asked.

"Because, when a DARK monster is removed from the game by Caius' effect, the opponent loses 1000 life points!"

The dark void turned into a glass orb and flung it at the shackled Slifer, making him clutch his gut.

Shadow: 8000 + Cutter: 8000

Jachin: 7000 + Bastion: 8000

"Uh oh, look out for that buzzsaw kid!"

Jachin gasped as he saw the metal blade move down towards the 7000 mark and stopped.

"Also, since Cyber Ouroboros was removed from play, I can send another card from my hand to the graveyard and draw again!"

He discarded once again and drew another card.

"And now, I can activate the special ability of the two monsters in my graveyard! By reducing the level of Caius by 1, I can summon Level Eater to the field! And I have two!"

Two shots of light erupted from Caius' body... (6-4/2400/1600)

... And with the energy from the Monarch, two small ladybug like creatures appeared. Instead of black spots, they had one big yellow star on their backs. (1/600/0) x2

"Three monsters," Bastion gasped.

"Nice adding skills, yellow kid," Shadow smirked, "But I'll also discard one card to activate Dark Core!"

A reversed card appeared at his feet, emptying his hand.

"Finally, I activate Nobleman of Crossout to destroy and remove Yellow boy's facedown monster!"

A sword pierced through Bastion's facedown revealing to be a bronze Arabian Lamp.

"Finally, my facedown card activates," Cutter intervened, "Dust Tornado, destroy the Yellow boy's facedown card!"

Baston's facedown card was destroyed.

"And then I'll attack directly with Caius and the Level Eaters! Go Shadow Spirits and Level Strikes!"

The Monarch created another dark orb above him and fired vengeful spirits to strike down the defenseless Slifer. In the midst of this, the star spot ladybugs tackled him to ante up the damage.

Shadow: 8000 + Cutter: 8000

Jachin: 3400 + Bastion: 8000

"It's not looking good," Shadow said tauntingly as the Jachin's saw blade moved swiftly across the floor and then stopped a little before the 3000 mark.

"Jachin, are you alright," Bastion gasped at his partner's predicament.

"Never... better..." Jachin replied, shaking off his damage done to him.

'It's going to keep happening, if you don't let me play,' the dark voice stated.

"I end my turn," Shadow concluded, "All I need is another high powered monster to shut you down and it's bye-bye legs!"

"Or I could finish him now," Cutter grinned, "Then, chop chop!"

"Jachin, I hope you have a plan," Bastion warned him.

 _'It's the only card I could use, but it's not in my hand yet...'_ Jachin thought as he drew his next card, but groaned, "And this isn't it..."

 _ **'That's it, next turn I'm taking over!'**_

The Psychic Duelist fought the voice inside his mind and then threw out a reversed card and a set monster on the field.

"Your turn..."

"Thank you," Cutter smirked as he drew, "First, I use Battlestorm's effect to destroy the facedown card!"

"Not so fast, I activate Scapegoat to bring 4 sheep tokens to the field," Jachin interrupted.

Four different colored sheep appeared, unaware of their surroundings... (1/0/0) x4

"That should keep me safe from your three attacks!"

"Let's what this move says," the winged-beast duelist grinned as he took a monster from his hand, "I'll sacrifice Garuda to summon Raiza the Storm Monarch!"

Garuda sacrificed itself to the winds and brought out a large, green armored, humanoid creature appeared. It wore a large green cape around the armor and carried a bird-shaped crest on the front of the helmet. (6/2400/1000)

"And his effect takes one card on the field and returns it to the top of the owner's deck, like that facedown monster Red Jacket has!"

Raiza removed the cape from its armor and created a fierce wind that blew the card off the field. Jachin growled as it returned to the top of his deck.

"And next, I'll activate my other facedown card Conscription!"

Cutter continued his move with a trap card showing a king ordering his guard around.

"This lets me pick up the top card of your deck and if it's a monster that can be normal summoned, I can put it on my field!"

Jachin growled as his top card revealed to be Sangan.

"Now come here!"

The card shot out from Jachin's hand and set itself on Cutter's duel disk, revealing the three-eyed furry fiend. (3/1000/600)

 _'It keeps getting worse...'_ The Slifer cringed.

"And now, my four monsters destroy those sheep!"

Sangan lunged at the orange goat and ripped it apart with its hands and teeth.

Silpheed then flung its fan weapon and sliced the blue goat down the middle.

Battlestorm flew up to the sky and then dived down to crush the orange goat.

Finally, Raiza created a razor sharp blade of air and sliced the final magenta goat into pixels.

"And then, I'll use the spell card Swallow's Nest," The winged-beast duelist grinned to the annoyance and surprise of Jachin and Bastion. The spell revealed Battlestorm rising out of a large, dark branched nest, "It switches out Raiza to the graveyard to summon a Winged-Beast monster to the field with the same level as the sacrifice!"

Raiza disappeared in a flurry of green feathers, letting Cutter grab his desired monster from the deck, "Now, I summon Alector, Sovereign of Birds!"

Another large tornado formed and unleashed a tall, white armored and red-feathered humanoid bird with four, large wings keep it aloft. (6/2400/2000)

"They're just gonna keep coming," Jachin growled as he braced himself for another attack.

"And though I get the thrill of damaging the Red and nearly putting the blade to his legs," Cutter said as he turned to Bastion, "But I'll settle for attacking the Yellow one. Alector, do your worst!"

Alector created a sharp, slicing windstorm that blew across the field and ensnared the Ra in its grasp.

Shadow: 8000 + Cutter: 8000

Jachin: 3400 + Bastion: 5600

Now, the blade on Bastion's side started to move away from its starting point and moved a little past the 6000 mark.

"And now I satiated my boredom, I'll end my turn to let the inferiors finish their dumb moves," Cutter concluded.

"Inferior," Bastion snapped.

"You two are supposed to be Academy-brand duelists but you're letting yourselves get knocked around by a couple who couldn't make the cut," The winged-beast duelist stated, "And last I checked the weakest link are supposed to be Slifer Reds, so we singled him out."

"And let's face it, Yellow," Shadow added, "If you were really a Ra Yellow duelist, you'd be more aggressive in your dueling. No wonder we're here to polish off the leftovers...," He then turned to Jachin, "And you're no top dog yourself."

Jachin narrowed his eyes.

"You heard me, twerp," the shadow duelist continued, "I only heard two good Slifer Reds were around the block, and it appears you're not one of them! I guess it's true that the rest of ya are weak punks!"

"Weak..."

"Weak, stupid, loser, a freak among inferior duelists... you're not even third-rate! More like a dead last..." Shadow laughed.

"I guess he was nothing more than the punching bag of the Academy," Cutter cackled along with his partner.

Hearing all those words, took Jachin back to his early childhood, remembering all of those taunts.

 _(You're such a loser!)_

 _(No wonder you're always by yourself!)_

 _(No one wants to be your friend!)_

 _(Face it, wimp! No matter how much you play, you can't win because you're a freak!)_

He suddenly lost himself in a sea of his own misery and torment, letting a certain part of it feed on it.

 _ **'Great, he's feeling that torment again! All I need is that card to be drawn, and I'll do things my way!'**_

The Ra suddenly felt his anger flow after hearing the insults to himself and Jachin, and seeing his partner's long-mile stare towards the ground pushed it...

"I'll show you who's inferior!"

The Light Brigade foes stopped their laughter to see the angry look on the intellectual duelist's face.

"I draw," Bastion declared as he drew his next card, "I set another monster in defense mode..."

A reversed monster appeared.

"Like hiding will help you," Cutter yawned.

"It's rude to interrupt," Bastion smirked as he inserted his spell card into his disk, "I'll use Book of Taiyou to reveal the Slate Warrior I hidden!"

Rising from the set card, a blue looking monster appeared in a yellow colored armor and red armored pants, holding a long brown staff. (4/1900/900)

"Oh great, he finally gets a good card..." Shadow groaned.

"And his effect, when flipped summoned he gains 500 ATK and DEF!"

A dark blue energy surrounded the fiend, letting grow stronger. (4/1900-2400/900-1400)

"And with enough power backing him up, I'll attack Shadow's Level Eater with Slate Staff Strike!"

Slate Warrior leapt into action as it leapt across the arena and jabbed the ladybug through the abdomen, shattering it to pieces.

Shadow: 6200 + Cutter: 8000

Jachin: 3400 + Bastion: 5600

"Now gentlemen, see how irony is played when the saw moves closer to you!"

But despite Bastion's proclamation, the blades never made a move! Even Jachin looked up to confirm it himself and glared at the grinning foes.

"What," Jachin shouted, "Your blades are not moving!"

"Oh really, silly us," Shadow grinned. "They don't work!"

"And maybe they'll really freak out after seeing this..."

At the end of Cutter's words, he and Shadow kicked the shackles off their feet, shocking the Academy duo as they stepped out of the ring.

"Even if we lose we're in the clear," Cutter laughed, "Played you fools for saps!"

"So you just sent us down here to suffer," Jachin shouted.

"And the last horse crossed the finish line," Shadow mocked as applauded, "We're not fools like Arkana was, becoming a part of his own game! So, prepare to die!"

Bastion growled as he put two cards into his disk, "Two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"So angry, but don't worry, I'll put you do death as soon as possible," Shadow mocked as he drew, "I activate Foolish Burial to send my Archfiend of Glifer to the grave!"

The shadow duelist took out his deck and searched for his monster and dropped into the graveyard.

"But that activates its special ability," Shadow grinned as a dark claw reached out of the graveyard and gripped Slate Warrior by the head, "And it's to weaken a monster by 500 ATK!"

Slate Warrior struggled in dark grip, but was unable to break free. (4/2400-1900/1400)

"And, I'll continue the darkness with my Dark Jeroid!"

A dark portal appeared and brought out a fiendish, yet strange looking monster out to the field. It looked to be a bizarre six-legged creature with sharp spikes growing from the back and the face where the torso connected the body. (4/1200/1500)

"Repulsive," Bastion cringed.

"I'll say," Jachin added.

"And it gets uglier as I get to weaken a monster by 800 ATK, like Slate Warrior," Shadow continued as the fiend shot a purple beam at the restrained warrior, forcing his movement to slow down. (4/1900-1100/1400)

"Now Jeroid, attack his Slate Warrior!"

The ugly fiend snarled as it charged up another dark beam to fire and...

"Afraid not," Bastion shouted as he revealed his one his facedown cards, go Windstorm of Etaqua!"

When the beam fired, a fierce windstorm blew across Shadow's and Cutter's field, forcing all the monsters to kneel down and cross their arms.

"This changes the battle position of all monsters on the field! And that means all of your monsters have to switch into defense mode!"

The Slifer sighed in relief, "That was close..."

"We just need to stay alive long enough to get these shackles off of us," Bastion told him.

"As if," Shadow scoffed, "I'll just switch Caius to attack mode and end my turn! So little Red, I hope you don't choke!"

"I show you, my move," Jachin growled as drew out his next card and immediately played it, "I play Pot of Greed!"

He drew two more cards. He narrowed his eyes at the last card in particular.

 _'Dark Hour,_ ' He shouted within his mind, _'I can finally shut these guys up!'_

 _ **'Meaning it is show time!'**_

Suddenly, Jachin held his head and started grunting in pain, "N-No..."

"Jachin..." Bastion said, "What's wrong... AH!"

Suddenly, a dark aura surrounded the Persona duelist's form letting him scream out.

 _ **"Let me out, it's time for the rightful owner of this deck to claim his due!"**_

"No! I can... handle it," Jachin shouted as his head throbbed with more pain, "Let me..."

 _ **"Sorry, but I'm here and I want to deliver them your true self!"**_

"AAAHHH!"

The dark aura engulfed the Slifer duelist as he screamed to the ceiling. The cry freaked out Bastion and even more so, Shadow and Cutter.

"What is up with the aura," Shadow shuddered, feeling the power that was coming.

"I don't know man," Cutter said, shaking also.

* * *

Inside his hotel room, Sartorius felt a dangerous jolt going through his hands, making him shudder and dropped his tarot cards all over the table and the floor.

"There's a disturbance in power..." He whispered in fear. He looked down to notice all of his cards were still facedown, all except for two cards...

The upright Magician card and the upside down Moon card...

"The darkness of the Magician representative will soon awaken," Sartorius gasped as he felt his white aura surround him, "But will it hinder my plans... this time, I cannot foresee!"

* * *

Back to the duel...

Suddenly, the blinding dark aura finally diminished, leaving the Slifer standing still with his eyes closed.

"Jachin," Bastion called out, "Are you alright!"

Then, he finally opened them... but instead of his normal, black eyes... they became a glowing yellow color and his smile became vindictive.

"Uh, Jachin," The intellectual duelist asked again, feeling worried for what was about to happen next...

The Slifer turned to Ra, scaring the daylights out of him with the yellow eyes.

"Jachin? Jachin is not what I associate with being my name... Mr. Misawa..." The Slifer spoke in a warped voice, "You can call me Jacinth, if you please."

"'Jacinth'? Who the heck are you trying be," Cutter scoffed.

"And what's up with the fake aura," Shadow added, feeling his fear lifting for a moment, "When did you grow a back bone?"

The Slifer smirked, putting the fear back on everyone else's minds and hearts, "Oh, let's just say my other is not fit to take you two on," Jacinth stated, "Which is why I'm taking charge..." He then looked to Bastion, "And you better step up, otherwise I won't be there to save you..."

"And what do you plan to do what Jachin failed to do," Bastion asked, with fear evident in his voice.

"To say what he won't, to do what he can't...," Jacinth grinned as he turned towards the Light Brigade duo," To remove those that insult and torment him... And since you two have awakened the hatred he tried so hard to control, it's time I take advantage of that and those psychic powers of his!"

The darkness around the boy started to spread around the field, creating a thin barrier around playing area.

"And if I recall it was my turn..."

Shadow: 6200 + Cutter: 8000

Jacinth: 3400 + Bastion: 5600

"But where was I," Jacinth grinned as he looked at his hand, "Oh right, I activate the field spell card that will darken the nightmares of every human being and unleash my personal shadows, it's Dark Hour!"

Once the field spell was inserted, the card started to warp the entire basement into a dark setting. The field became a black city with a large green moon over the horizon. Behind the newly acclaimed Shadow duelist, a large red tower with red puddles along the floor. The only spot left of the old room was the shackled floor and spinning buzz saws.

"What the heck is this card about," Shadow asked, looking across the field.

"Oh, you'll see," Jacinth grinned as he placed his next card on the field, "With this Field Spell in play, I can summon the Arcana Shadow Magician in attack mode!"

From one of the puddles, a white mask held by a green hand appeared. The hand turned the mask from side to side until it settled on Shadow, Cutter and their monsters. Suddenly, six more hands pulled out of the puddles to pull out the body... only to everyone's shock, another six arms popped out with their hands holding silver blades and finding that the body was the entire jumble of arms! (1/1000/1000)

"What the Hell," Shadow shouted.

"Arcana Shadow," Bastion wondered, "Where did these monsters come from? I thought he wielded the Personas?"

"From the dark recesses of my mind," The shadow of Jachin stated, "Now Magician, tear his Level Eater to pieces!"

The Shadow crawled across the black floor with a growl and chopped down the Ladybug. But what was terrifying is how real that felt to Shadow as he felt the pixels blow across from them.

"W-w-wha...," The shadow duelist gasped as he felt the aftermath of the Level Eater's demise, "It's a weak monster... b-but what just came... was that real...?"

"And then, I'll activate the Dark Door and set two cards facedown to conclude my turn," Jacinth concluded as giant door rose in the middle of the field, "Do you feel the true terror of the Shadows! The full extent of a Psychic Duelist! There is so much more to give, boys!"

Bastion gasped, _'So this is what he was living through during his childhood...'_

"Finally he gets some real strategy out," Cutter grinned as he drew, "I was getting bored with just killing him! And since I can only attack with one monster, I'll switch Alector to attack mode..."

The white armored bird stood up and took flight once again.

"Now Alector, rip that freak apart!"

The giant bird created another slicing windstorm that reached the Shadow Magician, ready to cut it apart.

"I don't think so," Bastion shouted, able to shake off the fear and reveal his facedown card, "I activate the Spirit Barrier trap card to stop the damage flow!"

Once the windstorm tore apart the Shadow Magician, separating its thirteen arms across the field and then dissipated into darkness, a yellow barrier blocked the damage to Jacinth.

The Shadow turned to Bastion and grinned, "You're too kind..."

 _'I may not know why this is happening to Jachin of all times, but I can't let him die in here,' The Ra thought._

"Oh and since my Shadow Magician was destroyed, I can summon Arcana Shadow Priestess to the field from my deck!"

A card shot out of Jacinth's deck and slammed itself on the duel tray.

Another shadow puddle emerged and created a tall, female shadow monster with all white on its left and all black on the right and her hair waved out across the back. She wore a black-eye mask and a long black and white skirt. The Shadow glared with its bright yellow eyes. (2/1200/1200)

"Oh great, more of these things," Cutter groaned as he inserted a card into his disk, "I'll end my turn with one facedown card. You won't get far..."

"And my move now," Bastion declared as he drew his next card, "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your facedown card!"

A harsh storm cut apart the winged-beast duelist's facedown card.

"Next, my Card of Demise to draw five cards," Bastion continued as he drew five more cards. He smiled as his find and looked to his enemies, "Alright, I use Double Summon to bring out Whirlwind Prodigy!"

A small tornado emerged and from it, a young blond kid appeared wearing a green hat and jerkin with grey pants. (4/1500/1600)

"Next, I sacrifice it to summon Simorgh, Bird of Divinity!"

The prodigy was sucked up into another tornado, much larger than the previous one and brought out a large, regal, light green bird with its large wings, yellow tail feathers and small red crown upon its head. (7/2700/2000)

"He has a Simorgh card," Cutter gasped.

"Impressive isn't it," The Ra smirked, "Now watch it action as it attacks Battlestorm with Sacred Windstorm!"

Simorgh let out a large call as it flapped its wings and created a giant storm that caught the black man-bird in its wake and shattered it.

"I end my turn with another facedown card," Bastion concluded, "And on the End Phase, Simorgh's effect damages everyone with 1000 points of damage!"

"Oh no," Shadow and Cutter shouted as Simorgh's crown began to glow and a bright green wind blew across the field. Bastion's Spirit Barrier card image and his facedown card stood up straight, but the latter hiding its identity along with Jacinth's Dark Hour and his facedown card blocked the damage from them. But the Light Brigade duo weren't as lucky as the winds blew past them.

As it ended, both developed a bloody cut on their cheeks.

Shadow: 5200 + Cutter: 7000

Jacinth: 3400 + Bastion: 5600

"Did that... cut them...?" Bastion gasped.

"Impressive," Jacinth laughed, "I didn't think you had it in you!"

The Ra turned to his partner and narrowed his eyes, "You did that, didn't you!?"

"Didn't I tell you, not only I'm unleashing my powers but this field spell will unlock a torment of its own," The Arcana Shadow duelist grinned.

"He wasn't bluffing...," Cutter whispered as he looked at his surroundings, "We may not be in those shackles, but now we're in hot water!"

"You're going to be sorry you did that to me," Shadow growled at the Slifer as drew his next card, "I'll place this facedown so I'll only take 500 points of damage!"

Cutter gasped, "You got nothing!"

Shadow sighed as he shook his head.

"Uh oh," Jacinth mocked, "Watch out for those cutting winds!"

Simorgh's crown glowed again and sent its divine wind across the field again, with Jacinth's and Bastion's cards providing the shield. Shadow's lone facedown card blocked part of the slicing winds while Cutter blocked with his arms as best he could, leaving cut marks on his arms.

Shadow: 4700 + Cutter: 6000

Jacinth: 3400 + Bastion: 5600

"Alright," Jacinth grinned as he drew, "It's going to be fun! I use my Card of Demise," He declared, drawing his five cards and laughed as he placed another card on the field, "Next, I summon Dark Elf in attack mode!"

Floating out of the darkness, a dark skinned, green haired elf emerged wearing a dark green robe and a vindictive smile on her face. (4/2000/800)

"And next, I use the spell Thousand Punisher," He continued as the spell card image appeared behind Dark Elf and pulled her in with black tendrils as she screamed in peril.

"What's going on," Shadow demanded as the spell image moved behind Arcana Shadow Priestess.

"I sacrificed Dark Elf to make my Shadow Priestess' ATK go to 1000," Jacinth replied as the image phased through the Arcana Shadow and surrounded herself in Dark Elf's image, "But don't laugh; she can now attack for every multiple of 1000 ATK from my Dark Elf! So, two attacks are coming your way!"

"So my Cyber Ouroboros is going to die, big whoop," The shadow duelist scoffed.

The Arcana Shadow duelist grinned, "Oh, they're not the ones I'm after! Now I use the Negative Energy Generator! Now one DARK monster has tripled its ATK, guess who?"

The dark Priestess cackled as she grew two times her normal size and towered over Caius and Alector! (2/1000-3000/1000)

"What's with this kid," Cutter shouted, staring at his opponent, "First we have him on the ropes, now he comes back with all this freaky powers and crap!"

"I'm still figuring that one out," Shadow shuddered as he stared at the giant monster.

"And while you're doing that, I'll activate my facedown cards, Fatal Abacus and Skull Invitation," Jacinth continued as he revealed his two trap cards. The first card showed a demonic looking abacus that appeared in front of the Slifer. And from the second trap emerged a horned, blue-skinned demon in a black robe holding out his hand.

"Now the pain is set, go Shadow Priestess and attack Caius the Shadow Monarch and Alector with Punishable Crash!"

The shadow moaned ominously as her hair wrapped around the target monsters and hung them in the air. With an unforgiving squeeze, Caius and Alector perished into the darkness. Next, the hair lunged again and started to squeeze out the screams from Shadow and Cutter before dropping them unceremoniously to the ground.

Shadow: 4100 + Cutter: 5400

Jacinth: 3400 + Bastion: 5600

"And with Fatal Abacus and Skull Invitation together, you're losing 800 points for your monsters!"

The demon floated over to the abacus and rearranged the beads to match the number 800 and then rushed at the Light Brigade duo, clawing at their chests and making them scream.

Shadow: 3300 + Cutter: 4600

Jacinth: 3400 + Bastion: 5600

"This is so much fun, destroying all the high and mighty people," The Shadow Arcana duelist laughed, "And then I'll end my turn, to let my partner's Simorgh deal more damage!"

Once again, Simorgh sent another green windstorm ripping at the Light Brigade duo, but keeping Jacinth and Bastion safe. Once it passed, Shadow and Cutter were left kneeling and holding their various wounds.

Shadow: 2800 + Cutter: 3600

Jacinth: 3400 + Bastion: 5600

"Jachin, Jacinth... you have to stop this," Bastion protested, seeing his opponents in pain.

"Stop," Jacinth scoffed, "When this duel's over..."

"It might as well be," The Ra pointed out, "They can't fight back!"

"Oh well, they mocked us so it's only fitting we show them all the pain they'll have to take!"

Bastion gasped, "You're... not serious... Jachin wouldn't want this!"

"Actually, he does," the Shadow stated, "But since he won't follow through, I'm taking control and charge to make sure it happens!"

Everyone else shuddered in fear at the malice in his voice.

"Shadow, we better do something quick," Cutter shouted as got to his knees and drew his next card, "I play the tag-exclusive spell card; Turning the Page!"

A spell card image floated to the top of the field, showing off a young man crossing over from darkness into day while reverting to his young boy persona.

"With this spell card, I can turn over control to my partner, letting him take over! In other words Yellow boy, your turn is skipped!"

Bastion growled as the spell image vanished and a red X appeared under him.

"And for my turn," Shadow declared as he drew, "I activate Dark Prominence! This lets my partner and I draw four cards, but then remove the next four from the game!"

Shadow and Cutter felt a dark energy seep into their decks as they drew out their four cards and watched the next four top cards vanish.

"And then, I'll summon another Dark Jeroid!"

Another strange fiend copy appeared. (4/1200/1500)

"Next, I'll use his special ability on Arcana Priestess!"

Dark beams flashed on the shadow monster, making it weaker and kneel to the ground. (2/1200-400/1200)

"And then I'll use my facedown card, Heavy Storm destroying every spell and trap on the field!"

A heavy windstorm picked up and ripped apart every spell and trap card out of the field, even freeing Slate Warrior from the Archfiend of Glifer's grip. (4/1100-1600/1400)

But when the winds died down, the dark field spell remained!

"Why is this stinking field spell still here," Shadow demanded.

"It's should've been destroyed along with everything else," Cutter yelled.

"And therein lies the problem," Jacinth grinned, "This field spell can't be destroyed by card effects! So, be prepared to spend the end of your days here!"

"I'd rather not," Shadow growled as he held up another card, "Since I'm free from that dangerous combo, I can freely sacrifice my Cyber Ouroboros and my two Dark Jeroids to summon the Mad Profiler!"

All three monsters shattered into the darkness, leaving their pixels behind which reformed into a short, pale-skinned and purple-haired man with an insane look on his face. He wore a forest green robe with khaki pants. Finally, he sat on a high stool chair and pointed his left index finger to his forehead while staring at a black book. (8/2600/1600)

"And that's supposed to scare me," Jacinth asked and laughed, "Despite him being more than able to destroy my monster I'm still waiting on the spark."

"Oh you'll see it," Shadow grinned, "I can activate his special ability by sending one card to the graveyard. And that lets me remove a card of the same type from play!"

For the first time, Jacinth showed a little worry, 'If he removes my field spell, I'm sunk!'

Shadow held up the first of his two cards, "I'll send my Monster card, Necroface to remove Simorgh!"

A small card image appeared next to the Mad Profiler, letting him take it into his hands and stare at it. He then took his finger off his head and touched the card, making it vanish into thin air. Suddenly, a green aura surrounded the Bird of Divinity and then it vanished as well!

"What..." Bastion gasped.

"Now Mad Profiler, attack that boy's Priestess!"

The Profiler cackled manically as he jumped off his chair in a mad dash and slammed his book into the Shadow Arcana's face, killing her on impact.

Shadow: 2800 + Cutter: 3600

Jacinth: 1200 + Bastion: 5600

The long forgotten buzz saw started to move down to the 1000 mark and nearing its end.

"One more good hit, and those legs are coming off," Shadow shouted, "I figure it's best to go after you now, so I can stop this pain... and there's no better way than death!"

"Oh, you think it's that simple, "Jacinth grinned, "How will you accomplish that when you keep giving me more monsters!"

"What!"

"By killing the Priestess you brought out two more of the shadows," The dark Slifer declared as two more monster cards flew out of his deck and planted themselves onto the disk, "Meet Shadow Arcana Emperor and my Shadow Arcana Empress!"

This time, a large dark puddle appeared and brought out two more monsters! The first looked like a giant, bulked up soldier wearing grey armor with a red cross on the front, a purple eye mask over the face and shoulder guards. He carried a large broadsword. (3/1400/1400)

Next to him, a fat and feminine shadow wearing a similar armor as the Emperor but with a white cape to add plus a white crown on her head. She carried a black wand. (4/1600/1600)

"Darn it," Cutter growled, "These things keep on coming!"

"And it's my turn," Jacinth declared as he drew, "I'll now use my Gift of the Martyr spell card, sacrificing Shadow Emperor to Shadow Empress! And that gives Emperor's ATK to her as well!"

The Emperor shattered into pixels and fused its essence into the Empress, letting her revel in the power. (4/1600-3000/1600)

"Now attack Cutter directly! Evil Touch!"

The fat shadow rushed herself over to the winged-beast duelist who shook in fear. She then took her wand and then summoned a large dark mist that suffocated Cutter in its wake.

Shadow: 2800 + Cutter: 600

Jacinth: 1200 + Bastion: 5600

"Now I place one card facedown," Jacinth concluded as Empress' power returned to 1600 ATK, "Now get up and stop choking..."

The smoke cleared up, letting Cutter drop to his knees and clutched his neck.

"It was so... dark..." The green clad duelist shook.

"CUTTER!" Shadow shouted, "Get your head in the game! If you don't move, he'll kill you!"

Cutter gasped as he shot up to his feet, "No, I will not be hurt any longer," Cutter shouted as he drew, "I activate Ancient Rules to summon a Normal Monster from my hand," He then took his monster card and slammed it on his disk, "Now I bring out Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry!"

A golden radiance shined from the sky, blinding everyone except the summoner. It revealed Simorgh but now with golden feathers and all. The large bird let out a powerful call. (8/2900/2000)

"That's a Normal Monster," Bastion asked, "But it clearly has an effect color on the card."

"Well that's part of its effect: being a Normal Monster while in the player's hand," The winged-beast duelist smirked.

"Oh great, light..." The Shadow Persona duelist groaned.

"And it's gets better with its second," Cutter announced, "Now all players can summon WIND monsters with one less sacrifice, letting me bring out another Raiza the Storm Monarch for my normal summon!"

Simorgh's wings glowed, making a pathway from Cutter's hand to the field. In a flash, Raiza returned taking his guard. (6/2400/1000)

"Now that you're down to your last 1200, once Simorgh deals with your so-called Shadow, it'll be game over," The winged-beast duelist announced, "And with the main power away, the yellow boy will be easy pickings!"

 _'So that's why they mostly left me alone,'_ Bastion thought as he growled, _'He only saw Jachin as the threat! I continue to be ignored!'_ He then eyed his facedown card, _'But that will change soon enough...'_

Jacinth felt his partner's anger and grinned _, 'Well, well, someone's a little left out...'_ He then eyed his own facedown card, _'Even though, I can block his attack with my card, I wanna see what Bastion does...'_

"Now, Simorgh silence the so-called dark one," Cutter commanded as the golden bird raised its wings up high, "Prepare to die!"

"I WILL NOT BE IGNORED!"

Everyone suddenly turned their heads towards Bastion once he shouted and revealed his trap card.

"I activate the trap card, Dark Spirit of the Silent," He announced as large, orange spirit flew out of the trap card and blocked Simorgh's wings from flapping downwards, "This trap card stops the current attacking monster and forces another monster on your side to attack. But the choice is mine to make!"

Cutter gasped, "You make the choice!"

"Yes, and I think of no better choice than the monster you stole Jachin, his Sangan!"

"But if Sangan attacks..."

The Light Brigade duelist didn't even finish his sentence as the long forgotten Sangan leapt towards the Shadow Arcana monster.

"It's over for you," Jacinth grinned, "Empress, Evil Touch!"

As soon as Sangan reached the Empress, the Shadow Arcana laughed as she pointed her wand in the fiend's line of fire and fired a dark blast obliterating it from the field. The impact of the blow managed to reach Cutter from the distance and sent him flying across the field, knocking him out and taking all of his cards out from the game.

Shadow: 2800 + Cutter: 0

Jacinth: 1200 + Bastion: 5600

Shadow cringed watching his partner go down in a heartbeat.

"Looks like, I'm not the only threat around here," Jacinth stated, seeing the damage done to the winged-beast duelist, "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea in trying to take me out first."

Bastion narrowed his eyes at the fallen duelist as well and then turned to the Shadow duelist, "Now it's your turn!"

He drew his next card and immediately pressed a button on his face down card, "I activate the spell, Back to Square One!"

The spell revealed a large-scale version of a game board with various small monsters playing the game pieces. One of the most notable spots on the board actually said 'Back to Square One.'

"By discarding one card from my hand, I can send a monster of yours back to your hand," The Ra announced, "So in other words, your Mad Profiler is gone!"

The insane profiler vanished into a magenta-colored light and extracted itself back to the top of Shadow's deck.

"And to rack up the pressure, I switch Slate Warrior back to attack mode and use the spell card Rush Recklessly, giving another 700 ATK for the turn!"

As the fiend warrior stood up, a green energy surged through him... (4/1600-2300/1400)

"Now go and attack directly with Slate Staff Bash!"

The warrior let out a battle cry and flew straight at Shadow, striking him in the gut.

Shadow: 500

Jacinth: 1200 + Bastion: 5600

"One more attack and you'll be finished," Bastion declared, "Better save yourself the trouble and give up!"

"Yes, we wouldn't want another loser among your team," Jacinth goaded, "Give up and let us go..."

Shadow grunted and laughed a bit, "If only it were that simple..."

"What do you mean," The Ra asked.

"End your turn and find out," Shadow told him.

"Fine, I will and then Slate Warrior's power returns to 1600," Bastion announced as the green energy left his monster.

"Alright, I draw my Mad Profiler," Shadow declared, knowing what his draw phase let him to, "And then, I'll use my spell card Mirror of the Nightmare!"

"Mirror of the Nightmare!"

Appearing behind Shadow, a large, circular mirror appeared with a demon inside the reflection.

"This is the end of the game, boys," the shadow duelist grinned, "It pays all my life points down to 100, but it's well worth the price and pain for now I can summon two monsters without the summoning conditions!"

The demon sprung out of the giant mirror and extracted a dark portion of Shadow's soul and devoured it.

Shadow: 100

Jacinth: 1200 + Bastion: 5600

"Now, I can bring out Mad Profiler from my hand and Caius the Shadow Monarch from the graveyard!"

The mirror shattered, blowing a dark wind across the field. It sent shivers down Bastion's spine but did nothing for Jacinth as he embraced.

'Such power... I can't wait to see what happens next...' He grinned.

Through the dark winds, the Mad Profiler and the Shadow Monarch appeared, cackling manically. (8/2600/1600), (6/2400/1000)

"And now, since those Shadow Arcana monsters seem to come back after I trounce them," Shadow stated looking from Jacinth to Bastion, "I'll start beat you senseless, since you started to grow a backbone! Caius, make the first strike!"

The Shadow Monarch obeyed as it large another dark orb and fired it straight at the Slate Warrior, shattering it to pixels.

Shadow: 100

Jacinth: 1200 + Bastion: 4400

"You triggered Slate Warrior's effect," Bastion announced, "The monster that destroyed him loses 500 ATK and DEF!"

Caius growled and clutched its head in pain. (6/2400-1900/1000-500)

"Whatever," Shadow laughed, "Mad Profiler, strike him directly!"

The insane man hopped his chair and then struck Bastion in his face, leaving a red imprint for the memories.

Shadow: 100

Jacinth: 1200 + Bastion: 1800

Bastion's saw blade now started move after a long period of inactivity and stopped a little past the 2000 mark.

"Now, I end my turn and wait for the chance to cut those legs off," The Light Brigade duelist laughed, "No one makes me fear the shadows!"

"I wouldn't be laughing," Jacinth warned as he drew his next card, "There's a lot of things that can make you fear the shadows, including me."

"What are you talking about now, kid? Give it up; it's over for you and your pal!"

The Shadow Arcana duelist sighed "Tell me, have you come into terms with your dark side?"

Shadow just raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"No? That's sad... this will be over sooner than I thought," Jacinth muttered, "And that's the problem Jachin has now... he thinks he's one with his dark side, but the more he continues to push me away from his true feelings, the more I want to rise and fulfill his darkest desires."

"To hurt people," Bastion answered, "Why?"

Jacinth laughed, "You of all people shouldn't be questioning me? Your dark side's out in the open once you took out Cutter!"

"Beg your pardon?"

"I can see it in your eyes, you hate to be ignored. Why else would you steal the spotlight away from me? You're jealous of other's being worth more to enemies."

Bastion gasped as Jacinth narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"I'm right, aren't I? Don't deny it, or you'll get the same fate as this fool," He continued as he turned to Shadow, "Now, I won't go into detail for what I see in you. I'll just let you tell me!"

"Why do you keep babbling," Shadow growled, "Just get to the point!"

"Fine by me! I activate my trap, Metal Reflect Slime to summon my trap monster to the field!"

Suddenly, some sliver slime emerged from the ground and formed into a liquid metal spike ball. (10/0/3000)

"And now, both it and my Shadow Arcana Empress will go to the graveyard for my Shadow Mirror spell card!"

Appearing behind Jacinth, a small hand mirror rose up and floated in front of him.

"Prepare to meet your true self! Shadow Token, appear!"

Suddenly, glowing yellow eyes peered from the mirror and let out dark ropes that splattered across the floor. It then reformed and stood up creating a human-shape. But not just any human-shape... Shadow's human-shape with glowing yellow eyes! (12/?/?)

Shadow looked at it in fear and gasped, "No way..."

 _ **"I am a shadow... the true self,"**_ The dark entity announced, staring straight at Shadow. It then started to smile evilly _ **, "Oh... playing the Shadow Man again!"**_

"Huh! That thing his talking about me!"

 _ **"Don't play that game with me! Don't run away from your lesson! But who am I kidding, that's all we know: playing games and running away from things we don't like to do!"**_

"Hey, stop that! I was never like that," Shadow shouted, "You don't know anything about me!"

"Sounds like a lie to me," Jacinth said, crossing his arms, "Don't deny the real feelings inside you, Shadow!"

Bastion gasped _, 'the real feelings! That Shadow Mirror spell card brings out the real feelings of a person!'_ He then stared at the possessed Slifer in fear, _'What if that card was pointed at me...?'_

 _ **"I never wanted to grow up..."**_ The Shadow continued to rant, " _ **but Dad says I'll never show any initiative or any things to get where I want in life!"**_

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up," Shadow cried falling to his knees.

 _ **"But what does he know!? I know what I want! It's his fault! He's the reason, I run away! I've done everything I can but it's never enough! It will never be enough! Isn't that right... me!?"**_

"N-No..."

Jacinth smirked, _'Here it comes...'_

At the top of his lungs, Shadow shouted...

"YOU'RE NOT ME!"

Hearing that set the shadow token off into a frenzy of dark aura and dark laughter.

 _ **"There I go again! I run and run and there's no stopping me! Guess it's time to show off my talent! Make me show how grand it is!"**_

The shadow token imploded in a cloud of red and darkness, knocking Shadow down on his butt. When the cloud dissipated, a huge monster appeared in its place. It looked like a young child but with a weird complex going on. Like Arcana Shadow Priestess, it was white on the left side with a white wing on the back, while the right side was black with a devil's wing on the back. In the hands, the child carried a note pad and a video game controller. (12/100/100)

 _ **"Now, pay for shunning me out!"**_

"That thing..."

"Is you," Jacinth declared pointing at the token, "And it even has its power based on the life points you have to prove it!"

"At least... my two monsters can protect me...," the Light Brigade duelist said shakily as he stared at his shadow, "I'm... still... t-t-too powerful..."

"Oh no you're not, I seem to have read the final part of that Nightmare Card you played," Jacinth pointed out, "When you only have the monsters summoned by that card, they can't protect your life points from battle! Meaning, you did nothing to protect yourself!"

All the color seemed to have been drained from Shadow's face as he backed up against the wall, "No... no..."

"Attack and end this duel," Jacinth commanded, "Destroy him!"

The shadow's face suddenly grew demonic and then lunged passed the Mad Profiler and Shadow Monarch, heading straight for the defenseless duelist.

"NOOO!"

The shadow opened its jagged maw and then clamped down on Shadow's duel disk and shattered it to pieces, exploding it off his arm and leaving it badly burned.

Shadow: 0

Jacinth: 1200 + Bastion: 1800

Winner: Jacinth and Bastion

Jacinth gave off a roar of laughter as the holograms disappeared and the saws intended to cut him and Bastion stopped, opening the chests from between their ankles.

"Ah, sweet freedom and victory," He stated as he took the key from the chest and unlocked his shackles. Bastion did the same, but was feeling wary of the Slifer's next move, "Now to take care of business!"

"'Business,'" The Ra asked as Jacinth walked over to the fallen and horrified form of Shadow.

"Now, now little Shadow, you have just witnessed the true darkness of your heart," the shadow Slifer stated as his eyes glowed, "But you failed to conquer it, so you'll have to pay the price!"

"W-What price," Shadow stuttered.

"Take a look around you, my prey..."

The Light Brigade duelist started to look around and gasped that the Dark Hour field spell was still active!

"The Field Spell!"

"Like it," Jacinth asked, "Well get used to it, because you will become a part of it for the rest of your days," He then stared at the fallen form of Cutter, "Him too..."

Suddenly, the ground started to rumble shaking both Shadow and Bastion to the floor. Jacinth stood his ground as he watched the terror unfold.

"NOW!"

At the shadow Slifer's command, Cutter's body was swallowed up in a black coffin and slammed shut before sinking back into the ground.

Shadow cried out, "CUTTER!"

"You're next," Jacinth grinned, "NOW!"

"AAAAHHH!"

Shadow was then trapped inside an upright coffin and screamed in terror as it was slammed shut and dove straight into the ground. The entire scene put horror in the face of the Ra and a look of delight on the shadow Slifer's.

"Now, my host can be purely satisfied," Jacinth stated as the Dark Hour spell finally disappeared, "It's been too long since I was able to duel again."

He then turned around to see the Ra's look of terror on his face and scoffed, "Oh don't tell me you didn't like that..."

"W-What," Bastion gasped.

"You heard me; they ignored you most of the entire duel. Surely, you had a dark satisfaction of seeing me take them down!"

"You're wrong," the Ra shouted, shaking off his fear on the spur of the moment, "I may have been angry about being ignored, furious for being caught up in a near-death experience, but what you've done is completely unaccounted for!"

"Please, you can lie about all you want," Jacinth stated, "But seeing the way you took down Cutter; it thrilled you to do that after what they said... You relished the pain when Simorgh's power became real to hurt them... You made sure they never forgot the name Bastion Misawa!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

At that point, Bastion felt a sharp chop to the back of his head, slowly removing the consciousness from his brain as he heard his attacker's words...

"It seems you need some time to think about that," Jacinth said in a low tone, "I'd rather take you down like the others, but right now... it will all seem like a bad dream..."

The whole world went black for the Ra as soon as his body hit the ground.

* * *

At the secluded caverns, Sarina woke up from her meditation and was struck with a cold shiver as two of the lit candles fell to the ground. She felt a sharp chill in her heart as she placed her hand over it.

"Sarina," Makoto shouted in a worried tone, coming to the aid of her elder sister, "What's wrong..."

"Shadow, Cutter... they're gone," the miko whispered.

"Gone...?"

"She's right," Hanabi whimpered, cuddling her bear, "Someone with scary, bad darkness beat them..."

Makoto started to feel worried herself as she was able to sense it as well, "No one could easily defeat our elite assassins!"

"Which is why, we need to speed up our attack on the students..." Sarina said, composing herself, "One of them holds the similar power, Sartorius once spoke about..."

* * *

"Hey Bastion, wake up! Come on man, you shouldn't be on the ground sleeping!"

When Bastion first opened his eyes, all he could see was a blur, then, as his eyes came into focus, he saw a close-up of someone's hand waving over him.

"AAH!"

"WAAH!"

The Ra jumped to his feet and saw a startled Jachin fall down on his back.

"Jachin!"

"What?"

"Where are we," Bastion said, quickly pulling up the Slifer to his feet and looking around the spot he woke up from. It turned out to be the same alleyway he and Jachin fell asleep in.

"We're in an alleyway," The Persona duelist replied, "I don't know how we suddenly felt the urge to take a nap, but because of this we need a shower."

Bastion took a whiff of his blazer and put on a disgusted look as he held his nose, "Oh dear Lord! How long have we been out!?"

Jachin shrugged, "Let's just go so our clothes don't mildew, okay?"

"Alright," The Ra said as he started walking down a pathway by himself.

As the Slifer was left alone at the moment, he suddenly got angry...

"You're lucky he didn't recall that battle we had," He growled, "You went too far, again!"

 **"Don't act like you didn't love it,"** Jacinth said from within his mind, **"I felt the thrill of how I trounced those worthless duelists!"**

"Okay, I'm up for knocking them out," The Slifer stated, "I would be able to turn them in to the police for putting me and Bastion into that mess back there," He then took out the deck he used and fished out one card "But doing this!"

Jachin was now holding up the Dark Hour card, but it had a new feature in the artwork.

It now had Shadow and Cutter running away in fear from the Shadow Arcana Magician!

 **"It will teach them not to torment us again,"** the shadow claimed **, "Even now I can hear them begging for their lives to be spare by my Dark Hour denizens, hahaha!"**

"I will get them out," Jachin declared, "And once I fully get control of my own thoughts again, you won't torment me again!"

 **"Aw, I'm sad. But you can't get rid of me, I'm you!"**

The Slifer sighed as he followed the pathway Bastion took, "Of course I can't, you're the embodiment of my darkest secrets. But I won't let that stop me from living my life... I swear it..."

* * *

Well, I hope I didn't scar some people with that duel. And Trickymander, I hope I did this well! I will have him duel again, because there's more monsters and I need to play out effects.

Arcana Shadow Magician

Attribute: Dark

Level: 1

type: Beast/effect

Effect: This card can only be summoned when Dark Hour is on the Field. When this card is sent to the graveyard Special summon 1 "Arcana Shadow Priestess" to the field.

Attack/Defense: 1000/1000

Arcana Shadow Priestess

Attribute: Dark

Level: 2

type: spellcaster/effect

Effect: This card can only be summoned when Dark Hour is on the Field. This card can give up its attack phase in order to special summon two tiara tokens onto the field When this card is sent to the graveyard Special summon 1 "Arcane Shadow Empress" and "Arcana Shadow Emperor" to the field.

Attack/Defence: 1200/1200

Effect: This can only be summoned by the effect of Arcana Shadow Priestess. You cannot attack Arcana Shadow Priestess when this card is on the field. There can only be up to two tiara tokens on the field.

Attack: 1200/1200

Arcana Shadow Emperor

Attribute: Dark

Level: 3

type: Warrior/effect

Effect: This card can only be summoned when Dark Hour is on the Field. Once per turn, discard a monster card, this card will take the monsters attribute. This card can only be targeted by monster that is its attribute.

Attack/defense: 1400/1400

Arcane Shadow Empress

Attribute: Dark

Level: 4

type: spellcaster/effect

Effect: This card can only be summoned when Dark Hour is on the Field. Once per turn, discard a monster card, this card will take the monsters attribute. This card cannot be targeted by spell casters. When this card is sent to the graveyard Special summons 1 "Arcana Shadow Hierophant" to the field.

Dark Hour

type: Field Spell

Picture: A city that has a large green moon in the center of the picture and has coffins under the moon. There is a large tower in the background. And there are puddles of red water on the floor around the coffins.

Effect: All Warrior monsters that do not have Persona or Shadow in its name are switched into defense mode. All machine types that do not have Persona or Shadow in its name will be unable to attack and have their attack and defense points reduce to 0. Any card affected by Dark Hour cannot be destroyed in battle. This card cannot be destroyed by card effects.

Shadow Mirror

type: spell

Picture: A mirror that has Glowing yellow eyes in it.

Effect: Special summon one shadow token to the field by sacrificing all monster on your side of the field

Shadow token

Attribute: Dark

Level: 12

Picture: Jacinth's opponent with glowing yellow eyes.

Type: Fiend

Effect: The Attack and defense is determined by the opponent's life points. This card cannot be affected by card effects.

Personality: Depends on the opponent.

(The preceding cards were created by Trickymander. Creative card rights go to him, while the inspiration goes to the creators of the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series.

Mad Profiler

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 8

2600/1600

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Tributing 3 monsters. You can send 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to remove 1 card of the same type (Monster, Spell or Trap) on the field from play.

(Used by Kodo Kinomiya in the 5D's episode The Profiler. All rights to the creators.)

Thousand Punisher

Normal Spell

Tribute monster and select 1 face-up monster you control. Until the End Phase, that monster's ATK becomes 1000 and can attack once for each multiple of 1000 ATK the Tributed monster had.

(Used by Trueman in the final season of GX. All rights to the creators.)

Negative Energy Generator

Normal Spell

Target 1 DARK monster you control and triple its ATK.

(Used by Seto Kaiba in the first episode of the second series anime. All rights to the creators.)

Turning Back the Page

Normal Spell

Activate only in a tag-duel. End your turn immediately and your partner automatically starts his/her Draw Phase.

Mirror of Nightmares

Normal Spell

Pay Life Points until you only have 100. Special Summon 1 monster from your hand and in your graveyard, ignoring the summoning conditions placed on them. If you only control monsters that are summoned via this effect, your opponent can attack you directly.

(The preceding two cards are my own creation. Creative rights go to me.)

* * *

Next time: It's the final two Light Brigade members appearance as Lyra and Allen are caught up in their game. But in a place, where two of the Legendary Duelist had to fight to their doom.

Please Read and Review! Later!


	37. Twilight at the Sea

Final Light Brigade Tag Team duel,come one, come all!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 37: Twilight at the Sea

* * *

"Alright, this is it..."

After being hung out to dry by the Society of Light, Isaac brought Academy kids left behind, aside from Jaden, Aster and Masaki, to an apartment building that was about 5 or 6 stories tall. It looked like a fairly great building considering that it wasn't located in the bad part of town.

"An apartment building," Melody asked, "We couldn't find another hotel to crash in?"

"Nope," Isaac replied as he shook his head, "This is the only place I know that could accommodate you all without going into debt."

"At least we can count on the Society not being here," Lily stated.

"You're paying for it, too," Claudio asked the elder Hikarii, "You're really going out of your way..."

"This tour guide thing gives me a pretty penny for all its worth, plus it's where I'm crashing since part of my paycheck goes into the rent," the Toon duelist explained.

"Oh, that's great, but do you have enough room for all of us," Fonda asked.

"I should, I just think I don't have enough blankets..." Issac pondered, but made a smile, "But just to make sure we can put everyone into a room, I think I know someone who can make sure of that..."

"Who would that be," Spencer asked.

"Probably a landlord or lady," Alexis pondered.

"Or he could have some friends on his floor," Jeremy figured.

"Maybe..." Alex added.

"Well, let's get inside and I'll show ya," Isaac responded by opening the front doors of the apartment and leading everyone inside.

* * *

Because of nine people not being able to fit into the elevators, the group had to walk upstairs to the fifth floor and travel down the hallways.

"Alright, I got my workout," Alex quipped, "Miles of walking on the streets and up five floors of stairs..."

Everyone let out a little chuckle.

"We all got a workout today," Spencer said, "And I think we all deserve a rest for all we've been through..."

"Especially what Jeremy, Alex and Lily's been saying about some guys using the Monarch cards to mess with us," the Magician duelist stated, "I think we should find the rest of the gang."

"After we say 'hello' to the people of room 520," Isaac said as they all stopped at the room in question. He rang the doorbell and awaited the people inside to open the doors.

And once the doors opened, everyone was met with two familiar faces...

"Hey guys, so you finally made it!"

"I hope you all been enjoying yourselves..."

It was Alister and Erika!

"No way, you guys live here!?" Claudio exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's a sweet pad really," Alister stated, "Beats scrapping for a mansion like those self-absorbed snobs..."

"And getting a room together, we can easily pay half-rent..." Erika added. She then saw Isaac, "And I guess you found our little connection..."

Melody turned to Erika, "That's how you knew about me..."

"Yup,' Isaac said, "Met Alister and Erika back when I first came here..."

"Uh... I think we should get to the reason why we're here," Alexis interrupted.

"Oh, in all this excitement, I forgot about that..." The Guardian duelist smiled as he and Erika moved away from the door, "Please come in..."

The inside of the engaged couple's apartment was very impressive, like being in a penthouse apartment. It had several rooms with everyone currently inside the living room. Everyone sat on couches and small chairs as started to drink water, tea or soda. Claudio told his story about how he was led into a duel against people with supernatural powers and met a girl who could manipulate them. Spencer and Fonda talked about how the hotel was now full up because of the number of Society members present along with Crowler and Bonaparte.

"So it sounds like you all got yourselves into a big jam," Erika stated, taking in both stories, "Is that what that dark cloud over the city's all about?"

"It must be," Jeremy replied, "After seeing this girl taking Vincent and Allyson to who knows where, I bet she's the one dealing with this cloud."

"Not to mention our own encounter with her and forcing me into that duel with T-Bone," Claudio added.

"Do you guys always deal with this mess," Isaac asked.

"As far as the strange things we've encountered from last year up to know, yup," Alexis replied.

"And you also got cheated out of your hotel arrangements," Alister asked and growled a bit afterwards, "Those guys are crossing the line..."

"So, you think we can crash here," Lily asked.

"We can, but only a handful of you guys," the Machine duelist stated, "But with Isaac having a room here, it should be simple."

Everyone smiled.

"That's great, so how should we do this," the Gemini duelist wondered.

"I can take the guys down to my apartment," Isaac said, "And you two can accommodate the girls."

"Sounds like a plan," Alister stated, "Everybody cool with that?"

Everyone stated an affirmative.

"Great, all the guys come with me," the Toon duelist said as Spencer, Claudio, Jeremy and Alex stood up from their seats and followed him.

"Night ladies," Claudio waved.

"Night guys," The girls and Alister replied.

* * *

Walking down the streets, Lyra looked at the skies. Even with the clouds still darkening the skies, she enjoyed it and put away her dark umbrella.

"A time of day, I like," She said to herself, "Dark, and without rain..."

"Hey, Lyra!"

She sighed as she heard the Obelisk duelist Allen, running up to her.

"Man, you walk fast..." He said, catching his breath.

"What is it," She asked in her monotonous tone.

"Trying to catch up with you," Allen replied, "After that last trip to the museum, I lost ya for a second..."

"I sent you a message saying I was leaving, but you never bothered to reply back..." The Infernity duelist stated, "After 20 minutes of searching, I figured you left..."

"Leave you behind, no way..." the fairy duelist waved off, "I had one of those audio tours with the headphones, so I couldn't hear the sound of my Duel Pilot going off, sorry."

Lyra sighed, "Why are you following me again..."

"I enjoy your company... after our duel at the beginning of the year, you can say I feel a bond with someone who loves the dark..."

"Opposites attract, right?"

"Exactly!"

The Goth started walking again, "So after one duel against each other, you feel all that?"

Allen followed after her, "Pretty much. It's like what everyone great duelist says: "A Duelist's bond can reach out to every other duelist." And I can see that even as a Goth, you're willing to be around others who don't associate with your style. Heck, I had my share of dark times but I stay on the optimistic side."

"Being a Goth, I have a sense of my individuality on the world," Lyra stated, "Of course, our sense of style places us in several stereotypes like moody, rebellious and shutting out society. I just took a liking into the culture and it clicked with me."

"I never saw that..." Allen shrugged, "I'm guessing no one understood you much..."

"Family, they understood... everyone else, not so much... And I even show how I stand out in dueling with my Infernities."

"The empty hand thing?"

"Shows how much different things can still come to the same result as any other norms," Lyra pointed out, "I could win with my deck as well as lose with it... it's like how I beat you and lost to Alex."

"Makes perfect sense..."

*BEEP!**BEEP!*

Suddenly, a call came from the Obelisk's Duel Pilot, prompting him to answer it. He groaned at what he read.

"Bad news," Lyra asked.

"I just got a call from Professor Spencer," the fairy duelist stated, "We got a problem with the hotel everyone was supposed to stay at..."

"'Was?'"

"The Society of Light took it over and now we're forced to take ourselves to another one."

Lyra groaned, "Just another reason to hate those Light lovers... excluding you to an extent..."

"Uh, thanks I'll take that as a compliment," Allen muttered, "Anyway, I got a hold of Jethro as well, and he's near the docks so he can guide us over there."

"Then let's get over there and find out where we need to stay..."

Both duelists headed to the direction of the docks, unaware of the shadow that hid behind an alleyway.

"They are heading your way..." The voice said in a tone, like Lyra's.

* * *

At the docks, a shadow was lurking over an unconscious Jethro...

"Alrighty, let's get our plan into motion," a chipper, girlish voice giggled.

* * *

At the secluded caverns, Sarina laughed a bit...

"Looks like they found their prey," She whispered, "And with Makoto there to greet them as well, there will be no escape for either the victors or losers! And then Hanabi will bring the final challenge to Jaden..."

* * *

Finally at the docks, Lyra and Allen made their way to the boats.

"Okay, now where is he," The Infernity duelist asked as she looked around.

"Hey Jethro," Allen called out, "We're here! Where are you!"

"Oh, he's out... cold..."

Both Academy duelist looked up from the white boat and saw a tall, blonde woman wearing sleeveless white blouse and bellbottom pants sitting on top. She giggled as she waved at the kids, using Jethro's hat!

"Who are you," Lyra glared.

"And what have you done with Jethro," Allen yelled.

"In order, darlings," the white-clad woman said, lying sideways on the boat, "You can call me Shine. And your friend's taking a little nap in a special chair... he was so easy to fool..."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Jethro had found himself back at the docks after a little mishap called him back to the boat..._

 _"Aw man, I can't believe I left my duel disk in here," He said, combing the inside of the vessel, "In the off-chance I get attacked by those Society boys, I gotta protect myself..."_

 _After a few minutes, he located his duel disk and hopped off the boat._

 _"Now let's find that hotel..."_

 _"AAHH!"_

 _Suddenly, he heard a girl screaming to the right of him and saw a woman in white, unlike the SOL's style being hassle by someone in black coat._

 _"Oh no, not on my watch," Jethro declared as he reached for his lasso hooked onto his belt and started to twirl it around and run at the ensuing scene, "Hey partner!"_

 _The black coat figure turned just in time for the lasso to get roped around his arms. He then pulled the over to him and flattened the guy with a punch._

 _"Maybe next time, you show some respect to the ladies," the cowboy Obelisk stated. He then turned to the woman who suddenly hugged him on the spot, "Whoa... you're welcome!"_

 _"Oh thank you, thank you," The woman said in praise, "I never thought someone as brave and handsome as you, would take the time to help little 'ol me."_

 _"Just using what my folks told me," Jethro replied, after he was released from the hug, "It isn't the first time I've saved some damsel in distress..."_

 _"My hero," The woman gushed, "I should repay you with something..."_

 _"No need, though I could trouble you for directions to a hotel..."_

 _"Aw, no wonder you seem so tired... so I guess I can help you by sending you to sleep."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _Suddenly, he felt a stunning jolt to the backs of his necks and fell down to a state of unconsciousness, revealing Makoto._

 _"Word of advice," She said as the white-clad woman picked up Jethro's hat, placing it on her head and giggled, "Never trust a pretty woman you don't know."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Too bad, he was such a gentleman," Shine sighed, but shrugged it off, "Oh well, I got to lure you two here... and if you want to save your friend, follow me to a special, historic dueling arena!"

She then disappeared in a flicker of light and zoomed straight down the docks.

Allen growled.

"Looks like we have to help out Jethro," Lyra said, "No telling what she and whoever she's working with will do to him."

"Yeah and if this arena is where I think she'll be..."

"Don't finish that," The Goth interrupted, "Because is not going to happen..."

* * *

Minutes later, Lyra and Allen found themselves staring down a large wooden dock with a large square hole in the middle and a giant anchor hanging over head.

"I knew it," Allen muttered, "One of the worst places for the Battle City tournament; Yugi and Joey fighting it out to their doom, thanks to the Rare Hunters' desperation over the Egyptian God Cards."

"Delivering unjust deaths," Lyra added, "Something I hate as well..."

"Hello!"

Over on the left side, Shine was waving them over.

"Alright, we're here," the Obelisk stated, "Where's Jethro?"

"Later sweetie," Shine replied, "I got someone who I want you to meet..."

On cue, a dark portal opened out of the blue. Stepping out of it, a wild black-haired girl as tall as Shine appeared wearing clothes in deep contrast, clad in a black halter top and skirt with fishnet stockings and a ring pierced in her nose.

"Good, they're here," She said in tone like Lyra's, "The name's Dusk."

"So it's going to be a tag-duel," Lyra acknowledged.

"Right you are," Shine said, "Me and Dusk against the two of you!"

"And if we win, we get Jethro back," Allen asked.

"Of course," Dusk replied, "But there's also something else at stake..."

"And what would that be," the Goth asked.

"Your lives!"

Suddenly, four shackles latched onto all four people without a moment's notice.

"Who did that!?" Allen asked.

"Search me," Lyra replied.

"That would be me..."

Everyone turned to see Makoto standing at the right side of the docks.

"Makoto!?" Shine and Dusk shouted.

"Since you're all at the historic site of the life and death match, it might as well look the part," the middle sister stated, "And if you're unfamiliar with the rules, let me run them down for you all..."

She pointed to the anchor with four chains hanging off them and attaching to the shackles.

"As you noticed, the chains you have on are connected to the anchor above our heads," She announced, "Thirty seconds after a player's life points reaches 0, the anchor will drop taking all who are attached to the bottom of the sea."

Everyone gasped.

"Makoto, this wasn't part of the job," Dusk growled.

"Yeah, we were just supposed to duel them and get them out of the way," Shine added with an unhappy look.

"Look below you," Makoto ignored as the duelists looked down and saw a box much like the ones in the underground arena, "The counter is adjusted to your opponent's life points. Once the numbers reach 0, the box will open revealing a key that will unlock your bonds. The winner will have thirty seconds to free him/herself while the loser will be sent on a one-way trip to the bottom of the sea!"

"This is nuts," Allen protested.

"And you'll free Jethro once Allen and I win," Lyra asked, not even batting an eye at the stipulations.

"Of course," Makoto replied, "And I wouldn't think about trying to get any ideas of chickening out, because 60 minutes after the duel begins, the anchor will automatically drop taking everyone to their demise! So the only way to win is to knock out the opponent," She then turned to Shine and Dusk, "And I hope you two have the common sense of winning, otherwise forget any chance of me saving any of you..."

The girls gasped.

"And just to make sure the kids have an incentive to duel..."

She stepped to the side to show Jethro sitting in a metal chair with bonds on his ankles and wrists. He was still unconscious...

"Jethro," Allen cried out while Lyra narrowed her eyes.

"And now, I leave you two to sort it all out..."

Makoto then turned into her vulture form and flew away.

"Now what do we do," Shine whined.

Dusk turned to her opponents and turned on her duel disk, "We duel and give up their lives to save ours..."

Then, Shine developed an evil smirk of her own, "Oh well... not like we aren't the best of the Light Brigade for nothing."

The fairy duelist cringed at the look of the girls' faces, "Okay, they just did a 180 on us..."

Lyra shook her head, "Stupid fools... they knew this was going to happen... we're not compatible, but they are... and if they say they're the best in their group, we're in for the long haul..."

"Don't worry, I won't use any cards to hinder you," Allen stated, knowing one card that could stop Lyra in her tracks.

Lyra sighed, "Don't worry about it," She stated as she and Allen turned on their duel disks.

"DUEL!"

All players drew their opening hands.

Dusk: 8000 + Shine: 8000

Allen: 8000 + Lyra: 8000

The timer started: 60:00:00

"Let's go, shall we," Dusk stated as she drew her sixth card, "I start with four cards facedown and end my turn..."

Four reversed cards appeared on the field.

"Okay, that's your move," Allen shrugged as he drew, "I summon the Radiant Jeral in defense mode!"

A bright portal opened and brought out a round, synthetic angel to the field with many lights and tubes decorating the body. It had two small, white wings and a halo floating on top of its head. (4/1000/2000)

The dark leather girl scoffed, "Figures you'd have a LIGHT monster... so predictable..."

"And what's wrong with them," Allen snapped.

"Nothing, you just have that happy look in your eyes," Dusk stated as she looked to her partner, "Just like someone else I know..."

"It's just who I am," Shine shrugged.

"Okay, but I still don't see how that ties in with the predictability," The fairy duelist pried.

"It activates my trap card, Depth Guiding Light," Dusk announced as she revealed a trap card that showed a person heading towards a bright light at an end of path, "When you summon a LIGHT monster, you first have to send the top 5 cards of your deck to the graveyard!"

"Great..." Allen said sarcastically as he took the top five cards (Soul of Purity and Light, Spirit Barrier, Monster Reborn, Inferno Reckless Summoning and Victoria) to the graveyard.

"Next, you have to draw and reveal the next card of your deck..." She continued.

The Obelisk drew his next card and showed it was the Splendid Venus! Dusk chuckled.

"Too bad, you can't play it right away," She said, "Now you'll have to suffer 2000 points of damage at the end of Shine's turn!"

"Then, I'll suffice with two cards facedown."

Two reversed cards appeared in front of the Obelisk.

"Okay, here I go," Shine giggled as she drew, "I play Soul Exchange to sacrifice your monster, Allen!"

Allen gasped as the soul was extracted from his monster and sent into the white clad girl's spell card, before it shattered.

"And for that, I summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!"

A light pillar shot down from the sky, unleashing a warrior covered head to toe in golden armored, cape and blue gloves. His presence was automatically illuminated by a lone spotlight. (6/2400/1000)

"Darn it..." The fairy duelist growled at his facedown cards, "I can't use my cards to bring out my monster..."

"A monarch monster, of course..." Lyra grumbled as she tried to cover her eyes from the light, "And would you turn down the light?"

"Sorry, no can do," The light user said as she wagged her index finger, "And when this card is Normal or Special Summoned, I get to destroy any two cards on the field!"

Allen eyed his facedown cards, having the feeling it was going to be targeted.

"I destroy two of the facedown cards Dusk has!"

Allen and Lyra narrowed their eyes at the move, as Kuraz launched two light energy blasts at the facedown cards, destroying them.

"And then the owners of those cards get to draw one card for each one destroyed!"

Dusk smirked as she drew her two cards, "And the cards she destroyed, were Statues of the Wicked, summoning two Wicked Tokens to the field in defense mode!"

A dark smoke emerged from the field and brought out two golden worms with two arms and menacing faces. (4/1000/1000) x2

"And I end my turn with this facedown card," Shine concluded.

"Meaning, Allen has to suffer!" Dusk sneered.

A dark light erupted from under Allen, making him cry out in pain.

Dusk: 8000 + Shine: 8000

Allen: 6000 + Lyra: 8000

"Now I'll go and stop this," Lyra said as she drew, "I summon Infernity Guardian in defense mode!"

In a dark prominence, the black, burning skull shield appears. (4/1200/1700)

"And then I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn," She concluded.

"And before that happens, I activate Synthetic Seraphim," Allen added as his trap card flipped face up.

"And comes right back to me," Dusk stated as she drew her next card, "I sacrifice one of my tokens to summon Delg the Dark Monarch!"

A dark portal erupted from the ground, and from it came another monarch monster. This one was decked out in black and grayish armor with a grey cape flowing behind it. The helmet and shoulder armor were shaped like spiked bat wings. (6/2400/1000)

"And that activates my trap card, Intercept," Allen called out as he flipped over his face down card. Ironically enough, it showed Raiza the Storm Monarch being subdued by a capture net, "This card activates when you make a tribute summoning with one sacrifice! Now I gain control of Delg!"

Like the picture of the card, a large, white capture net shot out and proceeded to grab the Monarch.

"And I use my card, Counter Counter," Dusk announced, "The only sure fire way to stop a Counter Trap without any costs!"

Suddenly, a large white outline of the Counter Trap symbol emerged and cut down the trap.

"Still, I get Synthetic Seraphim Tokens for the counter traps being activated as a nice consolation prize," The fairy duelist stated as two small, blue synthetic angels appeared. (1/300/300) x2

"So, you think you've got this all figured out to summon your precious Venus," The dark duelist said as she put a card into the disk, "You're dead wrong! I activate D.D. Designator!"

The spell image appeared showing D.D. Warrior Lady striking with her glowing sword.

"Now I get to declare 1 card's name and see your hand," She grinned, "And if it's in your hand, I get to remove it from play as well! And there's no better choice than your Venus, so let's see those cards!"

Allen growled as he held up his four-card hand, involving the Splendid Venus, Beckoning Light, Field Barrier and Nova Summoner. He grudgingly pocketed his Legendary Planet monster.

"You really have a prissy deck for someone that looks tough," Dusk stated, "And I'll even put you out of your misery with my Forbidden Chalice! Since my monarch can't attack on the same turn it was summoned, I can negate the effect plus give him 400 more ATK!"

A cup of holy water rained down on the Dark Monarch, raising its power a bit. (6/2400-2800/1000)

"Also, I despise the way you hide from attacking me so; I activate my trap card Final Attack Orders forcing all monsters into attack mode!"

Suddenly, an invisible energy forced the Wicked Token, the Synthetic Tokens and Lyra's Infernity Guardian to an upright position.

"Now, let's dish out some more pain! Delg destroy one of those tokens with Spiked Mace!"

The Monarch reached behind his cape and pulled out a handle attached to a chain and spiked ball. He started to rush out at the small token.

"Hold on," Lyra interrupted as she raised her hand at her facedown card, "I activate my Depth Amulet trap card!"

The Goth's trap revealed itself, showing a necklace made of tiny bones with colorful jewels hanging from it.

"I discard one of my cards to negate your attack," She declared as she did just that.

As the mace prepared to slam one of the tokens, a purple barrier blocked the attack before it made the mark on the little synthetic angel.

Dusk scoffed as she inserted her next card into the disk, "Delay all you want; I end my turn by playing the spell card, Veil of Darkness."

The spell card showed a black curtain being dropped over a lone card.

"And I'll go," Allen stated as he drew his next card, "I activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards and send two the graveyard."

After drawing his three cards, he pocketed two cards of what he drew.

"Next, I'll set two cards and summon the Nova Summoner in attack mode!"

After the two reversed cards were set near the fairy duelist's feet, the living angel wreath appeared. (4/1400/800)

"And now, I'll attack the Wicked Token," The Obelisk commanded, "Flying Bright!"

Nova Summoner's bell started ringing loudly as it sent small, white feathers from its form and broke apart the gold token.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 8000

Allen: 6000 + Lyra: 8000

"Alright, that'll be the end of my turn," The fairy duelist concluded.

"Nice work, but it'll be a long shot," Lyra stated, "We need to find a way to hit them harder and faster."

"Well that plan went out the water when she took out Venus," Allen grumbled.

"Excuse me, it's my turn now," Shine declared as she drew, "I summon the Rocket Warrior in attack mode!"

Flying over the dark skies, a green rocket with a yellow and black checkered torso appeared and landed on the field. It then started to transform, splitting its bottom end into two feet, the checkered torso split also creating two arms holding a squared shield with a start and a short sword. Finally, the top part split creating a helmet and revealing a yellow, determined-looking face. (4/1500/1300)

Shine's smile got even creepier once she held up her next card, "And with two Light Monsters on the field, I can summon the Guardian of Order!"

A light pillar erupted from the water, unleashing a giant, white armored warrior with golden lines around it. The giant unleashed a bright radiance, prompting the Infernity duelist to shield her eyes. (8/2500/1200)

"Grr... enough with the light show," Lyra growled.

"Aww, a little too bright," the light warrior duelist pouted, "Good! Rocket Warrior, attack Infernity Guardian with your Invincible Mode!"

The small warrior transformed back into a rocket and then launched itself at the burning skull shield.

"Depth Amulet, defend," Lyra announced as she discarded one of her two cards in her hand, creating the shield to repel the rocket.

"I still have another," Shine announced as her Monarch created a sword of light, "Kuraz, attack!"

"Depth Amulet, again," the Ra shouted as she sent her last card into the graveyard, stopping the sword from reaching her Guardian.

"Looks like you're out of luck this time," Shine smirked, "Which means the Guardian of Order can strike your points and your monster at the same time!"

The armored Guardian charged at the Infernity Guardian and started pummeling the skull head, yet it didn't give in to the destruction. Lyra, on the other hand, started feeling the aftershock of the pain and it showed as her life points dropped.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 8000

Allen: 6000 + Lyra: 6700

"Hey," the light girl shouted, "You're Guardian should be dead by now!"

"Hate to break it to you," Lyra scoffed as she held up her hands, "Infernity Guardian can't be destroyed while I have no cards left in my hand!"

"Well Shine, you have the points, but there's no way of getting to her," Dusk said, matter-of-factly, "What are you going to do now?"

"I'll just use this from my hand," Shine replied as she held up two cards, "Quick Summon! I can use this to bring out my Blade Knight for another summoning!"

Emptying out her hand, Shine brought out a sliver armored warrior holding up a diamond longsword and silver shield. (4/1600/1000)

"And since I don't hold at least 2 cards in my hand, I can boost his power by 400!"

The Knight's diamond sword started to glow pure white. (4/1600-2000/1000)

"Now, you want to keep him out, fine by me! Attack the Guardian again!"

The Knight raised his swords as he charged at the Infernity monster and sliced it across the skull again. Lyra showed a little of bit of pain from the attack as well.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 8000

Allen: 6000 + Lyra: 5900

"Lyra," Allen called out.

"I'm... fine..." She grunted.

"And that will be all," Shine concluded and giggled, "And please be quick..."

The timer had reached 50:00:00 and still counting down.

 _'At this rate, if don't get our cards, me and Allen will be sinking into the depths...'_ The Ra thought as she overlooked the field, _'Lucky for me, it's my turn...'_

Dusk chuckled, "It's sad to see two kids who have so little promise fall before their dueling career took off."

"Oh well, people live and people die," Shine shrugged, "And we have more a will to live than we do..."

"And what makes you so sure of that," Allen asked, narrowing his eyes at the opponents.

"Just look at the life points, pansy," the dark warrior duelist pointed out, "It's only been a short number of turns and we have you outnumbered and outmatched in every way. And we'll continue this onslaught until Shine and I are free and you two are shark bait in the sea."

"Excuse me," Lyra called out as she drew her lone card, "Enough with the insults and let's play the game!"

"Well, someone's looking death in the face..." the light warrior duelist looked on, "Okay, play your hopeless moves so you can sink already..."

"Gladly," The Goth replied and immediately slapped her card down on her disk, "I summon Infernity Signaler!"

Rising from a dark mist, a bizarre Native American style Infernity with pallid white skin appeared, puffing smoke rings from a pipe. (4/1000/1000)

Shine laughed, "I know you're trying to keep your hand empty, but your luck of the draw sucks!"

Allen growled, hating how they were putting down his partner.

"And maybe you shouldn't judge a book by its cover," Lyra replied, narrowing her eyes, "Signaler, attack Rocket Warrior!"

The Infernity blew out a large puff of smoke from the pipe and then it formed into a large, snarling demon, charging at the rocket.

"Too easy," the Light duelist clapped, "Rocket Warrior, show her why smoking is bad for you!"

Assuming its rocket form again, it charged at the smoke and blew it away. Next, it changed direction and pierced through white skinned Infernity and broke him apart, only leaving the pipe dropping to the floor.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 8000

Allen: 6000 + Lyra: 5400

"At this rate, we'll be out of the shackles before the 30-minute mark," Dusk chuckled darkly, "And I thought the prissy fairy duelist would be the first to fall."

"Sorry to prove you wrong," Shine smiled at her partner, "She's just a lot dumber than I thought."

"And you seem to forget my Signaler had a special ability," Lyra groaned, pointing to the pipe that the Signaler left behind, "Without a hand, I can special summon an Infernity Monster that's level 4 or below from my deck," She then took a out a card from her deck and summoned it on the field, "Infernity Archfiend, answer my call!"

A demonic laughter filled the air as the red-haired, blue-skinned archfiend descended from a sigil in the sky. (4/1800/1200)

"And with no cards in my hand, since he was special summoned, I can take an Infernity monster and add it to my hand!"

Lyra then took out another card from her deck and showed the card to her opponent's, "I select Infernity Shaman!"

"Goodie," Shine grinned, "Since your monster's effects happen while you have a hand, "I can use my trap card, Luster Purge!"

The Light Brigade duelist activate her trap card, revealing the Guardian of Order unleash a massive, light energy blast at Illusionist Faceless Mage.

"I can use this card to destroy the weakest DARK attribute monster and deal damage to you by their defense points," she informed, "And since your Guardian's the weakest, you'll be losing 1700 points!"

Allen gasped, 'That'll take her down to nearly 3000 points left! And I can't use my cards, they only help me out!'

"Time for another blast, Guardian of Order destroy Infernity Guardian!"

The Guardian of Order's helmet crest began to shine and started to concentrate a giant ball of light.

"He won't be going anywhere," Lyra shouted as she flipped over her facedown card, "I activate my MY Quick Summon spell and bring in my Infernity Shaman!"

As the blast fired, another dark mist conjured up and unleashed a shaman-style monster with pale white skin, wearing black robes and a headdress of raven feathers. (4/1500/1500) Sensing its presence, Infernity Guardian was able to endure the painful Luster Purge from destroying it. Shine growled and Lyra smirked.

"Not only, does my Guardian stay safe without my hand, but now with Shaman's effect he and other others gain 500 ATK and DEF," She continued.

The Shaman started chanting in an ominously, mystic voice as he, Infernity Guardian and Infernity Archfiend gained dark auras. (4/1500-2000/1500-2000), (4/1200-1700/1700-2200), (4/1800-2300/1200-1700)

"Now, I'm in the mood for a little payback," the Infernity duelist stated as she turned to her Shaman, "Shaman, the Rocket Warrior's yours! Hell Prominence!"

The Shaman chanted differently this time and launched a black shot of flames from its hands and incinerated the rocket into oblivion.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 7500

Allen: 6000 + Lyra: 5400

"And Archfiend, take the Blade Knight! Hell Pressure!"

The Archfiend also chanted in a demonic voice and created a fiery seal from above. A large, demonic hand broke out of the seal and smashed the Knight into dust.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 7200

Allen: 6000 + Lyra: 5400

"Looks like we're making progress," Allen smiled.

"I end my turn," Lyra concluded, pleased with her work.

Dusk scoffed, "Looks like the girl wears the pants of the tag team."

The Obelisk duelist blushed as Shine snickered and Lyra groaned.

"Are you still on me about having fairies as the theme of my deck," Allen asked, feeling flustered, "It's not my fault my deck uses them, and I happen to like them so enough with the insults and stereotyping."

"Alright then," the dark warrior muttered as drew her next card and turned it over, "I have my Necro Guardna, which I'll send to the graveyard and activate Veil of Darkness' effect, letting me draw again!"

After discarding her monster, she drew another card and played her next card, "I summon Chthonian Soldier!"

In a flash, a warrior in dark body armor and a dark green wrap around shirt appeared with a giant, curved blade in his hand. (4/1200/1400)

"And now, attack his Synthetic Token! Chthonian Slash!"

The soldier rushed down the field and slashed the small angel into pixels.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 7200

Allen: 4900 + Lyra: 5400

"Now Delg, attack his second one with Dark Mace!"

The dark armored Monarch swung his mace once again and smashed the second angel plus unleashing aftershock coursing through Allen, leaving him writhing in pain.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 7200

Allen: 2600 + Lyra: 5400

Lyra cringed at the pain her partner was going through and from the scores, a lot more than she endured.

Dusk laughed, "I can't wait for you to sink, loser! Playing those fairy cards will get you killed with me..."

"And soon, we'll be out of the shackles and leaving the kids drowning in the ocean," Shine added.

Allen shook off the pain and then turned over his face down cards with two pushes of the buttons on his disk, "Well, before you keep downing me, I'll activate the Beckoning Light trap card and the Emergency Provisions spell card!"

As both cards turned over, the Beckoning Light and Synthetic Seraphim transformed into white sparkles in a quick second...

"First, Emergency Provisions gives me 1000 points for every spell and trap card I send off the field..."

The white sparkles seeped into his body, restoring his health...

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 7200

Allen: 4600 + Lyra: 5400

"And now, I'll use Beckoning Light's effect to send all the cards in my hand to the grave and get a number of LIGHT monsters equal to the number of cards sent," He continued discarding his lone card and gaining back one of them that slid out of the graveyard, "And I'll regain the Soul of Purity and Light!"

"Even with that boost, you still won't win..." Dusk stated.

"Wanna bet," Allen said as drew his next card and smiled, "It's time to start my come back! I remove Radiant Jeral and Royal Knight from the game to summon the Soul of Purity and Light!"

Radiant Jeral and Royal Knight flew out of the graveyard in two small lights and combined to make a portal. Emerging from it, a completely transparent and beautiful silver-haired angel appeared wearing a flowing white gown. (6/2000/1800)

Immediately, she flew right behind Allen and lightly wrapped her arms around him in an embrace and resting her head on his, like mother would to a child. The Obelisk closed his eyes and warmly smiled.

"Hi Mom," He whispered to her.

All the girls looked at him strangely at the expression.

"Okay..." Shine muttered, "What's going on with him?"

"You'd think he was attached to a monster hologram of all things," Dusk scoffed.

Lyra stared silently and intriguingly as Allen woke up from his bliss. _'There's that same look he had when I dueled him,'_ she thought _, 'I guess it comes from his family since he did say it was that kind of deck...'_

"And next, I attack with Nova Summoner," Allen announced.

"Go ahead," Dusk challenged, "We'll both lose 200 points thanks to my Chthonian Soldier's effect!"

"Not my target," the Obelisk stated as he turned to his monster, "Attack her Delg!"

The flying wreath charged at the Dark Monarch, only to be crushed into pixels by the mace.

Dusk: 7600 + Shine: 7200

Allen: 3600 + Lyra: 5400

"Someone's a little sidetracked..." Dusk smirked, "Or have you forgotten that Delg outweighed your Nova Summoner..."

"I guess you don't know about Nova Summoner's special effect," Lyra interrupted.

"What?"

"You should really shut up now," the Goth continued, "I believe his 'prissy little fairies' are about to mount a comeback..."

"Well said, Lyra," Allen smiled as he turned back to the remains of the Nova Summoner, "Now since my monster was destroyed in battle, I can summon a LIGHT Fairy-type monster with up to 1500 ATK and I'll pick Freya, the Spirit of Victory!"

The remains unleashed a light that brought out the chipper cheerleading fairy. (1/100/100)

"You expect her to scare me," Dusk shouted, "She's not even worth my time!"

Freya stuck her tongue out at the dark duelist and crossed her arms.

"If the notion of her being off limits with another fairy on the field, along with her pepping up all Fairy type monster with 400 ATK and DEF, then yes," Allen grinned.

Dusk cringed as Freya started doing her cheers while the Soul of Purity and Light smiled at her exuberance. (1/100-500/100-500), (6/2000-2400/1800-2200)

"Oh great..." She muttered.

The Obelisk turned to the angel hugging him, "Could you attack the Chthonian Solider, please?"

The angel smiled warmly until she gave an angry glare at the soldier. She then gave off an extremely bright aura that even made Allen glow and launched a white beam, purging the Chthonian Soldier from the field.

"You'll take the same damage as me," Dusk stated as the sword of the soldier flew out of nowhere and headed towards the Obelisk, Luckily, he moved his duel disk in time so the blade only nicked it a little.

Dusk: 6400 + Shine: 7200

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 5400

"No pain, no gain," Allen shrugged as he placed his final card into his disk, "And then, I'll end my turn with this facedown card!"

"Well, someone's close to losing," Shine said in sing-song voice as she drew her next card, "I'll just have to up the ante a bit, instead of attacking little miss Goth again, I'll go after the Soul of Purity and Light with my Guardian of Order!"

Hearing the command, the giant Guardian rose up to the sky and then flew forward, extending his punch towards Allen.

Despite all that, Allen and Lyra grinned as she knew what was next, Dusk gasped as she also figured out about the monster, "Shine, wait!"

"Too late, my Soul of Purity of Light's effect activates," Allen chuckled, "During the Battle Phase, all opponent's monsters lose 300 ATK!"

Allen's aura suddenly gave off tiny light particles around him as the Soul took her place in front of him and shot them at Delg, Kuraz and the Guardian of Order. (6/2400-2100/1000) x2, (8/2500-2200/1200)

"Counterattack," Allen announced.

The Soul just put up one hand to stop the Guardian's punch in its tracks. She then tapped it again and without a moment's notice, the armored monster shattered into pixels!

Dusk: 6400 + Shine: 7000

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 5400

Shine screamed, "Oh no, he took out one of my best monsters!"

"You shouldn't have attack too soon," Dusk scolded, "Stay on the Goth girl's side and pummel her! I'll deal with him!"

"Hey, I didn't see it coming," the Light girl shouted back, "Besides, it's just a minor setback!"

"Well don't make another one," the Dark girl growled, "Just get your turn over with; we got about 35 minutes left!"

Gasping, Shine took one of her cards and inserted into her disk, "I activate the Shine Palace on my Kuraz then, giving him 700 ATK!"

Kuraz gained a bright, white aura as he reveled in the power. (6/2400-3100/1000)

"And then, I'll place this card facedown," She concluded.

"And it's my move," Lyra declared as she drew, "I activate Graceful Charity as letting me draw three cards and getting rid of two!"

She drew her three cards, discarded two of them and put it into her disk.

"I'll set this facedown card and end my turn," The Ra concluded.

"Good, it's speeding up," Dusk said as she drew, "I activate Card of Demise!"

She drew out her five-card hand and smiled at her find, "Now I play Necro Sacrifice! It lets me summon a level 5 or higher monster from my hand without a sacrifice on the field, but I have to summon a monster from my graveyard to your field."

"And you're being generous, why," Allen asked.

"Because no matter what I choose, it'll be in attack mode," the dark duelist said as a monster card slipped out of her graveyard, "Now, I send Chthonian Soldier to your field!"

Appearing next to Freya, the dark armored soldier reappeared. (4/1200/1400)

"Now, I summon Penumbral Sword Lady to the field!"

Allen gasped as a tall, blonde woman appeared decked out in sliver armor and skirt, bearing her midriff. She also carried a sword and shield with her that, along with her armor, carried a symbol of a green crescent moon on them. (6/2100/1200)

"Aw man, a monster gains power over a LIGHT monster," the fairy duelist groaned.

"Don't like that do you," Dusk smirked as she held up another card, "And I'll even add to the torment with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade! It gives her an extra 800 ATK and the card itself is immune to spell cards!"

The sword woman's blade transformed into a slender, wicked looking sword that gave off a dark aura. (6/2100-2900/1200)

"As if she wasn't powerful enough," Lyra gasped.

"Well, I'm about to make weaker, by activating the Miraculous Descent trap card," Allen announced as he revealed his facedown card. It showed Layard the Liberator descending from the heavens.

"What does that do, summon more of your prissy fairies," Dusk waved off.

"No, its special summons a fairy monster removed from play," the Obelisk grinned.

Shine and Dusk gasped, while Lyra gave off a dark grin to her opponents.

"Yup, it's the monster you kept away from the beginning," Allen announced as he raised his hand to the skies, "Now descend, Splendid Venus!"

The dark clouds started to shine a bright white light as the Legendary Planet angel descended to the field and set her staff on the ground. Freya cheered for the great angel's arrival. (8/2900-3300/2400-2800)

"And now, since she's all here, all non-Fairy monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF," He continued, "And that'll make a hindrance to your team game plan!"

Dusk smirked, "But you just hindered your partner as well!"

"She's right," Lyra grumbled, "My monsters are not fairies, remember?"

Allen slapped his forehead as Venus' armor gave off a blinding light that started to make nearly all the monsters present feel weaker.

Chthonian Soldier started to forsake his blade and shield his eyes from the burning light. (4/1200-700/1400-900)

Delg and the Penumbral Sword Lady cringed and kept up their guard, despite their power dropping. (6/2400-1900/1000-500), (6/2900-2400/1200-700)

Kuraz didn't react much, but felt his aura waning a bit... (6/3100-2600/1000-500)

Then, it was a bad day for Lyra's Infernities as they tried to stay strong among the light. (4/1700-1200/2200-1700), (4/2000-1500/2000-1500), (4/2300-1800/1700-1200)

"Sorry about that Lyra," Allen said sheepishly.

"See why you're the weakest link," the dark duelist stated, "You don't keep your effects from harming your partner! Now it's time for me to chip away at your power draining scheme, by first attacking the Soul of Purity and Light!"

As the sword lady drew her sword, the Soul's white aura weakened her and Delg little further... (6/2400-2100/1200), (6/1900-1600/500)

"But even though, the effect reduces my monster's ATK by 300, she'll increase hers by 1000 when attacking a LIGHT monster," She continued, "Now, take down that Soul!"

The sword lady yelled out a battle cry as she charged straight at Allen and the Soul.

"But she won't attack, your Monarch will," Lyra interrupted as she revealed her trap card, "Dark Spirit of the Slient, stop Penumbral Sword Lady and force Delg to fight!"

A red, demonic looking ghost shot out the trap card and slammed itself into sword woman.

Dusk growled, "No!"

Delg took it upon himself to swing his mace at the Allen with an incredible force backing it up. But the Soul was not too happy about that as she blocked the mace and then fired a giant wave of light, breaking apart the dark monarch.

Dusk: 5600 + Shine: 7000

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 5400

"Hey, thanks for the save," Allen said to his partner.

"You're going to start owing me," She replied, "Especially with Venus around..."

"No sweat, just as soon as I get some cards to do that," the Obelisk declared as he gave her a thumbs up.

Dusk gritted her teeth as she put her final two cards into the disk, "I'll place two cards facedown, end of turn!"

"And I guess it's my turn," Allen declared as he drew and immediately played, "I play Pot of Greed," He drew out two more cards from his deck and smirked at his find, "It's time for more payback from those fairy comments! I activate the Equip Spell Card Snatch Steal!"

The Light Brigade duo gasped as they saw the spell image of a green haired bandit stealing a parcel from an irate brown-haired man.

"And it's no surprise I'm deciding to take control of your Penumbral Sword Lady," He continued, "But at least you'll be compensated from your troubles since 1000 life points will be added to your score during your standby phases. But adding up the scores, you'll be gone long after that!"

The spell started to shine on the sword lady, about to steal away her free will.

"I will not let you have my monster," Dusk retaliated by activating her facedown card, "I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter to remove her from the game for this round!"

A giant, futuristic sliver transporter appeared and digitized Dusk's only monster into the machine, dropping the sword and letting Snatch Steal die out.

"Too bad, that Sword can't go along for the ride," Allen smirked, "Now, I got you wide open for a triple direct attack and it'll still be enough to take out one of you... Venus, strike first with Holy Feather Shower!"

The armored fairy spread her long wings and fired thousands of feathers heading straight for the dark warrior duelist.

"You forgot that I have Necro Guardna in my graveyard," Dusk shouted as she removed the mentioned monster from her graveyard and held it up, "By removing it from play, I get to negate one attack!"

A transparent image of a warrior dressed in grey, maroon, and black armor with long white hair that fell to his knees appeared. (3/600/1300) He crossed his arms and took the feathers into his body like arrows before vanishing off the field.

"I knew you'd wait for it," Allen smiled, "But you remember that I have my Soul of Purity and Light along with Freya to attack with," He looked to both of his monsters, "Ladies, have fun!"

The Soul flew from Allen's back on to Freya's as both fairies zoomed across the field and delivered a striking one-two punch to Dusk's face, sending her to her knees.

Dusk: 2700 + Shine: 7000

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 5400

"We're finally down to the wire," Lyra praised, "Just focus on finishing her now, and we'll see to getting her out after Shine's done."

"You got it," Allen replied, "And then, I'll end with a facedown card. And that means Penumbral Sword Lady returns and gets weaker because of Venus' effect."

The transported released the sword woman and placed her right back on the field. (6/2100-1600/1200-700)

"Don't get cocky just because you put Dusk through the wringer," Shine declared as she drew, "Now it's time to break this cycle with Spellbook Inside the Pot! That means with cards in your hand Lyra, your monsters get even weaker!"

The Infernity duelist growled as everyone drew their three cards and Shaman's chant stopped. (4/1200-700/1700-1200), (4/1500-1000/1500-1000), (4/1800-1300/1200-700)

"Sad that your partner and I are hindering you now," the light warrior grinned as she placed another card on the field, "And allow me to keep it up with summoning the Creator Incarnate!"

Jumping out of the card image, an all-orange armored warrior appeared. His red cape blew right behind, drawing his sword. (4/1600-1100/1500-1000)

"And even though he's strong enough to take out the Shaman and your Guardian," Shine continued, "I'll bring out his true power with another card!"

"Oh man..." Allen grumbled.

"You mean the..."

"That's right," Shine smirked as the warrior incarnation vanished into the skies, "By sacrificing the Creator Incarnate, I can summon his past self, the Creator!"

Once again, the dark clouds brightened up and shone a spotlight onto the floor. Thunderbolts crashed down to the water and brought down large monster, wearing a heavier armor than the incarnation. The differences were that this monster had a monstrous looking mouth and giant wings on its back. (8/2300-1800/3000-2500)

"It may be a giant, but all I see is another powered down monster joining your worthless Light Monarch," Lyra stated, "So what's the catch?"

"The catch is, he's my monsters' revival ticket," Shine stated, "By discarding one card from my hand I can summon a monster from my graveyard, letting me in on destroying all of yours!"

She then discarded one of her cards, and brought out another monster from her graveyard and revealed it to the Goth.

"So, by sending this card to the graveyard, I can revive my Guardian of Order!"

The Creator launched a thunderbolt into the skies, grabbing a part of the cloud and landed it right in front of him. Then, he started to tear the dark cloud apart and reshaped into the form of the white armored monster. Finally, it fed the monster-shaped cloud electricity and seconds later, the Guardian of Order broke out of the cloud and lifted his right fist into the air. (8/2500-2000/1200-700)

"All flair, huh," The Goth scoffed.

"Keep laughing little girl, as I up the ante by using this card, Pump Up on my Kuraz, doubling his attack points for the turn!"

Now Lyra gasped in fear as the Light Monarch double in size and in strength. (6/2600-4200/500)

'I don't have anything on the field that can protect my monsters,' She thought, 'And with all of those points, I'll be close to sinking at the bottom of the sea!'

"Here it comes," Shine announced, "Kuraz, attack the Infernity Guardian with Shining Fist!"

The Light Monarch roared as his fist started to glow very brightly and launched straight at flaming skull shield while Lyra braced herself for the big damage.

"Now you hold it!"

Everyone turned to see Allen with an angry look on his face.

"With all the help Lyra provided to me, it's time I gave her some assistance of my own," He shouted as he flipped over his facedown card, "And it comes into my trap card, Dimension Wall!"

"Dimension Wall!"

"Right, you can destroy the monster, but all the battle damage goes straight to you," the Obelisk grinned.

The Monarch's fist connected with the Guardian, a dimensional rift opened behind it as the force pushed it inside, nearly spooking Lyra. The next thing Shine realizes that a portal opens behind her and...

"AAHH!"

She screams as the Infernity Guardian comes out and explodes into pixels all around her, damaging her points to an extensive drop.

Dusk: 2700 + Shine: 3500

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 5400

Lyra let out a big sigh of relief knowing that her life points would stay at a high amount. She then turned to Allen who was smiling back at her.

"Told ya I had your back," He said with a grin, "Sorry it was later than sooner!"

The Infernity duelist smiled and shook her head, "It's alright. You just saved me from dealing with a large drop in points."

"Happy to help!"

"Excuse me," Shine interrupted, "I like to get on with my move, Creator attacks the Infernity Shaman with Holy Storm!"

The giant god-like monster raised his hands up to the skies and brought down a lightning storm that obliterated the Shaman on the spot, making Lyra shield herself.

Dusk: 2700 + Shine: 3500

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 4600

"And now, Guardian of Order, attack Infernity Archfiend!"

Finally, the white armored guardian flew at the smaller archfiend and pummeled it with a right hand.

Dusk: 2700 + Shine: 3500

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 3900

"Now that your field is empty, you're just a couple of attacks away from take a dip in the pool," The light warrior duelist grinned, "So make your move and..."

"Just shut up and let me draw," Lyra interrupted, making the white clad girl growl, "You want us to make our moves quick and yet you're the one stalling..."

"You little...

"My turn," the Goth interrupted again as drew. She then gave of a little, unnerving stare to her opponent's as she held the card she obtained in front of her mouth, "Now, I can finally invite my ultimate monster to our battle!"

"Without monsters," Dusk asked.

"Anything is possible for a girl with a thrill for the dark..." Lyra replied using another card from her hand and dropping another into the graveyard, "I start with Cost Down, discarding once to reduce all monsters in my hand by two stars!"

 _'My guess is she'll use Infernity Destroyer,'_ Allen deduced _, 'It's been the only monster capable of dealing the big damage, and with Shine and Dusk's scores at an overall 3000 points together, she'll need another power boost...'_

"And next, I'll place this card facedown," Lyra continued as she set a reversed card at her feet. She then turned to Allen as asked, "Allen, you don't want Dusk's Chthonian Soldier cluttering up the field, right?"

"Oh, knock yourself out," the Obelisk offered, "If it helps speed this thing up, then by all means."

"Thank you," She replied and turned back to the opponents, "I'll sacrifice Chthonian Soldier to bring out a monster with unfathomable power...!"

(Play One-Winged Angel (Advent Children Version))

Chthonian Soldier vanished into a dark beam that shot into the clouds, opening a big gaping hole through it.

"Lyra... what's going on," Allen asked, feeling a chill in the air.

"Just wait and see," She replied.

Suddenly, a light shone down on the entire battlefield making everyone look up at where it came from. The dark clouds were now circling around the skies and showed that it was still a few minutes of sun left in the day. But the next sight made Allen, Dusk and Shine opened their mouths wide in awe and fear something descended from the clouds.

A strange human-like figure started to slowly fly down to the field in the form of a silver-haired man from the waist up. He came out with his chest bare and muscled with his arms spread out. His left arm was normal with the palm facing upwards, but his right arm was a long purple-black wing with feathers that were as sharp and deadly as blades. His face showed no emotion, even in his sharp, blue eyes. Behind the shoulders were two large golden halos shining brightly. From the waist down, his humanity disappeared in the form of six large white wings tipped with purple that kept him afloat above his mistress. (8/3000/2000)

"W-Who is that...," Shine gasped.

"Meet Infernity Demiurge, my ultimate destroyer," Lyra announced proudly as her monster let out a dark laugh, "And unlike most of my monsters, he's a fairy type, so he's unaffected by Splendid Venus!"

"Oh, cool," The Obelisk exclaimed, "Now I can stop worrying so much on how that's hindering you."

"And to show you how much Allen's helping me out even more is Freya's effect boosting Demiurge's power by 400 ATK and DEF!"

Shine and Dusk gasped as Demiurge looked down on them with his cold stare. (8/3000-3400/2000-2400)

"Now, for his special power," the Infernity duelist continued, looking to her monster, "I can have him destroy one card on the field and use an effect depending on that card's type," She then glared at the second largest monster on the field, "And first up... is the Creator! Destroy it with Pale Horse!"

Conjuring up a large blue orb in the palm of his human hand, Infernity Demiurge pointed it at the Creator and completely obliterated the large thunder monster into nothing.

"And since a monster was destroyed, Demiurge causes my opponent to lose 100 life points x the level, meaning 800 points are deducted!"

Shine screamed as the blue blast shocked her duel disk and into her body.

Dusk: 2700 + Shine: 2700

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 3900

"And now, it's time for the real attack," Lyra announced, "Infernity Demiurge, attack Penumbral Sword Lady with Havoc Wing!"

Demiurge's wing arm started to glow deep black and made a slashing motion toward the sword lady. Even though it never touched her, she was cut in half before exploding into pixels.

Dusk: 900 + Shine: 2700

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 3900

"This is not happening..." Dusk seethed, "I will not go down..."

"Cry me a river, "The Goth announced, "And that's my turn... and with only 10 minutes left on the clock, you'll be the one heading in..."

"Fat chance..." Dusk snarled as she drew, "First, I'll use my spell card Magical Planter to destroy Final Attack Orders and draw two cards," Final Attack Orders shattered into pixels as she drew two cards, "Now, I set one card facedown and one monster in defense mode to end my turn."

"Out of luck, huh," Allen stated as he drew his next card, "I'll send Venus in to attack and end the duel! Holy Feather Shower!"

Venus once again fired her feathers from her wings like arrows, heading towards the dark warrior girl.

"It's not going to happen," Dusk shouted as she revealed her facedown card, showing a brown-haired man being defended by a wind of cards, "I activate Card Defense! It discards one card from my hand and negates your attack and after that, I draw another card!"

After discarding a card, a spiral grid of cards appeared around in and in front of the dark warrior duelist and took the feathers head on. During the attack, Dusk drew another card.

"Aw man," Allen said, snapping his fingers, "I'll send in Soul of Purity and Light to attack then!"

The Soul fired another light orb at the card, shattering it into pixels.

"Alright Freya it's time for a direct attack! Power Cheer!"

The Spirit of Victory started to run at the dark warrior duelist like doing a cheer routine and then struck with a spinning kick.

Dusk: 400 + Shine: 2700

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 3900

"And I'll end this with a facedown card," Allen concluded. 'I almost got her down, but I need to time it right so that Lyra and I can both get out and with Jethro, too.'

"Let's see here, my draw," Shine said as she drew, "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Two facedown cards were set near the light warrior duelist's feet.

"For the end," Lyra stated as she drew, "I set one card facedown..."

A facedown card appeared at her feet.

"Now, I activate my Demiurge's ability, destroying your facedown card! Pale Horse!"

As the large, flying Infernity charged up for another blast, Shine quickly revealed her facedown card, showing a silhouette of an angel firing a giant light ray.

"I'll activate Solar Ray," She announced, dealing 600 points of damage for all of my LIGHT monsters on the field!"

The trap card fired a giant, white ray at the Infernity duelist, damaging her points before Demiurge blasted the trap card to oblivion.

Dusk: 400 + Shine: 2700

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 2700

"Hey Lyra, you alright," Allen asked, concerned for her safety.

"Now we're tied up on points," Shine smirked, "But at least I'll see to my victory and my partner's as well!"

"Still, since Demiurge destroyed your trap card, you lose the top 2 cards of your deck," Lyra stated.

"So what..." The light warrior duelist shrugged as she dropped two cards from her deck.

"And now, I'll destroy the Guardian of Order with Demiurge! Go Havoc Wing!"

Once again, the one-winged angel struck with his un-touching wing slash, cutting the warrior in half before it perished into the water.

Dusk: 400 + Shine: 900

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 2700

"I end my turn," Lyra concluded. "Now get a move on..."

"Enough of this..." Dusk growled as she drew, "I set this card facedown and its back to you..."

A facedown card appeared at Dusk's feet.

"My move," Allen announced as he drew.

"Go trap card, Thunder of Ruler," the dark warrior duelist interrupted as thunderbolt struck the middle of the pool, "With this, you're not allowed to enter your Battle Phase this turn!"

The Obelisk growled, "I'll set this down and switch Freya to defense mode."

Freya sat down on her knees and defended with her pom-poms while a facedown card appeared behind her.

"And my turn," Shine said as she drew and grinned at the card she just drew, "Perfect, I've just drawn the card that'll destroy you both! And it's more fitting to destroy both of you with it..."

Allen and Lyra looked on with wondering looks.

"Now, I remove a LIGHT monster, my Rocket Warrior and a DARK monster, my Armageddon Knight..."

"Wait a second," Allen interrupted, "When did you have a DARK monster in the graveyard?"

"I discarded him when I used the Creator's effect," The light warrior duelist stated as a white portal opened up from behind her, "And by removing those monsters from play, I can summon my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!"

The Academy kids gasped as a tall, fierce warrior in dark blue armor with golden linings, a curved blade, and an almost triangular shield with the same coloring as its armor appeared through the white vortex and prepared his sword for battle. (8/3000-2500/2500-2000)

"Not an Envoy monster," Lyra protested.

"Man, this is not happening..." Allen growled.

"You better believe it," Dusk grinned, "And that means you two are in for a world of hurt!"

"Well said, Dusk," the Light Warrior duelist said as she turned to her opponents, "And now I'll get to knock you two on your butts! First, I'll activate his special ability! I'll remove one monster from the game in exchange for his right to attack," She then pointed to her target, "And there's none other than the Splendid Venus!"

Allen gasped as he looked at his monster.

"Soldier, show Venus the way to the void!"

The Envoy of the Beginning let out a roar as he slashed his sword across Venus' mask, not only creating a diagonal crack but a vortex in front of her face. The black portal sucked her inside, ejecting her from the duel.

"Venus," Allen cried out.

"And since she's gone, my Soldier goes back to full power," Shine rejoiced as the Envoy of the Beginning regained his full strength. (8/2500-3000/2000-2500)

"But since you used his effect, Black Luster Soldier cannot attack," Lyra stated.

"And I have a facedown card to change all of that, my Axe of Foolishness boosting his ATK power by 1000!"

The blade glowed white as it morphed into a large, silver axe but with an additional accessory: a goofy, looking face in the middle of the blade. (8/3000-4000/2500)

"You may have the strongest monster, but you still can't make an attack with that monster," the Infernity duelist repeated, "Why are you making such a pointless move?"

"It's because Axe of Foolishness negates the effect(s) of a monster," the Light Warrior duelist grinned, shutting Lyra up, "Now let's make sure your Demiurge doesn't mess with me anymore... Black Luster Soldier, use your Luster Slash Attack on that thing!"

The powerful Warrior raised his axe and in a flurry, slashing the air, sending blurry copy images of the weapon across the field, striking and destroying the giant angel in a flurry of black wings. (8/4000-3700/2500)

Dusk: 400 + Shine: 900

Allen: 2400 + Lyra: 2000

Lyra grumbled at the loss of her powerful monster and glared at Shine who put on a mock worried look.

"Oops, was I not supposed to do that," She stated, "Silly me... but that's what happens when you leave a pathetic and worthless monster on the field..."

Lyra practically snatched the next top card of her deck in anger.

"My cards are not worthless..." she growled in a low tone that sounded dangerous, "And you will respect them... I set this card facedown and end my turn..."

A facedown card appeared next to her other...

"Ooh, scary..." Dusk taunted as she drew her next card and played it on the field, "I activate Infernal Transaction!"

A spell card appeared showing a demonic hand busting out of a lava pit.

"This spell card allows me to take any spell card I want from my graveyard," she explained, "but first one of you has to summon a monster with 2000 ATK or more from your graveyard! And Goth Girl, that's you!"

"Okay, I summon a monster I sent there with my Graceful Charity, Infernity Destroyer!"

Rising from a pillar of flames was the demonic, muscular beast that growled and glared menacingly at Shine and Dusk. (6/2300/1100)

"And I'll pick my Card of Demise to draw out five cards from my deck," Dusk stated as she retrieved her spell card and immediately played it, "I'd worry about the losing the whole hand in five turns, but that wouldn't be necessary in my case!"

She drew five cards and grinned at her find.

"Yes, now you all will die," She rejoiced, "Like my partner I do have at least one LIGHT monster in my deck and thanks to the angel kid, I have it in their..."

Allen and Lyra gasped again.

"She has the other one," the fairy duelist realized.

"That's right," Dusk grinned as a dark vortex appeared over her head, "I remove the DARK attribute Chthonian Soldier and the LIGHT monster A/D Changer in my graveyard and summon the Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End!"

As the two mentioned monsters jumped into the vortex, it grew larger and let out a dark, howling wind. Emerging from it, a black dragon with massive wings, powerful arms, legs, and a tail, and an orange mane of hair on its head appeared with a mighty roar. (8/3000/2500)

"Now, I can see why they are the best of their group," Allen stated, "With both Envoy Monsters on their side, they have a force to be reckoned with!"

"Still, 3000 ATK are becoming a dime a dozen," Lyra added, "Plus, she can't use that monster's special ability without giving up 1000 points. So, we're not sunk yet..."

"Oh you will be, especially with my next card, Mind Monster to dish out some pain," The dark warrior duelist exclaimed as the spell card flashed in her hands, creating a small, blue plasma fiend with no face, "Now I get to name any monster that's in someone's Main Deck or Fusion Deck. And fairy boy, I'll say you have a Voltanis the Adjudicator in that deck given all the counter traps in your deck!"

Allen's eyes widened as the Mind Monster morphed into a blue image of the mentioned monster.

"And since it has 2800 ATK, Mind Monster deals half of its ATK as damage to you! I hope this hurts..."

The large fairy fired off a dark beam from his staff and shot Allen right in the gut, making him cry out in pain.

Dusk: 400 + Shine: 900

Allen: 1000 + Lyra: 2000

"Allen...," Lyra said as she watched her partner get nailed again.

The fairy duelist turned to his partner and gave her an assuring grin, "I'm good... a little banged up maybe..."

"And while you're trying to be tough, I activate my facedown card, Gift of the Mystical Elf to regain my life points by 300 times the number of monsters on the field!"

Dusk revealed her facedown card as all monsters on the field gave off a small pink glow, rejuvenating the dark warrior duelist's life points.

Dusk: 1900 + Shine: 900

Allen: 1000 + Lyra: 2000

"She's got enough life points now," the Academy kids gasped.

Dusk grinned as she raised her hand, "Now, I activate the power of the Envoy of the End, paying 1000..."

Dusk: 900 + Shine: 900

Allen: 1000 + Lyra: 2000

"I'll destroy everything in our hands and field to deal 300 points of damage for each of them! And just in time with one minute left on the clock!"

Sure enough, the timer on the anchor did show it was on its last minute...

"And then we'll get out of here and watch you two go for a dip," Shine added, "And we can keep on weeding out the weak until we reach our intended targets!"

"It won't happen...," Lyra stated, "You won't win this duel..."

"Oh, and you're going to stop me..." Dusk asked, mockingly as the dragon charged up the flames in its mouth, "Try it!"

The dragon stretched its neck back as Lyra stared intently at the opposing dark girl...

"Not me... him..."

*CLICK*

Dusk tensed up hearing that clicking sound and something cold pressed against her duel disk arm.

"Huh..."

Shine suddenly screamed, "Dusk, look!"

Dusk turned to the left and screamed as well...

In between the Light Brigade duo, a demon with a white horned skull for head stood right next to Dusk, pointing a pistol at her Duel Disk. It wore an opened red coat, revealing a green body with a set of red eyes staring, blue jeans and a holster strapped to its hip. (1/0/0)

Noticing the stunned looked of her opponents, Lyra took the opportunity to speak out.

"Say 'hi' to Infernity Death Gunman, another card sent there from my Graceful Charity card," She informed them, holding up the monster's card in her right hand, "While having no cards in my hand, I can remove this card from my graveyard when I'm about to take effect damage."

Allen was even speechless as he stood there waiting for the move to unfold.

The Infernity duelist drew her top card without looking at it, "Now I have to draw and you have to choose the next thing that happens... if you decide to chicken out, Allen and I don't lose any damage... However, if the card I just drew is a monster card, all damage will converge on you!"

Dusk tensed up even more, 'No! I was so close, I can't negate the damage either! Not with the timer so close to 0...'

"And to tell you the truth," Lyra smiled, "I've forgotten how many monster cards are in my deck... so, take your pick because either way, someone's going in the water, despite me not knowing what this card is... because if the card I drew is not a Monster card, the damage to me and Allen doubles..."

 _'Are you leaving this match to chance, Lyra,_ ' Allen thought.

 _'This isn't good,' Shine thought, 'My fate is in Dusk's hands!'_

After 30 seconds left...

"Alright," Dusk announced, "I'll take the chance! Show me that card!"

"Very well..."

Lyra slowly looked at her card, covering her mouth and putting everyone on the edge...

She then raised her eyes to Dusk and Shine, making them shake and shiver...

Allen suddenly started to breathe a little harder, worrying about Lyra's mystery card...

Finally, Lyra slowly turned the card around, showing Allen the card first...

He gasped, holding in his breath as he staggered back...

Seeing that, made Shine and Dusk calm down and grinned...

"We won!"

But when Lyra showed them the card...

It was Infernity Mirage!

"NO!" The girls cried.

Death Gunman pulled out another gun from his holster and aimed it at Shine's disk and...

*BANG!*

Dusk: 0 + Shine: 0

Allen: 1000 + Lyra: 2000

Winners: Allen and Lyra

The boxes near the Academy duelists opened, revealing the keys to the shackles. Lyra sighed.

The timer reset itself to 30 seconds and counting down...

"Now let's get out of here..." She said, unlocking herself from the shackles.

"Wait," Allen shouted, "We can't leave them to die! We got to get them out of here!"

"After they tried to leave us for dead," the Goth protested.

Allen gave her hard look at her eyes and said, "Trust me, we'll regret letting people die if this happens..."

Hearing this, Lyra sighed and held up her duel, "Alright, let's go..." Lyra stated, getting herself ready, "We need to be quick!"

20 seconds...

"I draw," Allen said as he drew, "I activate Creature Swap, making us switch control over one monster we control to the other duelist. I'll send over Freya..."

Knowing his plan, she made her choice, "And I'll give you Infernity Destroyer..."

Both monster vanished from their respective sides and reappeared on the opposite sides...

15 seconds...

"Next, I'll activate my facedown card, Solar Ray to deal 600 points of damage," Allen quickly announced as another light blast struck Lyra as she faced it without flinching.

Allen: 1000 + Lyra: 1400

"Now, Infernity Destroyer, attack Freya!"

The massive fiend roared as he covered himself in dark red flames and tackled the cheerleading fairy into ash. Allen grimaced attack his monster like that, but he needed to focus on the others' lives.

"And since I don't have a hand, Destroyer deals 1600 points of damage..."

The flames then conversed onto Lyra as she pressed a button her duel disk revealing a duelist attacking with his monster that had sliver bladed claws and a mask, only to discover doppelganger of that monster about to strike him from behind.

"And I'll counter with Doppelganger," She declared, "Letting you take the effect damage as well!"

The flames of the Destroyer blasted Lyra while the trap card created another blast that struck Allen, taking the rest of their life points.

Allen: 0 + Lyra: 0

Next, the boxes of the Light Brigade duelists opened with 10 seconds left to spare...

"Now, let's get them outta there," Allen stated as he took off his duel disk and ran all the way over to Dusk's side. Lyra did the same as she ran to Shine's side.

Both unlocked their opponents' shackles from their ankles, freeing them from being sunk into the ocean.

"That was close..." the fairy duelist said, "So what if they're enemies, no one deserves to die..."

Lyra nodded, "I'll agree with that... but we still need to get out of here..."

"Right," Allen agreed, "Let's get Jethro and..."

Suddenly, the timer reached 0, causing the anchor to drop. But there was one problem...

The Infernity duelist gasped, "Allen! Your shackle!"

The Obelisk looked to his ankle to see he was still locked to the anchor, and then suddenly he was jerked into the water.

"HEELLLLPP!"

Lyra watched in horror as he sunk into the water.

"No, I need to get his key," She yelled as she ran over to the other side to grab it.

Only to discover that it was gone!

But then something above her caught her eye. When she looked, she gasped...

Jethro dived head first into water with the key in hand!

* * *

In the water, Allen was holding his breath if he could.

 _'Aw man, I knew I should've at least unlocked myself first,_ ' He thought as he going even further into the water, staring up at the surface _, 'Oh well, at least Lyra and Jethro should be safe...'_

As Allen's lungs began to give out, he saw a shadow coming towards him at a fast break.

 _'Who's that? Is it Lyra coming to rescue me?'_

As the person came into view, Allen's eyes practically bugged out.

 _'Jethro! He's awake,'_ Jethro undid Allen's shackle and the two of them swam back up to the surface.

* * *

At the secluded caverns, Sarina watched as the final two candles went out...

"Shine and Dusk have failed as well..." She stated, "No matter they've done their job of keeping the others at bay..."

"So that means we can have our new friend play with Jaden," Hanabi asked, hopefully.

"Yes," Sarina said as she turned around to a shadowy figure, "I trust you'll give Jaden the fight of his life..."

The shadow made an evil grin...

* * *

Back on dry land, Allen and Jethro were dripping wet as Lyra checked on Shine and Dusk.

"Thanks Jethro," Allen said to the cowboy Obelisk.

"No problem, partner," Jethro replied, "Glad I was able to swim fast enough to reach ya!"

"Did Lyra get you out?"

"Nope, I got myself out!"

"Huh? How?"

"When that Shine girl knocked me out and sent me face first into the ground, I accidently found a small rock in my mouth," He explained, "And when they had me strapped to the chair, I woke up during the middle of the duel and discovered it. At the end, when I heard your plan of knocking Lyra and yourself out at the same time, I aimed my mouth at the button holding one of my arms and spat at it, allowing me to free myself just in time to save you."

"Glad it happened," the fairy duelist admitted, "I do put everyone else ahead of myself mostly, and this is one of those times."

Lyra then walked up to the boys and handed Jethro his hat.

"Thanks, Lyra," Jethro said as he put it back on his head. She then stared intensely at Allen, making him cringe a bit.

"You alright," the fairy duelist asked.

Suddenly, the Goth grabbed Allen by the collar and yanked him down to her level.

"Don't ever... scare me... like that... again," She said in a low tone, scaring the Obelisk boys, "Got it...?"

Allen couldn't function enough for words, so he just nodded dumbly.

"Good..." Lyra replied pushing him away as she walked off.

Seeing that, Jethro leaned next to the fairy duelist's ear to whisper, "I think she was worried for you, Allen."

"Oh yeah, I see that from the dangerous tone in her voice," Allen whispered back, "But she's just glad I didn't die on her... so am I..."

"I'm glad all of us aren't," Jethro stated as he turned to the docks, "Especially... hmm?"

"What's wrong," Allen asked.

"Those girls are gone," the cowboy pointed out, "And they were knocked out cold!"

"Then how did..."

*CAW!*

The boys looked up to see a vulture flying overhead at the cloudy skies that was now clearing up, showing that the sun was going down.

"That vulture," Allen realized, "It's that girl who locked up me and Lyra with those other girls in that duel."

"Then, she must've done something to them," Jethro added on, "We got to catch up with Lyra and call the others!"

The fairy duelist, "Yeah, there's no telling who else is going to be caught in life-or-death duels!"

The boys started using their Duel Pilots to contact everyone...

The skies may be clear, but the danger's still around the bend...

* * *

Whew! Another duel done, and thanks to the help of Digidramon, the Infernities get stronger without the use of Tuners and Synchros! For now...

And you'll see how everyone else is doing next chapter, so if anyone had any questions about that, there it is.

Infernity Demiurge

DARK/ Fairy/Effect /Level 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000

This card cannot be Special Summoned. Once per turn, if your hand is empty, you can destroy 1 card your opponent controls and activate one of the following effects depending on the type of card destroyed:

Monster: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's Level x 100.

Spell: Discard 1 random card from your opponent's hand.

Trap: Send the top 2 cards of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.

Appearance: Safer-Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII.

Theme: (When he's summoned) One-Winged Angel (Advent Children version)

Infernity Signaler

DARK/ Spellcaster/Effect /Level 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000

If this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard while you have no cards in your hand, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Infernity' monster from your Deck.

Infernity Shaman

DARK/ Spellcaster/Effect /Level 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500

While you have no cards in your hand, all 'Infernity' monsters you control gain 500 ATK and DEF.

(These three above cards are creations of Digidramon, used in his 5D's fan-fic Spirit Legends. All creative credit goes to him.)

Infernity Death Gunman

DARK/ Fiend/Effect/Level 1/ATK: 0/ DEF: 0

If there are no cards in your hand when you would take Effect Damage, you can remove from play this card from your Graveyard to activate its effect. If you do, draw 1 card and reveal it. If it is a Monster Card, your opponent takes all Effect Damage you take this turn, instead. If not, double all Effect Damage you take this turn. Your opponent can negate this effect, but if they do, you take no Effect Damage this turn.

(This card was used by Kiryu/Kalin in the 5D's episode Tag Duel: Kiryu and Yusei VS Lotten. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Luster Purge

Normal Trap

Image: Guardian of Order unleashing a massive, light energy beam at a Illusionist Faceless Mage.

Effect: Activate when you have a LIGHT monster on the field and your opponent has a least one DARK monster on his/her field. Destroy the weakest DARK monster on the opponent's side of the field and deal damage equal to the destroyed monster's DEF.

(This card is my creations. Creative rights go to me.)

Pump Up

Normal Spell

Image: Kuribabylon's before and after image right behind it. Before: Normal Size, After: 2x

Select 1 face-up monster on the field and double its ATK until the End Phase.

(Used by Yami Yugi in the second series anime episode Fate of the Pharaoh Part 1. All rights go the creators of the episode.)

Card Defense

Normal Trap

Image: Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Discard 1 card. Negate the attack, then draw 1 card.

(Used by Yusei in the 5D's episode Duel of the Dragon Part 2. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Infernal Transaction

Normal Spell

Image: A demonic hand reaching out of a lava pit.

Effect: Select and Special Summon 1 monster with 2000 or more ATK from your opponent's Graveyard to their side of the field. Then, add 1 Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.

(This card was used by Chazz in the GX episode Blinded by the Light, Part 2. All rights got to the creators of the episode.)

Mind Monster

Normal Spell

Image: A bluish plasma blob rising into the air.

Effect: Declare 1 Monster Card name. If that card is in your opponent's Main Deck or Extra Deck, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half of that monster's original ATK.

(This card was used by Commander Koda in the 5D's episode The Profiler. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

* * *

Next Time: On his way to where everyone is, Jaden runs into an old enemy of Claudio and Melody. And he's got a few more tricks to show off...

Please Read and Review! Later!

Depth-Guiding Light

Normal Trap

Activate only when your opponent Summons a LIGHT monster. Your opponent sends the top 5 cards of their Deck to the Graveyard. Then, they draw 1 card and reveal it. Unless that card or a card with the same name is played the following turn, inflict 2000 damage to your opponent.

(Used by Professor Frank in the 5D's episode: Return to the Spirit World. All rights go to the creators)


	38. Monarchs Combination

I finally get to take a break from the tag dueling and get into the old fashioned one-on-one! And for those who followed my story from the beginning, you know who is coming!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 38: Monarchs Combination!

* * *

At Isaac's apartment, Claudio woke up to a beeping sound in his blazer pocket. He, Jeremy and Alex were sleeping floors under blankets and pillows while Spencer slept on a couch. The J-Hero duelist and went into the bathroom to the keep the noise down and find out who was calling him. It was a recorded message of Allen who looked concern.

[You guys hearing this, listen up,] Allen stated urgently, [Earlier when the clouds were covering up Domino City, me and Lyra got called out by two girls using Monarch monsters and kidnapped Jethro, holding him where at the docks dueling site. We beat them and got Jethro out, but we also ran into this other girl who transformed into a vulture. I'm thinking this thing is not over... Meet us at the site where Slifer the Sky Dragon was first summoned.]

Claudio gasped, _'That girl who kidnapped Allyson and Vincent and possessed T-Bone into a more intense duel than normal! I better go meet them!'_

Peeking out of the bathroom and seeing that everyone was still sleeping, the J-Hero duelist crept past the sleeping classmates and snuck outside the door.

"Sorry guys, but I gotta see what's up..." He whispered as he ran down the stairs, leaving the apartment building.

* * *

But as soon as he got a block away from it...

"You know, you could've asked for backup..."

The Ra jumped in fear and turned around to see Alexis leaning on a nearby building, tapping her right foot on the ground and with smirk. Claudio laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"I feel a sense of déjà vu, going," He muttered, "So how'd you find out?"

"Melody told me you'd try and find some way to look for Jaden and the others without us," the Obelisk girl stated, "And when we both got a message from Lyra about those Monarch users, we knew that would be your chance."

Claudio slumped down and sighed, "So I'm busted, huh?"

"Not until Melody gets a hold you," Alexis joked, "Now let's go and find where Jaden and the others are."

Both ran down the street towards their destination...

* * *

With Jaden, Aster, Masaki and Solomon, they found themselves at the canal under the bridge. Nearby, a white trailer was parked on the road above it with Aster and Masaki inside sleeping. The old man and Neos duelist were sitting by a bonfire. Jaden was feeling depressed.

"Some field trip this turned out to be," He said, feeling blue, "Syrus and Hassleberry being taken by some weirdoes and this message I got from Jethro earlier didn't brighten up my day either..."

"What did it say," Solomon asked.

Jaden held out his Duel Pilot and played back its message with Jethro's image speaking.

[Guys, we got some serious trouble,] Jethro said in an urgent voice, [Earlier, I got knocked out by some girls who forced Lyra and Allen to a duel by the site of the Yugi/Joey match at the docks. I learned from Allen that they had Monarch monsters and I saw the same thing in the skies. The girls maybe gone, but I think someone else is pulling the strings behind them. Meet us at the site where Slifer the Sky Dragon first appeared!]

"Looks like we weren't the only ones having a run-in with the Light Brigade," The Slifer stated, "I just hope the rest of us are alright..."

"Yeah, we're alright..."

The Slifer turned to see Jachin and Bastion walking up to them.

"Hey guys," Jaden greeted as held up his pilot again, "So you got the message?"

"We have," Bastion replied, holding up his pilot, "It was a good thing Jachin and I were fortunate not to jump into them."

"Yeah, no kidding," the Psychic duelist lied, knowing what really went down, 'But I don't want to tell them about what happened to the guys... especially if Bastion ends up recalling it...'

"Then I wonder what happened to them," the E-Hero duelist wondered, "Someone must have dueled them..."

"Who knows," Jachin stated, "Maybe someone like Joey Wheeler or Mai Valentine dealt with them."

"Well, they were in town today until they left somewhere," Solomon stated, "So it's a possibility..."

"Aw man, it would've been so cool to see them duel or duel them myself," Jaden exclaimed, "It's like I wished one of the Monarch duelists would've dueled me."

"From what Jethro stated in his message, I wouldn't," the intellectual duelist claimed, "I plan to hold on to my life."

"Don't we all..."

Next, Lyra, Allen and Jethro walked up to the group.

"So, I see you guys got the message," Allen stated, "But where's everyone else?"

"Don't know," Jachin replied, "Bastion and I just got here."

"Maybe we should've had told everyone to reply to see who didn't get captured," Jethro figured.

"Now we just sit here and wait for someone to come," Lyra stated as she sat near the fire, "And it could be the ones who're targeting us..."

"I can't believe the lengths these people were going through to take us out," the fairy duelist said, sitting next to Lyra, "I almost drowned if it wasn't for Jethro."

Bastion gasped, "So they did try and drown you?"

"I almost drowned myself because I forgot to take the shackle off my ankle," Allen admitted, "I didn't want to see anyone dying, so I convinced Lyra to save them."

"And that the girl who probably shackled us up had something to do with it," the Infernity duelist proclaimed, "She transformed herself into a vulture and flew off."

"You guys dealt with that, too!"

On cue, Claudio and Alexis ran up to the group with alarmed looks on their faces.

"You're saying that you saw a girl turn into a vulture," Lyra asked.

"We saw the opposite," Alexis stated, "but if you're talking about a black-haired girl in a red dress..."

"That's her," Allen exclaimed.

"Well, Aster, Masaki, Mr. Moto and I saw a little girl using a bear to trap people's souls," Jaden added on, "It was really freaky how cheerful she was when she did it."

"A little girl," Everyone asked.

"It's true," Solomon stated, "The bear floated up to this young man and sucked him inside a mirror it was holding."

"Very creepy," Alexis muttered.

"No kidding," Claudio said.

* * *

But little did they know that, all of them were now being watched by someone from the bridge. A white-haired man with bangs covering his eyes wearing a black trench coat and silver boots to go with it. On his left arm, he carried a pitch-black duel disk.

"If it isn't my little rock and roll brat," He sneered, "If I had my way, I'd go after him and tear him apart. But..." He then set his sights on the E-Hero duelist, "I've got orders..."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _It was a few days ago, the man was sitting inside a prison cell, preparing to spend his long sentence inside for his crimes..._

 _"Prisoner #45930," A guard said, opening his cell, "You have a visitor to see you."_

 _As the man left outside his cell while walking to the visitor's block, he wondered who knows him aside from Titan. He heard from some other prisoners that his former partner died at Duel Academy. He hoped it wasn't Crowler, he had enough of that girly teacher._

 _Once he entered the block and was pointed to the glass where his visitor was. Once he sat down, he got a good look at the person. It was a woman with her raven-colored hair arranged in ponytail. She wore the ceremonial red and white clothes of a miko with sandals and round earrings._

 _"Alright, who are you," he asked her, "And how did you find me?"_

 _The woman smirked, "Let's just say I have a talent for searching out dueling mercenaries."_

 _"Well, keep looking sweetie," He replied, "It's what got me landed in here."_

 _"Oh yes, you tried to kidnap two kids in yellow uniforms of Duel Academy," The miko declared, earning a gasp from the prisoner, "Did I hit a nerve... Striker?"_

 _A bigger gasp came from the prisoner who was now identified, "How did you know my name?"_

 _"From my brother, a talented tarot reader who's cards told me about you."_

 _"Okay, I don't know whether to be freaked out or angry," Striker said, holding in his anger, "Just get to whatever you're here for..."_

 _"Alright, I'm here to bail you out of jail," the miko stated, "Provided you work for me... consider it a community service on your part."_

 _"And what exactly do I have to do as far as working for you," Striker asked._

 _"I have a group of eight young people who need some education on the Monarch monsters. That's where you come in... And seeing as you're an expert..."_

 _"I'm the perfect guy for the job..." Striker figured, "Sounds promising..."_

 _"And just to show you my gratitude, I can even give you the highest power of the Monarchs to serve you well."_

 _The Monarch duelist developed a big grin, "You got yourself a deal, Miss..."_

 _"Sarina..."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"It's time to introduce and reintroduce myself to the kids," Striker grinned as he leapt off the bridge and started to flip acrobatically into the dark skies, "OH CHILDREN!"

That shout got everyone's attention, even waking up Aster and Masaki in the trailer. The Monarch duelist landed perfectly on the bonfire with such force, he put out the flames and left the area in the dark again.

"Hello everybody!"

"Hey, what's the big idea," Claudio snapped.

"Yeah, bro," Jaden added, "Ever hear of asking to invite yourself?"

"Hey, what's going on," Masaki asked as he and Aster ran over.

"This guy decided to butt in on our conversation and nearly burned us with the bonfire," Jachin snapped.

"Who is this guy, anyway," Aster wondered.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Striker apologized, but with a grin, "You don't who I am right? Well here's a hint..."

The Monarch duelist activated his duel disk that activated its tray like a scythe and set five monster cards on it. In five flashes, he summoned Mobius the Frost Monarch, Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, Granmarg the Rock Monarch, Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch and Raiza the Storm Monarch!

Everyone gasped, "The Monarch monsters!"

But Claudio growled and narrowed his eyes, "Striker!"

"We have a winner," Striker grinned, "I was sure that my Monarchs would give it away... after all I don't have my blindfold on for dramatic effects!"

"You mean that's the guy who had it in for you and Melody," Jethro asked the J-Hero duelist.

"The same," Claudio replied, "Back in that Abandoned Dorm, Jaden and I had to deal with two guys passing themselves off as Shadow Duelists when they kidnapped Alexis and Melody. I dealt with him then, but Melody had to deal with a second time. Luckily, Jethro and Kenji saved us and had him hauled away to the prison."

"So I'm guessing he's an escaped convict now," Alexis figured.

"Just say the word, guys," Jachin said as he activated his duel disk, "I'll bring out the Calvary."

Striker grinned as he pulled another black device, "No play time for you, any of you!"

When the Monarch duelist pressed a button the device, it emitted a red electromagnetic wave that stunned the Persona duelist's duel disk and shut it down completely!

"Hey, my duel disk," Jachin cried as he tried to reactivate it, "What!"

"Sorry kids, I'm only allowing one person to fight me," Striker stated as he pointed out to the one he wanted, "And that's you, Jaden!"

The E-Hero duelist pointed to himself, "Me?"

"I didn't stutter, little man," the Monarch duelist smiled as he took his Monarch cards off the duel tray and reshuffled them into his deck, "Because, I have more of advantage over you... four of your friends!"

"So, are you the leader of this Light Brigade group that came after all of us," Lyra asked angrily.

"More like students of mine to wield just one each," Striker stated, "Now Jaden, duel me and I'll tell them where your friends are... lose and you'll be imprisoned with along with them! And don't worry, your duel disk works, I just shut down the rest..."

"Fine then," Jaden declared as he activated his duel disk, "Get your game on!"

Striker laughed as he back-flipped a few feet away to give some room for the duel, "Let's see what you're made of kid! My ultimate Monarch deck will destroy you!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Striker: 8000

Jaden: 8000

"But I'm going first," Striker announced as he drew his sixth card and quickly set two on the disk, "I set monster facedown in defense mode and one card facedown..."

A reversed monster appeared in front of Striker, along with another facedown card.

"It's your move, kid..."

"You brag about your ultimate deck and this is the best you got," Jaden wondered as he drew his sixth card and took another card to place on his duel tray, "Whatever works for you, I suppose. I'll start with Elemental Hero Heat in attack mode!"

In a flash of light and flames, the male hero of fire appeared, flexing his muscles and roared. (4/1600/1200)

"And for every Elemental Hero on my field, he gains 200 extra ATK," The Slifer continued as Heat's core started to flare up and surrounded him in a burning aura. (4/1600-1800/1200) "Now burn up his facedown monster and let's see who it is!"

Heat's right arm was set aflame as he rushed the facedown monster and slammed it down, destroying the card image in pixels. But before Jaden could cheer, the pixels reformed itself into a small, pinkish-white blob with an upside-down face and blushing cheeks. (3/300/500)

"Uh oh, Jaden revealed Marshmallon," Masaki gasped.

"And that means Jaden will lose 1000 life points, plus that monster still gets to stick around," Aster added, "Already he's off to a bad start..."

Striker grinned as he pointed at Jaden, "Now Marshmallon, take a bite out of the little squirt!"

Hearing its master's command, the blob launched itself in the air and then opened its mouth to reveal its razor, sharp teeth. Everyone started to freak out as the blob took a huge bite into Jaden's leg, making him cry out.

Striker: 8000

Jaden: 7000

"That had to be painful," Solomon cringed.

The Neos duelist shook off the pain and then inserted another of his cards into the duel disk, "I'll throwdown a facedown to end my turn."

A reversed card appeared in front of Jaden's feet.

"Let's see you get out of this," Striker yelled as he drew his next card and scanned his hand _. 'This will be good if I can get out the right cards...'_ "I'll place two cards facedown..."

The monarch duelist set two reversed cards right next to his first, and immediately played another one from his hand...

"And let the fun begin, with Card of Sanctity," He continued as he played a spell card showing two soldiers using their helmet to catch gold coins raining from the sky, "But before we get to that, I'll activate a quick-play spell card from hand known as Double Cyclone," Striker played another cards showing a red tornado and a yellow tornado, crossing each other's paths, "And finally, I'll activate the final card in my hand, Chain Summoning!"

Everyone gasped seeing the final spell card showing Field-Commander Rahz pulling the Invader of Darkness out of the Dimensional Fissure in the artwork.

"I could only use this card during a Chain Link 3," Striker explained, grinning, "But this is worth it for now, I can Normal Summon three times this turn!"

"And when Card of Sanctity resolves, there's no telling what he'll bring out next," Jachin exclaimed, "Jaden's in for a rough night!"

Chain Summoning shined blue as it vanished...

"Now for Double Cyclone's effect," the Monarch duelist continued, "I'll destroy your lone facedown card and one of my own cards as well, like Card of Sanctity! Lucky for me, the effect will still resolve, letting us both draw..."

Suddenly, a red cyclone flew in from behind Striker and destroyed Jaden's facedown card, revealing to be Mirror Gate. Then, a yellow cyclone flew in from behind and destroyed Striker's Card of Sanctity. Finally, Striker drew a full six while Jaden drew 2 cards from Card of Sanctity's effect. The former grinned like a madman at his hand.

"Kid, you are dancing on thin ice with me," Striker said as he played his first card, "I'll summon forth the Phantom Skyblaster in attack mode!"

Flying to the field, was a small winged demon with blue wings and shoulder armor. On its back were two small cannons. (4/1100/800)

"And by summoning him, I can summon duplicates with 500 ATK and DEF for every monster I currently have... meaning two more are coming!"

Rising out of the ground, two small duplicates of the Phantom Skyblaster appeared and crouched down on the field. (4/500/500) x2

"He's easily summoned three monsters without losing anything," Aster stated, "This guy is good with his main monsters are 8 Level 5 and 6 Monarchs which aren't easy to summon..."

"And that Phantom Skyblaster was just the first summoning," Bastion added on. "Meaning he has two more Normal Summons left to use...

"Your friends are right, red," Striker stated as he held up his second card, "One of the tokens must go as I summon Mobius the Frost Monarch in attack mode!"

The Skyblaster token shattered into pieces as a cold blizzard settled in.

"What's going on here," Masaki asked as he shivered from the cold, "A-A blizzard and it's not even winter!"

The Monarch duelist grinned as his white armored and blue caped Monarch appeared, walking through the thick of the storm. (6/2400/1000)

"Is he somehow making the blizzard come to life with these Monarchs?" Alexis wondered.

"I hope the cold isn't too brisk for you all," Striker smirked, "And I'll activate Mobius' special ability to destroy one of my facedown cards, my Dormant Volcano!"

Everyone watched as the blizzard converged onto one of his facedown cards and broke it down into shards of ice.

"Now because it was destroyed, you take 300 points of damage!"

Suddenly, a red crack in the ground appeared under Jaden and blasted him with a searing heat as he covered his face with his arms.

Striker: 8000

Jaden: 6700

"Next, for my third and final Normal Summon, I summon Caius the Shadow Monarch by sacrificing my second Skyblaster Token!" Striker announced again as the token got sucked into a dark vortex which appeared in the sky and the demon-faced Monarch emerged and landed on the ground with a giant stomp. (6/2400/1000)

"And I'll use his effect to remove one card on the field from play..." He continued, pointing up to the dark vortex that still inhabited the sky.

Jaden cringed as he looked at his Elemental Hero with remorse, 'Without Heat, I'll be wide open for a triple attack!'

"Phantom Skyblaster, out of my sight..."

Jaden and the spectators raised an eyebrow as the dark vortex violently sucked in the main Skyblaster fiend into the void.

"Why would you remove your own monster like that," Jaden asked.

"Since I removed a DARK monster from the game, you take another 1000 points, kid," the Monarch duelist grinned, "I like to make the best of my monster's effects, and I'll introduce you to world of hurt now!"

The dark vortex launched a black lightning bolt, shocking the Slifer Red duelist.

Striker: 8000

Jaden: 5700

"Now, let's bring out the pain to your monster... Caius, destroy his Elemental Hero with Shadow Spirits!"

The Monarch created a dark, glass orb above him and fired vengeful spirits to strike down the flaming Elemental Hero, leaving Jaden defenseless.

Striker: 8000

Jaden: 5100

 _'This is gonna hurt...'_ Jaden thought as he put his duel disk as a shield.

Striker then pointed up to his Frost Monarch and laughed, "And Mobius, put the freeze on him with Ice Lance!"

The Frost Monarch conjured up a sharp lance made of ice and then threw it right through the Neos duelist's gut as it went transparent. Still, Jaden felt the aftershocks of the attack, making him fall to his knees.

Striker: 8000

Jaden: 2700

The Monarch duelist shook his head with disgust and said to himself, "This is the kid my clients want me to test? He's not even worth my time... In one more move, I'll rip this kid's life points apart..."

"What's your rush, pal," Jaden asked as he staggered to his feet, "I still have life points left and last I checked, this game is still on."

"Whatever kid... you expect to save your friends but I'm dropping you like a fly," Striker stated. "And if you think you can change things around in one move, I'd like to see it... I end my turn here."

"Alright, my turn," Jaden grunted as he drew his next card, he then scanned his seven-card hand, "Alright, I'll have some sweet moves coming at ya soon..."

"I hope you do," Claudio said, unsure of the Slifer's moves, "You're going up the creek without a paddle on this turn."

"Okay, first, I'll summon Elemental Hero Stratos in attack mode," Jaden announced as he placed the card on his disk, bringing the blue armored, flying hero took to the skies. (4/1800/300)

"And his special ability brings out another Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand," He informed as he took out his deck and searched through it, taking one card from it and showing it off. "I'll bring Elemental Hero Neos to my hand!"

"That's good, he's got his new ace in his hand," Masaki stated, "If he can easily summon it out to the field with his Neo-Spacians, he'll get himself out of the gutter."

Jaden then held up another spell card in his hand, "Then, I activate Miracle Fusion to fuse my Stratos on the field and Heat in my graveyard!"

Heat emerged from the graveyard and entered a blue vortex along with Stratos and merged together.

"I summon my new Elemental Hero Nova Master!"

The blue vortex turned red as lava poured out of it and created a puddle in front of Jaden. Next, it rose up and started to form a human-shape that solidified into black coal. It then broke apart to reveal a red armored warrior with shoulder, armguards and helmet fashioned to look like flames and carried a red cape on the back. (8/2600/2100)

"Another Nature-based hero," Bastion exclaimed, "And with those attack points, he has the strongest monster on the field."

"But the problem is that he can't get rid of all the monsters," Aster pointed out, "Especially that Marshmallon, since it can't be destroyed in battle no matter what."

"Finally, a monster to provide a challenge for my Monarchs," Striker stated as looked at the flame-based hero without emotion. "So, which one are you going to take down?"

"I plan on taking down both with the spell card, Hero Heart," Jaden announced as he played a spell card, showing a blue haired and red caped soldier with arrows stuck inside its armor. He had a determined look on his face as he carried a broken sword and a dagger for battle. "This will cut my Elemental Hero's attack power in half, but allows it to attack twice!"

A crimson aura surrounded the Nova Master, draining his strength. (8/2600-1300/2100)

"Okay, where are you going with this kid," Striker wondered, narrowing his eyes, "You drained your monster's power for a double attack that won't even scratch both my monarchs."

"Just wait and see," The Neos duelist stated as he inserted another spell card into his disk, "I play Elemental Sword and equip it to Nova Master, so when he battles a monster that's not the same attribute as he is, he'll gain 800 ATK!"

A black sword handle suddenly materialized into Nova Master's right hand as he gripped it. Then Jaden, immediately opened up the Field Spell slot of his duel disk to place a card in, "And finally, I activate the field spell, Skyscraper!"

At his word, the slot closed up and all around the city, more Skyscrapers appeared around the buildings that were already there.

"Now I see it," Alexis realized, "Jaden's hero will gain 1800 ATK points when it attacks, meaning both Monarchs are about to bite the dust!"

Striker growled as he braced himself for the fight.

"Okay Nova Master, let's take out his Monarchs starting with Mobius," Jaden announced as Nova Master flew up into the air, "Attack with Magma Blade!"

The E-Hero raised his sword to the sky and a blue light emerged from the handle. (8/1300-3100/2100) Then it dove straight down and sliced at the Ice Monarch with a burning slash, making Mobius burst into flames before shattering into pixels.

Striker: 7300

Jaden: 2700

"And when Nova Master destroys a monster in battle, I can draw a card," The Slifer informed as he drew his card, "Alright Nova Master, time to take down Caius!"

Nova Master took to the skies and changed the blue light on his sword into a black one and then struck down Caius with another burning slash, melting the Shadow Monarch. Jaden then drew another card as his hero's power dropped down again. (8/3100-1300/2100)

Striker: 6600

Jaden: 2700

"And then, I'll set a card facedown to end my turn," Jaden concluded as he put a card into his disk, letting a facedown card appear at his feet, "Also, the effect of Hero Heart is gone, meaning Nova Master's points go back to 2600."

Nova Master's crimson aura vanished, giving him back his original strength. (8/1300-2600/2100)

"Now we have a game, kid," Striker declared as he drew his next card, "Now, remember that Dormant Volcano kid? Its second effect now activates, letting us both pick out a FIRE monster from our decks and put it in our hands!"

Both players then took out their decks, fanned through them and took a monster card out before re-shuffling the decks and putting it back in their duel disks.

Striker held up his card announced, "I pick Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!"

Jaden did the same and announced, "And I got my Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab!"

"If Striker summons Thestalos, Jaden will possibly lose his monster and get damaged more," Lyra stated.

"I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Striker announced as he placed a set monster on his disk, letting it appear next to Marshmallon.

"I'm guessing he'll hold onto it since he doesn't have monster that can topple Jaden's Nova Master," Jethro figured, "Or he may not have a card to boost its strength up."

"Now I'm in the driver's seat," Jaden cheered as he drew his next card, "I summon Elemental Hero Knospe in attack mode!"

After Jaden placed the monster card on the field, the flower bud hero jumped onto the field, waving her arms to the side. (3/600/1000)

"And then Nova Master, destroy his facedown monster! Magma Blast!"

Hearing his master's command, the flame caped hero created a flaming spear and launched it at the facedown monster, revealing it to be a small skeleton in a purple cape, holding up a scythe. (2/300/200) Once the spear struck it, creating a flaming ring around it, the zombie used its scythe to blow it all away.

"Sorry kid, my Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed in battle either," Striker announced, "Even that little plant could hit, but it can't destroy it."

"That's okay, she'll just have to go through you instead," Jaden smiled, "When Knopse is with a fellow hero she's able to attack directly!"

"Great..." The monarch duelist muttered sarcastically.

"Knopse, attack Striker directly with Seed Shot," The hero duelist commanded as the little flower hero launched two giant, yellow seeds from her hands and struck Striker's head.

Striker: 6000

Jaden: 2700

"And whenever Knopse does battle damage, she gains 100 ATK and loses 100 DEF points," Jaden stated as Knopse gained a green aura around it (3/600-700/1000-900), "And I'll leave it at that!"

"Lucky for Jaden, Knopse can't be targeted for an attack if she's with another hero as well," Solomon stated.

"My draw," Striker drew his next card and immediately played it. The artwork depicted a lightning bolt striking through a city, "I use the spell card Lightning Crash, letting me add a Thunder-Type monster to my hand from the deck!"

Claudio gasped as the Monarch duelist retrieved his monster card, "I already know who he's bringing..."

Striker grinned as he held up his monster card, "And here's Zaborg the Thunder Monarch! But don't worry I can't summon it on the turn I play Lightning Crash, so you're free to go on this turn..."

"He passed again," Aster asked, "What's his deal?"

"Yeah, he starts to summon swarms of those things, but then he's holding them out," Masaki added, "Something's up..."

'That's right kids, I've got something else planned for this hero brat,' Striker thought as he eyed his two Monarch cards in his hand and his facedown card, 'I've already got two of the monsters I need and the trigger to pull my ultimate monster into the mix. Two more Monarchs and you're dead!'

"My turn then," Jaden announced as he drew his card again, "I'll send Knospe to attack directly again!"

The flower bud launched another two seeds at the Monarch duelist, who had more common sense to dodge them this time by ducking.

Striker: 5300

Jaden: 2700

Also, Knopse's power continued to shift... (3/700-800/900-800)

"And I'll throwdown a facedown and call it a turn," Jaden concluded as he laid another facedown card on the field.

"And it's my turn again," Striker declared as he drew his next card and grinned, "I place one card facedown and use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy it!"

As Striker set his facedown card, it was immediately blown away by a typhoon and ripped apart.

"And that was my Drowsing Point trap card! When it's destroyed, I can move a monster from my deck into my hand!"

The Monarch duelist once again searched through his deck and took his choice card before he reshuffled his deck back into the duel disk.

"And it's my Delg the Dark Monarch," He announced, "But I'll keep him in and sacrifice Spirit Reaper for my Zaborg!"

The purple caped skeleton vanished into pixels as a thunderbolt crashed into the earth and brought out the thunder Monarch. (5/2400/1000)

"And by Tribute summoning him, I can destroy one monster on the field," Striker grinned, "Like that Nova Master!"

The thunder monarch charged up and raised his arms to the skies summoning a thunder cloud to smite Jaden's fusion monster.

"And without a hero to protect your weaker one, your plant's going down!"

"Not quite, I reveal my facedown card, Rookie Fight," Jaden interrupted as he flipped over one of his facedown cards. The artwork depicted a Battle Ox charging at a small hero, powering up, "When one of my monsters is sent to the graveyard, I can summon another Elemental Hero that's level 3 or below from my deck!"

"He just saved himself from losing a large amount of points, and he can't afford anymore," Lyra said, looking on.

"And I summon out Elemental Hero Ice Edge in defense mode," The E-Hero duelist declared as he placed the card on his disk. It summoned out a child-like hero wearing white armor, shaped like ice and blue tights. He crossed his arms over his chest to defend himself. (3/800/900)

Striker let out a growl of frustration as he made his next move, "Zaborg, destroy that little ice kid with Electric Judgment!"

The Thunder Monarch once again gathered up a large amount of electricity and fired it at the ice hero.

"And here's trap number two," Jaden said, activating his second facedown card, "Hero Ring! I can equip it on to my Elemental Hero Ice Edge, and he's immune to attacks from monster with 1900 ATK or higher!"

A large red shield appeared on Ice Edge's right arm and used it to block Zaborg's attack.

"Jaden's got himself a wall now," Jethro cheered, "Now Knospe isn't in danger of getting destroyed!"

"That was a close one," Bastion sighed, "Jaden sure has a flair for the dramatics..."

"I'll end my turn," Striker concluded.

"Okay, I draw," Jaden stated as he drew his next card, "First, I'll switch Ice Edge into attack mode..."

Ice Edge stood up, ready to strike...

"Next, I'll discard Elemental Hero Neos to activate Ice Edge's effect," the Slifer continued as he discarded his monster into the graveyard. "It allows him to attack directly and destroy one of facedown spells or traps when he deals battle damage!"

Striker gasped as he looked at his facedown cards, _'One of my cards is key to my plan, if he destroys it, I'm through!'_

"Now, Ice Edge, Knopse, double direct attack," Jaden commanded as the plant hero launched another two seeds to Striker's disk, followed by two ice shards fired as his shoulders and shattering Striker's left facedown card.

Striker: 3700

Jaden: 2700

Knopse's green aura continued to grow more power as she did... (3/800-900/800-700)

"Alright, Jaden made it a close game," Allen cheered, "And he even kept it so, he can't be attacked!"

"He's got this duel won," Claudio grinned, "I guess Striker couldn't handle it after being beaten by Melody and I."

Striker narrowed his eyes at the J-Hero duelist, 'Keep talking brat, that card your friend destroyed was something that can be activated in the graveyard... when the time is right... I just need one more card...'

"I'll set these two cards facedown, and take a little break," Jaden concluded as a he put two cards facedown on the field.

"It's my turn," Striker announced, drawing his next card, "I use Pot of Greed to draw two cards!"

The green grinning pot appeared as the Monarch duelist drew two cards, and then shattered.

"It's time kid; I activate Monster Reborn from my hand to revive Mobius the Frost Monarch from the graveyard!"

The ankh of the spell card emerged and shined bright blue, releasing the Frost Monarch from the graveyard. (6/2400/1000)

"And next, I'll sacrifice Marshmallon to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!"

The white blob jumped into the air and ignited in flames, unleashing the Monarch of Fire onto the field. (6/2400/1000)

"And since you have some cards in your hand, I can destroy one card in your hand," Striker smirked, "And if I hit a monster, you'll lose 100 life points x the level! Ignite!"

The fire monarch snapped his fingers...

"WHOA!"

Suddenly, a flame ignited one of Jaden's cards, turning out to be Bubble Blaster.

"Sorry, but that was a spell card you hit," the Slifer announced as he waved the rest of hand, "Better luck next time!"

"Oh, I have the luck now," The Monarch duelist stated as he held up a spell card from his hand, and I activate the spell card 7 to show it!"

The spell card image appeared, showing a reel slot of a red number 7.

"Now let's end this kid! I activate my facedown card, the Shadow Moon spell card," Striker announced loudly as his facedown card flipped up. It revealed an artwork of a mountain area at night with a full moon in the sky as the water reflected the area on its surface.

"Any idea what that does," Masaki asked Aster.

The D-Hero duelist shook his head as he replied with, "No clue; I never thought he had something that works with all Monarch monsters... that's what I'm gathering from one it does for now."

"Then let's hear about what it does," Solomon suggested as all eyes turned back to the duel.

"Here's how this card works, so pay attention," Striker said as the spell card in question shined, "Since I have 4 monsters on the field and in my hand, that's over level 4 and each of them having different attributes, I can send them all to the graveyard to do two things! So first, adios boys..."

Suddenly, Thestalos, Mobius and Zaborg erupted into pillars of fire, ice shards and thunder. Soon, Striker discarded Delg and a pillar of darkness was added into the mix. The four pillars crossed and covered the Skyscraper field spell.

"Now I can activate the Blue Moon field spell from my graveyard, taking us out of the city," the Monarch duelist shouted as the pillars tore apart the holographic buildings and created a mountain range that was bathed by the blue light of the moon above. "And when this field spell's activated, I can destroy one face-up spell or trap card on both players' fields and turn them into Homunculus Tokens in defense mode!"

Jaden gasped as Ice Edge's shield was destroyed and its remains created a feminine, blue haired stone statue. (2/0/800)

Next, Striker's 7 was destroyed and created another female stone statue on his side. (2/0/800)

"Finally, I can summon my ultimate weapon from my deck, Demiurge Ema!" Striker announced loudly as he slapped the card on his disk. From the blue moon, a golden bird-humanoid monster flew down to the field. Its two large winged arms were equipped with claws on the tip of the right and five spears that served as the entire left arm. It flew on two, clear wings and let out a large 'caw!' (8/3300/2000)

"A monster with 3300 ATK," Jaden gapsed, "That's insane!"

"No, it's just the beginning," Striker grinned, "Demiurge Ema gains 800 ATK for every Homunculus Token on the field, so that means it gains 1600 more attack points. Do the math now!"

Both Homunculus Tokens started to glow blue and transferred their energy to the golden humanoid bird, increasing his own power to an immense number. (8/3300-4900/2000)

"And that's more than enough to destroy your Ice Edge and end this duel," The Monarch duelist grinned as he turned to his golden monster, "Demiurge Ema, destroy him!"

As Demiurge flew up the skies, Jaden revealed his facedown card, "I activate my trap card, Swamp of the Fallen!"

The trap card's artwork showed a warrior being drained of his energy by a white ghost as he trekked through a swamp.

"Now Demiurge loses half his attack points, meaning my life points don't hit zero," Jaden stated as a black aura surrounded Demiruge as it flew straight down at Ice Edge. (8/4900-2450/2000)

"No you don't kid," Striker announced placing a card into his disk, "I activate the quick-play spell card, Cleansing Water from my hand and use it on my Demiurge!"

The spell card revealed a soldier pouring a crystal colored water over his body, washing the fatigue away.

"This allows me to negate all point changes to one face-up monster on my field," He explained as the skies started to get cloudy and rain crystal clear water on Demiurge, restoring its power to normal. (8/2450-3300/2000) "Lucky for you, it means you stay in the game, but Ice Edge is... dead! Along with most of your life points!"

Demiurge fired a yellow lightning bolt from its wings and zapped the small ice hero into pixels. But the damage didn't stop as the lightning struck Jaden, blasting his life points into the red zone.

Striker: 3700

Jaden: 200

Striker laughed, "See all of that kids? My power is absolute now, thanks to those three sisters! And once I'm done with Red, I'll take down the rock and roll brat and the rest of you soon enough!"

"Well, I still got 200 life points to change that," Jaden stated, rising to his feet.

"Then, let's see you do something about it after this facedown card," Striker concluded as he placed a facedown card near his feet. 'Even if he decides to create a powerful monster to best my monster, my Prideful Roar trap card will tear him apart, because I have life points to spare. Once he attacks, I'll activate, pay whatever life points to match his score, then get an extra 300 ATK for the trouble.'

"Jaden, you still got this man," Claudio said to the Slifer, "You always have that saying..."

Jaden turned back to the Ra and nodded, "A duel's not over 'til the last cards played! And I still got faith in my cards as well!"

Solomon gasped once those words left the Neos duelist's mouth, 'That's something Yugi would say,' He thought, seeing the King of Games' image in Jaden.

"Now Striker, watch this," Jaden shouted as he drew out his next card, "I activate O-Oversoul!"

A giant purple O emerged from the spell and dug itself into the ground.

"This revives a normal Elemental Hero from my graveyard, like my Elemental Hero Neos!"

In a bright flash, the Neo –Spacian Hero emerged and raised his fist into the air. (7/2500/2000)

"Next, I'll summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird, in attack mode as well!" Jaden continued as a red light zoomed from the skies and struck the ground, revealing the red feathered Neo-Spacian female. (3/800/600)

"Now it's time for a little Contact Fusion," He said as he looked to both of his monsters and shuffled their cards back into the deck, "Go guys, and merge to form Elemental Hero Air Neos!"

Air Hummingbird and Neos took to the skies and combined in a rainbow light. Then, Neos emerged and flew back down, showing off his new look. It was like a tall, muscular version Air Hummingbird except with without the feminine features of her. (7/2500/2000)

"You just summoned a monster with the same points as the original," Striker asked and then laughed, "He still won't hold a candle to Demiurge!"

"He'll burn the whole wax down, because of Air Neos' special ability," Jaden grinned, "Since I'm behind in points, the difference between your score and mine gets added to Air Neos' ATK!"

"And with Striker's 3700 to Jaden's 200, his monster gains 3500 points," Bastion deduced.

"Meaning, Striker's in for a world of hurt," Jethro added on with a grin as Air Neos' power boost skyrocketed by a light green aura around it. (7/2500-6000/2000)

'No, I can't pay that much for Prideful Roar now,' Striker cringed as he looked at the immense power of Neos. But then he calmed down and looked at the lone card in his hand, 'But I'll have some life points left, and once I play this monster on my next turn, I'll have it in the bag...'

"Finally, I'll activate Double Summon to bring out my Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab!"

Striker was interrupted out of his thoughts as the Neo-Spacian of fire appeared in a flaming circle. (3/500/500)

"And for each spell or trap card on your field, she gains 400 extra ATK," Jaden continued as two fireballs from Striker's facedown card and Blue Moon Field Spell ignited from them and fueled Scarab's power. (4/500-1300/500)

Striker gasped, _'I'm sunk!'_

"Speechless, right," Jaden asked with an angry glare at the Monarch duelist. And then he pointed to his Neos monster, "Now Air Neos, attack! Destroy his Demiurge with Cosmic Wind!"

Neos flew up into the skies to meet Demiurge and then beat his wings at sonic speed, creating a razor, white windstorm, tearing the golden monster into ribbons. Striker defended himself from the smoke and debris that blew past him with his disk.

Striker: 1000

Jaden: 200

"And since your Demiurge bit the dust, your tokens have to go as well," Jaden stated as both Homunculus tokens shattered, "And that means your life points are wide open for Flare Scarab's Flaming Arrow attack!"

On cue, Scarab took to the skies and gathered up fire in the palms of her hands and launched it straight into Striker's body, making him fly back a few feet land on his back with a thud.

Striker: 0

Jaden: 200, Winner

All the holograms disappeared as the nighttime city came back into view.

"Jaden wins, yet again," Masaki grinned.

"Yeah, yeah," Aster added.

Solomon looked at Jaden in thought, 'Does he possess the same spirit as Yugi?'

Jaden and Claudio then ran up to the Monarch duelist and held him up.

"Alright spill, where did you hide our friends," Claudio asked with an angry tone in his voice.

Striker groaned, "I have no clue..."

"No use lying," Jaden countered, "Now where are they?"

"It's true, I don't know," the Monarch duelist protested, "I was just told by those three sisters just to say that, beat down my opponents and leave no witnesses..."

"Great, now who do we turn too," The J-Hero duelist grumbled.

Suddenly, a sinister pink light flashed behind Striker. The Monarch duelist gasped as he slowly turned his head around seeing the Mirror of Duality behind him, casting the light.

"Oh crap..." He muttered.

"It's that light," the Hero duelists exclaimed, but then were surprised that the other one knew.

"AAAHHH!"

Everyone gasped as Striker was sucked inside the mirror and vanished. Then, tiny white sparkles flew across the skies and created numerous rectangular mirrors around.

"Aster..." Masaki whispered.

"I know, it's them...," Aster added.

Three of the mirrors closest to Jaden and Claudio revealed a little girl and two young women. The left-side mirror showed the little girl with short, black hair wearing a grey sweater dress, black stockings and dress shoes. She carried a red teddy bear close to her that was carrying a hand mirror close to it.

The right-side mirror showed the raven-haired woman wearing a red, long sleeved dress that went down to her knees and knee-length boots. She had a cold stare in her eyes.

Finally, the middle mirror revealed a woman with her raven-colored hair arranged in ponytail. She wore the ceremonial red and white clothes of a miko with sandals and round earrings.

"Jaden, we finally meet," the middle woman greeted, "An impressive victory over our strongest subordinate, it shows the incredible power you have..." She then turned to Claudio, "And you Claudio, my sister has told me all about your victory over T-Bone."

Claudio glared and growled at the miko, "So you guys are the ones who did that! For what?"

"To see why our dear brother is so interested with the two of you," the woman in the right-side mirror stated.

"And you two are very strong," the little girl smiled, "Even Mr. Bear thinks so!"

"Who are you," the E-Hero duelist demanded.

"Oh, forgive our indiscretion," the miko smiled as she bowed slightly, "I'm Sarina..."

"Makoto," The woman in the right mirror introduced.

"My name's Hanabi," the little girl in the left mirror exclaimed.

"Alright, what do you want with us," Claudio demanded.

The sisters chuckled as they showed another mirror, revealing Syrus, Hassleberry, Vincent and Allyson strapped and sealed inside a purple virtual reality pods, not moving an inch.

Jaden and Claudio gasped, "It's them!"

"Would you like to see them again," Makoto asked, "They are waiting for you two to rescue them."

"And Aster and Masaki have to come too," Hanabi added.

"Say what," Masaki gasped.

"Why us," Aster asked.

"For the tests, we set up for all four of you," Sarina replied, "You see, Sartorius may have been wrong and that you two maybe the ones he needs, if Jaden and Claudio prove to be mediocre..."

"But we'll find out, once you all get to Kaibaland in the morning," Makoto stated.

"And once you get there, we all get to play," Hanabi cheered.

Then, all the mirrors around them shattered in the sky.

"Just what was that all about," Bastion asked.

"We found out who sent those duelists after us," Jethro stated.

"And we also know where the others are being kept," Jachin added.

"And the final part of it all is that we can get them back by going to Kaibaland," Claudio stated.

"But it's probably closed by now," Lyra stated, "So like they said, we'll have to wait until the morning."

"Now we all just need to find a place to crash," Allen added.

"I can have you all sleep over at my place," Solomon offered, "But some of you must sleep on the floor...

"Fine with me," Jaden stated, "Before the Slifer Dorm got an upgrade my mattress could pass off as the floor!"

"If we're in a safe and secure neck of the woods," Bastion said.

"Don't worry, it's away from the Society," Claudio assured him. "I got the ultimate protest push from them once we got to the hotel."

"Bad, huh," Masaki figured.

"At least I have a trailer," Aster said as he walked off, "And you don't want me locking you out, Masaki, get a move on."

The S-Hero duelist shrugged as he followed the Pro duelist, "Later guys!"

"Looks like we'll have to bunk with them," Alexis said to Claudio, "Beats running a lot of blocks away towards the apartments where everyone else is at."

"At least we'll be alright," the J-Hero duelist said.

"Then it's settled," Solomon finalized. "We go to Kaibaland in the morning."

"Right!"

* * *

Alright, it's almost time baby, the final tag matches of the Domino City Arc!

Elemental Hero Nova Master

FIRE

Warrior/Fusion/Effect

Level 8

2600/2100

1 "Elemental Hero" monster + 1 FIRE monster

This monster cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, draw 1 card.

(This is card is not yet released in the US, but in Japan for the OCG version. All rights go to the creators.)

Lightning Crash

Normal Spell

Effect: Add 1 Thunder-Type monster from your Deck to your hand. You cannot Summon that monster this turn.

Shadow Moon

Normal Spell

Effect: Send 4 Level 5 or higher monsters with 4 different Attributes from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard. Activate 1 "Blue Moon" from your hand, Deck or Graveyard. Then, Special Summon 1 "Demiurge Ema" from your Deck or Graveyard.

Blue Moon

Field Spell

Effect: This card can only be activated with "Shadow Moon". When you activate this card, destroy 1 face-up Spell or Trap Card on each player's side of the field, then Special Summon 1 "Homunculus Token" (Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Level 2/ATK 0/DEF 800) to each player's side of the field in Defense Position. "Homunculus Tokens" cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon.

Demiurge Ema

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 8

3300/2000

This card gains 800 ATK for each "Homunculus Token" on the field. When this card is destroyed, destroy all "Homunculus Tokens" on the field.

(These four cards were used by T-Bone in the GX episode: J-Dawg and T-Bone. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

* * *

Next Time: Off to Kaibaland! But first, they have to get through the ticket booth and with some SOL members deployed as the security. And that's where Jethro and Alexis come in


	39. The Aquarium Comes to Town

Let's go!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 39: The Aquarium Comes to Town

* * *

In the morning, Jaden, Claudio, Aster, Masaki and the gang were running down the streets heading towards their destination, Kaibaland. Bastion had to be the unluckiest person in the world to end up carrying Solomon on his back.

Unbeknownst to them, Chazz and Jason were watching them.

"Well, well," Chazz said, "Looks like the plan's set in motion. And the trap will be set."

"Either we'll get a whole set of new duelists for the Society, or they don't comeback at all," Jason added, "The main threat of our cause will be gone either way."

"I just opt for the first one," Chazz stated, "We'll be finished faster... but I doubt our volunteer will get the job done..."

* * *

As the group continued down the streets...

"By the way, thanks for the lift," Solomon said to Bastion.

"Right, sure," the intellectual Ra replied, 'And here I thought you'd be the one giving the lift...'

"Hey, Aster, Masaki," Jaden said to the guys as they ran, "Thanks for helping us out!"

"For what," Aster scoffed, "I'm going to Kaibaland for me, not for you or your friends."

"Well, believe it or not, I enjoy your company," the E-Hero duelist stated.

"Is Aster always like this," Claudio asked Masaki.

"Oh yeah," the S-Hero duelist replied.

"How do you put up with the guy," Lyra wondered.

"We currently have a mutual understanding ever since we left Sartorius' employment," Masaki stated, "We don't want to help out in unknowingly brainwash every other person."

"I nearly got a taste of it battling Jason," Jachin added, "I forced the duel into a draw."

"Wait, Jason," Allen questioned, "There's a girl named Shion looking for him! You're saying he's in the Society of Light?"

"I think he's one of the high-ranking ones," Alexis figured, "I saw him completely brainwash a duelist named Lorenzo."

"Sounds like the guy changed," Jethro stated and turned to Allen, "Did you tell Shion?"

"It may be hard to now," the fairy duelist replied, "She's back at Duel Academy with the rest of the students along with Miss Dorothy and Professor Sartyr who didn't go."

"So that's why we were all let in the same boat," Claudio figured.

"STOP!"

Everyone stopped their running as they heard Solomon shout.

"Look over there, kids," He said, pointing to a familiar skyscraper in the distance, "It's the main branch of Kaiba Corporation."

"Cool, that's where all that technology came from to enhance the game of duel monsters," Masaki stated, "A big honor, don't you think?"

"Once we save Hassleberry, Syrus, Allyson and Vincent, we'll soak up the entire honor later," Jaden said, "Right now, we got to Kaibaland."

"That's why I stopped you," the old man stated, "The theme park is near the main building!"

"Good, then let's get over there," Claudio announced as everyone started running towards the skyscraper.

* * *

Later, everyone ran towards the white gates of the theme park, only to find out it was locked up with a chain and lock.

"What, it's locked," Alexis gasped.

"This is stupid," Lyra scoffed, "They tell you to come over and then they decide to lock it up."

"It is strange that they would do that, yet expect us to come over," Allen stated.

"Well, how do we get inside," Jaden wondered.

"Alright, stand back," Jachin announced as he strapped on his duel disk, "Looks like my friends and I will bust the gate down. Aren't you glad you have a Psychic duelist for a friend?"

"I'll say," Claudio smiled as he and the others moved a good feet away from the gates, "Go for it, bro!"

The Persona duelist activated his duel disk and drew a card, "Alright, Take-Mikazuchi let's..."

"I don't think so!"

Suddenly, a sharp weapon flew down from out of nowhere and headed straight for Jachin's hand.

"Look out," Jethro shouted as he used his lasso to rope the Slifer around the waist and pulled him away, just in time for the sharp tool stuck itself into the ground. Jachin's heart nearly stopped as he held the hand that was about to be struck.

"Whoa, that was close," Jaden gasped.

"Too close," Aster added, feeling shocked as everyone else.

"But who would try to stop us from getting to that extreme," Bastion wondered.

Alexis then walked over to the object on the ground and gasped at the identity of it, "It's a kunai!"

"A kunai," Claudio echoed, "Like the ones..."

"...Ninjas use," A familiar voice interrupted.

Everyone looked up at the gates and standing on top of it was...

"Kenji!"

"I was wondering you all would show up," the ninja duelist declared, "I was getting bored from being on watch duty."

"Enough games, man," Claudio stated, "Let us in here, we got friends to save."

"From Sarina, right," Kenji asked, "About that... the only way any of you are getting into these gates, is through a little test of my own."

Alexis stepped up and activated her duel disk, "So you want a duel, fine! I plan getting through to your senses anyway!"

"If only it were me dueling you," the SOL member stated, confusing everyone, "Here's the deal..."

With a flick of the wrist, Kenji produced a sliver key into his hand.

"Since I hear most of these duels being decided on tag-duels in this city, that's how we are going to settle this matter," He declared, "I have two duelists, beat them and I'll give you the key. You lose, and the duelists playing will join the Society of Light. And since you caught me on a good day, I'll leave your free intact until Sartorius meets you!"

"What kind of choice is that," Allen demanded.

"A smart one if you want the chance to get into this theme park," the ninja duelist said, "Otherwise, leave your friends trapped in cyberspace and at the mercy of Sarina and her sisters."

"I'm still here, Kenji," Alexis declared, raising her duel disk.

"And I'll join in, if you don't mind, Alexis," Jethro added, activating his custom duel disk, "After what I've been through with those girls back at the docks, I should at least payback the boys who're associated with them."

"I don't mind at all," the Obelisk Girl replied as she nodded to her confirmed partner. She turned back to Kenji and announced, "So where's your opponents?"

"Coming right up," Kenji replied with a snap of his fingers. Answering the call, two women appeared and walked in front of the gates, wearing pink jackets, white sweatpants and blue sneakers.

"Wait a second," Solomon gasped, "They're dressed like the staff at the aquarium center!"

"That's because they are the staff from the aquarium center," the ninja duelist smirked, "And actually great duelists, despite their defeat from me. Ladies, be courteous and give them your names..."

"My name is Aqua," the turquoise-haired woman introduced.

"And I'm Marine," the dark blue-haired woman stated.

Both of them wore Academy-issued duel disks and activated them with their decks inside.

"Prepare to duel!"

"So you brainwashed someone that's not from the Academy," Claudio growled, "What's wrong with you?"

"I grow tired of your tantrums," the ninja duelist yawned mockingly, "So just get on with the duel."

Jethro and Alexis looked to each other and nodded. But before they started, Alexis pulled out Kenji's old headband and stared at it.

'If there's anything left of the old Kenji in there, I hope he sees this,' she thought as she put the headband on and straightened it up.

"Hey that's..."

"...Kenji's old headband," Claudio finished for Jaden, "Once this mess with Sarina's over, she and I are planning to get Kenji back on our side."

"In fact, we should start getting everyone back," the E-Hero duelist figured.

Seeing his old headband on Alexis made Kenji scoff in disgust, 'does she really think that will send me running back to my old self? Poor delusional fool...,' He then turned to his cohorts, "Ladies, take them out!"

"DUEL!"

Aqua: 8000 + Marine: 8000

Jethro: 8000 + Alexis: 8000

"Now, off to the seas," Aqua stated as she drew her sixth card. Immediately, she held up one of the cards in her hand, "I'm sending the monster, Warrior of Atlantis into my graveyard to activate its special ability: allowing me to take a certain field spell from my deck and add it to my hand!"

The turquoise-haired girl discarded her monster into the graveyard, and a card slipped out of the deck, letting her take it.

"And you two already know what it is," She continued as she opened up the field spell slot of her disk and slipped her card inside, "I activate the field spell A Legendary Ocean!"

The whole terrain transformed into a vast ocean, with all players knee-deep inside it. Suddenly, a stone, undersea city rose up to the surface making its appearance.

"We know already know the rules to this card," Jethro stated, "All WATER monsters' levels are downgraded by 1 and gain 200 ATK and DEF."

"But once we sink your city, we'll finish you off," Alexis concluded.

Aqua laughed, "This is why I activate the spell card, Field Barrier!"

The spectators, except Kenji, gasped as a white energy dome covered the city.

"Now they can't destroy it, without going through the barrier," Claudio said.

"And field spells like A Legendary Ocean are reason why duelist would play it," Masaki added.

"And to end my turn, I'll set these two cards facedown and end my turn," Aqua concluded as she inserted two reversed cards into her disk, letting the holograms appear on the ocean floor.

"Alright, time to rodeo," Jethro exclaimed as he drew his sixth card, "I summon Tribal Spirit- Black Buffalo in defense mode!"

As the cowboy Obelisk placed the card on the tray, the black-skinned buffalo appeared with a low cry and a black aura around it. (4/0/2000)

"And I'll leave you with that, plus one card facedown," He concluded as he inserted another card into his disk.

"Good, the quicker the better," Marine smirked as she drew her sixth card and immediately slipped it in her disk, "I activate the spell card Water Hazard!"

The spell card revealed a large tidal wave with a school of Ocean's Keeper swarming inside it.

"As long as this card's on the field, I can special summon a level-4 WATER monster when I have no monsters on my field," She informed as she placed another card on the field, "And I'll use its effect to summon the Legendary Fisherman in attack mode!"

Like a chain reaction, a large tidal wave picked up, startling the Obelisk Duo. From it, a large white and blue shark jumped out and riding on it, a muscular, wild blue-haired man holding a harpoon in his right hand. (5-4/1850-2050/1600-1800)

"And for back up, Deepsea Warrior in defense mode," She continued as she placed another monster on the field, a warrior decked out in a black, glass helmet over his head and a blue and green scaly armor. In his hands, he carried a double-pronged trident. (5-4/1600/1800)

"I'll end my turn with a facedown card," Marine concluded as a reversed card appeared at her feet.

"Man, what a lineup," Allen whispered, "Keeping their field spell intact and a set of two level-5 monsters..."

"I know," Lyra added, "Aside from Warrior-Type monsters, WATER attribute monsters have the most to gain from cards that support them."

"But with Alexis having last turn, she can be the one to decide the tide of this duel," Jaden stated.

"I like to see her try," Kenji proclaimed, "Without compatible cards to benefit each other, Alexis and Jethro don't have a chance..."

"It won't mean that I give up," Alexis snapped as she drew her next card and placed one of her other cards on the field, "I summon Cyber Tutu in attack mode!"

In a flash, the young ballerina spun gracefully onto the water and stopped perfectly on her feet. (3/1000/800)

"Next, I'll play a spell card known as the A. Forces," She announced as she inserted her spell card, showing the artwork of Warrior Dai Grepher, Shadow Tamer and two other warriors ready to battle a Fiend Skull Dragon from beyond a black fog, "As long as this cards on the field, all Warrior type monsters gain 200 ATK for every Warrior and Spellcaster on the field. So, Cyber Tutu gets a little power boost!"

A white aura surrounded the ballerina, enhancing her power. (3/1000-1200/800)

"And since your monsters have higher attack points than my dancer, she can attack you directly," Alexis continued as she turned to her monster, "Attack Aqua directly with Pounding Pirouette!"

The young ballerina, at the Obelisk girl's command, spun around creating a tornado, sucking up water to boost the force of the attack.

Aqua smirked as she moved her hand to a button for one of her facedown cards. Seeing this, Jethro quickly activated his facedown card...

"I activate Trap Stun," He announced, startling the SOL girls. The card's artwork depicted lightning striking three other traps cards in a dark void, "Don't bother activating any traps, because this card negates them for this turn!"

Aqua swiftly held up her duel disk in defense as the water tornado surrounded her and splashed water in her face.

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 8000

Jethro: 8000 + Alexis: 8000

"And then, I'll end my turn with a facedown card," Alexis concluded as she inserted another card into her disk.

"Nice teamwork tactics," Jachin praised, "Knowing all about the advantages of the Umi cards, Jethro and Alexis will know when to strike."

"But what happens when we strike back," Aqua asked as she drew out her next card, "I use the effect of my partner's Water Hazard to summon Mermaid Archer in attack mode!"

Another tidal wave formed, bringing a huge, brown sea turtle to the surface. Then, a strange thing happened... the shell opened up like a secret hatch and a blue haired mermaid emerged from inside in a blue coral armor, carrying a crossbow. (3-2/1200-1400/200-400)

"And with it, I'll summon Sangan in defense mode," She added as the three-eyed furry fiend emerged when the card was played. (3/1000/600)

"Now, I activate Mermaid Archer's effect; she can equip a level 3 monster on to herself and increase her power by 800 ATK!"

"An 800 point boost," Bastion gasped, "That's impossible!"

"Then check this out," Aqua smirked as Sangan then hopped off his card image and landed on the sea-turtle behind the archer. (2/1400-2200/400)

"Sounds believable to me," Marine said, chuckling.

"No wonder Master Sartorius never went after Bastion," Kenji muttered, stunning the intellectual Ra, "He thinks more than he acts..."

"Attack Cyber Tutu with Coral Crossbow," the turquoise-haired girl commanded as the Archer raised her crossbow and fired it straight through Cyber Tutu's gut, making her shatter and grazing Alexis' left arm.

"OW!"

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 8000

Jethro: 8000 + Alexis: 7000

"Aw, did that hurt," Aqua pouted as she placed a facedown card on the field.

"Alexis, you alright," Jethro asked his partner.

The Obelisk girl fought the pain and replied with, "I'm fine, just take your turn and get them..."

"Got it," the cowboy nodded as he drew his next card and immediately revealed it. Its artwork depicted three armored lizard warriors charging through a wasteland, "I play the spell card Ties of the Brethren! By paying 1000 life points while I have a Level 4 monster on the field, I can special summon two more monsters from my deck," He continued as two cards slipped out of his deck, letting him collect them, "They have to be level 4 and of the same attribute as my Buffalo, so I can summon my Tribal Warrior- Blackhorn the Strong and Tribal Warrior – BlueShell the Defender!"

In two flashes of light, Blackhorn with his muscular frame and power appeared... (4/2000-2400/1150), (3/1200-1400/800)

... Along with another native warrior, who wore a blue vest and pants of the same material as Blackhorn using a giant, blue tortoise shell as a shield for defense, (4/1000-1600/2000), (4/2400-2600/1150), (3/1400-1600/800)

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 8000

Jethro: 7000 + Alexis: 7000

"But you can't attack with them or tribute them for anything," Marine stated, "So what's the point of summoning monsters that can't do anything"

'He does have compatibility of the two archetypes he deals with,' Kenji thought, remembering his last duel with the Obelisk cowboy.

"I have other ways of getting my boys to function," Jethro replied to the dark-blue haired girl's question and turned over two of his cards, "I'll activate Polymerization to fuse Blackhorn with the Desperado Mustang in my hand to form another bond between my monsters!"

Running out to the field, a brown horse with a black saddle appeared and jumped into a fusion vortex along with Blackhorn.

"Now meet the Tribal Warlord!"

Riding out of the vortex, the Tribal Warrior came out riding on the Mustang. Only, he wore black war paint over his face and chest as well and let out a huge battle cry. (7/?/?)

"A fusion between a Desperado and a Tribal Warrior," Claudio smiled, "That's cool."

"And what else is cool is that the combined total of the fusion material monsters' ATK and DEF makes up the stats for my new fusion," Jethro added as the Tribal Warlord rode out to the field. (7/?-2800-3200/?-1450)

"How about, I give them a wall then," Aqua said as she revealed her facedown card, "I activate Scapegoat to add four sheep tokens onto my field!"

In four puffs of smoke, four sleeping goats appeared unaware of their surroundings. (1/0/0) x4

"What's the point of that move," Jachin wondered, "It's not like she's activating something big..."

"More monsters are your field, won't make a difference," the Obelisk cowboy declared, "Your Mermaid Archer's still in my line of fire! Time to strike, Warlord!"

Pulling the reins of the horse, Tribal Warlord rode the Mustang across the water, preparing to pummel the archer and her passenger.

"Just what I was waiting for," Marine announced loudly.

Everyone suddenly turned to her as she activated a trap card depicting the Deepsea Warrior creating a dark mass of energy. Aster immediately identified the continuous trap card...

"Reflector Hole!"

"That's right," Marine smirked, "I can activate this card while a Deepsea Warrior's on the field. By sacrificing two monsters on the field, I can negate the attack! And thanks to Aqua, I can use two of her Scapegoats!"

Deepsea Warrior reached out his hands to two of the Scapegoats and pulled them over to him. Next, he used their energy to create a giant, dark mass of energy that Tribal Warlord went into.

"My monster," Jethro cried out.

"Oh don't worry he'll come back... when he strikes you directly!"

Suddenly, another dark portal opened up behind Jethro, releasing the Tribal Warlord. But the native warrior couldn't stop his attack as the horse dashed through him sending Jethro face first into the water!

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 8000

Jethro: 3800 + Alexis: 7000

"Jethro," Alexis gasped.

"Oops, I failed to mention that Reflector Hole bounces the attack back to the controller of the monster," Marine stated, putting on a mock pout, "Silly me, I'm so forgetful..."

"This is nuts," Jaden exclaimed, "While that's on the field, they'll get hit as long as they have enough monsters..."

"Funny, isn't it," Kenji stated, "It'll be in your best interest to surrender now..."

"Not gonna happen," Alexis shouted.

"I second... that..." Jethro groaned as he got up to his feet, "After this facedown card, I'll turn it over to you."

"And it's my turn," Marine declared as she drew her next card, "First I'll have to pay 800 points to keep Reflector Hole in play..."

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 7200

Jethro: 3800 + Alexis: 7000

"Next, I'll sacrifice the Legendary Fisherman to summon the Water God, Suijin!"

Another tidal wave swept in and crashed into the fisherman and his shark, wiping them out. The wave suddenly rose up as a column and from it a large, blue kanji symbol for water appeared along with a monstrous face, keeping the water up. (7-6/2500-2700/2400-2600)

"Ah, the Shinto God of Water," Kenji smirked, "Funny how one of Japan's revered kamis will help out the Society of Light. Isn't it glorious?"

"A God," Jethro wondered.

"No wonder the Paradox Brothers were praising it so much," Alexis figured.

"Aw man, it's that monster from that match Syrus and I had last year," Jaden whined, "Now Alexis is facing it..."

"Don't worry, Jaden," Bastion assured him, "Since Alexis has seen it in action, and she can handle it. And if Jethro knows what it does, he can do the same."

"But they have to be careful with its effect in play," Jachin added on, "If they strike it, the attacking monster will lose all of its ATK."

"In short, they prevented Jethro and Alexis from striking now," Lyra stated, "Jethro may have the strongest monster on the field, but if he has to cross Suijin..."

"And then, I'll use the spell card Raregold Armor to make Suijin your only attack target," Marine continued as she slipped in her spell card, making the Water God's color change to white and gold, "Now attack if you dare!"

'Not good,' Alexis thought as she drew her next card, 'Suijin's effect and Reflector Hole, it's not going to be easy anymore...' "Alright, first since you two have at least two monster more than I do, I can special summon Street Fighter Purna to the field in attack mode!"

In a blue flash, the Arabian Street Fighter appeared and got into a fighting pose. Also, Blueshell and Tribal Warlord power also rose with A. Force's power. (6/2300-2900/1400), (4/1600-1800/2000), (7/3200-3400/1450)

"And to keep up the defense, I'll also bring in Street Fighter Killer Bee in attack mode!"

In a red flash, another woman appeared dressed in a green leotard with a Delta Red triangle insignia on it, a red beret, black combat boots, and red gauntlets. Her legs were sparsely decorated with green camouflage paint. (4/2000-2800/100), (6/2900-3100/1400), (4/1800-2000/2000), (7/3400-3600/1450)

The SOL ninja scoffed, 'Alexis doesn't get it... as soon as she attacks, Suijin will destroy either one of her monsters and then Reflector Hole will cause her to lose more points for the next attack…'

"She's not thinking about attacking, is she," Aster wondered.

"I think she is going for it..." Solomon added.

With a firm glare at the Water God, Alexis declared, "Since, I don't have a choice in attacking your Suijin, I'll let my Purna attack him with Dazzling Pirouette!"

Hearing the command, the Arabian Street Fighter started to spin rapidly with bright stars surrounding her along with a spiral of water that covered her form.

"I thought you heard your friends' explanation of Suijin's effect," Marine grinned, "Guess you have to learn the hard way! Suijin, use your Tidal Surge Attack and cancel out Street Fighter Purna's attack points!"

The Water God's symbol shined across the ocean surface as Purna moved in closer. Suddenly, the water around her started to constrict the arms and legs, sapping her strength. (6/3100-0/1400)

"Send her into the depths!"

Suijin roared and pulled her straight into the water as the Street Fighter screamed for her life... Finally, a giant column of water crashed under the Obelisk girl, making her stagger under the pressure.

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 7200

Jethro: 4200 + Alexis: 4300

"At this rate, we'll deliver two more duelists into the Light for Master Sartorius," Aqua laughed.

"Yeah, they may have escaped the first time but they won't last long with us," Marine added with a devious smirk of her own.

"Don't bet on it," Alexis stated as her facedown card flipped over, showing the artwork of a Shield Warrior raising his halberd in a bright light, "I wanted my monster to attack, not only to use up Suijin's effect, but to use the Warrior's Pride trap card!"

Kenji gasped as he looked at the trap card, "That brings back the Warrior monster that was destroyed!"

"I'm glad you remembered," the Obelisk girl said as she retrieved her monster card and placed it back on the tray, bringing back the Arabian Street Fighter. (6/2300-3100/1400) "And I think she'll take another shot at Suijin for a little payback!"

Once again, Purna started her dazzling spin and advanced towards the monstrous water column.

"Oh no, you don't," Marine shouted as she waved her hand at her Deepsea Warrior, "I activate Reflector Hole once again! I'll sacrifice those two Scapegoats Aqua has to bounce your monster's attack again!"

Jaden gasped as the scaly armored warrior transformed the sleeping goats into another dark mass that Purna went into, "If this hits, Alexis will be nearly out of points!"

"Not to mention when Aqua's turn comes around, they'll make sure Alexis gets knocked out," Claudio added.

Marine giggled, "This is going to hurt..."

"You, instead," Jethro smirked as he revealed his trap card, a picture of an explorer entering a room, unaware of the trap set inside: a golden gun aimed right at the entrance, "I activate Barrel Behind the Door!"

"What," Marine shouted as the golden gun appeared next to Alexis as the black mass opened behind her, "That trap only stops effect damage, not battle damage! It's not fair!"

"Oh, it's fair alright," the cowboy Obelisk grinned, "Since Reflector Hole changes the battle damage to effect damage, its fair game to my counter trap!"

The dark blue-haired girl gasped as Purna emerged from the dark mass and landed on top of the golden gun. Jethro then raised his right hand and pointed his thumb upward along with his index finger pointed at Marine and said...

"Bang..."

The golden gun fired sending Alexis' monster flying, delivering a striking kick to Marine's face, knocking her on her side.

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 4100

Jethro: 4200 + Alexis: 4300

"Thanks for the help," Alexis said to Jethro.

"Happy to return the favor and then some," the cowboy stated as he tipped his hat to his partner, "Now go on and finish that Water God!"

"You got it," She nodded and turned to her second Street Fighter, "Killer Bee, attack and destroy Suijin once and for all with your Spiral Arrow!"

The blonde fighter jumped into the air and then started spinning in a cork-screw manner with her feet leading towards Suijin, piercing straight through the symbol and cracked it into pieces. The Water God roared in anguish as the column splashed down to the surface.

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 4000

Jethro: 4200 + Alexis: 4300

"What a move," Allen praised, "Now I see that Jethro and Alexis really know each other's decks."

"Probably from the last duel that they had back at the Academy," Jachin figured, "And that's what they were relying on to get Suijin off the field."

"Not only that, but even if Suijin comes back for another round, it can't use that effect again," Masaki concluded.

"But it's not over yet..." Lyra looked on.

"And then, I'll end my turn with a facedown card," Alexis concluded.

"Alright ladies," Kenji told his underlings, "I think you should step up your game. I don't want to tell Sartorius that we failed to acquire some new friends for our cause..."

"I'm on it," Aqua said as she drew, "I'll use the Spellbook Inside the Pot! Now all players can draw three cards from their decks," She stated as she, Marine, Jethro and Alexis complied with the effects. When Aqua saw her hand, she nodded and placed one of them on the field, "By sacrificing Mermaid Archer, I'll bring out a powerful WATER monster that used to be a level 7! A terror among the sea!"

A look of fear crossed Jaden's face, "She's summoning Daedalus!"

"Daedalus," the turquoise-haired girl scoffed, "I wouldn't soil my hands with that little, upstart eel. I'll summon a true king that doesn't need to destroy an ocean to reign supreme!"

The mermaid, Sangan and their ride sunk into the depths, as a large shadow took over Aqua's part of the field.

"Now, I bring out the great Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth!"

Everyone was now out a loss for words as a fish that looked even bigger than a whale surfaced and floated over the ocean. Its skin had the texture of jagged rock while its head had a huge mouth full of shark-like teeth and its fins looked like sharp claws. (7-6/2800-3000/2200-2400)

"So everyone's speechless in front of the king," Aqua proclaimed as she held up another card, "Good, he demands respect! But first, I'll attend to Sangan's effect, letting me add a 1500 ATK or lower monster to my hand! Such as my Thousand Eyes Jellyfish!"

A card slipped out of the SOL duelist's deck, letting her retrieve and place it into her hand. But everyone watched as she took another card from her hand and discarded it.

"And next, I'll discard one of my cards and activate my king's special effect," She continued, "Now I can summon all the low-level in Fish-Type monsters on my field! Now, rise up from the deep my minions!"

The water started get very violent as the Coelacanth roared out and slapped a wave with its right fins, bringing out four pillars of water.

"First, my Abyssal Kingshark will reveal itself!"

From the first pillar came a 6' shark, but had its skeleton on the outside of its skin. (4-3/1700-1900/600-800)

"Next, the Golden Flying Fish!"

Shooting itself out of the second pillar came a pale blue fish with six fins on its back that stretching out like wings and emitted a golden aura. (4/1700/1000)

"7 Colored Fish, time for you to rise!"

Peering out of the third pillar, a multicolored-fish made itself known and stared at its opposition with and gritted its teeth. (4-3/1800-2000/800-1000)

"And finally, my Great White!"

And rising out of the fourth pillar, a giant white shark with human arms appeared and chomped its teeth. (4-3/1600-1800/800-1000)

"One monster can do all of that," Claudio gasped, "That card is way broken!"

"Oh, don't worry about these little fishies," Aqua interrupted, "They can't use their effects or attack. But then again, I'm not carrying about it much."

"And why is that," Jethro asked, wondering where this is going.

"I plan to make another summoning with one of my facedown cards, the Fortress Whale's Oath Ritual Spell," the turquoise-haired girl declared as she revealed one of her facedown cards that depicted an island with cannon armaments rising up from an ocean. And sure enough, that same island appeared in the middle of the field.

"One of the greatest mammals, the whale, has always been endangered because of people hunting them down for their body parts, like whale oil, baleen and ambergris for perfume," Aqua said with an angry glare, "For many scientist who actually wanted the whale to live, they took a narwhal from the arctic and reengineered it with tank cannons and laser. Also they made it so that it could survive any climate of water. Once done, they let it loose into the seas, letting it defend all whales around the world. And by sacrificing seven stars of monsters, like my Thousand Eyes Jellyfish and Great White, that very whale will surface!"

Along with Great White, a giant jellyfish comprised of many eyes and red wings, vanished into the depths, under the cannon island and made it shine blue.

"I summon the Fortress Whale!"

A low whale cry alerted everyone back to the waters and saw another giant sea monster rise up from the depths. It was a dark blue narwhal with a very angry face. The armament island was now grafted on its back and started to scope out targets. (7-6/2350-2550/2150-2350)

"Another huge monster," Bastion gasped, "This is not boding well..."

"And it'll get worse as I use the Ritual Weapon card to boost its ATK and by 1500 DEF," Aqua continued as her Fortress Whale's back was now armed with a futuristic laser cannon, charging up to fire. (6/2550-4050/2350-3850)

"4050!" Solomon exclaimed, "It has a power on par with the Egyptian Gods!"

"Now watch my mighty whale use it," Aqua announced as she turned to her whale, "Fortress Whale, target the Tribal Warlord!"

Jethro gasped as the whale aimed its laser at his Native monster.

"FIRE!"

From one shot, a dark-blue beam fired and ripped Jethro's monster apart, molecule by molecule. The blast was so great, even Jethro was sent flying on his back, plus weakening his remaining warrior and Alexis' monsters.(4/2800-2600/100), (6/3100-2900/1400), (4/2000-1800/2000)

Aqua: 6800 + Marine: 4000

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 4300

"And then, I'll send in my Deepsea King to annihilate that buffalo!"

The Coelacanth soon set its eyes on Jethro's last line of defense as it slowly moved towards the animal...

"Hold on," Alexis declared as she revealed her facedown card, "I activate Enemy Controller and use its effect to switch your Coelacanth to defense mode!"

On cue, the giant video controller appeared in front of Alexis and extended its cable towards the giant fish.

"Sorry, but I'll activate its second effect," Aqua interrupted, "By sacrificing one its followers, the 7 Colored Fish, I can negate any card effect that targets my beast!"

Alexis gasped as the rainbow colored fish jumped in front of its king and took the cable to its body, destroying it and the controller. Finally, Coelacanth reached Black Buffalo and swallowed it up in one gulp.

"And if the cowboy can get up, it's his move," She concluded.

Jethro lifted himself up and drew his next card, "Alright, I think it's time I did something about your little strategy and it starts with Graceful Charity, letting me draw out three cards and discard two for my troubles."

He drew three more cards and dropped two of them into the graveyard.

"But then, I'm thinking about bring back one of my lost boys with the spell card, Monster Reborn," Jethro continued holding up his spell card, "And I use its effect to bring out my Desperado Leader!"

The ankh of the Monster Reborn card shined brightly over the waters creating another Desperado. This one was dressed in a white cowboy hat over his head, a red handkerchief over his mouth, a blue shirt, white pants and brown cowboy boots with spurs. Strapped to his belt were two Colt Revolver pistols with extra ammo for back up. He tipped his hat to the Blueshell who nodded in respect and to Alexis' Killer Bee who scoffed in return. (8/2600-3200/1550), (4/2600-2800/100), (6/2900-3100/1400), (4/1800-2000/2000)

"And there is a reason why he's the leader of my boys," the cowboy continued, "His effect lets all Desperadoes Warrior's gain 400 ATK! And after Alexis' help with her A. Forces, I'll have second best monster on the field!"

The Desperado loaded up his guns and twirled them around before placing them back in the holsters. (8/3200-3600/1550)

"And joining him, since my Normal Summon hasn't been used yet, will be my Desperado Sharpshooter! And thanks to Alexis' A. Forces and my Leader, he'll get one heck of a boost!"

Appearing next to the Leader, the Sharpshooter took out his rifle and loaded it up before pointing at his targets. (3/1200-2400/800), (8/3600-3800/1550), (4/2800-3000/100), (6/3100-3300/1400), (4/2000-2200/2000)

"Look at that," Jaden grinned, "Those monsters are getting biggest power boost ever."

"But they still have one problem," Aster looked on, "They still have Reflector Hole on the field. And they have enough monsters to use that effect..."

"Now let's wrangle us some seafood," the cowboy smirked, "But first, I'll have to get around your Reflector Hole and Sharpshooter will do that! See, I can have him attack directly by cutting his original ATK in half!"

Sharpshooter cocked his rifle and then aimed it at Aqua, who gasped. (3/1200-600-1800/800)

"Oh no, Reflector Hole doesn't work on direct attacks," Marine said as she gasped as well.

"Now, fire!"

*BANG!*

One shot zoomed past the Fortress Whale and grazed the SOL member's duel disk, cracking the life point meter.

Aqua: 5000 + Marine: 4000

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 4300

"I figured it out when Alexis made the move of attacking," Jethro explained, "It only works when we attack other monsters."

"Great, now Jethro has a monster that deal the damage and avoid Reflector Hole," Claudio cheered.

"I really hate doing this but, I'll use the trap card Pistol Whip," Jethro continued as he flipped over his face-down card, showing Desperado Leader using one of his pistols as a club, striking a Longbarrel Ogre in the face, "This trap card allows me to strike a monster into defense mode and then deal damage to its defense points! The catch is, one of my Desperadoes can't attack and the target has to be on a monster that has a lower level!"

Kenji growled, 'And because of A Legendary Ocean, the girls have lower level monsters!'

"So, I'll forfeit Desperado Leader's attack and strike your giant Coelacanth into defense mode and deal damage from its defense points!"

Everyone watched as the Leader took one his pistols out of his holster and held it without placing his finger on the trigger. He then jumped up on top of the giant fish and slammed the barrel of the gun on its head, making it roar in pain and drop inside the water, splashing Aqua.

"That had to hurt," Jachin muttered, "I bet if that hit a normal person on the head, it could fracture the skull.

Aqua: 2600 + Marine: 4000

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 4300

"And with one card facedown, I'll end my turn," Jethro concluded as a facedown card appeared at his feet.

"Nice work," Alexis praised.

"Thank you kindly," Jethro replied, "I just hope we can keep this up in order for us to get into the park."

"You won't be getting in," Marine stated as she drew her next card, "And I'll keep it that way as I pay another 800 points for Reflector Hole!"

Aqua: 2600 + Marine: 3200

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 4300

"Next, I summon the Deepsea Macrotrema in attack mode!"

Splashing into the waters, a long, red and white fish appeared with long tendrils on its face with red-tipped barbs on it. (1-0/600-800/100-300)

"And, I'll follow up with Big Wave Small Wave, destroying my WATER monsters," She continued as a large, red colored tidal wave rose up and smashed the Macrotrema into pixels, causing Jethro and Alexis to cover with their arms as the wave passed them by. Deepsea Warrior rode the wave away and landed next to Marine.

"Wait, how come Deepsea Warrior wasn't destroyed," Jaden wondered.

"It's because while Umi is in play, in which A Legendary Ocean counts as, it is unaffected by spell cards," Bastion told him, "But still, that's the least of Jethro and Alexis' worries now..."

"Alright, I'll activate my facedown card," Jethro interrupted as his facedown card revealed itself, showing a bright, red arrow flying through the sky, "I use my Spell Shattering Arrow Card to destroy all my opponent's spell cards and deal 500 life points for each one destroyed."

A blue bow appeared in BlueShell's hands along with three red arrows. He took all three and pulled back on the bowstring.

"And even though, I can't reach your field spell, I can hit all the others," the cowboy declared.

"Aqua's got two cards, her Field Barrier and Ritual Weapon..." Allen pointed out, "She'll lose 1000 points."

"Plus, Marine's Big Wave Small Wave and Water Hazard for another 1000 on her..." Jachin added.

"BlueShell, hit them now!"

The Tribal Warrior released the arrows, piercing the WATER duelists' spell cards and shattering them to pixels. Fortress Whale didn't even noticed that its futuristic weapon was converted back into its normal, primitive cannon. (6/4050-2550/3850-2350)

Aqua and Marine grunted in pain as the arrows struck them as well.

Aqua: 1600 + Marine: 2200

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 4300

"No matter because with Big Wave Small Wave's effect, I can summon another WATER monster because lost one," Marine grinned as she slapped the monster card on the field, "Say hello to my Spiral Serpent!"

Another, smaller tidal wave splashed in but the monster that came in was larger than that. The monster was a plesiosaur-like creature with blue body, long neck and four large, pink fins. Its mouth carried two rows of sharp teeth as it snarled at its opposition. (8-7/2900-3100/2900-3100)

"Sam Hill," Jethro gasped, "It has ATK THAT high!"

"And it'll get even higher, because when I sent Deepsea Macrotrema to the graveyard, its special effect kicked in," the dark blue haired girl smirked, "For this turn, my WATER monsters gain 500 ATK!"

Spiral Serpent and Deepsea Warrior let out roars of triumph as blue auras amplified their powers. (7/3100-3600/3100), (5/1600-2100/1800)

"And for my first strike, I'll attack Alexis' Street Fighter Purna," She continued as she turned to her powerful sea serpent, "Spiral Serpent, it's feeding time! Attack with Spiral Wave!"

The large serpent inhaled a large amount of air as it flailed around the sea. Alexis braced herself as the dreaded Spiral Wave took form into a large, whirlpool launched from the serpent's mouth and struck both Alexis' Street Fighter and her as well. (3/2600-2400/800), (8/4000-3800/1550), (4/3000-2800/100), (4/2000-1800/2000)

Aqua: 1600 + Marine: 2200

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 4000

The Obelisk Girl gasped for air as the attack passed.

"I'm... still... standing," She declared, breathlessly.

"Intended for you to be knocked down," Marine scoffed, "But no matter, I'll see to it that it will happen!"

"We'll see about that, my move," Alexis stated as she drew her next card. When she looked at it, she immediately placed it on her disk, "I summon Street Fighter Karate Girl!"

Jumping down to the water field, a determined, young, Japanese girl with short, messy black hair and wearing a simple white karate uniform with a long, yellow scarf around her neck. (4/1350-2350/1800), (3/2400-2600/800), (8/3800-4000/1550), (4/2800-3000/100), (4/1800-2000/2000)

"Karate Girl, attack Aqua's Golden Flying Fish with Tsurugi!"

With a battle cry, Karate Girl ran at the Flying Fish and executed a flying axe kick.

"Alright, I'll use Reflector Hole, this time sacrificing Aqua's Golden Flying Fish and my Deepsea Warrior," Marine interrupted as her Warrior transformed the Flying Fish into a dark mass, which Karate Girl disappeared into. Alexis then turned around when another dark mass opened up, revealing her Karate Girl about to kick her. At the precise timing, the Obelisk Girl held up her duel disk and blocked the kick, sending her monster flying over her head.

Aqua: 1600 + Marine: 2200

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 1650

"Why did she attack," Jaden wondered, "She could've saved her points."

"Yeah, but then we wouldn't be able to see this..." Solomon pointed out to Deepsea Warrior and the Reflector Hole card as they shook violently and shattered into pixels.

"Right," Bastion nodded, "Deepsea Warrior needed to be on the field. So even though Alexis took the damage, she got rid of a powerful opposition."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win this duel," Alexis stated, "Even if it means losing a large number of points. So I wouldn't count on winning this duel..." She then turned her attention to Kenji, "And after when the others are safe, I'll make sure you come to your senses."

"Actions speak louder than words, Alexis," the ninja duelist replied, "And from your last move, I'd say the sound couldn't even reach my ears," He then turned to Aqua, "Make sure you take her our first."

"With pleasure," Aqua nodded.

"Wait until my turn is done," the Obelisk girl interrupted as she turned to Killer Bee, "Killer Bee, destroy her Fortress Whale!"

The green clad blonde jumped into the air and drove her corkscrew kick into the belly of the whale. With a loud, dying cry, Fortress Whale fell into the depths and sunk to its doom.

Aqua: 950 + Marine: 2200

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 1650

"And now, you can take your turn," Alexis concluded, "But I'll keep saying this: you won't win."

"I can't wait to prove you wrong," Aqua sneered as she drew her next card, "First, I switch Coelacanth into attack mode..."

The giant ancient fish rose up from the depths again and glared at Alexis.

"Then, I'll use Pot of Greed to draw two more cards," She continued as she drew out two more cards, "And then, I'll equip my King with Hightide, boosting his power by 500!"

The ancient fish gained a blue aura. (7/3000-3500/2400-2900)

"Now my ancient king of the deep, sink your teeth into that loser's Karate Girl," She announced as the large Coelacanth slowly advanced towards Alexis' monster.

"She'll be nearly out of points, once this attack hits," Aster stated.

That's when Alexis smirked and announced, "Sorry, but now Aggressor's effect activates! When she battles a level 7 or higher attack point monster, she gains 2000 ATK and DEF during damage calculation!"

"WHAT!" Kenji, Aqua and Marine shouted as Karate Girl gained a blazing red aura and screamed out in fury, pointing her right fist at the ancient fish. (4/2350-4350/1800)

"That's why she left her out in the open," Claudio realized, "Even though she had four other cards in her hand!"

"And it looks like Aqua's going to lose it, big time," Masaki added.

"Karate Girl, counterattack with Tanden Renki," Alexis commanded.

Once the Deepsea King was close enough, the Street Fighter jumped up and slammed it with a hard right hand and then a hard uppercut, sending it to the sky with a twinkle.

Aqua: 100 + Marine: 2200

Jethro: 3750 + Alexis: 1650

Everyone stared at the young girl in amazement and confusion as her power decreased back to 2350.

"Whoa..." Allen muttered.

"That's what I'm saying..." Lyra added.

Aqua gasped as she looked at her one card, 'this card is all I have left for now...'

She then inserted the card into her disk, "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"This is it," Claudio claimed as Jethro drew his next card, "Once Jethro makes this attack, all he has to do is focus on Marine's monsters and we can get in to see Sarina..."

"But still, I wouldn't count out Aqua's facedown card," Aster said, staring at the card in question.

"Alright, here goes nothing," Jethro announced, "Sharpshooter, take out Aqua and her life points with one shot!"

The Desperado in question cocked his rifle and took a new as he took aim. With one pull of the trigger, he fired at the defenseless SOL member.

"I'm not through yet," Aqua shouted as she pressed the button on her duel disk, "I activate Tornado Wall!"

Out of the blue, numerous waterspouts formed from the ocean, drying it up the waters, and blocked the bullet. Jethro groaned as his chance faded away.

"As long as I have a card serving as Umi on the field, any damage from your attack monsters becomes zero," the turquoise haired duelist stated, "Now I'm fully protected from damage!"

"Then, I'll just have to start scrapping monsters," the cowboy stated, "I may not do damage, but I can still make an impact! Desperado Leader, take out that Spiral Serpent!"

The masked Desperado used his quick draw and fired bullet after bullet into the body of the serpent, until it couldn't take another blow and fell into the water, lifeless...

"And then I'll just end my turn here," Jethro concluded, "You keep sending us the targets and we'll blow 'em away!"

"I draw," Marine drew, ignoring the Obelisk boy's statement, "I place one card facedown and play Card of Demise to draw out four more cards, to make my five card hand!"

After inserting one of her cards facedown, she activated her other spell and drew out four cards. Staring at one of them, she immediately slapped one down.

"Next, I'll summon Codarus in attack mode!"

Rising out from the depths, a 7' blue sea serpent appeared with red tip claws, white fins on its cheeks. (4-3/1400-1600/1200-1400)

"Okay, what's up with summoning a monster that can't even stand up to Jethro's Sharpshooter right now," Alexis wondered.

"It's because he's about to set the stage for your destruction," Marine announced, "By sending a card serving as Umi to the graveyard, I can send two cards on your side of the field with it!"

Aqua gasped, "If you do that, I'll be defenseless!"

"If you didn't botch up that last move, you wouldn't be in this mess," Marine countered, "Besides I'll soon have a monster that will end this duel!"

"You better..."

"We better brace ourselves, Alexis," Jethro said to his partner.

"Yeah, I have a feeling what's coming, too," She replied back.

"Codarus, use the ocean's power and send the A. Forces and Street Fighter Karate Girl to the graveyard!"

The sea serpent glowed dark blue as it absorbed the ocean, making the city crumble, and fired two beams from its eyes and blasted two of Alexis' cards off the field, severely weakening her Street Fighter Killer Bee and Jethro's Desperadoes and BlueShell. (3/2400-1600/800), (8/4000-3000/1550), (4/3000-2000/100), (4/2200-1000/2000)

Codarus was also weakened as the rest of its body was visible on land. (3-4/1600-1400/1400-1200)

"And here's a surprise," Marine grinned as her field spell slot opened, "The field spell Umi!"

Once again, the water filled the area, boosting Codarus again. (4/1400-1600/1200-1400)

"Not again..." Claudio groaned.

"And then, I'll send it to the graveyard and wash out Alexis' Killer Bee and Jethro's Desperado Leader!"

Alexis and Jethro gasped as the sea serpent absorbed the ocean water and blasted their warriors into the grave. (3/1600-1200/800), (4/1600-1400/1400-1200)

"Next, I'll use my facedown card, the Ritual Spell Turtle Oath!"

The spell card revealed itself and summoned a large, green turtle shell wrapped and suspended in brown rope.

"The prophecy of Atlantis states that once two offerings are made to the giant turtle, one of their champion beasts shall rise to defend the waters," Marine declared, "And it shall now be fulfilled by sacrificing Codarus and the Unshaven Angler in my hand to summon my Crab Turtle!"

Along with Codarus, a large, deep blue angler fish appeared by the shell. Suddenly, two red claws shot out of the shell and grabbed the seas monsters and pulled them in the shell. Everyone put on disgusted looks as they heard the sounds of tearing and chomping from inside. After a few moments of silence, the red claws popped out again and snapped the ropes, dropping it towards the ground. Two feet soon emerged with red claws and green leg guards, followed by four crab legs from the top back of the shell. It picked itself up and turned around, showing off red shelled underbelly and single yellow eye peering at everyone. (8/2550/2500)

"Oh great, that is bad for Alexis," Allen said, "Once it's done with her, Jethro's flying solo."

"Now I'll activate my final card, Monster Reborn to revive my Spiral Serpent to the field!"

Everyone gasped as the ankh appeared in the sky and brought back the large sea serpent of the deep, back to the field. It snarled at the opposing duelists and bared its teeth. (8/2900/2900)

"It's back," Jethro whispered and then looked at Alexis, who was staring back at the monstrous sea duo with a glare, 'without any monsters on her field, I'll end up having to take on both girls... unless...'

"Now, it's time to demolish Alexis for good and bring her into the light," Kenji announced, "And don't worry Alexis, I'll make sure you'll have your free will, just to be generous to an old friend."

"At least you'll be on the winning side," Marine giggled evilly as she turned to her ritual monster, "Crab Turtle, finish her off with your deadly claws!"

Clacking its claws menacingly, the Crab Turtle dashed across the field and stretched its pincers out towards the Obelisk Blue girl.

"Alexis," Her friends called out as she braced for impact.

"BlueShell, defend Alexis!"

What surprised everyone was the Tribal Warrior, finally making his move and leapt across to Alexis' field and bravely took the pincers to the gut. He gave a sad smile to Alexis before he shattered into pixels.

"How did that happen," Aqua demanded, "Why did that cowboy's monster take the blow?"

"Because," Jethro announced, "Last I checked for the rules in a double duel, I could have my monsters defend my partner should she ever be defenseless. Try that again, and Sharpshooter will do just the same!"

Alexis was beyond relieved as she let go a breath she held and turned to her partner, "Thanks for the save."

"You're welcome," the cowboy replied as he tipped his hat, "I got your back on this one and so do my monsters."

Sharpshooter raised his hat a bit to Alexis before he stared back at Spiral Serpent, waiting for its next move.

"Alright, you wanna play hero, I've got your reward," Marine snapped, "Spiral Serpent, destroy his cowboy with Spiral Wave!"

The giant serpent fired another whirlpool from its mouth, sucking the Sharpshooter inside and tearing him apart within the choppy waters.

Aqua: 100 + Marine: 2200

Jethro: 2050 + Alexis: 1650

"And then, I'll just leave it at that," Marine concluded, "With this kind of monster power backing me up, you two don't stand a chance!"

"That power will be an empty threat," Alexis declared as she drew her next card, "And this next move's gonna help. It starts with Cyber Petit Angel in attack mode!"

In a bright flash, a small, machine angel appeared with a bright, yellow halo above its head. (2/300/200)

"When summoned, I can add a Machine Angel Ritual Spell card from my deck," She stated as she collected the spell card from her deck and then immediately played it, transforming the ground into hard, plated steel for the moment, "And by using this Ritual Spell card, I can summon any monster with Cyber Angel in its name by sacrificing the right number of levels. So by sending Cyber Petit Angel along with the Cyber Prima in my hand, I can summon Cyber Angel Roku in defense mode!"

Along with the small angel, Prima vanished into a bright light and from it came another Cyber Angel. Unlike Alexis' previous angels, this one was an elderly woman wearing a blue kimono with a white sash around her waist. On her head was a large light blue ceremonial hat and her back was adorned with two giant, white wings and four, metallic wings along with it. (8/2500/2700)

"She may not look much in your eyes, but she has a hand special ability that will soon turn the tide of this duel," the Obelisk girl announced as Roku started to glow bright white, "By paying 800 life points, once per turn, I can summon any monster with 'Cyber' in its name!"

The aquarium girls gasped, "She can do that?"

Alexis took out a monster card and held it up, "She can! So welcome back, Cyber Tutu," She announced as she placed the card back onto her tray, bringing out the ballerina who crossed her arms. (3/1000/800)

Aqua: 100 + Marine: 2200

Jethro: 2050 + Alexis: 850

"And if you remember her special effect, when you have stronger monsters than Cyber Tutu, my ballerina can attack directly," She continued as she looked directly at Aqua who gasped in fear, "Which means, you're out of luck Aqua!"

Taking that comment as a command, Cyber Tutu spun around into a white tornado and sped up towards the turquoise-haired girl and nailed her with a roundhouse kick to the jaw, knocking her out of the duel.

Aqua: 0 + Marine: 2200

Jethro: 2050 + Alexis: 850

The spectators cheered, while Kenji growled.

"Darn it..."

"And then, I'll end my turn by playing this card facedown," Alexis concluded as Cyber Tutu was replaced with a set monster card.

"Nice one, Alexis," Jethro praised, "And with Aqua out of the game, I can take the lead now," He drew out his next card and looked at it and the other cards in his hand, "I summon Desperado Lady!"

In a flash, the brown dress wearing woman appeared taking her rifle out. (3/600/500)

Then, Jethro turned to his partner, "If I may borrow your Cyber Tutu for a sacrifice, Alexis..."

"Go on ahead," Alexis replied as the ballerina smiled for her response.

"Alright, I'll sacrifice my Desperado Lady and Alexis' Cyber Tutu in order to special summon Desperado Bounty Hunter," He announced as both girls vanished of the field, bringing out the cowboy with the disfigured face and loaded up his pistols. (8/2700/1300)

Marine looked at him with disgust, "They'll make any cowboy into cards these days..."

"And for good reason," Jethro smirked, "Because, once he's summoned, I can call one type of monster. And that's Sea Serpent!"

"So, what good that'll do for you," the dark blue haired girl asked, "Your cowboy's still weaker than my Spiral Serpent!"

"I'll just have to show you," the cowboy stated as he turned to his Desperado, "Take out the bounty on Spiral Serpent!"

Bounty Hunter nodded as he rushed at the serpent monster who charged right back at him, preparing to take a bite. But as it lunged its head out, the Desperado immediately took out his tomahawk and threw it straight at the serpent's neck, cutting it off and breaking it up into pixels.

"What the-?"

"You see, since I declared Sea Serpent types, whenever Bounty Hunter battles one it is automatically destroyed," Jethro explained, "Then I gain 200 life points for every level it had, meaning I gain 1600 life points for a level 8 monster."

The pixels transformed into a moneybag that dropped down into Jethro's duel disk, surrounding it with golden sparkles.

Marine: 2200

Jethro: 3650 + Alexis: 850

"That's good," Solomon praised, "Jethro's ahead in points, plus he has the strongest monster to take out Marine's Crab Turtle."

"And with Alexis' monster waiting in the wings, she's done for," Jaden cheered.

"And I'll end my turn," Jethro declared.

"Marine," Kenji spoke out to his underling, "I hope for your sake, this next draw will silence them all..."

The dark blue haired girl growled a bit before she made her next draw. She then immediately inserted the card in and yelled, "I activate the spell card Energy Drain on Desperado Bounty Hunter!"

Solomon gasped, "That card weakens an enemy monster down to zero!"

A green light zapped Jethro's Bounty Hunter, as he dropped his gun and tomahawk and fell to his knees. (8/2700-0/1300)

"It also allows me to draw one card," Marine said as she drew her card, "And to make sure you don't try to one-up me, I'll activate the field spell card Umiiruka! It boosts the power of WATER monsters by 500, but decreases its defense by 400!"

The gates were once again flooded in water, but added glaciers for land. Crab Turtle stood on top the highest one and clacked its pincers. (8/2550-3050/2500-2100)

"And this one's gonna hurt! Crab Turtle, attack!"

The hybrid monsters leapt from glacier to glacier, reaching the weak Bounty Hunter and snapped him with his claws. With a hard squeeze, the Desperado was cut apart to the disgust of the spectators, but no one was hurt more than Jethro seeing his monster go through that.

Marine: 2200

Jethro: 600 + Alexis: 850

"That was way too brutal," Claudio stated.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Lyra muttered.

"You said it," Allen agreed.

"And I'll end my turn right here," Marine concluded, "Hope that teaches you not to mess with me, cowboy! Even without Aqua, I'll do both of you losers in!"

"Laugh it up," Alexis said, glaring at the Water based duelist as she drew her next card, "But you're about to be the loser. First, I'll pay 800 life points for Roku's ability, summoning out my Cyber Prima to the field!"

From Roku's light, a taller female wearing a skintight gray catsuit appeared, with a strange mask over her eyes, and her platinum locks flowing behind the red mask. (6/2300/1600)

Marine: 2200

Jethro: 600 + Alexis: 50

"And then, I summon the Command Angel in attack mode!"

In a bright flash, a female, blonde angel appeared. But unlike the angelic ones from Allen's deck, this one was dressed in a green beret, tan halter top and camouflage pants. Her white wings stretched out as she crossed her arms. (4/1200/1900)

"Hah, I was thinking you'd summon something of a real threat," Kenji stated.

"Ironic you'd say that," the Obelisk girl replied, "You thought I should add this to my deck to help out my Cyber Angels, especially when she boosts every fairy's power by 400!"

The ninja raised an eyebrow as the military looking angel started to glow along with Roku as they increased their power. (4/1200-1600/1900), (8/2500-2900/2700)

"It's still not powerful enough to take on my Crab Turtle," Marine declared.

"That's what you think, especially when I activate my facedown card," Alexis continued as her facedown card flipped over, revealing a spell card depicting a royal red crown with an emblem of an eagle on it, "I equip Cyber Angel Roku with the Crown of Command!"

The crown from the spell card emerged and outfitted itself on the Cyber Angel's head.

"Alright Roku, take flight and destroy that Crab Turtle with Wisdom of the Angels," Alexis commanded as Roku spread out his six wings and collected a bright light into each of them.

"You must be delusional," Marine smirked, "Crown of Command didn't change up your angel's ATK, so I think I'll have Crab Turtle go ahead and end it right now!"

The hybrid water monster dove straight into the water, quickly swimming over to the elder angel and jumped out to sink its pincers into her.

"You're right," Alexis stated, "Crown of Command doesn't strengthen my monster. It weakens any monster it battles by 500 ATK and DEF!"

Marine gasped as Roku used two of her wings and locked the Crab Turtle's pincers in place while she finished energizing her wings. (8/3050-2550/3000-2500)

"Finish it off!"

The Cyber Angel then took her other four, metal wings and slapped them onto the hybrid's shell, expending its light across it and extinguishing it inside.

Marine: 1850

Jethro: 600 + Alexis: 50

"No," Marine cried.

"Now let's finish this duel," Alexis announced, "Cyber Prima, attack!"

Marine stepped back as Cyber Prima created her own cyclone and quickly moved towards her. Then, the dancer stopped right in front of her and executed a double chop to the SOL duelist, knocking her down.

Marine: 0

Jethro: 600 + Alexis: 50

Winners: Jethro and Alexis

The holograms disappeared as the duel disk cut off. Aqua and Marine were left on the ground, unconscious.

"Well, we did it," Jethro announced as he wiped his forehead of the sweat.

"And it wasn't an easy victory," Masaki added, "Those girls were tough."

Alexis looked up to Kenji, "Alright we won so hand over the key!"

The ninja duelist chuckled a bit and nonchalantly dropped the key into her hands, "Fine, you win. I've had my fun. And don't think that headband will change a thing between us. I'm with the Light now... deal with it!"

"It still won't discourage me from saving you," She declared, "Once we're back at Duel Academy, I plan on taking you on!"

"And I'll be joining in," Claudio said as he stepped up, "I also plan on getting one of my best friends back!"

Kenji sneered,"Then good luck... but don't plan that match to be directly after our return to Academy Island. I plan on for a little strategy if I have to face the both of you. Until then, later!"

The ninja suddenly vanished without a trace. Allen and Bastion held up the unconscious girls in their arms.

"We need to get these girls some help," the fairy duelist stated.

"I'll call for an ambulance," Solomon said.

"Then I guess it's best for Aster, Masaki, Claudio and I to go into Kaibaland to meet Sartorius' sisters," Jaden declared.

"Sounds like the plan," Masaki agreed.

"That's cool with me," Claudio shrugged.

"As long as I get in there and get this duel over with," Aster stated.

"Then we'll hold down the fort and tell everyone where you're at," Alexis said as she handed Jaden the key, "Just watch yourselves in there."

"Sure," the E-hero duelist replied as he walked up the lock and used the key to unlock it.

"Be seeing ya boys outside," Jethro said to them.

"Just hurry up," Lyra shook her head, "I had enough of this field trip because of this ambush thing."

"Don't worry, we'll be out after we teach these girls a lesson," Claudio grinned as he, Masaki, Aster and Jaden walked inside the park.

* * *

The final duels are at hand...

Street Fighter Killer Bee (Cammy)

Level 4

EARTH

Warrior

2000/100

A once, brainwashed fighter who has awakened from her trance to fight along with the military for freedom.

Street Fighter Karate Girl (Makoto)

EARTH

Level 4

1350/1800

Warrior/Effect

If this card battles a Level 5 or higher monster, this card gain 2000 ATK and DEF during damage calculation.

(These two cards were created by me. Creative card credit goes to me, but inspiration goes to Capcom for the characters)

Desperado Leader

EARTH LV: 8

(Warrior/Effect)

While this card is face-up on your side of the field, all face-up "Desperado" Warrior-type monsters gain 400 ATK.

ATK: 2600 DEF: 1550

(Basis: The original "Vigilante" of DC Comic)

Tribal Warlord

(Warrior/Fusion/Effect)

EARTH

LV: 7

Desperado Mustang + 1 "Tribal Warrior" monster

This monster's ATK and DEF is equal to the combined original ATK and DEF, respectively, of the 2 Fusion Material monsters you used to Fusion Summon this card. This card's name is treated as that of the "Tribal Warrior" used in the Fusion of this card.

ATK: ? DEF: ?

(add war paint of the Warrior's color to the warrior when fusion is complete, and warrior is riding horse.)

(The above two cards were created by Rocket Knight 777. Creative rights go to him and inspiration for Desperado Leader goes to the creator of DC comics)

Reflector Hole

Continuous Trap

Image: Deepsea Warrior creating a dark mass of energy within his hands at a large pond.

Activate only when you have a face-up "Deepsea Warrior" on your side of the field. When a monster you control is attacked, you can Tribute 2 monsters to negate the attack and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the attacking monster's ATK. If "Deepsea Warrior" is destroyed, destroy this card. During your standby phases, pay 800 life points. If not, this card is destroyed.

(This card is created by me. Creative card rights go to me and inspiration goes to the creator of the second series anime episode Isolated in Cyber Space for the effect.)

Warrior's Pride

Normal Trap

Image: Shield Warrior raising his halberd in a bright light.

Activate only when a Warrior-Type monster you control is destroyed by battle. Special Summon that monster. It cannot be destroyed by battle during this turn.

(Used by Yusei Fudo in the 5D's manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga)

Pistol Whip

Normal Trap

Image: Desperado Leader striking a Longbarrel Ogre in the face with his pistol, using it as a club.

Select one of your 'Desperado' Monsters. Switch one of your opponent's monsters into defense mode and deal damage equal its DEF. The selected 'Desperado' monster cannot attack in the turn you activate this card.

(This card is my own creation and creative rights go to me)

Hightide

Equip Spell

Image: A full moon raising the tide of the waters, sinking a city.

Equip only to a Fish or Sea Serpent-Type monster. The equipped monster gains 500 ATK and DEF.

(This card is exclusive only to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories game for the PlayStation One. All rights go to the creators of the game.)

Cyber Angel Roku (Based off one of the Seven Lucky Gods)

Level 8

LIGHT

Fairy/Ritual/Effect

2500/2700

This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card "Machine Angel Ritual". Once per turn, you can pay 800 life points to special summon one monster in your graveyard that has 'Cyber' in its name.

(This card is my own creation. Creative card rights go to me.)

Crown of Command

Equip Spell

The monster that battles with the monster equipped with this card loses 500 ATK and DEF.

(Used by Alexis Rhodes in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Next time: Claudio and Masaki team up to face Makoto and Hanabi in a tag duel at the Kaiba Dome. Will the Hero duelists succeed in defeating the unorthodox tactics of the sisters?


	40. Sisters of Fortune

It's time for part 1 of the Domino City Arc finale! Let's do it to it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 40: The Sisters of Fortune

* * *

Rushing into the Kaibaland theme park, Jaden, Claudio, Aster and Masaki searched around for any sign of Sartorius' sisters. They checked the park's arcade, castle attraction, gift shops and even around the roller coaster rides, but all of them led to dead ends.

"This is getting us nowhere," Aster stated, "All the rides and attractions of this place, and no sign of Sarina, Makoto or Hanabi."

"For Hanabi, it's kinda strange," Masaki thought out loud, "Being a kid her age, I would live to ride the rides and play around here. I figured she'd be the one to greet us... so to speak..."

"You mean like what she did to Frost," Jaden cringed, remembering the little girl's playful demeanor towards someone else's fear, "I hope she doesn't!"

"Why, what did she do," Claudio asked.

"The same thing Makoto's been doing," the D-Hero duelist replied, "Trapping their underlings in mirrors."

"Alright, I think this is getting us nowhere," The S-Hero duelist said, "We should split up this time. If any luck, they're at the places we haven't checked yet."

"What haven't we checked," the E-Hero duelist asked.

"The Virtual World Simulator and the Kaiba Dome," the J-Hero duelist replied, "But I bet if anything, one of them will be at a dueling place like the Kaiba Dome."

"Yeah, but remember," Jaden stated, "Syrus and the others are holed up in virtual pods, so maybe they're over there."

"Alright, then let's split up like Masaki suggested," Aster declared, "I'll just go with Jaden to the Virtual Simulators, chances are Sarina's there."

"Then Claudio and I will head on over to the Kaiba Dome," Masaki nodded, "Let's hope we get down to the bottom of this thing."

"Let's..."

* * *

Claudio and Masaki walked down the path leading towards, what most people believed to be, Kaiba's main attraction: a large stadium shaped like the head of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Here we are," Claudio said.

"Let's just hope the seats aren't packed," Masaki smirked.

The inside of the stadium was currently pitch black but with only a dim light from the opened front door providing the illumination. The two boys could see enough that the stadium was revealed to be very large and in the middle of the room was a dueling arena. The podiums appeared to be arch-shaped and currently inactive like the rest of the arena.

"Alright, somebody's got to be here..." the J-Hero duelist stated, "Who else would leave the door open?"

"I hear ya," The S-Hero duelist nodded, "But where would they be..."

"Hi!"

A spotlight shone on the arena, revealing Makoto and Hanabi wearing Academy issued duel disks.

"Good, the two we want to face," Makoto said with a dark smile.

Hanabi squealed as she jumped up and down, "Yay!"

"Hanabi and Makoto," Masaki said.

"Alright you two, what's up with all the duels in this city and kidnapping our friends," Claudio demanded.

"And last I checked I was supposedly on your side," the S-Hero duelist stated, "So why target me?"

"Both of you, along with Jaden and Aster, have been called upon to participate in our ultimate tests," Makoto stated.

"And big brother asked us to play with you," Hanabi added.

"So you're saying I'm supposed to be a 'Chosen One,'" Masaki asked.

"Most likely," Makoto replied, "Seeing your rising progress in dueling and sensing an inner power within you, it's the reason why Sartorius took you in as his protégé."

"And Claudio has the same power, too," Hanabi exclaimed, "But we don't know which one is better... that's why all of us have to duel!"

"And when we defeat the both of you, we'll take one to Sartorius while the other will be trapped in this mirror," the middle sister explained as she held up her mirror, glowing sinister pink.

"That won't happen," Claudio declared as he turned on his duel disk, "I really don't care about this 'Chosen One' business; I'm just here to get my friends back!"

"Plus, since I really hate this brainwashing thing your brother's been doing," Masaki added as he turned on his duel disk, "I'll have to turn down your offer as well!"

"Sorry, but big brother asked us to help..." Hanabi shouted as she activated her disk.

"...And you'll fall by our hands all the same..." Makoto added as she activated hers as well.

"DUEL!"

All players drew their opening hands.

Hanabi: 8000 + Makoto: 8000

Claudio: 8000 + Masaki: 8000

"Let's play," Hanabi exclaimed as she drew her sixth card and looked at her hand, 'Yay! Hikairi says good luck in my fortune!' "I summon Fortune Fairy Hikari in attack mode!"

A flash of red light appeared next to her, creating a cute little sprite dressed in a golden yellow and white frock, her blonde hair styled like wings and a fluffy side. She carried a small, golden staff with her. (1/0/0)

"Zero attack points," Claudio wondered, "I didn't expect her to have this much trouble."

"Don't interrupt me," The little girl shouted as she inserted another card into her deck, "Next, I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"My move," Claudio declared as he drew. 'I gotta be careful; a monster without any points or any effects is big trouble...' "I set one monster in defense mode and one card facedown as well."

A reversed card and set monster appeared on the Ra's field.

"Copycat," Hanabi accused as she pointed a finger at Claudio.

"How's that copying, I set my monster," He asked.

"Before you get into a losing argument with my sister, it's my turn," Makoto interrupted as she drew her sixth card, "I summon Fortune Lady Light in attack mode!"

A bright light flashed in front of her, creating to be a woman that seemed to be the older version of Fortune Fairy En, wearing a revealing black leather costume and stockings under a golden yellow halter top and a skirt. Bat-like wings extended out from her golden hair, and she wielded a long staff adorned with a crescent blade, crowned by a golden sun, and the Millennium Eye symbol glowed on her hair. (1/?/?)

"Now there are non-existent scores," Masaki wondered.

"Her attack power is 200 times her level, meaning she currently has 200 ATK," Makoto explained to her opponents as the Fortune Lady glowed with power. (1/?-200/?-200)

"And I'll end my turn with a facedown card," She concluded.

"My move now," Masaki said as he drew, "I summon the Shonen Hero Skull Musician in attack mode!"

From a bright portal, the afro sporting skeleton appeared with his violin. (4/1200/1200)

"And I'll end with a facedown card as well," He concluded.

"Yay, my turn again," Hanabi shouted as she drew, "I'll just set this card facedown and end my turn!"

Another facedown appeared at the little girl's feet.

'Okay, Hanabi's not doing much but she's still keeping a monster without any points,' Masaki thought, 'She must be setting an obvious trap...'

"Alright my turn," Claudio announced as he drew his next card, "Now, I flip summon my monster, Jukebox Hero Wayward Son!"

The young J-Hero boy revealed himself as he held up his acoustic guitar. (3/900/900)

"And since he's revealed, I choose one card and that card's controller will lose 500 life points," He explained as he pointed to his choice card, "I'll pick Makoto's Fortune Lady Light!"

With one strum of the guitar, Wayward Son sent a sound wave to damage the taller girl's points. However, Makoto didn't even move. She just stood there calmly as her Life Points went down a little.

Hanabi: 8000 + Makoto: 7500

Claudio: 8000 + Masaki: 8000

"Cold as ice," the Ra muttered as he turned to the younger sister, "But let me add my Jukebox Hero Voodoo Child to heat things up!"

In a veil of purple smoke, the left-handed guitarist made his appearance. (4/1600/0)

"Now see how Hanabi's Hikari takes it when my Wayward Son strikes her down!"

The little pixie squealed in fright as the young hero ran up to her, with his guitar ready to strike.

"You've been a bad boy," Hanabi scolded as she pressed two buttons her duel disk, revealing her facedown cards, "I activate my facedown cards, Justi-Break and Light of Intervention!"

The first trap depicted a silhouette of a person launching blue lightning at opposing monsters. The second trap showed a demonic looking monster hiding itself with its wings as bright light shined over it.

"First, my Light of Intervention makes sure all monster cards can't hide facedown," the little girl stated as a bright light hovered over the field, "No more hide and seek! And then Justi-Break makes every monster except for my monster to go bye-bye!"

Claudio and Masaki gasped.

"But you're destroying your sister's monster," the S-Hero duelist pointed out.

"And I'm supposed to be worried," Makoto stated as a blue lightning bolt flashed from the sky and destroyed Wayward Son, Skull Musician and Fortune Lady Light into many pixels.

"That was some strategy," Claudio said, "But I still got my Voodoo Child because he's a normal monster, too! All I have to do is make my move!"

"But before you get ahead of yourself, Claudio," the Fortune Lady duelist interrupted as she collected a card from her deck, "Because my Fortune Lady Light left the field, I can summon another Fortune Lady from my deck! So meet my Fortune Lady Fire!"

A flash of fire exploded before her, creating another Fortune Lady looking similar to Light's appearance but with hair, eyes and her clothes colored red. Her scepter was that of a scythe-like staff with a crimson flower at the top. (2/?/?)

"And like Light, she gains 200 ATK for every star she has! So with two, she up to 400 ATK," the middle sister explained as her new lady glowed bright red. (2/?-400/?-400)

"Okay, but how do you explain what's she going to do," the J-Hero duelist questioned.

"I'm glad you asked," Makoto smirked, "Her special effect kicks when she was summoned by a Fortune Lady's effect. She can destroy one monster and deal damage equal to their ATK strength!"

"Huh," Claudio gasped.

"Now die!"

Fortune Lady Fire blasted a small sphere of fire from her scepter, reducing Voodoo Child to ashes and smacked Claudio down to the ground.

Hanabi: 8000 + Makoto: 7500

Claudio: 6400 + Masaki: 8000

"Claudio," Masaki gasped, horrified at what the attack had done to him.

"Like how I can stimulate the brain to feel damage," the middle sister mocked, "It must feel so bad... And you better get used it for the entire test!"

The Ra struggled to his feet and stood up.

"I... end my turn...," He groaned.

"Now let's see how Masaki fares," Makoto shouted as she drew her next card, "And since it's my standby phase, my Fortune Lady can level up by one! That will increase her power by 200 more!"

Fortune Lady Fire's aura glowed brighter as her power soared. (2-3/400-600/400-600)

"And next, I'll summon Summoner Monk to the field," She continued as a blue skinned old man in blue and white robes appeared, sitting in a lotus position. (4/800/1600)

"Once summoned, he shifts into defense position, but the real power relies on this effect: I discard a spell card in my hand to special summon a Level 4 Spellcaster monster from my deck," Makoto explained as she discarded her Magical Blast spell card into her graveyard and retrieving her choice card, "Fortune Lady Water, arise!"

A swirl of water emerged, bringing forth another Fortune Lady in a blue coat, and high-heeled, thigh-high boots along with black wings adorning her hair. Her scepter carried a blue sun-ornament. (4/?/?)

"Unlike my others, she gains 300 ATK and DEF for every level! So with four stars, that carries her off to 1200 points!"

A blue aura surrounded the new Fortune Lady. (4/?-1200/?-1200)

"And when she's special summoned while another Fortune Lady is on the field, I can draw two cards," Makoto continued as she drew her two cards.

"These girls are crazy," the S-Hero stated.

"Actually, they are naturally gifted," the middle sister retorted, "Ladies, attack Masaki directly!"

Along with Fire's red orb, Water created a blue orb and combined it together in a searing attack that pushed Masaki down on his back.

Hanabi: 8000 + Makoto: 7500

Claudio: 6400 + Masaki: 6200

"Masaki, you okay," Claudio gasped.

"I'm... fine..." the Slifer grunted, bringing himself to his feet.

"And then, I'll end my turn with another facedown card," Makoto concluded as she placed a card into her duel disk, with a hologram of the card appearing at her feet.

"Alright, time to take control," Masaki announced as he drew his next card, "Since Skull Musician's in my graveyard, I can activate his effect to bring him back!"

Skull Musician rose out from the ground and laughed. (3/1200/1200)

"And next, I'll send him right back to the graveyard in order to summon Shonen Hero Dimensional Cutter!"

The skeleton man broke down into bones and vanished into light as the spirit sword wielding hero appeared. (5/1800/1800)

"Then, I'll..."

"Nice try," Makoto interrupted as her facedown card emerged, "I activate the counter trap, Bending Destiny!"

Masaki growled as the trap revealed a man about to go through a path with many twist, turns and obstacles in the way.

"This trap card negates the Normal Summon of your monster and removes it from play," the middle sister stated, "I'm sorry that you had to give up so much just have it slip from your fingers!"

A distortion in the ground caused Dimension Cutter to vanish in a bright, purple light.

"This isn't happening," Masaki growled.

"But don't worry, in the End Phase, you'll get him back," Makoto stated, "So hold off on your goodbyes."

The S-Hero duelist sighed as he took one of his cards and set it inside of his disk, "I end my turn with another facedown card."

Suddenly, a card appeared in Masaki's hands, revealing to be Shonen Hero Dimension Cutter.

"My turn again," Hanabi cheered as she drew her next card, "You boys are weak! Big brother won't need you! I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!"

She drew two more cards and looked them over. She squealed in excitement as she held her bear to her face, "Mr. Bear, they're in trouble..." She whispered in a sinister tone.

"I don't like the sound of that," Claudio cringed.

"First, I'll summon my Fortune Fairy En in attack mode," Hanabi announced as she placed the monster card on the field, bringing another small, red-haired pixie in a red and white frock. She carried a scepter with a flame symbol on top. (2/0/0)

"Do all of her cards have 0 ATK and DEF," the Ra wondered.

"Watch this, Claudio," the little girl smirked as she turned over her next card, "I can activate the spell card Magicians Unite, giving one of my Fortune Fairy monsters 3000 ATK until the end of my turn!"

As the spell card emerged in holographic form, the J-Hero duelist felt confused about one detail...

"How can spellcaster card work your monsters," He asked the Fortune Fairy duelist, "I thought they were Fairy-type monsters."

"Nuh-uh," Hanabi scolded, "They're Spellcasters! And I'll use it on my Fortune Fairy En!"

En smiled widely as she grew three times her size and her scepter glowed with blazing energy. (2/0-3000/0)

"Great, now I'm seeing how great she can make her monsters work," Masaki said.

"Time to play," Hanabi cheered, "En, attack Claudio directly with Blazing Pixie Dust Magic!"

The fire fairy twirled her scepter around and launched a swirling, red pixie dust that launched straight at Claudio...

"Oh no, you don't, I activate my trap card," Claudio announced, "I need a Hero! This allows me to special summon a Jukebox Hero from my hand," He stated as he took one of the cards from his hand and slapped it down on the duel tray, "Jukebox Hero Goth Heroine, come on out!"

A grey flash brought out the black dress clad heroine, standing with her microphone in her right hand. (4/1900/1600)

"She's still too weak to play with En," the little girl stated.

"Doesn't matter," Claudio smirked, "Once Goth Heroine is summoned, she switches a monster on your field to defense mode! Guess who?

Goth Heroine started to scream into her microphone, sending a dark mist to cover the Fortune Fairy Hu, making her drop to the ground.

"Hey, no fair you meanie," Hanabi snapped.

"I'm just playing the game," the J-Hero duelist announced as he drew his next card, "I summon Jukebox Hero KG to join up!"

Standing next to the Goth singer, the bald man of the D appeared with his acoustic. (4/1200/1400)

"Alright, Goth Heroine take out Hikari with Gothic Voice," Claudio commanded as the heroine screamed into her mic again, destroying the little fairy in darkness. Hanabi was left cowering as the darkness passed over her head.

Hanabi: 6100 + Makoto: 7500

Claudio: 6400 + Masaki: 6200

"KG, go and attack Fortune Lady Fire!"

The bald guitarist ran up to the red clad lady and bonked over the head with his guitar, shattering her into pixels, blowing past Makoto's face.

Hanabi: 6100 + Makoto: 6900

Claudio: 6400 + Masaki: 6200

"And that will do it for me," Claudio concluded.

"Nice work," Masaki praised, "Gave both of them a dose of damage."

Hanabi and Makoto got over their damage control and looked towards each other to have a little meeting of the minds...

'Hey, he hurt us,' the little sister frowned.

'Impressive,' the middle sister replied to her younger sister, 'Perhaps Sartorius was right about this one...'

'But what about Masaki,' Hanabi asked, 'Is he great like big brother said?'

'I'm about to find that out,' Makoto stated as she drew her next card, "First, Fortune Lady Water levels up and gains 300 extra ATK!"

Water's aura grew brighter with her heightened power. (4-5/1200-1500/1200-1500)

"Next, I'll play my facedown card, the spell card Forbidden Chalice on my Summoner Monk to relieve him of his effects and increase his power by 400 ATK," She continued as a splash of Holy Water drenched the old monk. (4/800-1200/1600)

"I get it now," Masaki figured.

"What," Claudio asked.

"One of Summoner Monk's drawbacks is that he can't be used as a tribute for anything," the S-Hero duelist explained, "By using Forbidden Chalice, he's now free game."

"Very smart, Masaki," Makoto stated, "Despite your rank in the Academy, your knowledge exceeds you. Now watch as I sacrifice Summoner Monk, to summon my Fortune Lady Dark!"

The monk, creating a dark portal to release another woman in a dark violet coat with her black hair styled like bat wings. Her staff carried a dark jewel inside. (5/?/?)

"And for her power, she gains 400 ATK and DEF times her level, making it 2000 points stronger!"

Dark charged up her staff with darkness and surrounded herself in an aura. (5/?-2000/?-2000)

"Now, it's time I attacked Masaki directly," the middle sister announced, "Fortune Lady Water, make your mark!"

The blue spellcaster collected the moisture from the air with her scepter, creating a large ball of water...

"Hold it right there, Makoto," the S-Hero duelist shouted as he revealed his facedown card, "Reveal spell card, Quick Summon! This lets me Normal Summon the moment I activate it, so I can bring out Shonen Hero Taijustu Fighter in defense mode!"

Flipping on to the field, the green spandex wearing ninja appeared, taking a defensive, but offensive stance. (4/1900/1900)

Makoto growled, "Since summoning a monster triggered a replay, I'll choose to cancel the fight," She declared causing Water to release her spell, "But now I can have my next Fortune Lady deal the damage on your so-called hero! Use Dark Arrow Spell, my Fortune Lady of Darkness!"

Twirling her staff around, Dark summoned a flurry of long, black arrows striking the young ninja and destroying him into pixels.

"Now, I can activate Dark's special power. Since she destroyed a monster in battle, I can summon another Fortune Lady from my graveyard," the middle sister smirked.

It was Masaki's turn to grin next as he turned over his next card showing an Axe Raider with the words 'LV 1, LV2, LV 3 and LV4' above him with the latter's number in red, "Just the move I was waiting for, I reveal the trap card Flat Level 4! When you destroyed my Hero, we can all summon a Level 4 monster from our decks."

'He must have a plan if he's letting them summon out monsters to the field as well,' Claudio thought as he and everyone else searched their decks for a monster.

"Alright, I summon Shonen Hero Fullmetal Alchemist to the field," Masaki announced as he set the card onto his disk, releasing a boy with gold eyes and his blonde hair tied in a ponytail. He wears a bright red, long-sleeved, hooded cloak whose tail comes down to his upper calves with a black shirt underneath and black trousers. The distinguishing thing about him was that his right arm and left leg were steel automail prosthetics. (4/1300/1300)

"I choose my Jukebox Hero JB," Claudio stated as he summoned the other half of his band, wielding his custom black guitar. (4/1400/1200)

"I bring my Fortune Fairy Swee to the field," Hanabi cheered. (4/0/0)

"And I'll invite another Fortune Fairy Water to the field," Makoto finished off as she summoned a twin blue Fortune Lady. (4/?-1200/?-1200) "Lucky for the both of you, she can't let me draw two cards because I missed the timing due to Fortune Lady Dark's effect still having to resolve, so I bring back Fortune Lady Fire from my graveyard!"

A ball of fire dropped to the field, bringing back the red coated Fortune Lady. (2/?-400/?-400)

"But you know her effect happens when she's special summoned by a Fortune Lady's effect," the middle sister smirked as she pointed to Masaki's new monster, "Destroy the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

Fire created another searing sphere of flames and launched it at the young alchemist, who just smirked...

"Not gonna happen," Masaki shouted as he held up one of the cards in his hand, "I activate Fullmetal Alchemist's effect!"

As the fire sphere got closer, Fullmetal Alchemist stomped the ground with his left leg, creating a large transmutation circle onto the field. Inside it, the three symbols of monster, spell and trap card were shining brightly, trapping the sphere inside.

"What's up with this circle," Claudio wondered.

"I'll explain," the S-Hero duelist replied as he directed the attention to the circle, "Now, since Fullmetal Alchemist was about to be destroyed by a monster's effect, I can negate it by discarding a trap card from my hand to my graveyard! So let's get this started!"

As Masaki discarded his chosen trap card, the Alchemist held up his right arm and pointed it at the symbol for trap cards. The circle started to glow white and launched a purple orb to intercept the fire sphere and absorbed it into itself. The orb sunk itself back into the circle as the Alchemist smirked.

"That was cool," the Ra said in awe of the power.

"Very," Masaki nodded as he turned back to the sisters, "And the card I discarded was Elegant Light LV4 to bring, from my deck, Shonen Hero Gunslinger Girl in attack mode!"

Appearing at the top of the dome, a giant lantern with a bright light shining overhead unleashed a fair-skinned young girl with short, light brown hair and bangs over her brown eyes. She wore a blue jacket and skirt with a white collared shirt underneath. In her left hand, she carried an Armati violin case. (4/1800/1800)

"And here's her effect, she can destroy one card in your hand once she's summoned to the field!"

Everyone was then perplexed as the little girl suddenly opened her case and pulled out a sliver FN P90 gun out and then fired off a few rounds, making Makoto flinch as a bullet punched through one of her cards.

"I end my turn with one card facedown," Makoto concluded as a facedown card appeared at her feet, "You'll soon learn my cards are not to be trifled with!"

"Whatever," Masaki smirked as he drew, "And it gets even sweeter as I activate the field spell card, the World Martial Arts Tournament Stage," He announced as he opened up his field spell slot and inserted his card inside. Suddenly, the inside of the Kaiba Dome was now lit up and then the duelists were transported to an outside area. Behind Masaki and Claudio, a large white and brown building symbolizing an ancient Japanese temple stood tall. The duelists were now standing on a large, white marble floor about 20 X 20 ft. long and wide. And the empty bleacher seats were now filled with numerous spectators, cheering for the start of some battling.

Makoto and Hanabi were looking around confusedly at the area, hearing the crowd cheer.

"Where did these people come from," Hanabi wondered.

"This is supposed to be a private duel," Makoto growled.

"Sorry, but being at an empty Kaiba Dome seems rather dull," Masaki shrugged and the waved his arms around the arena, "so why not invite a crowd to witness a duel!"

The crowd cheered even widely at the comment.

"Wow, I never pictured something like this for one of your Field Spells, dude," Claudio said to his partner, "This is the way to liven up a crowd!"

"As you can see Claudio and ladies," the S-Hero duelist smiled, "in this field spell, all Shonen Heroes are the fan favorites of the crowd, letting them gain 500 ATK!"

The crowd chanted "Shonen Heroes" followed with claps as Fullmetal Alchemist soaked up the cheering (4/1300-1800/1300), whereas Gunslinger Girl started to look shy as her face turned red. (4/1800-2300/1800)

"Now it's time to excite the crowd! Fullmetal Alchemist, the first move is yours," Masaki announced, "Attack the stronger Fortune Lady Water with Transmutation Blade!"

The alchemist grinned as he transformed the forearm plating into a sharp blade and rushed across the arena to strike the powered up Fortune Lady with a spinning slash, breaking her up into pixels. The crowd cheered for the Shonen Hero's victory.

Hanabi: 6100 + Makoto: 6600

Claudio: 6400 + Masaki: 6200

"Now let's make it two victories as Gunslinger Girl will take out Fortune Lady Dark," the Slifer continued, "Attack with Rapid Flurry Storm!"

Aiming her gun at the dark Fortune Lady, the female Shonen Hero unleashed a barrage of bullets, breaking up the enemy into pixels.

Hanabi: 6100 + Makoto: 6300

Claudio: 6400 + Masaki: 6200

"Well until then, I'll call it a turn," Masaki concluded, "Don't disappoint the fans now..."

'Now Masaki's showing his power,' Makoto thought.

'They could be the same,' Hanabi figured, 'They're catching up to us!'

'Then make sure they don't, dear sister...' the middle sister encouraged.

"You made me mad now; no one hurts my big sister," Hanabi shouted as she drew her next card, "I play Slient Doom to bring back Fortune Lady Hikari from my graveyard!"

A bright light opened up from the ground, bringing back the small, yellow clad pixie, kneeling with her staff crossing her chest. (1/0/0)

"Then, I use Miracle Stone! Now you're really gonna get beat up," the little girl continued as a she inserted her next card into her disk. From the ground, a giant, blue crystal shined behind the duelist and her fairies, "And this card makes my Fairies grow big and strong by 1000 for every Fortune Fairy on the field!"

Hikari, En and Swee started glowing with energy from the crystal, growing up to immense sizes, almost reaching the top of the dome! (1/0-3000/0), (2/0-3000/0), (4/0-3000/0)

"Whoa," the hero duelist shouted in fear.

"This is going to be brutal," Claudio muttered, "Three monsters with 3000 ATK!"

"Don't cry, Hikari can't attack because of Silent Doom's effect," Hanabi giggled, "but still, I can have En and Swee play with you instead, Claudio!"

The two fairies started to raise their wands in the air with the intent of slamming them into the Claudio's monsters...

"Hang on, Hanabi," Masaki interrupted as the Fortune Fairies nearly tripped over their feet.

"Hey, why won't you let me attack," the little girl whined, "Afraid I'll kick your butt?"

"Actually, it's because my field spell has another effect you should know about," the Slifer stated, "I also get to choose the targets of your attacks! Meaning I can keep the life point loss at a minimum!"

"Aw, no fair," Hanabi pouted, "Fine, En you attack first!"

"Alright then," Masaki nodded and turned to his partner, "Nothing personal Claudio, but JB will be the first target."

Claudio sighed, "I understand... at least he's in defense mode..."

The Fortune Fairy of Fire took her staff creating the red pixie dust and surrounded the Jukebox Hero inside. The dust burst into flames, taking JB with it.

"But not the rest of your monsters are in attack mode," Hanabi pointed out, "Meaning Swee gets to take some life points away from one of you!"

"Your target is Gunslinger Girl," Masaki announced as the Fortune Fairy of Water waved her wand, creating blue pixie dust that transformed into a giant tidal wave, crashing into the gun wielding heroine to the discontent of the crowd.

Hanabi: 6100 + Makoto: 6300

Claudio: 6400 + Masaki: 5500

"Now it's your turn, Claudio," Hanabi concluded.

"Gotta make this turn count," Claudio announced as he drew his next card, "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!"

He drew two more cards and looked them over.

'Okay, I don't have a card to take out that Miracle Stone,' He thought as he looked over to Hanabi's field and spotted the Fortune Fairy Hikari in defense mode, 'But since it increases the Fortune Fairies' power for every one of them on the field, I can start by taking her out...' He then took out another card and turned it over to reveal Marauding Captain, rallying his army for battle. "Next, I activate another spell card, Reinforcements of the Army which lets me add a Warrior-Type Monster from my deck that's up to level 4! Like my Jukebox Hero Li!"

A card slipped out of the deck, letting Claudio take out his desired monster.

"And then, I'll activate Polymerization to fuse him along with the Jukebox Hero ZP in my hand to create fusion monster that'll rock this arena," the Ra exclaimed as both dragon-armored warriors flew up to the skies, where the fusion portal emerged, "Now meet, Jukebox Hero DragonForce!"

After the J-Heroes jumped into the vortex, they combined to form a tall, dark green, humanoid dragon wearing the same armor as Li and ZP. It carried a sliver, axe-shaped, electric guitar and sliced the air with the blade end while strumming the guitar strings. (8/2900/2200)

"All good forms of entertainment need some music, don't you think so, Masaki," the J-Hero duelist asked.

"Sure, especially after the show he put on during the grand opening of the Slifer Dorm," the S-Hero duelist praised, "I'd like to see what he does."

"Cool, for one thing, he's a dragon and a warrior monster, per his first effect," Claudio informed his partner and the sisters, "Second, he's counted as every attribute, except DIVINE. And finally, every other Jukebox Hero out on the field gives DragonForce 600 extra ATK!"

Masaki whistled as the humanoid dragon played a fast-paced solo, pumping up the crowd. (8/2900-3400/2200)

"Now let's bring out the music," the Ra announced, "Goth Heroine, take down Fortune Fairy Hikari with Gothic Voice!"

The dark clothed singer let out a more pleasant voice, but it still conjured up a dark aura around the bright fairy as she vanished without a trace.

"And with one less Fortune Fairy around, 1000 points go down the drain for the other two fairies!"

Hanabi gasped as En and Sui, lost a third of their size. (2/3000-2000/0), (4/3000-2000/0)

"Now DragonForce, take the stage and rock out on Fortune Fairy Sui with Sonic Firestorm!"

The crowd cheered as the humanoid dragon played another solo, creating a green flame around itself and flew straight at the water fairy, destroying her on contact. The Fortune Fairy duelist stood back as the burning pixels rained down on her field and then watched as En lost more of her size and power. (2/2000-1000/0)

Hanabi: 4700 + Makoto: 6300

Claudio: 6400 + Masaki: 5500

"Alright, I think my final card facedown will do it for now," Claudio concluded.

"Good," Masaki nodded, "The sooner we get this duel finished; the sooner we can leave this dome and find Jaden and Aster! But you know, we can still have fun with this."

"Sorry, but the fun's over," Makoto snapped as she drew her next card, while the second Fortune Lady Water went up a level (4-5/1200-1500/1200-1500), "And now I can activate the trap card, Powerful Rebirth to special summon Fortune Lady Light from my graveyard, and give her an extra level and 100 ATK," She continued as Light returned to the field, glowing with a bright white aura (1-2/?-500/?-400).

"Now, I'll play Inferno Reckless Summon to bring out the Fortune Lady Lights from my deck," Makoto shouted as two more doppelgangers of the Fortune Lady joined up. (1/?-200/?-200) x2

"She's got four monsters on the field," Masaki looked on, "What's she trying to pull?"

"You'll see as I activate Dark Hole, destroying all monsters on the field!"

Masaki gasped as he looked at his hand, 'I don't have a monster in my hand to negate the damage!'

A swirling black hole opened up in the sky above the battle. It created a vacuum inside the Kaiba Dome. The Fortune Ladies and Fortune Fairy En flew inside the void willingly, but the Jukebox Heroes and S-Hero Fullmetal Alchemist resisted as much as possible, digging their feet into the ground to save themselves. But their efforts were in vain, and the Dark Hole swallowed them up.

"We're completely defenseless," Claudio shouted.

"Not me." Makoto smirked as she took three cards out of her deck, "Since those Fortune Lady Light's left the field, I can activate their effect in summoning a Fortune Lady monster from my deck!"

"Now we're in for it," Masaki cringed.

"Now, I summon two Fortune Lady Earths and a Fortune Lady Wind to the field," the Fortune Lady duelist announced as three portals opened up from above the arena, two brown, one green. From the green portal, a green clad woman emerged with a green orb in her scepter. (3/?/?)

Next, from the two brown portals, two brown cloaked women appeared with circular glasses over their eyes and an orange jewel in their scepters. (6/?/?) x2

"This is not a good sign," the Ra stated.

"You see that Mr. Bear," Hanabi said to her teddy bear, "We're about to really beat them down now!"

"Exactly," Makoto nodded, "With Wind, her points are 300 times her level while Earth gains 400 times her level," The Fortune Ladies gained auras of their respective colors and gained power. (3/?-900/?-900), (6/?-2400/?-2400) x2 "First, Fortune Lady Wind, attack Claudio directly with Sphere of Air!"

Hearing her mistress' command, Wind conjured up a green orb and launched it in front of the Ra, exploding into slicers that cut into him, making him kneel on his left knee.

Hanabi: 4700 + Makoto: 6300

Claudio: 5500 + Masaki: 5500

"Now time for a double direct attack," Makoto continued, "Earth 1 and Earth 2, please use your Cursed Thorn attack on each of the boys!"

Both Earth Ladies slammed their staffs onto the ground, unleashing large, stone spikes traveling towards the two boys and slammed into both of them, making them scream out.

Hanabi: 4700 + Makoto: 6300

Claudio: 3100 + Masaki: 3100

"Reveal... facedown card...," Claudio groaned as his facedown card flipped up, revealing Jukebox Heroes JB and KG approaching the front of a stage, "Headliner... summons a Jukebox Hero monster from the graveyard after getting hit with over 2000 ATK in damage," He stated as a card slid out of his graveyard, "I bring Jukebox Hero ZP in defense mode..."

A bright light flashed out Claudio's graveyard, reviving the heavy, dragon-armored singer. He defended himself with his arms and crossed them over his chest. (8/2600/2300)

"Plus, since Li's in the graveyard he gains an additional 500 ATK," He continued as the red spirit of Li flew out of the graveyard and fused into ZP, giving him more power. (8/2600-3100/2300)

"He can still play with us," Hanabi acknowledged.

"So he does," Makoto stated, "But what about Masaki... let's see..."

Masaki took it has his cue to start, so he stood up and drew his next card, "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards from my deck," He stated as drew two cards, "Now I can play Monster Reborn to revive my Dimension Cutter to the field in defense mode!"

The blue ankh rose to the middle of the field and recreated the spirit sword wielding warrior, as the crowd went wild. (5/1800-2300/1800)

"Seems like the crowd loves that," the S-Hero duelist smiled, "Let's hear some more when I use Dimension Cutter's special ability, summoning Shonen Hero Taijutsu Fighter in defense mode!"

The S-Hero created a blue sword and cut open a portal right next to him, letting the bowl-cut haired ninja reappear to the crowd's delight. (4/1900-2400/1900)

"He's getting more and more powerful as well," Hanabi stated.

"Now, Taijustu Fighter attack Fortune Lady Wind," Masaki commanded as his ninja ran up from his sitting place and delivered a big roundhouse kick to the lady's torso, shattering her into pixels. The crowd cheered as Makoto growled at the loss of her monster.

Hanabi: 4700 + Makoto: 4800

Claudio: 3100 + Masaki: 3100

"Nice, we really got them on the run despite last move they had on us," Claudio praised.

Masaki nodded as he inserted a facedown card into his disk, "And after one facedown card, I'll end my turn."

"Alrighty, my draw," Hanabi said as she drew her next card and immediately played it, "I play Spellbook Inside the Pot! All of us now draw three cards!"

All players draw three cards and the little girl was thrilled with her cards, "Yay, my fortune looks super happy today!"

Claudio looked puzzled, "Super happy?"

"Just watch me," Hanabi smiled as she held up a card showing a fairy in a brown and white flock bringing another with a white and purple flock within a sea of stars, "I activate Luck Loan! This card lets me summon a Fortune Fairy that has a lower level than the one I have on the field. Since I have a level 2 En on the field, I have to summon another Fortune Fairy Hikari!"

In a flash of light, Hikari returned to the field. Then, the Miracle Stone made her and En grows up to twice their size. (1/0-2000/0), (2/1000-2000/0)

"And I'll continue with Unacceptable Result," the Fortune Fairy duelist continued as she revealed another spell card depicting Hikari summoning En in a magic circle, "When I summon a Fortune Fairy monster, I can summon one more to my field, so I'll play with Fortune Fairy Ann!"

A purple magic circle erected itself on the floor and created another small fairy wearing a purple and white flock. She and her other Fortune Fairy grew once again, nearly 10 ft tall. (5/0-3000/0), (1/2000-3000/0), (2/2000-3000/0)

"And then, I haven't normal summoned yet, so Fortune Fairy Hu, go play," Hanabi cheered as she played another monster card that brought out a green and white flock wearing fairy, growing up to immense size with her fellow fairies. (3/0-4000/0), (5/3000-4000/0), (1/3000-4000/0), (2/3000-4000/0)

"But Masaki will force me to attack someone other than anybody I want," She pouted, setting her final card into her disk, "I'll place my final card facedown."

"Then it's my turn," Claudio declared as he drew his next card, "I switch ZP to attack mode and attack one of her Fortune Lady Earths with Dragon Mic!"

ZP stood up and then swung his microphone at one of the glasses wearing Fortune Ladies. What surprised the sisters was that the microphone suddenly changed into dragon's head and then devoured its target!

Hanabi: 4700 + Makoto: 4100

Claudio: 3100 + Masaki: 3100

"Closer and closer," the Ra cheered, "And then, I'll end my turn with one card facedown."

"My move," Makoto drew her next card as Fortune Lady Earth gained more power, (6-7/2400-2800/2400-2800), "And when Earth's level increases, one of you will lose 400 life points! And I'll choose Claudio!"

A red aura surrounded the J-Hero duelist, making him feel a burning sting.

Hanabi: 4700 + Makoto: 4100

Claudio: 2700 + Masaki: 3100

But despite all that, he smiled after the aura disappeared.

"What are you smiling about," the Fortune Lady duelist demanded.

"Yeah, you're the closest to losing after my sister's monster hit you," Hanabi added.

"And that was big mistake," Claudio grinned as he held up one of the cards in his hand, "By dealing effect damage, you summoned another Jukebox Hero from my hand!"

"Sweet, I wonder who it is," Masaki wondered, "Sounds like a new guy to me."

"Well then everyone, meet Jukebox Hero – Armstrong!"

Once Claudio played his card, a new hero appeared, one of a punk rock type. He dressed in an all black outfit consisting of a dress shirt and pants with a sliver belt inside the loops. He also had a messy, black hairstyle and carried a white Fender style guitar in his hands. (5/2100/1900)

"So, I'm supposed to be scared of him," Makoto smirked as Armstrong raised an eyebrow at her boast.

"Well, once his brought out to the field, I can bring one of his bandmates from my deck and into my hand," Claudio stated as he took a card from his deck and placed it into his hand, "And I've just chosen Jukebox Hero – Cool to join up."

"Big deal," the Fortune Lady duelist scoffed, "I'll summon something with a little more danger... the Solitaire Magician in defense mode!"

From a blue light, a small, blue-haired, blue-eyed girl dressed similar to the Fortune Ladies appeared in a blue top and black leotard along with blue wings sprouting from her back. She carried a black scepter that had a red prism jewel inside it and a scythe on the end. (4/1600/1300)

"And you say my new guy's not tough enough," Claudio scolded.

Makoto chuckled, "But you haven't seen her ability yet... By reducing a Fortune Lady's level by 3, I can destroy one monster on the field!"

"Oh no," Claudio gasped.

"Now who has the power," the Fortune Lady duelist grinned as Earth transferred some of her power over to Solitaire Magician in a brown aura. (7-4/2800-1600/2800-1600) "Magician, destroy ZP!"

The blue magician laughed as she pointed the jewel part of the scepter at ZP and then fired a red blast of energy, destroying it.

"Now I'll set one card facedown and end my turn," Makoto concluded, "You're lucky your rock boy gets to stick around."

"But let's see you get past me," Masaki said as he drew, "Now I use Dimension Cutter's effect again to summon Shonen Hero Gunslinger Girl in defense mode!"

With another portal opened up, the young gun wielding girl reappeared to the crowd's delight. (4/1800-2300/1800)

"And with at least one Shonen Hero on the field, I can summon Shonen Hero X Avenger!"

From a bright light, the white clad, glasses-wearing Shonen Hero appeared and grinned as the crowd went even wilder. (6/2000-2500/2000)

"Hey, I never seen this guy before," Claudio said.

"Well, you'll like him for this," Masaki grinned, "With his special ability I can have him absorb the ATK of all my other Heroes until the end of the turn!"

The sisters both gasped in horror as X Avenger, Dimension Cutter, Gunslinger Girl and Taijustu Fighter shoot out white, black, purple and green auras and creating the X Avenger's synthetic angel that drew its sword and pointing it as Fortune Lady Earth. (6/2500-9000/2000)

Even Claudio bugged out at the power boost, "9000!"

"Lucky for them, he's the only attacker," the S-Hero duelist stated, "But since between the point values of Fortune Lady Earth and X Avenger are enough to deal over 4100 points of damage, Makoto's done!"

The Fortune Lady duelist growled in anger.

"X Avenger, attack with Knight's Blade," Masaki commanded as the crowd roared. The angel flew at high speed and raised its sword over the Fortune Lady...

"Not today, Masaki," Makoto shouted as she revealed her facedown card, depicting a red, burning monster striking the outline of a blue monster that disappeared, "Time for a little Slip of Fortune, negating your attack and removing the target from play!"

In slow motion, the angel's sword slashed down on the spellcaster. But in a quick second, she vanished right when the sword hit the ground, arousing boos from the crowd.

"Aw man, that was so close," Claudio shouted, snapping his fingers.

"Guess I have no other choice to attack the Solitaire Magician," Masaki declared as the angel turned towards the small Fortune Lady look-alike and cut her into pixels with one slash of the sword, "And then I'll set one more card facedown and call it a turn."

The synthetic angel disappeared, bringing X Avenger's power back to 2500.

"Too bad Masaki, but here I come," Hanabi stated as she drew her next card. "I play Magic Planter to make Light of Intervention go bye-bye and draw two cards!"

The trap card in question shattered as the little girl drew two cards.

"Now I summon another Fortune Fairy Sui!"

Another blue clad fairy flew out to the field, growing up to an immense size along with her fellow fairies. (4/0-5000/0), (3/4000-5000/0), (5/4000-5000/0), (1/4000-5000/0), (2/4000-5000/0)

But then, the little girl put on angry look, one that really made her look dangerous, "But I'm really angry now for almost beating my big sister Masaki, so I activate my facedown card, Order to Smash," She yelled as her facedown card flipped up, showing a goblin being ordered by Dark Ruler Ha Des and charging away, "Now get to sacrifice a Level 2 or lower monster in order to smash two spells and trap cards on the field! So Hikari, take down the field spell and your facedown card!"

Masaki gasped as Fortune Fairy of Light flew up high to the top of the arena and then exploded into a bright, white sphere. The hero duelists covered their eyes as the sphere expanded across the arena, destroying it and Masaki's facedown card along with it. And with the loss of Hikari, the others lost two feet in size. (3/5000-4000/0), (5/5000-4000/0), (4/5000-4000/0), (2/5000-4000/0)

"Now I fight whoever I want, Sui can't fight but I can have the others beat your monster up," Hanabi grinned, "Now Fortune Fairy En, attack X Avenger!"

The giant red fairy raised her staff high and smashed the white clad hero into the dust.

Hanabi: 4700 + Makoto: 4100

Claudio: 2700 + Masaki: 1100

"And it doesn't stop there, Fortune Fairy Ann, attack Dimensional Cutter!"

The giant purple fairy yelled as she flatted the spirit sword wielder with her staff as well, pushing up a cloud of pixels.

"And then, I'll attack Armstrong," the little girl continued, "Go Fortune Fairy Hu!"

Finally, the giant green fairy raised her right foot in the air and stomped down on the punk rock, making Claudio cringe.

"And to end my turn, I'll play Order to Charge," Hanabi stated as she played a spell card, showing Freed the Matchless General, leading his army into battle, "This spell card lets me sacrifice my Fortune Lady Sui in order to destroy Claudio's Gothic Heroine!"

The blue clad fairy stomped over to the Gothic J-Hero and picked her up by the waist. Suddenly, she exploded into blue confetti that sprinkled all over the dome. (3/4000-3000/0), (5/4000-3000/0), (2/4000-3000/0)

"That'll teach you mess with my sister," the Fortune Fairy duelist shouted.

"Sorry for playing the game," Claudio said as he drew his next card, 'But I know how it feels to protect a family member... too bad, I'll have to beat down the both of them...'"Alright, I play Crazy Train sending Jukebox Heroes ZP, Li and Goth Heroine back to my deck and then drawing two cards!"

The three mentioned monsters slid out of the graveyard, letting the Ra put back the Fusion Monster in his fusion deck and the others into his deck, shuffling them up. He then drew two more cards.

"Next, I'll summon Jukebox Hero – Cool to the field in defense mode," He continued as he set his next card onto the field, summoning a brown haired man in the same attire as Armstrong except he had a sliver drum set accompany him and twirled two drumstick in his hands. (2/1000/150)

"And remember, he's affiliated with a band along with Armstrong," He said as he held up another card, "Which also relates to this card, because with Cool's summoning, I can summon Jukebox Hero American Idiot!"

In another flash, a white blonde man appeared with the same attire as Cool and Armstrong except his black shirt was sleeveless and he carried a white bass guitar. (4/1700/100)

"And that'll do it for me," Claudio concluded.

"All that to summon two monsters who can't even touch us," Makoto scoffed as she drew her next card, "No matter, at least I can bring back my Fortune Lady Earth from the second effect of my Slip of Fortune!"

Like coming out of thin air, Fortune Lady Earth returned! (6/?-2400/?-2400)

"Next, I use the Pot of Avarice to return four of my Fortune Ladies plus Solitaire Magician to the deck and draw two cards," the middles sister continued as she returned three Fortune Lady Lights, Fortune Lady Dark and Solitaire Magician into her deck, reshuffled and drew two cards, "Now, I set one card facedown and sacrifice Fortune Lady Earth to summon Fortune Lady Dark!"

As the reversed card appeared at Makoto's field, Earth vanished into darkness in order for Fortune Lady Dark to appear. (5/?-2000/?-2000)

"Now, I see what she's doing," Claudio figured, "She's going to summon more of her Fortune Ladies from the graveyard!"

"Of course," Makoto stated as she pointed to her monster, "Fortune Lady, attack his American Idiot with Dark Fate!"

Twirling her staff, Dark pointed her staff at her target and launched black arrows, piercing the punk rocker through his limbs and shattered him into pixels.

"Now, I revive Fortune Lady Earth," Makoto continued as Earth reappeared in brown portal from the ground. (6/?-2400/?-2400) "And then she'll destroy Taijutsu Fighter with Cursed Thorn!"

Earth slammed her staff on the ground, creating the sharp spires that tore apart the ninja into shreds.

"And I think I've satisfied my anger for now," the middle sister continued, "It's your turn, Masaki."

"Happy to take it," Masaki said as he drew out his next card. It turned out to be Polymerization, "Perfect," He then turned to Claudio and asked, "Hey Claudio, you mind if I borrow your monster?"

"Sure, what you do you got in mind," Claudio wondered.

"Let's just say, they are going to be sorry for putting us in tag team together by using Polymerization," the S-Hero duelist stated as he activated the spell card creating a vortex.

"But you don't have any other mon..." Hanabi gasped as she finally figured it out. Claudio's Jukebox Hero Cool and Masaki's Gunslinger Girl flew into the vortex and fused together.

"That's right, Hanabi, I'm fusing Claudio's Jukebox Hero with my Shonen Hero to create a new rocker, known as... the Shonen Hero JAM Master!"

Jumping out of the vortex, a blue-haired, blue-eyed woman appeared wearing a blue halter top, tight, black pants and boots. In her hands, she carried a black guitar, styled like a flame. (8/2800/2800)

Claudio whistled at the new heroine, "You know, I was thinking she would end up as a guy, like Musician King did."

"If the result was two guys, maybe," Masaki shrugged, "But let's get right down to beating down Makoto's Fortune Ladies!"

The Ra then snapped his fingers, "Hold up, you activated Cool's second effect!"

"A second effect," Hanabi wondered.

"Yup, it lets me choose one monster on the field and they lose life points equal to its ATK," He stated as the girls gasped, "And I hate to do this, but I'll choose Hanabi's Fortune Fairy Hu, meaning 3000 points of damage!"

A blue light shot out from Claudio's graveyard and blasted through the green fairy and straight into Hanabi's duel disk, making her scream out.

Hanabi: 1700 + Makoto: 4100

Claudio: 2700 + Masaki: 1100

Seeing that happen made Makoto's blood boil.

"You fools will pay for hurting my little sister," she shouted, "I can't wait until it's my turn to attack!"

"Then, I better make sure you can't," Masaki declared, "because with JAM Master's effect, she can attack all opponents' monsters! And I'll start with Fortune Lady Dark, go Jam Strike!"

Rocking her guitar, JAM Master ran down the field and then struck the dark lady in the gut, launching her into the skies.

Hanabi: 1700 + Makoto: 3300

Claudio: 2700 + Masaki: 1100

"Now hit an encore performance for Lady Earth," Masaki continued as the heroine took the guitar by the neck and swung at her next victim...

"Too greedy," Makoto stated as she revealed her facedown card, depicting Fortune Lady Light in a time vortex with endless clock times around her, "I activate Time Passage, increasing a Fortune Lady's level by 3 until the end of my turn!"

The S-Hero duelist gasped, "But if her level increases...

Earth gained a bright brown aura around her... (6-9/2400-3600/2400-3600)

"It means... my Fortune Lady Earth can deal 400 points damage to Claudio, while your hero is impaled by my lady's Cursed Thorn," Makoto finished as Earth created a spire that impaled Masaki's monster, shattering her into pixels while a red aura burned through more of Claudio's points.

Hanabi: 1700 + Makoto: 3300

Claudio: 2300 + Masaki: 300

"She could've won if she hit me with Fortune Lady Earth's effect," Masaki stated.

"Yeah, what's up," Claudio asked.

"That pain of Fortune Lady's effect was for you, Claudio," Makoto growled as she glared intently at the Ra, "Hurt my sister again, and you'll get a helping of my real power!"

"You know, if you're so overprotective over your little sister, why put her through this mess," The Ra asked, "Sure, you say you're doing this for Sartorius, your older brother... but the guy's flipped his lid! He's brainwashing people for some stupid cult!"

"Don't talk about my big brother like that," Hanabi snapped as she drew her card, "And without any monsters, I can win the duel and help him! Fortune Fairy En, attack Claudio directly!"

As the giant red fairy raised her staff, the Ra immediately activated his facedown card. It depicted the trio of Jukebox Heroes Armstrong, American Idiot and Cool playing axe guitars and a blazing drum set.

"Looks like, I'll have to show you guys the hard way with my trap card, Band Formation," Claudio stated, "It has the power to remove any of my monsters from the hand or graveyard to fusion summon a Jukebox Hero monster! And those three guys just met today, will come back center stage!"

In three flashes of light, Jukebox Heroes Armstrong, American Idiot and Cool revealed themselves.

"Now fuse to form the ultimate punk band, the Jukebox Hero – Punk Revolution!"

The trio started rocking out as a black fusion portal opened up below them and started spinning them around, picking up speed until they were nothing but a blur. Minutes later, they started to slow down to a stop revealing a new look. Armstrong had gotten a haircut, but still kept his same attire. American Idiot now wore an orange jumpsuit and carried an orange bass guitar, and finally Cool wore a yellow jumpsuit and played on a blue drum set. Each of them now sported guy liner and mascara. (10/3500/3200)

"Whoa, 3500 ATK," Masaki whistled, "You just saved us man!"

"Aw..." Hanabi whined as Hu stood down and stepped back to her other fairy friends.

"It's been awhile since I had a hero made up of three fusions," Claudio shrugged, "And when this band is summoned, I can show you my hand and with any Jukebox Heroes in it, I can have it gain 500 ATK for each!"

Claudio turned over his lone card, revealing Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs. The card emitted a light that shone over the new fusion band, increasing their strength. (10/3500-4000/3200)

"Then, I have to end my turn... by switching Hu and Ann into defense mode and playing Amulet of Ambition on my Fortune Fairy En, to end my turn!"

Appearing around En's neck was a gold necklace with a star-shaped brooch. Inside, it had a piercing red eye. Also, the green and purple clad fairies defended themselves.

"Now when she battles a higher level monster, she gains 500 ATK for every star she doesn't have compared to yours," The little girl smirked, "So don't attack unless you want to lose your only monster, you back away!"

"No problem," Claudio declared as he drew, "I'll just go ahead and attack Fortune Lady Earth!" He turned to Punk Revolution, "Okay boys, knock her off the stage with 21st Century Breakdown!"

Armstrong snapped his fingers, signaling Cool to slam his left drumstick into one of his cymbals, cracking it and sending it into the air. Then, he used his right drumstick to swing the cymbal at Earth's face. She ducked in the nick of time, but failed to see Armstrong and American Idiot right in front of her. With one strum each of the guitars, Earth shattered in an ear-splitting shockwave.

Hanabi: 1700 + Makoto: 1700

Claudio: 2300 + Masaki: 300

"And then, I'll end my turn with a facedown card," Claudio concluded.

"We're almost out of this," Masaki said to his partner, "With 4000 ATK, we've got this won!"

"Alright... it's time I stopped playing around with you two," Makoto growled as she snatched the next card of her deck and looked at it, "And it doesn't come at a better time than this one! Since I now carry Fortune Ladies Water, Fire, Earth and Wind in my graveyard, I can summon my most powerful Fortune Lady to the field!

"Oh man..." The boys groaned.

"I summon Fortune Lady Quintessence!"

On the ground, the symbols of the Water, Fire, Earth and Wind attributes appeared. Then, they started to combine into the middle of the field creating a new symbol (空). Emerging from the symbol, another Fortune Lady appeared with same black wings on her head and black leather leotard and boots. Her halter top and skirt contained a whitish blue color. She also wielded a staff-scythe weapon with a pink, circular jewel inside. (8/?/?)

"Quintessence," Claudio wondered, "That's an element?"

"It's not much known, but Quintessence is the fifth element of the world that fills the region of the universe," Makoto informed him, "It is the element that unites the other four into perfect balance."

"That's probably why she only took back Fortune Lady Light and Dark when she used Pot of Avarice," Masaki deduced.

"Very good, and like all of my Fortune Ladies she gains a certain number of attack points multiplied by her level," the middle sister continued, "And for Quintessence, that's 600!"

The hero duelists gasped as the new Fortune Lady's white-blue aura was amplified by a lightning of the same color. (8/?-4800/?-4800)

"Aw no," Claudio groaned.

"Quintessence, attack Punk Revolution with Absolute Energy," Makoto commanded as the Fortune Lady raised her scepter in the air. The jewel shined a bright, pink light and expended several tendrils of it across the field. As the light blinded Claudio, the members of Punk Revolution were struck down by tendrils in one fell swoop.

Hanabi: 1700 + Makoto: 1700

Claudio: 1500 + Masaki: 300

Hearing the fall of his fusion band, Claudio shouted, "When Punk Revolution's destroyed, I can have all my monsters I've removed from the game brought back to the field! In other words, you just brought back the band!"

In flashes of white, Cool, American Idiot and Armstrong returned to the field in their original attire and style. (2/1000/150), (4/1700/150), (5/2100/1900)

Despite this, Makoto smirked and announced, "I end my turn, activating Fortune Lady Quintessence's effect, forcing you to lose the strongest monster on the field! So Armstrong's going right back to the graveyard!"

Claudio sighed as Armstrong vanished into thin air.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," Masaki declared as he drew, "I end my turn by summoning Shonen Hero Battle Vixen!"

Flipping out of the card, a honey blonde teen girl appeared, taking a defense stance. She wore a peach short dress that went down to mid-thigh with a white shirt underneath and carried a long, sliver, snake-like weapon in her hands. (4/1900/1900)

"And when she's summoned, I can destroy one spell or trap card! Just like... Hanabi's Miracle Stone!"

"No!"

Hanabi screamed as a harsh wind storm shattered the giant crystal, shrinking the three Fortune Ladies down to normal size. (2/3000-0/0), (3/3000-0/0), (5/3000-0/0)

"You'll pay for that you big meanie," Hanabi shouted as she drew, "And I'll make sure that happens as I play the Sword of the Soul Eater and equip to En!"

Dropping from the ground, a black sword embedded itself into the ground, in front of the fire fairy.

"What the-?" The boys wondered.

"This sword can only be used by Normal Monsters that are level 3 or below," Hanabi told them, "And it gives the power to absorb the souls of my other Normal Monsters in order to make the equipped monster stronger by 1000 each!"

"But even if you do that, she'll just have 2000 points," Masaki stated.

"So, I still have the Amulet of Ambition," Hanabi stated as the black sword started to glow a dark purple, "Here it comes!"

Hu's and Ann's souls were suddenly extracted from their bodies and sucked right into the soul. The Fortune Fairies' bodies disappeared into green and purple sparkles, shrinking the sword in order for En to pick it up into her hands. (2/0-2000/0)

"Now En, attack the mean girl who destroyed my Miracle Stone with Sword of the Soul-Eater," the little girl commanded. En then took the sword and flew straight at the Battle Vixen as the Amulet of Ambition powered up the fairy. (2/2000-3000/0) With one slash, the Shonen Hero was cut down into pixels.

"Alright, I end my turn," Hanabi concluded, "You can't beat me and my sister now!"

Makoto nodded, "With my Quintessence taking monster control and En now wielding two equip cards to make her strongest monster of a battle, you two can't win!"

"I don't see any way out of this," Masaki sighed, "I've used up all I had..."

"Well, I'm not giving up," Claudio declared, "I've still got one chance to win, and it's in my hand now!"

"But Roadie Riggs can't beat either of them," The S-Hero duelist protested.

"Which is why this draw will decide this duel," the J-Hero duelist shouted as he drew his next card, "And I use the spell card, Points of Authority," He declared revealing the artwork of a duelist drawing cards, but receiving electric shocks as he did, "With this card, I can draw up to five new ones, but I have to pay 200 points for each one. And since I can spare them, I'll pay the full 1000!"

Claudio drew five cards, but now without getting shocked for his troubles...

Hanabi: 1700 + Makoto: 1700

Claudio: 500 + Masaki: 300

But looking at his hand now, it was well worth the pain... especially since he saw a new monster... "Now let's rock! And I'll start by using this monster's effect, Jukebox Hero Crush 40!"

Claudio held up another card, showing two guys performing at the Live Stage – Starship City. One of them was a Japanese guitarist and the other, an American singer.

"By discarding this monster, I can take a Field Spell with the name 'Live Stage' in its name... Like the Age of Metal," Claudio continued as he discarded his monster card and retrieved his mentioned Field Spell, opening up the field spell slot, "Now I play it!"

The Kaiba Dome now transformed into the land of Ironheade warriors, with the ancient band symbols around them.

"Next, I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs!"

Cool and American Idiot vanished as the Roadie Hero appeared. (8/2500/2000)

"Then, I move in with Frontline Base," He stated, playing the familiar continuous spell card, "With this card, I can summon a level 4 or below Union monster... and it doesn't get any better than Ironheade –Rima the Wild!"

Jumping out the spell card with a battle cry, a woman with an unusual dress style appeared. She was clad only in a black halter top, barely covering her upper body, a very revealing black waist cloth that covered her front and back and two spiked arm cloths. She also wore a skull helmet and carried a sharp, spiked spear poised at her opponents. What really caught Claudio's eye was the black and white war paint on her face that reminded him of a rock band... (4/1900/900)

"Hey, that's a nice face paint, where'd you get it," He asked. But he got no response from the wild woman, "Uh... can you talk?"

"I can...," Rima replied, "But I'd rather get this over with, if you don't mind..."

Without a word, Rima stood upon Roadie Riggs' shoulders, increasing his power. (8/2500-3000/2000)

"Okay...," Claudio muttered and then turned back to the sisters, "In this field spell while Roadie Riggs is equipped an Ironheade Union Monster he gains 500 ATK. Also, with Rima's ability, she can have Roadie Riggs go wild by attacking every monster on my opponent's side of the field!"

"Good luck," Makoto scoffed, "Your monster can't even scratch Quintessence!"

"And remember," Hanabi added in a sing-song voice, "Amulet of Ambition makes En stronger as well, and she'll beat your monster!"

"Then it's a good thing, I activate my facedown card, the quick-play spell Cry of the Banshee," the Ra announced as he revealed his facedown card, depicting Roadie Riggs battling a giant, metal spider in a dark, metal webbed cave. As it shined on Roadie Riggs, Claudio pulled out his guitar and started a fast-paced guitar riff.

(Play Cry of the Banshee by Brocas Helm)

"At the end of this turn, Roadie Riggs and Zima will go back to the deck. But until then, I can remove a Jukebox Hero monster from my graveyard and transfer its ATK to Roadie Riggs," Claudio stated as he continued to play, "And I remove Jukebox Hero Punk Revolution!"

The sisters gasped as the spirits of the Punk Revolution Band fused into Riggs and Zima, granting them a huge amount of power and a burning, sliver aura. (8/3000-6500/2000)

"Now attack!"

Rima charged head on into the fray, taking on Quintessence. Instead of magic, the Fortune Lady used the scythe end of her scepter and swung straight at wild woman, missing with every swing. Watching the slip up, Rima knocked the scepter out of Quintessence's hands before stabbing her through the stomach, shattering into the pixels.

Hanabi: 1700 + Makoto: 0

Claudio: 500 + Masaki: 300

Makoto dropped to her knees... 'Such power...'

Then Roadie Riggs took his axe and charged straight at En, who despite her boost with the Amulet of Ambition... (2/2000-5000/0) She was then struck down when the J-Hero sliced through her sword, her amulet and herself one by one.

(End music)

Hanabi: 200

Claudio: 500 + Masaki: 300

The little girl clutched her bear... _'I'm wide open now!'_

"I end my turn," Claudio concluded as Roadie Riggs and Zima vanished into a blue light and vanished right into his deck, "Masaki, it's up to you to finish this duel!"

"Gotcha," The S-Hero duelist nodded as he drew his card. But he looked at it like a bad draw, "I pass... Guess my luck ran out this time..."

"I just I hope I get something good before she does," the J-Hero duelist stated.

Seeing this Hanabi drew her next card. Then, she gasped at the identity of the card... 'No! Fortune Fairy Chee, says I'm in a super pinch! And with no other cards to play...'

"Hanabi..."

The Fortune Fairy duelist turned to her older sister, seeing a smile of reassurance.

"It's okay...," Makoto said softly.

Hanabi smiled back and placed the card she drew back on top of her deck and laid her hand over it, "I surrender..."

Claudio and Masaki were shocked to say the least, but the look on the little girl's face said it all for them as the holograms turned off and the lights up top illuminated the dome.

Hanabi: SURRENDER

Claudio: 500 + Masaki: 300

Winners: Claudio and Masaki

* * *

Alright, I'll end it here for a little cliff hanger. All will be explained during the next chapter, to end the arc. And yet another long one... phew!

Flat Level 4

Normal Trap

Activate when a monster on your side of the field is destroyed by battle. Both players must special summon 1 Level 4 monster from their decks.

(Used by Seto Kaiba in the episode One Step Ahead. All rights go to the creators.)

Shonen hero Gunslinger Girl

LIGHT

Machine

4 stars

Atk: 1800

Def:1800

Effect: When this card is normal summoned, your opponent must discard one card from their hand.

Art: Henrietta from Gunslinger Girl

Shonen hero Battle Vixen

Fire

warrior

4 stars

Atk: 1900

Def: 1900

Effect: When this card is normal summoned, you can destroy one spell or trap card on the field.

Art: Sonsaku Hakufu from Ikkitōsen

World Martial Arts Tournament

Field spell

effect: All Shonen hero monsters get 500 ATK. The controller of this card selects the targets of their opponent's attacks.

Art: The World Martial Arts Arena from Dragonball Z.

(The top three cards were created by cooking samurai. Creative card rights go to him and inspirations of the characters go to their respective creators)

Jukebox Crush 40

Light Attribute

Warrior

Level 3

1300/1300

Effect: You can discard this card from your hand to add 1 'live stage' field spell from your deck to your hand.

(This card was created by Colossal Fighter GX. Creative card rights go to him, but inspiration goes to Crush 40)

Jukebox Hero - Armstrong

Dark

Warrior/Effect

5/2100/1900

This card cannot be special summoned except by the effect of Jukebox Hero – Cool, Jukebox Hero - Punk Revolution or its own effect. When this card is successfully summoned, you may add one Jukebox Hero - Cool or Jukebox Hero - American Idiot to your hand. When this card is sent from the field or the graveyard, if those cards are still in your hand, remove them from play. If this card is sent to the graveyard for the fusion summon of a 'Jukebox Hero' fusion monster, this card is treated as a normal monster in the graveyard. When Effect damage is dealt to you whilst this card is in your hand, special summon it.

Image: Billie Joe Armstrong in his outfit and hairstyle from the Jesus of Surburbia video

Jukebox Hero - American Idiot

Dark

Warrior

3/1700/100

A bassist who has amazing skills on his instrument, but is too stupid to do anything else.

Image: Mike Dirnt from the American Idiot video, but with a Mohawk.

Jukebox Hero - Cool

Dark

Warrior/Effect

2/1000/150

When this card is successfully summoned, you may special summon one Jukebox Hero - Armstrong or Jukebox Hero - American Idiot from your hand. When this card is sent from the field to the graveyard via fusion, select one monster on you opponent's side of the field. Your opponent takes damage equal to its attack points. If your opponent has no monsters, you must discard 3 cards and take 1000 damage.

Jukebox Hero - Punk Revolution

Dark

Warrior/Fusion/Effect

10/3500/2500

Jukebox Hero - Armstrong + Jukebox Hero - American Idiot + Jukebox Hero - Cool

When this card is special summoned via any means, reveal your hand to your opponent. For each 'Jukebox Hero' monster in there, increase this monster's attack by 500 for each one. If you don't have any, this card switches mode. When this card is removed from the field, special summon all monsters you have removed from play.

Image: Green Day from the video Basketcase, wearing Guyliner and mascara.

Band Formation

Trap

Activate only when you summon a Jukebox Hero monster listed on a Jukebox Hero fusion monster as a material(The material monster must be specified). Remove it and the rest of the material monsters in your graveyard and hand from play to fusion summon that monster.

Image: Jukebox Hero - Punk Revolution with Axe guitars.

Headliner

Quick-Play Spell

Activate when you take a attack over 2000 points. The turn player automatically skips to the end phase, and you can special summon one Jukebox Hero monster to the field from the graveyard in face up defense position.

Image: Jukebox Heroes KG and JB walking off stage.

(The top six cards were created by Ryuzaki Inzinski. Creative card rights go to him and inspiration goes to the band Green Day)

Cry of the Banshee

Quick-Play Spell

Image: Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs fighting a giant, metal spider in a guitar string web cave.

Remove one Fusion 'Jukebox Hero' monster from your graveyard to increase the ATK of a 'Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs' until the end of the turn. At the end phase of the turn this card was used, send 'Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs' and any equip cards equipped to it back to your deck.

(This card is my own creation. Creative rights go to me and the inspiration goes to Brocas Helm.)

Fortune Lady Quintessence

Level 8

LIGHT

Spellcaster/Effect

?/?

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by having 1 of each in your graveyard: Fortune Lady Water, Fortune Lady Fire, Fortune Lady Earth and Fortune Lady Wind. This card's ATK and DEF are equal to its Level x 600. During each of your Standby Phases, increase the Level of this card by 1 (max 12). At the end of your turn, your opponent must send one face-up monster on their side of the field with the highest ATK. As long as this card is face-up on the field, any other Fortune Lady Monsters cannot be selected as attack targets.

(This card is my own creation. Creative rights go to me.)

Next time: Sarina faces off against both Aster and Jaden in the Virtual Simulator. But how's she going to duel both of them when its just one of her?


	41. Sister of the Mirror

Final duel of the Domino City Arc! In the words of Good 'Ol J.R., it'll be a slobber knocker! Let's end this baby! I had this done weeks ago during a hiatus!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 41: The Mirror

* * *

While Masaki and Claudio headed on over to the Kaiba Dome, Jaden and Aster found the Virtual Realty Simulator attraction and stared it down.

"This is the place," Jaden wondered.

"Just read the sign," Aster replied.

"Well, I hope my friends are in there," the Slifer stated as he turned to the Pro duelist. "So I'm going in, coming with?"

"Of course," the D-Hero duelist replied, "My destiny's in there!"

Both of them walked up the stairs, just as the doors opened up for them. Inside, they were walking down a dark hallway until it lit up and opened the next door ahead of them, letting them in. Once again, they found nothing but darkness inside.

"Uh, hello," Jaden shouted, "Hassleberry, Syrus... you out there?"

His answer came in the form of a blinding light that stung his and Aster's eyes, forcing them to close their eyelids.

"What's the deal?" Aster shouted as they were engulfed in its light.

* * *

When they awoke, the entire scenery had changed into a digital domain. The floor below them and the ceiling above looked like a giant, green computer circuit. And to the left and right of them, were transparent blue buildings.

"Where is this place," Jaden wondered.

"I think it's safe to say our minds have been digitized into the virtual world," Aster deduced.

"That's right, soldiers! But cheer up!"

The hero duelist gasped as they heard thunderous footsteps come from behind the buildings to see a large, brown tyrannosaurus rex greet them. But when Jaden noticed the dreads and yellow dino bandana on its head...

"Hassleberry?"

"Yeah, but at least you don't run on gas!"

Suddenly, a yellow car drove out to the middle of the city as well. It wasn't until the Slifer saw the small glasses on the 'eyes' of the vehicle, he then realized how it was...

"Syrus?"

"Hey Jay," He groaned.

"Jaden's here!"

Next, a girl in a beautiful, white kimono appeared but with a white wisp instead of legs, came through one of the buildings and stopped right in front of everyone.

"It's Allyson," Jaden exclaimed, "At least I know one of you didn't change completely!"

"I just think I'm a spirit of some kind," the Spirit duelist stated looking herself over, "Maybe it's the lack of legs..."

"That's probably it," the Slifer thought out loud, "But where's Vincent?"

"Over here!"

Finally, a dragon just as tall as Hassleberry, walked out and joined the rest of the group. But instead of one dragon that was noticeable, it was a white scaled dragon with pale blue armor coating around the shoulders, chest, thighs and forearms. The head extended out with a blade-like point at the end of the skull and carried golden eyes.

"Vincent, is that you?"

"Yeah," the dragon/rider duelist stated, "Even though everyone knows what they are, I have no idea about my identity," He then looked himself over, "Though, I have to say I saw this in a dream and I liked it!"

"Still, I like to go home," Hassleberry stated, "Despite liking the tail."

"But how do we get out," Jaden wondered, "I mean, where's the exit?"

"I don't think we can leave this place," Aster figured, "Unless... we duel."

They turned their attention to the buildings on both sides and gasped at who was inside it.

"Look, it's them," Aster shouted as he saw Frost, Thunder and Dusk trapped inside the left building.

"The Light Brigade," Jaden gasped as he saw Blaze, T-Bone and Shine trapped inside the right building. He then shouted to the ceiling and shouted, "Let's duel! It's why we're here, right?"

Suddenly, the buildings disappeared, leaving the digital domain bare.

"Well put, Jaden!"

Surprisingly, a woman rose up from the ground and greeted the six duelists, "But there's more to it than that!"

"It's Sarina," Aster gasped.

"What's this about," Jaden demanded.

"Yeah and why am I here," the pro asked, "Aren't I on your side?"

"You both have been summoned here to participate in my ultimate test," Sarina stated, "Just like my sisters are doing with Claudio and Masaki."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _In Sartorius' white room, Sarina, Makoto and Hanabi gathered near the table where their older brother sat at the clear table._

 _"As you all know, the cards predict two Chosen Duelists to stand by my side," Sartorius explained to his family._

 _"Yes, but who is it," Sarina asked._

 _"That's what I need you to figure out," the tarot reader replied, "Is it Aster and Masaki? Or could it be some unlikely candidates?"_

 _"Interesting," Makoto stated, "But how can we uncover the truth?"_

 _"You two must challenge all of four of them to a duel," Sartorius said, "Through these battles, the answer will become clear. And then, we'll make them see the Light."_

 _"As you wish, brother," Sarina and Makoto nodded._

 _"Can I help too," Hanabi asked cutely._

 _The Arcana Force duelist smiled affectionately to his youngest sister and patted her on the head lightly, "Of course you can, dear sister. And always be sure to listen to the cards, understood?"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Hold on," Aster interrupted, "So you're saying that I'm may be the one Sartorius needs after all!"

"Correct," Sarina replied, "Why do you think he took you and Masaki in all those years ago? He thought you two were the ones he needed."

The D-Hero duelist gasped. "So he used us from the very beginning! All just to join his plot?"

"Precisely," the miko declared, "And while my younger sisters uncover the Chosen Duelist among Claudio and Masaki, I shall uncover the one between you and Jaden! So now we shall duel! One of you will come with me and the other will stay trapped along with your friends!"

"Then, if you wanna duel, promise to put everything back to normal when Aster and I win," Jaden spoke up.

"IF you win..." the miko smirked, "But you'll find that in here, I have the advantage!"

The Slifer turned to the Pro duelist, "So are you in the mood for a tag-duel?"

"Why not, could be fun," Aster replied sarcastically, "But if what Sarina said is true, then I'm dueling for me and not for your friends. I always thought I was destined for greatness, ever since I was a kid. Now I'll know for sure!"

"Well he's a lot of help," Vincent said sarcastically.

"Doesn't he realize he's going to need Jaden's help in order to get out of here," Allyson growled.

"But hold up," Syrus asked, "If this is a tag duel, where's Sarina's opponent?"

"I guess she's flying solo," Hassleberry stated.

Sarina chuckled, "Actually, my opponent's been here this whole time. Would you like to meet her?"

Suddenly, the miko started to split off into two of her!

"Surprise," They shouted.

"And I thought one of them was bad," Jaden thought as he, Aster and the Sarinas turned on their duel disks.

"GAME ON!"

All players drew their opening hands.

Sarina 1: 8000 + Sarina 2: 8000

Jaden: 8000 + Aster: 8000

"Let the test begin," Sarina 1 declared as she drew, "I summon Silver Spirit – Ukyo in attack mode!"

Rising from the grid, came an eerie looking monster wearing a blue garb with black pants and a white mask. His right arm was covered in a white bandage that was straightened to look like a spear. (4/800/600)

"Next, I set a card facedown and activate the Full Moon Mirror spell card!"

After the miko set a card, a strange looking tree appeared in the middle of the field. It emitted a light that created an image of a bright moon in the sky.

"What's going on with that card," Jaden wondered.

"I could tell you, but what would be the fun in that," Sarina 1 smirked as she signaled the end of her turn.

"Okay then, my draw," The Slifer declared as he drew his sixth card and placed it on the field, "I summon Elemental Hero Woodsman in defense mode!"

The green skinned, tree limbed hero appeared, blocking with his tree arm. (4/1000/2000)

"And then I'll throwdown a facedown, to end my turn," Jaden concluded as a facedown card appeared at his feet.

"And starts mine," Sarina 2 said as she drew and opened up her field spell slot, "I activate the field spell card Mirror Labyrinth!"

Once the card was set in, the entire computer grid setting was replaced with a room filled with large mirrors. The reflections of the duelists were surrounding the field.

"And I'll continue with this monster, Silver Spirit – Sakyo in attack mode!"

A monster identical to Ukyo appeared, but it had its bandaged arm spear on the left side. (4/600/800)

"Next, I set a facedown card and end my turn," The doppelganger concluded.

"My turn then," Aster stated as she drew his sixth card, "I summon Destiny Hero – Captain Tenacious in defense mode!"

The armguard wielding dark hero appeared and shielded himself. (3/800/800)

"And after a facedown it's back to you," Aster declared as a reversed card appeared at his feet.

"Now round 2," Sarina 1 shouted as she drew and activated on the spot, "I use my Mirror Route spell card!"

The spell card revealed the Swordsman of Landstar being powered up by a room full of mirrors.

"This gives my Ukyo the power to attack directly," She declared. "Now target Jaden with Quicksliver!"

The first spirit jumped into the air and launched flash of warping light, striking the Slifer where he stood.

Sarina 1: 8000 + Sarina 2: 8000

Jaden: 7200 + Aster: 8000

"And thanks to my doppelganger's Mirror Labyrinth, I can attack again," The miko continued, "Attack Aster with Quicksliver!"

Now Aster was subjected to the light flashing torment when Ukyo dealt his power again.

Sarina 1: 8000 + Sarina 2: 8000

Jaden: 7200 + Aster: 7200

"So that's why this field spell is here," Vincent figured, "It must let her monsters gain multiple attack advantage for low-level monsters."

"That's not good," Syrus whined.

Sarina 1 chuckled as she signaled the end of her turn, "Care to retaliate?"

"You bet," Jaden replied as he drew his next card, "Now on my standby phase, Woodsman let's me take out Polymerization from my deck and add it to my hand!"

He then took out his deck and grabbed the spell card from it, before shuffling and returning the deck.

"Now, I use it for a little fusion action, by combining Woodsman and Elemental Hero Ocean in my hand," He continued as a blue, fishlike warrior with a white lance appeared and fused together with Woodsman. As the two other heroes vanished, a towering figure crashed onto the field, rising up to well more than ten feet tall. It had skin made of sheer white stone, with purple gemstones on its shoulders and head, and a red one on its chest. It also possessed spikes on its hips and shoulders. (8/2500/2000)

"And here's Elemental Hero Terra Firma ready to make Ukyo disappear," Jaden introduced as the stone hero rushed the field, ready to strike the Sliver Spirit.

"Not exactly," Sarina 2 shouted as her facedown card revealed a trap card. It showed the Sliver Spirit duo emerging from mirrors to do battle, "You triggered my Mirror Bind!"

Suddenly, Terra Firma was surrounded by four mirrors spinning around him, with images of Ukyo and Sakyo inside them.

"This trap card destroys the attacking monster and all other monsters that are weaker than it," The doppelganger smirked. "Of course, Ukyo and Sakyo are safe!"

"Aw man, that'll destroy Aster's hero as well," Syrus figured out.

"Not quite," Jaden stated as he activated his facedown card, "De-Fusion will separate Terra Firma, before your mirrors can shatter him!"

Terra Firma started to glow in a yellow light before splitting off into two separate beams, escaping the mirror barriers. The beams quickly formed back into Ocean and Woodsman again. (4/1500/1200), (4/1000/2000)

"Phew, that was close," Hassleberry sighed.

"Yeah, without the attacking monster on the field, Mirror Bind can't destroy any other monsters," Allyson added, "Real nice move!"

'It was...' The Sarinas mused to each other, 'could Jaden be the one my brother needs?'

'Not bad, Jaden,' Aster also thought, 'But don't think this makes you one of the Chosen Duo!'

"And it'll get better once, Ocean attacks Ukyo," Jaden declared as the fishlike warrior charged with his lance.

"Stop right there," Sarina 1 halted as she activated her facedown card. It revealed a trap card of a frog startled by the many reflections of it in the mirrors surrounding it, "I activate Mirror Trap! This takes the trap card my doppelganger used last and lets me activate it!"

Both Hero duelists watched as the Mirror Bind shot out of Sarina 2's graveyard and landed in Sarina 1's hand. Suddenly, the four mirrors surrounded Ocean and began to spin around swiftly.

"Before we continue, let's pause for a moment and take this time to reflect," The miko said ominously, "Mirror, mirror on the wall... who'll fall next in this brawl?"

Everyone gasped as the images of the Silver Spirits changed into the images of Elemental Hero Ocean!

"What's going on," Jaden wondered.

He got his answer when three of the images came to life and gave a diving stab to Jaden's and Aster's heroes.

"His attack was reflected," Syrus exclaimed.

Unnoticed to anyone, three mirrors opened up on the tree, causing the image of the moon to eclipse a bit. (FMM: 3C)

"Looks like both of you are now defenseless," Sarina 1 smirked.

"Not me," Aster declared, revealing his facedown card. It revealed Destiny Hero – Doom Lord behind a pile of broken mirror glass, "My trap Destiny Mirage returns the Destiny Hero that was destroyed due to a card effect!"

The trap card emitted a bright flash that brought out Captain Tenacious again. (3/800/800)

'Strange, now the power seems to shift towards Aster,' Sarina thought, 'I need to drag this out further...'

"Do you realize, I almost lost my monster because of you," Aster snapped at the Slifer, "Pay attention to the field, next time!"

"My bad," Jaden apologized. "My turn's done."

'I hope Sarina realizes that I'm the one she's looking for now," the D-Hero duelist stated.

"My turn now," Sarina 2 declared as she drew, "I summon Messenger Spirit – Asuka in defense mode!"

Rising up from the grid came a young girl with her hair styled in two ponytails at the side of her head, and wore a blue kimono. She kneeled down with an emotionless expression. (4/200/800)

"While she's on the field, my Silver Spirit – Sakyo gains 400 ATK!"

Sakyo gained a white aura, stemming from the Messenger Spirit. (4/600-1000/800)

"Now, attack Captain Tenacious with Quicksilver!"

The Sliver Spirit used the same white flash technique that blasted the Destiny Hero to his grave.

Sarina 1: 8000 + Sarina 2: 8000

Jaden: 7200 + Aster: 7000

"And thanks to Mirror Labyrinth, attack Aster Phoenix directly!"

Once again, Aster was subjected to the white blast, pushing him back a few feet.

Sarina 1: 8000 + Sarina 2: 8000

Jaden: 7200 + Aster: 6000

"And then I'll use my Mirror Call spell," Sarina 2 continued as she played her spell card, "As long as Ukyo and Sakyo are on the field, I can return one trap card to my hand..."

A trap card slipped out of her graveyard, letting her retrieve it.

"And next, I place two card facedown and end my turn," She concluded as two reversed cards.

"Not two more facedowns," Jaden groaned.

"Yeah, and we know one of them is Mirror Bind trap," Aster stated. "We need to get those spirits off the field, so she can't activate it."

"And how we are going to do that," The Slifer asked.

"'I' will handle that in a moment," The D-Hero duelist stated as he drew, "I summon Destiny Hero – Doom Lord!"

The dark caped D-Hero flew down to the field. (3/600/800)

"And I'll use his special ability to send Sayko two rounds into the future," Aster explained as Doom Lord gripped the Sliver Spirit by the neck, "Time for him to take a little trip!"

Sarina 2 chuckled, "Sorry, but it is your Doom Lord who will take that trip permanently," She stated as her facedown card activated, showing a giant, grey spirit reflecting a couple of light beams away from its body. Suddenly, Sakyo ripped Doom Lord's claw away from its neck and gripped him with his left hand, "It negates the effect that targets one of my monsters and removes your monster from the game!"

Doom Lord's body was glowing silver and then vanished into thin air!

"Alright, plan B, I use the spell card D-Spirit," Aster announced as he showed off a spell that showed a person activating a watch that had the Destiny Hero symbol on it, "Since I don't control any Destiny Heroes at the moment, I can summon Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude, no problem!"

In a flash, a black-clad warrior who had diamonds embedded in its flesh in a green cape appeared. (4/1400/1600)

"And then, I'll use his effect to check the top card of my deck," He explained as he turned it over, revealing Pot of Greed and sending it to the graveyard. "And since it's a normal spell card, I can send it to the graveyard and use it on my next turn. Now, on with the attacking," He continued as he looked over to his hero, "Diamond Dude, attack Asuka with Diamond Rain!"

The D-Hero flew to the top of the labyrinth and fired a barrage of tokens, destroying the little girl spirit and weakening Sakyo. (FMM: 4C) (4/1000-600/800)

"And now, I can use your field spell's effect and let Diamond Dude destroy Ukyo!"

Diamond Dude fired another barrage of diamonds, destroying the second Sliver Spirit at long last. (FMM: 5C)

Sarina 1: 8000 + Sarina 2: 7200

Jaden: 7200 + Aster: 6000

"And after a facedown, I'll call it a turn," Aster concluded, "And without Sakyo, your trap is cancelled!"

"Honk if you're happy," Hassleberry exclaimed.

"Not funny," Syrus mumbled.

"Still, it finally puts Jaden and Aster on the scoreboard," Allyson stated.

'Did you happen to see that, Sartorius,' Aster mused in his head.

"Impressive Aster," Sarina 1 praised as she drew again, "But now let's see what Jaden can do... I place one card facedown and summon Messenger Spirit – Kocho in defense mode!"

After a reversed card was set, another little girl appeared, but this time having her ponytail in the back of her head and wearing a yellow kimono. (4/800/200)

"And with her summoning, Messenger Spirit – Asuka returns!"

Asuka reappeared onto Sarina 2's field. (4/200/800)

"Next, I activate Double Summon and sacrifice Ukyo and summon Magic Mirror Spirit – Nayuta in attack mode!"

Ukyo vanished into the mirrors and brought out a tall, female spirit wearing long white kimono with a purple long skirt. A white fox mask covered her face. (6/2600/1400)

"And with Messenger Spirit – Kocho, she gains 400 ATK!"

A white aura was extracted from Kocho and fused with in Nayuta, giving her strength. (6/2600-3000/1400)

"Attack Jaden directly!"

Nayuta jumped into the air and then fired twin red blades at Jaden, zapping nearly every ounce of his strength.

"Jaden!" His friends cried.

Sarina 1: 8000 + Sarina 2: 7200

Jaden: 4200 + Aster: 6000

"Alright, payback time," Jaden declared as he drew, "I start with Legacy of a Hero! Since I have at least two Heroes in my grave that are level 4 and higher, I can draw three cards!"

The Slifer drew three more cards as grinned at his find. "I activate Fusion Recovery bringing Elemental Hero Ocean and a Polymerization back to my hand," He continued as he collected his remaining cards, "Now, I use Polymerization to fuse Avian and Elemental Hero Necroshade to form... Elemental Hero Great Tornado!"

Avian and Necroshade fused inside the vortex that appeared and came out as a blue Elemental Hero appeared, wearing white and gold armor with a blue cape covering it. (8/2800/2200)

"And when he's summoned, I can drain half of the attack and defense of all your monsters," Jaden declared.

The Sarina twins gasped as a massive tornado appeared in between them and started to drain the strength of all of their monsters, by sucking it inside the eye of the storm. (6/3000-1500/1400-700), (4/800-400/200-100), (4/200-100/800-400)

"And since Necroshade's in the graveyard, I can summon Elemental Hero Bladedge without a sacrifice!"

Next, the golden, sharp-bladed hero appeared in flash of gold. (7/2600/1800)

"Now, Bladedge attack Messenger Spirit – Kocho with Slice and Dice attack!"

The gold hero flew across the field and then started to slash across the girl, shattering her into pixels. (FMM: 6C)

Sarina 1: 5500 + Sarina 2: 7200

Jaden: 4200 + Aster: 6000

"With her gone, Nayuta loses some points," Jaden pointed out as the masked spirit's aura flowed right into the graveyard. (6/1500-1100/700) "And that means more damage to deal with Great Tornado... use Fury Wind Cutter!"

Great Tornado removed his cape and stretched out his arms, creating another tornado that caught Nayuta in the storm and blew her into pixels. (FMM: 7C)

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 7200

Jaden: 4200 + Aster: 6000

"I activate Card of Last Will, to draw five cards to replace the monster I just lost," Sarina 1 declared as her trap card flipped up and let her draw five cards.

"Alright, Jaden," Allyson cheered, "She's almost done now!"

"Keep that up and we'll be freed in no time," Vincent added.

'Impressive strategy,' Sarina thought as she checked herself for damage, 'Perhaps I underestimated Jaden and he could be one of the chosen I seek...'

"Time to find out, my move," Sarina 2 shouted as she drew, "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards," She drew two more cards, "I'll only place two cards on the field and that's all."

Two reversed cards appeared on the field.

"That's all," Aster scoffed as he drew, "I use the effect of Pot of Greed from my graveyard to draw two more cards." He drew twice more and grinned. "Now, I use my Cost Down Spell Card, discarding one card in my hand and summon Destiny Hero – Double Dude without a sacrifice!"

Appearing on the field was the black suited and mysterious D-Hero. (6-4/1000/1000)

"And then, I'll activate my facedown card, the trap D-Chain and it gives my Double Dude 500 ATK," The D-Hero duelist continued as a black chain with a sharp dagger on the end encircled the hero. (4/1000-1500/1000) "Also, I'll use the equip spell card, Big Bang Shot and give him 400 more plus piercing!"

A red aura appeared around the chain, amplifying the power of the D-Hero. (4/1500-1900/1000)

"Now take out her Messenger Spirit," Aster commanded as Double Dude swung his chain around and pierced the young spirit, sending her back to the graveyard. (FMM: 8C) "And when a monster with D-Chain destroys a monster in battle, you lose another 500 points!"

The chain extended into the doppelganger's body and shot straight through her.

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 5200

Jaden: 4200 + Aster: 6000

"I activate my Soul Mirror to sacrifice my Mirror Bind trap," Sarina 2 retaliated as dark mirror appeared on the field and destroyed the facedown trap. "With this trap card, I can summon back Silver Spirit – Sakyo!"

Sakyo returned and defended himself with his spear. (4/600/800)

"And that also brings back Silver Spirit – Ukyo!"

Ukyo also returned and defended himself with his spear. (4/800/600)

"Just another target for me to deal with," Aster waved off, "Double Dude attack Sakyo!"

The black suit hero transformed into his angrier, muscular and more powerful alter ego as he used the chain again to destroy Sakyo, placing him back into the graveyard and then striking Sarina 2 again. (FMM: 9C)

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 3600

Jaden: 4200 + Aster: 6000

"That's what I call teamwork," Jaden praised. "Right Aster?"

"We're not a team, you got that," Aster stated.

'Aster is quite the opponent, but Jaden has potential as well,' Sarina mused. 'Time for the ultimate test...'

"Now I activate the trap card, Buried Soul Talisman," Sarina 2 declared as she showed off a trap that had a skeleton being destroyed by a talisman on its head, "Since two of my monsters were destroyed, I can destroy your Double Dude and summon a Level 5 or higher monster from my hand!"

An unknown force struck Double Dude, shattering his body to dust. (FMM: 10C)

"Now come forth, Magic Mirror Spirit – Asogi!"

In a giant flash, another spirit appeared on the field, crossing his huge arms for defense. He wore a large brown shirt, black pants and a white turban, mask and cape covering his face and back. (6/1500/2500)

"And when he's summoned, Nayuta returns!"

Sarina 1 brought back the tall, female spirit for another round. (6/2600/1400)

"These guys just keep coming back," Hassleberry whined.

"They can't catch a break," Syrus groaned. "Soon I'll need an oil change..."

"We gotta break this cycle," Jaden stated as he saw the number of monsters on the field.

"I can still take out, Ukyo," Aster stated as Diamond Dude rushed across the field and pummeled the other Silver Spirit into the dust. But as Diamond Dude returned, he noticed something in the sky. "What happened to the moon?"

Jaden looked up as well and saw that the moon was eclipsed.

"What's going on here," He asked as dark mist surrounded the field now.

"The true test is just beginning," Sarina 1 stated, "For each monster destroyed during the duel, our Full Moon Mirror has grown in strength."

"And now that 10 of them are gone, we can know summon our ultimate monster to crush you," Sarina 2 added on.

"Time for the Judgment to commence," the Sarinas declared together.

"And I'll show you know," Sarina 1 drew her next card, "Now I sacrifice Nayuta and Asogi and summon the God of Darkness!"

Both Mirror Spirits vanished and combined into a multicolored light and shot behind the Sarinas creating an eruption of light. Rising out of it was a large, dark entity that was over 20 feet tall! Its black body was supplemented by the two metallic arms with grey shoulder guards and two more large arms with claws at the end of it. And at the very top center of it, a large yellow eye opened up and peered at the hero duelists. (10/3000/1000)

"Whoa, she's not kidding around," Jaden exclaimed at the sight of the monster.

"Neither am I, Jaden," Aster stated.

"Slience," Sarina 1 demanded, "The time has finally arrived, so pay attention! Thanks to your help, I can sacrifice the Full Moon Mirror and replace the Mirror Labyrinth field spell with my Infinite Fiend Summoning Mirrors from my hand!"

The mirror labyrinth shattered as the Full Moon Mirror shined brightly, transporting the players and spectators to a lone white platform in a dark universe. Suddenly, four long mirrors held by black cloak demons surrounded the playing field and standing by in the four corners of the field.

"Now for the fun part," The miko continued, "When the God of Darkness is on the field, my Infinite Fiend Summoning Mirrors allows me to multiply its form by the power of ten! And these other token monsters have the same power and strength as the original!

Everyone watched as the four mirrors reflected the form of the Dark God and created nine, small versions of it on both of the Sarina's field. (10/3000/1000) x9

"My test is almost complete! Only a Chosen One can defeat my dark army!"

"Whoa 10, 3000 ATK monsters," Vincent gasped, "That's overkill!"

"If they lose, I'm gonna run on gas for the rest of my life," Syrus whined.

"And my hips are gonna be huge," Hassleberry shouted as both of them hugged each other, crying in despair.

"Calm down, you three," Allyson snapped, "They're still gonna win, I don't planning on staying a ghost for the rest of my life either!"

"Allyson right you guys," Jaden said as he looked over his shoulder, "I bet Aster has it all figured out!"

"You both realize, I have enough monsters to render you defenseless," Sarina 1 stated. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do! Now Gods of Darkness, wipe out their entire hero force!"

The giant dark monster closed its eye and reopened it, firing a dark beam. Two of the tokens followed suit and fired dark beams of their own, combining with the first. It created a catastrophic explosion that tore apart Jaden's Great Tornado and Bladedge along with Aster's Diamond Dude.

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 3600

Jaden: 3600 + Aster: 4400

"Jaden!" The spectators cried out.

"And if you like that, wait until you see the Dark God's effect, deal 700 points of damage for every monster destroyed," Sarina 1 smirked, "In fact why wait?

The hero duelists gasped.

"Dude, this is gonna hurt," Jaden stated as he braced himself.

Suddenly, the demons holding the mirrors blasted Jaden with two dark beams and fired one at Aster, bringing them to their knees.

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 3600

Jaden: 2200 + Aster: 3700

"Well, looks like this is it..." Aster stated as he looked up at the seven remaining tokens.

"That's right it's still her turn," Jaden realized.

"I'll lay these two cards facedown and end my turn," Sarina concluded as two reversed cards appeared at her feet.

"Phew," Syrus sighed, "That was close!"

"But what's the deal," Hassleberry wondered.

"She could've won the duel," Allyson added.

"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Vincent stated.

"Big mistake, my turn," Jaden drew out his next card. He saw it was Elemental Hero Neos! "Okay, I..."

"Hold up Jaden," Aster interrupted, "Think before you act... there must be a reason why she didn't attack us directly. Three more hits and we would've lost!"

"Maybe it's because they couldn't attack directly," The Slifer realized, "They can only attack other monsters!"

"You're catching on," The D-Hero duelist stated.

"Then, I'll end my turn without playing anything," Jaden declared.

"So you two figured out the weakness of my Dark God," Sarina 1 declared, "It can only attack other monsters! But since you just ended your turn, I can activate my facedown cards, Return Talisman!"

Both trap cards revealed to have twin circles of seals on them.

"Since you didn't summon a monster on your turn, I can put one on your field," She stated as both trap cards started glowing, "And with two, I can give you another one! So Return Tokens, appear on Jaden's field!"

Startling the Slifer, two monsters made of origami paper appeared and defended him. (2/1000/1000) x2

"Oh great..."

"And that's not all," Sarina 2 stated as she drew, "I'll have my God Tokens attack them! Go Absolute Darkness!"

Two of the small Gods combined their dark blast into one, zapping the origami monsters from existence.

"And that means you lose 1400 more life points!"

The cloaked mirror handlers shot two more dark beams, knocking Jaden down again.

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 3600

Jaden: 800 + Aster: 3700

"And now, I'll end my turn," Sarina 2 concluded.

"Time for my move," Aster shouted as he drew, "And since it's my standby phase after Double Dude was destroyed, I can summon two Double Dude tokens!"

In two dark flashes, twin clones of the Destiny Hero appeared. (4/1000/1000) x2

"Uh, Aster, what's the point of having monster weaker than hers," Jaden wondered.

The Pro duelist sighed, "This is why you're a beginner and I'm a pro. I'm thinking about the future man!"

"Aster, your confidence is quite impressive," Sarina 2 praised.

"Agreed," Sarina 1 acknowledged, "But are you the one? That remains to be seen..."

"We all see when I play Legacy of a Hero," Aster declared as he played his spell card, "So I can draw three cards!"

Aster drew three cards and smiled at his find.

"Time to show you that I'm a cut above the rest, I sacrifice both tokens to summon the Grand Jupiter!"

Everyone gasped.

"The Grand Jupiter!"

Both tokens shattered into the darkness, letting of a bright orange light that appeared behind the D-Hero duelist. Towering over him was a 15 ft tall, orange and sliver armored warrior of Jupiter, releasing its blades. (8/2500/2000)

"Another Legendary Planet monster, like Jaden's Terra Firma," Allyson gasped.

"Legendary Planet monsters," The Ras wondered.

"Eight monsters with extraordinary powers that, if used right, can help any duelist compatible to gain a huge edge in a duel," The spirit duelist stated.

"But if that's the case, why didn't Jaden save his until now," Syrus asked.

"Don't know about that," Vincent figured, "It's his way of thinking..."

"That's right, Jaden's not the only one with a Legendary Planet monster," Aster stated and turned back to the Sarinas, "And I'm about to knock out one of you since, by discarding two cards to activate Jupiter's effect taking control of your God of Darkness and taking its strength!"

"No, if he's gone the tokens will be Destroyed," Sarina 1 gasped.

"That's right! If I can't destroy it in battle, then I'll just use it for myself," The Pro duelist smirked as he held up his final two cards, "I discard Destiny Hero Dasher and my Clock Tower Prison to equip the God of Darkness to the Grand Jupiter!"

Everyone watched as the image of the planet Jupiter emerged from Aster's monster. Then, the red spot on the planet went violent and caused a suction force to pull in the large dark monster inside it. The powers of the God of Darkness then seeped into Grand Jupiter as it tightened the grip on its large blades. (8/2500-5500/2000)

"And like you said, without the original the others have to go!"

Like a chain reaction, the Dark God tokens exploded into many pieces, blinding the Sarinas.

"They're defenseless now," Syrus cheered.

"And that means Sarina #2, you're out of here," Aster shouted as the Grand Jupiter rushed across the stage and then delivered double arcs slashes to the doppelganger...

"Not so fast Aster!"

As that happened, a long white creature appeared and surrounded Sarina 2. It took the huge blow as it came, leaving the duelist standing tall.

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 850

Jaden: 1500 + Aster: 3700

"You're supposed to be done for," Aster snapped, "What's the deal!"

"Simple," Sarina 2 stated as that same white creature returned letting everyone get a good look at it. It looked a cross between a long snake, due to the long body and face, and an insect with the six small legs and gossamer wings on its head. (6/?/?) "I activated the effect of Dead Soul Collector – Shinidamachu from my hand! I was able to cut the damage from a direct attack in half, by special summoning it to the field!"

"But what about the undetermined points," Jaden asked.

"The other half of that damage is added to the ATK and DEF of that monster..."

The Soul Collector's body started to glow more brightly. (6/?-2750/?-2750)

"... And to apologize for stealing your glory, it becomes your monster now! So be sure to thank me for the gift you've received!"

Aster growled as the spirit flew over to him and set itself next to the Grand Jupiter.

"And why give such a powerful monster, when I can still take you down," Aster asked suspiciously.

"Don't you trust me, Aster," Sarina 2 asked, but with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

The D-Hero duelist looked towards Sarina 1 and the three cards she held.

'What if she has something that stops my next attack?' He wondered. 'I better find out myself...'

"Attack..."

"Stop right there, Aster," Sarina 1 interrupted as she turned over a card in her hand. It showed a spell card of Asogi and Nayuta breaking the seals of talismans that were placed on an ancient house, "By discarding Broken Talisman Seal, I can activate a trap card from my hand," After discarding a spell card, she revealed a trap card showing a black mirror with an image of a Dark Elf in the reflection. "And I activate Nightmare Mirror, which negates your attack and deals 1000 points of damage to you!"

The dark mirror in the picture of the trap card appeared as the Dead Soul Collector charged right at it. Everyone gasped as the reflection inside it was Aster instead of the monster! When it shattered, he felt the pain instead!

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 850

Jaden: 1500 + Aster: 2700

"And afterwards, I discard my last card...," She concluded as she sent her lone card into the graveyard.

Without anything to do, Aster said the only thing he could, "I end my turn."

"Now God of Darkness, return to the field and create your army once again," The Sarinas shouted as the dark monster ripped itself from the planet prison and brought itself back behind its mistresses. (10/3000/1000), (8/5500-2500/2000)

Next, the mirrors reflected off the God of Darkness, bringing back the Dark God army. (10/3000/1000) x9

"You mean his effect is only good for one turn, too," Jaden gasped.

"That's right, now back to me," Sarina 1 stated as she drew, "Now God of Darkness and Dark God Token, destroy his Soul Collector Spirit and his so-called Legendary Planet!"

The original dark monster and its doppelganger combined their dark blasts and shut down Aster's monsters.

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 850

Jaden: 1500 + Aster: 1950

Finally, the mirror holders blasted Aster with a double dose of dark lightning, making his scream.

Sarina: 3800 + Sarina 2: 850

Jaden: 1500 + Aster: 550

"We're as good as gone now," Aster stated, giving up, "And whether or not we summon any monsters, we can't fight back!"

"No way," Jaden countered, "A duel's not over until the last card's played!"

"Then you better have a plan since it's your turn," The D-Hero duelist told him.

"Of course, I do," the Slifer replied, "We finally gotta start working together! It's the only way to win!"

Aster took a deep breath and then said, "Alright then forget the Chosen One, forget Sartorius and just play the game!"

He then turned to Jaden, "You better hope your next card's a monster that can help, and my Destiny Hero Dasher can help you out with his special ability."

"What, now Aster's gonna help," Syrus asked.

"He sure picked a fine time to do it," Hassleberry stated.

"As least he's not being stuck up over this Chosen One business," Allyson added, "I would've just helped and be done with it..."

"We all would," Vincent stated, "We're all in this thing together."

"Alright, my turn," Jaden declared as he drew out his next card. Once he looked at it, he saw another new monster. Suddenly, the card flashed letting him see a transparent version of it! It was a black panther with a gold collar and a black cape around it.

'What's happenin'?' He spoke with a gruff, street-smart voice.

"Are you a Neo...?"

'Just get ready to put me on the field, and I'll take care of the rest,' the panther interrupted as he put himself back into the card.

"Okay...," The Slifer said, feeling confused, "Alright, with Destiny Hero Dasher in the graveyard, I can special summon the monster I just drew! My Neo-Spacian Dark Panther!"

As Jaden slapped the card on the tray, the caped Neo-Spacian panther made his appearance. (3/1000/500)

"Now here's his special ability," He started to explain, "I can pick one of your monsters and my Panther can copy its name and its abilities. And I'll choose none other than the original God of Darkness!"

Dark Panther suddenly melted into a pool of darkness. Then, it started to rise up in between Aster and Jaden, creating the spitting image of the God of Darkness!

"Oh no," The Sarinas shouted.

"Yup, and since his name is the God of Darkness, I can activate the Infinite Fiend Summoning Mirrors and bring out more of the tokens on Aster's field and mine!"

Now the demons holding the field spell's mirrors were reflecting off of Jaden's monster and soon created nine more doppelgangers of the God of Darkness! (10/3000/1000) x9

"Next, I'll sacrifice two of the tokens to summon Elemental Hero Neos!

Two of the doppelgangers disappeared letting the E-Hero from Neo Space appear. (7/2500/2000)

"And next, I'll merge him and my Dark Panther for a little contact fusion!"

The copycat God of Darkness melted back into the Panther, just in time for him and Neos to jump up into the sky and fused together in a bright light.

"Meet Elemental Hero Dark Neos!"

After light died down, Neos flew back down, sporting new dark wings with his body armor in the same color. He also wore a black cowl over his head and grew three sharp claws on his feet and the backs of his head. (7/2500/2000)

"My monsters are still indestructible," Sarina 1 boasted, "All you did was make one big wall to draw this out!"

"True, but I'm using Dark Neos' special ability," The Slifer continued, "I can negate one monster's effect until the end of the turn, and I'll choose God of Darkness again!"

The Dark God suddenly felt ill as Dark Neos flew over and sunk its claws into its flesh and drained some darkness from it.

"Now that your monster's effect is canceled, I'll use my Dark Token monster to attack it!"

The small doppelganger shot out its devastating dark blast and destroyed the Darkness God once and for all.

"And since the token kept its effect, you lose 700 points!"

Now Sarina 1 was subjected to the dark lightning of the demons, weakening her further.

Sarina: 3100 + Sarina 2: 1100

Jaden: 1500 + Aster: 550

Then Sarina 2 gasped, "If the original God of Darkness is gone, the tokens are destroyed as well!"

Like a domino effect, every single token monster shattered off the field.

"Now that you're defenseless, I can have Dark Neos attack the second Sarina directly," Jaden declared as the airborne E-Hero swooped down and clawed the miko doppelganger, taking the rest of her life points.

Sarina: 3100 + Sarina 2: 0

Jaden: 1500 + Aster: 550

The doppelganger suddenly vanished and fused back into the original who felt all the pain.

"One down, one to go," Syrus cheered.

"And finally, I use Contact Out," The Neos duelist continued, "This sends Dark Neos back to the fusion deck and brings back the two monsters that created him from my deck!"

A light blanketed the fusion hero and then split it back into Elemental Hero Neos and Dark Panther! (7/2500/2000), (3/1000/500)

"No!"

"Neos, Dark Panther, attack Sarina directly!"

The miko held up her duel disk for defense, as the hero slugged her with a right hand and then was met with a left claw of the panther, ending the game.

Sarina: 0 + Sarina 2: 0

Jaden: 1500 + Aster: 550

Winner: Jaden and Aster

After Sarina fell to her knees, the dark clouds and mirrors vanished, bringing the surroundings back to the computer grid city. Hassleberry, Syrus, Allyson and Vincent started glow yellow and then reappeared into their human forms!

"Alright, I'm me again," Syrus exclaimed.

"Thanks, Sarge," Hassleberry said.

"Yeah, although I actually liked being the dragon I was," Vincent grumbled.

"And I'm not a ghost," Allyson exclaimed as she suddenly hugged Jaden, "Thank you!"

"Hey, you guys would probably to the same thing in my shoes," Jaden stated, "But Allyson... you're holding me a little tight..."

Blushing, the Spirit duelist released him from her hug, "Sorry..."

Aster looked over to the Slifer with a thought in mind, 'I've been in a lot of tough spots in my career, but what Jaden pulled off was like nothing I've ever seen! I spent this entire duel trying to prove that I'm a Chosen duelist. But if anyone can defy destiny it's him.'

Out loud...

"Jaden, good job out there," He said to the E-Hero duelist.

"Couldn't have done it without you and your Destiny Heroes," Jaden replied, "So I don't think there's a 'Chosen One' among the two of us, if anything you, me, Claudio and Masaki are probably all Chosen Duelists."

While they were talking, Sarina felt a voice in her head...

' _Sister... it's me...'_

 _'Makoto? What is it,' she asked her young sister._

 _'Claudio and Masaki have defeated Hanabi and me in a duel...' Makoto replied._

 _The miko gasped, 'You too?'_

 _'Aster and Jaden have...'_

 _'Yes... I think they help us,' Sarina told her._

 _'So, I should tell them...'_

 _'They're the only ones to hinder our brother's plan and save him...'_

 _'Okay, I just hope you know what you're doing on your end...'_ Makoto said as she broke her contact.

"You are correct, Jaden," Sarina told the Slifer.

Everyone turned to the miko, still kneeling on the ground.

"I am," Jaden asked.

"Both you and Aster have passed the test, well done," She said, "But now I must ask you for help... for my brother..."

"Why is that," Aster asked.

"Because my brother needs you two, Masaki and Claudio..."

* * *

At the Kaiba Dome...

"He needs all four of us," Claudio asked the Fortune Lady duelist.

"Yes, and I need you four to save my brother from his own mind..." Makoto stated.

Claudio, Masaki and even Hanabi gasped.

"Something's wrong with Sartorius," the youngest sister asked, her voice quivering.

"Yes, Hanabi..." the middle sister sighed, "Sarina and I didn't want to worry you... When he spoke about the Society of Light, we could sense an evil force inside him."

"What's wrong with Sartorius," Masaki asked.

"One day, a visitor came to our family shop for my brother's fortune telling..." Makoto began, "Sure, visitors came all the time... but this one was different... After Sartorius foretold his future, the stranger gave him a duel monster card as payment for his services."

* * *

Virtual World...

"Makoto and I could sense something was off right away..." Sarina stated, "We begged him to dispose of the card, but he wouldn't listen. Soon, his soul was split into two and the Sartorius we knew was gone! The card he had was an extremely rare Hero monster, one of a kind," She continued as Aster gasped, "It feeds my brother's dark side while imprisoning his gentle side."

"That's not good," Jaden stated.

"We have to get that card," Aster declared as he turned to Sarina, "You said it was a Hero card. What were the design and the name?"

"I'm sorry, but what I told you is what I know..." the miko stated.

"...Shortly after the Hero card arrived, it vanished..." Makoto finished.

* * *

Kaiba Dome...

"Man..." Masaki grumbled.

"What's the matter," Claudio asked.

"That Hero card could've been the one Aster's looking for..." the S-Hero duelist replied, "Whoever gave Sartorius that card was the one who... took Aster's father away from him..."

The J-Hero duelist gasped, getting the meaning of Masaki's words, "That's low..." He whispered.

Hanabi was clutching her bear tightly, taking in what she heard from her sister...

"Why...," She sobbed, "Why is something trying to take our brother away...?"

Makoto walked over to her little sister and hugged her.

"It won't stay that way for long, Hanabi," She stated, "If anyone can save him..." She then looked up to the hero duelists, "It's those two, Jaden and Aster."

"No problem," Claudio stated as he looked to the S-Hero duelist, "Now we know why Sartorius is like the way he is..."

"Yeah..." Masaki nodded, "But whatever this thing that's got a hold of him, is soon to get beat down."

Makoto smiled at the two of them, "Thank you. Just remember... you two have the power to stop whatever has control over our brother..."

"Just please... help Sartorius," Hanabi pleaded.

"Don't worry, we got it," Masaki replied, patting the little girl's head softly, "You know Jaden and Aster will help out too."

"Speaking of those two, we should meet up with them and see if they got everyone back..." The J-Hero duelist stated.

"Right..." the S-Hero duelist nodded and turned back to the sisters, "But what are you two going to do about Sartorius? If you don't tell him about what happened..."

"Already taken care of," Makoto stated, "We'll have to lay low in this city for a while... Sarina's already done that."

"Good to know," Masaki said with a relieved sigh. "Well, I guess we better get back to the gates. I'm sure they're probably over there already."

"Good idea..." Claudio stated as they left out the Dome, "Later girls!"

'Let's hope you succeed...' Makoto thought as she and Hanabi left out to another exit.

* * *

Suddenly, the virtual realm started to shake violently and electricity shot over the grid, alerting everyone...

"We're out of time," Sarina shouted, "This realm is designed to self-destruct... you have to leave immediately!"

"But how," Allyson asked, "We don't even know how we got in here!"

"Over there!"

The miko pointed to a white portal with a helix grid inside it.

"Then what are we waiting for," Vincent cried out as he, Syrus and Hassleberry ran towards the portal.

"Come on," Jaden said to Sarina, holding out his hand.

"Yeah, we don't have much time," Aster added.

"You all go on ahead, I'll stay here..." Sarina stated as she started to glow deep white, "Makoto and I thought that this way, I can watch over my brother from cyberspace."

"But that's nuts," the Slifer gasped, "No one belongs here!"

"Leave this place now," the miko urged, "Just promise you will do all you can to save Sartorius! Also speak with Solomon Moto and tell him to contact Seto Kaiba to restore my consciousness once this world is safe!"

"But what are we supposed to do," Aster asked.

"I wish I had the answer," Sarina admitted as she slowly sunk into the computer grid, "But remember, you two are Chosen duelists, just like Claudio and Masaki are... so trust your instincts... destiny is in your hands now..."

"Sarina, wait," Aster shouted.

"Aster, Jaden..." Sarina shouted from the grid's surroundings, "You must leave now!"

"Jaden, come on," Allyson urged as she grabbed his and Aster's arms, "We have to get out of here!"

"She's right, Jaden," Aster added, "Let's go!"

Jaden sighed and nodded as the three of them caught up to the Ras and ran into the portal.

* * *

At the gates, Claudio and Masaki saw that the group left behind were sitting around either talking, checking their duel pilots or in Solomon's case, snoring...

"What's up, people," Claudio shouted, alerting his classmates to his and Masaki's presence.

"And there they are..." Allen chuckled, "Well two of them..."

"What took you guys so long," Lyra asked.

"A tag duel," Masaki shrugged and replied, "We won, by the way."

"Well that's one large part of good news," Bastion stated.

"But where's Jaden and Aster with the others," Alexis asked.

"Figured they'd be done before us," the J-Hero duelist admitted, "Guess I missed out on that..."

"Then, we'll wait for another hour and a half for the both of them to get out," Jachin shrugged.

"Whoa, we've been gone that long," Masaki gasped.

"It's all true," Jethro stated, "Those girls must have gave ya'll the slip a couple of times before the duels."

"Nah, we checked the all the rides and attractions," S-Hero duelist replied, "Turns out they were in the Kaiba Dome, of all places."

"For dueling, that should've really taken you four a matter of minutes," Solomon figured.

Claudio and Masaki sighed, "Yeah..."

"Hey guys, look who we found!"

Everyone then turned to the gates to see Jaden and Aster. And right behind them was Syrus, Hassleberry, Allyson and Vincent!

"Finally, they're back," Alexis exclaimed.

"And they brought back the rest of the gang, too," Allen added.

"Sorry, we're late," Jaden said, catching his breath, "We got caught up in a duel in a virtual world."

"Yeah, and that Sarina girl turned us into different monsters," Vincent added, "Though, my form in there was pretty cool!"

"And being a dinosaur was actually nice," Hassleberry stated.

"There's nothing cool about being a car," Syrus snapped.

"I really can't say something about mine," Allyson pondered to herself, "All I had was a change of clothes and my legs were gone."

Everyone except Jaden and Aster looked four former captives with confused looks on their faces.

"Exactly... what happened in there," Lyra asked.

"Long story," Aster stated.

"Yeah, we really need to get back to the docks..." Jaden added, "We have to go back to Duel Academy today."

"Then we also got to get back to Melody and the others at the apartments," Claudio said.

"No need," Alexis said, holding up her duel pilot, "Everyone else is already there... Melody sent me a message earlier."

"Cool," Jaden replied and pulled something out of his blazer, "Oh yeah, Claudio... we also ran into the Light Brigade back there and one of them told me to give you this."

Claudio took the item from Jaden. It was a rap genre CD with a note on the front of it. He picked it up, unfolded it to read:

'Claudio, next time we duel for real... Believe that!'

-T-Bone

"What does it say," the E-Hero duelist asked.

Claudio pocketed the note and CD and smiled, "Got myself an overseas rival."

"T-Bone, right," Alexis asked, and the Ra nodded, "At least he's not being controlled... and by the way," the Obelisk girl added with a smirk, "You're in deep trouble for leaving her back at the apartments."

Everyone started to laugh as the J-Hero duelist put on a horrified look and blushed.

 _'I'm so dead...'_

* * *

Later on, every student of Duel Academy rode their respective buses back to the docks. And in the white one, sitting in the very back was Sartorius trying to get in mental contact with his sisters.

 _'Strange, I thought Sarina, Makoto or even Hanabi would contact me by now...' He thought. 'I need to know the identity of the Chosen Duelists!'_

Suddenly, a red bus passed by his line of vision outside the window, indicating the Slifer Bus. And inside it... was Jaden! He was talking with his friends!

Then, it passed on ahead for a yellow bus to emerge. And inside it... was Claudio being scolded by Melody.

Seeing both of them put an evil smile to the Arcana Force Duelist's face...

 _'So it's Jaden and Claudio...' He thought happily, 'I just need to...'_

He gasped when a truck passed by carrying a trailer... And inside it was Aster and Masaki talking to each other!

"Aster and Masaki survived, too," He whispered, "That means... they all have the power I need..."

Suddenly, a vindictive white aura surrounded him as he laughed manically, causing the windows of the bus to crack and scaring the other members.

"Gentlemen, ladies..." He responded to his underlings, "The time has come... the future is in our fingertips! Only four obstacles stand in our way!"

* * *

That cannot be good! Looks like the SOL's was just getting started!

Silver Spirit – Ukyo

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

Level 4

800/600

When this card is Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Silver Spirit – Sakyo" from your Graveyard.

Sliver Spirit – Sayko

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

Level 4

600/800

When this card is Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Silver Spirit - Ukyo" from your Graveyard.

Magic Mirror Spirit – Asogi

LIGHT

Fiend/Effect

Level 6

1500/2500

When this card is Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Magic Mirror Spirit - Nayuta" from your Graveyard.

Magic Mirror Spirit – Nayuta

LIGHT

Fiend/Effect

Level 6

2600/1400

When this card is Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Magic Mirror Spirit - Asogi" from your Graveyard.

God of Darkness – Dark God

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 10

3000/1000

This card cannot be destroyed by battle. This card cannot attack your opponent directly. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict 700 points damage to your opponent.

Mirror Bind

Normal Trap

Image: Ukyo and Sakyo emerging and hiding behind mirrors.

Activate only if you control a face-up "Silver Spirit - Ukyo" and "Silver Spirit - Sakyo" when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Destroy the attacking monster, then destroy all monsters your opponent controls with a lower ATK than the destroyed monster's.

Mirror Call

Normal Spell

Image: Ukyo and Sakyo emerging from a white portal in the ground.

Activate only while you control one face-up "Silver Spirit - Ukyo" and "Silver Spirit - Sakyo". Add 1 Trap Card from your Graveyard to your hand.

Sliver Spirit Redirection

Counter Trap

Image: A grey ghost in the fog reflecting two light blasts away from itself

Negate the effect of an opponent's Effect Monster that targets 1 monster you control, and remove from play that Effect Monster.

Full Moon Mirror

Field Spell

Image: A specter in a black shroud holding up a mirror in front of a metal-looking tree.

Each time a monster on the field is destroyed, place 1 "Full Moon Counter" on this card (max. 10). If there are 10 "Full Moon Counters" on this card, you can send it to the Graveyard to activate 1 "Infinite Fiend Summoning Mirrors" from your hand or Deck.

Infinite Fiend Summoning Mirrors

Field Spell

Image: Four specters in black shrouds reflecting mirrors at the God of Darkness

While a player controls a face-up "God of Darkness - Dark God", they must Special Summon as many "Dark Creator Tokens" as possible that have the same original Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, DEF and effects as that monster. If there is no face-up "God of Darkness - Dark God" on the field, destroy all "Dark Creator Tokens" on the field.

Mirror Route

Normal Spell

Image: Swordsman of Landstar being powered up by numerous mirrors behind it.

Select 1 face-up monster you control with 1000 or less ATK. That monster can attack your opponent directly this turn.

Buried Soul Talisman

Normal Trap

Image: The 13th Grave being burned by a talisman patched to its head

Activate only during the turn 2 monsters you control were destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. Destroy the monster(s) that attacked and destroyed those monsters by battle. Then, Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher monster from your hand.

Return Talisman

Continuous Trap

Image: Two seals of symbols intertwining.

During the End Phase of your opponent's turn, if he/she didn't Normal Summon, Flip Summon or Special Summon at least 1 monster, Special Summon 1 "Return Token" (Fairy-Type/DARK/Level 2/ATK 1000/DEF 1000) on your opponent's side of the field in Defense Position.

Mirror Trap

Normal Trap

Image: A timid frog in fear of its own reflections in the mirrors around and under it.

Activate only during the turn your Tag-Team partner activated a Normal Trap Card, and that card was sent to the Graveyard after it resolved. Activate that card (immediately)

Soul Mirror

Normal Trap

Image: A hand mirror in a dark aura and a dark spirit inside it.

Send 1 card you control to the Graveyard. Select and Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard.

(The above cards were used by Sarina in the two part GX episode: Mirror, Mirror. All rights go the creators of those episodes.)

Mirror Labyrinth

Field Spell

Image: A Slifer Red duelist inside a mirror funhouse with images of the Big Eye inside the mirrors.

While there isn't a Level 5 or higher monster face-up on the field, and the only monster you control is a Level 4 or lower monster, that monster can attack twice during each Battle Phase.

(This card was used by Misty Tredwell in the two-part 5D's episode Truth and Consequences. All rights go to the creators.)

Nightmare Mirror

Normal Trap

Image: A black mirror with an image of a Dark Elf in the reflection.

Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Negate the attack, and inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. Then, discard 1 card.

(This card was used by Yami Marik in the second series anime episode the Darkness Returns. All rights go to the creators.)

Messenger Spirit – Asuka

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 4

200/800

When this card is Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Messenger Spirit – Kocho" from your Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, "Silver Spirit" Monsters gain 400 ATK.

Messenger Spirit – Kocho

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 4

800/200

When this card is Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Messenger Spirit – Asuka" from your Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, "Magic Mirror Spirit" Monsters gain 400 ATK.

Dead Soul Collector – Shinidamachu

LIGHT

Level 6

Fiend/Effect

?/?

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be special summoned via its own effect. When you are about to take damage from a direct attack, while you have no Monsters on the field, you can cut the damage in half and then Special Summon this card onto your opponent's side of the field. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the damage you have just taken.

(The three preceding cards are my own creation and creative credit goes to me. However, I don't own the characters inspired, and their rights go to the creator of Inuyasha.)

Broken Talisman Seal

Normal Spell

Image: Asogi and Nayuta breaking the seals of talismans that were placed on an ancient house.

Activate this card from your hand when you take a direct attack and Magic Mirror Spirit – Nayuta and Magic Mirror Spirit – Asogi are both in the graveyard. Activate one trap card from your hand.

(This card is my own creation and creative credit goes to me.)

Next time: While everyone who went to the field trip had their problems, the students left behind at Duel Academy were facing theirs. Shion will finally get a taste what's been happening as she faces one of the SOL girls.


	42. The Infestation Returns

Alright, here's a chapter made for my OC Shion, and you'll get to see the deck she wields. Big thanks to BringerOfPeace2 for the addition of his monsters to this special deck. This one's for you, dude!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 42: The Infestation Returns

* * *

At the Girls' White Dorm, in a certain room, a figure's silhouette rose up from the bed. The shadow stretched out and sighed.

"That was a good rest," She said as she stepped out of the bed, "I wonder how long it has been?"

The girl then straightened her blouse and skirt as she walked towards the full body mirror in front of her. But when her vision cleared enough to get a good look at herself...

"Hehehehehe..."

For some reason she started laughing...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, Shion woke up from her nap as she heard a loud laugh. Somehow she felt a shiver going down her spine...

"Brrrr..." She went as she hugged herself, "What was that sudden chill all about? It's not even cold in or outside the dorm."

She then got out of bed and walked towards the window, facing the Girls' White Dorm.

 _'I was lucky to leave when I did,' She thought, 'I would've been a brainwashed White fanatic myself. And from what I heard from Jasmine and Mindy, Juli's the one that made nearly the entire Obelisk girl students that way. So I'm super lucky, I left her when I did. Still... I wonder what happened to Jason, I haven't seen him since... shunning him away without a word...'_

Shion sighed, "I'm really sorry..."

"Hey Shion, are you awake?"

The door to her room opened up to reveal Jasmine and Mindy coming in.

"Just how long are you going to stay around indoors," Jasmine asked.

"Yeah, it's a sunny day outside," Mindy added, "Perfect for checking out the beach!"

"Sorry girls, just thinking about what's been happening ever since that Society of Light took over the Obelisk Campus," Shion stated, "It's been pretty hectic."

"I'll admit that," Jasmine said, "But we can't let that stop us from having fun while there's still time!"

"Since most of the class AND the Society are gone away for the field trip, we pretty much have the island to ourselves," Mindy cheered.

"And since you're down on your luck, we're going to bring you along," the brown-haired girl stated.

"Um... can I take a rain check," the red-haired girl asked.

Her answer came in the form of Jasmine and Mindy taking her by the arms along with her duel disk and deck inserted and a: "Sorry, but you need R and R!"

Despite Shion's protests, the three Obelisk girls were out of the dorm in a matter of seconds.

* * *

Back at the White Dorm for Girls, several female duelists of the SOL that stayed behind were inside a conference room, sitting at a large, white table. Among these girls were Missy, the insect duelist that faced Syrus for his promotion duel and Ripley, the cosmic duelist that faced Jeremy in his promotion duel.

"So that's how it is, ladies. Since Sartorius isn't here right now to lead us in our endeavors, I'll be filling in until he returns," Said the girl who woke up from her slumber.

"This is why you called this meeting," Ripley asked, "Why haven't we heard from the Master or any of his superiors when they left for Domino City?"

"I agree," Missy added, "And what's up with you? You wake up after getting knocked down by Alexis and then come out with that stupid look? A little crazy if you ask me... Juli…"

Sitting across from the insect duelist, was indeed Juli. She had recovered from her devastating shock of White Veil's effect when Alexis destroy the monster equipped with it. But it had a surprising side-effect on the ritual duelist...

Her hair was now out of her ox horns style and currently wild-looking with some the strands standing on end. To top that off, it was now the color white as well as her face!

With a wicked grin on her face, Juli said, "Let's just say that loss I suffered made me into a better person for the Light. It tells me I can be a leader and a great power for it."

The Insect duelist stood up and glared right into the ritual duelist's eyes, "What if we don't believe you?"

Juli sighed and just stood up and walked towards her and just said. "Well, I don't want to start a battle within the group and we're both better ladies than that. So, let's just shake on it and get it out the way," and to prove her point, she held out her hand and offered it to Missy.

"Really," the Insect duelist asked, not really sure about it.

"Yes, really," the ritual duelist nodded.

Seeing no act of a trick, Missy slowly raised her hand and shook Juli's. She soon found herself stunned as something in both girls' hands started to flow into her. The girls around the table gasped seeing the event unfold and Juli started to revel in it.

"Ooh, I got a fresh one here," She stated and laughed as she continued to work whatever she was doing to Missy on her, "I love this new side of myself!"

Soon, Missy's hair started to turn stark white before everyone's eyes and even the iris turned white as well. Seeing this, Juli let go of her hand and raised it to show a White Veil card, slightly torn inside the palm.

"Missy..." One of the other girls at the table asked, "Are you... feeling okay...?"

"Oh she's fine," Juli answered, patting the insect duelist's shoulder, "She's just now realized that I am right for the job as acting leader. And she'll go out and fulfill her first mission: bringing that little mouse, Shion to me!"

"Right away," Missy monotonously replied, walking out of the room and dorm without batting an eye.

The ritual duelist then turned to the rest of the group, "Any other takers," She asked.

The girls were silently in shock.

"Good, now here's another thing I want done..."

* * *

At the beach, the three Obelisk girls were at the shack talking amongst each other and staring at the crashing waves.

"You know, it would be really great if we learned how to surf," Mindy smiled.

"Atticus could teach us," Jasmine said dreamily, thinking about the elder of the Rhodes siblings.

"Isn't he here, like the rest of us," Shion asked, "Maybe he could teach you now..."

"Ooh, that's perfect," the black-haired girl exclaimed.

"But where is he," the brown-haired girl wondered, "I'd figure he'd be here of all places."

"Well until he gets here, I'll just go look around and..."

"Oh no, you don't," the two girls shouted, interrupting Shion, "You're spending the day with us! Aside from classes, you've been holed up by yourself. It's time you had some fun with us!"

"But..."

"But nothing!"

The blue-haired girl sighed, "I'm not going to run away."

"Maybe you should," a familiar, haughty voice said, "From what I hear, it's the only reason you got away from the Obelisk Dorms when they transformed!"

The girls turned in the direction of the voice and gasped at the sight.

"Missy," Jasmine and Mindy shouted.

"That's Missy," Shion asked, "Wasn't she the one that Syrus beat to get into Ra Yellow?"

"Oh, I'm not that loser anymore," the Insect duelist stated with a weird tone in her voice.

"We can tell because of your hair-dye," Mindy scoffed, "This whole White dorm thing is really messing with your looks."

"My fashion is nothing to worry about, I'll soon deliver you all into the Light..." the SOL duelist explained and then pointed a finger at Shion, "but I have plans for little miss mouse, first..."

"Wha... me," the red-haired girl gasped, "What for?"

"Let's just say, someone wants a word with you..." Missy said as her duel disk activated, "So just come quietly and I won't have to force the Light on you."

"I don't think you should duel her," Jasmine protested to her fellow Obelisk, "Missy looks really crazy right now... maybe even crazier than Chazz was!"

"Maybe, but there isn't many of the SOL duelists here," Shion claimed as she took her duel disk out and shuffled her deck, "Plus, I could find out what they are planning by going through this duel."

"Wait a second!"

Just then, Atticus ran out to the scene dressed in his surfing bodysuit and carrying his surfboard.

"Do not go through this duel," He warned the girls, "I was just on my way here and I saw Missy taking out a Ra who was left behind and completely knocked him out!"

The girls gasped.

"I should have done something more to you, Atticus," the Insect duelist declared, "Maybe knocking out with the duel disk wasn't the best idea, but at least I got here before you did."

"And why did it matter," the Obelisk boy asked.

"This..."

With a flick of Missy's wrist, shackles of light appeared out of thin air and chained Jasmine, Mindy and Atticus to the ground.

"Hey, what is this," Jasmine shouted.

"Just to make sure you don't miss out on your destiny," Missy smiled, "The only way to get free is if Shion duels me and wins."

"Like I said, I'm going to," Shion snapped, "There was no need for locking them up!"

"Oh there's so much more... just wait and see..."

Both duelists drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!"

Shion: 8000

Missy: 8000

"I can't wait to take you down, so I'll make the first move," Missy smirked as she drew, "I summon Flying Kamakiri #1!"

As the bug duelist slapped the monster card on her disk, the green bipedal dragonfly that Syrus faced in his Promotion Duel flew on to the field. (4/1400/800)

Then, Missy opened up her field spell slot and inserted her next card inside, "Next, I'll activate the field spell card, Mantis Egg!"

A sickly sight greeted the Obelisk girls as a large, sticky thread formed behind the SOL duelist and created a large, insect cocoon.

"Ew," Jasmine and Mindy shrieked.

"Man, I'm going to be sick..." Atticus grumbled as he held his closed mouth, trying not to throw up.

Shion groaned in disgust.

"Fine, don't appreciated what my new insects have to offer," Missy snapped, "But let's see what you got, little mouse."

"Oh...," Shion gasped as she drew, "Let's see... I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn," She declared as a set monster appeared on the field.

"That's it," Mindy wondered, "I'd figure she'd actually have something."

"It depends on her strategy," Atticus added.

"Afraid of me already hun," Missy chuckled as she drew her next card, "Now thanks to my field spell, I can summon a Mantis Token to the field!"

A small hole tore from the inside of the cocoon. Crawling out of it, a small praying mantis emerged and walked next to the kamakiri. (2/500/500)

"Next, I'll use the spell card, Multiplication of Ants," the insect duelist continued as she inserted her next spell card, "I'll sacrifice my Mantis Token in order to place two Army Ant Tokens on the field in defense mode!"

The baby mantis vanished and in its place, two, giant ants emerged, turning on their sides. (4/500/1200) x2

"And if you think I'm done, I'll use another spell card, Insect Imitation," She stated, as a spell card image of a nest of green eggs hatching appeared.

"I see it," Shion stated, "Your Ant Tokens cannot be sacrificed normally, and so you're using a spell card as a loophole."

"Smart aren't you," Missy smirked as one of her Ant Tokens shattered, "And I get to summon an Insect that's one level higher than the tribute monster. And I'll pick my Ultimate Insect LV 5!"

Emerging onto the field, the large, metal-armored flea appeared and stomped its blade-like legs into the ground and screeched. (5/2300/900)

"Uh oh," Jasmine gasped.

"Now Flying Kamakiri, attack her facedown monster with Rapid Wing Slash," Missy commanded as her flying insect took the skies and beat its wings to create a sliver air slash, cutting apart Shion's facedown monster. It was a black furball with blue claw-tipped hands and small, beady green eyes. (2/550/400)

"That was an outdated monster," Jasmine realized, "We're so doomed..."

"And let the fun continue with my Ultimate Insect," The insect duelist shouted, "Stomp her life points into the ground!"

"I discard Kuriboh to negate the damage," Shion shouted as she discarded her monster.

Everyone gasped as a wall of brown furred, green-tipped and purple-eyed fiends appeared in front of the Obelisk girl, taking the stabbing hit for her.

"A Kuriboh," Missy growled, "You're using a Kuriboh?"

"Yeah, I like them," Shion replied sincerely, "Plus, they are cute."

"You don't think her deck is full of them," Atticus wondered.

"Maybe," Mindy replied, "But there's not much, even for three copies of each!"

The insect duelist laughed, "This is priceless! It'll be easy to send you into the Light! Though, I don't know why it would want you, but it's not my place. Go ahead and take your turn!"

"Thank you," Shion said as she drew her next card, "First, I'll use the spell card Instant Fusion and pay 1000 life points!"

Shion: 7000

Missy: 8000

Suddenly, the shackled Obelisks felt something creeping up their legs. When they looked down...

"Oh no, why is my leg turning white," Jasmine gasped.

"Mine too," Mindy shouted in fear.

"What's going on," Atticus demanded to the Insect duelist.

"It's my little game..." Missy smirked, "Every time Shion loses life points, you'll all lose a piece of yourselves to the Light!"

The Obelisks gasped in fear.

"It won't happen because thanks to Instant Fusion, I can summon a Level 5 or below Fusion Monster to the field," Shion continued as she pulled out a purple monster card, "I choose my Flame Swordsman!"

In a burst of flames, a man dressed in a blue, tight garb with a red cape and helmet emerged, holding a giant, red sword. (5/1800/1600)

"You do know, he can't attack right," Missy stated.

"Yes, which is why I'll add the spell card Five Star Twilight," Shion stated, holding up another spell card depicting Kuriboh and four other colored versions of itself riding on multicolored stars, "It sacrifices my Level 5 Swordsman and summons five monster onto my field!"

"Cool, she'll have a set of monsters to combat her insects," Atticus exclaimed.

Flame Swordsman erupted into a pillar of light that split apart into five thinner, multicolored lights.

"Here it comes..." Jasmine said.

"I summon another Kuriboh, along with his four brothers," Shion announced as another brown furball appeared, including a purple one, a blue-green one, a pink one and a white one joining up with him, "These are the five Kuriboh Brothers!"

"Kuri Kuri," The furball monsters shouted. (1/300/200) x5

"Aww," Jasmine and Mindy squealed.

The insect duelist scoffed, "I've seen scarier dust bunnies in a dusty, old room."

"Don't underestimate them, they just might surprise you," Shion stated, "And I'll even show you by activate one of their special abilities. Kuribu, step forward please!"

The white colored Kuriboh flew in front the pack and squeaked cutely.

"With his effect, I can discard one trap card, like my Skill Successor Trap and Kuribu gets to drain 1500 ATK away from your Ultimate Insect!"

The Kuriboh brothers lined up and started rolling in place, as the White Kuriboh swallowed the four in front of him, growing in size and slamming himself into the giant flea. (5/2300-800/900)

"Whoa," the Obelisks gasped.

"Now I activate the Kuriboh Brothers' joint effect," Shion continued as she faced her monsters, "Combine now!"

The brothers nodded as they bounced into the sky, one by one and then hit the ground with Kuriboh landing first, followed by the rest of the brothers and created a giant puff of smoke.

"Meet Kuribabylon!"

The smoke cleared, revealing a larger Kuriboh with a dark blue color and a feral look in its eye, two fangs appearing from its mouth and a black horn grown on its forehead. (5/?/1000)

"Wow, Kuriboh has more abilities in him than I thought," Jasmine said, shocked and impressed at the game play.

"But what's with the undetermined scores," Mindy wondered.

"It's because my big Kuriboh's original ATK comes from the combined original ATK from the brothers," Shion explained, "So with 300 times 5, it now has 1500 ATK!"

The feral Kuriboh snarled at the insects. (5/?-1500/1000)

The Kuriboh duelist, pointed her cards at the weakened flea, "Now Kuribabylon, attack her Ultimate Insect!"

Hearing its mistress' commanded, Kuribabylon lowered its head and charged at the armored flea, driving the horn into it and destroying the insect into pixels.

Shion: 7000

Missy: 7300

"Beaten by a Kuriboh," Missy gasped.

"Don't underestimate them," the Obelisk girl stated, "Next, I can remove Kuribablyon from the game to re-summon the Kuriboh Brothers, who are also removed from the game as well!"

The feral furball glowed in rainbow colors and split back up into the five different-colored Kuribohs. (1/300/200) x5

"I end my turn," She concluded.

"I wonder why Shion didn't leave her Kuribabylon out," Atticus wondered, "Now they're open for an attack by those tokens and the Kamakiri."

"So you are worth something after all," Missy glared as she drew her next card, "Now it's time to lose your defense! With Mantis Egg, I get another token!"

Another baby mantis crawled out of the cocoon and stood next to the other insects. (2/500/500)

"Next, I'll set one monster in defense mode," She continued as a set monster appeared, "And now, Flying Kamakiri #1, attack Kuriboh!"

Once again, the dragonfly monster took flight and prepared to tackle the main furry fiend.

"Kuribi, activate your special ability," Shion called out, "Five-Star Defense!"

The pink Kuriboh took point and created a small star. Seeing this, the other four brothers huddled behind him, giving the star more power. Once the Kamakiri zoomed in, it ran smack into the star shield like a bug smashing into a window and backed off.

"Huh," Missy gasped.

"When one of the Kuriboh Brothers is targeted by an attack, I can have Kuribi bring them together to defend," Shion explained as the Kuriboh Brothers celebrated their successful move.

"These Kuribohs mean business," Mindy exclaimed, "We've seen how Jaden uses his Winged Kuriboh to bring out the level 10 transformations, but never thought they have so many things going for them."

"I'll just get you next time," the Insect duelist snarled.

"Let's see about that," Shion said as she drew and smiled. She turned the card over, showing off an equip card, "Now I activate Unstable Evolution!"

The card image appeared behind the original Kuriboh and everyone watched as it started to morph into different sizes.

"Since I have lower life points than you do, I can change the original ATK of the equipped monster to 2400," the Kuriboh duelist explained as the Kuriboh stopped morphing and became a larger, dark brown colored monster. It still retained the innocent look on its face. (1/300-2400/200)

"Now it has enough ATK to take on Flying Kamakiri," Jasmine stated.

"But instead of attacking with Kuriboh now, I'll merge him and the others into Kuribabylon again," Shion continued as the brothers merged with the larger Kuriboh and resulted into a larger Kuribabylon. (5/?/1000), "And since the original attack points have changed, Kuribabylon gets a new ATK score!"

The Feral Kuriboh's eyes stared down the bugs as a dark blue aura surrounded it. (5/?-3600/1000)

"3600." Missy gasped.

"And all aimed at the Flying Kamakiri! Attack with Horn Strike!"

With its new size, Kuribabylon just had to lower its head down and the horn sliced down dragonfly in half, exploding into pixels.

Shion: 7000

Missy: 5100

"I activate Kamakiri's effect," Missy announced, as a card slipped out of her deck, "I can summon a WIND monster up to 1500 ATK, like my Flying Kamakiri #2!"

Emerging from the field, a brown praying mantis with gossamer wings appeared slashing the air twice with its arms. (4/1500/800)

"I'll end my turn here," Shion concluded.

"Impressive, I can see why you're an Obelisk Blue now," Missy said as she drew, "Now I have more of a reason to make you see the Light!"

"I wonder what she's planning now," Mindy wondered.

"You'll see," the insect duelist boasted, "But first another Mantis Token appears!"

Yet another baby mantis crawled out of the field. (2/500/500)

"Next, I set one card facedown and end my turn," Missy concluded as a facedown card appeared at her feet.

"My turn," Shion declared as she drew. Immediately, she placed one of her cards into her disk, "I set one card facedown and attack your Kamakiri with Kuribabylon!"

As the giant Kuriboh raised its head up high, the SOL duelist grinned and pressed a button on her duel disk, "I activate my trap card, Mimic!"

"Mimic," the Kuriboh duelist gasped as the trap card depicted a small, white butterfly firing a green aura blast at a black-skinned human, causing him to mutate, "That changes the target to another monster in your hand!"

"That's right, so say goodbye to my Kamakiri," the Insect duelist stated as a green aura pulled the brown mantis back into its card, letting her retrieve it and place another card sideways on the disk, "...and meet my Parasite Caterpillar!"

In the mantis' place, a giant, green caterpillar with blue spots on its sides appeared and curled up on the ground. (3/800/800) Shion watched helplessly as Kuribablyon stabbed it down and destroyed it.

"Now its effect activates, I get to equip my monster onto your Kuribabylon," Missy exclaimed as the pixels spread themselves all over the feral furball, encasing it into a cocoon. "And that's just the beginning, in three of your standby phases you can't do anything with it! Plus, it's an Insect Monster through and through!"

"She got totally played on that one," Atticus groaned, "Now her best monster's left useless on the field."

"You mean she can't even sacrifice the cocoon for anything," Jasmine gasped, "That's not right!"

The Kuriboh duelist sighed as she said, "I end my turn..."

"Good," Missy smirked as she drew her next card, "Now I gain another token from my Mantis Egg!"

The fourth baby mantis emerged from the cocoon, standing at attention. (2/500/500)

"Next, I switch my other two Mantis Tokens and Army Ant Token to attack mode," She continued as the other insects stood up straight and faced Shion, "And then, I flip up my facedown monster, Parasitic Tricky!"

A tiny flash appeared on the field, where the card flipped up but no one could see it... (1/?/?)

"Okay... where is it," Mindy wondered.

"Well from the name, it must be a tick," Jasmine replied, "So I guess it's too small to see."

"Oh, you'll see it alright," Missy smirked, "This special monster gains 500 ATK and DEF points for each of the tokens on the field. And if you haven't see what I've been doing, I've got three Mantis Tokens and a Army Ant Token, meaning 2000 ATK and DEF points," She then looked to the spot where her monster card was located, "Grow, my little insect!"

Suddenly, everyone gasped as a giant, white itch mite appeared out of nowhere and revealed itself carrying a bag of small spikes on its back. (1/?-2000/?-2000)

"That's what she summoned," Atticus grimaced, "Yuck!"

"I wouldn't say something bad about someone that's about to attack your little friend directly," Missy stated.

"But how," Shion gasped, "I still have Kuribabylon on the field!"

"But because Kuribabylon's inside a cocoon, you're wide open," the insect duelist sneered, "Now Parasitic Tricky, lead the bugs for a direct attack!"

It was like an infestation the way the insect monster charged at Shion. The Kuriboh duelist was subjected to three slashes from the baby mantis trio, a bite on the leg from the ant and then a tackle from Parasitic Tricky, knocking her down.

Shion: 3000

Missy: 5100

"Shion," the Obelisk gasped. Then they, feared for themselves as that light reached up to their chests.

"Please, don't get up," Missy laughed, "But I'll go ahead and take a little break!"

"With Kuribabylon as a cocoon, Shion needs to summon a monster to bring up some defense," Atticus stated.

"But how she's going to do that when all Kuribohs have only 300 ATK and 200 DEF," Mindy asked, "It's not going to be enough."

"Also, we're even close to becoming more of those SOL fanatics," Jasmine whined.

"My move..." Shion said as she stood up and drew her next card. "I set one monster facedown and call it a turn!"

"Hiding again, I see," Missy grinned as she drew her next card, "And yet, it won't matter, because I know if your monsters are Kuribohs, I'll just use the weaker monsters, I have in order to snuff it out! Army Ant Token, take it down!"

Everyone held their breaths as the ant pounced on the facedown card and shattered. A faint image appeared and showing the familiar kuriboh with wings! (1/300/200)

"Winged Kuriboh," They all shouted, with Missy's voice growling.

"Right," Shion nodded, "Now all battle damage done to me goes to zero for this turn!"

The insect duelist scoffed as she signaled the end of her turn, "Fine, I still have another shot at you!"

"I hope not..." Shion said as she drew, "I play Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!"

The grinning green jar appeared as the Kuriboh duelist drew out two more cards, shattering itself afterwards.

"And to clear any doubts about the rest of the Kuribohs, I have some that don't share the same stats as the originals," Shion declared.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Missy stated.

"Your wish is my command," the Kuriboh duelist as she placed one of the cards drew on the field horizontally, "I summon Winged Kuriboh Archer!"

"Huh!"

A flash of light emerged, bringing out another Winged Kuriboh out on the field, floating on its wings. This time, it carried some ammo with it in the form of a small bow and a quiver of arrows on its back. (4/1400/900)

"Wow, a stronger Kuriboh," Atticus said in awe, "Awesome!"

"Next, I'll equip my Archer with the Kuriboh Soul Shard giving it more ATK and DEF points," Shion continued, inserting another card into her disk. Soon, the Archer wore a necklace with a glowing, green gem around it. (4/1400-1900/900-1400)

"Now, let's do some exterminating," She announced, "First, aim for the Mantis Token, anyone of them!"

The winged creature took an arrow from its quiver, lined it up with its bow, pulled it back and let it loose with a powerful light. The first Mantis Token shrieked as it shattered, causing Ticky to lose some its size and power. (1/2000-1500/2000-1500)

Shion: 3000

Missy: 3700

"Now, since Kuribabylon is counted as a Kuriboh, my Archer gets to attack again," Shion explained, "Go after the Parasitic Ticky!"

Missy gasped as the archer fired another arrow of light, piercing through the mid-section of the mite, shattering it into pixels.

Shion: 3000

Missy: 3300

"And then, I end my turn with a face down card," Shion concluded as the Archer cheered for its victory.

"I can't believe more of these furballs exist," the Insect duelist snarled, "Why!"

"You can thank Maximillion Pegasus for the idea," the Kuriboh duelist stated, "As much as the other Kuribohs have some other cards to help them, I wrote a letter saying that it would be better if the Kuribohs had some ways to defend themselves without sacrificing themselves most of the time," She then looked to the Archer sitting on her shoulder, "So, that's how these little guys were made."

"Still, all I have to do is rid the field of that Archer and I'll run you down," Missy stated as she drew her next card and another Mantis Token emerged from her cocoon (2/500/500), "I now summon Armored Bee to the field," She rejoiced as she immediately played the monster card she had. A giant, sliver armored and winged bee flew out to the field, buzzing around. (4/1600/1200) "Now I can cut the ATK of one of your furballs in half, leaving it weak enough for me to smash it!"

The bee jabbed its stinger into the belly the archer, making it cry out in pain as the poison took control. (4/1900-950/1400)

"That was brutal," Atticus groaned as the girls felt squeamish from it.

"Destroy it!"

The bee tackled its prey shattering it and leaving the shard behind.

Shion: 2350

Missy: 3300

The light gathered up to the Obelisks' necks, but the Kuriboh duelist wasn't going to let that happen...

"You activated my Shard's effect," Shion countered as a card slipped out of her deck, "Now I can summon another Kuriboh monster that's level 4 or below from my deck! I introduce Professor Kuriboh!"

In another flash of light, another brown Kuriboh appeared wearing a white lab coat and holding a beaker full of red liquid. It also had a white hair top and a mustache near where its mouth would be. (3/1200/700)

"And I thought you'd do that," Missy shouted as she inserted another card, "This is why I activate the quick-play spell card, Dispute Over Territory!"

Everyone became puzzled as the SOL duelist's card revealed to showing a white-armored fighter preparing to face-off against Insect Queen and her trio of Bee-List Soldier's.

"What does that card do," Jasmine wondered, "She never had that card in her deck."

"Because little Miss Kuriboh special summoned a monster, I get to sacrifice every Insect monster on the field to summon an ultimate Insect Warrior," Missy grinned as she held up another monster card.

"Let me guess, Insect Princess," Mindy stated, "It's still beatable since Shion doesn't have insects and you don't have anything to make it so!"

"No, what I have in mind will dominate this game," the Insect duelist boasted, "For now I get rid of all my Insects on the field!"

Armored Bee, the Mantis Tokens and Army Ant Token combined together in a giant, bathing light.

"And I summon my Poseidon Giant Beetle!"

The light eradicated and from it, a large, bipedal Rhinoceros Beetle in white armor carrying a large, sliver trident and took flight above the field. (7/2500/2300)

"A white armored monster from a SOL duelist," Jasmine stated, "How typical."

"Excuse me for obeying the orders of an elite member," the SOL duelist stated, "This monster and I, we're destined to help spread the Light amongst the non-believers!"

"Try it now, when Professor Kuriboh drains the ATK and DEF of all your monsters by 200 for each of the Kuriboh monsters in my graveyard," Shion announced as spirits of Kuriboh, Winged Kuriboh and Winged Kuriboh Archer emerged behind the beetle, sapping its energy. (7/2500-1900/2300-1700)

"Doesn't matter, your Kuriboh's about to join them," Missy announced as her beetle moved in for assault, "Poseidon, attack that furball with your Trident Spiral Attack!"

"He's not going anywhere," the Kuriboh duelist stated, revealing both of her facedown cards, one of which showed a trap card of a Kuriboh with a king's crown on its head, erecting a green barrier in front of itself and a Winged Kuriboh, "I activate the trap, Kuri-Barrier and the spell, Emergency Provisions!"

The spell card transformed the trap card into white sparkles.

"First, Emergency Provisions sends my Kuri-Barrier to the grave, giving me 1000 life points," Shion explained as the sparkles healed her points and put the Light holding her fellow Obelisks down to directly under their chests.

Shion: 3350

Missy: 3300

"And then Kuri-Barrier shields my Kuriboh monsters from being destroyed by anything," She continued, "So my Professor stays on the field!"

"And he'll be subjected to the full torment of my Beetle's attack," Missy pointed out, "Since your monster won't be destroyed in battle, he can attack it three times in a row!"

Everyone watched in horror as the beetle's trident smacked the lab coat wearing Kuriboh across the left side...

Shion: 2650

Missy: 3300

...The right side...

Shion: 1950

Missy: 3300

...And then smacked it down to the ground, leaving Professor Kuriboh a bruised mess.

Shion: 1250

Missy: 3300

"Are you okay," Shion cried out to her fallen monster. It floated right back up, but it looked like it was ready to fall again.

"The little guy's not looking so hot," Atticus said feeling worried.

"Hey worry about us," Jasmine and Mindy shouted as the Light now reached under their mouths.

"Aw, did I hurt the little baby," Missy taunted, "Serves you right for keeping such a weak little thing on the field! And I'll continue to keep you out of my hair when I use my Insect Barrier and place two cards facedown to end my turn!"

"She doesn't even have any Insect cards," Jasmine protested.

"But I guess those facedown cards are going to do something about that," Mindy added pointing to the card in question.

"I draw," Shion announced as she drew.

"Now it's been three turns since my caterpillar's effect," Missy interrupted, "Now I can send your Kuribabylon into the grave and summon my Poison Butterfly to your field!"

The cocoon cracked open and brought out a large, brown moth with purple wings fluttering in the sky. (7/2700/2300)

"She gave her a monster that strong," Atticus wondered, "At least I know why Insect Barrier's on the field now. But what's the actual catch?"

"Since a Kuriboh monster been sent to the graveyard, your Beetle gets weaker as well," the Kuriboh duelist announced as the Poseidon Giant Beetle lost more of its power. (7/1900-1700/1700-1500)

"Like your Butterfly can touch me anyway," Missy snapped as she revealed her facedown cards, "And then I'll keep you locked with it as I activate Mask of Restrict and DNA Surgery!"

The Obelisk gasped seeing the familiar, purple bone mask appear. It emitted a large, clear smoke across the field.

"Now, with DNA Surgery I'll choose Insects of course keeping all of your monsters from attacking me," the Insect duelist continued as the Professor Kuriboh grew out antennae on its head and two insect from its body, "There's nothing you can do now."

Looking at the field, Shion noticed something amiss, "That's strange."

"What is," Jasmine asked.

"Missy never had a Mask of Restrict," the Kuriboh duelist pointed out, "There would never be a real reason to use it. And the only person I know who would use it that card is...," That's when it hit her, "Juli!"

"Juli," Jasmine gasped, "I thought she was knocked out since battling Alexis!"

"Sounds like she woke up," Atticus added.

"That's right, one of our top ranking ladies of the Light has finally awakened," Missy rejoiced and laughed, "And guess what Shion, you're on her hit list!"

"You mean she still wants me ever since I left," the Obelisk girl shouted, "Like I told her before, I'm done with her!"

"You'll never be done with her, she says," the SOL duelist stated, "So be good, little girl and come back where you belong!"

"No way," Shion shouted, "I'll end my turn by switching Professor Kuriboh to defense mode. Now go ahead!"

"Time for you to learn the hard way," Missy shouted, "Since you reached your end phase, Poison Butterfly causes its controller to lose 500 life points on the spot!"

The large moth started beating its wings faster, releasing a green powder making Shion cough and cover her mouth.

Shion: 750

Missy: 3300

The light passed over the Obelisks' mouths.

"And let's see what I can do to keep up this pressure," Missy continued as she drew, looked at it and inserted the card into the disk, "And this facedown card will help me do it."

"It won't help you," Shion stated as she drew her card, "I summon my third Kuriboh," she announced as another brown, furry fiend appeared right next to the moth. (1/300/200)

"Now here it comes, Infestation," the Insect duelist announced as her trap card revealed itself from the ground, showing a man being swarmed by cockroaches, "The first thing this card does is drain 100 points from all of our monsters..."

The monsters hardly felt a thing as their power dropped by a low amount. (7/2700-2600/2300), (4/1200-1100/700), (1/300-200/200), (7/1700-1600/1500)

"Next, we lose 100 life points for every monster we own!"

A red aura surrounded both players, hurting the Kuriboh duelist a little more...

Shion: 450

Missy: 3300

"Now, when the end of your turn comes around, the rest of your life points will whittle away," Missy smirked, "Welcome to the Light, everyone! I just need those life points going to zero, taking complete control over your minds!"

"Not quite," Shion said in defiance as she played her the last card from her hand, "I use Mystical Space Typhoon on your Insect Barrier!"

A harsh windstorm blew in and swept up the Insect Barrier card and tore it apart.

"Now she can use her Poison Butterfly and destroy her Beetle," Mindy cheered, fighting the Light.

"One problem," Atticus interrupted, "When Poison Butterfly attacks that beetle, it'll only do 1000 points of damage. Then, Professor Kuriboh and the original Kuriboh will only deal 1300 points of damage."

Jasmine gasped, "That means Missy will only have 1000 life points left."

"Like I said, there's nothing she can do about it," Missy laughed, "Going through my monsters won't do Shion any good, and soon she'll be back where she belongs!"

"Okay, then how about I go over the Beetle and strike you instead," Shion asked.

"Me, with what kind of card," the Insect duelist asked.

"My facedown card, Rainbow Blessing," the Kuriboh duelist shouted as she revealed her next card from the field. It depicted a rainbow reaching the heaven's gates, "I can only activate this when the original Kuriboh is on the field, and lets it create the Rainbow Arch!"

Everyone watched as the monster in question transformed into a rainbow colored one and then flew into the air, leaving a rainbow that extended from in front of Shion's monsters to in front of Missy.

"I fail to see what a rainbow will do," Missy scoffed.

"A little lesson in doubting the Kuribohs, don't," Shion glared, "With a Kuriboh on the field, all of my monsters can strike directly for the rest of the turn! I'll even do it with your own monster, because with Skill Successor in my graveyard, I can remove it from play and give it 800 ATK!"

A crimson aura appeared around the giant moth, bringing its power to new heights. (7/2600-3400/2300)

The SOL duelist gasped, "No way!"

The Obelisk cheered, "All right!"

"Now Poison Butterfly, cross the rainbow path and attack Missy directly!"

Missy shook with fear as the giant moth traveled along the multicolored path and subjected her to a poison powered cloud, suffocating the Insect Duelist cough out her remaining life points.

Shion: 450, Winner

Missy: 0

As the holograms disappeared, Missy collapsed and her hair color returned to her normal magenta color. The Light also disappeared from the Obelisks' bodies and snapped the shackles away.

"Yeah, we're free," Mindy cheered, "I was afraid we'd all be a part of that Light..."

"Me too," Jasmine sighed in relief.

"And we can all chill another day," Atticus grinned, "Thanks to Shion..."

"Missy, are you okay," the Kuriboh duelist said as she tried to shake the fallen duelist awake.

"Shion, are you crazy," Jasmine shouted, "We should leave her, she's still one of those SOL freaks!"

"No," Shion snapped back, "I'm not leaving her around for Juli to come back and get her! If she did this to Missy, then we need to get her away from the Society!"

"But Shion..."

"Fine, don't help me..." the Kuriboh duelist shouted, "Just go ahead and leave!"

"Wait a minute," Atticus said as he stepped up and lifted the fallen Insect duelist in his arms, "You expect to carry her all by yourself?"

Shion smiled, "Thanks Atticus."

"Atticus, are you sure about what you're doing," Jasmine asked.

"Not really, but one less person out of the Society helps us," the Obelisk boy stated, "You girls should help out, too."

Jasmine and Mindy looked to each other for a bit and then turned to back to Atticus and Shion, nodding their consent.

"Thank you," Shion said, "Now let's get her back to the Slifer Dorm."

The girls followed Atticus as he carried the unconscious duelist away from the beach... unaware of the eyes watching them...

"One win won't keep you away from the Light, Shion," Juli said, staring at the four Obelisks, "Just you wait... if all else fails, I'm the one who will take the privilege of sending you there myself..."

* * *

Surprise, surprise on Shion's deck type!

Mantis Egg

Field Spell

Image: A large, insect cocoon with a large gaping hole with a baby mantis crawling out.

Activate only while there is a face-up "Kamakiri" or "Mantis" monster on your side of the field. At each of your Standby Phases, Special Summon 1 "Baby Kamakiri Token" (Insect-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 500/DEF 500) to your side of the field.

(Used by Mendo Cino in Chapter 12 of the R manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Five Star Twlight

Normal Spell

Image: Kuriboh, Kuribi, Kuriba, Kuribe, Kuribu riding on different colored starts through the sky.

Tribute 1 Level 5 monster on your side of the field. Special Summon 1 "Kuriboh", "Kuriba", "Kuribi", "Kuribe" and "Kuribu" from your hand or Deck.

Kuriba (Purple)

DARK

Level 1

300/200

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Five Star Twilight" or "Kuribabylon". This card cannot be tributed except to Summon "Kuribandit". You can discard 1 Trap Card to have 1 face-up monster your opponent controls lose 300 ATK.

Kuribe (Blue-Green)

DARK

Level 1

300/200

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Five Star Twilight" or "Kuribabylon". This card cannot be tributed except to Summon "Kuribandit". You can discard 1 Trap Card to have 1 face-up monster your opponent controls lose 300 ATK.

Kuribi (Pink)

DARK

Level 1

300/200

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Five Star Twilight" or "Kuribabylon". This card cannot be tributed except to Summon "Kuribandit". If a face-up "Kuriba", "Kuribe", "Kuribi", "Kuriboh" or "Kuribu" you control is selected as an attack target, you can negate that attack.

Kuribu (White)

DARK

Level 1

300/200

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Five Star Twilight" or "Kuribabylon". This card cannot be tributed except to Summon "Kuribandit". You can discard 1 Trap Card to have 1 face-up monster your opponent controls lose 1500 ATK until the End Phase.

Kuribabylon

DARK

Level 5

?/1000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. While this card is in your hand, in your Deck, or currently removed from play, you can remove from play 1 "Kuriba", "Kuribe", "Kuribi", "Kuriboh", and "Kuribu" you control to Special Summon this card. If 1 each of "Kuriba", "Kuribe", "Kuribi", "Kuriboh", and "Kuribu" you own are currently removed from play, you can remove from play this face-up card to Special Summon those monsters. This card's ATK is equal to the total original ATK of the face-up removed monsters used in its Special Summon.

(The preceding six cards were first used by Yami Yugi in the second series anime episode trilogy Fate of the Pharaoh. All rights go to the creators of the episodes)

Mimic

Normal Trap

Image: A man's essence being pulled from his body by a small, white butterfly.

Activate only when a face-up Insect-Type monster you control is declared as an attack target. Return the targeted monster to its owner's hand, Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Insect-type monster from your hand, and switch the attack target to that monster.

Infestation

Normal Trap

Image: A man being covered by cockroaches.

All face-up monsters lose 100 ATK. Then, each player takes 100 points of damage for each monster they control.

Parasite Caterpillar

WIND

Insect/Effect

Level 3

800/800

If your opponent's monster battles this card, equip this card as an Equip Card to the attacking monster after Damage calculation. The equipped monster is treated as Insect-Type and it cannot be tributed or attacked. If the equipped monster is the only monster your opponent controls, you can attack your opponent directly. During your opponent's 3rd Standby Phase after this card was equipped to your opponent's monster, destroy the equipped monster and Special Summon 1 "Poison Butterfly" from your Deck to your opponent's side of the field.

Poison Butterfly

WIND

Insect/Effect

Level 7

2700/2300

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Parasite Caterpillar". The controller of this card takes 500 points of damage during each of their End Phases.

(The preceding 4 cards were used by Weevil Underwood in the second series episode trilogy, On the Wrong Track. All rights go the creators of the episodes.)

Dispute Over Territory

Quick-Play Spell

Image: A white-armored fighter preparing to face-off against Insect Queen and her trio of Bee-List Soldiers.

Activate only when your opponent Special Summons a monster. Tribute all monsters you control. Special Summon 1 Insect-Type monster from your hand.

(This card was used by Sect Injuin in the first chapter of the 5D's manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Rainbow Blessing

Normal Spell

Image: A rainbow path leading towards Heaven's gates.

Activate only when you control a face-up "Kuriboh". Monsters you control can attack your opponent directly this turn.

(This card was used by Yugi Moto in the second series episode Isolated in Cyber-Space, Part 3. All rights go the creators of the episode.)

Winged Kuriboh Archer

Light | Level 4 | Fairy/Effect | 1400/900 | If you control another 'Kuriboh' monster when this card destroys one of your opponents monsters by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, this card may attack again.

Kuriboh Soul Shard

Image: A regular Kuriboh holding a sparking gem.

| Equip Spell | You can only equip this to a 'Kuriboh' monster. It gains 500 attack and defense points, and if this card is sent to the Graveyard you can Special Summon a level four or lower 'Kuriboh' monster from your Deck.

Professor Kuriboh

Dark | Level 3 | Fiend/Effect | 1200/700 | As long as this card remains face up on the field decrease the attack and defense points of all your opponent's monster by 200 times the number of 'Kuriboh' monsters in your Graveyard

Kuri-Barrier

Image: Kuriboh King casting a spell and forming a barrier in front of himself and a Winged Kuriboh.

| Trap | Until the End Phase of this turn all 'Kuriboh' monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.

(The preceding four cards were created by BringerofPeace2 for his fanfic, A Black Rose by Any Other Name. All creative rights go to him.

Next Time: The Academy students come back to find a new transfer student greeting them. But is she as she seems... Melody ends up finding out...


	43. Doll of Despairland

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 51: The Doll from Despairland

* * *

After her victory against Missy, Shion stood watch over the unconscious insect duelist and pondered what she heard when Missy was possessed...

(Flashback)

 _"That's right, one of our top ranking ladies of the Light has finally awakened," Missy rejoiced and laughed, "And guess what Shion, you're on her hit list!"_

 _"You mean she still wants me ever since I left," the Obelisk girl shouted, "Like I told her before, I'm done with her!"_

 _"You'll never be done with her, she says," the SOL duelist stated, "So be good, little girl and come back where you belong!"_

(End Flashback)

 _'I can't believe Juli's still out to get me,'_ Shion thought _, 'She even used Missy to try and turn into the Society of Light. I guess even brainwashed, Juli won't stop until all girls are in her command.'_

* * *

At the docks, the boats carrying the students from their field trip returned and disembarked. The Society members immediately returned to their dorm and checked out the status of the ones left behind. Most of the normal Academy students also headed for either the Slifer or Ra dorms. The rest however, just stop to bask in the glory of their return.

Jaden stretched out, breathed in the familiar air and said, "Home sweet home! I don't know about you guys, but I'm psyched to be back!"

"Of course I'm glad to be back," Claudio replied, "We hardly had any time to enjoy the field trip!"

"Considering the favorite part of the trip was being turned into a car, I'll have to agree with you guys," Syrus stated.

"Hey, I loved being that cool dragon," Vincent exclaimed.

"Try carrying an old man on your back," Bastion said.

"Or lugging 18 tons of dino flesh," Hassleberry added.

"The only thing I got to enjoy is hanging with my big brother all day," Melody stated, but then gave an angry glare to Claudio, "Cause someone left me out of the final part..."

The J-Hero duelist groaned, "How many times do I have to tell you, I am sorry!"

"Keep saying it and I'll tell you when it's enough," The Magician duelist huffed as she left towards the Slifer Dorm.

"Aw, come on," Claudio cried as he chased after her, "They were calling me out; I was trying to keep you away from those sisters!"

Everyone chuckled as Alister and Erika left the boat.

"Trouble in Paradise for those two, huh," Alister asked.

"And if I know Claudio, he's got a lot of making up to do," Erika smirked.

"I warned him that Melody would be chewing him out," Alexis stated, shaking her head, "But Claudio had to sneak out."

"Oh well," Allyson shrugged, "They'll get over it and soon Claudio and Melody will be back on good speaking terms."

"Cooo!" Winged Kuriboh appeared by Jaden's side and spoke to him.

"Huh," the E-Hero said, "There's a stranger in our dorm?"

* * *

At the dorm room, everyone that missed out on the field trip was in the cafeteria. It looked the same as the old one, but it was a lot more spacious. Everyone was eating a delicious lunch, never thought possible for the Slifer dorm, new cafeteria or not. A buffet line was spread across the middle tables.

"Right on," Jaden exclaimed, "Look at this spread!"

"Someone truly went out of their way to welcome us back and feed the ones left behind," Alexis stated.

"But who would do all of this," Erika wondered.

"Welcome home, everybody!"

Appearing from behind the kitchen, a young girl with long black hair down her back greeted the returning students. She walked up to them clad in the black Gothic Lolita style, a black dress and dark purple ribbons in her hair. Her blue eyes shined with happiness despite her dark dress.

Allyson, Alexis and Erika looked up at the new face with curiosity. Jaden just looked up at the girl with a puzzled look and asked, "And you are..."

Syrus was immediately smitten with a blush on his face as he walked up saying, "Cute! I'm... WHOA!" He got out before Hassleberry jumped in and pushed him out of the way.

"Howdy, ma'am," the dino duelist exclaimed with a blush of his own.

"You're all so sweet," the new girl said sweetly, "I'm Alice, nice to meet all of you."

"Pleasure to meet you," Hassleberry said, continuing his infatuated greeting, "Sgt. Hassleberry, reporting for duty! I was just escorting these civilians back to their rooms."

"Yeah, in your dreams," Syrus growled.

"Isn't that cute," Allyson teased the military-styled Ra, "He's in love!"

"How cool," Alice said, playing along, "I never met a real Sergeant before!"

Soon after the greetings, Jaden and the gang were seated as they sat down and ate whatever was left of the lunch. Alice soon came back along with them, serving them some fresh tea.

"So, is there any reason why you're serving us tea," Jaden wondered.

"Tea's great," Hassleberry exclaimed much to Alice's amusment, "Who doesn't love tea?"

"Not to be rude or anything," Alexis wondered, "But where did you come from?"

"I'm a... new student," the black-dressed girl replied with a hit of hesitation, "I just transferred in. I knew majority of the students were coming back for a field trip, so I thought why not make a good first impression?"

"Well, it worked," Alister stated as he raised his cup, "Welcome to Duel Academy!"

"Yeah, welcome," Erika added as she took a sip of her tea.

Syrus wondered something as he put his own cup near his mouth, "But still, the only way to transfer is if the Chancellor..."

"Who cares how she got here," the dino duelist interrupted causing the short Ra to spill his tea on his blazer, "All that matters is that she's here!"

"Well, thank you," Alice said as she sat next to Hassleberry, making him ever happier.

"It's official," Allyson stated, "He's gone."

* * *

Later that night, Bastion, Alex, Melody and Lyra walked up to the Slifer cafeteria, greeted by Jaden.

"Glad you guys could come over," the E-Hero duelist said, "What's up?"

"You invited us," Lyra said in her somewhat emotionless tone.

"Yes, so shouldn't you be the one answering that," Bastion asked, moving the conversation along.

"A new student showed up today," Jaden said.

The Infernity duelist sighed and closed her eyes, "This couldn't have waited until class tomorrow? When she would have been introduced to the entire school?"

"Well there's more," Syrus added, "She actually cooked for the entire dorm room."

"Whoa, really," Alex gasped.

"Yeah, look."

The three Ras looked behind Jaden and Syrus to see a spread of food, much like the one at lunch. They were amazed at what one person did for people she never knew.

"She made all of that food for you," Melody asked, "Why?"

"I guess she's just being nice," Jaden shrugged.

"If you ask me, she's being nice to some more than others," Syrus grumbled, pointing to Alice who was feeding Hassleberry. When the girl turned to look at the new arrivals, the three Ras gasped, "Something wrong?"

"She looks familiar," Bastion answered.

"Yeah, she seems familiar to me too," Alex stated with a more confused look, "Or at least to someone I know..."

"Just give it up guys," the Vehicroid duelist waved off as he ate some berries, "That line never works with girls."

"Why are you even thinking that," Melody asked him.

Despite the send off, Lyra wasn't convinced and whispered, "Bastion, Alex... let's go. I think you two, need to see something..."

"See what," Alex asked.

Getting the meaning of Lyra's words, Bastion nodded, "Right let's go."

"Hey, what's with leaving me out of the loop..., Hey," Alex shouted as he was then dragged by the other two Ras, out of the cafeteria.

"Since nothing big is going on, I'll just head back to bed," the Magician duelist yawned and left to her room.

Jaden and Syrus had sweatdrops on their heads, seeing that event unfold.

* * *

Later, Lyra, Alex and Bastion were now in Lyra's room of the Slifer Dorm. Moving away from the Ra dorm, when she was helping defend the Slifer Dorm, she decorated her entire room. She had small shelves of books against her right wall, across from her bed with dark sheets and pillows. It had a lack of posters except for one on the inside of her door, showing a dark-skinned duelist with Goblin King, Gaap the Divine Soldier and other fiend monsters. Currently, she logged on to her computer with Alex and Bastion to each side of her.

"So, is anyone going to tell me why we are here," Alex asked, looking at the computer screen.

"This," Lyra responded as the screen came to a certain card of a dark skinned girl with white hair in the image, "Alice in Despairland."

"Weird card," Alex stated, "It's not even showing the stats or effect of this thing."

He was right. Everywhere where a single number, a symbol or words to describe the card's effect was left with either a '?' symbol or saying 'UNKNOWN' on it.

"It is a strange card," Bastion admitted, "But it answers our theory about that girl."

"What do you mean," the Gemini duelist asked.

"Don't you see the resemblance," the Infernity duelist replied.

Alex took a good look at the card and then saw the new girl's image within her, "Yeah, I see it! And you know what, she looked a doll I once saw from years ago," He then gasped, "It belongs to..."

Suddenly everything went, black to the three Ras as they fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

In her room, Melody was sleeping peacefully through the night. But then, Mana the Dark Magician Girl, Melody's duel spirit emerged from her deck with a worried look.

"Melody, wake up," Mana pleaded, "Wake up!"

The magician duelist woke up with a sleepy expression and said, "What? It's the middle of the night..."

"I feel something wrong going on in the forest," the duel spirit replied, "A few of your friends is missing from their rooms!"

"What!?"

* * *

Soon, Melody got dressed and was led by Mana into the forest. Once inside the thick of it, she began calling out to her friends.

"Hello! Is anybody out there," The Magician shouted, "Hey, it's me Melody! Can anyone here me!"

"I knew I felt someone in here," Mana stated, "I can still sense them in the forest."

"How many," Melody asked.

"There are five in here," the Dark Magician Girl replied as she kept looking out. She then gasped when she looked to the right of her and pointed, "And there are some of them right now!"

"What," Melody shouted as she looked where her duel spirit pointed. She gasped as well seeing the unconscious forms of Bastion, Lyra and Alex, lying against a tree, "Bastion, Lyra, Alex... are you all alright!?"

As she shook each of them awake, the three Ras slowly opened their eyes.

"Where am I," Bastion groaned.

"How did we get in the forest," Alex grumbled.

"I found you guys sleeping in the forest," Melody stated, "But why were you out here in the first place?"

"Wish we knew..." Lyra stated, "Alex, Bastion and I recognize that new girl, Alice. But when we researched something about her we found out that she's..." She then clutched her head in pain.

"Then, we all blacked out for some reason," Bastion continued, "We have no idea how we got here."

Suddenly, drops of water filled the air, keeping the Ras on high-alert.

"Wait, how come we're hearing water and there's no rain," Alex wondered, looking around for the source.

"No, it's coming from the lake," Mana pointed out before she vanished. Being the only one that could hear her, Melody turned her direction to the lake and was met with a startling sight...

"Look!"

Everyone turned to see the new girl, Alice approaching them... walking along the surface of the lake.

"Isn't past your bedtime," the gothic new girl asked politely.

"It's her," Bastion, Lyra and Alex shouted.

"Alright, you got some explaining to do," Melody demanded the girl, "Why are you really here?"

Suddenly, Alice closed her eyes and then reopened them to show that they were now pale blue and devoid of any happiness. They were now filled with vindictiveness and dark despair as she shouted, "To Duel you, of course!"

"And this couldn't have waited until morning," the Magician duelist asked.

Then, a figure dropped from behind the tree, revealing to be...

"Hassleberry!" Bastion gasped as he ran over to the military-styled Ra. He was unconscious, but carried that same love-struck look he had when he meeting Alice for the first time.

"Alright, that's it," Alex demanded as Lyra stood up with him, "What did you do to Hassleberry!"

"I lured him out here to bring out all of his friends to challenge," Alice replied with a dark tone in her voice, "I posed as a transfer student in order to plunge other duelists into the darkness! And since I've got a small group now, I'll start with any of you."

"Fine, I'll step up," Melody shouted as she took out her duel disk and deck.

"Then you'll be the first victim I've had in three years," Alice stated, activating her duel disk, "Time to crush the light of hope from all of you! It'll be a duel of despair!"

"Three years ago," Alex gasped, "That's around the time, I was missing along in the Abandoned Dorm!"

"You mean...," Melody paused a minute before activating her duel disk, "Alright, so I'm dealing with another soul-stealing girl! It's time to make this duel into one of hope!"

"GAME ON!"

Both duelists drew their opening hands.

Alice: 8000

Melody: 8000

"Let me make the first move," Alice demanded as she drew, "I summon Alice the Wandering Doll in defense mode!"

Emerging from the card's image, a beautiful doll of a blonde-haired girl wearing a blue and white dress appeared, crossing her arms for defense. (3/300/1000)

"Next, I place two cards facedown and play the Field Spell Cursed Dollhouse!"

After two facedown cards were placed near her feet, the forest transformed into an interior of an empty dollhouse.

"You still play with dolls," Melody asked.

"You can say that," the dark girl responded as she signaled the end of her turn.

"I like magicians myself," the spellcaster duelist stated as she drew her next card, "I summon Illusion Magician!"

In a dark flash, the purple robed Dark Magician look-alike appeared. (4/1100/1900)

"Now attack Alice the Wandering Doll with Illusion Magic," She commanded as her monster pointed her staff, turning the doll card into a photo-negative of itself and shattered it like glass. The problem was, the doll was still there, "What?"

"Sorry, but my dolly can't be destroyed in battle," Alice smirked, "Plus, anyone who attacks her loses 500 life points!"

Melody gasped as a red aura surrounded her, draining her life points...

Alice: 8000

Melody: 7500

"And for her final trick, she wanders over to your side of the field," the possessed duelist stated as her monster vanished from her side to Melody's side.

"What for," the magician duelist asked.

"Because thanks to that effect, Cursed Dollhouse adds a Doll Part monster to the field," the dark girl continued as a card slipped out of her deck and slammed itself on the tray, "I summon Doll Part Blue!"

In an aura of shadow, a creepy porcelain doll's head with long, black hair appeared. (1/0/0)

"Whoa..." Lyra stated, "I never thought I'd see these cards again. Now I know why Alice the Wandering Doll's around."

"What do you mean," Bastion asked.

"There's an old story of a doll maker who created porcelain dolls for his town to enjoy," the teen Goth explained, "Alice was the first, and Eshila was the second. He also created one other doll, but after the body was made, it fell of the worker's shelf and cracked. Sadly, the doll maker threw away the broken doll parts and recreated that in place of the broken one. Little did he know, those doll parts were filled with darkness after being discarded, so they reformed into a strange doll and possessed the already made dolls before vanishing. When the doll maker opened up shop, he saw that one of them was gone... but didn't know that it came to life and started wandering the town, becoming Alice the Wandering Doll."

"So that Alice doll is a possessed doll," Alex wondered.

"That's right," Lyra nodded, "There's also the two other dolls, but let's see this duel out first and I'll point them out."

"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Melody concluded.

"Let's go," Alice shouted as she drew, "First, I place two cards facedown and then activate Card of Demise to draw five cards! But then I lose my hand in five turns!"

As another couple of facedown cards appeared at the dark girl's feet, she drew five more cards to replenish her hand.

"And then I activate one of the facedown cards, Creature Seizure! It forces us to give each other one monster on the field, only I have to give up a normal monster," Alice explained, "So Doll Part Blue, join Melody's side!"

"Alice the Wandering Doll, wander back to Alice's field," Melody called out as both monsters followed their orders and reappeared on the other girl's fields.

"Now, I switch Alice the Wandering Doll to attack mode and again activate another facedown card I just set, Creature Swap," the dark girl continued as Alice stood up, "Like Creature Seizure, I'll give you a monster and you give me one of yours. So Alice, wander back to her field."

"And you can take back your Doll Part Blue," the Magician duelist countered, as both monsters switched again.

"She just activated Cursed Dollhouse again," Bastion looked on.

"Now I can summon Doll Part Red," Alice rejoiced as a pair of porcelain doll legs with red high-heeled shoes appeared. (1/0/0) "Finally, I activate the Spell card, Triangle Power! This card powers up all Level 1 normal monsters by 2000 ATK!"

The Ras gasped as the Doll Parts glowed with firey energy. (1/0-2000/0) x2

"Now attack her Illusion Magician," Alice commanded as Doll Part Red answered the call and flew at the magician, shattering him with a double kick.

Alice: 8000

Melody: 6400

"Now Doll Part Blue, attack Alice the Wandering Doll," She continued as the doll head suddenly bared sharp fangs and bit at the doll's arm, who didn't feel a thing. But a red aura surrounded Melody, chilling her to the bone.

Alice: 8000

Melody: 4700

"But since I attacked Alice the Wandering Doll, I lose 500 life points and gain my dolly back," the dark girl stated as a red aura burned through her points and her doll returned to her side.

Alice: 7500

Melody: 4700

"Now I activate Shock Draw," Melody shouted as her facedown card activated, "Since I lost at least 3000 life points this turn, I can draw three cards," She declared, drawing her cards.

"I end my turn, meaning my Doll Parts have to break due to Triangle Power's side effect," Alice concluded as her doll parts shattered to the ground.

"And it's my turn," the Magician duelist shouted as she drew, "Let's leave the dollhouse, and enter the Magical Citadel of Endymion!"

As the Ra inserted the card in to the field slot, the dollhouse shattered and then replaced by a gigantic, grey castle with dark skies and windows as well as torches with strange energy emitting from them.

"Next, I summon Magical Exemplar in attack mode," She continued as a raven-haired woman in a light green garb appeared with a light smile. (4/1700/1400) "Now attack, Alice the Wandering Doll!"

As the Exemplar chanted an incantation, Alice flipped over one of her cards, "I activate Remove Brainwashing! Since I don't have my dollhouse on the field, I'll keep her my side while you lose the 500 life points that are coming to you!"

Finishing the incantation, Exemplar fired a white beam from her hands and blasting the doll to a sitting position. Red auras then surrounded the girls for both of their damage lost...

Alice: 6100

Melody: 4200

"I then activate the spell card Spell Power Grasp on my Magical Exemplar, giving her a Spell Counter," Melody continued as a blue orb circled around the Exemplar. (ME: 1SPC) "But that reacts to her and my Field Spell, giving Exemplar two more counters and my Citadel one!"

Two more blue orbs circled around the spellcaster (ME: 3SPC) and a blue torch lit up one of the citadel's towers. (MCoE: 1SPC)

"Finally, I get another Spell Power Grasp but I can't activate it until next turn," She concluded as she retrieved another Spell Power Grasp, "And with one more facedown card, I'm set."

"Impressive playing," Bastion said, acknowledging his fellow Ra.

"Now let's see what Alice does to counter it," Lyra added.

"It's my turn," Alice declared as she drew her next card, "I activate Dark Factory of Mass Production, meaning I can grab two Normal Monsters from the graveyard. I choose Doll Part Red and Doll Part Blue!"

The two mentioned cards slipped out of the possessed girl's graveyard, letting her collect it into her hand. (ME: 5SPC), (MCoE: 2SPC)

"Next, I play Desperado Manager," She continued playing a spell showing a large, muscular man in a black jacket marked with a Chinese dragon insignia standing proudly as lightning bolts strike him, while a sneaky-looking agent in black stands beneath him with a sneer, "This lets me draw two new cards..." She drew twice, "But then I have to put three back into the top of my deck." She then placed Doll Part Red and Blue along with another card on top. (ME: 7SPC), (MCoE: 3SPC)

"Okay, what's she getting out of this," Alex wondered, "Drawing cards and placing them back in the deck on top?"

"Listen well," Alice shouted, "I play Enchanting Fitting Room! By paying 800 life points, I pick the top 4 cards from my deck! If any of them are Normal Monsters with levels 3 or below, I can special summon them to the field." (ME: 9SPC), (MCoE: 4SPC)

Alice: 5600

Melody: 4200

"I just got a hunch she put those Doll Parts back," Bastion stated.

"And I did," the dark girl snapped as she held up her the four cards from the top of her deck, "And look, I just got another two Doll Parts I've stored, My Doll Parts Gold and Pink!"

In four dark flashes, the doll head and legs appeared again along with a naked, porcelain doll's body and a pair of porcelain arms as well. (1/0/0) x4

"I knew it," Melody realized, "They come together!"

"Yes, time to build my doll," Alice rejoiced as she held up another spell card, depicting a wooden coffin with a rose laid on it being buried in the earth, "Marionette Burial, it's time! So I sacrifice my four separate Doll Parts... and summon from my deck, Doll Chimera!"

Everyone watched as the four doll parts floated together and then attached themselves in the right places; the arms in the upper sockets of the body, the legs in the lower sockets and the head at the top socket, forming into a frightening, naked female doll with an eerie and empty look in its deep, hollow eyes. It suddenly started to grow until it was ten feet tall and stood on all its limbs like an animal! (5/0/0) (ME: 11SPC), (MCoE: 5SPC)

"Is this what those doll parts in the story formed," Alex asked the teen Goth.

"Exactly," Lyra said, "It possessed Alice the Wandering Doll."

"Okay, zero points," the Magician duelist noted, "What's up?"

"What's up is for every Doll Part in my graveyard, she gains 400 ATK," Alice stated as Doll Chimera's dark aura strengthened. (5/0-1600/0)

"It doesn't hold a candle to my Magical Exemplar," Melody stated.

"Doll Chimera, attack Magical Exemplar," the doll duelist shouted as the monster stared down the spellcaster and bared its fangs.

"Exemplar, counterattack now," the Ra commanded as the monster erected a barrier that burned through the Chimera as soon as it got close enough.

Alice: 5500

Melody: 4200

"Why did she do that," Bastion asked.

"When Doll Chimera goes to the graveyard, it resurrects itself," Lyra stated as the boys and Melody gasped.

"She's right," Alice smirked, "Guess I didn't wipe your memory clean of your search after all," She stated as she held up two more Doll Parts from her deck, "By sending copies of Doll Part Pink and Blue, Doll Chimera comes back even stronger!"

Her statement proved correct as the doll's pixels reformed itself, but with another torso and head added to the monster. (5/1600-2400/0)

"Oh no," Melody said silently.

"Feel my despair," Alice shouted as Doll Chimera grabbed Exemplar with her arms and squeezed the life out of her, making the Magician duelist stare in anger.

Alice: 5500

Melody: 3500

"You'll pay for that," the Ra shouted, "Once a card with any Spell Counters on it is destroyed any counters left behind get added to the field spell!"

Alice watched as Exemplar's counters launched themselves into the towers, lighting up the blue flames. (MCoE: 16SPC)

"Big deal," Alice stated as she played a facedown card, "Take your turn so the torment can continue!"

"If you say so," Melody declared as she drew, "Now meet another Magician, by removing six of the spell counters from my field spell, I can summon the master of this citadel!"

Six counters shot out from the citadel and opened up a portal, letting a magician come out. He wore a long, black robe with arcane symbols covering the shoulders, and a metal ring covered with arcane sigils on his back. He wore a black mask-helmet combination with flared sides that looked like wings, and held a long, metal staff with a crescent moon on the end with a purple orb in the center. (7/2700/1700), (MCoE: 10SPC)

"It's Endymion, the Master Magician," Alex stated and whistled, "That is one bad dude!"

"This will pick up soon," Lyra added with a shadow of a smile on her face.

"Now his effect activates, letting me add a Spell card from my graveyard and back to my hand," Melody stated as she retrieved Spell Power Grasp and immediately played it, "And then I'll play it on the Citadel!"

Another spell counter appeared, lighting a torch and spread itself to another. Melody then collected another Spell Power Grasp from her deck. (MCoE: 12SPC)

"Next, I summon Blast Magician in defense mode," She continued as her as a red cloaked magician appeared, holding his scepter/scythe weapon in front of him to block. (4/1400/1700) "Now Endymion, attack Doll Chimera with Spell of Arcana!"

The Master Magician raised his staff to the sky as a light peered through the clouds and charged him with power. Alice watched as Endymion let loose a white blast that tore the Chimera down for the second time.

Alice: 5200

Melody: 3500

"When will you learn," Alice said as she picked up copies of Doll Part Red and Gold from her deck and slid them in the graveyard, "Every time my Chimera dies, she's resurrected!"

And true to her words, the Chimera returned with two more sets of limbs flailing from the second torso. (5/2400-3200/0)

"I'll just have to keep on take it down until it stays down," Melody stated defiantly, "I activate the effect of Blast Magician! By removing any number of counters, I can destroy a monster that has 700 ATK multiplied by the number of counters removed!"

"And she's got enough to work with," Alex grinned.

"I remove 5 counters from the citadel to destroy Doll Chimera," the Ra girl announced as Blast Magician raised his weapon in the air, gathering the flames from five of the torches into it. (MCoE: 7SPC) It then commanded the flames to surround the Chimera, melting its body into wax.

"Doll Chimera, come back," the doll duelist growled as she send another Doll Part Blue and Pink to the graveyard, reviving the Chimera with another body and head attached. (5/3200-4000/0)

"Here's attempt number 5," Melody announced as she discarded her final Spell Power Grasp, "By discarding one spell card, I can destroy one card on the field! Doll Chimera, see you later!"

Once again, Endymion gathered the power of the moonlight and blasted the Chimera into pixels.

"And Doll Chimera comes back to say, 'hello'," Alice shouted as she discarded Doll Parts Red and Gold, bringing back the Chimera with another two pairs of limbs. (5/4000-4800/0)

"Then, instead of third time's the charm, the sixth is," Melody grinned, "I'll just use Blast Magician's effect again, taking the rest of the citadel's power and destroying your Chimera once and for all!"

The Blast Magician raised his weapon in the air, this time, gathering the flames from the final seven torches into it. (MCoE: 0SPC) The flames went to torch the chimera...

"So sorry, I activate my Class System," Alice grinned as her spell card flipped over, depicting a traveler bowing to a blue robed king with a guard standing by, "Since Blast Magician's level 4 and my Doll Chimera's level 5, my monster can't be destroyed!"

Everyone gasped as the flames were repelled by an unknown force.

"Crud," Alex snapped as he kicked a nearby tree, "Almost had her!"

"Yes, but remember that Chimera's at its limit," Lyra stated, "One more destruction and it'll be gone."

"Don't forget, a spell card was played," Melody pointed out, "Meaning my Citadel gets a counter and even my Blast Magician gets one, too!"

One of the citadel's torches re-lit itself, plus a blue counter circled around the red clad magician. (MCoE: 1SPC), (BM: 1SPC)

"And then, I end my turn with a facedown card," She concluded, "Let see what you've got!"

"It's time for destruction," Alice shouted as she drew, "Chimera, attack her Endymion!"

"And then, I'll block it with this trap card," Melody stated, revealing her facedown card showing Dark Magician creating a purple seal in front of himself, "I use Magician's Selection! This trap not only negates your attack, but it destroys the weakest monster you have on the field!"

"That means Alice the Wandering Doll is destroyed," Alex realized as Endymion erected a sliver rune circle, blocking Doll Chimera's strike and reflecting it back to the Wandering Doll. Alice watched in turmoil as her first doll was destroyed.

"Just one more doll to go and Melody's in the clear," Bastion said.

"You won't escape the despair," Alice shouted as her facedown card flipped over, showing Alice the Wandering Doll staring at a mirror and revealing a sinister-looking woman in the reflection, "Time for you to witness the portal of Despairland's Gateway! Since Alice the Wandering Doll was destroyed by a card effect, I get to sacrifice every other monster on my side of the field and summon yet another monster!"

Lyra gasped, "She's summoning that..."

"What," Bastion and Alex asked.

A card slipped out of Alice's deck and slammed itself on the duel tray. Doll Chimera collapsed into a jumble of doll parts and vanished. Emerging from the pile was Alice the Wandering Doll!

"So you just sacrificed a powerful monster just to bring back the Wandering Doll," Melody shouted.

"Wait for it..." Alice whispered.

Suddenly, Alice looked up at Melody with lifeless eyes and the narrowed them in malice. Then, the blonde, wavy locks of her hair changed to a dead white with a dark, summer hat on her head. Next, her blue dress changed into a lifeless black with a white dress ribbon. Finally, her pale white skin became dark and her eyes became blood red. (?/?/?)

"Lyra, you have any idea what it does next," Alex asked.

"No clue... this is the forbidden card that Bastion and I just researched," the Infernity duelist stated, "The database even says all of its effects and its stats are unknown and undetermined."

The Doll duelist chuckled, "Well, I'll show you why it is forbidden! It will send all of you to the land of despair! It would be no different as the victims of the Abandoned Dorm being sent to the Shadow Realm!"

Melody, Bastion and Alex gasped, "The Abandoned Dorm!"

"What about it," Lyra asked.

"It's where I've been for my initial second year, along with Atticus, Jeremy and Lily," Alex stated, "But there are more of them lost that actually lived in that dorm. So far Lily's the only person that lived there and she survived."

"Well, I can say one of the still lost is an old acquaintance of mine," Alice smirked, "But don't count on getting anything out of me, because my Alice in Despairland will shut you out!"

On impulse, Alice in Despairland took out a dark umbrella, and with overwhelming speed struck Endymion through the stomach and destroyed his body. The Ras gasped.

"How..." Melody gasped, "She doesn't have anything and never shown anything!"

"Now here's the truth of Alice in Despairland," Alice explained, "When she's summoned to the field, a monster in attack mode is automatically destroyed! Then, all of its power is transferred to my evil dolly!"

Hearing this, the dark-skinned doll grew a black aura around itself and powered up. (?-7/?-2700/?-1700)

"It took Endymion's power," Lyra gasped, "Now I remember, the Doll Chimera was so furious in being replaced, its despair flew into its replacement and became Alice in Despairland!"

"Now attack Blast Magician," Alice commanded her evil monster as it used the umbrella and ran through the red magician, "And then it gains its power as well," She continued as the doll from Despairland's aura grew even stronger. (7-11/2700-4100/1700-3400)

"You mean... it absorbs power," the Magician duelist shouted as Blast Magician's spell counter lit the torch of the citadel. (MCoE: 2SPC)

"Yes but lucky for you, no battle damage is dealt to my opponent whenever it destroys monsters," the doll duelist stated, "But when you're out of monsters, that's the only way I can damage you. So, if you don't have monsters on your next turn, it's off to the land of despair for you."

Melody was left shaken now, 'Without any cards in my hand, I have to rely on the luck of the draw...' She then drew her next card and looked at it and sighed, "I summon Defender, the Magical Knight in the defense mode! And when he's summoned, he gains a Spell Counter!"

In a blue flash, a robed knight appeared with his left hand carrying a giant blue shield with a red ruby in the center and a crystal sword in his right hand. The ruby shined with the spell counter inside. (4/1600/2000) (1SPC)

"I end my turn," Melody concluded.

"Alright it's my turn, but Alice in Despairland prevents me from drawing cards," Alice stated, "But that won't be a problem as your knight will be destroyed!"

The monster charged in with her umbrella and prepared to strike.

"I activate Defender's effect, since a spellcaster monster's being attacked, I can remove a Spell counter and prevent his destruction," the magician duelist announced as Defender raised his shield up and blocked Alice's brutal attack, pushing her back to her mistress' field. (DtMN: 0SPC)

"Now, all I have to do is destroy it next turn and I win," the doll duelist declared.

"Then let's see what I can do about it," Melody shouted as she drew her next card, "I activate my spell card, Magician's Archive to move another spell card in my deck to my hand," After she activated her spell, she pulled out a new one from her deck, "I activate my Card of Demise to draw five new cards."

As Melody drew her five cards, the Citadel's torches kept on lighting up. (MCoE: 4SPC)

'Okay, I have to time this right..." the magician duelist thought as she placed a facedown card on the field, "That's my turn."

"I can't draw still," Alice stated, "But since your monster's out of counters, I can destroy it and gain its power!"

Alice in Despairland attacked and struck the spellcaster in the gut... but somehow the doll got repelled!

"But your monster..." the doll duelist gasped.

"...Was protected by the Citadel's spell counters," Melody continued as one of the torches was extinguished. (MCoE: 3SPC), "Not only Defender can use one from his shield, but he can borrow one from the Citadel!"

"...I end my turn," Alice stated, "But when I take away those spell counters, you'll be cast off in your despair!"

"Not until you see what I have planned," Melody declared as she drew, "First, I activate my facedown card, Pitch Black Power Stone. And it gives me a trap card with 3 Spell Counters on the field!"

As the magician duelist revealed her facedown card, the black stone lit up into a triangle with the three spell counters at the endpoints. (PBPS: 3SPC)

"But then, I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy it," She continued as a harsh windstorm shattered the stone and released the counters inside, "And because of that, the Citadel gets those Spell Counters plus the one from playing my spell card!"

Everyone watched as the spell counters flew up to the citadel's torched and ignited into four flames. (MCoE: 7SPC)

"And then, I can remove 6 of those spell counters to revive Endymion from my graveyard," She announced as six of the torches extinguished themselves, leaving one left. (MCoE: 1SPC) But instead of the spell counters emerging into the sky, the ground started to shine like the slivery moon and opened a gateway to bring back the powerful spellcaster from the dead. (7/2700/1700)

Alice chuckled, "Do you want my doll to absorb more power, or have you given up?"

"Just you wait because now, I get another spell card from the graveyard, Spell Power Grasp," Melody stated as she retrieved her spell card from the discard slot, "But then it's going right back to the graveyard, so I can activate Endymion's effect! Take out her Alice in Despairland!"

For the third time, Endymion gathered the moonlight's power and launched it at the dark clad doll, creating a massive explosion.

"Sweet," Alex exclaimed, "Once that doll is gone, Melody can start sending Alice's life points down the drain!"

Once the explosion went away, Alice just gave an evil grin right back and for good reason... Alice in Despairland was still standing with an evil grin of her own!

"Great Scott," Bastion gasped, "That doll should have been destroyed!"

"Unless it can't be destroyed by monster effects," Lyra figured.

"That's exactly right," Alice stated, "My monster will never be destroyed as long as there's despair in the world! So give yourself up!"

"I'm not giving up," Melody declared as her Knight vanished into the winds, "I sacrifice Defender to summon Dark Red Enchanter!"

In veil of red smoke, a spellcaster with a red robe and golden shoulder guards and helmet appeared. And in his hands, was a golden scepter with a red jewel inside. (6/1700/2200)

"And once summoned it gains 2 Spell Counters, granting him 300 extra attack points each!"

Two red orbs entered the jewel, magnifying the Enchanter's power. DRE (2SPCs) (6/1700-2300/2200)

"But now both are going to the grave for me to summon a new spellcaster monster, my Sorcerer of Dark Magic!"

Both magicians evaporated into dark smoke, enveloping Melody's field. Appearing from it, another more powerful magician dressed in robes similar to the Dark Magician, but in all black colors with a cape, armguards and wielded a scepter with a blue orb encased inside it. (9/3200/2800)

"Cool," Lyra smirked.

"I'm with you," Alex grinned.

"But it's still weaker than Doll Chimera," Bastion stated, making the other Ras groan.

"Will it kill ya to show a little optimism," the Gemini duelist said, punching the intellectual duelist in the left shoulder.

"Now I set two cards facedown and end my turn," Melody concluded as two cards appeared at her feet, "If I'm correct, I'll have you and your doll beat next turn!

"Big mistake, leaving your monster in attack mode," Alice rejoiced, "Just like her ability to prevent her demise by monster effects, she can prevent her destruction from spells and trap cards. So you just cost yourself a powerful monster! And once I'm done with her, you're next! Obliterate her, my dark doll!"

Alice in Despairland charged in, ready to strike down with her umbrella spike, cackling all the way.

"Well, since your monster can't be destroyed by effects, I'll try by battle," the magician duelist announced as her facedown card revealed itself, depicting the Sorcerer of Dark Magic pointing his staff at a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, draining its energy with the spirits of Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and Magician's Valkyria, "This is my trap card, Graveyard of the Mages!"

"So...," Alice scoffed.

"So... this trap card drains your monster of 500 ATK for every Spellcaster monster in my graveyard," Melody smirked, "And between you destroying mine and me tributing them, your doll's about to have a serious power loss!"

"Got that right," Alex exclaimed as the spirits of Melody's spellcasters surrounded her and her sorcerer, "There's 6 Spellcasters in there, meaning that doll will lose 3000 ATK!"

Alice gasped as the spellcaster spirits aimed their staffs and wands, firing a collective spell at the charging doll and draining most of its power away. (11/4100-1100/3400)

"Counter attack," Melody called out, "Celestial Magic Blast!"

The sorcerer then pointed his own scepter and clashed with the doll's umbrella, colliding with a dark blast pushing both monsters back. Alice still felt the aftershock of the battle...

Alice: 3100

Melody: 3500

"Aw man, don't tell me that doll can't be destroyed in battle either," Alex growled.

"I won't tell you then," Alice smirked as Alice in Despairland returned to 4100 ATK, "I end my turn. As you can see, my monster's indestructible! No matter what, you cannot destroy it! She will never leave this world until she takes another unfortunate soul into the Despairlands!"

"I should've realized from that legend," Lyra grumbled, ""The one who walks in despair shall never let go until it is conquered. Not by strength, but in...""

"In what," Bastion asked.

"Melody," the Infernity duelist shouted, "You're fighting the wrong Alice!"

The magician duelist turned back to the Ras, "Wrong Alice what are you talking about?"

"Listen, the reason why Alice is so full of despair is she hasn't got over her own grief," the Goth stated, "She needs to depart to the afterlife, but her soul's been locked away! "The one who walks in despair shall never let go until it is conquered. Not by force, but by acceptance!""

"And that means... what," Alex asked.

Melody gasped as she drew her next card. "I think I've just figured it out! Alice, it's time for your soul to be freed!"

Alice gasped, "What are you talking about?"

"My final card," the magician duelist smirked as she turned over a spell card depicting a spirit of a green-haired woman's soul, flying into the afterlife, "I activate Soul Release, allowing me to remove up to five cards in our graveyard. It's a fitting way to help you move on with your rage and despair!"

"Like that'll ever happen," Alice shouted, "I'll never be rid of my despair!"

"Good to know, but you're not the only Alice I'm talking about," Melody said as she pointed to Alice in Despairland, "I mean her, too! When I destroyed Alice the Wandering Doll, she came back looking like your Despairland monster over there... so with Soul Release, if I get rid of Alice the Wandering Doll!"

The doll duelist gasped as her Wandering Doll card slipped out of her graveyard, "But that means..."

Alice in Despairland gasped as all the energy she stole was ripped out of her body and scattered throughout the world. When it was over, the dark doll just fell to the ground, lifeless... like an ordinary doll. (11-3/4100-300/3400-1000)

"Look, it has the same stats as Alice the Wandering Doll," Alex exclaimed.

"Attack the doll of despairland," Melody commanded as her Sorcerer unleashed another Celestial Magic Blast at the lifeless doll, finally obliterating it from the field.

Alice: 200

Melody: 3500

"She defeated the doll," Bastion cheered.

"Finally," Lyra said out of relief, "The Alice in Despairland was overwritten with the grief of Doll Chimera, soon it spread throughout whomever it crossed and was sent to a place called the Despairlands. Now, by defeating it, all Melody has to do is take Alice's points to 0 and she'll open it up."

"This is one heck of a story," Alex admitted, "But you didn't talk about Eshila, where does she come in?"

"I've got a hunch she'll come around..." the Infernity duelist replied.

Suddenly, the cloud's finally lifted away, letting the moon shine its light over the entire field. The others noticed that Alice's demeanor changed again; her eyes returned to her normal happy ones...

"I have a secret to share," Alice immediately said, her voice sounding the same but sincere, "I am not what I seem..."

"Like what," Melody asked.

"I am a doll spirit," the doll duelist admitted, "And those legends Lyra told during our duel, they are all true."

"I knew there had to be some truth in all of this," Lyra stated.

Alice nodded, "Except there was a fourth doll to your story... me..."

Everyone gasped.

"Although the Doll Chimera never possessed me then, the card's re-imagery of her did...," Alice continued, "For generations I was passed down from all the girls in a family, she dueled a person using the same deck I'm using now..."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _The scene changed to the inside of the Obelisk's girl's dormitory room._

 _"From inside a case, I would watch the two of them duel," Alice told, "From the girl who used the doll deck, I felt all the anger around her as she continued to misuse her cards and kept losing. My owner would defeat her every time until..."_

 _"This is not FAIR!" the Obelisk doll duelist exclaimed, "How do I keep losing?"_

 _"It's because you're not thinking clearly," said her opponent, wearing a blue and white coat, similar to Zane's academy blazer, over a black shirt and white miniskirt. Her hair, a metallic pink shade and her deep brown eyes showed intelligence, "Otherwise you could win with your cards._

 _"No, it's because of this stupid Doll Chimera," the Obelisk said as she ripped up the Doll Chimera card and left._

 _"Little did she know, she unleashed a vindictive influence on me," Alice stated, "And for three years, I carried this darkness inside of me..."_

(End Flashback)

"Well, at least I got it out of you right," Melody asked.

"Yes," Alice nodded, "By defeating my Alice in Despairland, you also freed me of Doll Chimera's influence."

"Ah," Bastion gasped, "That's why she sacrificed Doll Chimera for Alice in Despairland's arrival."

"So what now," Lyra asked, "We basically solved how she got this way, is there a reason to win or lose this duel now?"

"I want something," Alex spoke up, "Who was the girl that owned your doll? Melody beats you, you tell me, agreed?"

"I'm in if Alex wants to know about so strongly," Melody said as she turned to Alice, "Are you in?"

Alice nodded, "On with the duel," She said happily as she finally got to draw. She then held up a spell card depicting, an elaborate mirror with dark shadow within the reflection. "I activate Door to Mirrorland! Alice in Despairland counts as Alice the Wandering Doll when in the graveyard, so it can help me summon Eshila the Lovely Bisque Doll!"

Emerging from the moonlight, another doll appeared with long, brown hair under her pink sun hat. She also dressed in a pink dress adorned with red ribbons with a green jewel in the center. The doll smiled happily at Melody. (2/1000/1000)

"Whoa, now this is a major change from your other dolls," Melody stated.

"Here's another one," Alice smiled as her graveyard shined with light, "For every 4 doll part sets in my graveyard, she gains 1000 ATK!"

The graveyard's light reacted to the doll, enveloping it within its power. (2/1000-4000/1000)

"Here it is," Lyra stated, "Eshila was the only doll not be corrupted by Doll Chimera' influence. It was the only doll that could quell the despair of the other dolls."

"Attack Melody's Sorcerer of Dark Magic," the doll duelist commanded as Eshila rushed across the field and struck the sorcerer with her hands, destroying him.

Alice: 200

Melody: 2700

"I end my turn here," Alice concluded, "But it won't be easy to take down 4000 ATK."

"Your previous monster's had over that amount and I beat them. So this is no problem, my move," Melody stated as she drew. She held up a spell showing Dark Magician Girl casting a spell while reading Magic Formula, "I activate Spell Transference! By discarding one spell card, like my final Spell Power Grasp, I can draw two cards!" She said as she discarded her lone card to draw out two cards from her deck. She then held up another spell card showing a strange skeleton with a pentagram, holding a black curtain, "I activate Dark Magic Curtain, I pay half of my life points to summon my Dark Magician to the field!"

Alice: 200

Melody: 1350

The curtain emerged and pulled back to reveal the great magician in all his magic glory. (7/2500/2100)

"And now, my final card, Knight's Title," the magician duelist continued, activating her spell card, "This sends Dark Magician to the grave and summons Dark Magician Knight in his place!"

The magician glowed and then reappeared in a purple suit of armor with a black cape. In addition, the scepter became a sword brimming with magic. (7/2500/2100)

"And when summoned, he can destroy one card on the field, like Eshila!"

Alice gasped as the knight ran into the fray and slashed the doll across her front side and sent her to her grave.

"I lose..." Alice said, closing her eyes.

"And now attack, Alice directly!"

Alice: 0

Melody: 1350, Winner

Suddenly, Alice started to float up into the moonlight and smiled, "Thank you, Melody. You've set my spirit free."

"You're welcome," Melody stated, "Now about that girl who owned your doll?"

"I have a card she used to own," the doll spirit stated, "You'll know the name..."

Finally, the doll's spirit faded away into the night, leaving the lifeless doll to shrink to the size of a normal one, and fall into the soft grass. Along with her, a card slipped out of her dress pocket. Alex ran up to the doll and picked her up along with the card.

"Alright," the Gemini duelist said, "She said if I know the card, I would know the..." He then gasped when saw the card and whispered, "Reyna..."

"Who," Bastion and Lyra asked as they saw Alex being stunned silent, "What's wrong?"

Melody walked over and took the card from Alex and saw the card, "Paradigm Paragon?"

"It's Rayna's card," Alex whispered, "It's the first trace I got from her. There's still a chance for the rest of the people..."

Everyone wondered what he was talking about...

* * *

The next day, Alex set the Alice doll into a case and kept it on his shelf. Right by it, he kept the Paradigm Paragon card, leaning against it.

"After this Society of Light business is over, I'll try to get you back," the Gemini duelist said, "I need to help out in making sure nothing takes over this island first..."

Back in the common room, Melody, Lyra and Bastion gathered up some of their friends and told them about last night's events.

"Doll Spirits, huh," Jaden said, taking a bite out of his breakfast.

"Yeah," Melody nodded, "And apparently, Alex knows someone named 'Reyna' that had a connection with the doll and a card she left behind."

"Currently, Alex hasn't been the same since," Bastion stated.

"You think it's a sister or girlfriend," Claudio wondered.

"Has to be someone close," Lyra replied, "So I guess one of the two... but Hassleberry's another story..."

The dino duelist was lying down on the couch, sulking that a girl he liked wasn't really human...

"Alright, I'll admit it..." He finally shouted, "I fell in love with a doll, and I don't care!"

"How long is he going to stay like that," Alister wondered.

"Let him vent it out," Erika waved off, "It's not every day you lose a loved one..."

* * *

Alright, I got this as good as I got it with help from Digidramon. This is my saying that with the coming of the 4th season, I won't leave any plot holes of the Abandoned Dorm! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Also, for the identity of Rayna, read Digidramon's the L Game on his Author Page.

Doll Part Blue

DARK

Spellcaster

Level 1

0/0

Broken doll head.

Doll Part Gold

DARK

Spellcaster

Level 1

0/0

Broken doll arms.

Doll Part Pink

DARK

Spellcaster

Level 1

0/0

Broken doll body.

Doll Part Red

DARK

Spellcaster

Level 1

0/0

Broken doll legs.

Alice the Wandering Doll

DARK

Spellcaster/Effect

Level 3

300/1000

This card cannot be destroyed by battle. When this card is attacked, inflict 500 points damage to your opponent and control of this card is switched to your opponent at the end of the Damage Step.

Doll Chimera

DARK

Spellcaster/Effect

Level 5

0/0

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned with "Marionette Burial", or with its own effect. This card gains 400 ATK for each "Doll Part" monster in your Graveyard. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can send 2 "Doll Part" monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.

Marionette Burial

Normal Spell Card

Image: A wooden coffin with a rose laid on it being buried in the earth.

Activate only when you control a face-up "Alice the Wandering Doll". Send, from your Field to the Graveyard, 1 each of "Doll Part Blue", "Doll Part Red", "Doll Part Gold", and "Doll Part Pink". Special Summon 1 "Doll Chimera" from your Deck.

Cursed Dollhouse

Normal Spell Card

Image: An old cottage in the forest.

When your opponent takes control of an "Alice the Wandering Doll" you control, you can Special Summon 1 "Doll Part" monster from your Deck.

Door to Mirrorland

Normal Spell Card

Image: Eshila the Lovely Bisque Doll's dark reflection in a dark mirror.

Activate only while "Alice the Wandering Doll" is in your Graveyard. Special Summon 1 "Eshila the Lovely Bisque Doll" from your hand or Deck.

Eshila the Lovely Bisque Doll

Level 2

LIGHT

Spellcaster/Effect

1000/1000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Door to Mirrorland". This card gains 1000 ATK for every 4 Doll Part monsters in your Graveyard with different names.

(The above ten cards were used by Alice in the GX episode 'What a Doll!'. Creative credit for them goes to the writers of GX.)

Desperado Manager

Normal Spell Card

Image: A large, muscular man in a black jacket marked with a Chinese dragon insignia standing proudly as lightning bolts strike him, while a sneaky-looking agent in black stands beneath him with a sneer.

Activate only while you have 1 or more cards in your hand. Draw 2 cards, then return 3 cards from your hand to the top of your Deck.

(Desperado Manager was first used by Chazz in the GX episode 'Head in the Clouds Part 2'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of GX.)

Class System

Quick-Play Spell Card

Image: A traveler bowing to a blue robed king with a guard standing by.

Activate only when your opponent activates the effect of an Effect Monster that either targets and destroys 1 monster you control, or declares an attack. If the Level of that Effect Monster is equal to or less than that of the targeted monster, the targeted monster is not destroyed (damage calculation is ignored.)

(This card was first used by Yami Marik in the second series anime episode 'The Final Face Off Part 4'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of GX.)

Graveyard of the Mages

Normal Trap Card

Image: Sorcerer of Dark Magic channeling the spirits of Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and Magician's Valkyria from their graves.

Activate while you control a face-up level 8 or higher Spellcaster monster. Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Until the End Phase of when this card was activated, the target monster loses 500 ATK for every Spellcaster monster in your graveyard.

Spell Transference

Normal Spell Card

Image: Dark Magician Girl casting a spell in a lantern while reading Magic Formula.

Discard 1 Spell Card from your hand. Draw two cards.

Despairland's Gateway

Normal Trap Card

Image: Alice the Wandering Doll staring at a mirror and seeing Alice in Despairland in the reflection.

Activate only when Alice the Wandering Doll is destroyed by a card effect. Special Summon 1 'Alice in Despairland from your deck.

(The above three cards are my creations and creative credit goes to me.

Alice in Despairland

?

Level ?

?/Effect

?/?

UNKNOWN

(This card's effect appears to those full of despair. This card cannot be destroyed or removed from the game as long as Alice the Wandering Doll is in your graveyard. While this card is on the field, your Draw Phase is skipped. When this card is summoned, destroy 1 face-up ATK monster on your opponent's side of the field and this card gains its level, attribute, type, ATK and DEF. When this card attacks a monster in battle, destroy the card without applying damage calculation and add its level, ATK and DEF to this card's stats. If Alice the Wandering Doll is not in your graveyard, this card's effect is negated and this card's level/ATK/DEF becomes (3/300/1000).)

(This card was viewed during the Japanese version of the GX episode 'What a Doll!' Creative credit goes to the writers of GX. Added effect credit goes to me.)

Next Time: Shion finally wakes Missy up and explains about the SOL. Furious, Sartorius sends for another set of Pro League/SOL members to take them out. Jaden steps in, also Allyson does...


	44. Jaden Meets His Match

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 44: Jaden Meets His Match

* * *

At the White Dorm, Sartorius met up with his elite duelists... particularly with renewed elites...

"It's good to see you've recovered from your little mishap, Miss Juli," the SOL leader greeted as he sat at the table.

"I'm glad to be back, Master," Juli bowed, "Though I think the rest did me some good. That White Veil card actually helped me... find myself..."

"Really," Chazz asked, "So you're saying that it gave you that new look?"

"That and so much more..." the ritual duelist grinned, recalling the test of her newfound power on Missy, "But speaking of that, Missy is now in the possession of those non-believers."

"Most unfortunate," Sartorius stated, "Then I guess we need to compensate for it, by gaining new arrivals to even the odds."

"I am already on that, Master," Jason spoke up, "I called two representatives from the Pro League to come in and deal with our opposition."

"Nice work, as always," the tarot reader said, "And what of Kenji? Why isn't he here?"

That got the Lightsworn duelist angry, "I told him to come, but I guess he had other ideas..."

"Just leave him," Chazz scoffed, "He's been nothing but dead weight since I beat him... as long as he sees the Light, I could care less..."

"I would go greet our new guests, Mr. Hutchins," Sartorius stated, "Kenji will reveal himself to me when the time comes."

"Yes, Master," Jason said as he bowed out.

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm's common room, everyone just sat around doing homework, calibrating their decks and talking amongst themselves... until they all got a rude awakening...

"WHAT!?" Majority of the residents shouted at their messenger.

"I said, Missy is here," Shion replied, a little intimidated by the collective outbursts of her classmates. She then looked towards the door and said, "You can come in now."

The common room door opened up to reveal the insect duelist walking inside, looking fully refreshed from her long nap.

"Missy," Syrus gasped, "What she's doing here?"

"Probably back for revenge with the Light," Hassleberry said as he stood up and strapped on his duel disk, "Well I'm not having it!"

"Hold on, Hassleberry," Spencer interrupted, "I would look more closely at her state of dress. She's not affiliated with the Society of Light anymore."

The Slifer Headmaster was indeed right, Missy wasn't in her SOL clothing and went back into her normal, modified Obelisk attire from when she first faced Syrus.

"Yeah, but it could be Sartorius' next plan," Alexis stated.

Missy scoffed, "Look, I'm not a part of that group anymore. I don't even remember how I joined."

"Just calm down," Claudio said to everyone, "Think about it, the Society wouldn't just send her down to trick us... they would've sent more trustworthy people that we know..."

"He has a point there," Jaden admitted, "The way we were when Syrus dueled her, we backed him up because of his chance for a promotion."

"That is true," Allyson added, "Like we don't talk trash on occasion in duels, though Missy did hit below the belt when comparing him to Zane."

"Alright," the insect duelist said, "I don't have to take this... I may not remember joining up, but I do have something you wanna hear about the Society, and I can take it elsewhere."

"Missy, wait a sec," Jachin said as he ran up to her, "We're sorry, it's just we still have a little bad blood from that one duel."

"Plus, we don't know what when on back here," Jethro added.

"I'll answer that," Shion said, "While most of you went to Domino City, there were also Society members left behind as well."

"We should've known," Lily sighed, "Most of the resistance gone, they try to take out the stragglers."

"Anyway, Missy here came by the beach while I was with Atticus, Jasmine and Mindy, and challenged me to a duel," the Kuriboh duelist told, "In her possessed state; she tried to make us all join up."

"Wait, possessive state," Vincent wondered.

"Oh right, she came to us with her hair and her eyes all white," Shion remembered.

Alexis gasped, "That's just what happened to Lorenzo after Jaden beat him and Jason punished him..."

Shion then gasped in a horrified manner, "Wait, Jason?"

"Oh right," Allen spoke up sadly, "I just found out about this recently, Jason's part of the Society, probably around when Juli harassed him like you told me."

"Oh no..." the Kuriboh duelist whispered.

"There's also this," Missy spoke up, "Juli's awake now."

Everyone gasped.

"But she was knocked out cold," Melody exclaimed, recalling the duel's climax...

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Juli looked confused when her Ritual monster was strapped to a black box with a green core and attached to a green canister fueling the box with green, nitrous liquid._

 _"What's this supposed to do?" The SOL member growled. "It hasn't caused my monster to lose a single point."_

 _"Then, how about I show you how it works," Alexis smirked as Cyber Gymnast turned to her and nodded, which the Obelisk returned. "Attack Norsewemko!"_

 _The cyber girl charged up her laser and aimed it at the core of the Nitro Unit. (4/800-3300/1800) Then, she fired the laser and hit the nitro box dead center, pushing the ritual monster all the way right next to Juli._

 _Juli: 7300_

 _Alexis: 4000_

 _Suddenly, the green canister's gauge was going off the charts when smoke hissed out of it!_

 _"W-What's going on?" Juli stuttered, not liking what was taking place._

 _"The effect of my Nitro Unit, that's what!" Alexis declared with yell. "When a monster's destroyed while equipped with it, you lose life points equal to its original ATK!"_

 _The gauge hit critical mass until..._

 _*BOOM!*_

 _Norsewemko was lost in an explosion of fire and light, forcing Juli to the ground._

 _Juli: 4600_

 _Alexis: 4000_

 _"Alright, Lex!" Jaden cheered._

 _"Yeah, that's showing her!" Claudio added as he high-fived the Slifer._

 _"So what!" Juli yelled, "I'm not... huh?" She was then interrupted by a light energy circle that formed around her. "What else are you doing?" She barked at the Obelisk._

 _"I'm not doing anything..." Alexis muttered, not knowing what that light was about now._

 _Suddenly, the circle erupted into a large pillar of light!_

 _"AAAAHHHH!" the SOL member screamed at the top of her lungs. It horrified everyone on the spot, even when it stopped and caused Juli to fall to the floor, passed out._

 _Juli: 1900_

 _Alexis: 4000_

 _"What just happened?" Melody asked, still horrified at the effect that happened._

 _"She lost another 2700 life points!" Hassleberry stated, reviewing the scores. "But how?"_

 _Everyone then saw Juli and gasped at what they saw. The ritual duelist was lying on her right side with her body twitching from the shock._

 _"Chazz! Kenji!" Jason shouted._

 _The boys nodded as they ran up to the field, with the ninja duelist taking the girl's shaking right hand and placing over the deck holder._

 _"This duel is over," Kenji stated with a glare._

 _"What?" Alexis asked, getting out of her shock._

 _All the holograms started to disappear when the converted ninja duelist removed the duel disk from Juli's arm._

(End Flashback)

* * *

"I'll never be able to get that image outta my head," Claudio said.

"Me neither," Alexis added.

"Somehow, the light from White Veil had a powerful side-effect on her," Missy stated and then stared at her right hand, the same hand she shook Juli's hand with it, "Plus, she discovered how to use it in another way... which is how I looked the way Shion described."

Alex groaned, "As if we didn't have enough to worry about. Now this card can turn someone looking like a psycho?"

"I concur," Bastion added, "If she tells Sartorius about this, we might end up facing a group of super-powered Society duelists."

"She could, but if they lose, there's a chance they can be freed," The insect duelist stated, "It gives out a lot, but it all leaves if you're the loser."

Alister smiled, "So there's hope after all."

"Let's just hope it doesn't run out," Erika added.

*BEEP!**BEEP!*

Suddenly, Alexis' Duel Pilot went off. She sighed as she took it out of her skirt pocket and answered it without looking first...

"It's probably Mindy, looking for her hair comb..." the Cyber Girl duelist stated.

[No, I just wash my hair...}

Alexis gasped as she looked at the screen and saw a familiar face grinning at her...

[Hi, 'Lex...]

"Kenji!"

Everyone immediately crowded around and behind Alexis and saw that it was the converted ninja duelist.

[Hey, the gang's all here!] Kenji smirked, [At least... what's soon to be a part of the Light...]

"What do you want, Kenji," Claudio demanded.

[Do I sense hostility from you, old friend?] The Ninja duelist asked, [I thought you wanted me away from Sartorius and here I am...]

"Just tell us why you are calling," Jethro asked.

[Oh, I would just like you to know what Jason's planning for all of you...] Kenji stated, [He really plans to rack up the pressure on Jaden and Claudio, even got himself a Pro tag-team to deal with you two.]

"Wait, why are you helping us," Jaden wondered, "Aren't you against us?"

The SOL member chuckled [Maybe, but I like to see both sides having a plan before I see event unfold, wouldn't you all agree?]

"And what's in it for you," Alister asked, "I don't think you'd offer this up without a price..."

[Just show up and watch the fun unfold, Alister.] Kenji stated ominously, [Even against the wind...]

Then the transmission cut off...

"He didn't give us anything," Jaden whined.

"He said a tag-team would deal with you and Claudio," Lyra said, with her eyes closed, "So, I'd be preparing, you two"

Claudio shrugged, "No problem, we'll beat whoever it is! Jaden and I got the ultimate SOL destroyers in our decks!"

"Wait a minute," Melody interrupted, "What if this is what Sartorius wants? He'll have something to beat both of those decks."

"It's possible," Jachin nodded, "So, we don't think we should have the two of you duel together."

"Come on, we can take 'em," the E-Hero duelist protested, "And these are Pros! I haven't dueled one since Aster!"

Alexis sighed, "Jaden, you're hopeless..."

"But still, we should make a tag-team," Allyson stated, "If you guys don't want Jaden to duel, let me tag with someone and beat them! After Domino City, it really got me fired up... even thought I got kidnapped after a win..."

"Then, I'd say Jaden and Allyson," Alister spoke up, "If either Jaden or Claudio duels, pair them off with someone they won't expect with them."

The two mentioned spoke up and said, "Huh?"

"I agree," Erika smiled, "Both of them won't listen to reason, they're too ethusiatic about dueling, they'd be the perfect tag team!"

Spencer snapped his fingers, "I figured out Kenji's riddle, "Against the Wind!""

"What do you mean, Professor," Bastion asked.

"There's only one Pro League tag team that goes by using a WIND attribute deck," the Slifer Headmaster stated, "Razor the Bird and Edge the Dragon."

"Oh, those two," Alister and Erika groaned, "Why?"

"What's wrong with those two," Jeremy asked.

"They annoyed us during first match as a tag-team," the Maverick duelist stated, "So much, that we shut them out with an Eatos overkill."

"I could tell even Eatos wanted to shut them up," the Guardian duelist added, "So, I'll suggest that Jaden and Allyson get a move on each others' decks."

"Oh right," Allyson nodded. She then thought, 'Finally, I get to tag duel with Jaden!'

"Hey Allyson," Jaden said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "Let's get to work on our decks."

"Right," the Spirit duelist replied as she followed Jaden out of the common room.

Alister and Erika looked to each other and smirked.

"You thinking what I'm thinking," Alister wondered.

"You know it," Erika replied, "I've seen the way Allyson looks at Jaden... plus, she told me how heroic he looked after saving her in the virtual world..."

"... Jaden needs to acknowledge he has a sweetheart after him," the Guardian duelist said, "Especially how she goes about dueling the way Jaden does..."

"What are you two talking about," Spencer asked.

The engaged couple smiled and said nothing.

* * *

At the main arena, the Society already took over one-half of the section, and were now awaiting the arrival of their opponents...

On the other side, the residents of the Slifer Dorm were also there.

"And there they are, Razor and Edge," Alister groaned.

"I just hope Jaden and Allyson beat them quick," Erika said.

Sitting in the front row of the Society's sight, Jason smirked as he looked to his two representatives on the arena floor already, "Now, let's see Jaden and Claudio, get out of this..."

"Don't worry about a thing," said the green-haired duelist, wearing a white-tuxedo with an emblem of a humanoid bird on the back, "Kids that still need schoolin' won't cross the Razor!"

"You said it," added a naturally, white-haired duelist, also wearing a white-tuxedo with an emblem of a serpentine dragon on the back, "As soon as we're done, everyone that opposes the Light will be on Edge!"

Spencer raised an eyebrow at the duo and turned to the engaged couple, "Do they always make puns with their names?"

"Only when they start," they said together.

Pretty soon, Jaden and Claudio came out to the arena. The Lightsworn duelist and the Pro Tag Team grinned as the two hero duelists were talking amongst each other.

"Perfect," Jason said, "With the way Razor and Edge calibrated their decks, those two won't stand a chance...," Pretty soon, the SOL elite's grin vanished when Claudio walked up to the seats and Allyson walked next to Jaden, walking up to the arena.

'What,' he shouted within his mind, 'We wanted Claudio, too! Why is that girl with Jaden...,' he sighed and shook his head, 'looks like we'll have to worry on that later... it's not like the both of them will stop this tag team.'

As Claudio sat down, he looked at the confusion on Jason's face and smirked, "Guess he found out, I'm not part of the show!"

"Yup," Melody replied, and looked at the tag team duo, "But they don't seem worried..."

"It's the fact that they are facing 'inexperienced duelists that need school,'" Lyra stated, "To most Pros, we're not a threat."

"Two kids on their way to the Glorious Light," Razor said.

"But first, they must lose themselves to the winds," Edge added.

"I don't what you mean," Jaden said, "But how about we get our games on instead?"

"Sounds good to me," Allyson exclaimed as the both of them activated their duel disks.

"Let's duel," Razor and Edge shouted as they activated their own disks.

"GAME ON!"

All players drew their opening hands.

Allyson/Jaden: 8000

Razor/Edge: 8000

"I'll go first," Allyson stated as she drew her sixth card. She took one of the cards and set sideways on the tray, "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

A facedown monster appeared in front of the Spirit duelist's feet.

"Here's a real move," Razor stated as he drew sixth card, "I summon Sonic Shooter!"

In a gale of wind, a purple humanoid birdman flew up to the sky, his feathered arms keeping him aloft. He wore golden armbands and a belt covering the lower extremities and flexed its claws, ready to strike. (4/1300/600)

"And here's a little sneak peek of our impressive Pro League tactics," the winged-beast duelist grinned as he inserted another spell card, depicting a samurai in white garb ready to attack with his sword, "Go Quick Rush!"

"Oh no," Alister shouted, "That'll allow him to strike now with his monster!"

"And to top it off," Erika added, "Since Allyson and Jaden don't have any spell or trap cards on the field, Sonic Shooter can attack directly!"

The Obelisk and Slifer gasped hearing that bit of info.

"That's what I'll do right now," Razor shouted, "Sonic Shooter, use Quick Rush on the girl!"

The birdman dived straight into Allyson, kicking her down with a talon kick.

Allyson/Jaden: 6700

Razor/Edge: 8000

"Allyson, you alright," Jaden gasped.

The spirit duelist raised herself back up to her feet, "I'm fine... just a little hurt that's all..."

"I can't stand punks who pick on girls," Hassleberry shouted.

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Razor concluded as a facedown card appeared in front of his feet, "It's your move, Red! Don't worry about your girl, a weak partner's not worth it!"

Jaden and Allyson narrowed their eyes.

"Are you sure these guys are in the Pro League," Claudio asked the engaged couple.

"Oh yeah," Erika replied, "They're known for their arrogance... tried to break up Alister and me to no avail..."

"And man, did we beat them down after all the trash talk," Alister added, "And from the looks of it, they stirred something bad into our team."

"My draw," Jaden declared as he drew his sixth card, "I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat in defense mode!"

In a pillar of flames, the white and red clad heroine of flames appeared. (4/1300/1000)

"Next, I place one card facedown and end my turn," He concluded, "But since it is my End Phase, Lady Heat deals 200 points of damage for every Elemental Hero on the field! Maybe you should watch what you say about my partner!"

Lady Heat conjured up a fireball and fired it straight at Razor's disk, who didn't even mind the shot.

Allyson/Jaden: 6700

Razor/Edge: 7800

"It may be small," Jaden proclaimed, "But trust me, after what you said, there'll be plenty more where that came from!"

"Kid please, a little damage won't hurt much," Edge shrugged as he drew his sixth card, "But I'll summon Twin-Headed Behemoth to show you a real move!"

A gust of wind conjured up and summoned a purple, two-headed dragon as it landed on the field. (3/1500/1200)

"Next, I use the field spell card, Rising Air Current," He continued as he set the card in his field spell slot. As it closed up, a cool breeze kicked up and blew across the field, "This cool breeze will add 500 ATK and drain 400 DEF from all WIND monsters on the field! Of course who needs defense when, the ATK is where it's at!"

Twin-Headed Behemoth and Sonic Shooter took flight and took it the air current as it started to blow harder. (3/1500-2000/1200-800), (4/1300-1800/600-200)

"And all of their monsters are WIND attributes, too," Alexis looked on, "If Jaden and Allyson have any, then they could take advantage of it."

"Let's send the fire girl flying, Behemoth," the Wind Dragon duelist commanded, "Attack with Twin-Headed Bite!"

Using the air current, the dragon swooped in with great speed and chomped down on the fire heroine, shattering her pixels through the winds.

"Go trap card," Jaden announced as his facedown card flipped up, "Hero Signal!"

The Pro Tag Team looked behind them as the Slifer's trap card flashed the spotlight with the E-Hero symbol within it.

"Since a monster of mine was destroyed in battle," Jaden explained as he took out another card from his deck, "I can summon a level 4 or lower Elemental Hero from my deck," He then placed that same card he grabbed on his disk, "Elemental Hero Stratos, you're on!"

The metal winged, flying hero answered the call and took to the skies. (4/1800-2300/300-0)

"There's your WIND monster," Melody cheered.

"And look at those stats," Jeremy added, "Enough to take out either monster!"

"That's not all," the E-Hero duelist continued as he took out another card from his deck and placed it into his hand, "Stratos lets me pick out another Elemental Hero from my deck, like my Avian!"

"Good, another WIND Elemental Hero," Claudio praised, "But then again, it's the Elemental Heroes; all elements!"

'It's a good thing that Jaden left in the WIND Attribute monsters in his deck,' Allyson thought,

"Lucky for you, kid," Edge grumbled as he inserted another card into his disk, "One card facedown and its back to the girl."

"Good for me my draw," Allyson said as she drew, "Time for little payback for that speed attack as I summon Yaksha!"

In a blue flash of light, a blue-skinned, muscular, black-haired spirit man appeared dressed in an elaborate battle robe with a clear veil attached to his wrists. (4/1900/1500)

"Close, but no cigar little girl," Razor stated, "Impressive ATK, but not enough to take us down."

"Actually," Allyson smirked, "It's just enough! When Yaksha's normally or flip summoned to the field, I can return one of your opponent's spell/trap cards to your hand! So, Edge has to send his field spell back into his hand!"

The pro duo gasped as the winds vanished from the field, weakening the WIND monsters back to their normal power. (3/2000-1500/800-1200), (4/1800-1300/200-600), (4/2300-1800/0-300)

"Now Yaksha's got enough power to pummel one of them down," Masaki looked on.

"I won't attack yet," the Spirit duelist announced as her facedown monster flipped over, "Next, I flip summon the Asura Priest to attack mode!"

In another blue flash, another blue-skinned male spirit appeared in golden bands and necklace and a magenta robe, but with blue hair, six arms and a second face! (4/1700/1200)

"Here's my favorite thing about him, he can attack all opponent's monsters," the Obelisk girl replied, "So it looks like I get to take my payback and then some! Asura Priest, Six Dagger Strike!"

The six-armed spirit held out his hands as a dagger materialized into each of them, letting him throw three of them into the Sonic Shooter and the other three into the Twin-Headed Behemoth. The sharp blades sunk into their flesh and shattered them into pixels.

Allyson/Jaden: 6700

Razor/Edge: 7400

"And because you're wide open, Yaksha can make a direct attack," Allyson continued, "Give Razor a taste of my payback!"

The muscular spirit flew at blinding speed, directly behind the Winged Beast user and slugged him on the back, knocking him face first into the ground.

Allyson/Jaden: 6700

Razor/Edge: 5500

"Now that's what I call payback," Alexis praised.

"Yeah, don't mess with her," Melody grinned.

"Finally, I play Spring of Rebirth and end my turn," Allyson concluded as a small fountain appeared right next her, filled with sparkling blue water, "And because of my End Phase, my Spirits have to return to my hand. But, Spring of Rebirth will give me 500 life points for each monster returning to the player's hands, giving Jaden and I a little power boost!"

Yaksha and Asura Priest transformed into small blue orbs and merged back with their cards, letting Allyson pick them off the duel tray and back into her hand. Finally, the waters of the spring shined brightly and raised both Academy duelists' life points up a grand.

Allyson/Jaden: 7700

Razor/Edge: 5500

"Whoa, really sweet move," Jaden praised, "You took away everything they had!"

"Thank you, you probably could've done so eventually since you are strong enough for it," Allyson stated.

"Maybe, but not like how you did it," the Slifer replied.

"Excuse me kids," Edge interrupted, "At the End Phase of the turn it was destroyed, Twin Headed Behemoth comes back to the field with only 1000 ATK and DEF!"

True to his word, Twin-Headed Behemoth returned... with only one head remaining and covering itself with its wings. (3/1000/1000)

"I'll teach ya to make fools out of us," Razor shouted as he drew, "First I use the spell card, Graceful Charity. I draw three cards..." He drew three times, "And then, I'll get rid of two..." He then discarded two of them into the graveyard, "Now I activate the trap card Limit Reverse, letting me summon a monster with up to 1000 ATK from my graveyard!"

"I guess he just sent one to the graveyard with Graceful Charity," Syrus deduced.

"Yeah, but what," Hassleberry wondered.

"I summon the monster Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds," the winged-beast duelist shouted as a green statue of an eagle on a pedestal appeared and placed a seal with the symbol of WIND attribute on the ground. (4/1000/1000)

Before anyone could question the monster, Razor immediately inserted another card into the disk, "Next, Inferno Reckless Summon to allow us all to summon all copies of the monster we have on the field," Then, he got an evil grin on his face, "But thanks to the Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds, you can only summon WIND monsters!"

Everyone gasped as two more Barrier Statues (3/1000/1000) x2 and another Twin-Headed Behemoth (3/1500/1200) appeared on the field, with the former two increasing the seal on the ground.

"So that's why the enemy brought out that crazy statue," the dino duelist figured, "To catch up, the Sarge and Private Anderson would have to special summon..."

"But with WIND monsters only available to mainly Razor and Edge, it'll be tough for Jaden and especially Allyson since Spirit Monsters can't be special summoned unless by their own cards," Erika concluded.

The Academy tag team groaned as they didn't have any other monsters to summon.

"I take by your looks of disappointment that I should continue my move," Razor taunted as one the Statues disappeared, "I sacrifice the Barrier Statue summoned with Limit Reverse, to summon Swift Birdman Joe!"

In a flurry of red, yellow and green feathers, another birdman appeared with the same color scheme on his feathers with his tall hairstyle. (6/2300/1400)

"And his effect activates since I used a WIND monster as a sacrifice," the green-haired duelist stated, "All spell and trap cards go back to the players' hands!"

'CAW!'

With a might call, a multicolored windstorm blew away Allyson's Spring of Rebirth and Razor's Limit Reverse.

"Next, I activate the Equip Spell, Heart of Clear Water on my Barrier Statue," He continued as a teardrop shaped jewel attached itself onto one of the statues, "Now, it's safe from being destroyed in battle and targeted by destruction effects!"

"They are really covering their bases," Melody looked on at the move.

"Now Joe, destroy Elemental Hero Stratos," Razor commanded as the birdman flew straight for the E-Hero and clawed him apart.

Allyson/Jaden: 7200

Razor/Edge: 5500

"Now, Barrier Statues attack each of them directly!"

The statues' eyes glowed green and then blasted both Allyson and Jaden with a double eye beam.

Allyson/Jaden: 5200

Razor/Edge: 5500

"Did that hurt, kids," Razor grinned as he inserted another card his disk, "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

'Good there racking up the pressure on the two of them,' Jason thought as he looked over the field, 'These two can hit them hard and fast... such as the nature of WIND monsters. Speaking of...' He saw Kenji hiding in the shadows, 'I may have to teach another 'ally' how to behave soon...'

"Alright, I'll see if I can get something going." Jaden stated as he drew his next card, "First. I bring back Stratos with the Warrior Returning Alive, and then re-summon him," He announced as he activated his spell card and collected his E-Hero back into his hand, and immediately placed him out on the field. (3/1800/300)

"And with his effect, I bring out Elemental Hero Clayman to my hand," He continued as he took his next desired monster from his deck and placed it back into his hand, "And then I'll use Polymerization to fuse Stratos and Avian to form Elemental Hero Great Tornado!"

A blue vortex opened up in the sky as Avian joined Stratos to jump inside. In a flash, the black caped, fusion Hero of the Wind emerged. (8/2800/2200)

"Nice," Jeremy cheered, "Now all of the Pro's monsters lose half their strength! Meaning Jaden will have a field day with them!"

"Great Tornado, do your stuff," Jaden commanded as the fusion hero removed his cape and created a fierce tornado, sapping the strength of the five opposing WIND monsters. (3/1000-500/1000-500), (3/1500-750/1200-600), (6/2300-1150/1400-700), (4/1000-500/1000-500) x2

"Now, let's go after you're the Statue without the equip spell," Jaden announced, "Great Tornado, attack with Fury Wind Cutter!"

As the hero prepared to conjure up his storm, Razor immediately revealed his facedown card, "I activate my Icarus Attack trap card, tough luck kid! And I'll even sacrifice the Barrier Statue you went after!"

The eagle statue suddenly exploded into flames, much to Great Tornado's surprise...

"Now two of your cards are destroyed," He continued, "But since you only have the Hero out, he'll just die alone!"

As the burning statue charged at the hero, Jaden held up another card.

"Don't think so, I activate De-Fusion," He shouted as he quickly played his spell card, "De-fuse, Tornado!"

In a quick second, Avian and Stratos separated the fusion and stood up straight on the field, ready to fight (3/1000/1000), (4/1800/300).The burning statue flew to the sky and exploded in vain.

"Yeah, not only he saved his monster, but he activated Elemental Hero Stratos' effect again," Syrus exclaimed.

"That's right, Sy," Jaden stated as he took yet another card from his deck, "And this time, I'll pick Elemental Hero Voltic! But since I got two more attacks coming, I'll use them... Avian take out the weaker Twin-Headed Behemoth! Featherbreak!"

Avian went airborne and launched a volley of sharp feathers at the one-headed behemoth, cutting him down for good.

"And Stratos, you take out Swift Birdman Joe with Turbine Tornado!"

Stratos also took flight and then sped up the turbines, on his metal wings, to unleash twin tornadoes that blew away the birdman.

Allyson/Jaden: 5200

Razor/Edge: 4850

"And that's all from me," Jaden concluded.

"That was nice," Allyson praised, "Weakening their monsters with your fusion, dealing a major blow to their points and getting two new monsters all in the same turn!"

"Thanks," the Slifer nodded, "Though, I wish he hadn't tried to strike down my fusion monster, otherwise we'd be so far ahead. Oh well, the longer the duel, the greater the fun, right?"

"Exactly what I always thought," the Spirit duelist exclaimed.

"Cool!"

"You know, Jaden's actually playing lot better now in this tag duel, than others," Syrus noted.

"Maybe because he and Allyson think in the same way...," Alister noted.

"How so," Alexis asked.

"Well, we all know Jaden's into dueling and friendship more than anything," the Guardian duelist nodded, "Yet Allyson's the same way, but actually shows her interests outside of it as well."

"Put it simply, we're trying to get Jaden to notice her in a different light," Erika stated.

"So, you were trying to hook them up," Melody smiled.

"Yeah, I think they'd be a good match," the Maverick duelist nodded, "I think it's actually working, even though dueling's on both their minds at the moment."

"Let's just hope, Jaden sees it," Claudio added.

"Maybe..." Alexis said.

"It's my turn," Edge shouted as he drew, "I sacrifice my Twin-Headed Behemoth and Strong Wind Dragon!"

The two-headed dragon vanished into the winds and brought a taller, muscular green dragon with a might roar. (6/2400/2000)

"And since Twin-Headed Behemoth was used as a sacrifice, Strong Wind Dragon gains half of its ATK," Lily shouted as the dragon in questioned gained an emerald aura around it. (6/2400-3150/2000)

"Destroy his Avian," Edge commanded as the dragon created a hurricane in its hands and caught the white winged hero in its storm, shattering it to pixels.

Allyson/Jaden: 3050

Razor/Edge: 4850

"And then, I use Rising Air Current to end my turn," He concluded as the rising winds came back to the field, powering up the Statue, the Dragon and Jaden's hero. (4/1000-1500/1000-600), (6/3150-3650/2000-1600), (4/1800-2300/300-0), "It's your turn now, girl!"

"Alright, here we go," Allyson said as she drew her next card and immediately played it, "I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot for everyone to draw out three cards," the Spirit duelist declared as every player drew three times, "Next I set one card facedown, use Spring of Rebirth and then summon Yaksha again!"

The muscular spirit returned as the sparkling spring and a facedown card, joined her. (4/1900/1500)

"And you know the drill," She smiled, "One of the spell or trap cards go back to the player's hands, so your field spell's going back!"

"Actually, you won't since I got my trap card, Divine Wrath," the Wind dragon duelist interrupted as he discarded one of his cards and flipped over his trap card, "I send one card in my hand to the graveyard in order to destroy your spirit and negate its effect!"

Allyson gasped as the trap card fired a white lightning bolt and her monster, obliterating it from the field.

"It's okay," Jaden said to her, "I know you got another move in you!"

The spirit duelist smiled and nodded and took out two cards, "Next, I play Double Summon and summon Asura Priest back to the field!"

The six-armed spirit returned to the field. (4/1700/1200)

"Next, I use the Spell card Mystic Box," She continued as two black boxes with question marks on them materialized around Asura Priest and Strong Wind Dragon, "Next, swords will rain down on the box my spirit monster is currently inside!"

Everyone watched as many swords pierced through the one the spirit monster was in...

"You killed your own monster," the Wind tag duo shouted.

"Why would I do that when he's right there," Allyson stated as the box where the dragon was opened up... but the Asura Priest flew out!

"Hey, but if he was there..."

The sword-skewered box finally opened up, but inside carried the dead and skewered dragon!

"Oh yeah," Jaden cheered.

"And then, I use Bait Doll to activate my trap card, Spirit's Invitation," the Obelisk continued as a trap card depicting a blue spirit possessing a zombie and sending it away to an unknown destination. Then Allyson put Bait Doll back into her deck and shuffled, "And I'll end my turn, sending Asura Priest back to my hand!"

The priest turned into a blue orb and floated back to the Obelisk's hand.

"Then it activates, Spirit's Invitation sending a monster back to the opponent's hand, choosing your Barrier Statue!"

Razor gasped as the Barrier Statue transformed into a green orb and floated back into his hand, shattering the left-behind Heart of Clear Water.

"And since monsters returned to hand, Jaden and I get 500 life points for both monsters," Allyson concluded as the spring overflowed with its water, flowing by the Academy duo's feet.

Allyson/Jaden: 4050

Razor/Edge: 4850

"Any other bag of tricks you got," Jaden asked his partner.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Allyson replied, wagging her finger.

"I rather not," Razor shouted as he drew his next card, "Then, I set three cards facedown and summon back the Barrier Statue to end my turn!"

As three facedown cards appeared by the winged-beast duelist's feet, the Barrier Statue reappeared right in front of them. (4/1000-1500/1000-600)

"They're still trying to keep it so that WIND monsters can be easier to summon," Lily looked on.

"And so far, the only monsters Jaden can fusion summon is Great Tornado, Tempest and Flame Wingman," Jeremy added.

"And it's my go," Jaden exclaimed as he drew, "Sweet, I get to use my new cards! First, let's stop this wind storm and let me replace it with my Centrifugal Field!"

The windstorm died out once again as a field was now replaced by a swirling vortex of blue and green. (4/1500-1000/600-1000)

"Next, I activate the Branch! Spell card," He continued, inserting the card into his disk, letting the spell card revealed itself. It depicted three facedown Duel Monster cards in front of a graveyard tombstone.

Allyson smiled at the gameplay, _'He's finally using my cards!'_

* * *

 _(Flashback)_

 _In the cafeteria, Jaden and Allyson were going over their decks and even brought out their leftover cards. The latter took a deep breath and held out two cards..._

 _"Hey Jaden," Allyson said as she got his attention, "I've got something for you to use, since your deck has fusion monsters and all..."_

 _Seeing this, Jaden looked over the cards she had and read over the effects. Afterwards, he immediately lit up like a kid getting Christmas present._

 _"Sweetness, you're right," he exclaimed as he accepted the cards, "This can seriously help keep monsters on the field to help us out. Thanks!"_

 _"I knew you'd like them," the Spirit duelist smiled, "I noticed how well you treat your cards and that you actually treat as more than that."_

 _"You can say I have a bond with them," Jaden stated, "Like a family..."_

 _"You too," Allyson realized, "So do I! Well, a strange one considering that my monsters are not tied to this world for long. But I still get to see them every time I duel."_

 _"I think it is great you feel that way about your cards," the Slifer nodded, "You're alright, Allyson."_

 _"Oh, thanks..." the Obelisk Girl said as she blushed._

 _"Oh, I got something for you too," Jaden said, as he pulled out two cards, "These will go great with your decks, like a tough spot kind of thing."_

 _Looking over the cards, her face mirrored Jaden's not that long ago over his new cards._

 _"Wow, these are great," She said, accepting his cards, "And yeah, there are times where my initial strategy doesn't come into my hand, so this can help out."_

 _"So, I guess we're good to go," Jaden asked._

 _"I say we are," Allyson replied, "Those Pros won't know what hit them after take advantage of their use of WIND monsters!"_

 _(End Flashback)_

* * *

 _'And if we play our cards right, we can keep up with them as well_ ,' She thought before putting her attention back on the duel.

"Third, I'll use Fusion Recovery to bring back Polymerization and Elemental Hero Avian back to my hand," Jaden declared as he retrieved his E-Hero and Polymerization, "But both of them are going right back into the fusion, along with Stratos in order for me to summon Elemental Hero Great Tornado, one more time!"

Both WIND Heroes combined in another vortex and formed the WIND Fusion hero once again. (8/2800/2200)

"And you remember what he does," Jaden grinned as Great Tornado removed his cape and drained the energy of the wind statue again. (4/1000-500/1000-500) "Great Tornado, attack his Statue!"

"This is not your lucky day, kid," Razor shouted as his facedown cards revealed themselves, depicting Card Ejector destroying a Berserk Dragon and the Invader of Darkness inflicting a Penalty game on Gagagigo, "Go Trick Battle and Spirit Barrier!"

A transparent barrier formed in front of the Pro duo as the Barrier Statue of the Stormwinds awoke and blasted its eye beams at Great Tornado who went ahead and took it blast. But to everyone's surprise, aside from Jason, Razor and Edge, the beams actually destroyed the Elemental Hero!

"Hold on," Jaden shouted, "My Elemental Hero had more attack points than your statue!"

"Which is why the effect of my Trick Battle went through," Razor cackled, "It has the power to flip the script on the battles so that the weakest one stands strong! The downside of still losing life points was quickly erased by the Spirit Barrier, keeping them safe."

"That was a dirty trick," Hassleberry grumbled, "When did they make cards like that?"

"Now Jaden and Allyson have to get weaker monsters out in order to survive," Alexis stated.

"Now end your turn kid, so I can take the both of you down," Edge called out, placing his fingertips on the next card of his deck.

"It's not over until I bring back my monster," Jaden called out, "That's why my two spell cards are out!"

"Like what," Razor demanded.

"First, since a fusion monster was destroyed by a card effect, I get to bring back a fusion-material monster that was a part of the monster," the E-Hero duelist explained, "So Avian, come on back!"

From the field's vortex, the white-winged E-Hero returned to the field. (3/1000/1000)

"And then, Branch activates when a Fusion monster's destroyed and sent to the graveyard," Jaden continued, "And it also summons a Fusion Material monster, meaning Stratos comes back as well!"

Emerging from the Branch spell card, Stratos returned to the field and stood next to Avian. (4/1800/300)

"It won't matter if Jaden brings those two back," Claudio said, "Trick Battle will just destroy the both of them."

"I don't know, if Jaden has R-Righteous Justice in his hand," Melody figured, "Then he could use it for that reason. And since Jaden hasn't normal summoned yet, he can destroy up to 3 spell and trap cards."

"I activate the other effect of Stratos," Jaden announced, confusing everyone, "Since there's an Elemental Hero other than himself on the field when summoned, he gets to destroy a spell or trap card on the field! And there's no other choice than your Trick Battle!"

Razor screamed in anger as his trap card was destroyed.

"Now your Statue can be destroyed by my stronger Avian," the E-Hero duelist declared as the E-Hero in question flew at the statue and broke into a pile of rubble.

"And without monsters, Stratos can take out his life points," Allyson stated.

"That's right, so Stratos direct attack," Jaden commanded as the metal winged hero flew up to the skies and fired two tornadoes at the opposing duo, knocking them off their feet.

Allyson/Jaden: 4050

Razor/Edge: 3050

"And after this monster facedown, I'll end my turn," Jaden concluded as a set monster appeared next to Stratos. He then turned to Allyson, "Wow, these cards you gave me work great!"

"Glad to see them work in deck filled with fusions, unlike mine," Allyson stated and smiled.

"Nice work," Alister nodded, "With a fusion based deck to go with Centrifugal Field and Branch; I'd say Jaden's got a more powerful one thanks to Allyson."

"You think, Allyson's got new cards of her own," Erika wondered.

"We'll probably see later," the Guardian duelist shrugged.

"Not so fast my little friend," Edge stated as he drew his next card and revealed the next spell card showing a bird's nest inside of a warrior's helmet, "I use the spell card Burden of the Mighty drains your monsters power by 100 ATK times their level! A heavy burden for your monsters to bear..."

Jaden growled as red auras drained the power of his Elemental Heroes. (4/1800-1400/300), (3/1000-700/1000)

"Now, I use Dragon's Olfaction," He continued inserting his spell card, "Since you control two monsters, I can summon my Hurricane Dragon to the field without a sacrifice!"

Emerging from the spell card, a large, green-armored dragon appeared with its tail and chest carrying turbines inside them. (7/2200/1800)

"That monster could wipe any one of them out," Claudio looked on.

"I would attack the weaker Hero, but I'll use his special ability to cut his attack points in half until the end phase," Edge announced, "And that lets him attack all monsters on the field!"

The turbines of the dragon started to spin rapidly as green electricity sparked out of its body and roared. (7/2200-1100/1800)

"But I bet you're wondering why I would weaken my monsters when I can't destroy Stratos," the dragon duelist grinned as he turned over his next spell card, depicting four different colored dragons around a silhouette of a kung-fu fighter, he then took out of four dragon cards from his deck. "It's because of my Flying Dragon Whirl! It sends four of my dragons from my deck to the graveyard and increases Hurricane Dragon's power by 400 ATK for each of them."

As Edge sent Gray Wing and three Troop Dragons into the graveyard, Hurricane Dragon's power sky rocketed to a little over his normal strength. (7/1100-2300/1800)

"It's like he didn't lose a thing," Allyson gasped.

"Now destroy them all, with Double Hurricane," the wind dragon duelist commanded as his dragon created a massive storm, sucking the helpless heroes into its wake and ripped them to shreds in a matter of seconds.

Allyson/Jaden: 1550

Razor/Edge: 3050

"And then, I end my turn with a facedown card," Edge concluded, "And that means my monster's power increases again!"

The dragon's turbines stopped spinning, restoring power to its body. (7/2300-3400/1800)

"Oh great, it got even stronger because of that power it cut back," Jeremy grumbled, "How are they going to mess with 3400 ATK with the pressure that's on them now?"

"That same team work that kept them on par with these two," Alister proclaimed.

"It's my move," Allyson declared as she drew, "First I have to pay 500 life points life points to maintain the Spirit's Invitation trap..."

Allyson/Jaden: 1050

Razor/Edge: 3050

"Next, I place two cards facedown and summon Asura Priest again!"

The six armed spirit made its returned, albeit weaker than before along with two reversed cards. (4/1700-1300/1200)

"I activate my trap card," Edge countered, "My Trap Hole!"

The spirit duelist growled as her spirit was dropped into a giant hole and fell with a sickening thud and shatter of the pixels.

"She's could've taken Hurricane Dragon off the field and then Jaden could've finished off whatever Razor pulls out," Alexis groaned.

Allyson sighed, "I end my turn."

"Good, now it's time to destroy you all," Razor shouted as he drew, "I summon Hunter Owl in attack mode!"

Swooping down the field, a large, owl appeared with bronze chest and leg armor with gauntlets around its white feathered form. It also carried a large, sliver hook in its left hand. (4/1000/900)

"And he gains 500 ATK for every WIND monster on the field, making this the end of the game for ya," the winged beast duelist sneered as Hunter Owl gave a large call in power, ready to launch its claw. (4/1000-2000/900)

"Since you're both out of monsters, I could beat you two down, but those facedown cards could destroy my chances," He stated as he flipped over his reversed card, "But my facedown card, Metal Coat should block any hopes you have left."

Everyone gasped as a metal covering slid over the owl, giving it a new sliver color.

"Now take them out," Razor commanded his Owl as it took flight, "Hunter Claw Thrust!"

"Oh man," Syrus cringed, "If it hits, Jaden and Allyson are going into the Society!"

Jason grinned, "Welcome to the Light..."

"Jaden, can you spare some cards," Allyson called out to her partner as the owl swooped in for the kill.

"What's mine is yours," Jaden replied and smiled.

Obtaining the go-ahead, Allyson flipped over her facedown card, "I activate my Emergency Provisons spell card," the Spirit duelist announced, as Jaden's spell cards vanished, "I send Jaden's Centrifugal Field and Branch cards, along with my Spring of Rebirth card to gain 3000 life points for our team!"

The field transformed back into the main arena, revitalizing the Academy duo's points with a healing wind.

Allyson/Jaden: 4050

Razor/Edge: 3050

Then, Allyson braced herself as the owl launched its claw and nailed the Obelisk Girl's duel disk.

Allyson/Jaden: 2050

Razor/Edge: 3050

"Grr, almost..." Razor grumbled as he inserted as spell card into his disk, "Looks like I'll just have to use this spell card, Prohibition!"

Claudio gasped as he saw the card depicted a crowd looking at a noticed on a building wall, "That's not good; they can call out the name of any card and it's forbidden to play."

"Most likely, one of Jaden's fusion monsters," Melody stated.

Razor grinned as he announced, "I choose Elemental Hero Neos!"

Jaden gasped, "You know about that card?"

"More like they were tipped off by someone," Allyson added, glaring at the Society members.

"Now, I end my turn and let Edge finish you off," Razor concluded, "Without your star Hero, you can't win! So give up!"

"No chance, it's my move," Jaden declared as he drew and held up three of his cards, "I'll activate Double Summon, to bring out Neo Spacian Grand Mole and Elemental Hero Prisma!"

In two flashes of light, the drill-collared mole and the crystallized E-Hero appeared on the field. (3/900-600/400), (4/1700-1300/1100)

"And let me tell ya," the E-Hero duelist grinned, "It doesn't matter that you know Elemental Hero Neos, he's still making a comeback!"

"And how are you going to do that," Edge taunted, "With Prohibition calling out your Neos monster, he can't be on the field."

"But not unless he's on the field already, right," the Slifer grinned.

"What's Jaden getting at," Erika wondered.

That's when Allyson realized it, "Prisma's effect!"

"That's right," Jaden stated, "I can show one Fusion monster and then send one of the monsters that form it to the graveyard. And when that happens, Prisma's name becomes that monster!"

The SOL tag team gasped, "You mean..."

"I can show you Elemental Hero Grand Neos and then send Elemental Hero Neos to grave, Prisma becomes that monster," the Slifer stated as he sent his Neos to graveyard.

"And we know what that means," Alexis smiled.

"Grand Mole, Prisma, time for some Contact Fusion," the Slifer announced as both his heroes flew up to a galaxy that formed in the sky and combined into a bright light. As this happened, Jaden shuffled both of his monsters into his deck, "Now meet, Elemental Hero Grand Neos!"

Descending from the light, Neos returned in a bronze and white jumpsuit that was outfitted with moss green armor covering his head, chest, forelegs and left forearm. His right arm now carried a giant drill that spun rapidly even as the Burden of the Mighty Spell card drained him of his power. (7/2500-1800/2000)

"All of that to summon a monster that was going to be weaker than both our monsters," Razor laughed, "What's the point of that?"

"His special ability," the Slifer replied, "Once per turn, he can return one monster back to owner's hand, so I can take Hurricane Dragon out of the fight!"

Everyone in the audience, except Jason, Razor and Edge cheered as Grand Neos planted his drill into the ground, creating a black hole that sucked in the turbine armored dragon. Then, the card in question was put into Edge's hand.

"And because a WIND monster is gone, Hunter Owl loses 500 of its ATK," Melody stated as the green aura around the owl got weaker. (4/2000-1500/900)

"Grand Neos," Jaden announced, "Attack Razor's Hunter Owl with Earth Strike!"

The fusion hero swiftly crossed the field and opened up his free hand, unleashing a blast of bronze energy into the Owl, burning it up.

"I activate Metal Coat's second ability," Razor shouted as he took the mentioned trap card and placed it into his graveyard, "It has the power to prevent the monster that was equipped to him from being destroyed. All I have to do is send it to the graveyard.

The bronze energy kept up its attack, only to burn off the metal coat from the owl's body.

Allyson/Jaden: 2050

Razor/Edge: 2750

"I'll throw down a facedown," Jaden concluded, "And that means Grand Neos goes right back to my deck."

A multicolored light enveloped the Neos Fusion monster and warped him right back into Jaden's deck.

"Pathetic," Edge said as he drew and inserting a spell card into his disk, "I activate Premature Burial! By paying 800, I revive my Strong Wind Dragon to the field!"

The muscular, wind dragon returned to field with a menacing roar. (6/2400/1000), (4/1500-2000/900)

Allyson/Jaden: 2050

Razor/Edge: 1950

"Uh oh, big wind dragon's back," Claudio gasped.

"And if it hits, Jaden and Allyson will lose," Hassleberry added.

"Farewell, kids," the wind dragon duelist sneered, "Strong Wind Dragon, finish them off!"

The giant dragon slashed with its right claw, unleashing a tornado that charged towards Jaden like a bull running.

"Don't think so," Allyson shouted as she activated her facedown card. It revealed a shadowy man, holding his head in pain as it showed the transfer of the red symbol to the blue symbol, "I activate Chaos Barrier Field!"

"Chaos Barrier Field," Everyone wondered.

"Whenever a monster makes a direct attack with the strongest ATK power," the Spirit duelist explained, "I gain control of the monster with the weakest ATK and use it to defend Jaden!"

Razor growled in surprise as his Hunter Owl was forcibly pulled from his side of the field to Jaden's side, weakening him from the lack of WIND monsters and Burden of the Mighty. (4/2000-1500-1100/900) The tornado meant for the Slifer instead sucked in the owl and ripped him to shreds.

"And if that didn't hurt you enough, you take all the battle damage we would've taken," Allyson grinned.

Allyson/Jaden: 2050

Razor/Edge: 650

"Ouch, Allyson just burned those two," Alister chuckled, seeing the Wind team seething in anger.

"Pretty nice for a duelist with a likely chance of being wide open," Erika nodded, "But I never thought she had it her deck."

Allyson turned to Jaden, "Thanks for the card!"

"Hey, thank you for the save," the E-Hero duelist replied, "Now we got them on the ropes, so finish them off!"

"You got it," She said, winking at him before turning her attention to the duel. If she looked even longer at Jaden, she would've caught a little blush.

"Hey," Claudio said, nudging Melody's shoulder, "You saw that?"

"Uh-huh," Melody replied, "About time he started noticing her."

"I need something here," Allyson said as she drew her next card and smiled at her find, "I'll still keep my Spirit's Invitation in play! So I pay 500 life points again!"

Allyson/Jaden: 1550

Razor/Edge: 650

"Next, I activate Magic Planter to destroy it and get two more cards for my trouble," She continued as her trap card exploded, letting her draw two more cards from her deck, "Alright I summon the monster, Kishu!"

A blue orb emerged from the card and manifested into a beautiful, brunette, blue-eyed woman in white, ceremonial robes and a staff in hand. (2/1000-800/1000)

"Hey, that's the other card I gave you," Jaden exclaimed.

"Yup, and thanks to this card, we're about to win," She proclaimed.

"Please, with a weak monster like that," Edge scoffed, "Let her come at my Strong Wind Dragon and you'll be the one to suffer!"

"Yeah, but I'm not done," the spirit duelist interrupted, "Kishu's power can summon another Spirit monster from my hand without restrictions, like my Susa Soldier!"

In a flash, the silver armored Spirit appeared, much to Kishu's happiness. (4/2000-1600/1600)

"And look at that, the happy couple's together again," Allyson gushed.

"And I'll make sure to keep it that way, as I activate my facedown card, Swamp of the Fallen," Jaden declared, revealing his trap card, "Now all opposing monsters lose half of their strength on the spot!"

Strong Wind Dragon was suddenly struck with a black aura, forcing it down to all fours. (6/2400-1200/1500)

"She's got them now," Claudio cheered.

"Now, Susa Solider attack with Cloud Brand Slash, and any damage done is cut in half," Allyson announced as her sword wielding Spirit struck the dragon, sparking electricity around its form and slaying it.

Allyson/Jaden: 1550

Razor/Edge: 450

"Kishu, finish them off with Sacred Lightning!"

Raising her hands to the sky, the priestess spirit called down a blue lightning bolt that covered her hands and then fired them at the Wind duelist, shocking them to the bone.

Allyson/Jaden: 1550, Winner

Razor/Edge: 0

"I am getting more and more impressed with you guys," Erika smiled, "Some of you guys maybe ready for the Pro League now!"

"No kidding," Alister added, "Or maybe it's the Society poisoning the skills of their duelists... either way, if the students can beat Pros, I say let's see more!"

On the dueling field, Allyson and Jaden looked at each other, sharing winning grins and then turned to their fallen opponents and said...

"That's game," Both doing Jaden's trademark two-finger point to them. They both noticed they copied each other at the same exact time and then shared a laugh.

'She really is something,' Jaden thought.

'He really is something,' Allyson thought.

Jason scoffed as he stood up, "More pros that can't beat them...," He then looked towards Kenji's location, but didn't find the ninja duelist there, "And you Kenji, I think it's about time Master Sartorius should know about your rogue actions... there's no doubt the only reason why our foes were victorious was by your hand..."

That's not good...

* * *

Quick Rush

Normal Spell

Select and activate 1 of the following effects:

● Draw 1 card.

● Select 1 Level 4 or lower monster you control. That monster's unaffected by effects that would prevent it from attacking.

(Used by Chazz Princeton in the GX episode Return of the Sacred Beasts. All rights go to the creators.)

Yaksha

WATER

Fairy/Spirit

Level 4

1900/1500

This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card returns to its owner's hand during the End Phase of the turn it is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up. When this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up, you can select 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls and return it to its owner's hand.

(This card is currently only released for the OCG. The TCG release is currently unknown.)

Trick Battle

Continuous Trap Card

Image: Card Ejector defeating a Berserk Dragon with a massive spell

(This card was used by Yusei Fudo in the 5D's special episode: Evolving Duel! Stardust vs. Red Demons, all rights goes to the creators.)

Hurricane Dragon

WIND

Dragon/Effect

Level 7

2200/1800

By halving this card's ATK, until the End Phase, you can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each with this card.

(This card was used by Chazz Princeton in the GX manga chapter: Light vs. Dark. All creative rights go to the creators of the chapter.)

Flying Dragon Whirl

Quick-Play Spell Card

Image: Four different dragons surrounding a silhouette of a woman using a kung-fu skill.

Select 1 face-up monster you control and send up to 4 Dragon-Type monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard. That monster gains 300 ATK for each Dragon-Type monster sent to the Graveyard this way.

(This card was used by Vivian Wong in the second series episode: A Brawl in a Small Town, Part 2. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Metal Coat

Normal Trap Card

Image: A man in a shiny silver coat standing as bolts of lightning bounce away from him.

After activation, equip this card to a monster you control. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by card effects. When the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, you can send this face-up card to the Graveyard instead.

(Metal Coat was first used by Lotten in the 5D's episode 'Satisfaction'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Chaos Barrier Field

Normal Trap Card

Activate only when your opponent's monster with the highest ATK declares a direct attack. Take control of the monster with the lowest ATK your opponent controls, except the attacking monster, until the end of the Battle Phase. It is attacked instead. Any Battle Damage you would take from that battle is inflicted to your opponent instead. After damage calculation, end the Battle Phase.

(Used by Noah Kaiba in the second series episode, Noah's Final Threat Pt. 2, All rights to the creators)

Kishu

LIGHT

Level 2

Thunder/Effect

1000/1000

When this card is summoned, you can special summon 1 Level 4 or below Spirit monster from your hand, ignoring the Summoning Conditions.

(This card was created by both myself and Psycho Duelist. Creative rights go to the both of us.)

Next time: Jason's fed up with Kenji's lone actions so he takes it upon himself to deal with him. Who would win in the battle of the Lightsworns and the Ninjas?


	45. Light against Light?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 45: Light against Light?

* * *

After the match between Razor and Edge vs. Jaden and Allyson, Kenji was lying around in his room thinking about the outcome of that duel.

 _'Well, that worked out more than I expected,' he thought, smiling to himself, 'I think I even got what I need from that duel as well. It wouldn't have mattered if Claudio teamed with Jaden; the Pros would have still lost. But now, what to do...'_

 _"Poyo!"_

Emerging from Kenji's deck, his spirit monster, Star Ninja Kaabii floated right in front of his partner's face.

"What do you want," the ninja duelist scoffed.

 _"Poyo, poyooo, poyoo," the spirit said in a pleading manner._

"There's nothing wrong with me," Kenji grumbled as he turned to his side, "Leave me alone."

 _"Poyo! Poyo," Kaabii shouted._

"The Light isn't messing with my head," the SOL member shouted. Then he had to ponder that, "Is it?"

 _"Poyooooo!"_

 _'Then again, I'm not like these guys,' Kenji thought, 'Sartorius and those other fanatics just worship the Light, yet why? You think with all this praise, Sartorius would tell us his plans already. All we've been doing is just brainwashing other duelist, and for what? Then there's Jaden, Claudio and the rest of my old gang... without any answers to their questions, they're in the dark as well...'_

He then chuckled to himself lightly, "We're all fighting a pointless battle at this rate. If Sartorius has the means to conquer the world, he should just cut out the middle man and just do it already. In fact..."

Kenji stood up from his bed and said, "Who cares about the Light? If anything, I'll just have to take matters into my own hands. That's the only way things will get done. But I can't do it, if I stay here... taking orders from someone who can't fathom real power..."

* * *

In his pure white room, Sartorius set down five tarot cards in a diamond formation. He turned over the top card, revealing the Wheel of Fortune in the upside down position.

"The Wheel of Fortune in reverse? Interesting... Let's see what the other cards are telling me today," He said as he turned over the two cards on the sides. The card on the left revealed a man in royal red robes outlined in white, a large golden crown upon his head and a small blue scepter in his left hand. He also held up his right hand with two fingers pointing upward. The card on the right revealed another man in royal clothing holding a sword in his right hand and a brass scale in his left.

"The Hierophant and the Justice cards," He pondered, "They represent Kenji and Jason. Looks like something will occur during this ordeal," He then turned over the bottom card, revealing to be the upside down position of the Death Card, "And the upside Death card, a rebirth of sorts, but for which one?"

As his hand reached for the middle card, the door burst open and nearly shook the table up.

"Master, we have a problem," Jason said urgently.

"Well, you better have a good excuse for barging in, during my tarot readings," Sartorius replied in anger.

"Sir, Kenji's gone from his room," the Lightsworn duelist exclaimed.

"That's all," the SOL leader growled, "You are gone from your room, or are you not standing here before me, testing my patience?"

Seeing his superior's anger rising up, Jason quickly took out a single card and held it up. It was the White Veil card. Sartorius' anger continued to rise, but now it was directed away from his subordinate.

"Tell me you are joking," Sartorius growled.

"I'm not, sir," Jason stated, "Kenji's trying to leave our Society."

"NO!" Sartorius shouted, "He is too crucial to my plan and too powerful an asset to our cause!"

"Allow me to bring him to justice, Master," the Lightsworn duelist declared, "I suspected that Kenji was the one that sabotaged our earlier plot of turning Jaden and Claudio over to our group."

"Is that so," the SOL leader wondered, "I'll be awaiting your apprehension of Kenji at the main arena; he must not be allowed to leave… or for that matter, keep whatever free will he has left!"

Jason grinned evilly as he took his leave, "Oh, I'll take great pleasure of taking that away from him! You can count on it!"

Once his right hand man left, Sartorius looked back to his cards... "Oh, I see it now... the Wheel of Fortune in reverse showed Kenji's deceptions, in an attempt to foil my plot! Nice try, Mr. Yuuyami, but it won't work. Then, the Hierophant and Justice card shows the upcoming battle between yourself and Jason. But now, the Death in reverse intrigues me? Is it the rebirth of Kenji into my Society? Maybe the final card will tell me..."

Once Sartorius flipped over his next card, he gasped...

"Not again!"

It was the black card!

"Why does this card show up whenever...," Sartorius gasped, "Kenji! He must have a latent power to defy the Light! No one will after I'm done with him!"

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, Jaden was lying awake in his dorm room thinking about his last duel.

"Coo!"

In front of him, Winged Kuriboh floated right in front of him.

"Hey pal," Jaden greeted, "Did you see that duel I was in?"

The little spirit shook his head.

"You must have been at the bottom of my deck then," the E-Hero duelist stated, "Anyway, those Society guys won't let up on me, ya know? But hey, I can't turn down a good duel, especially tag duel with my friends! But today, I got to duel with Allyson... during that duel, I found out we got a lot in common."

"Coo?"

"It's funny feeling though," Jaden said, more in thought, "When I tag dueled with Syrus, Claudio, Kenji and Aster, it was just like another duel. Well, with Claudio and Kenji at the time, it was a fight for the fate of the world, but this duel with Allyson, it was... different. The way she and I dueled... it felt a whole lot better than those other duels..."

"Coooooo!" The winged Kuriboh said with a teasing stare.

"Hmm, feelings," Jaden asked, "Sure, she's my friend. I guess I feel like she's my best friend next to Syrus after this..."

"Coo..." the duel spirit groaned as it disappeared.

"Night, buddy," the Slifer waved.

"Jaden..."

He looked up from his bed and saw Syrus staring down at him with sleepy eyes.

"Who were you talking too," the vehicroid duelist asked.

"Oh, just talking about my cards," Jaden replied, "Sorry that I woke you."

The little Ra yawned before he went back to sleep, "It's okay, just keep it down next time."

"Okay, night Syrus," Jaden yawned before he went to sleep himself.

* * *

At the forest, Kenji dashed his way across the forest trees and stopped as he stared at the moonlight.

"Finally, a chance to be alone..." He sighed as he leaned up against the tree, "I'll stay around here until the time is right... those fools can have all the fun they want, but once the battle's over I'll have the last laugh. The Society doesn't know what do with its own power, so I'll just have to overthrow him and take care of things my own way... My answers are clear; I'll find more power and then destroy Sartorius and command it!"

Suddenly, a rustle was heard and he quickly turned to his head to see Jason, leaning against another tree...

"We don't except resignations," the Lightsworn duelist stated with a dark glare, "Not to mention hostile takeovers..."

Kenji scoffed, "Like I ever cared what you had to say. In fact, all you did was leaving me out of the loop."

"You're just a pawn to Master Sartorius and I," Jason chuckled, "There's nothing you should know than to be loyal to the Light and follow its orders through our Master."

"And therein lies my problem with you all," the ninja duelist stated, "Since you decide my own fate within this group, I rather take matters into my own hands. Who knows, when I interfered with your plot, it'll probably help you in the long run. Also, I didn't like the fact that you kept an annoyingly close eye on me from the start."

"Orders are orders..." the Lightsworn duelist said, "I can see why Sartorius told me to watch you... you're a black sheep of the group... but now you have to follow the crowd."

"Please," Kenji waved off, "You're just like everyone in the group; blind to your master's true plans. In fact, I bet you're nothing but the real dead weight of the Society of Light!"

Narrowing his eyes, Jason activated his duel disk and a white aura surrounded him, "Well... I guess we have nothing to discuss... let's keep this short and sweet. You want to leave? Only if you beat me, will you have that privilege!"

Kenji activated his own disk as well, "Good, I would like to shut you up before I just watch your group and the Academy's group just blindly tear each other apart!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Kenji: 8000

Jason: 8000

"I'll start since I'm the troublemaker," Kenji stated as he drew his sixth card, "I summon Ninja Kato in defense mode!"

As Kenji played his card, a ninja wearing a full-body dark blue suit appeared, the only part of him visible being his black eyes. He then took up his guard with his katana right in front of him. (4/1300/1300)

"I then place one card facedown and end my turn," Kenji concluded, as a reversed card appeared behind his ninja, "Your turn now, Jason..."

"Time to learn your place," Jason declared as he drew his sixth card. After scanning it, he then held up one card. A spell card depicting a crowd of people, sadly succumbing to the tax payments, as a knight comes to collect, "I activate my Painful Choice spell card."

"I see," the ninja duelist looked on, "You pick five cards from your deck, I choose one of them to add to your hand and then you send the rest to the graveyard."

The Lightsworn duelist then searched his deck for five cards and held them out for Kenji to look at. The ninja duelist just scoffed as the holographic images of the choice cards appeared over his opponent's head.

"Figures..."

The cards shown were Ehren, Lightsworn Monk, Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon and 3 copies of Wulf, Lightsworn Beast!

"So pick, my friend," Jason smirked, "Of course, you know what will happen if you make a poor choice..."

"A clever move," Kenji acknowledged, "Because of Painful Choice, the rest of the cards you choose will be counted as being sent to the graveyard from the deck. I choose either Ehren or Gragonith, the 3 Lightsworn Beasts will overrun your field. Plus, I'll be dealing with losing my ninja if either Ehren takes the field, or lose heavy amount of points if Gragonith is summoned."

"What's your point," the Lightsworn duelist scoffed.

"Knowing you'll try to pull a fast one, I choose one of your Lightsworn Beasts," Kenji declared as he pointed out of the copies, "Now, go ahead and send the other cards into your graveyard."

The Lightsworn duelist grinned as he put one of his Wulfs into his hand, and sent the other four cards into the graveyard, "You've activated the effects of the Lightsworn Beasts, bringing them out to the field!"

As Jason collected his two Lightsworn Beast cards and set them on the field, resulting in two pillars of light erupting from the ground and bringing out the twin, white-armored werewolves. (4/2100/300) x2

"Next, I use Magical Mallet," Jason continued as he inserted the spell card into the disk, activating it, "This will shuffle my Lightsworn Beast into the deck and draw once more," He announced as he reshuffled the chosen card into his deck and drew another card in its place..

"Is your turn ending soon," Kenji yawned, "You're boring me."

"Funny, aren't you," the Lightsworn duelist said as he held up another spell card, depicting a hand reaching out of a graveyard plot, holding a shovel, "But I'll use Foolish Burial to send my third Lightsworn Beast into the graveyard!"

Once again, the right-hand man of Sartorius sent his final Lightsworn Beast into the discard slot, only to unleash it right on the field with the others. (4/2100/300)

"Look Kenji, I can summon monsters just as quickly as you do," Jason taunted and then turned to his beasts, "Now my three beasts, attack his ninja and his worthless master directly with Pride of the Light Pounce!"

All three Lightsworn Beasts howled and rushed across the field and faced off against their opponents. Two of them drove their lances into the black-clad ninja's gut, leaving the pixilated remains to vanish. Then, the third one slashed his lance across Kenji's chest, making him cry out in pain.

Kenji: 5900

Jason: 8000

As the damage took its toll on Kenji, everyone saw a streak of white run upward on his black hair. The ninja duelist felt a surge of light running through him.

"What... is going...on," He demanded, "What are you doing to me?"

"You see, Kenji," Jason began as he smirked, "We can't have you running around as a rogue member any longer. So for every amount of life points you lose, a surge of energy will course through your being to strip you of your free will!"

Kenji growled defiantly, 'No, I will not have it!'

"After two facedown cards, I'm set," the Lightsworn duelist concluded as two reversed cards appeared at his feet, "Pretty soon, you'll be a good servant like Lorenzo!"

"I'm fine the way I am," Kenji shouted as he pressed a button his disk, revealing the card he had facedown. It depicted ancient jar being sealed and tied down by rope and an ancient, wooden box, I'll activate Xing Zhen Hu, sealing away those two cards you just put down!"

Jason gasped as two ancient boxes slammed down on his face-down cards, turning them pitch black.

"Now to draw," Kenji continued, drawing his next card, and immediately inserting one into his disk, "I activate Double Summon, allowing two Normal Summonings for the turn. So first, I bring out my Ninja Commander Ikusa in attack mode!"

A puff of smoke suddenly covered a spot on Kenji's field. Emerging from it, a ninja in dark green armor, katana and a black mouth mask appeared. (3/700/700)

"And then, I'll activate his effect: summoning Ninja Soldier Katana to the field," the ninja duelist continued as Ikusa made a few hand signs before another ninja seemingly split off from the other. This Ninja was clad in black with a katana as well. (3/400/400)

Continuing his move, Kenji took his weaker ninja card off the disk and then put another monster card in its place, "Now, I use my second normal summon to sacrifice the Solider to summon Ninja Master Shogun!"

Katana vanished into thin air as three scrolls appeared in its place. They all unraveled and exploded creating red sparkles covering another ninja wearing colorful Japanese ceremonial robes and a red Kabuki mask. He then performed a dance like pose, waving his hands around. (5/1600/1600)

"Are you going to play something worth having on the field," Jason scoffed.

"There's more to come," Kenji stated as he took two more cards from his deck and placed them on the field, "When my Shogun's Tribute Summoned, I can summon 2 level 4 or below Ninjas! So, I bring out Ninja Commando Kabuki and Ninja Dog Tesshin!"

Next, two figures ran along the forest's trees and then landed next Ninja Master Shogun. The first was another human ninja in white armor and head-mask over his brown hair and a yellow veil over his lower back and black pants. The second was the small Shikoku Inu dog howling and snarling. (3/700/700), (4/300/300)

"And then, with Kabuki's effect I can summon another Ninja to the field," Kenji smirked as his hand reached for his deck again, "Like my Ninja Hatt... huh?"

Suddenly, his deck flashed white and then with a sound of...

"Poyo!"

A small, pink monster appeared wearing a golden headband with a star on it and had purple hair on its head. It also carried a small kunai in hand. (6/2050/1900)

"Star Ninja Kaabii, huh," Jason mused.

Kenji growled at his partner monster, "I didn't summon you... why are you here?"

"Poyoo, poyo poyo!" The pink ninja protested.

"I'm in control of my actions," the ninja scoffed, "Mind your own business... because of your actions, I'm stuck with you! So just get in line and stop pestering me!"

"Poyoooo..." Kaabii whined as it floated next to Kabuki.

"Trouble, keeping your monsters in line," Jason asked amusedly.

"Now, since Ninja Dog Tesshin is on the field, I can boost the power of all monsters with "Ninja" in their names by 400 ATK and DEF," Kenji announced, ignoring his opponent's taunt, "And you won't be able to touch my Tesshin if there's another ninja on the field!"

Tesshin howled, sending white spirits into itself and its ninja brethren, boosting their power. (3/700-1100/700-1100) x2, (5/1600-2000/1600-2000), (6/2050-2450/1900-2300), (3/300-700/300-700)

"Five monsters on the field with that power," Jason growled to himself, "Then again, it is a ninja deck..."

Kenji smirked as he held up another spell card from his hand, "Remember this Jason, I have the faster hand! I now activate Great Kite of Ninja and equip it to my Ninja Master Shogun!"

Flying over Kenji's head, a large, red and yellow kite emerged in the sky. The Shogun jumped up and grabbed onto the kite and maneuvered it a little lower to the field.

"Now by sacrificing another monster, Ninja Master Shogun is able to attack you directly," Kenji smirked as Kabuki vanished into thin air, "So, I'll sacrifice my Kabuki ninja and allow Shogun to use his Merciless Thunder Attack!"

Hearing the command, the red masked ninja conjured up lightning in his right hand and directed it towards the Lightsworn duelist, giving him a giant shock.

Kenji: 5900

Jason: 6000

"Kaabii, time to make yourself useful and attack one of those Beasts with Absorbing Technique," Kenji continued as his monster reluctantly opened his mouth and started to inhale the air like a vacuum. The werewolf ended up caught in the suction and getting gobbled up in one gulp.

Kenji: 5900

Jason: 5650

"And with Kaabii's ability, I can summon a Copy Token with the same ATK and DEF as your destroyed monster," the ninja duelist stated as Kaabii spat out another copy of himself, only it wore the same white armor as Wulf and carried a smaller version of its spear. (1/2100/300)

'Powerful and cunning,' The Lightsworn duelist thought as he looked over Kenji's field, 'this must be the reason Sartorius was glad to have him join us... unfortunately, I have to make him a lowly servant...'

"Lastly, I place my last card facedown and switch Ikusa to defense mode," Kenji concluded as he inserted the card into his disk and his ninja kneeled down and blocked with his arms, "Word of advice: never try to beat me at my own game of swarming the field! I'm a master of it!"

"I would if it were a lecture by Master Sartorius," Jason snapped as he drew his next card, and then immediately activated a spell card, "I activate Monster Reborn to revive my, Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!"

The ankh of Monster Reborn appeared in the sky and created the angel-winged, sliver-armored dragon, taking flight. (6/2000/1600)

"And with two Lightsworns in my graveyard, it gains 300 ATK and DEF, bringing its power to 2600," the Lightsworn Duelist grinned as images of Ehren and Wulf appeared behind the dragon and flew into it. (6/2000-2600/1600-2200) "Also, your ninja isn't safe in defense mode, because Gragonith also deals piercing damage! Now destroy his Ikusa with Nova Purge!"

"I think not," Kenji announced as he revealed his facedown card," I activate the effect of my facedown card, Command Silencer! It cancels your attack and lets me draw one new card!"

As Gragonith planned to open its mouth, a tall totem pole with loudspeakers in its wings appeared and made a blaring sound. It ceased the dragon's attack as it covered its ears with its wings, while Kenji drew a card.

"It won't stop me from taking down your ninjas," Jason shouted, "Go my Wulfs, attack Ikusa and his token!"

The two werewolves lunged at the ninjas in question. Ikusa tried to leap away, but the werewolf's spear caught him in the back. Next, the second Wulf and Kaabii's token charged at each other in a suicidal attack, shattering the both of them, fueling Gragonith's power. (6/2600-2900/2200-2500)

"And next, I'll place this card facedown to end my turn," Jason concluded as reversed card was set near his feet, "Then Gragonith's effect forces me to send the top three cards into my graveyard," He stated and placed his Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue, Vanquishing Light and Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress into the graveyard, empowering Gragonith even further. (6/2900-3500/2500-3100)

"Like, I'm supposed to be scared of your dragon," Kenji scoffed as he drew, "And you'll be getting more of the same when I set this monster facedown," A set monster appeared next to Kaabii, "Now Kaabii, attack his last Wulf!"

As the small ninja prepared to absorb its next opponent, the Lightsworn duelist pressed a button his disk, "This time, I'm not taking any chances," Jason announced as the card revealed itself, "Go Lightsworn Barrier!"

The Lighsworn duelist swiftly took the top two cards of his deck and sent them into his graveyard, revealing to be Luminous Spark and Glorious Illusion. Before the suction could engulf the werewolf, a crystallized barrier surrounded it, keeping him grounded.

"What," Kenji gasped.

"By sending the top two cards of my graveyard, Lightsworn Barrier negates an attack made on any of my Lightsworn monsters," Jason smirked, "And I'll keep doing it as long as I have it on the field, plus cards to send to from my deck to the graveyard. But you know how this deck benefits on that alone?"

"I'm not worried at all," the ninja duelist waved off, "You forgot that my Ninja Master Shogun is equipped to Great Kite of Ninja! I just have to sacrifice a monster and then hit you directly without triggering your trap card."

Remembering that fact, Jason growled, "Then, I take it you'll sacrifice your facedown monster to do so?"

'Hmm, sacrificing my facedown monster would benefit the cards in my hand,' Kenji thought looking at his newly set monster and his hand, 'but I think I have to punish someone first...'"No, since he's can't doing anything because of your trap, I'll just sacrifice Kaabii!"

The ninja spirit gasped in horror. He turned to his partner and pleaded, "Poyo, poyo!"

"You shouldn't have interfered with me in the first place," Kenji shouted as he took Kaabii's card off the tray, "So, begone!"

"POYOOOOOOO!"

The spirit's cry was heard by deaf ears as it vanished into sparks of light.

"Ninja Master, you've got his power," the ninja duelist announced, "Now attack!"

This time, the red masked ninja breathed a hot flame and blazed towards Jason and engulfed him in the flames.

Kenji: 5900

Jason: 3650

"I hope that wasn't hot enough for you," Kenji stated, "Because next turn, it'll only get worse for you!"

"I doubt it," Jason said as he drew his next card and looked it over, 'Jenis, Lightsworn Mender... good, with her effect I gain 500 life points whenever my Lightsworn cards send cards from the deck to the graveyard. And I can deal the same amount to my traitorous, little friend at the same time!'

"I summon Jenis, Lightsworn Mender in defense mode," Jason announced as he set the card on the field. Once set on the tray, the card summoned a young, red-haired woman wearing a gold-outlined, white dress, cape and hat. She immediately kneeled down in front of her master, while holding up her brown scepter that glimmered green at the top. (4/300/2100)

"Now it's your turn Gragonith, take out his facedown monster with Nova Purge! Find out what he's hiding," Jason commanded as his great white dragon opened its mouth and fired a bright, white flame at Kenji's facedown card, burning it up. Within the flames, it revealed a purple armored warrior wearing a helmet with the Wdjat Eye as his only eye. He looked like a walking weapon of death, yet his claws did nothing to protect from being burned to ashes. (4/1600/1200)

Kenji: 3600

Jason: 3650

Jason gasped, "Oh no! Makyura the Destructor!"

"Correct, now I get to activate traps from my hand until the end of this turn," Kenji laughed as he quickly inserted two of them, "I activate the trap cards, Michizure and Card of Last Will! With the latter, because a monster of mine was destroyed in battle, I get to draw five new cards!"

The image of the second trap vanished as Kenji drew his five new cards.

"Secondly, Michizure brings to old line 'an eye for an eye.' So when you destroyed my monster, I get to take another monster there as well," Kenji explained as he pointed to the Lightsworn Dragon, "Lightsworn Dragon, go keep Makyura company!"

When those words left the ninja duelist's mouth, Makyura's spirit came back from the dead and sunk its claws into the dragon, making it cry out in agony and shatter into pixels. Jason eyes widened in fear seeing his powerful monster lost.

"And you can't make another attack since Great Kite of Ninja keeps my Shogun away from battle, while Tesshin can't be attacked while another ninja's on the field," the ninja duelist laughed, "Not even the great White Veil could help you, since you need to declare an attack! So, what's your move...?"

"I... end my turn...," Jason grumbled.

"Speechless are we," Kenji smirked as he drew, and turned over his card before inserting it into his disk, "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my..."

In another sudden flash of light, Kaabii reemerged from the graveyard, staring straight at Kenji. (6/2050-2450/1900-2300)

"I didn't want you back," the ninja duelist shouted, "Do you keep insisting on keeping me away from victory?"

"Poyo," Kaabii shouted back, "Poooyooo!"

"Tch. Fine," Kenji thought, "I was going to use Makura as a sacrifice, but it looks like the only card I have left to use is my Ninja Smoke Ball, using it to cancel his attack."

'He's too powerful,' Jason thought, 'How can I be on the receiving end of a loss? When I dueled Jachin and tied, it was because Sartorius said he had a similar power. But this... lower peon? No... no...'

"I sacrifice Kaabii, so my Ninja Master can continue his onslaught," Kenji announced as he looked to his monster with anger, "And this time, don't interfere!"

"POYOOOOOOO!"

Once again, the pink ninja vanished into sparkles of light, surrounding Ninja Master Shogun. The Ninja then threw numerous shuriken at the Lightsworn user, sending him to the ground on his knees.

Kenji: 3600

Jason: 1650

"Now, one card facedown and I place one monster in defense mode," Kenji concluded as a reversed card and a set monster appeared on his side of the field, 'My facedown monster, Crimson Ninja, can finish the job for me next turn, destroying his Barrier! Even if he summons another monster to deal with it, I still have Ninja Smoke Ball to activate in order to block for the win! I am one duelist you cannot tame, Jason!' "It's your move, unless you decide to give up!"

Jason was starting to breathe heavily as he looked at his deck, "If I lose... I'll lose so much more... I'll go back to that scared, timid little boy who couldn't fight hard enough... I... I will... I will not lose to a HERETIC!"

As the Lightsworn duelist snapped the next card of his deck, the aura around him grew stronger, blinding the ninja duelist. When Jason saw the card he just drawn, he grinned and then laughed evilly.

"You are through my friend," He shouted as he slammed the card on his disk, "With at least four different Lightsworn monsters in my graveyard, I call upon the powers of... Judgment Dragon!"

Suddenly, the light from Jason erupted into the sky and illuminated the surrounding area...

* * *

Looking out his window, Sartorius saw the bright light that came from the forest.

"So, he brings out the Judgment," he said as he stared it down, "Kenji will soon return to us..."

* * *

Back to the duel, Kenji felt something crash into the ground, but could not see it until the light faded away. The Ninja duelist opened his eyes and took in the sight that was the Judgment Dragon.

The dragon size's was immense; its body covered in sliver, feathery scales as well as its angelic wings that rose over the trees and its form. It peered down at Kenji with its crimson eyes, peering into his very soul. (8/3000/2600)

"It's time I passed Judgment on you, Kenji," the Lightsworn duelist rejoiced, with a maniacal grin, "For your rogue actions against us, in the name of the Society of Light, you will be punished!"

"The only monster you can touch is my facedown card," Kenji shouted, "For all of your dragon's power, you still can't touch me! Just save yourself the embarrassment!"

Jason chuckled darkly, "So like a person who doesn't know his place... I pay 1000 life points, to activate Judgment Dragon's special effect..." A dark red aura surrounded him...

Kenji: 3600

Jason: 650

"Now, obliterate everything around us!"

At Jason command, the dragon stomped it forelegs down and poured a golden light onto the ground that quickly spread itself on the entire playing field, the trees around the field were also covered. Then it happened... the ground erupted into a storm of burning light. Kenji couldn't even let out a scream as the light engulfed the field, he could only see Jason's maniacal stare as he too was bathed in its light.

When it was all said and done, nothing remained... but a wasteland of broken ground, trees and the Judgment Dragon to rule it all...

It was Kenji's turn to be stunned as he took in the sight of the mass damage. Jason took advantage as he inserted another card into his disk.

"Finally, Shine Place will raise its attack power by 700," He announced as a Judgment Dragon became surrounded by a white aura, even filling its eyes with menacing white. (8/3000-3700/2600)

"It is time...," Jason rejoiced, "Judgment Dragon, I now pass... Radiant Judgment!"

Judgment Dragon roared, blasting a focused jet of blazing light from its maw into the still Kenji. He screamed in agony as the light blasted him back into a faraway tree, knocking him out...

Kenji: 0

Jason: 650, Winner

The holograms disappeared as Jason walked towards the fallen opponent, breathing heavily. Once he reached Kenji, he saw that his opponent's hair and face was completely white!

"You..." Jason gasped as he pulled Kenji's unconscious body up to stare him in the face, "You... made me use... my ultimate beast... Too much trouble..."

* * *

Later at the white dorm, Sartorius awaited Jason's return.

He soon got his wish as he saw the Lightsworn duelist with Kenji on his back. Looking closely, he saw that his right-hand man was on his last legs...

"I take it he gave you a tough fight," he said, taking Kenji into his arms.

"You saw... the beast..." Jason asked.

"Anyone who can see the Light, can see the glorious power of the Judgment Dragon," the Tarot reader rejoiced, "You have shown your real power, but too weak to control it properly..."

"I know..." the Lightsworn duelist groaned.

"But don't see this as a bad thing," Sartorius stated, "It is because that power, Kenji stays with us... for good!"

Jason grinned as he bowed, "Thank you, Master."

"You're quite welcome," the SOL leader smiled, "Now return to your quarters, I'll see that you get at least a day or two's rest."

"I shall..." the Lightsworn duelist stated as he made his way to his room.

* * *

In Kenji's room, Sartorius placed the fallen ninja duelist on his bed...

"You caused quite a stir today, my young friend..." He stated as he left out of the room, "But now, you are back where you belong!"

But little did he know that the black card started to glow deep red...

Kenji then started to glow in that same deep red light...

Pretty soon, half of his white hair transformed back into his natural black color...

Then, he gave an evil grin in his sleep...

* * *

The next morning, the DAS were called to investigate the large damage to the forest area, right where Kenji and Jason dueled...

"Who on Earth, could do this..." The head of the DAS gasped...

Dangerous times, my readers! Dangerous times...

* * *

Ninja Commando Ikusa

EARTH

Level 3

Warrior/Effect

700/700

When this card is summoned to the field, Special Summon 1 "Ninja Solder Katana" from your hand or deck.

Ninja Soldier Katana

EARTH

Level 3

Warrior

400/400

Ninja Commando Kabuki

EARTH

Level 3

Warrior/Effect

700/700

When this card is summoned to the field, Special Summon 1 "Ninja" monster from your hand or deck.

Ninja Master Shogun

DARK

Level 5

Warrior/Effect

1600/1600

When this card is Tribute Summoned, Special Summon 2 level 4 or below "Ninja" monsters from your hand or deck.

Great Kite of Ninja

Equip Spell

Image: A large Red and Yellow Kite with an unknown Kanji in black, flying in the blue sky.

Equip only to "Ninja Master Shogun". It is unaffected by the effects of all other Spell Cards. Your opponent cannot select the equipped monster as an attack target. Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can Tribute 1 monster, except the equipped monster. If you do, the equipped monster can attack your opponent directly this turn. If the equipped monster is the only monster you control, your opponent can attack you directly.

(The top five cards were used by Jean-Claude Magnum in the second series anime episode: Lights, Camera, Duel! All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Ninja Dog Tesshin

EARTH

Level 4

Beast/Effect

300/300

As long as you control another face up "Ninja" monster, this card cannot be selected as an attack target. While this card is face-up on the field, all "Ninja" monster gains 400 ATK and DEF

Star Ninja Kaabii

LIGHT

Level 6

Warrior/Effect

2050/1900

When this card destroys a monster in battle, Special Summon 1 "Copy Token" on your side of the field with the same ATK and DEF as the destroyed monster (also with Level 1/LIGHT). You cannot attack this card if there's a "Copy Token" on the field.

(The top two cards were created by Psycho Duelist. Effects are my own creation, and are different from the ones in his story, Duel Academia Legends. All creative rights go to the both of us.)

Next Time: The SOL targets all the Ra members left of the Ra dorm... except Bastion... feeling lonely and out of place, he goes straight down to the Dorm and calls out the leader! Is he crazy?


	46. Never Noticed, Never Forgotten

Here comes one of my hated episodes... but I've done it big, I hope! Also, I remember some of my readers saying that I didn't capture how Bastion felt about being lonely for the Society not to come get him. I also hope I got it done.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 46: Never Noticed, Never Forgotten

* * *

It was another day at Duel Academy, as the Main Arena of the school were filled Society Members sitting or standing around. They were enjoying as one of their elites, Chazz Princeton was trouncing three Ra Yellow students.

"Remember our agreement, boys," Chazz laughed as he stared down his weak opponents, "When you lose a duel against us, you join the Society of Light!"

Chazz: 8000

Ra 1: 2600 + Ra 2: 2600 + Ra 3: 600

Chazz was feeling very confident in himself as he had three cards facedowns, one card in his hand and only one monster on the field, finally he just started his turn. It was a man with blue hair that covered his pale face and dressed in a large, white armor with diamond encrusted jewels flanking the flaps around his legs. His red gloved hands held a black mace. (7/2000/2000)

His three opponents were cringing in fear as they had nothing on the field to protect themselves. Yet one of them had the courage enough to speak...

"You only have one monster," He stated, his voice trying to sound convincing, "You can only take one of us out this turn!"

"Oh, I'll change that," Chazz grinned as one of his facedown cards flipped face-up, "I activate Ojama Trio! This sends an Ojama Token to protect each one of your life points in defense mode, so be thankful!"

The first Ra with shaggy, brown hair gasped as Ojama Yellow was brought to his field to defend him. (2/0/1000)

The second Ra with neat, gray cut hair and glasses watched as Ojama Green appeared on his field. (2/0/1000)

Finally, the third Ra with blonde bangs covering part of his face saw that Ojama Black was summoned to his field. (2/0/1000)

"Why are we his punching bags," The Ojama Brothers cried out, "This isn't fair!"

"Now, I activate the effect of the Noisy Gnat in my hand," the SOL elite continued as he held up monster card, showing a brown mosquito with a pink wig and sunglasses, playing vinyl records very loudly, "By discarding this, the Level of my White Knight Lord goes up by 1!"

As Chazz discarded his monster, a faint, white aura shined around the white armored monster. (7-8/2000/2000)

"But why do that," the first Ra asked.

"You'll see after my Lord, attacks the Ojama Black Token," He announced as the white armored Lord launched his mace as it fired out of the staff with a chain attached. Black exploded into a mass of pixels, "Now when an Ojama Token is destroyed, you take 300 points of damage! And when White Knight Lord destroys a monster in battle, you lose another 300 points!"

The third Ra couldn't react in time as the mace pulled back, knocking it into his back and sent him into the ground.

Chazz: 8000

Ra 1: 2600 + Ra 2: 2600 + Ra 3: 0

"And now, my other facedown card, Lineage of Destruction," Chazz shouted as he revealed a trap card, depicting Mystical Elf and Giant Soldier of Stone being engulfed in a firey explosion, caused by an unknown monster, "This is the reason why I raised my monsters level, because when I destroy an opponent's defense positioned monster, I can have a Level 8 or higher monster attack twice more!"

The two remaining Ras gasped.

"And then, I'll activate my final trap card, Defenders Intersect," The SOL elite continued as his third facedown card, showing Jerry Beans Man and the Swordsman of Landstar, preparing to fight, "During the battle phase, all of your defending monsters must switch to attack mode and their effects are negated! But too bad their effects come from a trap card, otherwise you two would last another turn!"

Green and Yellow stood up, to the Ras fear...

"White Knight Lord, destroy the Ojama Green Token!" Another shot of the Lord's mace fired at the defenseless Ojama Green token, smashing him into pixels, then pulled it back to knock the second Ra to his face.

Chazz: 8000

Ra 1: 2600 + Ra 2: 0 + Ra 3: 0

"Finish this now," Chazz commanded as the Lord's mace smashed the crying Yellow Ojama Token, and finally destroying the first Ra's points.

Chazz: 8000, Winner

Ra 1: 0 + Ra 2: 0 + Ra 3: 0

As the smoke cleared from the arena, Chazz and all the Society cheered when the elite rejoiced, "Goodbye Ra Yellow, and hello Society White!"

Hovering over the arena, were Chazz's eight Ojama Spirits. Ojama Yellow, Green and Black returned with bandages and bruises all over them.

"Man, you guys had it rough," Red said to the three main Ojamas.

"And I thought I was the punching bag of the family because of my effect," Blue stated.

Yellow sighed, "Ever since Chazz joined up with that fancy white group, things haven't been going well for us..."

"You said it," Black groaned in pain.

"Well, maybe it's time we moved on, like he did," Green suggested.

"We must be able to forgive Chazz," Ojama Angel said, in a calm voice, "Remember, he's not himself..."

"Whatever," Ojama Devil shouted, "That little brat ditched us! We're nothing but dead weight for his new monsters! And I hate the color white!"

"Oh well, we can't exactly do anything about it," Ojama Aqua chuckled.

* * *

At night, the three defeated Ra Yellow members packed up their things and prepared to head on out. Seeing this Bastion and Professor Sartyr pleaded with them to stop, after hearing what happened earlier today.

"You can't leave, you're all that's left of Ra Yellow," Bastion pleaded.

"Well, now you and the Professor's all that's left," said the Ra with the blonde hair.

"Look at the bright side, the two of you the place to yourselves now," the grey-haired Ra stated.

"If you're lonely, just invite Claudio and Melody back from that new Slifer Dorm," the brown-haired Ra stated.

"But the Slifers need them there," Sartyr stated.

"I thought you were our friends," the intellectual duelist said somberly.

"Of course, you're our friends," the blonde stated, "That's why we're going to talk to Sartorius about letting you in the Society!"

The two of them gasped as they saw him and the other two defeated Ras started developing maniacal grins.

"The last thing we need is your kind of charity," Bastion snapped, "I'm the best duelist in this dorm!"

"More like the one of the only duelists of this dorm," one muttered, but was hard to figure as all three new SOL members turned their backs and left, "Heck, Claudio and Melody would duel circles around you."

"No wondered they left you," another muttered.

"Just come by when you come to your senses about joining us," the last one said.

Bastion could do nothing as the last of the Ra Yellows departed for the white dorm. But then he felt frustrated...

' _They say that Sartorius' recruiting duelists for the Society of Light in order of strength,'_ He thought angrily, _'Then why doesn't he come after me!? I'm strong! I'm one of the top duelists alongside Claudio and Melody when it comes to Ra Yellow...'_ He then gasped as he thought of what he could do.

* * *

The next morning, everyone at the Slifer Dorm took the day off and just hung around a bit. Claudio was up on the roof, strumming on his guitar with Melody lying right next to him, enjoying each other's company.

"Can you believe what Jaden, Hassleberry and Syrus are doing," the music lover asked.

"Oh yeah, they're fishing for food with outdated fishing rods and lures," the magician duelist chuckled, "They'll only have their lines snapped at the end."

"To me, it's just Hassleberry just teaching them the means to look for your own food," Claudio interpreted, "I guess he's just trying to beat out Aster who has the finer dining on his yacht."

"At least he offered," Melody stated, "Meaning he's not the same jerk that talked down on you, Jaden and Masaki for your guys' Hero monsters."

"That's true..."

Then, the Ra couple noticed Bastion walking up to them on the roof and sat next to Melody.

"Hey, Bastion," Claudio greeted, "Nice of you to join us!"

"Yeah, we haven't hung out in much ever since we saved the Slifer Dorm..." Melody added, "What's going on with you and the Ra dorm? Professor Sartyr okay?"

"No, everything's not okay...," Bastion stated with a sad smile.

"Well then talk man, we're your friends," the J-Hero duelist said with concern.

The intellectual Ra took a deep breath and asked, "It's about the Society of Light... Do you think I'm a strong duelist..."

Claudio and Melody looked at each other with confused looks...

"What?"

"Of course, you are," Melody stated, "What makes you think that? I mean, you haven't been dueling anyone major lately... but..."

Bastion sighed, "I knew it... I'm not..."

"We didn't say that," Claudio told him, "Now tell us what's going on... you've been sulking like this for weeks on end, man."

"It's... that new white dorm," Bastion spoke, "If they're going after the best, why aren't they going after me?"

"Huh..."

"I wish the Society of Light wanted me," the intellectual Ra shouted.

"Why would you wanna wish that," Melody scolded, "You'd become a mindless zombie, worshipping some stupid fortuneteller and his almighty 'Light'!"

"Especially you wouldn't be yourself," Claudio added, "You'd lose to them, it's like you're gone for life until someone snaps ya out of it! In my opinion, I wish I was in your shoes..."

"But doesn't it bother the two of you that almost half the student body has joined?" Bastion continued.

"Of course," Claudio stated. "Those jokers don't know what they are talking about! Not to mention, I'm still down about Kenji in that bunch and Alexis feeling sad that two of her friends are messed up in their heads."

"Yeah, I'm glad the Society's staying away from me," the magician duelist stated, "They caught me on a bad day once, and I beat three of them in a row..."

"And I watched the whole thing go down," the J-Hero duelist added, "I guess they thought they could get leverage over me if Mel here was in the Society..."

"I can take care of myself," Melody boasted, and then turned to Bastion with a stern look, "And you, stop sulking... if they're not going after you, stay away from them until one of them becomes stupid enough to challenge you. No matter what they have, you got six decks to choose from... And if you make a solid deck, there's no way they'll beat you and your skill!"

Bastion sighed as he left the dorm..., "Maybe you're right..."

* * *

That night, Bastion was frantically writing down formulas around his dorm room, more focused than ever. He thought about all the duels during the last year that made him one of the best in the school, despite being a first-year and was chosen to defend the school against the Shadow Riders...

"I am a great duelist..." He said to himself, "Why don't they come after me!? I'll prove my strength, with my own hands!"

* * *

But on the outside of the dorm, Jachin was staring into his window with binoculars, seeing...

"I knew he'd get too worried about this..."

 _ **"This is turning out nicely, if I do say so myself!"**_

Jachin growled as he felt the inner shadow's presence within his mind, "Can't you be serious? Bastion basically toiling away in his room, coming up with ideas just to prove he's a great duelist… he doesn't need that..."

 _ **"Hey, he ignored me for denying his own feelings... like you used to do... like you did in that last battle which caused me to surface after years of being holed up..."**_

"This is different," Jachin stated, "Bastion's just rushing into this, despite his planning… plus, he's doing this for all the wrong reason..."

 _ **"Just let the little whelp live out his desires... if he wants to do this, let him... what happens next is his own fault!"**_

"You laugh, once he gets out, I'm confronting him... ever since Domino City, I think he has more of a bad side, just waiting to be unleashed..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Bastion stayed inside another day to create formulas for his ultimate deck... he wrote on the walls... on the ceiling, anything that wasn't himself or paper...

When night came...

"IT'S ALIVE!"

Bastion held up his deck high, with great pride.

"I've created the ultimate deck! It's flawless! I'll prove that I'm an elite!"

Suddenly, a shadow passed by his window...

"Someone there..."

Forgetting it altogether, he dashed out of his room with his duel disk and new deck in tow...

"Bastion..."

He then stopped as Jachin walked up to him, barring his path.

"Jachin, move aside...," Bastion demanded.

"To fight the Society by yourself," the Persona duelist interrupted, "Sorry, but I can't let you suicide yourself like that..."

"I won't be," the Ra stated, holding up his duel disk, "I have the ultimate deck to crush them all! Once I go in there, the Society of Light will be finished!"

"Are you sure that's all you want to do," Jachin asked firmly.

"What do you mean?"

Sighing, the Slifer gave a stern look to the Ra, "You're just using this excuse to get recognition and that you're lonely without the others... you're not thinking clearly enough for a duel against them!"

"So... what if I am, doing this for recognition," Bastion snapped, "I need to show them, I'm not an inferior duelist!"

"Show them, or yourself!"

Bastion gasped, hearing that straight from the Slifer's mouth.

"I'm sorry that the Ra dorm is getting cleared out, I've talked to Claudio, Melody and the other Ras to move back in to defend it," Jachin stated, "but, you don't need to prove anything! Remember what I said about them?"

"Yes, therefore I'm going up there," Bastion replied, "I've created one, single deck to combat them! This is my chance! I was ignored by any duelists in Domino City and I won't be ignored now!"

Jachin sighed once again. He knew he had to pull out the big guns, to get his point across, "Alright, I've got something to tell you... at Domino City... you weren't... we fought two duelists out to kill us, I went off the deep end and unleashed my shadow... we won and I..."

"What..."

The Slifer then pulled out a single card, his Dark Hour Field Spell.

"This is what happened to our opponents!"

Bastion gasped seeing the two duelists, Shadow and Cutter, running away from Shadow Arcana Magician.

"So you see that," Jachin stated, "You don't have to this, Dark Hour's proof you're one of the best, after all you defeated them as well! Don't give into this desire of being noticed, just turn around and go back to the Dorms!"

* * *

(Flashback)

" _Now, Simorgh silence the so-called dark one," Cutter commanded as the golden bird raised its wings up high, "Prepare to die!"_

 _"I will not be ignored!"_

 _Everyone suddenly turned their heads towards Bastion once he shouted and revealed his trap card._

 _"I activate the trap card, Dark Spirit of the Silent," He announced as large, orange spirit flew out of the trap card and blocked Simorgh's wings from flapping downwards, "This trap card stops the current attacking monster and forces another monster on your side to attack. But the choice is mine to make!"_

 _Cutter gasped, "You make the choice!"_

 _"Yes, and I think of no better choice than the monster you stole Jachin, his Sangan!"_

 _"But if Sangan attacks..."_

 _The Light Brigade duelist didn't even finish his sentence as the long forgotten Sangan leapt towards the Shadow Arcana monster._

 _"It's over for you," Jacinth grinned, "Empress, Evil Touch!"_

 _As soon as Sangan reached the Empress, the Shadow Arcana laughed as she pointed her wand in the fiend's line of fire and fired a dark blast obliterating it from the field. The impact of the blow managed to reach Cutter from the distance and sent him flying across the field, knocking him out and taking all his cards out from the game._

* * *

(Flashback 2)

 _"Attack and end this duel," Jacinth commanded, "Destroy him!"_

 _The shadow's face suddenly grew demonic and then lunged passed the Mad Profiler and Shadow Monarch, heading straight for the defenseless duelist._

 _"NOOO!"_

 _The shadow opened its jagged maw and then clamped down on Shadow's duel disk and shattered it to pieces, exploding it off his arm and leaving it badly burned._

 _"Ah, sweet freedom and victory," He stated as he took the key from the chest and unlocked his shackles. Bastion did the same, but was feeling wary of the Slifer's next move, "Now to take care of business!"_

 _"'Business,'" The Ra asked as Jacinth walked over to the fallen and horrified form of Shadow._

 _"Now, now little Shadow, you have just witnessed the true darkness of your heart," the shadow Slifer stated as his eyes glowed, "But you failed to conquer it, so you'll have to pay the price!"_

 _"W-What price," Shadow stuttered._

 _"Take a look around you, my prey..."_

 _The Light Brigade duelist started to look around and gasped that the Dark Hour field spell was still active!_

 _"The Field Spell!"_

 _"Like it," Jacinth asked, "Well get used to it, because you will become a part of it for the rest of your days," He then stared at the fallen form of Cutter, "Him too..."_

 _Suddenly, the ground started to rumble shaking both Shadow and Bastion to the floor. Jacinth stood his ground as he watched the terror unfold._

 _"NOW!"_

 _At the shadow Slifer's command, Cutter's body was swallowed up in a black coffin and slammed shut before sinking back into the ground._

 _Shadow cried out, "CUTTER!"_

 _"You're next," Jacinth grinned, "NOW!"_

 _"AAAAHHH!"_

 _Shadow was then trapped inside an upright coffin and screamed in terror as it was slammed shut and dove straight into the ground. The entire scene put horror in the face of the Ra and a look of delight on the shadow Slifer's._

 _"Now, my host can be purely satisfied," Jacinth stated as the Dark Hour spell finally disappeared, "It's been too long since I was able to duel again."_

 _He then turned around to see the Ra's look of terror on his face and scoffed, "Oh don't tell me you didn't like that..."_

 _"W-What," Bastion gasped._

 _"You heard me; they ignored you most of the entire duel. Surely, you had a dark satisfaction of seeing me take them down!"_

 _"You're wrong," the Ra shouted, shaking off his fear on the spur of the moment, "I may have been angry about being ignored, furious for being caught up in a near-death experience, but what you've done is completely unaccounted for!"_

 _"Please, you can lie about all you want," Jacinth stated, "But seeing the way you took down Cutter; it thrilled you to do that after what they said... You relished the pain when Simorgh's power became real to hurt them... You made sure they never forgot the name Bastion Misawa!"_

 _"YOU'RE WRONG!"_

 _At that point, Bastion felt a sharp chop to the back of his head, slowly removing the consciousness from his brain as he heard his attacker's words..._

 _"It seems you need some time to think about that," Jacinth said in a low tone, "I'd rather take you down like the others, but right now... it will all seem like a bad dream..."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

The intellectual Ra shuddered at the sudden recollection of thoughts...

"That was... all... real..."

"Yes," Jachin stated, "I didn't say anything before because I failed to keep my darkness in check... but you Bastion, this is your darkness! You go in there the way you are now, even if you beat Sartorius... what will it prove? Just to show off your own twisted desire of being acknowledged by your enemy! So, I suggest you turn back around now, if this is what you're going for!"

Finally, Bastion stated to calm down and sink all the information in his brain... "You're right, I'm sorry..."

"Good, are you level-headed now," Jachin asked.

"Yes," The Ra nodded.

"Alright, if you're still going through with this, wait around the docks and I bring in some help," the Persona duelist stated, "As much as I can summon real monsters, I don't want to destroy the place before turning it back to the blue dorm..."

"Okay, I'll wait..." Bastion stated.

"Good, I'll see you in a little while," Jachin said as he ran off towards the Slifer Dorm.

Bastion then turned towards the White Dorm and stared at it long and hard. Then, he found himself walking along the path and towards it, "Sorry, but Sartorius needs to be taken care of immediately... I have the deck planned out and I plan to use it... I'll show him my power!"

* * *

A little later, the Ra pushed in the front doors of the dorm with a loud slam. The Society members inside felt startled at first, but quickly after seeing Bastion, they got over it...

"Look who we got here!"

"Wrong dorm you dork!"

Several taunts were made towards the Ra, but he paid it no mind as he had one question of his own...

"Where is Sartorius!?"

"It's Master Sartorius to you!"

Suddenly, Jason, Chazz and Juli appeared within the crowd and sneered at their visitor.

"He's busy right now," Juli stated, "So take a hike!"

"Yes, especially since he has no time for you," Chazz scoffed.

"So leave now, or else we'll just throw you out," Jason added, "The Master has no need for inferior duelists like you!"

"This can't wait," Bastion said, "I'm here to challenge Sartorius to a duel!"

To his chagrin, the entire White group laughed.

"You in a duel against Sartorius," Chazz asked, "You must be joking!"

"Only duelists with talent can challenge him," Juli stated.

"And you never had it to begin with," Jason smirked, "The Society of Light has no need for you. You should feel happy that the low-class members are shunning you away."

"I'm not going anywhere," the Ra growled, "I came here to duel Sartorius and that's final!"

The second-in-command groaned, "Alright, you want to be thrown out... I can arrange…"

"Jason, be calm..."

Everyone of the Society gasped as their leader walked down the white staircase, staring them down.

"Master!"

"Sartorius..." Bastion said firmly.

"My apologies, Mr. Misawa," the tarot reader said, continuing down the stairs and standing right in front of his elites, "We never expected visitors at his hour, how may I be of service to you?"

"Save it," the Ra demanded, "Just duel me!"

"Straight to the founder, yes," Sartorius asked with a grin, "You have a tremendous amount of courage in coming here by yourself! You have my respect..."

"Fine, let's duel then," Bastion pried, "And when I win, you leave Academy Island forever!"

"Very well," Sartorius nodded, "But there is the price of failure... you will join the Society of Light and if I lose, I'll give up having you join the Society of Light."

"Master!?" Chazz gasped as he heard what could happen.

But it didn't go unnoticed...

"But since I'm still fine-tuning my deck, I'll postpone dueling for now." the SOL leader stated, "So, I'll have Chazz duel in my stead..." The second elite gasped before his master continued. "You should prove a challenge since I consider you to be within my level..."

That statement shut Chazz up as he bowed in respect and admiration, "I understand..." But then turned to Bastion with a smug grin, "But I wouldn't call it a challenge!"

"Nor would I..." Bastion replied, giving Chazz the same grin back...

* * *

At the main arena, the entire Society of Light packed the seats with Sartorius, Jason and Juli standing at the highest point. On the duel stage, Chazz and Bastion faced off. Unbeknownst to them all, Ojama Green, Yellow and Black was watching as well...

"Alright, we gotta make sure Bastion beats Chazz," Yellow stated.

"But why," Green asked.

"Duh, you knucklehead," Black replied, lunking his green brother upside the head, "If Chazz loses, he'll be back to normal!"

Chazz turned his head to the direction of the Ojamas, but couldn't see anything. Shrugging it off, he turned back to face his opponent, who had thoughts of his own...

'Perfect, if I can defeat Chazz, Sartorius has to leave anyway," the Ra thought with a smirk.

Both players activated their duel disks.

"GAME ON!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Bastion: 8000

Chazz: 8000

"I'll start the duel," Bastion announced as he drew his sixth card, scanned it and immediately took three of them to play, "I'll place these facedown along with a set monster and end my turn."

Two reversed cards and a set monster appeared in front of the intellectual duelist.

"I thought you were going to fight," Chazz taunted, "Not run and hide!"

"It's your move, Chazz," Bastion stated, turning a deaf ear to his opponent's taunt.

"Have it your way," the SOL elite shrugged as he drew his sixth card, "First, I use Graceful Charity to draw three cards and get rid of two, like my Ojamagic and Ojama Ride," He announced drawing three cards from his deck and discarding the two mentioned cards from his hand.

"And since Ojamagic went to the graveyard, you can bring the Ojama Brothers to your hand," Bastion stated.

"Very perceptive," Chazz stated as he collected Ojama Black, Green and Yellow into his hand.

"Oh no. here we go again," The Ojama Brothers cried out as their spirit forms were sucked into their respective cards.

Ignoring their cries, Chazz put down another card on the tray, "Next, I summon Ojama Red in attack mode!"

In a flash of light, the red colored, yellow handkerchief wearing Ojama appeared on the field. (2/0/1000)

"Now he plays me..." Red scoffed.

"And, Bastion," Chazz grinned, "When summoned, I can play up to four Ojamas monsters on the field! And since I also have Ojama Blue in my hand as well, I can fill the field with my monsters and then start crushing you!"

The SOL elite slapped down four cards on the field, bringing out his Ojama Yellow, Black, Green and Blue to his side of the field. But instead of landing on their feet, they ended up piling on top of Red, causing a fight to break out between the five of them. (2/0/1000) x4

"I thought he had gotten rid of those freaks," Jason scoffed, "They serve no purpose for us!"

"Like he'll ever listen," Juli added, "It's the fact that they are LIGHT attributes and he uses them as fodder for the other monsters of his deck, he keeps them around."

"It's that all," Bastion smirked, "If that's your best, Sartorius will be off the island in a manner of a few turns!"

"Let's see you talk after this one," Chazz stated as he opened up the field spell slot of his disk and inserted a card into it, "I'll send us to the Ojama Country!"

The intellectual Ra started to get a little waivered as the arena transformed into the miniature home of the Ojamas.

"And you know what this means, right? With an Ojama monster on the field, I can switch the ATK and DEF of all monsters, making mine a lot more powerful, wouldn't you say, Bastion," the SOL elite cackled as the Ojama Brothers stopped quarreling and felt a power shift from within them. (2/0-1000/1000-0) x5

"Uh oh guys," Yellow stated, "We're going to have to fight!"

"Yeah, finally," Red cheered.

"Idiot," Green and Black shouted at him.

"We need to work against Chazz, remember," Blue stated, "Otherwise, it'll continue be worse for us!"

"And finally, I use Shield Crush to crush your defense monster," Chazz continued as he inserted a spell card, revealing a massive beam blasting through a Millennium Shield. As soon as the card image appeared, the blast fired from it and vaporized Bastion's only monster, not even revealing what it was.

'I'm defenseless now, but I will be able to keep up the pressure,' Bastion thought as he readied himself for the move to come...

"Ojamas time to prove your worth," Chazz announced and pointed straight at Bastion, "Attack that nerd directly for a 5000 ATK blast!"

"We're not doing it," The Ojamas cried out.

But suddenly, an unknown force started to pull Ojama Yellow towards Bastion. Seeing this, the other Ojamas grabbed onto his hands.

"Whatever you do don't let go," Yellow cried out as the force started get stronger.

"Come on," Black yelled to the others, "Put your back into it!"

Then, the force extended to the rest of the Ojamas and they flew towards Bastion.

"AAAHHH!" They shouted.

"Don't think so Chazz, I have a trap card out," Bastion announced as he revealed his facedown card, "Dust Tornado!"

"WHAT!" Chazz shouted in shock and anger.

"WHAT!" The Ojamas shouted in shock and happiness.

"You heard me right," the Ra stated, "I can destroy one spell or trap card on your side of the field! But I only have one choice, so say goodbye to Ojama Country!"

A giant tornado suddenly appeared into the middle of the field and started tearing apart the houses and land. Before the Ojamas reached Bastion, the tornado sucked them inside and started spinning the around.

Ojama Green suddenly shouted, "Auntie Em! Auntie Em! It's a TWISTER!"

Once the tornado sent the field back to its original setting, the twister disappeared dropping the Ojama Brothers unceremoniously into the ground. (2/1000-0/0-1000) x5

"Also, I'll take advantage of the second effect of Dust Tornado and set a facedown card in response," Bastion stated as a facedown appeared at his feet, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen..." he smirked.

Chazz growled as he inserted another card into his disk, "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"I'm up then," Bastion declared as he drew, "I play my Pot of Greed, enabling me to draw two cards!"

The grinning green pot appeared as the Ra drew two more cards before it shattered.

"Now, I summon my Spirit Reaper in attack mode," He continued as purple cloaked skeleton appeared on the field, drawing its scythe. (3/300/200)

"Next, I'll activate my facedown card, Quick Summon and bring out my Kycoo, the Ghost Destroyer!"

As Bastion slapped down another monster card on his disk, a tall, slightly tan-skinned man appeared in purple monk's robes and a tan, leather armored shirt. On his face he wore a red mask that covered half his face, showing his purple eyes and held red, prayer beads. (4/1800/700)

"And to protect my Spirit Reaper, I will outfit my Ghost Destroyer with the Metalsliver Armor Equip Spell," Bastion announced as he activated his card. The monk was now outfitted in Dark Blade's black-colored and spiked armor.

"Clever," Sartorius stated, "Now Bastion has protected Spirit Reaper's fatal flaw of being destroyed when it's targeted by other card effects."

"So what," Chazz thought as he kept up a straight poker face, 'As soon as he attacks me, my facedown card will crush him!'

"With that mediocre defense for your monsters, you can't be serious," Bastion smiled as he inserted another card, "I activate my last card, Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of your facedown card!"

Chazz growled as his facedown card was swept up in a smaller storm and ripped to shreds.

"Now then, Spirit Reaper make your move and attack Ojama Red with your Soul Scythe Attack," Bastion commanded as the cloaked skeleton stormed the battlefield and slashed across Red's head.

"At least Chazz will end up losing," Red cried as he shattered into pixels.

Bastion: 8000

Chazz: 7700

"Now, the Spirit Reaper's effect activated, forcing you to discard the last card in your hand," The Ra stated.

Without a word, Chazz discarded his last card... but he seemed to be happy about it...

"Now then, I move to attack Ojama Yellow with Kycoo! Go Spirit Purge!"

The monk chanted in a mystical tone as he shook his prayer beads. Suddenly, a purple aura surrounded the yellow monster and even prevented him from speaking out. Once Kycoo clapped his hands, Yellow was ripped to shreds.

Bastion: 8000

Chazz: 5900

"And then his effect activates as well," Bastion stated, "Since Kycoo, damaged your life points in battle, I can remove your Ojama Red and another monster from the game!"

Chazz gasped as Ojama Red and the monster he discarded, it was unknown to the Ra's knowledge but he didn't pay any mind.

"So you did have something else inside your graveyard," the intellectual Ra inquired, "But now, I can end my turn without worrying about it later!"

"Seems we overlooked a potential member," Jason said to his Master, "Maybe he should've been in our ranks instead of Chazz..."

"Patience, Mr. Hutchins," Sartorius interrupted, "Chazz has yet to use his new monsters on him... that will be the true test..."

"It's my turn..." Chazz declared as he drew his next card. He then activated it on the spot, "I activate Polymerization to fuse Ojama Green and Black to form Ojama Knight!"

"Guess we got no choice..." Green muttered as he jumped into the vortex.

"Lucky, Bastion's got Chazz on the ropes..." Black added as he followed his brother into the vortex.

Once the vortex flashed, the bigger, yet still small, Ojama Yellow in sliver armored appeared and blocked with his shield. (5/0/2500)

"And with him out on the field, two of your monster zones become unavailable to you," the SOL duelist continued as two of Bastion's monster tray zones were stamped with red circles by an unknown force. "Finally, I switch Ojama Blue to defense mode call it a turn!"

"Now he's giving him a reason not to attack me...," Blue said as he kneeled to defend himself. (2/0/1000)

* * *

At the docks, Jaden, Hassleberry and Syrus were cooking up something... strange, using a bonfire and a skillet.

"Finally, we get to have some food for today," Jaden cheered.

"Yeah, it only took us all day, to catch those fish," Syrus stated, "The other day we didn't get anything!"

"Hold on boys," Hassleberry interrupted, "I got ingredients to add!"

"Guys, there you are!"

The Slifer and two Ras turned to see Jachin run up to them, he then saw the bonfire and skillet...

"Has this been where you guys were?"

"Yeah, why," Jaden asked.

"Okay, Bastion's gone off to challenge Sartorius," the Persona duelist exclaimed.

"WHAT!"

"But why would he do that," Jaden asked, "He knows he can't take them on by himself..."

"It's my fault for leaving him alone," Jachin groaned, "I thought I got through with him when we had that talk about him not being noticed and everything..."

Hassleberry gasped, "You know, Claudio and Melody were talking to us about that yesterday!"

"And maybe that's the reason Bastion skipped class," Syrus gasped.

"It's worse than that..."

Everyone then turned to see Aster walk up to them.

"Aster?" Jaden asked. "What do you mean? Bastion's strong enough to face Sartorius, right?"

"Sure, he may have the skills to face Sartorius," the D-Hero Duelist noted, "But no matter what the outcome of the duel, Bastion won't win."

"WHAT!?"

"Bastion doesn't want to be strong," Aster replied. "He just wants the people around him to say he's strong. A true duelist's existence is lonely. Even if no one acknowledges them, they believe in their deck and tactics, walking their own path. Results and praise merely come in that wake. But Bastion's not like that; all he has, deep down, is simple elitism. A desire to be acknowledged by others. In the end, he doesn't believe in his own strength. Someone like that cannot be a true duelist."

Jachin growled as he turned to the others, "Come on, we need to get back to the White Dorm and get him outta of there!"

"Now look's who on the defensive," Bastion proclaimed as he drew his next card, "As much as I could destroy your Ojama Blue, I won't risk giving you more cards for your Ojamas, so I'll end my turn here without playing anything."

"My move," Chazz said, immediately drawing his next card, "And I know can damage your Spirit Reaper with another monster, but you'll just turn around and use that bald guy to destroy him. So, I'll end my turn also."

"Let's see here," Bastion said as he drew. He smirked as he faced Chazz, "Nope, I still have nothing, I'll pass again..."

"Well this is boring," Juli scoffed, commenting on the duel, "If this keeps up, we'll be up all night..."

"We won't," Sartorius stated, "Just look at our young Chazz..."

The look on the SOL member's face clearly showed how ticked off he was...

"You see, Bastion's using an age-old tactic on Chazz," the Leader said as he continued to elaborate, "Forcing the both of them to a stand-off, so that he can wait for the opportune moment and capitalize on Chazz's mistake. And it looks like, that will happen soon..."

"He needs to get that anger under control..." Lorenzo stated.

"Too late..." Ripley sighed as Chazz snatched the next card off his deck.

"I'm tired of you playing around," Chazz shouted, as he played his next card, "Allow me to show you the new power of my deck, by summoning my new White Knight Swordsman!"

As the card was set onto Chazz's disk, a white flash brought out a tan-skinned man in a sleek, white armor carrying a white, spiked shield in his left hand and a curved, steel blade in his right. (4/1200/1200)

Bastion gasped, "A new monster?"

"Yes," Chazz grinned, "One of many gifts from Master Sartorius! Once you join, you may be deserving of some..."

"Thanks, but no thanks," the Ra said, narrowing his eyes.

"Too bad, I'll just have to show you some respect," the SOL duelist shouted, "Swordsman, attack Spirit Reaper with White Knight Slash!"

Yelling a battle cry, the white-armored swordsman dashed across the field and then gave a quick slash across the skull of the reaper... but Bastion was unfazed as his monster withstood the attack!

Bastion: 7100

Chazz: 5900

"I think you forgot that Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed in battle," Bastion smirked, "Your impatience is what will cost you in this duel!"

"Fool," Jason scoffed at Chazz, "Left himself wide open..."

"I end my... turn," Chazz snarled.

"Now's my chance," Bastion stated as he drew his next card and smiled at his find, "I sacrifice the Spirit Reaper to summon the Brain Golem!"

The cloaked reaper vanished into dark orbs that shot up to the sky and created a portal. The entire Society gasped at seeing a large, wide orange brain-looking creature with blue tendrils below it and on either side, serving as its arms. Then, numerous blue eyes opened from around its body. (6/2500/1800)

"And while its present on the field, all LIGHT – Attribute monsters have their effects negated!"

Everyone inside the arena gasped as they saw Ojama Knight, Ojama Blue and White Knight Swordsman being drained of their energy, from the Golem's gaze.

"He has a monster that can stop LIGHT," Jason gasped, "Then, my Lightsworns and even..."

"Even my Arcana Force monsters would be useless on the field," Sartorius finished, "Well, well... Bastion has properly prepared for a duel against me..."

"Next, I activate my Banner of Courage spell card," Bastion continued as a banner with a symbol for courage appeared behind him, "This card will increase the attack of my monsters by 200 during the Battle Phase!"

The banner started to wave within a sudden wind, empowering Bastion's Golem and Ghost Destroyer as they started to glow blue. (6/2500-2700/1800), (4/1800-2000/700)

"Now Brain Golem, attack his White Knight Swordsman," the Ra commanded, "Use your Hand Launcher!"

All the eyes turned towards the white-armored swordsman and gave a deadly glare to him. The left arm stretched out and crushed the man with a death grip.

Bastion: 7100

Chazz: 4400

"And the battle continues; when Brain Golem destroys a LIGHT monster in battle, it can attack once more!"

Chazz gasped, "What the-?"

"Brain Golem, go and attack the Ojama Knight with your second-Hand Launcher," Bastion continued as his monster stretched out its right arm and then wrapped it around the larger Ojama and crushed him as well, "Now, my turn is over."

"Who knew that Bastion would prove powerful against one of our elites," Jason stated.

"I say he got lucky on thinking we'd all have LIGHT attribute monsters by now," Juli figured.

"Alright, you gotten lucky whiz kid," Chazz muttered as he drew his next card. He then placed it on the duel tray, sideways, "I summon White Knight Guardna to defend me!"

Rising from the ground, another white armored man appeared with blonde hair tied in a long tail, and using his arms to bring together two, spiked shield guards to form giant shield. (4/800/2000)

"Now, let me pay you back for all the damage you caused me," the SOL elite shouted as he inserted another card, "I activate Misfortune, and even Master Sartorius can see that in your future! I'll select Brain Golem and deal half of its ATK to you as damage!"

A giant beam burst from the spell card's image and then passed through the Brain Golem, hitting Bastion in the chest, making him stagger a bit.

Bastion: 5850

Chazz: 4400

"And that's all from me," Chazz concluded, "Once I get my best monsters, I'll make sure to make you pay!"

"Big talk from someone so far behind," Bastion said as he drew his next card, "Brain Golem, destroy his Guardna!"

This time, the Golem used both of its 'arms' to grab the defending monster and hoist it in the air, then smash it to pixels in one fell swoop.

"I'll end my turn," the Ra concluded, "Feel free to forfeit... I mean this in the sincerest way Chazz, I've got you right where I want you!"

"So now you've gotten cocky," Chazz shouted as he drew his next card, "Let's how much after I activate Card of Sanctity!"

"Finally, a lucky card," Jason stated as both Chazz and Bastion drew from their decks, until they held six cards, "That better reset the game into his favor!"

After reviewing his hand, Chazz laughed, "I activate Double Summon and play another White Knight Swordsman!"

A twin of the swordsman appeared in front of Chazz, slicing the air with his blade. (4/1200/1200)

"But he won't be on the field for long, because I sacrifice him and the Ojama Blue you've neglected, to summon the all-powerful, White Knight Lord," Chazz announced as his swordsman and Ojama erupted into giant pillars of light. Once they combined, it brought out a man with blue hair that covered his pale face and dressed in a large, white armor with diamond encrusted jewels flanking the flaps around his legs. His red gloved hands held a black mace. (7/2000/2000)

"Fine warrior, but he's no match for the Brain Golem," Bastion stated.

"Sure, his original power is no match for it," Chazz nodded and then grinned, "But thanks to the power of the monsters in my graveyard, I have just enough for him!"

"What are you getting at," the Ra demanded.

"The two White Knight Swordsmen have special abilities that activate from the graveyard," the SOL elite grinned, "One of them can boost the ATK of all White Knights by 300! So with two, my White Knight Lord gains 600 ATK!"

The Lord roared at the sky as his power rose. (7/2000-2600/2000)

"White Knight Lord, attack Brain Golem with Assault Mace," Chazz commanded, "Eradicate that monster!"

The white armored Lord launched his mace as it fired out of the staff with a chain attached. The spiked ball pierced the giant eye of the Golem, making it shatter into millions of pixels.

Bastion: 5750

Chazz: 4400

But Bastion wasn't discouraged as he activated his facedown card. It depicted an ancient Egyptian mirror that absorbed several streams of light energy, "To prevent your monster's effect from happening, I activate Light-Imprisoning Mirror! This trap card negates a LIGHT monster's effect when it activates!"

Chazz growled as he took two of his cards and inserted them in the slots of his disk, "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Interesting," Sartorius smirked, "A backup plan from his Brain Golem's destruction... Very impressive..."

"I'm up then," Bastion said as he drew. He then held up a spell card, "I activate my Ritual of Lithmus spell card!"

Rising from behind the intellectual Ra, a large temple-like monument appeared. The base was made of ancient rock and carried a giant torch, lighting up two grey pillars with hieroglyphics on them.

"To use this, I must sacrifice a total of 8 stars worth of monsters from my hand or field," The Ra stated as he held up another card, "But I have this, the Ritual Raven! When summoning a DARK Ritual monster, he counts as the entire sacrifice!"

In between the twin pillars, a black bird with two golden faces appeared in the middle. (1/100/100) Then, it was struck by lightning and its energy was fed into the monument.

"Now, I summon to the field, the Swordsman of Doom Lithmus!"

The monument crackled with energy and, in front of Bastion, created an impressive warrior in a tunic and red cape, carrying two swords in his hands. He also looked to be a scholarly-looking man as his masked, white eyes beheld the tremendous sight of knowledge. (8/0/0)

"Doom Swordsman isn't affected by Traps, and he can't be destroyed in battle," Bastion smiled, "Also, if there happens to be a face-up Trap card on the field, like Light-Imprisoning Mirror for example, my Doom Swordman's ATK and DEF become 3000!"

A red aura seeped from the mirror behind the swordsman and flowed into his blades. (8/0-3000/0-3000)

Chazz gasped, "No way!"

"Now Swordsman, strike down his White Knight Lord," Bastion commanded as his ritual monster let out a battle cry and leapt towards the white-armored Lord. He then gasped as each of the Lithmus Swordsman's slashes had no effect on Chazz's monster, "What's this?"

"Too bad Bastion," the SOL elite chuckled, "because White Knight Lord can't be destroyed in battle or take battle damage! And it's a Continuous effect, meaning your fancy mirror can't stop it."

"Looks like Chazz's is finally gaining an upper hand," Juli stated, "Now let's see if he can hold it..."

"I'll place two facedown cards and that'll do it for me," Bastion concluded as he inserted two cards into his disk.

"Will it," Chazz shouted as he drew his next card. He then revealed a spell card showing Ojamas Yellow, Black and Green on a mandala, "I activate Ojamandala! By paying 1000 life points, I get to summon back the three normal Ojamas!"

Bastion: 5750

Chazz: 3400

"AAAHHH!"

But instead of appearing from the spell card, Yellow, Black and Green fell in a small pile on the ground and groaned in pain. (2/0/1000) x3

"This will end badly," Juli muttered.

"Then, I activate one of my facedowns Ojama Trio," Chazz continued as he revealed his trap card, "Now I get fill your field with sending Ojama Tokens on your side of the field!"

Bastion watched as three puffs of smoke appeared on his field and created dopplegangers of the three Ojamas. (2/0/1000) x3

"And then activate my second facedown card, Ojama Delta Hurricane," the SOL duelist stated as it showed the familiar spell card of the three Ojamas creating a giant hurricane, "Now it's time that your monsters bite the dust! And with those Tokens, you'll lose 900 life points!"

Suddenly, the unconscious Ojamas woke up and felt that same, unknown force that pulled them into the air.

"Why do all the bad things happen to us," They cried as they formed into a triangular formation and started spinning rapidly. In the middle of the force, a giant tornado appeared and covered Bastion's entire field...

No one could notice what was happening inside the storm... the only clue Chazz and audience had been the tell-tale shattering of holographic cards.

As the hurricane started to diminish, they saw the field was bare of Bastion's Ojama Tokens and facedown cards...

Bastion: 4850

Chazz: 3400

"Hah, how do like that," Chazz taunted as the Ojamas dropped back onto the ground, "Everything on your field... gone!"

"You may want to double check the field...," Bastion called out from the small storm.

When the storm fully cleared, the Swordsman still appeared, with no damage! (8/3000-0/3000-0)

Also, he noticed that White Knight Lord was gone as well!

"But wait a second, how come my monster's gone," the SOL elite gasped.

"When you activated your Hurricane Spell card, I activated another trap card Pole Position," Bastion stated, holding up the trap card in question. The card depicted Oni-Tank T-34 and Overdrive, rolling out to the warzone, "You destroyed that instead of my Swordsman since it became unaffected by spells during the time, because he had the highest ATK on the field! Plus when it's destroyed, it takes the strongest monster along with it!"

"But that was your monster," Chazz protested.

Bastion smirked, "You're right, 'was' but since trap cards were kicked off the field by your spell, it drained my Swordsman's ATK to 0 and the strongest monster became your White Knight Lord!"

Chazz growled but then grinned, "Fine, but when White Knight Lord's destroyed by a card effect, you take 1000 points of damage!"

A red aura surrounded the Ra, bringing him burning pain...

Bastion: 3850

Chazz: 3400

But still, Bastion held that smirk as he said, "Oh, I almost forgot; you also destroyed my facedown card, Kozaky's Self Destruct Button," He then revealed another trap card, showing Kozaky hitting a button inside his laboratory, most-likely a self-destruct button, "And that takes 1000 points from you because your spell destroyed it!"

Now a red aura burned through Chazz, making him grunt in pain...

Bastion: 3850

Chazz: 2400

"And since you're done, I can take over," Bastion said as he drew his next card, "I summon Mataza the Zapper in attack mode!"

Jumping out of the holo-card, a black-haired samurai wearing green armor over his dark blue shirt and pants, carrying a curved blade appeared and stood poised to attack. (3/1300/800)

"And then, I use the Big Bang Shot spell card! It gives Mataza the Zapper the ability to trample, plus 400 extra ATK," the Ra continued as his samurai gained a burning, crimson aura around himself. (3/1300-1700/800)

"Destroy both of his Ojamas with Double Spirit Slash!"

At Bastion's command, Ojama Black and Green were both slashed down and destroyed in manner of seconds. It was like Mataza never moved at all!

Bastion: 3850

Chazz: 800

"Now, I set one card facedown and end my turn," Bastion concluded with a proud smile.

Juli scoffed, "This is why Bastion never made it pass Ra Yellow... If that were me, I would have switched that swordsman to defense mode already…"

"You'd be wrong..." Sartorius stated, "With Bastion's move he's all but guaranteed his victory in either Chazz's round or his own... if Chazz attacks, Bastion may have a trap card to either power his swordsman while its guard is down or one that reverses the damage..."

"So, if Chazz fights or doesn't fight, he's done," the Ritual duelist gasped.

Sartorius chuckled to himself, "It seems Jason was right in overlooking Bastion Misawa... he's truly proven himself..."

"And with his free will intact, his knowledge would prove wonders for the group," Jason stated, and then glared, "Unlike a certain someone..."

"I draw..." Chazz announced, now feeling unsure of his current situation, "I activate my Monster Reborn to summon White Knight Lord!"

The ankh of the spell card shined through the air, bringing back the Lord of the White Knights. (7/2000-2600/2000)

"Then, I play the Infernal Gauntlet spell card," He continued as he inserted his next spell card, showing an armored soldier being corrupted by a demonic arm, taking over his right hand, "Now to move to the Battle Phase and activate its special effect: I can sacrifice Ojama Yellow to allow my Lord to attack twice!"

The same demonic hand on the spell card emerged onto Lord's right hand, bulging with power. Then Yellow disappeared into a grey power into the gauntlet.

Bastion smirked _, 'Even if you attack me Chazz, I can still turn the damage around with Magic Cylinder... I will win...'_ then, he gasped horribly _, 'Wait! If I win this duel, I'll be unable to join the Society of Light! The only way to prove I have to skills to join the Society... is to lose!'_

Sartorius smirked. "That's right, Bastion... You are suffering from the lonely world of a duelist. You thought that since I was looking for strong duelists, you were jealous of that fact that I never came to you. But now, you no longer have to suffer that loneliness again. Just join the Society of Light; we exist to help..."

"Now attack his Doom Swordsman," Chazz announced as his White Knight Lord fired his mace chain at the ritual swordsman. Caught up in his thoughts of what his win will mean for him, Bastion didn't make a move... as he let the attack hit home. Either by luck or by misfortune, Lithmus Doom Swordsman survived...

Bastion: 1250

Chazz: 800

When Chazz saw no movement in his opponent, he laughed manically, "So that facedown card was a bluff after all! Attack his swordsman again!"

Just in time to see the second attack launch, Jaden, Jachin, Syrus and Hassleberry gasped as the mace moved towards the swordsman. When the swordsman saw, his master wasn't going to make a move, he felt betrayed. Once the mace got close enough, he side-stepped the attack, knowing it wasn't going to destroy him, and the mace knocked Bastion in chest, knocking him flat on his back...

Bastion: 0

Chazz: 800, Winner

Sartorius laughed as he and his elite entourage left out, not even acknowledging Jaden and his group in the room...

Syrus then took notice of Bastion's spell/trap card slots and saw that facedown card...

"Hey, he had a facedown card left..." He exclaimed.

"So why didn't he play it," Hassleberry wondered.

"Just like Aster was saying..." Jachin stated, "Sartorius preyed on Bastion's loneliness and won without fighting... Here about Bastion's accolades, his intelligence would have worn down Sartorius. All Sartorius had to do was ignore him right in front of his face for Bastion to self-destruct. He may be in the Society of Light, but he's most likely gave in to his dark side as well... Bastion's gone..."

Out of the blue, a white blazer covered the former Ra Yellow duelist... marking him as one of the Light... The Society of Light...

He never noticed his... former friends, all he heard was his new group welcoming him with open arms chanting his name...

"Bastion! Bastion! Bastion!"

 _'Thank you,_ ' the new, proud Society member thought _, 'Thank you all! This is where I belong! No longer will I have to suffer the injustice of being ignored and lonely again!'_

* * *

Later that night, Chazz was staring out the balcony of his room, feeling the gentle breeze blowing past his skin...

"That was a mediocre win, Chazz."

The SOL elite turned to see Kenji suddenly standing next to him, with his new white and black hairstyle.

"Ever learn to knock," Chazz snapped at the ninja duelist, "And 'mediocre win,' Bastion had the mediocre loss, trying to bluff with his 'trap' card!"

"Oh... it was no bluff, Bastion had it won...," Kenji smirked, "You see, if he would've activated, you'd be out of the Society... in fact, there would be no Society if you lost!"

Chazz gasped.

"The only defeats present in that duel was Bastion's weakness of wanting to be noticed and your lack of skill," the ninja duelist prodded, "But I can help you feel like a winner... you'll have to get rid of the closest thing in your deck..."

"I'll never give up my new White Knights," the elite shouted.

"No, I mean your Ojamas," Kenji clarified.

"Huh?"

Then, the ninja duelist pulled out a single card, Star Ninja Kaabii...

"When I lost two days ago, I didn't lose because of my lack of skill..." He stated with his voice becoming angrier, "It was because of some worthless spirit who didn't stay out of my business... and Chazz, you know about it all too well... You may have used the Ojama's willingly tonight, but they cost you a lot... without them, you can be great..."

Then, it finally happened...

Kenji threw away his Star Ninja Kaabii card!

"POOOOYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The spirit cried as it was carried off into the winds...

The black/white haired boy then whispered into Chazz's ear, "Advice: it's best to scatter your weak side throughout the winds..."

Then, he left with his ninja stealth... but his words did their job as Chazz took out all the Ojama monsters, spells and trap cards from his deck and held them out...

"He's right... who needs these them..." He stated as he threw them out as well.

"NOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOOOSSSSSS!" The Ojamas cried as they too were carried off into the winds...

* * *

Whew... so much bad stuff happening...

White Knight Swordsman

Level 4

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

1200/1200

While this card is in your graveyard, all White Knight monsters you control gain 300 ATK.

White Knight Guardna

Level 4

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

800/2000

If you would take Battle Damage from a battle involving a "White Knight" monster you control, you can remove from play this card from your Graveyard instead.

White Knight Lord

Level 7

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

2000/2000

This card cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon or Set. During your End Phase, if this card did not attack this turn, take 800 points of damage. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, and you take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict 300 points of damage to your opponent. When this card is destroyed by an opponent's card effect, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.

Infernal Gauntlet

Equip Spell

Image: An armored warrior with a strange, demonic right arm.

During your Battle Phase, you can Tribute 1 monster, except the equipped monster, to have the equipped monster gain an additional attack in addition to its normal attack. The equipped monster cannot attack your opponent directly.

(Infernal Gauntlet and the White Knight archetype were used by Chazz Princeton in the GX anime episode: Blinded by the Light. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Ritual of Lithmus

Ritual Spell

Image: A large monument temple being worshipped by cloaked followers

This card is used to Ritual Summon "Swordsman of Doom Lithmus". You must also Tribute monsters whose total Level Stars equal 8 or more from the field or your hand.

Swordsman of Doom Lithmus

Level 8

DARK

Warrior/Effect

0/0

This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card, "Ritual of Lithmus". This card cannot be destroyed by battle and is unaffected by the effects of Trap Cards. While there is a face-up Trap Card on the field, this card's ATK and DEF become 3000.

(These two cards were used by Bastion Misawa in the GX episode: The Duel-Off Part 2. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Next time: Juli's got a new deck she wants to try out on Jaden... but she ends up not getting her wish as someone else intercepts her challenge... who is it?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	47. Unwilling Pawns

This duel features a monster a friend and I talked about but has now gotten a real card, but for story reasons, we kept our version of it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 47: Unwilling Pawns

* * *

The next morning, Jaden, Syrus, Hassleberry and Jachin woke up everyone in the Slifer Dorm and told them about the events of last night. Even Aster and Masaki showed up, after hearing the name 'Sartorius' was being used within the conversation. Everyone was surprised to hear what the two Slifers and Ras had to say.

"Bastion's in the Society now," Claudio shouted.

"It's all true," Jachin stated, "I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted on going through with it."

"But there's no way," Alexis protested, "Bastion's a strong duelist; how could Chazz beat him?"

"It's because he didn't," Syrus replied.

"Yeah, Bastion let himself get pummeled," Hassleberry stated, "The solider went AWOL on us!"

"You mean... he lost on purpose," Melody asked.

"I figured as much," Aster said as all eyes were on him, "It's the work of Sartorius' mind games... he knew Bastion had the skill, his deck had the strategy to beat possibly any member of the Society, but he used that to his advantage."

"You see, the only reason Sartorius seems like a strong opponent because he lets his enemies fight," Masaki added, "So he ignored Bastion and made him give up on himself."

"So, he gave up a chance to put down the Society of Light for that reason for that alone," Erika asked.

"That's exactly the reason," the D-Hero duelist nodded, "Bastion was doomed from the beginning when he kept thinking he wasn't good enough and was lonely. Now Sartorius having Bastion on his side is just taking away a vital part of the resistance, and just keeping Bastion's spirits up with recognition... he'll never truly be noticed."

"This stinks," Jaden cried out, "We're losing most of the school because of this Society of Light."

"Hey, calm down," the Spirit duelist assured him, "We still got enough people to fight against them; we just have to stand ready for when they come for us again."

"She's right, Jaden," Alister added, "I bet because of the loss of Bastion, they'll try to take down you or Claudio again. Keep your cool, and keep fighting."

"Okay," the E-Hero duelist sighed.

"Anyway," Shion spoke up, "What do we do now?"

"I suggest we get ready for another free day," Spencer stated, "Crowler and Bonaparte were saying something about a planned event coming to Academy Island, and they've cut classes to prepare for them. I think it involves a free-for-all dueling tournament."

"You know," Allen stated, "That's a perfect plan to get most of those Society members back! We just have to work on the weaker duelists, and then move our way up into the higher ranks..."

"And then, we take down Sartorius..." Lyra finished, "That's a good plan, but we need to be cautious as well."

"Yeah," Alex added, "They have plans, too... probably for the rest of us..."

"Well, we should get our decks ready for another day as well," Lily stated.

"I got no complaints here," Jeremy added, "I need to rework all kinds of strategies for these Aliens..."

* * *

At the White Dorm, Sartorius spoke with his elites, Juli, Jason and Chazz, while shuffling his tarot cards...

"How fares Kenji after his re-initiation into our group," the SOL leader asked his right-hand man.

"He's behaving... like a part of our team," Jason smiled, "I've made the utmost care that he will not defy you again."

"Excellent," Sartorius nodded and then turned to Chazz, "And of our new arrival...?"

"Bastion's a little... too happy about joining up with our group," Chazz stated, "Maybe he needed his mind altered more than we thought..."

"Just give it a rest," Juli waved off, "We got another nuisance away from Jaden and his friends... I say we should take more of them; really lose themselves in sorrow for losing a new friend," She then got a vindictive smile on her face, "In fact, I really want a specific person to join up..."

"We don't need Shion," Sartorius stated firmly, "I thought I told you, looking for revenge would lead to your downfall..."

The Ritual duelist sighed, "Yes Master..."

"We should not think like that," the SOL leader stated, "Jason was almost defeated by Kenji because of his grudge against him... And Lorenzo suffered just as he did for his own personal gain," He then turned to the spiky-black haired duelist, "Chazz, I'd advise you not to go after Jaden just yet..."

"But why," Chazz asked in shock.

"Because, I think Miss Juli would provide a suitable opponent for him," Sartorius replied, "Especially with the new cards, I've given her... Also, over the course of the field trip, she's gained some new powers when she was struck by White Veil's side effect."

Juli smiled as she held up her deck, "I shall prepare now... and I don't plan on losing to him..."

"Just be warned," Sartorius stated, "Jaden's Neo-Spacian Monsters will prove quite troublesome, if you're too careless... And don't look out for your own vendetta..."

"I got it..."

* * *

Later, Juli walked across the White Dorm campus, pondering the words of her master...

"Jaden's Neo-Spacian Monsters..." She thought to herself, "Why, all I need to do is keep them off the field and Neos is all but useless. But... he does have all of those cards for the Elemental Heroes, so maybe I should take them down, because the Neo-Spacians aren't exactly the best monsters with low ATK and DEF..."

"And that's your problem... you underestimate the abilities of your opponent... that will allow Jaden to beat you."

Juli growled at hearing the familiar voice behind her, "What are you doing here, Kenji?"

Stepping from behind the dorm, Kenji walked towards the SOL elite girl.

"I was just walking around the school and then I heard you contemplating on dueling Jaden," the ninja duelist stated with a soft smile, "I'm just offering friendly advice that's all."

"Well, I don't need it from a traitor who tried to run out on the Light," Juli scoffed, "Butt out!"

"Oh I'm so sorry," Kenji said sarcastically, "I forgot you hate being seen as weak... but then, that's why the Society of Light bands together, right?"

The Ritual Duelist narrowed her eyes, "What are you getting at?"

"Alright, I'll just say it... You won't defeat Jaden," the SOL member stated, "He's that powerful a duelist, even if he only cares about the fun and the thrill of dueling."

"You're saying... I might lose...," Juli asked, gritting her teeth.

"'Might?' You'll have a fight on your hands, and then lose straight up," Kenji shrugged, "Even with your new cards..."

The female SOL elite gasped, "Who told you about that?"

"You did just now," Kenji grinned, "But don't worry, I'm not loose-lipped..."

"Just, what do you want," Juli asked.

"Like I said, I'm offering friendly advice," the ninja duelist replied, "There's another way you can beat Jaden... without dueling him."

"Go on..."

"You know, Jaden was hurt to see friends of his like me and Bastion joining up with this group," Kenji said, "What if it was someone... closer to him..."

"You mean those dorks, Syrus and Hassleberry," Juli scoffed.

"Oh that's right; you haven't seen that duel when Razor and Edge paid a visit," the SOL member realized.

"What happened," she asked.

"The plan was to lure Jaden and Claudio into a tag-duel, luring them into a duel that restricts their summoning privileges," Kenji elaborated, "But instead of Claudio, we got another girl... Allyson Anderson."

"The Spirit Monster duelist," Juli pondered, "What about her?"

"During the duel, she and Jaden seemed... closer than he does to his friends..." Kenji said, "So I'm thinking, why not let Jaden suffer?"

"Huh?"

"The cunning warrior attacks neither body nor mind..."

"What are you talking about?"

"The heart Juli... First, you'll attack his heart," Kenji shouted, "And with the plan I have, Jaden will come running... after something dear to him is taken..."

* * *

Back at the Slifer Dorm, Allyson was running over to Jaden's room, with her duel disk.

"Hey Jaden," She called out, knocking on the door, "Are you in there, I gotta tell you something!"

"You won't find him inside."

The Spirit duelist found Erika staring up at her from downstairs.

"Where'd he go," Allyson asked.

"He's out hanging with Syrus and Hassleberry again," the Maverick duelist replied, "Something about fishing for their next meal, instead of eating at the cafeteria..."

Allyson giggled to herself, "I'd figure with his appetite, he would be at the cafeteria eating... we do have better food now."

Erika shrugged, "That's Jaden for ya... never know what he's thinking. I guess that's why most people can't beat him."

"I figured that out around the time he Dueled Aster his second time," The spirit duelist stated, "Seeing him with those Neo-Spacian monsters, with Elemental Heroes... it looks like a tough deck to put together since they only work well with one of the Heroes. Plus, since he sees dueling the way I do 24/7, I can identify with him."

The Maverick duelist smirked, "Seems to me... you're crushing on him..."

Allyson blushed and looked towards her feet, "Is it that obvious?"

"Alister and I've known with all the chemistry the both of you had during that tag duel a few days ago," Erika said, "I just think Jaden needs to lose that oblivious demeanor... and I think you're it."

"You really think he likes me," The Spirit duelist asked in a hopeful voice.

"Even if he doesn't see it yet, I bet he does..." Erika smiled, "I'd better go, Alister's looking for me...," She was about to walk away, until she turned head towards the Obelisk Girl, "Oh, and make sure to set him straight when you two get together; Lord knows I'm the one who'll make an honest man out of Alister than he making a honest woman out of me."

Allyson laughed as the Maverick duelist took off.

"Oh well, I guess I better walk over to the docks," She said as she walked down the stairs, but then noticed a white envelope under her boot, "Hmm, what's this?"

The Spirit duelist picked up the envelope and saw it had no forwarding address on it. Curious, she opened it up to find a note on it...

 _Jaden, it's time to duel and make you see the Light! Come to the beach, and we'll settle this like Duelists! I know you like a challenge, so come on!_

 _-Juli_

 _P.S.: Don't expect to win!_

Reading this, made Allyson angry as she clutched the note in her hand...

"Okay," Allyson said to herself, "I think it's time, I dealt with her one-on-one. If Alexis beating her didn't knock any sense into her, I will."

* * *

At the beach, Juli and Kenji were waiting around, waiting for their prey...

"Alright, when will this guy show up already," Juli growled as she tapped her foot on the ground impatiently, "This better be worth it, Kenji..."

"Relax," the ninja duelist waved off, "Just duel and then you'll get your recognition... of course, I could take credit but I'm supposed to be a 'nice, little servant.'"

"If you're supposed to be a 'nice, little servant,' then you better tell me why you're acting on..."

"Hey!"

Both SOL members turned to see Allyson storm up to them, duel disk strapped on her right arm.

"You," Juli snapped, "Where is that Slifer, Jaden?"

"He's not coming," the Spirit duelist stated as she turned on her duel disk, "I'm filling in!"

Kenji smirked, 'Perfect! Just as I planned!'

"I don't have time for you, Anderson," the Ritual duelist scoffed, "We already have enough sacrificial duelists ever since Bastion joined up... So, I don't want you butting in my business. Just leave and get Jaden!"

"Like I said, he's not coming," Allyson said firmly, "You're not getting through Jaden... in fact, when I beat you, the Society stays away from here..."

"Look you little..."

"She accepts," Kenji interrupted, "But if Juli wins, we'll just go on about our business since, we're only saving four grand spots for certain people, Jaden being one."

Juli growled, "Kenji! What are you doing? I don't want to duel this girl, you promised me Jaden!"

"I promised you a way to get to Jaden," the ninja duelist corrected, "Did you not remember the little talk we had?"

The SOL elite snorted, "Fine, but once I'm done with her, Master Sartorius will hear about your actions."

Allyson watched the quarrel go on, _'Is Kenji... fighting the Society? This could be big news for Alexis and Claudio! All I got to do is keep them away from Jaden...'_

Juli turned on her duel disk, "Let's get this over with..."

"DUEL!"

Both Players drew their opening hands.

Juli: 8000

Allyson: 8000

"I'll show you the consequences of meddling," Juli stated as she drew her sixth card, "Perfect, I set one monster in defense mode and call it a turn."

A set monster card appeared in front of Ritual Duelist.

"Just a facedown monster," Allyson wondered, "No spells or trap cards?"

"What's wrong," Juli taunted, "It's your move..."

The Spirit duelist waved it off and then drew her next card. She looked over her six choices before placing one on the disk, "I also place one monster facedown and end my turn."

A set monster appeared in front of Allyson.

"Hmph, copycat," Juli scoffed as she drew her next card, "I activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards and send two into my graveyard!"

She drew two cards and then held up her two discards in question, making Allyson gasp.

"That's right, my Djinns will do perfectly," the Ritual duelist smirked as she sent those three cards into her discard slot, "The Disserere of Rituals and the Prognositcator of Rituals! And I think that's all for now..."

"Then it's my turn," Allyson declared as she drew her next card and scanned it with her overall hand _, 'Okay; now she has help within the graveyard to summon those Ritual monsters of hers... still I got a plan...'_ "I remove the Spirit Monster Yata-Garasu from my hand, and that lets me special summon the Great Izanagi!"

The spirit of the purple crow faded away as the elder, white haired spirit appeared, staff in hand. (6/2200/1000)

"Next, I summon the monster Fushi No Tori in attack mode," She continued as she placed another card on the field, bringing out a small bird, made of pure fire. (4/1200/0)

"Then, I reveal my facedown monster... the Fire Princess," Allyson announced as she flipped over facedown card, and placed in face-up attack position. The card revealed a young woman with grey hair, going down her shoulders in a long, red dress and held a staff made of an old tree. (4/1300/1500)

"A non-Spirit monster," Juli wondered.

"Funny, you didn't say anything about Izanagi," the Spirit duelist stated, "He's not labeled as one... but he will go after your facedown monster with Staff of the Spirits!"

The old spirit twirled his staff around before firing a white thunderbolt at Juli's set monster, revealing the monster hidden. It was a small, blue-haired girl in a large dark-blue overcoat and hat, holding a long, icy scepter. (4/1000/1800)

"Was that... Eria the Water Charmer," Allyson asked.

"Correction: Ritua Erial, and you activated her effect when she was flipped face-up," Juli stated as she took a card out of her deck, "It lets me take another Ritua monster from my deck and into my hand!"

"But not the field," the spirit duelist stated, "Which means Fushi no Tori deals a direct attack! Go Fire Blast!"

The flaming bird spat out a flame from its mouth, which quickly took on the shape of the word 大, then hit Juli dead on before it fizzled out.

Juli: 6800

Allyson: 8000

"Next, its ability activates... so when you take damage from him, I gain the same amount as life points," Allyson smiled as her flaming bird flapped healing embers upon her, increasing her point value.

Juli: 6800

Allyson: 9200

The Spirit duelist then smirked, "But that activates Fire Princess' effect dealing you another 500 points of damage!"

A white surrounded the Princess, making a red aura burn through Juli's points...

Juli: 6300

Allyson: 9200

"And it doesn't end there," Allyson pointed out, "Now Fire Princess, attack her life points directly! Burning Spell!"

The firey princess pointed her staff at the SOL elite and blaster her with a searing hot beam, pushing Juli back a couple of feet...

Juli: 5000

Allyson: 9200

'Oh great, I didn't think I'd be THIS far in points,' the Ritual duelist thought as she looked towards the flaming bird, 'Which means, I know which one to take down first..."

"And after two facedown cards, I'm done," Allyson declared as she inserted two cards into her disk, leaving only one card in her hand, "Make your best move!"

"Think you're lucky and clever, huh," Juli growled as she drew her next card, bringing her hand to eight, "My life points won't matter, if they stay above zero! I activate the spell card, Lullaby of Obedience!"

Allyson gasped as she saw the spell card, depicting an old man with long, blue hair and wearing a black robe emerging from a storm cloud and pointing a finger downward with authority.

"By paying 1000 life points..."

Juli: 4000

Allyson: 9200

"I can take a high-level monster from your deck and add it straight to my hand if you have it there," the Ritual duelist smirked as she held out her hand, "And I'll choose your Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi!"

Allyson sighed as she took out the mentioned monster from her deck and tossed it over to Juli. Then, the SOL elite duelist took that and another spell card into her hand; it showed a golden mirror in the shape of a jellyfish, with a pink version of it inside the reflection of the mirror.

"Now, I have leverage to use this Ritual Spell Card: my Ceremonial Water Mirror of Ritua," the SOL elite announced as the mirror emerged from the spell card, with all its glory, "Used to summon a Ritual monster of the Rituas!"

"Alright," Allyson interrupted, "I think you should explain about the Ritua monsters now, because no one's heard of them!"

"These are the creatures that opposed the Royal Rule of Atlantis," Juli stated, "Poseidon and his loyal followers were able to drive them away and sent them into the depths of the sea. But it was there, the traitors found the Ceremonial Mirror of Ritua, transforming themselves into monstrous creatures and then giving the powers to summon three mighty beasts... the Evirituas!"

"And you're about to summon 1 of those," Allyson realized.

"Good, now back to business," Juli replied, "I sacrifice your spirit monster to the mirror, and Ritual Summon Eviritua Soul Ogre!"

A horrible sight befell Allyson's eyes as she was forced to watch Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi's form be sucked inside the mirror, hearing it call out in agony. Then, the mirror's glass took on a sapphire look as it shined and let a huge, fish-like monster out, standing over 10 ft. tall. It was humanoid-like as it stood on two, fully grown legs and raised its two, massive arms all with webbed toes and fingers. Blue scales lined its body and magenta fins lined its knees, elbows and extended from the top of its head and down its back, all the way to the tail as it lashed out with a roar. (8/2800/2800)

"Whoa, that's big," The Spirit duelist gasped.

"And you'll suffer the torment as I use its special effect of the Eviritua," The Ritual duelist stated as she held up another Ritua Monster card, before sending to the graveyard, "Once per turn, I can discard a Ritua Monster like the Ritua Abyss, I can send one monster back to your deck! And that would be your Izanagi!"

Soul Ogre roared as its right hand shined blue, reeled it back and slapped the elder spirit right into Allyson, making it disappear.

"Now, I summon Ritua Killer in attack mode," Juli continued placing a monster card on her disk, a brought a small, green killer bass with arms, feet and wing-like fins on its sides. It had red-colored face with purple, lopsided eyes and a small mouth with razor, sharp teeth. (2/500/800) "And by summoning this beast while a Ritua monster out, I can return another card on the field back to the player's hand! So Fire Princess, say goodbye!"

The killer bass lunged itself at the princess and tackled her right back into Allyson's hand.

"Now let's take care of that Spirit Monster with my Soul Ogre," The Ritua duelist declared, "Attack with Deadly Wave Thrash!"

Roaring out, the Evirtua Ogre swiped its claw across the air, causing a tidal wave to come crashing onto the field and doused the burning bird away.

Juli: 4000

Allyson: 7600

But the Obelisk wasn't done yet...

"I activate the trap card, Vessel of Illusions," Allyson announced as her card revealed an overflowing, sliver chalice with a blue spirit emerging from it, "When a Spirit Monster's destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I get place a spirit token which has all of its stats. And I'll place him in attack mode!"

In a blue flash, a transparent version of Fushi on Tori appeared staring with a blank expression. (4/1200/0)

"Darn it," Juli growled as she inserted a facedown card, "I end my turn with a facedown card."

"Very good, Juli," Kenji mocked, "With all you've done since Allyson gained all of those life points, you really only dealt 400 points of damage."

"Don't test me..."

"Could you cool it with the arguments, it's my turn," Allyson interrupted as she drew her next card, bringing her hand to three, "And thanks for taking my Hino-Kagu Tsuchi out of the deck... I activate Groundbreaking to bring it back," She stated as her trap card revealed itself, depicting a table in the Spirit World with emblems honoring the spirits. As it shined, Allyson took out that same monster from her graveyard, "Then, I activate Next World to summon him onto the field because your Ogre has the same level!"

The large brown and white carpet appeared on the grassy plain and emerging from it, the tall flame-headed spirit appeared. (8/2800/2900)

"Next, I summon back Fire Princess in attack mode," the Spirit duelist declared as she brought back the princess in the red dress. (4/1300/1500)

"Finally, I use Flaming Fist to boost its ATK by 200 points," She continued as the Spirit's right fist erupted into flames. (8/2800-3000/2900) "Now, attack that Ogre with your Flaming Fist attack!"

The strong Spirit floated across the field and then slugged the Ogre with a right hand, burning it to ashes.

Juli: 3800

Allyson: 7600

"And since, I've done damage with a monster using Flaming Fist, I gain 500 life points," Allyson stated as she sparkled with red stars.

Juli: 3800

Allyson: 8100

"And that means Fire Princess hits you again with your special ability!"

The white aura shined around the princess and then another red aura surrounded Juli, damaging her further.

Juli: 3300

Allyson: 8100

"Now Spirit Token, attack Ritua Killer with Fire Blast," The Spirit duelist continued as the transparent Fushi No Tori breathed another 大 shaped flame, burning through the small Ritua Fish in a inferno.

Juli: 2600

Allyson: 8100

"Now, attack directly Fire Princess with Burning Spell!"

Once again, the princess launched a giant, searing beam that burned through the Ritual Duelist, making her stagger.

Juli: 1300

Allyson: 8100

"I end my turn meaning Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi returns to my hand," Allyson concluded as her powerful spirit transformed into a red orb and floated back into his card, "And before you draw, you have to send the whole hand to the graveyard! It's all thanks to Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi's effect!"

"You're in trouble," Kenji smirked, "Maybe you and Allyson should switch places... at least you can go torment Shion..."

Juli growled as she sent her two cards into her discard slot and then drew her single card. She then held it up, showing a spell card of Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness dredging up an Amphibious Bugroth MK-3, "I activate Salvage to bring back 2 WATER monsters from my graveyard, like Rituas Erial and Abyss!"

After inserting the spell card into her disk, she retrieved her two Ritua Monsters from her graveyard, and immediately setting one of them.

"I then set one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Juli concluded.

"My move," Allyson announced and drew her next card, 'since she placed Ritua Erial on the field, I have to play it safe for now...' "I'll put a card facedown and switch Fire Princess in defense mode to end my turn."

"Then, it's my turn again," Juli declared as she drew her card and immediately played that card, "I activate Preparation of Rites! This allows me to take a Level 7 or below Ritual Monster from my deck and a Ritual Spell Card from the Graveyard!"

The Ceremonial Mirror slid out of her graveyard...

"And then, I'm taking a monster known as Eviritua Mind Ogress from my deck," The Ritual Duelist stated as she retrieved her Ritual Monster card.

"Oh great, another one," Allyson groaned.

"Yes, another one," The SOL elite sneered as she then flipped over her facedown monster card, "Next, I flip up my facedown monster, Ritual Erial!"

The overcoat wearing Ritua girl returned to the field and raised her scepter up high. (4/1000/1800)

"And then her flip effect activates, letting me retrieve Shadow Ritua," Juli stated as she took her desired monster from her deck. Then, she held up her Ritual Spell card again, "Finally, I'll use my Ceremonial Mirror to sacrifice him and he counts as the whole sacrifice for WATER Ritual monster! So farewell Shadow Ritua..."

The Ritua's Mirror appeared again, this time absorbing the form of a blue, Sea-Serpent mystic wearing the same black robes as Erial, holding a scepter similar to hers.

"... and hello Eviritua Mind Ogress!"

The mirror shattered and unleashed a tall, blue haired woman in bronze helmet and black robes, carrying another Ritua scepter. But the big surprise is that her lower body was a giant, vicious angler fish roaring out at Allyson. (6/2500/2000)

"I think I'm going to be sick," Allyson muttered.

"And when she's Ritual summoned to field, I can return up to five cards from the graveyards and back to the decks," Juli informed her as she took only one card from her graveyard, "But I only need one card to go back and that's my Ceremonial Mirror of the Rituas!"

She then shuffled it back in her deck.

"Then..." Juli was about to point out her target of her attack, but quickly averted her eyes towards another, "I attack Fire Princess with my Ogress' Titanic Tempest attack!"

The human woman half withdrew into the angler fish's half and then started to spin in spiral and then struck down the princess with a vicious tackle.

"No more burn damage from her," Juli smirked, "I end my turn..."

 _'That was strange...'_ Allyson thought, _'She knew my token was in attack mode and could've done damage to me... Fire Princess was just support Jaden gave me for the healing strategy of my cards... Oh well, at least I can strike Ritua Erial...'_

She then drew her next card and then inserted into her disk, "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards," the grinning pot appeared as she drew two cards, shattering a few seconds later, "I then remove Fushi No Tori from the grave and summon Yamato-No-Kami!"

The firebird vanished from the graves and brought out a twisted looking, dark haired spirit. He wore only white pants as his upper body wouldn't allow him to wear a shirt with the six tendrils coming out of his back. (6/2200/1200)

"Now, attack that Ritual Erial with Dark Spirit Purge," Allyson commanded as the dark spirit used its tendrils and used them to slash the defenseless spell caster and destroy her.

Juli: 100

Allyson: 8100

"Almost done," The Obelisk Girl smirked, "One good hit and then your whole world goes tumbling down!"

Juli raised her eyes up and grinned, "Actually, I'll be looking on the brighter side of things!"

"What are you talking about," Allyson stated, "Even if you take down my token, I'll have a card to strike you down with a snap!"

Suddenly, the SOL elite's grin got larger as her facedown card revealed itself, depicting an armored warrior draining the life energy of another blonde warrior, "I activate Life Equalizer, which can only activate when you have life points that exceed mine by at least 8000! Now both of our scores go to straight to 3000!"

Allyson gasped as she felt a green aura surrounding her and then...

"AAAAHH!"

...Some of that aura was being drained by Juli who let out a maniacal laugh as she felt rejuvenated from the pain she endured, whereas Allyson fell to her knees trying to regain her breath...

Juli: 3000

Allyson: 3000

"Ah...," Juli sighed happily as she stretched out, "I haven't felt more alive than ever," She then looked towards Allyson's kneeling form, "Too bad, it had to be at your expense!"

"It's about time you used that card," Kenji stated, "Otherwise; you would've been kicked out."

"Shows how much you know," the Ritual duelist smirked.

"I switch... the Spirit Token... to defense mode and end my turn," Allyson continued as she barely formed the sentence. The token phoenix covered itself with its wings.

"Don't fall apart on me yet, this is getting fun for me," Juli grinned as she drew her next card, nodding at her find, "I summon Ritua Marker in attack mode!"

In a blue flash, a strange monster with the entire form of an octopus as its head, a muscular orange body and wore sliver pants. It carried a spear in its human hands while carrying a cutlass it one of the tentacles. (4/1600/1000)

"And once it's summoned, I can take any Ritual Monster or Spell Card, compatible with Rituas," She continued as a blue monster card slipped out of her graveyard, "And I pick my Eviritua Soul Ogre! Now, I'll do this... Ritua Marker, attack that token with Pirate's Slash!"

The octopus faced monster dashed across the field and then sliced through the transparent phoenix, letting it fade away.

"Now it's your turn my Ogress, attack Allyson's life points directly with Titanic Tempest!"

The Eviritua monster spiraled towards the defenseless Obelisk Girl and charged right into her, sending her to the ground.

Juli: 3000

Allyson: 500

Juli got a laugh at that, "Falling apart after I regained the lead, eh Allyson? Maybe we could make you a servant, rather than a duelist to fight for our cause! If I can change the tide of a duel with one card and surprise you with it, you're not worthy of the Society of Light!"

Allyson groaned as she got on her knees, "Good... because I don't want to be a part of your group! Get this into your thick heads; I'm not letting Jaden or any of my friends into your group."

"Yet, I'm in, Chazz's in and Bastion's in," Kenji stated, "Nice job on that one..."

The Spirit duelist strained to get on her feet, "Then, I'll make sure you won't get me or the rest of us! It's my move!"

Allyson drew her next card with renewed vigor. She then revealed as spell card, depicting a person trading a statuette of Felgrand Dragon for two gold coins with Winged Kuriboh on one side of them, "I activate Trade-In, discarding Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi to draw two cards!"

After sending her powerful Spirit to the Graveyard, the Obelisk drew her two cards for the cost. She then smiled at her find.

"Well…" Juli said, impatiently, "What is it?

Allyson smirked, "I remove Yamato-No-Kami from my hand and Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi from my graveyard...

Both Juli and Kenji questioned Allyson's move as the malevolent Spirit and the flame-headed Spirit appeared behind her.

"Speechless? Good, because I'm about to summon the most powerful Spirit in my deck," Allyson declared.

Juli gasped, "It's not Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi!"

"Not anymore! Come forward... Amateratsu, the Sun Goddess!"

The Obelisk's words echoed all the way to the sun and as it responded with a light focused on a spot in front of her. Juli had to cover her eyes at the sun's intensity, as well as Kenji. Finally, a feminine figure descended from the sun and landed in front of Allyson.

The light brought out a tall, elegant woman with white hair that went down to her cheeks in the front, while the rest ran down her back. She dressed in a white dress with a red mark around her waist. Around her arms were two dragon-like sleeves and on face and the top of her chest were red markings. (9/3200/2700)

"Oh no..." Kenji gasped.

"Exactly," Allyson smirked, "And she won't be alone, joining her will be Inaba White Rabbit!"

Emerging from the card image, a small white rabbit appeared with a strange device it was hanging on to. But its eyes had a purple glare. (3/700/500)

"It may be a weak monster, but watch this... attack directly!"

Suddenly, the device Inaba White Rabbit hung onto started to launch itself, carrying the rabbit with it and straight into Ritual Duelist's back, making her lunge forward.

Juli: 2300

Allyson: 500

"Now let's deal with your Ogress," Allyson continued, "Amateratsu, attack with Solar Flare!"

The goddess raised her hands to the sky and sun above, chanting in a heavenly voice. The Sun reacted to her words, intensifying its rays towards the monstrous Ogress, making the Ritua monster scream and roar in pain as it turned completely red. Then with a loud clap, the Mind Ogress shattered into pixels.

Juli: 1600

Allyson: 500

"I then activate my own mirror, the Mirror of Yata and equip onto Amateratsu, ending my turn," Allyson concluded as a brown handle mirror appeared in front of the Spirit, holding it close to her heart. Then, Inaba White Rabbit transformed into a white orb and went back into Allyson's hand.

"What," Juli protested, "Why wasn't Amateratsu sent back to your hand?"

"It's because a Spirit with Mirror of Yata equipped, won't be returned back to the hand," the Obelisk replied, "Sorry!"

"I draw," Juli growled as she drew, "I set one card facedown, switch Ritual Marker to defense mode to end my turn."

As the octopus-faced warrior kneeled and blocked with its spear, a facedown card appeared behind it.

"You can run, but you can't hide," Allyson shouted as she drew her next card, "I summon Inaba White Rabbit again!"

The spirit rabbit returned, with its device. (3/700/500)

"Attack directly again!"

Once again, the rabbit launched itself with its device and headed straight for Juli's front...

"I've got you know," Juli shouted as she revealed her facedown card, "I activate the Mirror Force Trap card to destroy your Spirit Monsters! Once their gone, I'll run through the rest of your life points!"

"I don't think so," Allyson stated as the Mirror Force's barrier appeared in front of Ritua Marker, "Amateratsu, use your power!"

Using the power of the Mirror of Yata, Amateratsu created a light red flare and fired it at Mirror Force shattering its barrier. Inaba White Rabbit was able to make it safely to the other side and hit Juli in the stomach...

Juli: 900

Allyson: 500

"How..." Juli groaned in pain.

"Amateratsu can cancel the destruction of Spirit monsters up to three times in a duel," Allyson informed, "So, the only thing you can do is waste two more cards to destroy and then wait on another to come. But that won't matter since your monster is about to go!"

Hearing the Obelisk's words, the Sun Goddess spirit launched another Solar Flare attack and melted the octopus monster.

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Allyson concluded, 'And here goes something to win this duel... because even with Amateratsu out, she could still pull out a winner of her own.'

"Alright, I'm done with you," Juli shouted as she drew. She then smirked _, 'Ha! I have Ritua's Inherited Forbidden Secret Arts! I can Ritual Summon another Ritua monster, and I can even use sacrifices on my opponent's side! So Allyson, say good-bye to your precious Spirit!_

"Go trap card!"

"What!?"

Allyson interrupted her opponent's thoughts with a trap card, depicting Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi and Yamata Dragon battling each other in an all-out fight.

It was then Juli and Kenji shouted, "LAST TURN!"

Suddenly, a tornado surrounded both players, leaving Kenji on the outside.

"That's right, because I have below 1000 life points and knowing the power of your Rituas, Amateratsu and I will risk it all in one final fight to the finish," Allyson announced. The Sun Goddess spirit turned to her mistress and nodded at her, which Allyson returned, "Because the weakness of any Ritual Monster deck is that they need to be summoned with a Ritual Spell Card, something that this trap won't allow!"

"She's sunk..." Kenji muttered as he looked over to Juli.

"First, since I've chosen Amateratsu to fight by my side, all other cards in hands and on the field, go to the graveyard," Allyson explained as she and Juli discarded their hands. Amateratsu kissed her mirror and let it fade away, "Next, pick any monster in your deck and summon it to fight my monster. But don't count on winning..."

Juli took a deep breath as she took out one card from her deck, "I summon Card Guard!"

A facedown card appeared on the field and then suddenly, a fiendish looking monster appeared. It looked like a large, snake-like monster with orange skin with blue patterns around the back of its body and a white underbelly. It also had two horns sticking out of its head and snarled with its black mouth. (4/1600/500)

"When it's summoned, I get to place a Guard Counter on it and give it 300 ATK," Juli stated as a red orb appeared and fused itself into Card Guard's body, powering it up. (4/1600-1900/500)

"It still won't help you," Allyson declared, "Amateratsu, attack!"

"Card Guard, attack," Juli countered.

First, Card Guard lunged at the Spirit of the Sun, but she sidestepped to the left to evade and the slapped the fiend with a right hand. Then, Amateratsu went on the attack and created flames in her palms and shot fireballs from them. Card Guard jumped from left to right to dodge them while rushing towards its enemy. When it got close enough, Card Guard lunged again but only to get burned by Amateratsu as she intensified the rays onto herself.

"Say good-bye," Allyson cheered. But then she stopped when the red orb left Card Guard's body and absorbed the flames before exploding. (4/1900-1600/500) "Huh?"

"Sorry, but when a card with a Guard Counter would be destroyed, all I have to do is give it up and he's safe," Juli stated, "So, looks like it's a draw, better than losing!"

Juli: 900

Allyson: 500

Last Turn Result: DRAW!

"But I got something to say about that!"

Suddenly, a smoke bomb exploded in between the girls, unleashing a white gas. Unconsciously inhaling the gas, both Juli and Allyson collapsed on the ground as holographic images disappeared.

"Splendid performance ladies, you put on one heck of a show," Kenji stated, "But you two had a long day of worrying, so you two can take a nap," He then turned his attention to Allyson, "As for you... normally we would've had you within the Society, but I have a more... generous proposition. You worry about Jaden so much... yet you could provide some information for me, so you can be my little double agent. Think of it as being a ninja, only a gullible one!"

He then placed two fingers of his right hand on the Spirit Duelist's deck and expended a force of both light and darkness inside her. Once done, he picked up Juli and dashed off and thought, _'You'll get the same treatment as a spy inside the Society of Light!'_

* * *

Later that day, Allyson talked to Erika about everything that happened...

"So you tried to save Jaden by taking on challenge set for him," Erika asked.

"Yeah," Allyson replied, "But, I couldn't win. Juli forced it into a draw."

"Whoa," the Maverick duelist gasped, "You would go so far to get Jaden away from the enemy? That's dedication."

The Spirit duelist sighed, "I guess it is official; I'm head over heels... but I'm not ready to tell him yet."

"Why not," Erika asked.

"After all that I've been through, I'm still a little bit shaken," Allyson admitted, "It'd be tough to get anything out about my feelings."

Erika smiled, "I understand... tell him when you're ready then. And your secret's safe with me, unless Alister may want to talk to you about it, he'd understand you."

"Thanks Erika," Allyson nodded.

* * *

At the White Dorm, Juli woke up in a bed.

"What hit me...," She said to herself. She then looked at her surroundings and saw that she was back in her room, "How'd I get here?"

"Kenji brought you here..."

Juli turned her head to see Sartorius standing in the doorway.

"I see that your plan to turn Jaden over to our side failed," the SOL leader stated.

The SOL elite sighed, "I'm sorry, Master... someone..."

"...Intercepted your invitation to duel that you had Kenji send to him," Sartorius finished, "No matter, destiny is playing with us. But soon I'll have what I desire in the end... So, don't feel bad about today's outcome. We have another during the next set of days... I've foreseen a great power that will help me speed up the process..."

"So, the Light will win in the end," Juli asked.

"Precisely," Sartorius stated as he left out, "Until then, the duelist on this island, we can just toy with them in the meantime..."

In his room, Kenji heard both conversations of Allyson and Juli from within his mind...

 _'Very interesting...'_

* * *

The Ritua cards are only released in the OCG in the Duel Terminal –Raid of the Inverz, Judgment of Omega and V-Jump Edition 4 so far.

Lullaby of Obedience

Normal Spell Card

Image: An old man with long, blue hair and wearing a black robe emerging from a storm cloud and pointing a finger downward with authority.

Pay 1000 Life Points. Declare the card name of a Level 8 or higher Monster Card. If the declared card is in your opponent's Deck, add 1 card with the same name from their Deck to your hand.

(Used by Seto Kaiba in the second series anime episode: Clash in the Coliseum, Part 1. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Groundbreaking

Normal Trap Card

Image: A table filled with sacred relics in the Spirit World.

Select 1 Spirit Monster in your Graveyard. Add that card into your hand.

(This card was used by Noah Kaiba in the second series anime episode, Noah's Final Threat, Part 2. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Amateratsu

Fairy/Spirit

FIRE

Level 9

3200/2700

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing from play 1 Spirit monster from your Graveyard and your hand. This card returns to its owner's hand during the End Phase of the turn it is Special Summoned. Up to three times per duel, you can prevent the destruction of any Spirit Monster(s) you control.

(This card was created by Psycho Duelist and myself. All creative rights go to the both of us.)

Next time: Zane has it all! The Pro League high ranks, the power of his cards... what more could he accomplish in his life? Find out next chapter!

Please Rate and Review this Chapter before going on to the next!


	48. Student vs Master

I'll center this whole chapter on Zane, to keep things moving on his world... Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 48: Student vs. Master

* * *

Night passed by Domino City as the scene took place at the Kaiba Dome. Like every dueling event, the place was packed with people eager to see the next dueling event. Among the crowd were Makoto and Hanabi, taking their leisure time and staying amongst other people to keep out of contact with their corrupted brother...

"So far, Sartorius has just been focusing on his own business at the Academy," Makoto stated, "He's been too busy to contact us."

"But what if he does," Hanabi asked, feeling scared.

"It'll be alright," the Fortune Lady Duelist assured her little sister, "By now, he has noticed that Masaki and the others are the ones he needs, he'll focus on them and with that he'll stay away from our minds."

The Fortune Fairy Duelist sighed in relief, "That's good..."

The attention was now turned to the arena as the spotlight flashed on the announcer, Andrew Buffer.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Andrew announced, "This match is scheduled for 8000 Life Points!"

The crowd went wild with cheers.

"Introducing first... a veteran duelist from the days of Duelist Kingdom and the Battle City Tournament, in the Pro League with a record of 89 wins, 10 losses, the Master Insect-Type duelist, Weevil Underwood!"

The elevated platform rose from the left side, revealing the bug duelist... over the years, Weevil went through a growth spurt, now standing as tall as Yugi Moto would be today. He still had his turquoise hair styled in that 'Beatles Fashion' and his mischievous, purple eyes were now behind a pair of framed, yellow glasses. He dressed up in an open, moss-green jacket with the collar up and white shirt underneath, red bow tie and brown trousers. The crowd booed at the sight of the seasoned duelist, but Weevil relished it with a crazy laugh.

"Now that's hate..." Ronald, one of the commentators said, "But you can't deny that he's a good duelist with that record of his..."

"At least he cleaned up his act," Tristan stated, "He used to cheat to get ahead... and you know I've told you stories..."

"Yeah, you have... about 50 times," Ronald replied with annoyance.

"His opponent this evening," Andrew continued, "A duelist with a new outlook on life and a ruthless personality to go with it, with a record of 88 wins, 11 losses, the Cyber duelist, the Hell Kaiser, Zane Truesdale!"

The right-side platform rose, revealing the new Zane Truesdale with his black attire. The crowd had a mix of cheers and boos, conflicting with his renewed winning streak after his downfall to the amateurs and his recent way of treating his opponents. But one man, only cared about victory as much as Zane did... his manager, Shroud Saruyama who gave out a wicked grin...

"And here we have the duelist who's been taking the spotlight ever since Aster has taken his vacation away from the Pro League," Tristan announced, "Ever since his return to the Pros, Zane's been winning with One Turn Kills all coming from two monsters..."

"Cyber End Dragon and his latest acquisition, Chimeratech Overdragon..." Ronald stated, "And with the way he plays, everyone knows that Zane's already won the match..."

"Can Weevil break the winning streak again, putting another blemish on Zane's record? Or will Zane go into the GX Tournament and possibly dominate all that there is," Tristan wondered.

"Alright, to determine the starting turn," Andrew said, as he took out a coin. "Weevil, you choose the outcome since Zane is the challenger."

"Heads," Weevil said, still with his high-pitched voice.

Andrew flipped the coin and caught it. "And it his Heads, so who's going first?"

"I'll be the one taking first turn." The bug duelist replied.

"Then gentlemen, start your duel disks and draw your cards!"

The audience cheered as the players drew out their opening hands and Andrew ran off the dueling arena.

"DUEL!"

Weevil: 8000

Zane: 8000

"You won't have any chance," Weevil shouted as he drew his sixth card and immediately set a monster card down, "First, I set this monster in defense mode..."

A set monster in appeared on the field.

"Now, I use Book of Taiyou to flip it face up," He continued as the card image of an ancient book, "Reveal yourself, Parasite Paracide!"

The set monster image turned horizontally and the flipped face-up to show a small, sickly green parasite bug squirming on the ground. (2/500/300) Most of the female crowd looked at it with disgust...

"Now its special effect kicks in," the pro insect duelist grinned, "It crawls its way into your deck!"

As the insect duelist gave off his crazy laugh, the parasite hopped into Zane's deck and shuffled itself inside.

"This is a deadly move, folks," Ronald stated, "When that Parasite Paracide is drawn later, Zane will take a 1000 points of damage, plus his all of his monsters will become Insects along with it."

"Yeah, but Weevil better have a better strategy," Tristan said, "I know this little guy has tricks up his sleeve, so waiting on that Parasite card should not be on his list..."

"But don't worry, you'll see him again soon," Weevil stated as he inserted another spell cards, showing Parasite Paracide extending its tentacles off picture, " I play Reckless Parasite bringing it on to your field in defense mode!"

Zane's duel disk sent out a strange glow, and soon the card image of the Parasite appeared on his side! Plus, four green tentacles of the bug were poking out of the image. (2/500/300)

"With Reckless Parasite, Weevil will transform all of Zane's cards into bugs," Tristan stated, "It may have taken away the damage, but this is more permanent as it prevents Zane from sacrificing monsters either."

"Once those Machines take the stage, the metal will be broken into a heap of exoskeleton and skinny, little legs," Ronald said, "Not a good day for the Hell Kaiser!"

"And now, I'll play Insect Barrier and set one card facedown and to end my turn," Weevil concluded as his facedown card appeared along with a crisscross fence of yellow lasers blocking his field, "Let's see you stop me now! My facedown card is the trap Parasite Worm, I know you'll try to destroy my points in one turn, like you're known for, once you play that Chimeratech Overdragon with ten Machines or use Power Bond with your Cyber End Dragon. As you can see, I prepared for you!"

"Whoa, a four-card combo to keep Zane away from attacking, plus back-up cards to devastate Zane's life points he summons too strong a monster," Ronald gasped, "I hate to say it, but Zane's renewed streak will be over if he makes that one-turn kill he's known for and uses Power Bond with Cyber End Dragon or waste his time until he can use Chimeratech Overdragon for points.

"Well, Zane doesn't look too worried," Tristan said, noting Zane's uncaring stare, "I guess he won't care at this moment..."

"Is that all," Zane scoffed as he drew sixth card, "It won't matter, but since your so kind enough to tell me your plan, I'll tell you mine! First, I'll use Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!"

"Next, Power Bond to fuse my three Cyber Dragons together to form Cyber End Dragon with double the Power!"

The audience gasped as the three Cyber Dragons took the stage, only to be melded with blue electricity, combining them together... In a bright, blue flash, the Cyber End Dragon roared out as the electricity surged through its body, amplifying its power. (10/4000-8000/2800) Then, Parasite Paracide dug its tentacles into three-headed hydra's body and latched on to it. Soon, a large parasite burst from the machine's back.

"Just what I was waiting for," Weevil shouted as he activated his facedown card, depicting a large, brown, eel-like worm charging straight at a Kuriboh, "Parasite Worm, destroy his monster and the rest of his life points!"

Emerging from the trap, the large, parasitic worm lunged at the transformed bug monster...

"Pathetic," Zane sneered as he activated a card from his hand, depicting Super Roboyarou being hooked in a laboratory chamber, having his circuits powered up, "I activate Cybernetic Zone to remove it from play!"

Before the worm could reach Cyber End Dragon, a sky-blue light took it off the field before it could snatch its next meal...

"NO! I had you," Weevil whined, "Just you wait until next turn..."

"Whoa," Tristan said, "I hope Zane's got a backup plan because Cybernetic Zone will destroy his monster during his next Standby Phase..."

"I then end my turn," Zane declared, "meaning I can summon back my Cyber End Dragon!"

The light that took the dragon away brought it back to the field. (10/8000/2800)

"Now Power Bond's side-effect kicks in and damages my life points by Cyber End Dragon's original ATK!"

The crowd gasped as electricity flew out from Cyber End Dragon's body and into Zane's... but the Hell Kaiser just kept up his stare at the bug duelist as his life point took a big drop.

Weevil: 8000

Zane: 4000

"If this was the Battle City Tournament, Zane would be gone by now," Ronald gasped.

"So, you damaged yourself and saved your monster," Weevil acknowledged, "What's the point?"

"The point is, Cybernetic Zone doubles my dragon's ATK again," Zane grinned.

Everyone went into a state of shock as a dark blue aura surrounded the powerful bug/machine into powers off the charts! (10/8000-16000/2800)

"16000!" Everyone but the Hell Kaiser shouted.

"Yes, and it's still my End Phase, so I'll use Mischief of the Time Goddess," The Cyber duelist stated, inserting another spell card showing a blue-haired little girl in a blue magician robe and holding a red jeweled scepter, winking.

"No, my turn's skipped," Weevil shouted. But then he grinned, "But it's not that simple, your monster's still a bug and it's now the Battle Phase... so what... I'll just use my Insecticide spell card next turn and... "

The seasoned insect duelist's voice was caught in his throat when Zane activated Book of Moon... and then, it was like the only thing he could hear was his heartbeat, playing out the next actions of Zane's moves...

*THUMP!* Parasite Paracide was replaced with a facedown card due to Book of Moon's effect...

*THUMP!* Because of that same monster not being face-up, Weevil's Reckless Parasite shattered.

*THUMP!* Cyber End Dragon was now a machine-type again, losing all bug appendages...

*THUMP!*

"Destroy him and the rest of his life points with Super Strident Blaze!"

Quicker than anyone could image, the three heads of Cyber Dragon fired their giant blue laser blasts straight the defenseless bug duelist...

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Weevil was sent flying off the arena and fell on his back... hard...

Weevil: 0

Zane: 4000, Winner

The audience and the commentators were at a loss for words as medical attention went to aid the fallen duelist. He was put on a stretcher and then carted off to the nearest medical facility...

On the other hand, Zane just turned his back at scene and left out the arena with Shroud following him...

"Ladies and gentlemen," Tristan said sadly, struggling with his words, "It's just... completely... unsportsmanlike..."

"It's a complete disregard for humanity and dueling," Ronald snapped, "Let it out, man... you know other people are feeling it, too."

Tristan placed his hand over the microphone, and talked to his fellow commentator, "I know, but we gotta keep it professional... you don't want to lose this job..."

Ronald sighed as he calmed himself down," Alright..." To the microphone, "Please disregard that last comment... now, the up and coming GX Tournament will happen next week... over the weekend, you'll know the location and the rest of the competitors aside from our Pro Leaguers who've qualified."

"For all of us at the Kaiba Land, I'm Tristan Taylor..."

"... And I'm Ronald Harris..."

"Good night, everybody," They both said as they went off the air.

* * *

Leaving the Kaiba Dome in a black limousine, Zane and Shroud were sitting in the back, enjoying the ride...

Shroud smirked as he looked out the window, "Nice work back there, that Weevil fella won't walk for months..." He then turned to Zane, "Didn't I tell ya, stick with me and you'll have it all!"

"That's true," Zane stated, "But now that I have everything that I want, your services are no longer required."

The manager gasped, "What are you saying?"

Suddenly, the limousine skidded to a stop near an alleyway and its rear-right car door opened. Then, Shroud was shoved out of the limo and into some trash!

"You're fired," Zane shouted as he closed the door and the limo went on rolling.

Furious, the ex-manager shouted, "You're gonna regret this kid!"

At the airport, Zane walked inside his next flight to a destination, only known by him... the only clue he had was an anonymous letter saying:

 _"Truesdale, meet me at the 'Top of the World.' You'll know why I've sent for you..."_

* * *

His destination: a snowy mountain...

Zane was now outfitted with mountain climbing gear and dressed up for the cold in a yellow overcoat with a hood and goggles. Using his gear, he trekked and climbed that mountain with all of his strength and it let him to an ancient temple. It looked like a bronze color, but it was probably due to time rusting it over... On the very top, a small mural of Cyber End Dragon was seen.

Once Zane opened the tall, stone doors, he was met with the interior of the temple, as ancient as ever. The inside looked like a half-monument as the red pillars lined the sides of the place, and half-cavern as straight ahead was a stone wall with only a colorful mural of the Cyber End covering it. Under it was a giant torch, lighting the entire room...

But also, there was a 40-something, bald, old man with a brown goatee. He wore an old, red shirt with stitched-up sleeves, black pants and white bandages wrapped around the ankles of his feet. It was Chancellor Sheppard!

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show...," He said to the dark-clothed duelist.

"Hello... Master..." Zane greeted, smugly, "I should've known you'd be back here, after leaving Duel Academy... everyone thought you were a fool for leaving that job. I hope you didn't call me for a lecture, because I don't have the time..."

Sheppard walked a little bit closer, strapping on a duel disk with a pre-shuffled deck inside, "You know why I called you here..."

"Just checking," the Cyber duelist smirked as he strapped on his own duel disk, pre-shuffled deck inside already, "You sure you want to go through with this?"

"Of course," Sheppard stated as he and Zane drew their opening hands, "Now, let's duel!"

Sheppard: 8000

Zane: 8000

"I'll make the first move," Sheppard stated as he drew his sixth card, "I'll place three cards facedown and that's all from me."

"Really, then I'll just have to shut you down now," Zane smirked as he drew his sixth card and took out one to play from his starting hand, "I activate Future Fusion! By selecting a fusion monster I hold, I can send the required fusion materials from the deck to the graveyard and summon it in two turns."

He then took out his deck and then held up 10 cards from it, "I send my three Cyber Dragons, three Cyber Larvae, two Heavy Mech Support Platforms, Cyber Struve and Cyber Alsafi to the graveyard so that I can summon Chimeratech Overdragon!"

The former Chancellor gasped, "You took out 20 percent of your deck!"

"And for good reason," the Hell Kaiser stated as he sent his monsters into the graveyard and held up another card from his hand, "I activate the spell card, Overload Fusion!"

"I see, that's how you've been rising within the ranks of the Pro League in a matter of days," Sheppard acknowledged as his former student activated the spell card, "But throwing away your monsters!"

"Spare me the lectures, old man," Zane shouted as he removed the same 10 monster cards from his graveyard and removed them from play, "I now summon, my Chimeratch Overdragon!"

All of the machines Zane's removed melded together and formed the headless, metal body... (9/?/?)

"Next, when its fusion summoned, I have to send all other cards I have on the field to the graveyard, "The Cyber student stated as he removed the Future Fusion from its slot and placed into in the discard slot, "And Future Fusion served his purpose."

"What's happened to you, Zane," Sheppard thought sadly.

"Now, for all the monsters used to special summon my dragon, it gets 800 ATK and DEF as well as an extra attack on your monsters! And that's ten, so no matter what you do," Zane held off as the metal body grew 10 heads from all sides, all facing Sheppard. (9/?-8000/?-8000) "You'll just send your monsters to the slaughter!"

"So, you even gave up on summoning Cyber End Dragon," the Cyber Master sighed, "Even after learning about your birthright when you were nine years old. The heir to the Cyber Legacy! It didn't take long for you to strive for that spot..." He closed his eyes as he remembered.

* * *

(Flashback)

 _He called a nine-year-old Zane, who at the time, wore the same style of clothing he did except the shirt was blue._

 _During a practice duel, Zane drew a card and got ready to place it on his duel disk..._

 _"Hold on," Sheppard thought, stopping his pupil from playing anything, "Let's see that card..."_

 _Without a word, Zane handed over the card to his master, who began looking it over..._

 _Smiling, Sheppard then asked, "Let's see the rest of your deck..."_

 _Zane did that as well, as his Master looked over the cards. Sheppard smiled and asked, "Tell me Truesdale, why did you choose these cards to duel me with?"_

 _"It was easy," Zane replied, modestly, "I've watched you duel, so I know your deck. Afterwards, I created a deck that would be best against you and even used a few of your strategies, Master."_

 _"You've got inside the mind of your opponent and learned from him as well," the Cyber Master stated as he walked towards the mural, "You've just tapped into what dueling is all about, respect! And it earned you this..."_

 _He then walked over to Zane and gave him a card... the Cyber End Dragon..._

 _(End Flashback)_

* * *

"I never thought our paths would cross again at Duel Academy, where you were the top student for three years," Sheppard continued, "We couldn't discuss it openly, but I was proud of the duelist you became and I never regretted handing over Cyber End Dragon... until now..."

"I told you, I'm not in the mood for lectures," Zane interrupted, "The only reason I came here is to obtain the other half of the Cyber Legacy... the Cyberdarks!"

"So you have heard of them," Sheppard said, staring back at the mural behind him, where he saw a black image in a white backdrop, behind the Cyber End Dragon, "It was once part of the dreaded Underworld deck, but it's been locked away for good reason. It contains a dangerous force that could harm the user"

"Spare me the stories," the Cyber Student shouted, "I want those cards!"

"Never, I activate Cyber Shadow Guardna," the Cyber Master declared, revealing a trap card, showing off a skinny-looking monster, fully encased in black metal armor and wings, "This trap card is now a monster card, so my life points stay safe!"

The trap card image moved closer along the field and created the monster, shown on the card. (4/?/?)

"The moment you make an attack, it gains the same attack points as its attacker," Sheppard explained, "In order words, attack and you'll lose your new valuable monster! I won't allow you to take those cards!"

"Last I checked, it's still my move," Zane stated as held up another spell card, revealing D.D. Warrior and D.D. Warrior Lady emerging from two dimensional portals into the Graveyard of the Fourth Dimension, "And I'll use Dimension Fusion, paying 2000 life points, I'll summon back four of my monsters!"

Sheppard: 8000

Zane: 6000

"Now welcome back my three Cyber Dragons and my Cyber Alsafi," He declared as four wormholes opened on both sides of Chimeratech Overdragon and brought out the three, metallic, serpentine dragons (5/2100/1000) x3, and the giant, metallic crab onto the field. (5/2250/1250)

"Impressive, five monsters on the field," the Cyber Master acknowledged, "And all it cost you were 2000 life points... will you risk that, knowing that I have two other facedowns out?"

"Of course, since I know you're just stalling for time," Zane stated, "Cyber Dragon 1, attack his Cyber Shadow Guardna with Strident Blast!"

As Zane's dragon charged up for its attack, the shadow guardna morphed it into a Cyber Dragon as well! (4/?-2100/?-1000) Next, it charged up a Strident Blast attack, quicker than the original and just in time for the powers to collide, destroying the both of them and sending smoke across the field.

"You taught me too well," Zane sneered, "Looks like the Student will soon surpass the Master!"

"Not today, I activate Byroad Sacrifice," Sheppard countered as he revealed a trap card, depicting a woman in a tattered, purple dress being hunted down by a machine-like beast, "When a monster of mine is destroyed in battle, I can summon a specific monster... like the Cyber Ogre from my hand!"

The Cyber Master immediately placed one of his three remaining cards onto his duel tray, summoning a large, humanoid monster with a long neck, a grey, monstrous face inside an equally monstrous helmet that had a yellow, jagged horn on top of it. (5/1900/1200)

"Only 1900 ATK," the Cyber Student grinned, "Well, you must be using your remaining facedown card to power up your Ogre from my other Cyber Dragons and Alsafi, so I just send my Overdragon to attack you instead! Overlimit Power Core!"

One of the heads of the Overdragon charged up a black power blast and fired straight at the metal ogre...

"I activate the Cyber Ogre's effect from my hand," Sheppard announced, holding up another Cyber Ogre card from his hand, dropping it into his discard slot, "By discarding it, I negate your attack and my monster gains 2000 ATK until the end of its next battle!"

Zane growled as Cyber Ogre withstood the attack and then started to glow dark, raising its power... (5/1900-3900/1200)

"Now then, what will you do," the Cyber Master asked, "Shall you attack again with your dragon's nine other attacks, risking the power gain of my monster?"

Zane smirked as inserted another card into his disk, "Nice try, but I won't fall for your old bluffs! I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Then it's my move," Sheppard said as he drew his next card, bringing his hand to two. He then smiled as he revealed his facedown card, showing a red armored samurai wielding a blue, demonic arm," I activate my face down card, the Armed Changer spell card," Zane gasped, "You fell for my bluff. I discard Autonomous Action Unit to equip it on my Cyber Ogre!"

Cyber Ogre raised its right arm to the ceiling, shedding the metal off it and growing a blue, demonic hand.

"Now, I attack one of your Cyber Dragons with my Cyber Ogre," Sheppard announced, "Attack with Monstrous Cyber Fist!"

Following its master's commands, the Ogre leapt into action and smashed the second Cyber Dragon with a powerful right hand, obliterating it from the field.

Sheppard: 8000

Zane: 4200

"And then, since the battle with my Ogre has ended, it returns to its original ATK," the Master stated as his Ogre's power diminished to normal... (5/3900-1900/1200), "But now, the effect of Armed Changer activates and it lets me retrieve a monster with ATK equal or less than the monster destroyed. With Cyber Dragon's 2100 ATK, I retrieve my second Cyber Ogre from the graveyard," He continued as his second Cyber Ogre slid out of his graveyard, letting him collect it, then he placed a monster card, facedown and sideways on the field, "I end my turn with this set monster."

"A minor setback," Zane declared as he drew, bringing his hand to three, "And I'll make up for it with an attack with my Cyber Dragon! Destroy Cyber Ogre with Strident Blast!"

"I activate Cyber Ogre's effect," Sheppard retaliated as he discarded his monster again, letting his Ogre withstand the weak attack and gain power from it. (5/1900-3900/1200)

"Now, with that out of the way, let's get rid of it along with your facedown monster," the Cyber student grinned as he turned to his strongest monster, "Chimeratech Overdragon destroy Cyber Ogre and his facedown monster! Overlimit Power Core!"

The Cyber Master braced himself as two of the Chimeratech's head launched a single, black beam into the heart of the Cyber Ogre, blasting it to extinction and then blasting the facedown card, burning it with black flames...

Sheppard: 4100

Zane: 4200

"I'll ask you again, Sheppard," Zane informed his former Master, "Give me those cards right now, or I'll have last Cyber Dragon and Cyber Alsafi, lay waste to the rest of your life points!"

"And I'll tell you again," Sheppard countered, "You will not have those cards!"

"Have it your way," the Cyber heir stated as he signaled his monsters to attack...

But he stopped in his tracks when he saw the worst thing that could happen to him now... a small, metallic looking jar with a blue face, its bottom part looked like a grin and its single, green glass eye peered into Zane's two eyes... (3/900/900)

"I see you remember my Cyber Jar, Mr. Truesdale," Sheppard smirked, "I remember your history with this card; you once thought because of a monster in my deck would be all machines, you forget about other monsters that have 'Cyber' in their name, not of the machine type. And you know what happens next, all monsters are now destroyed!"

The jar's small eye flashed and self-destructed, resulting in a giant explosion taking Zane's monsters with it, ticking him off greatly...

"Next, we pick up five cards from our decks, show them off and summon any low-level monsters along with it..." the Master stated as he and his former student took the top five cards of their decks and fanned them out for the other to see.

Sheppard's five cards were Heavy Mech Support Platform, Cybernetic Cyclopean, Scrap Fusion, Cyber Dinosaur and Cyber Phoenix.

"I set all three monsters on the field," Sheppard announced, shuffling his three monster cards and then placing them on his tray, letting three set monster cards appear in front of him, "I then keep Scrap Fusion and Trojan Horse in my hand."

Zane's Cards held out his cards, revealing Bait Doll, Power Bond, Monster Reincarnation, Cybernetic Fusion Support and Polymerization. Not a single monster...

"You see where throwing away your monsters leads you," Sheppard scolded, "And I remember Cyber Alsafi's effect... which you can't use because, that last effect of my Cyber Dragon was to summon monsters... causing you to miss out on that effect!"

"Enough," Zane shouted as he took three of his cards and inserted them into his graveyard, "I place three cards facedown!"

"And your anger will be your downfall as well," Sheppard said as he drew his next card, "I flip up my facedown monsters, Heavy Mech Support Platform, Cybernetic Cyclopean and Cyber Phoenix!"

One by one, Sheppard revealed his three monsters; the first was a metallic, four-winged bird with red outlines streaking across its body. (4/1200/1600)

Secondly, a small, jetpack-like machine flew from its card image and landed next to Cyber Phoenix. (2/500/500)

Finally, a green skinned Cyclops emerged from the third card with machine parts covering various parts of his body. (4/1400/200)

"Now, I'll use the union effect of Heavy Mech Support Platform, and equip to Cyber Phoenix, granting 500 extra ATK," the Master continued as his jetpack machine latched onto the back of the Cyber Phoenix. (4/1200-1700/1600) "Now my Cybernetic Cyclopean, attack Zane directly!"

"I think not, I activate Negate Attack," Zane interrupted as he revealed his facedown card. A vortex formed and pushed away the Cyclops' attack.

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn," Sheppard concluded.

"About time," the Cyber student stated as he drew, "I activate Monster Reincarnation to discard Polymerization and bring back Cyber Dragon into my hand," He announced as he discarded his Polymerization and retrieved his Cyber Dragon, "Now I special summon it since I have no monsters on my field!"

Emerging from the ground, one of the metal, serpentine dragons returned. (5/2100/1000)

"I've studied your moves as well, Zane," Sheppard stated as he held up a card from his hand, "You activated a monster's effect from my hand, so I call on Cyber Dinosaur!"

A thunderous roar filled the temple as a giant, silver metallic T-Rex appeared snarling at the Cyber Dragon. (7/2500/1900)

"It won't stop me from normal summoning Cyber Dragon Zwei to the field as well," Zane continued as he brought out his smaller Cyber Dragon that had green lines streaking around its body. (4/1500/1000)

"I see," Sheppard stated, "You're planning to use Power Bond to make Zwei the original in name, and then create the Cyber Twin Dragon to end this duel," He then activated a trap card, depicting Magical Scientist working on his computer room with the computers showing 0% on all of its data, "Too bad, I'll use Success Probability 0% to remove your options! Two of your Fusion Monster will now go to the graveyard!"

Zane growled as he saw Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber End Dragon leave his Fusion Deck, forcing him to place it into his graveyard.

'Now there's only one Fusion Monster he has left... the Cyber End Dragon that I gave him...,' Sheppard thought, 'I just have to destroy his final Cyber Dragon...'

His thoughts were interrupted when Zane started laughing.

"I fail to see the humor, Truesdale," The Cyber Master said.

"It's because you missed one Fusion Monster, and I plan to take advantage of it," Zane grinned.

Sheppard gasped, "But you only have two Cyber Dragons! You can't create the second Cyber End Dragon!"

"True, but I'm creating my second Chimeratech Dragon," the Cyber heir stated, "And since I have a Cyber Dragon on the field, I can send him and other machines on the field without using a fusion card! So I'll send Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Zwei... and that Cyber Phoenix and Cyber Dinosaur of yours, so I can summon the Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!"

The Cyber Master was at a loss for words as a huge metal, caterpillar-like body appeared the middle of the field with rounded parts. Attached was a large Cyber Dragon head roaring out into the temple. (8/0/0) Then, the rounded parts opened and activated vacuum-like suctions that pulled in the Cyber Dragon's from the back and then pulled in Cyber Phoenix and Cyber Dinosaur as well!

"As you can see, my fusion Monster can steal machine monsters from both sides to create this monster," Zane grinned, "And by doing so, it gains 1000 ATK for each fusion material monster!"

The rounded body parts re-opened themselves, creating four small versions of Cyber Dragon necks and heads, all roaring in unison. (8/0-4000/0)

"Lucky for you, Cybernetic Cyclopean is a Beast-Warrior type," Zane stated, "But he's just in time to catch the blast! Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, attack with Sonic Screech!"

The five heads stretched out together and then let out an ear-splitting scream, forcing Sheppard and his monster to shut their ears. Unfortunately, the latter couldn't stand as it shattered into pixels, shattering through the field.

Sheppard: 1500

Zane: 4200

"Game over Sheppard," Zane shouted, "Give me the Cyberdarks!"

Sheppard just drew his next card in response, "I have a better idea, to activate my facedown card Scrap Fusion!"

The facedown card revealed itself, showing a blue power core being created within a scrap yard.

"While I have no monsters in my hand, I can remove monsters from your graveyard and summon a fusion monster that you have," Sheppard stated, "You shouldn't have sent your Cyber Dragons into the graveyard, so now you'll pay the price as I fused them for the Cyber End Dragon! So hand it over!"

Zane watched as his three Cyber Dragons slid out of his graveyard and then combined into three lights that formed behind his former Master's back, creating the three-headed symbol of the Cyber Legacy. (10/4000/2800)

"Now that this dragon is back in the control of its former master, I'll move on by using Pot of Greed to draw two more cards," He continued drawing two cards from his deck, "I summon the Armored Cybern in attack mode!"

In a flash, a gold and silver armor machine appeared with two blasters charging with electricity. (4/0/2000)

"Now, I equip it to Cyber End Dragon as per its union effect," Sheppard announced as the armor attached to the triple-headed dragon, "Next, I use its effect, by draining 1000 ATK of the monster, Armored Cybern destroys a monster!"

Cyber End Dragon used its new armor and then fired a stream of electricity that shocked the Fortress Dragon and ripped it apart. (10/4000-3000/2800)

"Now Cyber End Dragon, attack Zane directly with Super Strident Blast!"

Combing their powers into one, the three-headed dragon blasted Zane and his life points, making the dark-clad duelist grunt in pain.

Sheppard: 1500

Zane: 1200

"I end my turn," Sheppard declared, "No matter what you do next turn, I have the victory assured!"

"I will not lose, understand," Zane growled as he drew his next card, "I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot to draw three cards!"

Both players drew three cards.

"I send one card facedown and then use Bait Doll, to activate it," He continued as the facedown card appeared, but then immediately it flipped up, showing a boxer getting ready to strike, but through his right glove was a pair of metal knuckles, "I activate Lost Pride! By sending Power Bond to the graveyard, I get to take your Scrap Fusion spell card!"

Sheppard gasped as his graveyard shot his spell card over to Zane, letting him catch it.

"Now, Lost Pride will cost me 1000 life points to play this spell card, but it's well worth the price," Zane stated as he inserted the spell card, not minding the red aura surging through him...

Sheppard: 1500

Zane: 200

"Now since I don't have any monsters, I get to fuse your Cyber Ogres to make Cyber Ogre 2," Zane announced as the Cyber Ogres flew out of his former Master's graveyard and then melded together in a blue light. The result was a towering, heavy metal armored beast, standing on its massive arms and letting its tail flail out. (7/2600/1900)

"Zane, what are you thinking," Sheppard protested, "Do you even know what you are doing?"

"For the first time in my life, YES," Zane stated as he activated another spell card, "I activate Limiter Removal to double Cyber Ogre 2's attack," The metal Ogre's circuits started to overload, bringing its power up to the limit! (7/2600-5200/1900) "Cyber Ogre 2, attack and activate your special ability," Zane commanded as the Ogre dragged itself towards the triple-headed dragon and grabbed it by its necks, "When Cyber Ogre 2 attacks a monster, it gains half of its target's ATK!

Cyber Dragon roared in pain as its attack shattered its armor, creating a giant wave of fire, causing it tremendous amounts of pain. (7/5200-6700/1900)

Sheppard: 400

Zane: 800

"How could you," Sheppard protested, "You and that dragon share a special bond!"

"We still do," Zane stated as he walked towards his former master, "I can hear it screaming in pain, and I don't care! I just came here for one thing, and I'll even destroy an old friend to get it," He then activated Black Pendant on the Cyber Ogre 2, placing the black jewel necklace around it, spreading a dark mist within the flames. (7/5200-5700/1900)

"Now I'm done!"

At Zane's last words, Cyber Ogre 2 exploded in dark flames because of Black Pendant. The flames extended into Cyber End Dragon, engulfing it inside and making it explode. The double explosion set a forceful wind, knocking Sheppard on his back, and the mural of the Cyber End Dragon off the wall, revealing a black case inside...

Sheppard: 0

Zane: 800, Winner

Looking past his defeated opponent, Zane saw the black case and said, "Well, what do you know?" Before walking up to the case and opening it. He smirked at his find, "The Underworld Deck... with these cards with the Cyber Legacy cards, I'll be unstoppable..." He then turned to his former master, "Be thankful, I spared you Sheppard..."

As he tried to walk away...

"Zane, you forgot something..."

Zane turned around just in time to catch something metal. When he opened his hand, he found a medal with the letters 'GX' on it, attached to a red, white and blue ribbon.

"Want ti know where I've been," Sheppard asked, "Traveling to schools and Duelist Leagues to organize the ultimate tournament!"

"And this medal..." Zane pried.

"Your ticket in," the Cyber Master stated, "It'll be in your best interest to join up."

"Hmm... this maybe the perfect time to try out my new deck..." Zane stated as he left, "I'll think about it..."

 _'I'm not giving up on you, Truesdale,'_ Sheppard thought, _'If I can't bring you back, maybe your friends can...'_

* * *

Whew... my kind of day... I hope I made these duels nice and the emotions stir...

Reckless Parasite

Continuous Spell Card

Image: Parasite Paracide spreading its tentacles.

Parasite Worm

Normal Trap Card

Image: A large, centipede-like worm attacking a Kuriboh.

Mischief of the Time Goddess

Quick-Play Spell

Immediately end current turn: its remaining Phases, including the End Phase, are skipped. Go directly to the Battle Phase of your next turn.

(First used by Zigfried von Schroeder in the second series episode One Step Ahead. All rights to the creators of that episode.)

Scrap Fusion

Quick-Play Spell

Activate only while you control no monsters. Remove from play, from your opponent's Graveyard, Fusion Material Monsters listed on a Fusion Monster Card in your opponent's Extra Deck and Special Summon that monster to your side of the field. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.)

(Used by Chancellor Sheppard in the GX episode: Schooling the Master. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Lost Pride

Normal Trap

Send 1 Spell Card from your hand to the Graveyard. Add 1 Spell Card from your opponent's Graveyard to your hand. If you activate that card, you take 1000 points of damage.

(Used by Zane Truesdale in the GX episode: Schooling the Master. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Next time: It's the beginning of the GX tournament!

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	49. This is the GX Tournament

Attention All Readers! You have made it to the GX Tournament! You ready!?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 49: This is the GX Tournament!

* * *

The morning came for Academy Island once again as Claudio walked out of his Ra Yellow Dorm room. After Bastion's defect to the Society of Light, he, Melody, Lyra and Vincent moved back in to help Professor Sartyr protect the Dorm from becoming another White Dorm.

"Another day goes by," The J-Hero thought to himself, "And still, we're dealing with some crazy stuff."

In transparent form, Ophelia, Lita and Lars came out next to him.

"I say the Light has grown strong enough," Ophelia stated.

"I'll drink to that," Lita replied, "Our world is ransacked enough, now we need to prevent this world from facing any more problems."

Lars turned to Claudio, "You say this man; Sartorius was it? He is the one commanding army know as the Society of Light."

"Yeah," Claudio replied.

"What if this man's just like what Lionwhyte was described as...," The Brave Warrior thought, "Corrupted by this Light and being controlled."

"You know, Makoto said the same thing," The Ra stated, "I guess it's true then..."

"What are we going to do," Ophelia asked.

"We'll find out about what's going on today... then we can decide with the others about what to do next."

"Sounds like a plan," Lita stated, "But maybe we should..."

 _"Pooyooo..."_

Claudio gasped, "You hear that?"

"Sure did," the Strong Ironheade warrior stated, "But what was that?"

 _"Poooyoooo..."_

"Sounds like, someone or something... is crying," The razor Ironheade warrior replied.

"I better go see where it leads to..." Claudio said in thought, "Sounds like it's nearby..."

He looked around for any possibility of a hiding spot until he reached the bushes...

 _"Poooyooo..."_

"There!"

The J-Hero duelist dug around the bushes and seen the back of a Duel Monsters card, "A card? Somebody must be feeling bad about losing this. Well, let's see who it is..."

Claudio picked up the card and turned it over...

"No way!"

It was Star Ninja Kaabii!

"But that means... Kenji..."

 _"POYO!"_

Suddenly, the spirit of the card emerged from the card and hugged Claudio.

 _"Poyo! Poyo! Poyo!"_ It cried.

"Whoa, take it easy, little guy," Claudio said to the spirit, "I'm happy to see you too."

Kaabii floated away from the Ra and smiled.

"How did you get all the way over here," Claudio wondered.

 _"Poyo! Po-yo! Yoooo!"_ Kaabii exclaimed.

All it did was make a sweatdrop running down his forehead...

"Okaaaay..." The Ra droned, "I... didn't understand that..."

Kaabii then remembered, only Kenji could understand him. So he had to resort to other methods... First, he pointed to his own card and then held up his kunai and then threw it as far as he could throw it.

"Let's see..." Claudio said as tried to take in all the charades the pink spirit gave him, "Your card, throwing a kunai... Wait, it didn't involve any ninja tools, right?"

 _"Poyo_ ," Kaabii shook his head and the pointed at himself, _"Poyo!"_

The J-Hero duelist gasped, _"He threw you away!?"_

Sadly, Kaabii nodded.

"Aw man this is bad," Claudio said sadly, "Alexis is not gonna like this..."

* * *

Inside the main building, Bonaparte was running towards the Chancellor's office in a state of panic...

"Crowler, Crowler," He cried as he burst into the office, "We've got a problem!"

"Don't tell me we're not getting any good food in the faculty cafeteria," Crowler shouted.

"No, we're still good there," Bonaparte replied, "Chancellor Sheppard's back on the island and he's on his way here."

Crowler gasped at the message and then stood up from his, or rather, his former chair and started pacing around the room.

"Oh dear... and if he stays, I won't be Chancellor anymore," the former Chancellor stated, "At least I become Vice-Chancellor..."

Bonaparte felt like he was slapped across his face, "But where does that leave me? You can't bid me adieu just like that!"

"Of course I won't," Crowler stated, "You're in charge of the Obelisk Boys now."

"But there is no Obelisk Blue... anything," the French duelist stated, "It's all white!"

"And whose fault is that...," Crowler growled.

"Yours," Bonaparte snapped, "And maybe I should tell him about all of your ideas!"

"If you do, I'm talking you down with me," Crowler stated, "I knew all about that plan of yours to make that White Dorm permanent!"

"What White Dorm?"

Both men gasped as they saw Chancellor Sheppard, back in his Academy attire, walk in his office, "The Chancellor!"

"Thanks for keeping my seat warm while I was away, Crowler," Sheppard said, "But now I'm back and there's important business to discuss."

"What can we do to assist this," the former Chancellor asked.

"Gather all the students," the returning Chancellor ordered, "This important announcement will affect them as well! It's going to change our lives."

* * *

Within the hour, everyone from all dorms, the faculty, including the Society of Light, came to the main classroom after a big announcement was made. Already, people were talking amongst themselves, spreading rumors, making predictions or just talking nonsense. Soon, the talking ceased when Chancellor Sheppard made his arrival at the front of the class, much to the Academy students delight who weren't possessed.

"First of all, it's good to be back," Sheppard stated in happy and a professional tone. He looked over the students, particularly the ones in white, "Judging by the clothes, I see a popular new White Dorm has been seen on campus."

Crowler and Bonaparte cringed when their boss turned an angry eye at them before returning to the students.

"But despite these changes, I have a treat for everyone present," The Chancellor continued, "And I present..."

On cue, the screen behind him turned on showing a medal with the letters 'GX' on it.

"...The GX Dueling Tournament! A competition of the next generation of Master Duelists, starting right now! All Duelists around the world will gather at this island, and when the dust settles, that single duelist who wins will be crowned as the World's Greatest!"

Soon, the entire classroom cheered.

"Oh yeah, and that's going to be me," Jaden cheered, "I'll beat all the Pros!"

Syrus gasped, _'Pros? Will that mean Zane will come?'_

"The entire island will be your field," Sheppard said as he held out the GX medal he gave to Zane, "And this will be your ticket: The GX Medallion! The rules are simple: You must accept the first challenge that's given to you, and you must participate in at least a single duel each day. If you win, you gain all the opponent's medals. The final winner will be easy to spot, as they will have all of the medallions."

Suddenly, Syrus and Hassleberry felt uneasy as they imagined Jaden challenging them and scooting away from him.

"During my travels, I've met with some of the greatest duelists in the world! And they've been invited as well, because I believe you all are as great as they are. So get out there and make your Chancellor proud!"

The crowd cheered again.

* * *

After the announcements, the Academy students hung around the main building. Claudio was tuning up his guitar as Melody and Alexis walked up to him.

"Alright, what did you wanna talk about," Alexis asked the J-Hero duelist.

Sighing sadly, Claudio fished out a card from his pocket and revealed it to the Obelisk Girl. She gasped at the sight of the card.

"Star Ninja Kaabii," She said in a whisper, "That's Kenji's card!"

"Yup," Claudio muttered, "I found it this morning, near the Ra Dorm."

"But that's terrible," Melody stated, "That would mean that Kenji threw away his card."

"Sad, I know," the J-Hero duelist said, "Which means, this has got to stop in this tournament," He looked to Alexis, "You up for it."

Her reply was to take the ninja card from Claudio and shuffle it into her deck. Then she lightly touched Kenji's headband on her forehead, "Now I am. I'll see you during the tournament"

"Right," Claudio nodded.

"And before that," Melody smiled as she kissed Claudio before she left to the crowd with Alexis. "Make sure you survive, because I'm planning on winning it!"

"You can try..." the J-Hero Duelist grinned as the couple went their separate ways.

Sometime later, everyone had gathered a medal and talked amongst each other about their plans to their friends about how they'll go about it.

Of course, one person was feeling very timid about it...

"I hate tournaments," Syrus whined, "How am I supposed to do this?"

"Well, I have a plan," Aster stated, "Sit out most of the day and let others duel. When it's almost time to end the day, I'll duel someone and take their medals."

"Wow, that's a great strategy," the Vehicroid duelist said.

"That's plain sissy-talk," Hassleberry interrupted, "I plan on taking out every Duelist one by one!"

"Alright, who's up to get their game on," Jaden asked enthusiastically.

Aster responded by walking away amongst the crowd, "I'll just go check the competition..."

"And me, I'll just pick out the easiest one I can defeat," the dino duelist smirked as he eyed a certain, small Ra...

"Who's that," Syrus whimpered.

Before he knew it, the entire student body surrounded him, staring down at the Ra with a predatory look.

"So Truesdale," Hassleberry grinned, "What will it be?"

At times like this, Syrus did what he thought was best...

"HEEELLLLPPP!"

The Ra ran down the hallway, but the rest of the crowd, minus Jaden ran him down.

Just when he thought all was lost...

"Hold it!"

The whole crowd stopped when Jachin stood in front of Syrus, duel disk already on...

"Now, I'm a competitive duelist as well," the Persona duelist admitted, "But ganging up on one guy, you all know better than that...," He then got a big smile on his face, "How about taking me on? Try and keep up!"

The crowd cringed as they backed off and started to disperse...

Syrus could breathe freely, "Thanks Jachin..."

"Remember, I know what it's like to be picked on," the Slifer stated, "Though, not in numerous conditions like this... Just make sure you pay back the next duelist that crosses you in spades."

The Ra nodded as he ran off, "Got it! Maybe I'll see you and Jaden in the finals!"

"Count on it," Jachin smiled as he started to go his own way. But as he walked outside, the Slifer was met with a familiar face in white...

"Hello, Jachin..."

"Bastion..."

Both duelists stared each other down; Bastion had a tired, yet triumphant look on his face, while Jachin's expression was angrier than his time with Syrus.

"Alright, Bastion," Jachin said, anger evident in his voice, "Why did you go after the Society? As a matter of fact, why did you throw that match?"

"You know very well," the intellectual SOL replied.

"I want to hear it from your mouth," the Slifer growled.

"Fine, since the Society of Light is being noticed by everyone, including Chancellor Sheppard, I'll be recognized," Bastion exclaimed, "It's a small price to pay for being called the world's greatest duelist!"'

"Listen to yourself," Jachin protested, "You may have got your free will intact, but you're still just as mindless as the rest of them!"

"Oh I get it now," Bastion smirked, "You're jealous! Jealous that I will get the glory that I've properly deserved! Don't feel bad, I can make sure you're recognized as you fall to me!"

The Persona duelist sighed and shook his head, "I guess, I have nothing left to talk you out of this...," He then strapped on his duel disk and drew a card, "But be warned: this is the road you're heading into! Shadow Mirror, show him is true self!"

Bastion stood back as the dark mirror appeared in front of his face. Suddenly, glowing yellow eyes peered from the mirror and let out dark ropes that splattered across the floor. It then reformed and stood up creating an all-black version of Bastion.

The SOL member gasped, "This is just like last time..."

"I am a shadow... the true self," The dark entity announced, staring straight at Bastion, it then started to frown darkly, "Are you trying to steal away my glory, too? Why wasn't I sought out to fight? I am the World's Greatest Duelist!"

The SOL duelist gasped at the words his shadow was saying...

"I entered at the head of the freshman class, high enough marks to even get into Ra Yellow! But now I see it... Damn school... they're hindering my talent! No wonder the duelists on the island seem as a weak and pathetic duelist! Now that I'm in the Society of Light, I show everyone the Hell I've lived! I'm a joke, a fool, the weakest... and I'll continue to be that weak bastard, unless I take down everyone who gets in my way! Do you hear me! I will take you all down!"

Seeing Bastion's calm state, but could see the fear in his eyes, Jachin sucked the shadow back into the mirror and walked past him to find his first duel.

"I hope that sinks into you, Bastion," the Psychic duelist said loudly enough to reach the SOL member's ears, "You'll thank me for this later."

"A trick...," Bastion muttered to himself and laughed shakily, "A trick, it's just a trick! He's just using psychological warfare! Nice try Jachin Chong, but you won't win the GX Tournament! I'll make sure everyone notices me!"

* * *

At the Chancellor's office, Sheppard was trying to get back in the groove of his job, signing forms.

He was then interrupted as the automatic doors opened, revealing Sartorius walking up to him with an eerie smile.

"At last we meet, Sartorius," the Chancellor greeted.

"Thank you," the SOL leader replied, "I've been most impressed by your students, Chancellor."

Sheppard gave a stern stare at the tarot reader.

"What's wrong? Do I sense a small tone of mistrust," Sartorius asked, "There's no need for you to fear me..."

"Why do I need to fear someone like you," Sheppard replied, "I've seen evil Shadow Riders scarier than you..."

The SOL leader then gave an angry stare.

"I'll keep my eye on you, but you seem harmless," the Chancellor continued, "That's why I invited that duelist you asked for."

That pleased the Arcana Force duelist...

* * *

Somewhere approaching the Island, an aircraft was flying in the sky and had the crest of green shield with a serpentine dragon wrapping itself around the Earth on it.

Inside were three men in black suits, dressed as the Secret Service would in America. Also, a red-haired woman dressed in a pink business dress was alongside them...

"My Prince," She spoke in a professional tone, "We're approaching Duel Academy."

The man she addressed was a magenta-haired man in a royal white suit with red shoulder pads on it, Prince Ojin of Misgarth. He was calibrating his deck as he was addressed by his advisor.

"I'm aware of that, Linda," He said in regal tone, "And are you sure that the Destiny Hero user on is on the island?"

"Affirmative," Linda replied, "He is also participating in the GX Tournament."

"Good," Ojin smirked, "Once I beat him, my victory is assured. But, to make sure no one else gets in my way... Solaris!"

Walking from another part, a large, fearsome man clad in white plate armor, with a shield on his left arm and a sword at his belt. His eyes were piercing blue, strands of his blond hair escaping the confines of his helmet to brush on his forehead. He bowed as the Prince stood up.

"Yes, your Majesty," he said in a regal tone of his own, but sounding younger.

"Anyone who gets in my way of obtaining those cards, you take down," Ojin commanded as he held up two GX medals, and gave one to the Knight, "Understood..."

Accepting the medal, Solaris looked up to his Prince and said, "Understood..."

* * *

(Minutes later...)

At the Slifer Dorm, a duel was already underway...

One side had a male Society of Light duelist with a spiky hairstyle and carried a wicked grin on his side.

The other side had Syrus putting up a tough façade as he stared down his opposition with surprise and frustration...

'How could this have happened,' He thought as his opponent laughed.

"What's wrong, little man," the Society member taunted, "My strategy caught you by surprise?"

Before him were just 4 little blobs of blue slime floating above a dome-like machine... but with great amount of power! (1/500-2700/500) x4

The field was inside the Wetlands Field Spell and surrounded them in marshlands. In front of the SOL member, the Gravity Bind trap card emitted red, radioactive waves onto the field as well as another trap card, depicting the scapegoats charging around with angry faces.

"But then again, how could you beat this," the SOL member grinned, "With the Wetlands Field Spell granting my monsters 1200 ATK and my Rampage Fight Trap card giving token monsters another 1000, plus preventing them from being destroyed in battle, Jam Breeding Machine will keep making more powerful monsters!"

The Vehicroid Duelist whimpered as he and his monsters tried their best to stay strong. He had Truckroid and Drillroid in defense mode, plus two cards facedown and three cards in his hand.

Syrus: 1900

SOL Member: 5000

"But let's make sure you still stay down," the token duelist grinned as he inserted a card into his disk, depicting a clown ventriloquist using strings to rearrange the movements of Jerry Beans Man and Marshmallon on a small stage, "I send one from my hand to graveyard to activate Card Rotator! This switches all monsters' modes on the opponent's side of the field! Meaning, it's time to come out of hiding!"

Syrus gasped as both of his monsters uncrossed their 'arms' and stood straight up.

"Time to go smashin'," the token duelist shouted, "Slime Token 1, attack Truckroid!"

As the slime token advanced, Syrus quickly pressed a button on his disk, forcing the facedown card on his side to reveal itself, "No chance, I activate Life Force!"

"What," the SOL member shouted as the token smashed against the cartoon truck. Then the trap, depicting a heart-shaped gift inside of protective case to glow and protect the little Ra from most of the pain...

Syrus: 1500

SOL Member: 5000

"What's going on here," the token duelist snapped, "This duel was supposed to be over!"

"Thanks to Life Force, it's still on," Syrus announced, "All I had to do was pay 400 life points to negate all battle damage from a battle stay in the game!"

"But what about your monster, it still would've been destroyed!"

"That's where Cyber Repairer comes in," the Ra continued, "My monsters can't be destroyed in battle, but you can draw one card!"

"Then, I'll just hit you with three times battle," the SOL member stated, "Tokens, attack!"

The final three tokens charged at Syrus' monsters, knocking Truckroid on its back and blasted a hole through Drillroid, destroy it.

"Life Force, activate," Syrus called out as a pink aura surrounded him, minimizing the damage...

Syrus: 300

SOL Member: 5000

"I'm done, but you won't last long," the SOL member stated as he placed a facedown card out on the field, 'Especially with my facedown card, Token Feastevil! In the unlikely event you have a plan to take out my power, next turn when Jam Breeding Machine creates a token, springing my trap and bringing me to victory!'

"We'll see about that," Syrus shouted as he drew, bringing his hand to four, "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!"

The grinning green pot appeared as the Ra drew two more cards, and then shattered.

"Alright, I sacrifice both of my monsters and summon Armoroid!"

The truck and drill machines both vanished, letting the giant space shuttle appear overhead and then transformed into the large fighter robot, landing on the ground. (8/2700/2000)

"Big deal," the SOL duelist waved off, "Have you forgotten that I have Gravity Bind out, stopping all monsters over Level 3 form attacking?"

"No, I didn't," the Vehicroid duelist smirked, "Since I summoned Armoroid by using a roid monster as a sacrifice, all spells and traps are removed from the game! Meaning no more power ups for your tokens!"

"NO!"

The giant robot roid stretched out it's fingers and fired blue lasers that vaporized the trap cards and field spell of the opponent, severely weakening the Slime Tokens (1/2700-500/500) x4

"Next, I use Double Summon to bring out Expressroid," Syrus continued as the white subway train with eyes appeared next to Armoroid, (4/400/1600) "And when summoned, I can bring back two more roids from my graveyard and into my hand, like Drillroid and Truckroid!"

"But what's the point," the token duelist asked as Syrus collected his two desired monsters. The answer came in the form of a spell card depicting a large cross-changing railroad track, "Vehicroid Connection Zone!"

"That's right, and I have four monsters to unite them, Expressroid, Truckroid, Drillroid, and finally Stealthroid in my hand," The Ra announced as the mentioned monsters flew up into the sky, "All to create... Super Vehicroid – Stealth Union!"

Suddenly, each of the roids began to break apart into different pieces. A pair of legs formed from the drill creature, a midsection and shoulders were formed with the jet, while the subway made shoulder pads. The truck tucked into the midsection as arms were formed from the remaining pieces of the roids. Finally, the pieces linked together and a large head shot out of the top to take its place. (9/3600/3000)

"Oh no, not that," the SOL duelist shouted.

"And I'm not done," Syrus interrupted, "Next; I use its ability to equip a monster onto itself. And because you have four tokens already, why not share?"

On cue, the Super Vehicroid activated the truck bed on its chest plate and used it to absorb one of the Slime Tokens.

"Now for the fun part, since a monster's equipped to Stealth Union, I can attack every monster you have. But anytime he attacks, it cuts its ATK in half," the Ra pointed out as his monster started to point its fists out towards the three tokens spun them on its wrists. (9/3600-1800/3000), "Attack his tokens!"

"Attack his tokens! Spinning Rocket Fists," Syrus commanded as the Super Vehicroid launched its fists, as they were pushed forward by a rocket, smashing right through the tokens.

Syrus: 400

SOL member: 1100

"Hey wait," the SOL duelist protested, "I'm sorry, just go and end your turn and I'll forfeit! I promise!"

"Not doing it, Armoroid, attack," The Vehicroid commanded as the sliver transformer's eyes lit up and fired twin, red lasers at the defenseless duelist, blasting him on his back.

Syrus: 400, Winner

SOL member: 0

"Yeah," Syrus cheered as the holograms disappeared, "That'll teach you to mess with me! Next time, pick on someone your own size!"

"But I am you own size," the SOL member protested as he passed out.

The Ra walked up to the fallen duelist and claimed his prize, his first of what would be many GX medals...

* * *

Near the Ra Yellow Dorm...

Another duel was already in progress...

Hassleberry was also dealing with and SOL duelist, one with a long, black hair running down his back.

"Alright dino man, let's see you get out of this tough spot," the SOL duelist stated, "There's no way you can get past my defenses and strategy!"

On his field, he had Chorus of Sanctuary and the A. Forces in effect. Alongside him was three of the same monster, black-haired men decked out in heavy, silver armored, a red cape and large broadswords in hand on their back... Total Defense Shoguns... (5/1550-1950/2550-3050) There were also no cards in his hand.

"That's pretty big talk coming from someone who's hiding behind Sartorius," Hassleberry countered, "And with a defense like that; you're even wimpier than I thought. You should at least hide your defenses!"

And that's exactly how he had it too; he had two reversed cards on the field, along with a continuous spell card showing a Des Kangaroo frantically punching a boxer in a ring, leaving numerous bruises and bumps on his head, and one card in his hand. To him, that's all Hassleberry needed...

Hassleberry: 4000

SOL Member: 8000

"I'll make sure you know your place, it's my move," the SOL duelist stated as he drew his card, bringing his hand to four.

"I got you now," The Ra grinned, revealing his trap card, "I activate Battle Mania! This forces you to stop hiding in defense mode and attack head on this turn!"

The SOL sighed as his Shogun's stood up from their defensive positions, (5/1950/3050-2550) x3 "It won't matter as I summon Command Knight in attack mode!"

Appearing next to the men was the female knight clad in red armor. (4/1200-2000/1900), (5/1950-2150/2550)

"And she gives my other warriors and herself an extra 400 ATK," he continued to gloat as the warrior powered up in a burning aura. (4/2000-2400/1900), (5/2150-2550/2550) x3, "Now attack him directly! Command Knight, lead the charge!"

All four warriors charged in as Hassleberry kept a cool head...

"Here's my trap card," the Ra duelist shouted as his facedown card revealed itself, "I use Fossil Excavation! By discarding one card from my hand, I can revive a dinosaur from my graveyard with his effects nullified! So I summon my Sauropod Brachion in defense mode!"

In a brown flash of light, it created the large, black brachiosaur who roared in defiance as it crouched down. (8/1500/3000-3500)

"Oh no, and I have to replay," the SOL duelist whined, "Not only that, Continuous Destruction Punch will destroy my monsters."

"Good thing, I took that from your hand when you played Exchange earlier! I also got this for ya," Hassleberry grinned as his eyes changed into the dinosaur slit ones, "I activate Book of Moon to switch my monster facedown!"

"Now, your monster will have its effects again," the defensive duelist cried out as Sauropod Brachion was replaced with a set card, "And with Chorus of Sanctuary, it has too many defense points!"

"Got that right," Hassleberry cheered as Command Knight struck the set card, only to be tail swiped by the returning Brachion with a vengeance and destroyed in mid-air. (8/1500/3000-3500) "And then when your monster attacks my dino, it's double the damage!"

Hassleberry: 4000

SOL Member: 5800

"And without her, your boys lose 600 ATK," the Ra continued as the Total Defense Shogun's got weaker. (6/2550-1950/2550) x3

"And... there's nothing I can do..." The SOL member said as his first Shogun charged in, only to suicide himself when the dino head-butted into the sky.

Hassleberry: 4000

SOL Member: 2700

The final two Shoguns got weaker again... (6/1950-1750/2550) x3

Yet there was nothing changing the end result when the second Shogun met his demise as the Brachion stomped him down, ending the game...

Hassleberry: 4000, Winner

SOL Member: 0

The SOL duelist ran off in fear as the holograms disappeared... but he left a little present behind... a GX medallion.

* * *

In front of the White Dorm, a duel was about to start...

One was Bastion with a triumphant smirk on his face as he stared down a red-haired Slifer who was ready to go...

"I've had it with the Society of Light," the Slifer shouted, "I heard about how you guys trying to mess with us students, but I won't have it!"

Bastion laughed loudly, "Silly little child, what makes you think you can defeat one of the Society's newest rising duelist? But since I commend your courage, I'll humor you as your first opponent!"

Both players activated their duel disks.

"GAME ON!"

Slifer: 8000

Bastion: 8000

"I'm going first," the Slifer snapped as he drew his sixth card, "I first activate the spell card, Dark Room of Nightmare!"

As the continuous spell card appeared, a white, ominous mist covered the field.

"Then, I activate three copies of Meteor of Destruction," he continued as he held up three spell cards in question, "Because your life points are way over 3000, I can damage your for 1000 points! With three that's 3000!"

The Ra paid no attention as three burning meteors appeared from deep space and hit him from behind. All it served was to make Bastion grin even more.

Slifer: 8000

Bastion: 5000

"And don't forget," the Slifer smiled, "Since I dealt effect damage three times, Dark Room of Nightmare kicks in three times for 300 points each!"

The mist from the continuous spell card gripped the Ra's duel disk, squeezing out the life point meter.

Slifer: 8000

Bastion: 4100

"Next, another Continuous Spell card called Burning Land! As long as this card's on the field, during our own standby phases, we take 500 points of damage," The Slifer continued as he inserted the spell card, "Lastly, I'll summon Reflect Bound in attack mode."

A flash of light appeared opposite Bastion, as a red caped machine, covered nearly in a mirrors took the field reflecting Bastion's face. (4/1700/1000)

"That's all, I was expecting so much more," Bastion taunted as he drew his next card, 'Those mirrors... they mock me...'

"Forget already," the Slifer interrupted, "Burning Land hits for 500 points, adding on to Dark Room of Nightmare that's 800!"

A burning flamethrower erupted from the spell card and bathed the SOL duelist within. But Bastion paid it no mind as he started at his hand with a big smirk.

Slifer: 8000

Bastion: 3300

"This duel is over, my young friend," Bastion stated.

The Slifer could only reply with, "What!"

"You heard me," the SOL member shouted as he revealed as spell card showing a man in an undertaker suit, happily holding a black coffin, "I use the spell card, Cheerful Coffin to send two of my monsters in my hand to the graveyard!"

His opponent could only have a puzzled face as Bastion discarded twice, before holding up another spell card, "Next, I use Battery Charger to revive one of them for 500 life points, Batteryman AA!"

A thunderbolt crashed into the earth, right in front of Bastion. Emerging from the cloud of smoke, a small, red battery with the number 3 on it appeared with orange limbs and head with green eyes. (3/0/0)

Slifer: 8000

Bastion: 2800

"0 ATK," the Slifer wondered.

"Not for long," Bastion stated, "When in attack mode, it gains 1000 ATK for each AA monster out!"

The battery let out a blue charge of electricity around it as it floated in the air... (3/0-1000/0)

"Remember, that was a special summoning," the SOL duelist continued as he held up another spell card, "I can use Inferno Reckless Summon to bring out the one in my graveyard and my hand!"

Two more thunderbolts crashed into the ground, bringing out two more AA Batterymen. (3/0/0) x2

"And with three out, that's 3000 ATK each," Bastion rejoiced as the Batterymen charged up with massive amounts of electricity. (3/0-3000/0) x2, (3/1000-3000/0)

"I'll also summon two more Reflect Bounders," the Slifer shouted as two more mirror machines appeared on both sides of the first. (4/1700/1000)

 _'Good, when he attacks with them, it'll fall victim their effects,'_ the Slifer thought happily, _'With the ATK of the Batteryman, I'll win this duel by just giving up one of them!'_

"Finally, I use Short Circuit!"

He was then brought out his thoughts when Bastion activated another spell card, depicting a large, mechanical monster creating a short circuit as it broke a red cable.

"This card can only activate when I have at least 3 Batterymen on the field," Bastion explained, "And it spells your demise in this tournament as it destroys all cards that you own on the field!"

"No!"

The three Batterymen AA shot up into the skies and then combined into a massive white thunderbolt, storming the Slifer's field. It was a massive destruction as the Slifer's spell and Reflect Bounders were wiped out from the field, blinding the field in white light.

"Attack directly!"

It was all the Slifer could hear as he then felt a large jolt to his body...

"AAAHHHH!"

Slifer: 0

Bastion: 2800, Winner

Once the light faded, Bastion walked to the unconscious Slifer and took the medal that was strapped to the red blazer.

"Time to tell the Master the good news," he said with a proud smile, "No Mirrors will hinder that."

* * *

At the docks, Jaden was fishing once again. This time he wasn't alone as Allyson, Alexis and Claudio were with him as the Spirit Duelist were telling him about what she saw when she dueled Jul the other day...

Alexis, Jaden and Claudio gasped, "You're really sure?"

"Yeah," Allyson stated, "Kenji and Juli were arguing about when they found out that I was coming to duel, instead of Jaden. Basically, Kenji accepted the duel for Juli, making her angry."

"This is bittersweet for those Society guys," Claudio grinned, "So you think Kenji's actually fighting the control he has on them?"

"I think so," the first-year Obelisk stated, "I mean, he did have to weird hair dye of being half white and half dark..."

"Wait, he's got white in hair," Alexis wondered. She then gasped "Remember when Lorenzo lost to Jaden at the observatory?"

* * *

(Flashback)

 _"Foolish!"_

 _Everyone saw Jason jump from his spot from the balcony and landed in between Lorenzo and Jaden, but focused on the former._

 _"Your future is with Master Sartorius and the Light!"_

 _The Lightsworn duelist placed his right hand on top of Lorenzo's head and started to flash a blinding light on him. The B.E.S. duelist gasped as he felt something influence his mind, turning his hair stark white. Once done, Jason stepped back a bit as Lorenzo raised his head with a demented smile._

 _Jaden and his friends gasped as they backed off._

 _"It's Master Sartorius," Lorenzo rejoiced, "I can finally see the Light!"_

 _Jason smiled evilly, "That's very good, Lorenzo. Now come and join your family."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Oh yeah, that was low," Jaden stated.

"I remember you telling me," Claudio added. He then widened his eyes, "You don't think..."

"We really have to find him now," Alexis said, worriedly, "What if he's more influenced by Sartorius?"

The J-Hero duelist growled, "That's it, let's go find him..."

Alexis nodded as she and Claudio ran off, leaving Jaden and Allyson alone...

"I hope they'll be alright," Allyson thought out loud.

"It's cool," Jaden replied, casting off his line again, "They're too tough! I pity the guys who duel him unless it's any of our friends; there's no telling who'd win then..."

"Yeah..." The Spirit duelist trailed off, "So, I'd also won some duels in the tournament, how about you?"

"Nah," the E-Hero duelist replied, "I'm waiting on the pros! I can't wait to see what the best duelists around the world have got!"

Allyson smiled and laughed, "Do you ever think about anything else about dueling?"

"Aside from my family and friends, yeah," Jaden shrugged, "I mean, I came here to be the best duelist!"

"Not even looking for anything more," the Obelisk girl pried.

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

"I mean, don't ever think about finding someone special... like what Claudio and Melody have…?"

"Uh..."

Suddenly, Jaden's response was interrupted by a heli-craft coming into land on the helipad.

"What is that," Jaden wondered.

"I think that's the helicraft, flown by the Prince of Misgarth," Allyson stated, "I heard they just launched a satellite into space and rumors say that it's just like the Satellite Cannon monster card, making everyone get on edge."

"So, this Prince... he's a duelist," the Slifer wondered.

"I think so, but Jaden I..."

"Sweet," Jaden exclaimed as he dashed over to helipad.

The Spirit duelist sighed as she followed him, "So close..."

* * *

Soon, the black suits escorted Ojin, Linda and Solaris out when they heard...

"Wait, Mr. Prince!"

The six of them saw Jaden approach them at fast speed.

"Who's that," Ojin wondered, "Seems harmless..."

As soon as Jaden walked up to them he said, "Hey Prince, I challenge..."

Suddenly, a white hand stopped him from finishing that sentence, harming the Slifer. It belonged to Sartorius...

"Greetings, Prince Ojin," the tarot reader greeted as he was followed by Chazz and Jason, "Welcome to Duel Academy. My apologies, I know you didn't come all this way for children, so allow me to be your first opponent."

"Hang on," Allyson shouted, "Jaden was first!"

"She's right," Jaden added, "Don't listen to a word, Sartorius says!"

Ojin was just looking between the two of them before asking, "Who holds the Destiny Hero cards?"

"The rules say you have to..."

"I do," Sartorius interrupted the Slifer.

"Then, I'll duel you," Ojin stated, much to Jaden's chagrin and Sartorius' delight, "Solaris, you can have the other one... in fact duel first, I want my opponent to know how powerful Misgarth duelists are!"

"Thank you, sir," the white armored duelist said before he stepped up.

Suddenly, Jason ran up and pushed Jaden out the way and stood up the knight.

"You'll find me a stronger opponent," the Lightsworn duelist grinned, "I've studied up on you..."

"Really," Solaris wondered.

"Solaris, knight of Misgarth," Jason stated, "A holder of LIGHT attribute cards that personify the kingdom you protect and the kingdom long forgotten. You're the champion duelist of the Kingdom, earning your place here."

The Knight looked intrigued, "Interesting, alright I'll duel you."

"Hey," Jaden protested, "I called dibs!"

* * *

Soon, Jason flanked by Sartorius and Chazz stood on one side and Solarius, flanked by Ojin, Linda and the black suits stood on the opposite side. Jaden and Allyson were watching from the side, with the latter trying to calm the former.

"It's okay Jaden," Allyson said, "You can find other Pros after this..."

"If the introductions are over," Solaris interrupted, "I'd like to duel now... so be ready, young duelist!"

Jason growled as both he and Solaris activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Jason: 8000

Solaris: 8000

"Time to know your place," Jason shouted as he drew his sixth card. He then placed one of those cards on the field, "Come forth Jain, my Lightsworn Paladin!"

In a flare of radiance, the androgynous female paladin appeared, raising her sword to the skies. (4/1800/1200)

"Lightsworns," Jaden and Allyson wondered.

"So you're using a self-milling deck," Solaris acknowledged, "You must be a powerful duelist to use it properly."

"And I plan to win this hands down," the Lightsworn duelist stated as he inserted three cards into his disk, "I place three cards facedown to end my turn. Then, Jain activates her effect, sending two cards from my deck into graveyard during the end phase..."

The Slifer and Obelisk raised an eyebrow as Jason took two cards of his deck and sent them into his graveyard.

"A self-milling deck," the E-Hero duelist wondered, "What's he gaining from that?"

"I don't know," the Spirit duelist shrugged, "Maybe he's got cards that work with the graveyard or any loophole he could use."

Jason gave off a wide grin, "The cards that were sent were Wulf, Lightsworn Beast and my Lightsworn Sabre! Both of them activate when they are send to the graveyard from the deck!"

First, the graveyard shined as the white armored werewolf appeared and howled at the sky. (4/2100/300)

"Next, Lightsworn Sabre equips onto any Lightsworn monster, like Jain, and grants it 700 ATK," Jason continued as Jain's normal sword was replaced by a long, lighter sword as she sliced the air once. (4/1800-2500/1200) "Let's see what you've got!"

"Gladly," Solaris announced as he drew his sixth card, "I'll use Foolish Burial to send one monster from my deck to the graveyard."

The armored duelist quickly took a monster card from his deck and placed into his discard slot.

"Now, I'll summon the Disciple of the Forbidden Spell," He continued as another soldier appeared, a man in torn apart armor showing off his tan shirt and pants underneath. He also still had his sword and shield intact, along with his fight. (4/1700/1000) "Now, I'll show you and your monsters the pride of my kingdom... Attack Wulf with Slash of the Forbidden Spell!"

Everyone except Ojin and Linda gasped as the swordsman charged in.

"He's nuts," Chazz stated.

"Wulf, send him into oblivion," Jason countered as the Lighsworn Beast charged in as well. The monsters met half way and slashed each other before stopping. The end result was nothing anyone could expect...

The Lightsworn Beast was chopped into tiny pixels as the disciple sheathed his sword, making the spectators gasp...

"But how," Jason whispered.

"The card I sent to the graveyard with Foolish Burial was another Disciple of the Forbidden Spell," Solaris explained, "And since I summoned another while it was there, I choose one attribute. I chose LIGHT and whenever this monster destroys the selected attribute's monster, it's automatically destroyed without Damage Calculation!"

Jason then stood back in fear, 'No, all of my cards are LIGHT! I have to get it off the field now!'

"From the look on his face, Jason's done for," Jaden said as Allyson nodded.

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Solaris concluded as a reversed card was planted near his feet, "Now try your luck again..."

"Oh, I will..." Jason growled as he drew his next card. He then sighed as Jain vanished, "I sacrifice Jain, and summon Celestia, the Lightsworn Angel!"

A light pillar erupted from the ground, bringing the blue-haired angel of the Lightsworns... (5/2300/200)

"And before Celestia's effect activates, my facedown cards activate, Light Spiral," the SOL elite continued as all his facedown cards revealed themselves, depicting a light pillar with a helix surrounding it, "Now, I can send the top four cards of my deck to the graveyard to destroy two of your cards! And it's all because of Celestial being Tribute Summoned with another Lightsworn!"

Now it was Ojin's and Linda's turn to join the gasps as Celestia collected massive quantities of light from the sun above. Taking flight, the Lightsworn Angel shot a blast of light from her scepter at both Disciple and reversed card of Solaris, leaving him without protection.

"Next, when cards from my deck are sent to the graveyard by a Lightsworn, Light Spiral removes the top card from your deck," Jason continued, "Since I have three, you have to send three!"

Solaris calmly as he removed the top three cards of his deck and placed them into holder, under his disk...

"Now suffer the Light's wrath," the Lightsworn duelist announced, "Celestia, attack with Celestial Light!"

Keeping aloft, the Lightsworn Angel fired another light from her wings and hit Solaris dead on, who protected himself with his shield...

Jason: 8000

Solaris: 5700

"Thank you, for dealing damage to me," the Knight smiled.

"Huh?" Everyone said.

"When you activated your angel's effect, you destroyed my facedown card," Solaris pointed out, "And then, by dealing a direct attack while nothing was on my field, you activated that card!"

Everyone saw a spell card slip out of his deck, prompting the knight to raise it up to everyone's sight. It showed a short, slim man in white leather armor, holding up a shining, bronze chalice.

"The Holy Grail," He announced, "When subjected to a direct attack, I can summon two level 4 or below monsters only specific to my deck!"

"And these specific monsters are," Chazz pried.

His answered came in the form of Solaris taking two cards from his deck and placed onto his own field.

"Come to arms, Dagonet, Pellas, my Knights of Camelot," He announced loudly as two flares of light burst onto the field, bringing out two more monsters onto the field.

The first, Dagonet, appeared as a towering, heavily-built white armored knight with purple-trimmed armor, wielding a large kite-shaped shield. Once it stepped into defensive position, everyone saw that the shield could defend his whole body from attacks! (3/100/1800)

The second, Pellas, appeared as a slender knight clad in ornate, flared white armor with crimson trim, wielding a regal, elegant sword in his hand. Fin-like extensions flared out the sides of his helmet. (3/1200/400)

"So he uses the Camelot monsters," Sartorius acknowledged, "If Jason isn't careful, he will lose this duel..."

"Now, I'll introduce Dagonet's effect," Solaris stated, "He gains 100 DEF for every Camelot monster on I control," He informed as the shield of Dagonet sparked with light. (3/100/1800-2000)

"I end my turn with one card facedown," Jason concluded as he set a facedown card out.

"My move," Solaris announced as he drew, "I now sacrifice Pellas to summon Constantine, my third Knight of Camelot!"

Pellas sheathed his sword and bowed as he vanished into tiny motes of light. The motes then gathered into another heavily-built knight wielding a large claymore, his armor adorned with Christian sigils in crimson red. His helmet bears a cross for an eye-slit, and his armor is plain white bar the sigils. (6/2400/1000)

"Wow, this is great," Allyson exclaimed, "These are actually the Knights of Camelot he's summoning!"

"But of course, miss," the knight of Misgarth proclaimed as he kept his eyes on the duel, holding up another spell card, "Finally, I use my spell card Glory Shield and equip it to Constantine! This will prevent your spells and traps from activating until the end of the damage step!"

Jason gasped as a glowing crystal shield appeared on the knight's right arm.

"Now attack Constantine with Kingdom of Heaven," Solaris announced as he looked towards Celestia, bowing in respect,"Forgive this honorable knight for slaying a beautiful angel."

With a battle cry, Constantine's claymore powered up with light and then charged in and unleashed a devastating slash that stripped Celestia of a few feathers before she fell into the light.

Jason: 7900

Solaris: 5700

"Also with Glory Shield, not only I can prevent spells and traps from activating in battle, but I can destroy one after damage has been inflicted, so say farewell to your facedown card," Solaris continued as the shield flashed, shattering Jason's facedown card, "Take your turn."

"You fool," Jason growled as he drew his next card, "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!"

As the grinning green pot emerged, Solaris pointed at it, "Constantine, use Divine Cross!"

The cross on the Knight's helmet glowed red, surrounding the Pot of Greed, turning its greedy grin into a painful frown, before it was destroyed.

"No, what was that," Jason gasped.

"Once per turn, while another Camelot monster fights by Constantine's side, I can negate and destroy a spell or trap card," the Knight of Misgarth explained.

"Man, this guy is too good," Jaden whistled, "I should've dueled him first! I really would've had fun!"

Growling in frustration, the SOL elite slapped a monster card facedown, "I set a monster and end my turn!"

"He's losing it," Sartorius muttered, "It won't be long now..."

"Stay your anger," Solaris stated as he drew, "I equip Shield Attack and equip to Dagonet and switch him to attack mode!"

The giant shield-wielding knight stood up, holding out his shield to the side as his power shifted. (3/100-1800/100)

"Now attack his facedown monster," He announced as Dagonet carried out the command, by rushing to the set monster and smashing it with the shield. The monster appearing was a small, white cat with lightning tassels hanging from its ears before vanishing. (2/100/100)

"When flipped up, Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue activates its effect," Jason announced as a card slipped out of his grave, "I select Jain, Lightsworn Paladin to place back in my deck and then draw 1 card."

He then took the monster card, shuffled his deck with it and then drew another card.

"Constantine, charge through and strike directly," Solaris commanded as the Kingdom of Heaven attack of the Knight, unleashed a mighty slash onto the SOL elite's chest pushing him back...

Jason: 5400

Solaris: 5700

The Glory Shield lit up again and eradicated one of the Light Spiral trap cards.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Solaris concluded.

"It's my move," Jason announced as he drew, "I use the spell card Energy Drain..."

"Constantine, Divine Cross," Solaris shouted as the spell card image exploded into light when Constantine's cross blasted it.

"Since that's over, I activate Monster Reborn to revive Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon," the Lightsworn duelist grinned as his white scaled, angel-winged dragon appeared in the sky, roaring at the knight. (6/2000/1700) "And with three Lighsworn monsters in the graveyard, I can boost the ATK and DEF of Gragonith by 900!"

A white aura surrounded the dragon, boosting its power. (6/2000-2900/1700-2600)

"That was good move," Allyson stated, "He chose a card to give away, and then capitalized on the opportunity to summon monster to overpower Constantine."

"Attack Constantine with Nova Purge," Jason announced as his dragon blasted white flames from its mouth, "Get it out of my sight...

"Go, Card Shield," Solaris announced as his facedown card revealed itself, depicting a sapphire shield with Duel Monster cards inside them, "This will prevent my monster from being destroyed and then discard one card. Plus, Dagonet will take the blow. Since you're so worried about winning, be thankful for the additional damage!" Seeing the flames, Dagonet thought fast and jumped in front of his fellow knight and used his shield to block the flames as Constantine nodded his thanks.

Jason: 5400

Solaris: 4600

"I end my turn," Jason growled, "And Gragonith forces me to put three cards into my graveyard from my deck," He stated as he sent Glorious Illusion, Ehren, Lightsworn Monk and Jenis, Lightsworn Mender into his graveyard, boosting Gragonith's power. (6/2900-3500/2600-3200)

"I have some work to carry out," Solaris said to himself as he drew, "I activate my Pot of Greed."

The grinning pot appeared as the Knight drew two cards.

"Next, I set two cards facedown and end my turn," He concluded.

"That's all huh," Jason stated as he drew. He then grinned, "Your fate is sealed! Judgment Dragon, arise!"

Everyone gasped as a powerful light erupted from the card in question and then created a portal, for the dragon to descend onto the field. (8/3000/2600)

"He has that monster," Chazz gasped, 'No wonder Master Sartorius holds him in high regard!'

'Worried aren't you Jason,' Sartorius smirked, 'Someone holds more power than you, and so you bring out your ultimate creature...'

Everyone was speechless for words as the dragon surveyed its battle, ready to strike.

"First things first," Jason grinned as he knew he was gaining respect, "I activate the Dragon's special ability, destroying everything on the field! And it costs is 1000 life points!"

A red aura surrounded the Lightsworn duelist as he grinned...

Jason: 4400

Solaris: 4600

"Eradicate everything!"

At Jason's command, the dragon stomped it forelegs down and poured a golden light onto the ground that quickly spread itself on the entire playing field.

"Aw man, what's going on," Jaden said as he saw the light near his and Allyson's feet.

Jason then looked at the Slifer and shouted, "You see Jaden; this is the power of the Light! The same power that will soon claim you and this world... and will soon..."

"I activate Camelot's Oath!"

"WHAT!?"

As the light erupted into around the playing field, Dagonet rushed into it and the sounds of roars and metal clanks were heard. It was the sounds of battle going inside the light, fitting for the age old war between a dragon and a knight.

When the light faded away, everyone found that neither one of them survived! Everyone was at a loss of words, yet Solaris kept his same triumphant look while Constantine bowed in respect for his fallen soldier.

"With Camelot's Oath, if I control at least 2 Camelot monsters, I can negate the destruction of such effects and destroy the cause, by sacrificing one of my knights," Solaris stated as he broke the slience, "Sorry, but you wasted your efforts..."

Jason said nothing as he stared wide eyed.

"I'll take your silence as the end of your turn," the Camelot duelist stated as he drew his card. "I'll end this with my facedown card, Call of the Haunted to revive my Disciple!"

As the trap card revealed itself, the tattered armored warrior appeared, sword drawn. (4/1700/1000)

"Next, I summon another Disciple to the field and choose LIGHT for its effect!"

Another warrior, identical to the revived warrior appeared and drew his swords as well. (4/1700/1000)

"Finally, I activate Excalibur, Sword of Camelot, granting Constantine 300 ATK," He continued as his knight's claymore was replaced a large, noble-looking silver sword trimmed in white. (6/2400-2700/1000)

Jason still didn't make a move...

"Strike now!"

At the Knight's command, three soldiers charged at the still SOL elite, who didn't pay any mind as the swords destroyed his dragon and then passed him by, whittling away his life points...

Jason: 0

Solaris: 4600, Winner

Jason stood there in shock as the holograms disappeared... he was beaten... his ultimate monster was beaten... and it was stopped so suddenly and easily.

"Wow, Solaris won," Jaden cheered, "These Pro Duelists are something else!"

"Yeah, but Jason's taking it hard," Allyson pointed out, "Felt like he never lost of a duel until now..."

Solaris turned off his duel disk, smiling at his victory, "Do not worry about your medal, I won't take it away from someone who has a lot to learn."

The Lightsworn duelist growled as the knight turned around and walked over to his prince and entourage.

Suddenly, Sartorius walked up to his right-hand man and placed his hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze, "You can stand down now, Jason. I shall be dueling against the Prince."

Jason walked up and stood next to Chazz, who was giving him a big grin.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Chazz smirked, "Now that he's seen how weak you are, your failure will be my opportunity to shine..."

"Don't bet on it," Jason replied crossly.

"Excellent job, Solaris," Ojin said as his knight walked up to him.

"Yes, congratulations," Linda added.

"Thank you both," the Camelot duelist replied and bowed, "I just need to find a worthier opponent next time."

The Prince of Misgarth nodded and then called out to the SOL group, "Alright, I got what I wanted from seeing my prized duelist winning against your mediocre one," Ojin smirked as the Arcana Force duelist turned around to face him, "Now you that you've seen the power of Misgarth's dueling, I'll give you one chance to back down."

"I plan to see this through," Sartorius replied with a smirk of his own, "But thank you for the kind offer..."

"WAIT!"

Everyone turned away from the starting duel, when Bastion showed up on top of the helipad.

"Challenge me, Master," He shouted.

"Will you shut up, already," Chazz shouted back, "Master Sartorius is in the middle of more important duels!"

"But, look at all the medallions I've won," the intellectual duelist said as he held up three GX medallions, "He has to be impressed!"

"Anyone can win duels against slackers we've left behind," the SOL elite stated, "But if you like, you can duel Jason... you can humiliate him more than he is already!"

The Lightsworn duelist gave a venomous stare to his cohort, "Keep talking and I'll destroy you later..."

"Oh..." Chazz said, giving out a mock gasp, "I'll just wait until I see a real duelist come around, other than you or Bastion!"

"Silence, the both of you," Sartorius shouted to his underlings.

Bastion sighed as he took his place near his fellow Society members, "I just want to be noticed..."

"Excuse me," Ojin interrupted, "Can we get on with this?"

"My apologies," the SOL leader bowed, "Let's begin..."

"Well, I didn't come here to take your medal, so let's play for your Destiny Heroes instead," the Prince offered.

"As you wish," Sartorius agreed, "And what will you be wagering? How about that satellite I've been hearing so much about..."

"Why would he want that," Jaden wondered.

"There are a lot of things a satellite can be used for," Allyson replied, "If Sartorius wants it then it can't be good..."

"He can't lose..." Chazz smirked.

"Also," Sartorius continued, "I've already predicted the outcome of this duel: it will end before my first turn..."

Ojin smirked, "That's fine, because I have the cards to make sure of it!"

Ojin: 8000

Sartorius: 8000

"I'll make the first move, since you predicted your outcome," Ojin stated as he drew, "I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot and Pot of Greed! While you draw three cards, I'll draw five!"

Everyone watched as both players drew out more cards, bringing Sartorius to eight and Ojin to ten respectively...

"Next, I activate Cost Down," The prince continued as he sent his Rivalry of Warlords into his discard slot, "I discard one of the cards in my hand and it downgrades all of the monsters' levels in my hand by 2. So it's easier to summon my Satellite Cannon!"

The card image appeared on the field, depicting a large sliver satellite with solar panels opened up and a laser weapon at the bottom of it, aiming a point on planet Earth...

...In fact, out in space, orbiting the Earth, that same satellite emerged, pointing its laser where the duel was located. (5-3/0/0)

"This satellite grants me great power, much like my real one," Ojin rejoiced, "Once I unleash its power, I will be the most powerful Monarch in the world! For the Satellite I posses has enough power to wipe all life on the planet!"

Everyone gasped except for the representatives of Misgarth, as Linda held the suitcase containing the control and was handcuffed to her wrist.

"Very dramatic," Sartorius stated, "I can't wait until it's in my control..."

"He owns a real Satellite, just like that Satellite Cannon card," Jaden wondered, "I guess he's that kind of fanatic about them."

"Not only that, but it's nearly impossible to defeat," Solaris stated, "The fact that you can't see it is because only a level 8 or higher monster can go up in space and reach it. The rest can only go as far as near the atmosphere and attack from there."

"I guess Sartorius really has his work cut out for him, even if he claims to win on this turn," Allyson added, "In fact, I hope Ojin wins after what we've heard about that satellite's function."

"Now, I activate two copies of the Charge Spell card," Ojin stated, holding up two cards, showing a Satellite Cannon charging up its laser, "Each of them increases Satellite Cannons ATK by 2000 automatically!"

Out in space, the liquid inside the laser started to churn and spin, as the satellite part absorbed some sunlight into its panels (3/0-4000/0)

"Then, I'll use Mischief of the Time Goddess and chain it with Limiter Removal! This will double the ATK of my machine monsters, and since my end phase will be skipped over to the battle phase, it'll never be destroyed."

The circuits inside the satellite started to overload as it started to smoke and turn red a little... (3/4000-8000/0)

"His turn was skipped," Chazz gasped, "Master Sartorius is in trouble!"

"Looks like it's time to end this without your turn," Ojin smirked, "Satellite Cannon, fire!"

Jason gasped, "But Master Sartorius..."

From space, the cannon's laser fired after so much preparation and circuit running. The blast headed straight for Duel Academy...

...Where a white laser blast headed straight for the Arcana Force Duelist, putting fear into Chazz and Jason, looks of awe on Jaden and Allyson, and triumphant and proud looks on Linda and Solaris.

"I discard Arcana Force XIV - Temperance to negate your damage," Sartorius announced as he discarded his desired monster. A transparent version a grey, feminine, alien-like monster wearing a grey and yellow striped dress appeared and held out her long arms to create a barrier, blocking the laser strike and faded away.

"Aw man, he blocked it," Allyson muttered, "And because of Satellite Cannon's effect it goes right down to 0."

As per the Obelisk's girl words, the Satellite Cannon powered down... (3/8000-0/0)

"Looks like I won't be losing this match any time soon," Sartorius smirked.

"Think again," Ojin shouted as he held up another two cards, "I activate Quick Summon to summon to Satellite Station!"

... Rising behind the cannon, a large station appeared with eight solar panels on the sides. (6/0/0)

"Pay no attention to its high-level, if I have a monster with Satellite in its name already on the field, it's counted as a normal summon," The prince stated, "And once summoned, I can restore the ATK of a Satellite Cannon that's already attacked back to the score it had before it dropped to 0," the Prince laughed. 'All I have to do is use Sneak Attack and then I win!'

The station shot out a black cable, hooking up to the cannon and recharged its power back to the high stats... (3/0-8000/0)

Sartorius then chuckled as he held up a spell card, depicting a blonde, angelic woman standing behind a dark spirit with red eyes and mouth, "By Normal Summoning a monster, you activated Intervention of Fate's effect! By discarding this, I can activate another spell in my hand."

"What's he planning this time," Jaden wondered as the SOL leader discarded his spell and held up another.

"And this is still your turn, as I use Ace of Sword," Sartorius said as the card image of a large blade appeared as it rotated, "This is your last chance for redemption: "If right side up, I choose one monster you control and you take damage equal to that monster's ATK! But upside down, I'll take damage from a monster I control."

"Alright, stop," Ojin said quickly.

The cards stopped slowly, until it landed right-side up!

Sartorius laughed, "I choose Satellite Cannon! And since it has 8000 ATK, you lose!"

Ojin gasped as another white blast fired from deep space, and then blanketed his entire field, sending him to his knees...

Ojin: 0

Sartorius: 8000, Winner

"Sartorius won... in just one turn..." Jaden gasped.

"Technically, he never had turn," Bastion stated as he stood next to the Slifer and Obelisk, "All of his moves were on Ojin's turns, so you can say he performed the impossible, made possible Zero Turn Kill!"

Sartorius walked up to the fallen duelist, "My prize, if you please..."

Ojin stood up and sighed, "Fine, a deal's a deal..."

He then proceeded to take the suitcase away from his advisor, who struggled against him, "My prince, you can't do this! That satellite's too dangerous!"

"Linda's right, Your Majesty," Solaris added, "You do this, who knows what he'll do with it!"

"Stop it, both of you," Ojin barked as he unlocked the suitcase away from Linda, "I made a deal and I'm a man of my word!"

Both stepped back as their prince handed over the suitcase, "The Satellite's controls..."

Once Sartorius accepted it, he gave off a vindictive grin while Allyson and Jaden stared helplessly at the transaction...

Unknown to any of them, another figure was watching...

"A satellite capable of destroying all life on this planet," Kenji said as he started at the image Allyson was staring, "We can't have that, can we? How else will I cement my own legacy, when I become the new master of the Society of Light and spread a little darkness within...?"

Rampage Fight

Continuous Trap Card

Image: The Scapegoats charging in anger

Attack Position Token Monsters 1000 ATK, and cannot be destroyed by battle.

(This card is only released in the OCG version of the game, for now...)

Life Force

Continuous Trap Card

Image: A heart shaped case inside a glass case.

You can pay 400 Life Points to negate all Battle Damage you would receive from a battle.

(Used by Syrus Truesdale in the GX episode Tough Love, all creative rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Glory Shield

Equip Spell Card

Image: A crystalline shield.

If the equipped monster attacks, your opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. If the equipped monster inflicts damage to your opponent, you can destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field.

(Glory Shield was first used by Gill Randsborg in Episode 16 of 5D's. Creative credit goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Dagonet, Knight of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Effect /Level 3/ATK: 100/DEF: 1800

When this card is Normal Summoned, you can change it into face-up defense position. When another 'Camelot' monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can change the attack target to this card. This card gains 100 DEF for each 'Camelot' monster you control.

Pelleas, Knight of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Effect /Level 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 400

Once per turn, you can Tribute 1 other 'Camelot' monster you control to destroy 1 card your opponent controls.

Constantine, Knight of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Effect /Level 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1000

Once per turn, while you control another 'Camelot' monster, you can negate the effect of an opponent's Spell or a Trap Card and destroy it. This effect can be activated during either player's turn.

The Holy Grail

Normal Spell Card

Image: A bronze Chalice shining in the hands of Galahad.

When you take damage from a direct attack, while you control no cards, remove this card from your graveyard and summon 2 Level 4 or below 'Camelot' monsters from your deck.

Inspiration: Galahad was destined to recieve the Holy Grail in myths.

Excalibur, Sword of Camelot

Equip Spell Card

Image: A large, noble-looking silver sword trimmed in white.

Equip only to a 'Camelot' monster. The equipped monster gains 400 ATK. When the equipped monster attacks, you can negate the effect of 1 Spell or Trap Card activated in response to that attack and destroy it. If the equipped monster is 'King Arthur, Lord of Camelot', destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls instead.

Camelot's Oath

Counter Trap Card

Image: Bors and Tristan standing firm together even as blasts of energy shoot towards them from several Allies of Justice.

Activate only when a 'Camelot' monster(s) you control would be destroyed while you control 2 or more 'Camelot' monsters. Tribute 1 'Camelot' monster you control to negate the destruction of those cards, and destroy the card which would have destroyed them.

(The Camelot Archetype is property of Digidramon and all creative ideas go to him. I only own the creation of the The Holy Grail Spell Card)

Charge

Normal Spell Card

Image: A white light flashing above planet Earth, filling a Satellite Cannon with power.

All face-up "Satellite Cannons" you control gain 2000 ATK.

(Used by Prince Ojin in the GX episode Generation NeXt, all rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Satellite Station

LIGHT

Machine/Effect

Level 6

This card cannot be destroyed by battle with a Level 8 or lower monster. During each of your End Phases, this card gains 1000 DEF. If this card is attacked by an opponent's monster, its DEF is becomes 0, after damage calculation. When you control a face-up monster with "Satellite" in its name, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributes. When this card is Normal Summoned, you can return the ATK of a "Satellite" monster that has attacked this turn back to its previous score.

(This card is my own, and all creative rights go to me.)

Sneak Attack (Mentioned, Not Played)

Normal Spell

Image: A soldier dropping from the darkness on an unsuspecting man.

Select 1 monster you control. During this turn, you can declare an attack with the selected monster outside of the Battle Phase.

(Used by Seika Kohinata in the GX manga, all rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Intervention of Fate

Normal Spell

Image: A man in a brown suit and green haired woman in a red dress stand back-to-back, not noticing a black, vindictive spirit approaching them.

When your opponent Normal Summons a monster, you can discard this card to activate 1 Spell Card from your hand.

(Used by Sartorius in the GX episode Generation NeXt, all rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Next Time: Three monsters of legend suddenly appear at the tournament. What will happen when our heroes face them?

Please Review! Later!


	50. Descent of the Sky Dragon

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 50: The Descent of the Sky Dragon

* * *

The Next Day...

The second day into the GX tournament, people were still dueling their hearts out, yet none of the pros showed up yet. The only duelists out were still the students and the Society of Light members...

Trekking through the forests, Claudio and Alexis were searching high and low for Kenji after hearing from Allyson the previous day...

"Alright," Claudio said, frustrated in his search for his friend, "Maybe I hate for Kenji being a ninja; you can never find the guy when you want to."

"Still we have to keep looking," Alexis added, "I just hope Allyson was wrong about Kenji's outlook."

"And even if he was, we'd still have to duel him," the J-Hero duelist replied, "Plus, to keep at the search, we gotta stay in this tournament. Good luck for me..."

"What makes you say that," the Obelisk girl wondered, "You'd probably go far in this tournament."

"If most of the student body didn't avoid me like the plague, despite getting my duel yesterday," Claudio grumbled, "I'm glad I'm a tough opponent, but if I don't accept a duel in a day, I'll be kicked out. Melody's got her duel in, after she posted me on her pilot. Even you got in a duel and won..."

"Yeah, I won mine when I went over to the docks," Alexis stated holding up her two medals, "Maybe you should find yourself an opponent before we go back to searching..."

Suddenly, the sky suddenly got darker...

"Wait a second, what happened to the sun," She wondered.

"Yeah, it's like 2 o' clock," Claudio added, "And no chance of clouds..."

"Boss," Mangus said as he appeared in spirit, "You may want to look up over there..."

The J-Hero duelist looked over to where his spirit was pointing and saw a pillar of fire rise. "Alexis... check it..."

The Cyber Girl duelist turned and saw the same thing her friend saw...

"What is that," She asked, "A duel?"

"One that intense," Claudio asked back, "No way..."

Both gasped as they saw two golden wings emerge from the flames and a red glare peering out...

* * *

Walking back to the Slifer Dorm, Jaden and Allyson were talking amongst each other...

"Aw man," Jaden sulked, "Why's everyone avoiding me? I stopped looking for the Pros hours ago, and I can't find a match!"

"Maybe they want to keep their medals," Allyson giggled, "You are one of the best duelists on the island."

"But still, I heard Syrus and Hassleberry won some medals of their own," the Slifer stated, "I just wanna stay in this tournament!"

Suddenly, the skies darkened as clouds covered a far part of the island.

"What's with the clouds," Jaden wondered, "There's not a rainy day this week..."

"Coo..." Winged Kuriboh said as it pointed to a specific part in the clouds.

A massive, serpentine shadow formed inside the clouds and red eyes peered from it...

* * *

Near the forest around the white dorm, a blue shadow of a demon loomed over it and growled...

And on top of the white dorm's roof, Kenji watched it happen with an evil grin...

 _'My destiny...'_ He thought as he jumped down from the roofs...

* * *

Later that day, Jaden, Allyson, Claudio and Alexis ran inside the Chancellor's office, preparing to tell him the sights they saw... But they were stopped when they saw two men talking with Sheppard before they turned around. The first, a tall man with platinum hair that reached a little past his shoulders and covering the left side of his face. He dressed in a red, three-piece suit with a white shirt underneath. The second, another black-haired man, yet a little shorter and wider with a face like a koala's, dressed in a black, three-piece black suit with a white shirt underneath.

"Is that... Chumely," Jaden wondered.

"Hey, it is," Claudio smiled.

"Hey Chumley," Alexis greeted.

The man now identified as Chumely gave off a smile of his own.

"Jaden, Claudio, Alexis," Chumley greeted as he picked all three of them for a group hug, "Haven't seen you guys in months!"

"Yeah... but you're crushing us..." the Slifer gasped out.

"So, this is Chumley," Allyson stated as the large man released the three students, "Nice to meet you, I'm Allyson."

"Nice to meet you too," the card designer replied.

Watching the exchange, Pegasus had to wonder as he turned to Chancellor Sheppard, "Who do we have here?"

"Some old classmates of Chumley's," Sheppard smiled, "This Alexis Rhodes, Claudio Osbourne and Jaden Yuki. Everyone, meet the President of Industrial Illusions, Mr. Maximillon Pegasus!"

"Ah," the Duel Monsters creator smiled as he walked up to the students and shook Jaden's hand, "I've heard a lot of good things about you," He then shook Claudio's hand, "And you're the boy who won the first Archetype creation contest. How are those cards treating you?"

"Fine," Claudio replied, "Fits me perfectly!"

"But may I ask why you are here, sir," Alexis wondered.

Suddenly, Pegasus, Chumely and Sheppard had their expression changed to sadness...

"Well..."

* * *

Minutes later...

"Somebody stole the Egyptian Gods!"

"Yes," Pegasus replied, "But these are copies we held for experimental purposes... the originals were destroyed 10 years ago, after Yugi-Boy's trip to Egypt."

"And now, three of the chief designers stole them," Chumely stated, "They're supposed to be here."

"Really," Allyson asked.

"We have reports of several God related incidents from some of the competitors of the tournament," Sheppard stated as he looked out his window, "All of them claimed to be struck down by the same cards themselves."

The students gasped.

"Alexis and I just saw Ra outside," Claudio stated.

"The same for me and Allyson seeing Slifer," Jaden added.

Sheppard took the intercom microphone and transmitted his voice across the island.

 _ **"Attention all GX Tournament participants; the tournament is temporarily suspended until further notice. If you're in the middle of a duel, end it in a draw... you will not be counted as eliminated from the competition..."**_

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, everyone was ecstatic to see Chumley again. And Chumely was equally ecstatic to see the new face and interior of the dorm. Everyone decided to trade stories and make grilled cheeses...

"You guys had to defend the dorm," the former Slifer asked.

"And it wasn't no picnic, partner," Jethro stated, "But thanks to our new headmaster, Professor Sojourner and Crowler..."

"Crowler," Chumely asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Long story," Alexis muttered, "But we managed to get this place looking new and better than ever!"

"Nice," the koala looking man replied.

"Well, since we're stuck here, you want to duel," Syrus asked.

"Yeah," Alex added, "We haven't seen you duel since you tied with Mrs. Crowler. Have you gotten better?"

"Wanna see," Chumely grinned.

"Actually..."

Everyone turned to see Jaden and Claudio rubbing the backs of their heads...

"Let me guess," Melody stated, "You guys wanna look for the Egyptian Gods?"

"You know it," Jaden stated.

"In fact, Jaden and I decided to take on our respective Gods," Claudio added, "Jaden against Slifer, me against Ra!"

"Well, then you'll need these..., cards I designed myself."

Chumely then pulled out two cards for Jaden and one card for Claudio. Looking them over, the Slifer and Ra duelists smiled.

"Thanks, Chumley," they said.

"Oh no, we're going with you," Melody said as she, Alexis, Hassleberry, Syrus and Allyson stood up, "I'm not getting left out of the loop!"

"I wasn't expecting you too," Claudio said with a wry smile, "After what happened last time, you'd kill me if I did this time!"

"You know, I'll stay here," Alex said, "Just record the duel on the Duel Pilots and send them to me."

"And me as well," Jethro added.

"And I'll hang back here," Chumely stated, "Since these guys want me to duel them, I'll give them what they want! I'll just send you the ID of the three guys holding the cards."

"Cool, just record that duel," Jaden stated, "I don't wanna miss the chance of seeing you throw down!"

* * *

Later, Jaden, Syrus, Hassleberry and Allyson walked through the forest.

"Where did you see this monster, Sarge," Hassleberry asked.

"It was around here somewhere," Jaden replied.

"Yeah, there would probably be some disturbed part of the trees," Allyson stated.

"Um, isn't it a little dangerous to be searching for one of the most powerful monster in the game," Syrus protested, "This might get ugly..."

"Chill out, little man," The Dino duelist interrupted, "If that Egyptian God crosses us, we'll just gang up on it."

"I'd like to see you try!"

Everyone gasped as a man walked out from behind a tree. A white-haired man with a chubby build appeared, wearing a tan dress shirt and blue pants with suspenders holding them up. His brown eyes carried a sense of mischief and greed in them.

"That's one of the guys Chumely talked about," Syrus pointed out, "Hanz!"

"So..." the man spoke up in a thick, German accent, "Herr Chumely and Herr Pegasus know we're here... and I'll have Slifer shut you all up."

"How about you return that card instead," Jaden demanded.

Hanz chuckled as he activated his duel disk, pre-shuffled deck inside, "If the best they can do is send little boys and girls after me, I guess I must be quite fearsome..."

"When you steal cards, and make counterfeits, it just makes you a criminal," the Slifer stated as he activated his duel disk as well.

"GAME ON!"

Both Players drew five cards.

Jaden: 8000

Hanz: 8000

"I'll let you have the first move," Hanz offered, "I already have a head start with an Egyptian God in my deck..."

"Thanks for the offer," Jaden said as he drew his sixth card, "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!"

In veil of water, the blue armored and caped E-Hero appeared. (4/800/1200)

"When he's alone, I draw two cards from my deck," the Slifer continued as he drew out his two cards, "Alright, I get activate one of Chumely's new cards, Charge Fusion!"

Hanz growled as Jaden inserted a spell card, depicting a large, metal-armored beast placing energy inside a duelist's three card hand, 'With his cards, Herr Huffington still mocks me...'

The Slifer then held up two more monster cards in his hand, "Pay attention as I fuse Bubbleman on the field, with Sparkman and Avian inside my hand to form Elemental Hero Tempest!"

Bubbleman vanished into a blue light as Sparkman appeared, vanishing into a gold light, and Avian was made into a green light. All three colors combined and formed a green-haired man wearing blue armor, a glass visor over his eyes, and green wings with white metallic feathers, with his right arm, carrying a sliver laser blaster. (8/2800/2800)

"Next, I summon Elemental Hero Ocean in defense mode," the E-Hero duelist continued as the fish-looking E-Hero appeared, defending with his trident staff. (4/1500/1200) "Finally, I'll place two cards facedown and send one of them to the graveyard, to activate Tempest's effect: I can choose one monster on my field and make it so it can't be destroyed in battle! I choose Ocean!"

As two reversed cards appeared behind the E-Heroes, one of the turned into a green spirit that merged itself with Ocean...

"Your move now," Jaden concluded.

"Ah, you're trying to created defenses for my God," Hanz smirked as he drew his sixth card, "I activate Pot of Greed!"

The grinning green pot appeared, as the card designer drew two cards.

"Now child, I set three cards facedown, and summon Beast King Barbaros," Hanz announced as three reversed cards appeared at his feet, and bringing out a beast warrior with a four-legged body, half on the bottom was a panther's body, the mid-section being a man's torso with arms carrying a lance and a blue shield. Finally, a lion's head topped it off, flanked by a sharp color around its neck. (8/3000/1200)

"A level 8 monster without a sacrifice," the Slifer protested.

"Since he summoned him without tributes, Barabaros now has 1900 ATK," Allyson stated as the chimera monster growled... (8/3000-1900/1200)

"And since there is sense in attacking a monster that cannot be destroyed, I end my turn," Hanz concluded.

"That's a letdown," Jaden said as he drew, "Now get this; Ocean can bring back an Elemental Hero back from my graveyard and into my hand, during my standby phase. And I choose Sparkman," He said as his desired monster slipped out of the graveyard, "Next, I summon him!"

The blue and gold armored, electric hero appeared and struck a pose. (4/1600/1400)

"A triple attack," the rogue designer gasped.

"Exactly," Jaden smirked as he switched Ocean into attack mode, "Now, Tempest lead the attack with Glider Strike! Destroy his Beast King Barbaros!"

Raising his right hand, Tempest fired a light green laser blast at the Beast King, vaporizing it from the field.

Jaden: 8000

Hanz: 7100

"Thank you, my dear boy," the rogue designer grinned as his facedown cards, "You set off my trap cards, Level Resist Wall and Card of Last Will!"

Along with the familiar trap card showing a hand in a burial plot with five cards inside, the second trap card depicted a fallen monster with five black stars over it, connected to two smaller monsters with three stars and two stars over them.

"First, Card of Last Will lets me draw five cards because a monster of mine was destroyed," Hanz said, as he drew five cards, bringing his hand to eight, "And then, Level Resist Wall summons monsters from my hand all adding up to the level of the one just destroyed! Meaning I summon up to 8 stars worth of monsters!"

In four flashes of light, Spirit Reaper appeared and blocked with his scythe (3/300/200), a giant, disease-ridden ball known as Giant Germ (2/1000/100), a flying squirrel with a white, kite-like body named Nimble Momonga (2/1000/100), and a clown wearing a purple hat and cape, along with green jumpsuit carrying a hand mirror in front its face, known as Copycat (1/0/0) all appeared.

"Whoa, four monsters," Hassleberry gasped.

"Not only that, but when Copycat is summoned, I can have it copy the original ATK and DEF of a monster," Hanz added, "Herr Jaden's Hero Tempest!"

The clown then reflected his mirror at the flying hero, copying his power. (1/0-2800/0-2800)

"It still won't stop me," Jaden shouted, "Now Ocean attacks Nimble Momonga with Big Wave Crash!"

The blue hero leapt into action, striking the ground with his trident to create tidal wave that crashed into the flat squirrel, washing it away...

Jaden: 8000

Hanz: 6700

"Grave error, my boy," Hanz grinned as a white sparkle surrounded him, "When you destroy a Nimble Momonga, I gain 1000 life points and then I get to summon two more Momongas, face down on the field!"

Two more set monsters appeared in front of the God holder as his lifer points increased...

Jaden: 8000

Hanz: 7700

"Alright, we'll leave them alone as Sparkman attacks Giant Germ with Static Shockwave," Jaden announced as the electric hero fired a gold, lightning bolt at the germ, exploding on impact.

Jaden: 8000

Hanz: 7100

"For destroying Giant Germ, I can deal 500 points of damage to you and summon another one to take its place," Hanz countered, "I still have all of my monsters, dear boy..."

A red aura surrounded Jaden, draining his life points as another Giant Germ appeared in the first one's place. (2/1000/100)

Jaden: 7500

Hanz: 7100

"This isn't good," Syrus stated, "If that guy has Slifer in his hand, he'll start going after Jaden's points!"

"Come on, Sarge," Hassleberry encouraged, "Get yourself outta this!"

"I will, as I activate my facedown card, Spark Blaster," Jaden announced as he revealed his facedown card. Soon, a red blaster with blue cables attached appeared in Sparkman's right hand, hooking itself to the wrist, "I have three shots to change the battle mode of any monster, but I'll only use two, on Ocean and Sparkman himself!"

On cue, Sparkman fired a blast at Ocean, forcing him to kneel with his trident. Then, he fired the blaster at his feet, pulling himself to his knees for defense mode...

"Finally, I'll sacrifice Spark Blaster to save Tempest from being destroyed in battle," Jaden concluded as the Spark Blaster erupted into a green spirit, fusing itself into Tempest, "That's my turn."

"Now I see what Jaden's doing," Allyson figured out, "With Tempest's effect, he's creating a wall to withstand Slifer's attacks."

"Smart thinking," Syrus praised, "Let's hope it'll be enough."

"I'll be the judge of that," Hanz dictated as he drew his next card. He grinned as the skies grew darker, clouds above circling the playing field, "Finally, it's time to show you my vast power! First, I play the Field Spell Herr Pegasus spurned from me and my two cohorts, Mound of the Bound Creator!"

The field spell slot opened, letting the card designer place it inside. Once inside, three stone pillars surrounded Jaden and Hanz, each having chains hooked up to the top...

"Then, it's time," Hanz shouted as he held up a red framed card to the sky, I sacrifice Giant Germ and my two Nimble Momongas..."

(Play the Egyptian Gods Theme from Yu-Gi-Oh! Unreleased Scores)

A lightning bolt crashed from the ominous clouds, destroying the germ and the two facedown monsters as everyone else braced for impact.

"... This allows me to summon the Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

Suddenly, a large red, serpentine like body with a black underbelly slowly descended from the clouds, already raising the tension of Jaden and the spectators. Somewhere along the body, the hind feet with sharp black claws could be well as the front ones. Then, that's when they saw it… the head of Silfer, a large, doubled-mouth visage with teeth poking out of both, yellow eyes staring down at the ground and a blue jewel on the very top of the head. Once its sight set on Jaden, it gave off a thunderous roar that summoned thunderbolts from the cloud it came from. (10/X000/X000)

"Slifer the Sky Dragon..." Jaden gasped, "That's him..."

Taking in everyone's fear and silence, Hanz continued, "Now, for those who haven't read up on this, I'll show you how Slifer works," He then held up his three-card hand, "The number of cards in my hand times 1000 is how much Slifer gains in attack and defense points. Since I have three in hand, Slifer now amasses 3000 points!"

More thunderbolts rained down as Slifer's power was set... (10/X000-3000/X000-3000)

"Yeah, but the class told use that people with ties to Ancient Egypt could only control the Gods," Syrus shouted to his friend's opponent, "How are you going to do that? You don't have any background!"

"That's easy, child," Hanz stated as he waved his arms around the field, "It's what this Field Spell was created for! Mound of Bound Creator, created by myself, Franz and Gunter! This field spell allows me to control the Egyptian God as its level is at least 10!"

"What does that mean," Syrus whined.

"This!"

On Hanz's command, the chains around the stone pillars snapped around Slifer's neck and hands. The Sky Dragon tried to break free from the hold, but it received a massive shock for its trouble.

"Hey," Jaden shouted, "You're hurting him!"

"That's how he's controlling him," Allyson added, "He's just going to torture him!"

"Now then, I use the trap card Final Attack Orders to keep every face-up monster in attack mode," Hanz said as he ignored the outbursts and revealed his facedown card, a trap depicting two soldier armies rushing at each other to do battle, "Time for your monsters to rise up and be sacrificed to my God!"

Everyone gasped as Ocean and Sparkman stood up and got into a battle stance, preparing to go down fighting...

"Now my servant, attack Elemental Hero Sparkman with your Thunder Force attack!"

Another shock ran through the chains, forcing Slifer to open its larger mouth, gathering massive quantities of electricity. Once done, the Egyptian God unleashed its attack towards Jaden's field and blasted the ground, catching Sparkman in the crossfire. Jaden covered himself as best he could when the bolts passed him by...

Jaden: 6400

Hanz: 7100

"And because of my field spell, you lose an additional 400 points of damage whenever a level 10 or higher monster destroys a monster in battle," Hanz grinned as a red aura surrounded his opponent.

Jaden: 6000

Hanz: 7100

"But that's not all... Copycat will attack Ocean with Glider Strike!"

Jaden gasped as the clown removed the mirror from his face... only to discover the Gilder Strike attack coming from a void, covering the fish-like hero in its blast. The E-Hero survived, but the remaining damage went onto Jaden as he blocked with his duel disk.

Jaden: 4700

Hanz: 7100

"Whoa Jaden's life points nearly hit the halfway mark," Hassleberry gasped.

"And with Final Attack Orders, he'll keep this up," Syrus added, "With all of Jaden's monsters in defense mode, he won't stand a chance."

"I know he will," Allyson stated, "He's not going to let someone abusing a God card beat him."

"Next, I place three cards facedown and end my turn," Hanz smirked as he placed the rest of his hand inside the spell and trap card slots, draining Slifer of his power... (10/3000-0/3000-0)

"I'm guessing those cards of yours lets you draw cards," Jaden said with a smirk back as he drew his next card, "Well here's my move! First, Ocean brings back Bubbleman to my hand with his ability!"

Bubbleman slid out of Jaden's graveyard, letting him retrieve it.

"Then, since it's been two turns since I last played Charge Fusion, I can bring it back to my hand as well," He continued as he collected his new fusion card from his hand as well.

"Wow, Chumely created a fusion card that comes back," Syrus wondered, "That totally changes how Jaden can perform his fusions!"

"Sure can," Hassleberry and Allyson cheered.

"Alright, I activate Greed Pact to let use both draw one card," Hanz shouted as he revealed a trap card, showing the Pot of Greed, but with two has grabbing a card from inside. As both players drew a card, Slifer started to show signs of a rising power. (10/0-1000/0-1000) "And now that you have 6 cards in your hand, while I have only one, I can activate my second trap card, Gamble!"

"He's going to risk it on a coin toss," the dino duelist wondered.

"Well, Jaden figured out he had drawing tools, so he pretty much lost the element of surprise," the Spirit duelist replied.

"Yeah, but if calls it wrong, his next turn's skipped," the vehicroid duelist added, "Let's hope it comes to that, because if Hanz calls it right, he gets five cards!"

The rogue designer fished out a sliver dollar from his pocked and held it ready, "I pick Tails!"

Once flicked into the air to highest it could go, it fell...

The coin fell onto Hanz's right hand...

He quickly covered it with his left, to stop it from falling...

The spectators watched as he slowly removed his left hand to reveal...

"Talis," Hanz rejoiced, "I can draw five cards!"

Everyone groaned in despair as Slifer's power rose to high amounts... (10/1000-6000/1000-6000)

"Plan B," Jaden stated, holding up Charge Fusion again, "I use Charge Fusion to fuse Bubbleman with Necroshade to form Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!"

The water based hero appeared along with the hero with blood-red flesh, huge shoulders, and bone armor covering a little bit of its body, fused inside the vortex and brought out the ice white hero, cape billowing in the wind. (8/2500/2000)

Hanz laughed, "By summoning a new monster, you activated its second ability, observe!"

Jaden gasped as Slifer closed his giant mouth and opened its small mouth, which soon began collecting white mist...

"Slifer's about to unleash its Second Mouth attack, draining 2000 points from your monster!"

On cue, the Sky Dragon unleashed the mist attack on new hero, who braced himself from the hit. It felt like acid for the ice hero as when the attack dissipated, Absolute Zero was left a broken man, unable to hold himself up, (8/2500-500/2000)

"Oh no," Allyson gasped, "And with Final Attack Orders still in play, Jaden will end up getting hurt every turn!"

"Alright, I won't attack Slifer or that Copycat," Jaden announced, "But Spirit Reaper's fair game!"

"I think not," Hanz shouted, activating his facedown card, "I activate Ultimate Offering! By paying 500 life points..."

Jaden: 4700

Hanz: 6600

"I can sacrifice my Spirit Reaper and summon Manticore of Darkness to take its place!"

The caped reaper disappeared as a giant chimera monster with the head of lion, tail of a scorpion and the black wings of a vulture appeared, letting out a powerful roar. (6/2300/1000), (10/6000-5000/6000-5000)

"Alright, Ocean will back off, while Tempest will destroy Copycat," the Slifer announced as his hero fired his blast at the clown, shattering its mirror and blowing it up.

"To end my turn, I play Damage-Off Zone," Jaden concluded as he inserted a spell card, depicting two warriors at a stand-still, resting near an overflowing fountain, "If this card's in play, both of us take half the battle damage we'd normally take."

"My move then," Hanz shouted as he drew his next card, (10/5000-6000/5000-6000) "Slifer, wipe out Absolute Zero! Use your Thunder Force," The Egyptian God was once again shocked into submitting to its captor's commands and then unleashed a massive thunder breath on the weakened ice hero, obliterating him from the field, "And don't forget that Mound of the Bound Creator deals an extra 400 points of damage, something your Damage-Off Zone fails to prevent!"

Jaden growled as another red aura surrounded him...

Jaden: 1550

Hanz: 6600

"Absolute Zero's effect activates," the Slifer announced, "Once he leaves the field, he destroys all monsters you control, including your Egyptian God!"

A cold blizzard blew in from behind Jaden, freezing up the Manticore and shattering it. Then, it started to freeze up Slifer, slowly encasing its large and long body in ice...

"If this works, Jaden can win on his next couple of turns," Allyson cheered.

But her hopes were shattered when Slifer roared out and shattered the ice off of him!"

"Hold on!"

Hanz shouted, "Slifer's too powerful to be destroyed by card effects! Or have you forgotten that he's an Egyptian God! But enough banter for now, I end my turn by playing Card of Safe Return and one card facedown!"

After a facedown card was placed on the field, another spell card appeared showing three dueling cards, emerging from a weakened, young man in tattered clothing. (10/6000-4000/6000-4000)

"And since it's my end phase, by sending one Beast, Beast-Warrior or Winged-Beast monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon Manticore of Darkness back to the field!"

Hanz then discarded another copy of Manticore of Darkness and revived the first. (6/2300/1000), (10/4000-3000/4000-3000)

"Then, Card of Safe Return allows me to draw one card for whenever a monster returns from my graveyard," the rogue designer grinned as he drew another card. (10/3000-4000/3000-4000)

"Then, I use Manitcore of Darkness's effect again, sending the one on the field and reviving the one in my graveyard!"

Everyone gasped as the first Manticore vanished, letting the second one appear (6/2300/1000)

"Then I draw another card," He shouted as he drew again. (10/4000-5000/4000-5000)

"One more time..." Hanz grinned.

The Manticores from the field and graveyard, swapped places... (6/2300/1000)

...Then Hanz drew another card. (10/5000-6000/5000-6000)

"No way, he just brought back Slifer's power to 6000," Syrus cringed.

"Yeah, using Manticore's infinite loop," Allyson added, "But he can stop it from whenever he likes... and stopped so he doesn't discard."

"Alright, here goes... something," Jaden said in desperation as he drew, "I bring back Sparkman to my hand, and then I summon Elemental Hero Neos!"

Hanz was in awe as he saw the white outfitted hero from Neo-Space. (7/2500/2000)

"I never seen that card created," He stated. But then, Hanz shook off the awe and growled, "Nor will I see him for long once Slifer drains his power," He proclaimed as Slifer unleashed its acid mist from its second mouth, burning up Neos and severely weakening him... (7/2500-500/2000)

"Next, I place one card facedown and then attack Manticore of Darkness with Tempest," Jaden announced as Tempest fired another blast, aiming at the chimera beast...

"I activate my trap card, Zero Guard," the rogue designer shouted, revealing his facedown card, depicting a purple blast, bursting through a barrier, "This reduces my monster points by 0 and then prevents him from being destroyed in battle!"

Tempest's attack hit home, knocking the manticore on its back and a red aura surrounded Hanz as he took half the damage, thanks to Damage-Off Zone...

Jaden: 1550

Hanz: 5200

"I won't pass up this chance, Ocean, attack," Jaden continued as Ocean charged the beast and smacked it with his trident...

Jaden: 1550

Hanz: 4450

"Don't feel left out, Neos! It's your turn to attack!"

Neos jumped into the air and slammed the manticore with a big chop on the head, causing another red aura to form...

Jaden: 1300

Hanz: 3950

"I wonder why he let Jaden attack like that," Syrus wondered.

"Because he no longer saw him a threat," Hassleberry stated, "Even with all the attacking he's done, he won't be able to take down Slifer..."

Allyson stared down at Jaden's facedown card, "I hope that does something..."

"I end my turn," Jaden concluded, "So, bring it on!"

"Gladly, because this is the end," Hanz laughed as he drew another card, (10/6000-7000/6000-7000) "With the calculations, even with Damage-Off Zone's effect, Slifer's 7000 points will be more than enough to wipe out!"

"You know something Hanz," the Slifer stated, "I don't get you at all; there are so many people, like the students here, dream of having a job like yours! And then you and two of your buddies throw it all away for just three monster cards and a Field Spell?

"Oh, if you only knew..." Hanz said as he boiled with anger, "If it wasn't for that oaf Huffington, Franz, Gunter and I would have our cards designed. But Herr Pegasus... he doesn't want power anymore... He doesn't know anything! Now that I wield one of the strongest monsters, I'll get my respect! And after I destroy you, I'll make sure they don't ever disrespect me! Slifer, end this!"

Slifer opened his mouth a little wider than usual and then unleashed its massive Thunder Force attack, directly at Neos. Everyone watched helplessly as the impact destroyed the Neo-Spacian E-Hero and then blasted Jaden, who screamed in agony.

"JADEN!" His friends cried out.

"Welcome to your demise," Hanz shouted, "I am... WHAT?"

Once the electricity faded away, Jaden was still standing...

Jaden: 650

Hanz: 3950

"Impossible, you survived," the captor of Slifer shouted.

"It's because Damage-Off Zone has a second ability," Jaden stated as the spell card image, faded away, "I can send it to the graveyard, along with half my life points, and negate your damage!"

"That was too close," Allyson sighed.

Hanz growled, "Fine, Manticore attack Tempest!"

The chimera monster charged in against the Fusion Hero, only to get blasted in a suicide fight...

Jaden: 650

Hanz: 3450

"And if you're wondering why I did that," Hanz stated as he held up a familiar spell card, "I activate Monster Reborn to revive my other Manticore!"

The second manticore returned, standing under Slifer. (6/2300/1000), (10/7000-6000/7000-6000)

"Then, I activate Infinite Cards," He continued as he inserted a spell card, showing two hands carrying more than a handful of cards. (10/6000-5000/6000-5000) "Just like the name suggests, it allows both players to exceed the six-card hand limit! Now I end my turn, to activate Manticore's effect from my graveyard, you remember, right? I'll sacrifice my field manticore for the one in the graveyard! And I choose to keep going thought with its effect 13 times, so that Card of Safe Return allows me to draw 13 times, giving my monster 13000 more points!"

Everyone gasped as the rogue designer, kept reviving his two manitcores, one after the other in a cycle... (6/2300/1000)...

And because of that, Card of Safe Return allowed him to draw 13 times, until his designated number... (10/5000-18000/5000-18000)

"18000!" Everyone gasped.

"And to stay safe, I've kept one card inside my deck," Hanz stated, "So don't count on defeating me now!"

"It's still won't stop me from giving up," Jaden shouted as he drew out his next card, retrieving Charge Fusion and Necroshade, "First, Charge Fusion come back to my hand after two standby phases, and Necroshade comes back with Ocean's effect! Next, I activate Legacy of the Hero! Since I have at least 2 Elemental Heroes that's level 4 or higher, I can draw three cards!"

Once he drew the three cards, he smiled at one of them, "Hey, I got Chumely's other card," He then turned to Hanz and held it up before placing it inside his field spell slot, "Now, I activate the new field spell Skyscraper 2 – Hero City!"

The ground flashed white, and then an entire city rose up from it. Instead of a nighttime setting with Skyscrapers bunching up together, the darkened skies cleared up, restoring the sunny skies and bathed over a futuristic city with blue skyscraper buildings, trams zooming over single tracks and cars flying past every now and then.

"Whoa, Chumley creates some nice cards," Syrus said.

"Hey Slifer, since Mound of the Bound Creator's gone, you're free," Jaden shouted to the Egyptian God. The Sky Dragon then lunge his head back and snapped the chain off its neck, and then it pulled on the chains, holding its wrists, snapping them like a twig, "Alright, I now activate the field's effect, which allows me to summon an Elemental Hero from my graveyard that was destroyed in battle during the duel! So come on back, Elemental Hero Neos!"

A white light flashed from the topmost skyscraper, unleashing Neos upon the field. (7/2500/2000)

"Slifer, drain Neos' points again," Hanz commanded. But then Slifer's second mouth wasn't moving an inch and turned a blind eye to the rogue creator, "Obey me!"

"He's not listening," Syrus gasped.

"It must be because of that field spell is gone," The Spirit duelist stated and smiled, "Meaning Jaden has the upper hand!"

"Next up, its Charge Fusion one more time," Jaden announced, holding up the new fusion card for the third time, "I fuse Clayman and Necroshade to form, Elemental Hero Gaia!"

The rock armored hero appeared and combined with Necroshade inside the fusion vortex and created the steel armored titan of the E-Heroes. (6/2200/2600) Once again, Slifer didn't budge an inch.

"It's all good now," the Slifer smiled, "When Gaia's fusion summoned he takes half of a monster on the opponent's side of the field and place it into his own power!"

"What the...," Hanz shouted as Gaia raised his hands towards Slifer, draining its power away and then using it to power itself up (10/18000-9000/18000), (6/2200-11200/2600), "No, not that!"

"Slifer, I promise you'll be back," Jaden spoke out to the God, "Gaia attack with Earth Hammer!"

Gaia slammed his fist into the ground again, but this time a fist made from the earth came out and gave the massive dragon an uppercut to the jaw. Roaring out, Slifer vanished into a red light and vanished back into Hanz's graveyard...

Jaden: 650

Hanz: 1250

"Alright," Allyson cheered.

"But I don't get it," Hassleberry wondered, "He could've attacked Manticore of Darkness for the win."

"He did say Slifer will be back," Syrus added, eyeing Jaden's facedown card, "I think he does have something..."

"Facedown card activate," The Slifer continued, revealing his facedown card. It was a spell card, depicting Elemental Hero Necroshade creating an orb of light, making a mirage among the graveyard, "This card allows me to summon one of my opponent's monsters that were destroyed in battle!"

Hanz gasped as a red light shined out from his graveyard, and brought back the fearsome Egyptian God... this time fighting with Jaden. (10/X000/X000) "But you don't have my field spell, you can't control Slifer!"

"I don't need to, when he's about to pay you back for all you've done," Jaden stated as he held up his four-card hand, "Since I have four cards in my hand, Slifer gains 4000 ATK/DEF!"

Slifer roared loudly as he powered up. (10/X000-4000/X000-4000)

"Let's end this Slifer, attack Manticore of Darkness with Thunder Force!"

Without hesitation, Slifer complied as it opened its large mouth and obliterated the manticore for the final time, knocking Hanz off his feet, sprawled across the ground as three GX medals dropped from his pockets...

Jaden: 650, Winner

Hanz: 0

"That's game," Jaden declared with his two-finger salute, with his friends cheering. But then a red flash caught his eye, making him look up towards the sky. Slifer the Sky Dragon stared down at the Slifer duelist, almost like he was giving a look of appreciation, before he vanished into tiny sparkles, "Honor to meet you, Slifer... You're welcome..."

"Hey Jaden," Syrus called out, "We've got everything recorded and we called down the Disciplinary Action Squad."

"Yup, we just got to wait on them," Hassleberry stated.

"Sweet..."

Suddenly, a blaze of fire erupted in the mountain area... inside, was the Winged Dragon of Ra!

"Guys, its Ra," Allyson gasped, "Which means Claudio could be in trouble!"

Jaden then turned to Ras, "Guys stay here with Hanz until the DAS get here, Allyson and I are going to check out the duel and see what's going on."

"Got it," Syrus said.

"10-4," Hassleberry nodded.

"Let's go, Allyson," the Slifer said as he and the Spirit Duelist followed the flames towards the duel.

* * *

Whew, that took me out! If you have any controversy to any effects of Slifer, I have the card stats below. Plus, the effect of Slifer not going through after the field spell was destroyed, for the sake of the story.

Charge Fusion

Normal Spell

Image: Explosive Beast Vulcannon charging up a player's three card hand.

Send, from your hand to the Graveyard, Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on a Fusion Monster Card, and Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon). During your 2nd turn after this card's activation, you can add this card from the Graveyard to your hand.

(This card was used by Grieger in the 5D's manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Level Resist Wall

Normal Trap

Image: A fallen monster with five black stars over it, connected to two smaller monsters with three stars and two stars over them.

Activate only when a monster you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. Special Summon Monster Card(s) from your hand whose total Level Stars exactly equal the Level of the destroyed monster.

(This card was used by Yako Tenma in the R Manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Mound of the Bound Creator

Field Spell

Image: A storm crashing over three stone pillars with chains.

Level 10 or higher monsters cannot be destroyed by card effects. When a Level 10 or higher monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent.

(This card was used by Franz in the GX episode Rah, Rah, Ra! All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Damage-Off Zone

Continuous Spell

Image: Two warriors at a stand-still, near an overflowing fountain.

Halve all Battle Damage inflicted to either player's Life Points. During either player's turn, you can pay half of your Life Points and send this face-up card to the Graveyard to have all Battle Damage inflicted to you this turn become 0.

Necro Illusion

Quick-Play Spell

Image: Elemental Hero Necroshade creating an orb of illusion in his hands.

Special Summon 1 of your opponent's monsters that was destroyed by battle this turn to your side of the field. It is sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase.

(The above two cards were used by Jaden Yuki in the GX episode Rah, Rah, Ra! All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Slifer the Sky Dragon

DIVINE

Divine-Beast

Level 10

X000/X000

The heavens twist and thunder roars, signaling the coming of this ancient creature, and the dawn of true power.

You must Tribute 3 monsters to Normal Summon or Set this card. The ATK and DEF of this card becomes the number of cards in your hand x 1000. When this card is Special Summoned from either player's Graveyard, it is returned to its controller's Graveyard at the End Phase of the turn. If this card is Special Summoned in Defense Position when your opponent has attacked with a monster, you may switch the attack target to this card. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be destroyed by card effects, returned to the player's hand/Deck or removed from play, its control cannot be switched, it cannot be equipped with Equip Cards, and the effects of Spells, Traps and other Monsters can only affect it until the End Phase of the turn. When your opponent Summons or Sets a monster, decrease its ATK or DEF by 2000, depending on its Battle Position; if the ATK or DEF of the summoned monster(s) is 0 after this effect resolves, destroy the monster(s).

(This card makes use of the effect depicted in the anime in the second series episode Mime Control, and used by Strings (controlled by Marik). All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Next Time: Not only Claudio goes up against Ra, but Chumley will get to duel against Alex! The Down Under deck vs. the Geminis! The Jukebox Heroes vs. The Winged Dragon of Ra!


	51. The Sunrise of Ra

Time for double feature duel, ladies and gentlemen! The first featuring me trying up Chumley's deck and then the second, with an appearance of Ra! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 51: The Sunrise of Ra

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, Alex and Chumley were staring each other down, ready to duel each other. Meanwhile, Jethro was standing near the sidelines with his Duel Pilot ready...

"You got that recording ready, cowboy," Alex asked as he turned on his duel disk.

"All ready," Jethro replied, "Now give each other a duel for everyone to enjoy later!"

"You know it," Chumley replied, turning on his duel disk.

Both players drew their opening hands...

"GAME ON!"

Chumley: 8000

Alex: 8000

"I'll start if you don't mind," Chumley stated as he drew his sixth card. After looking over his hand, he chose one card to place on the field, "I'll set one monster in defense mode!"

A set monster appeared on the field, placing Alex in his thoughts

 _'Okay, that's gotta be Des Koala,'_ the Gemini duelist thought, _'which means, I may have to put most of my hand down on the field to avoid most of the damage...'_

"Time to check out some new tricks, as I activate Book of Taiyou," the koala duelist announced inserted his spell card, "Time to flip up my monster! And if you've known already, it's Des Koala!"

Jethro and Alex gasped as the set monster turned vertical, and then flipped itself over to reveal a big koala with brown and white fur, sitting on the ground while munching on the leaves in its belly pouch. (3/1100/1800)

"He's brought it out already," the cowboy Obelisk gasped.

"Yeah, and you already know its effect," Chumley smirked, "For every card in your hand, you lose 400 life points, and with a starting hand, that's 2000!"

The Ra braced himself as the koala took to handfuls of leaves from its pouch and then tossed them in the air. At first, they seemed to wave around harmlessly in the air... until, they straightened out like arrows, and fired themselves to strike through Alex, who endured the attack.

Chumley: 8000

Alex: 6000

"No way," Alex exclaimed, putting on a mock angry face, "I lost two grand already, and I never even moved! Someone's been hitting the card vault, I'm jealous!"

"Nah," the koala duelist smiled sheepishly, "In my spare time, I started to work on my deck more. You'll see an even more powerful one than before!"

"I'll bet after seeing your first move," Jethro praised, "You really stepped up in your dueling."

"Thanks," Chumley nodded as he turned back to the duel and inserted a card into his disk, "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Alright, I was afraid of having to beat ya since you probably didn't duel much," Alex admitted as he drew, "But, now I won't feel bad about going all out!"

"Is that so," the card designer asked.

"Don't believe me, right," the Gemini duelist shrugged as he placed on card on the duel tray, "Oh well, Marauding Captain let's show him what I mean!"

In a flash, a soldier with sandy blonde hair wearing silver armor and a cape appeared with two silver blades in hand. (3/1200/400)

"Once summoned, I can bring out a level 4 or below monster and special summon it," He continued as he placed on the card on the disk, "like Gemini Scorpion!"

The captain pointed his sword right next to him as another flash brought out the twin, scorpion-emblem armored warriors, raising their blades as well. (4/1600/400)

"Oh, I'm not stopping there," Alex grinned as he placed another card on the field, "I can bring a level 4 or below Gemini Monster with Scorpion's summoning, like my Ascender Lion-Heart!"

In a flash of flame, a crimson-armored knight with a helm, fashioned like a lion's head appeared, white cloak flapping out in the flames as he hefted a large claymore in hand. (4/1700/1000)

Jethro whistled, "Three monsters? Someone's also been working on his deck."

"Of course," the Ra stated and then pointed at Des Koala, "Now captain, take out that koala!"

The blond knight let out a battle cry as he charged towards the koala...

"Not so fast," Chumley interrupted as he revealed a spell card that depicted an ancient Egyptian Tome, showing the sun being eclipsed, "I activate Book of Eclipse! All monsters on the field are switched into face-down Defense Position!"

Suddenly, a dark mist erupted from Chumley spell card, pushing the Marauding Captain back and started covering the whole field in a dark veil. After it was done, all four monsters were set facedown.

"Now he can use Des Koala's effect again," the Obelisk stated, "That deck could easily beat opponents just by recycling Des Koala's effect..."

"Well, I'm not going down like that," Alex declared as he inserted a card into his disk, "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Since it's the End Phase, all of your monsters' flip face up, and then you draw one card for each monster flipped," Chumley announced.

Alex shrugged as Marauding Captain, Gemini Scorpion and Ascender Lion-Heart reappeared to defend. (3/1200/400), (4/1600/400), (4/1700/1000). He then drew out his three cards, bringing his hand to five.

"My move now," Chumley declared as he drew, and immediately placed one on the tray, "I summon Des Wombat in attack mode!"

In a brown flash, a docile looking wombat appeared, scratching its fur with its back legs. It seemed oblivious to the surroundings. (3/1600/300)

"Now, I flip up Des Koala to deal another 2000 points," the card designer continued as he revealed his leaf-eating koala once again. (3/1100/1800) Finally, it started the Leaf Storm effect again preparing it hit the Ra...

"Not quite, say 'hi' to my trap," Alex grinned as his face-down lifted, to reveal a trap card, "Nature's Reflection will take the effect damage this turn and turns it into effect damage on you!"

The trap card glowed, creating a monument of stone that reflected the leaves off its smooth surface, and returned to Chumley... who didn't look worried at all...

"Sorry, but Des Wombat negates all card effect damages," Chumley announced as the wombat moved in front of him and took all the leaves into its hands, dropping them onto the ground, "Now, Des Koala will attack Marauding Captain! Down Under Charge!"

Putting the rest of the leaves into its mouth, Des Koala charged on all fours and tackled the captain into the ground, shattering it on impact.

"Des Wombat your turn," the Australian duelist commanded, "Attack Gemini Scorpion with Whomping Crush!"

Suddenly, the wombat stood up and ran over to the twin warriors and whacked them over the head with powerful paw swipes, slamming them into pixels.

"I end my turn by playing one card facedown," Chumley concluded as he inserted another card into his disk.

"Good luck with that," Alex boasted as he drew, "I play the spell Dark World Dealings! It gives us both a card to draw, but we have to discard one afterwards!"

Jethro watched as both players drew their top card and then placed another card from their hand into their discard slots. Alex then held up a spell card, revealing Phoenix Gearfried fighting through a whirlwind of flames, "This is Supervise! I equip it to my Ascender Lion-Heart, so his Gemini effect comes into play!"

Chumley watched in awe as the warrior gained a burning aura around him and raised his blade, "Wow, this is the first time I've seen Gemini Summon!"

"Well, glad to give you the experience," the Ra grinned, "But now it's time that Wombat gets outta my way! Lion-Heart, attack with Wrath of Leos!"

The warrior erupted towards the docile, but powerful marsupial as he drew back his claymore for a massive slash...

"Not so fast, I have a trap out called Beast Rising," Chumley shouted as he revealed his facedown card. It depicted a cartoonish picture of Berserk Gorilla rampaging upon the Ojama Brothers, "For as long as this card's on the field, I can remove a Beast or Beast-Warrior type monster to increase the ATK of another Beast or Beast-Warrior type on my side of the field."

Jethro lowered the Duel Pilot a bit, "Then that means..."

"I remove Des Wombat to power up my Des Koala," the Australian duelist announced as Des Wombat vanished into a green light and fused itself into Des Koala's body, making it grow into a giant. (3/1100-2700/1800) "Looks like, my Koala's at the top of the Food Chain!"

"Think again, but Ascender Lion-Heart's Gemini effect lets him boost his ATK points by 1000, when he battles a stronger monster," Alex countered as his warrior growled and raised his claymore, boosting morale. (4/1700-2700/1000) "And it's just in time for both to take each other out!"

Chumley and Jethro gasped as Lion-Heart cleaved his blade into the Koala's gut, only to be crushed by the marsupial's axe-handle slam, destroying them both in a cloud of pixels.

"So we're both outta monsters, huh," Chumley stated.

"Not me, I'm afraid," the Gemini duelist grinned, "Remember Supervise? Now that it went to the graveyard, I can summon any Normal Monster from my graveyard," He stated as a monster card removed itself from his discard slot, letting the Ra pick it up and place it on the field, "And since Gemini Monsters count as Normal Monster on their first summoning and in the graveyard, I have just the one play, King Pyron which I discarded from Dark World Dealings!"

On cue, a pillar of fire erupted in front of Alex, creating a humanoid figure made entirely of flames, as it stared at Chumley with cold, blue eyes. (5/1500/500)

"Now attack directly, Pyron," the Ra commanded, "Use your Flames of Hellfire and strike!"

King Pyron gathered his hands together creating another pyro ball in his hands and then unleashed it, covering the card designer in flames.

Chumley: 6500

Alex: 6000

"And it's not over yet," Alex continued, "Next, I Gemini Summon King Pyron!"

Suddenly, the pyro monster exploded into more flames, now taking on the form of a hulking, massive beast-like creature.

The Obelisk whistled, "That's a pretty mean tower of fire..."

"I'll say," Chumley added, looking at it with a spooked expression.

"Scared, well tell me how you like this," the Gemini duelist laughed, "King Pyron's effect let's me deal 1000 points of damage once per turn! Feel the burn, my friend!"

Pyron roared as it breathed a massive flame at Chumley, causing him to cover himself from the inferno.

Chumely: 5500

Alex: 6000

"I place two cards facedown," Alex concluded as he inserted two of his cards into the disk, "And that ends my turn, but starts my great comeback!"

"Wow, with just one monster Alex was able to turn the tide of the duel," Jethro said, impressed with the concluding move, "Plus, it all started with a single attack from another Gemini monster to set it off."

"Let's see what I've got to change all of that," Chumley proclaimed as he drew. He chose two cards, putting them in the right places on his disk, "I set one monster in defense mode and place one card facedown! It's your go, Alex."

"Not much to work on, huh," Alex wondered as he drew his next card, "Here's another 1000 points of damage, courtesy of my King Pyron!"

The card designer braced himself as the pyro monster blasted him with another pyro ball...

Chumley: 4500

Alex: 6000

"Now I summon to the field, Energy Bravery in attack mode," Alex announced as his mutated humanoid monster appeared, crackling with energy. (4/1700/1200) "I hope your cards wasn't meant to destroy, because those kinds of cards effects are useless on my Gemini Summoned monsters," he then turned to his newly summoned monster, "Energy Bravery, check it out with your Energy Blitz!"

The monster collected electricity in his sharp claws and fired them out at the facedown monster. The set card flipped over to reveal a large, mole monster appeared, giant green leaves growing out of its back before it exploded. (3/800/1300)

"The monster you destroyed was Eucalyptus Mole, and that activated his effect," Chumley informed him, and then raised a hand over his face-down card, causing it to flip face-up as well, "But also, his destruction set off my Animal Trail trap card! When destroyed, I get to move a Beast monster from my deck and into my hand, like my Tree Otter!"

The area surrounding Chumley suddenly transformed into a patch of very tall grass that went all the way up to the top of the guy's head. Leaping out of grass, a grey-skinned otter, different from the norm appeared and then vanished into the Australian duelist's hand, in the form of a new card.

"Then with Eucalyptus Mole's effect, summons any Koala Monster onto the field, like the Sea Koala in defense mode!"

Alex and Jethro were confused as three small koalas sat down in front of Chumley. Their fur was brown, except for their stomachs and the inside of their ears and their tails were like a beaver's. (2/100/1600)

'Weird, I thought he'd go for Des Kangaroo and Big Koala,' Alex thought, reviewing the field, 'He must not have Polymerization yet. Oh well, I know what he'll do next... he'll summon that Tree Otter, or another Beast Monster to use to activate Sea Koala's effect. If he wants to stop my burn damage, he'll go after him. But when he does, I got Gemini Trap Hole waiting to destroy every monster he's got! Then, find a way to hit him hard and fast!'

He then looked at Chumley and said, "I end my turn."

"Alright, let's go," Chumley challenged as he drew his next card, immediately playing it, "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two more cards," The grinning pot appeared, as he drew two more cards before it shattered, "Licious! First, I summon Tree Otter!"

The odd otter appeared on the field, standing on its hind legs. (2/1200/100)

Suddenly, Jethro snapped his fingers, "Oh, I get it!"

The two players looked to the Obelisk cowboy with puzzled looks asked, "What?"

"Sea Koala and Tree Otter," Jethro stated, "They're both a play on spoonerisms!"

"Spoonerisms," Alex wondered.

"Oh right," Chumley stated, "An otter in the trees, instead of the water and a koala in the water, instead of trees; rearranging the logic of norm!"

The Gemini duelist sweatdropped at that, "You guys lost me..."

"Tell ya about it later," the Australian duelist replied, "Now, I use Sea Koala's effect! It changes the ATK of one of my opponent's monster to 0! And the unlucky one will be your Energy Bravery!"

Alex gasped, "What!"

The trio of koalas came together and spewed water from their mouths, drenching the energy charged man, and drained it from him. (4/1700-0/1200)

Chumley smirked, "I guess you thought I was after Pyron, but I'll get him later," He then turned over one of the cards his hand, revealing the old-school Polymerization card.

"Polymerization," Jethro wondered, "But you don't have Big Koala!"

"No, I got something else in mind," the card designer stated as he inserted his Polymerization into the disk, "I use Polymerization to fuse Sea Koala and Tree Otter..."

Alex was caught off-guard when the spell card image absorbed the two, odd marsupials and then gave off a bright shine.

"... Now I fusion summon Koala-Otter Koala!"

Emerging from the Polymerization card, a large, dark-blue koala with a light-brown underbelly stood tall. It had muscular arms, a wide-beaver tail and a look on its face, showing its will to fight, assuming a wrestler's stance. (6/2800/200)

Jethro was speechless, but Alex had something to say...

"I guess he's been hitting the gym, huh," He remarked, trying to hide the fact that he was sort of afraid.

"Yup, and here's the results," Chumley smirked, "Koala, attack his Energy Bravery with Plunder from Down Under!"

Energy Bravery was too preoccupied in getting himself dry, failing to notice a massive fist connecting to his gut and shattered him to pixels.

Chumely: 4500

Alex: 3200

"And if you thought that was tough, here's his special ability," the Australian duelist announced as he discarded his last card, "Now, I discard Big Koala to destroy one of your monsters, like King Pyron! Thunder from Down Under!"

The massive koala slammed his fist into the ground, causing a piece of the earth to shoot up from under the pyro monster, extinguishing it.

"And that's my turn," Chumley smiled.

"Okay, is that really Chumley," Jethro couldn't help but say to himself, "No matter what the outcome, he's been a step ahead of his opponent."

"Man, I'm in trouble," Alex said as he drew and looked at it, before setting it, "I set one monster card on the field and end my turn!"

"Got you on the run now," Chumley grinned as he drew his next card, "Koala-Otter Koala, attack his monster!"

The muscular koala raised its arm and slammed it on the set card...

The card flipped over to show a dark robed magician with a cocky smirk appeared, blocking with a barrier. (4/1500/0)

"Who's that," the card designer asked.

"Meet my Gemini Summoner," Alex introduced, "Once per turn, he can prevent himself from being destroyed in battle. So, looks like he gets to stick around..."

"I agree," Chumley sighed, "I end my turn."

"And by doing so, Gemini Summoner's second effect activates," the Ra continued, "By paying 500 life points..."

Chumley: 4500

Alex: 2700

"I can normal summon a Gemini monster from my hand, or one that's on the field for a Gemini summon," Alex stated as he took a card from his and placed it sideways on his disk, "Gemini Soldier, you're on!"

A green flash brought a small, elf-like clad in green and white armor, crouching defensively as his white cape flapped behind him. (2/500/300)

"Now I make my draw," He continued as he started his turn and drew his next card, "I Gemini summon my Gemini Soldier!"

A shining white aura surrounded the small soldier...

"I then place a facedown card and end my turn," Alex concluded, "Try to beat me now..."

'Sounds like Alex is up to something,' Jethro thought as Chumley drew his next card.

"Alright, I use Koala-Otter Koala's effect and discard Vampire Koala to destroy Gemini Summoner," the Australian duelist stated, discarding his desired monster and letting his koala smash the ground, which led to the ground smashing the cocky summoner.

"Now, let's clear your field, Koala attack Gemini Soldier," Chumley commanded as the beast rushed up to the small warrior, slugging him with a right hand... it launched him up into the air, but soon he returned by using his cape as a parachute...

"Sorry," Alex said with a cocky grin, "He can't be destroyed on the first attack either! But when gets into a fight, I also get to summon a Gemini monster from my deck, like my Future Samurai," he stated as he threw the card on the field, bringing out the female samurai of the future. (4/1600/1200)

"Guess, I end my turn," Chumely shrugged.

"Good," Alex said as he drew his next card, "I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot! Let's both draw three cards, shall we?"

Chumley and Jethro couldn't help but laugh a bit as the players drew out their three cards.

"I activate another Supervise, this time equipping it to my Samurai," the Ra continued as the samurai started glow a white aura, "Now, I activate her effect... I remove Marauding Captain from the game to destroy Koala-Otter Koala!"

As Alex pocketed the monster card, the Samurai slashed with her blade, unleashing a wave of energy at giant koala and destroyed it.

"Now that you're defenseless, I'll wage a direct attack with my Samurai!"

Hearing the call, Future Samurai dashed across the field and slashed Chumley across the chest.

Chumley: 2900

Alex: 2700

"Finally, I place one card facedown to end my turn," Alex concluded, "Finally; Chumley joins me in the near three grand lines!"

"About time you caught up, Alex," Jethro joked, "Chumley's been keeping you hogtied, and your only lucky shot was with that King Pyron fella!"

"Hey," the Gemini duelist growled, "It ain't my fault; the big guy got a lot of experience unleashed at my expense! What did you do?"

"You know I'm recording this right," the cowboy grinned.

Alex had sweat drop running down his forehead, and turned back to Chumley and inserted a facedown card, "Your move, Chum..."

"Thanks," Chumley laughed a bit as he drew his next card, bringing his hand to four. He then grinned, "I activate another Polymerization to fuse Big Koala and Des Kangaroo in the Master of Oz!"

Jethro and Alex bugged out, as the two mentioned monsters appeared: a giant, blue version of Des Koala and a green kangaroo wearing a red vest and boxing gloves, both jumping into the vortex. Finally, the monster appearing was slightly bigger than the Big Koala! It was green and tan in some spots and had the body of a kangaroo with the head of a koala. Like the kangaroo, it had red boxing gloves, carrying a championship belt on his shoulder and weights in his pouch. (9/4200/3700)

"Now, it's time I did something about that Samurai," Chumley shouted as Oz leapt into action, "Go Outback Attack!"

The Samurai was helpless as she was knocked off the field from a massive uppercut.

Chumley: 4500

Alex: 100

"I got a trap card for ya," Alex countered as he revealed his facedown card, depicting Goggle Golem taking down the Goblin Attack Force in an earthquake, "Gemini Trap Hole activates when you destroyed a Gemini Monster with an effect active. All monsters on your side of the field... go bye-bye!"

Suddenly, the ground under the Master of Oz gave away and dropped him inside.

"Next, Supervise brings back my Ascender Lion-Heart," the Ra continued as the crimson armored knight made his return in attack mode. (4/1700/1000)

"I'll throw a facedown card on the field," Chumley concluded.

"Alright, time to end this," Alex said as he drew, "Perfect! I activate my own Polymerization! You'll love the new monster I have to come out, by fusing Ascender Lion-Heart and Gemini Soldier!"

Another fusion vortex appeared over the sky and combined the two warriors as fire and wind blew down from it...

"Meet my newest Gemini Rider Hot-Trump," Alex announced as the fire and wind merged to form a giant wildfire that tore apart, revealing a dual-natured warrior, red on one side of his suit, black on the one with flames burning on his fists as he struck a savage pose. (8/2500/2000)

"Hot-Trump," Chumley wondered.

"He acquired it sometime after the Slifer Dorm was remade," Jethro piped in, "Somehow, Alex was caught in some sort of weird mess, Claudio and Jaden claimed to be a part of..."

"You mean, like other worlds," the card designer wondered.

"Yeah, how'd you know," Alex asked.

"I got caught into the same kind of trouble, except Jaden, Claudio and Kenji had to save me and others," Chumley stated.

"I got a story to tell ya, but let's finish this duel first," the Ra stated as he revealed his facedown card, depicting Evocator Chevalier and Future Samurai charging towards a castle as their bodies ignited with energy, "Gemini Buster! This allows me to remove a number of Gemini Monsters from my graveyard and use them to destroy a spell or trap card!" He then held up the card for Gemini Soldier, causing it to appear and burn with energy as charged and obliterated the facedown card Chumley had.

"And Hot-Trump's effect, allows him to attack twice in one turn," Alex continued.

Despite all that that, Chumley smiled and said, "Almost had you... go ahead and finish this..."

"Alright, you heard the guy," Alex announced, "Hot-Trump, attack with Joker Grenade times two!"

The fusion Gemini monster leapt into the sky and then split into two people, one all red and the other all black. Then, both of them rocketed downwards and slugged Chumley with a flaming fist from their right hands.

Chumley: 0

Alex: 100, Winner

The holograms disappeared as both players dropped down on their butts.

Alex sighed in relief, "Man, if I haven't pulled out that monster when I did, I would have lost big time," He looked to Chumley, "You really brought your game up!"

"Thanks," Chumley replied with a smile, "I really need more practice though, but hey... it comes with the job."

"Done!"

Jethro pressed a button on his DP and stopped the recording, "This is going to one heck of a duel to show to everyone!"

* * *

Meanwhile, around an open part of the forest, Pegasus searched the area with an Academy-issued Duel Disk on his left wrist.

"Mr. Pegasus!"

The Duel Monsters creator turned to see Claudio, Melody and Alexis run up to him.

"Claudio and Melody, right," He asked.

A little later, all three of them sat on some nearby stones with the students sitting together.

"This isn't the first time someone tried to use a counterfeit Ra card," Pegasus told them.

All three Academy students gasped, "Really?"

"Several years ago, a group known as the Rare Hunters gained control of two Egyptian God cards," the I2 president informed them, "They believed since Ra was the most powerful of the three, copies were made to have its power used multiple times. But the Spirit of Ra considered that an insult and carried those who summoned the fakes to their deaths."

"Whoa," Melody whispered, "But how's this guy able to control Ra? I bet he doesn't have any historical background to Egypt!"

"You're right, he doesn't. None of them do," Pegasus replied, "That's what I'm trying to find out..."

"Well, well, well... Hail to the Chief!"

The trio gasped and stood up seeing a man with graying hair and glasses, dressed in a long, white coat, blue dress shirt, red tie and black dress pants. Pegasus recognized him right away...

"Franz!"

The man chuckled as he held up a gold card, the Winged Dragon of Ra!

"Hey, that's the card," Claudio realized.

"Return it at once," Pegasus demanded, "Don't do something you'll regret!"

"Herr Pegasus," Franz spoke in a German accent, "How fitting that I'm the one amongst my band of God holders, get to destroy you. If you want the God card, you'll have to earn it back," He then shuffled the God card right into his deck and placed into his duel disk.

As Pegasus got ready, Claudio stepped up and shouted, "Then bring it! Besides, I bet Ra would like if someone representing him would save him... even if I don't have a God card to combat him."

Franz chuckled, "So you must know about the Winged Dragon of Ra, yah? And that it is the most powerful of the Egyptian Gods?"

"Like that's scaring me," the Ra Yellow boy scoffed, "I learned about the God cards during first year, so don't even try your intimidation!"

"Suit yourself," the rogue card designer shrugged as both he and Claudio turned on their duel disks.

"Guys," Alexis called out, "I'm going try and find the guy holding Obelisk, and chances are Kenji will be there, too!"

"Then good luck," Melody replied.

The Obelisk Girl nodded as she ran off in the direction of the beach.

"DUEL!"

Both players drew their opening hand.

Claudio: 8000

Franz: 8000

"Alright, how about the student who doesn't steal goes first," Claudio stated as he drew his sixth card, "I'll summon Jukebox Hero Slash in defense mode!"

As the J-Hero duelist threw the card on the tray, the top hat wearing guitarist appeared and kneeled in defense. (4/1300/1500)

"So you're the one with the custom Archetype," Franz deduced, "Herr Claudio Osbourne, yes? No unneeded monsters in this world will beat me!"

"Let's see how you like when I activate Polymerization," the Ra countered, holding the spell card in question, along with two monster cards, "I fuse Jukebox Heroes JB and KG together and form Jukebox Hero Tenacious D!"

The two members of Tenacious D jumped into a fusion vortex, and then reappeared in their black leather, heavy metal attire and rocking new electric guitars. (8/2600/2600)

"And since a Jukebox Hero was summoned while Slash is on the field, I can deal 500 points of damage to you," Claudio continued as Slash played a solo, summoning burning rain on the rogue card designer...

Claudio: 8000

Franz: 7500

"Nice," Melody cheered.

"And you know what, I got a little extra for ya," Claudio smirked as he held up another spell card, depicting a green, axe-wielding monster quickly cutting down an unknown enemy, "I activate the Quick Attack spell card!"

Franz gasped, "No one's used that card in years!"

"Normally, this would've been a useless card because Battle City Tournament rules used this card to bypass the waiting rule for fusions," the Ra grinned, "But now I can use it for something else... to make a direct attack!"

The Ra captor only blinked once before a pair of guitars slammed into his gut, forcing him on his back...

Claudio: 8000

Franz: 4900

"I end my turn here," Claudio concluded.

"Superb," Pegasus praised, "He's managed to do at least 3000 points of damage on the very first turn! Not only that, but he's found a way to use an outdated card!"

"Keep it up, Claudio," Melody added, "He's almost done!"

The J-Hero duelist responded with peace sign to his girlfriend.

"Clever boy," Franz chuckled as he drew his sixth card. But once he looked at it he grinned even wider as he inserted the card, "But it was all for naught! I activate Contingency Fee!"

Melody raised an eyebrow at the spell card, depicting a masked samurai sheathing his sword, after appearing to chop down a case full of money. She looked towards the creator and asked, "What does that card do?"

"It lets Claudio draw until he holds six cards," Pegasus explained, "But Franz gains 1000 life points for every card drawn."

Claudio grumbled as he drew his five cards, while a blue aura refilled Franz's life points.

Claudio: 8000

Franz: 9900

"Now it's like I just gained 1900 points, while you did nothing," the German duelist grinned, "Now watch as I summon the Hardened Armed Dragon, by way of special summoning! And to do that, I discard the level 8 Dark Horus!"

The Ra students cringed as a hideous dragon with flesh-like raw muscle appeared, most of its body covered in bone armor. Instead of wings, it had eight long arm-like limbs, also made of raw bone. (4/1500/800)

"And then, I use Inferno Reckless Summon to summon my other two dragons," Franz continued as he inserted the spell card, spawning two more bone and bare muscle-flesh dragons. (4/1500/800)

'Great and I have no other copies of the monsters I have on the field,' Claudio thought angrily.

"And now my young and old friends," Franz rejoiced as the skies started to darken with black clouds, "Time to meet the instrument of your destruction!"

Pegasus gasped and yelled, "Franz, stop this! You have no idea what you are unleashing?"

"But of course, I do," the Ra captor smirked, "It's time for the ultimate God to resurface again!"

Thunder rained down from the clouds, alerting the calling of the Gods...

"I sacrifice my three Dragons..."

The three dragons vanished into tiny light particles, flowing up to the skies...

"This is it..." Claudio whispered as he prepared himself...

"...and summon forth the Egyptian God, The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

From the cloud, a large, golden orb slowly descended and stopped in mid-air. From look of it, it seemed like a puzzle sphere that needed to be reassembled. (10/?/?)

Franz raised his hands to the orb and said, "And now... to recite the ancient chant!"

In a booming voice, he shouted:

"Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry.

Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.

Envelop the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe.

Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win.

Appear now in this Game as I call your name,

Winged Dragon of Ra!"

It was like the God inside heard the chant, as the orb started to open. First, the wings emerged; enormous and stretched out from the entire radius of the barren land, surrounded by the trees. Next, the arms and legs emerged, as it flexed and stretched out the claws within. Finally, the rest of the orb opened and then showed of a body of a monstrous beast and the head of a bird with a large crest on top, letting out a large cry. (10/?-4500/?-2400)

"Oh man..." Claudio whispered again, "This is too intense..."

"Scared are we," Franz smirked, "Don't worry, Herr Claudio... I'll make this as painful as it can be for your monsters! Then, you're next!"

"But only Duelists with ties to Ancient Egypt can control the Gods," Pegasus protested.

"Oh, I have the ultimate card for that," the rogue card designer replied as he inserted a card into the field spell slot, "A CARD YOU TURNED DOWN! I activate Mound of the Bound Creator!"

Three stone pillars erupted from out of the ground, with large, metal chains attached to them.

"Now Ra, you shall obey me! My Field Spell shall hold you on under my own power," Franz shouted, "This is your prison!"

On Franz's declaration, the chains around the stone pillars snapped around Ra's neck and hands. The Egyptian God tried to break free, but two more chains erupted from the ground and latched on to the Divine-Beast's legs and pulled him into ground, until it was torso deep into the Earth.

"What the heck is that," Melody gasped.

"Somehow, he made a card to control an Egyptian God Card,' the I2 President replied.

"Exactly," Franz grinned, "Which gives me the right to do this," He looked to the God behind him, "Winged Dragon of Ra, attack Tenacious D with Blaze Cannon!"

Suddenly, electricity jolted from the chains, bringing Ra pain causing him to reluctantly open his mouth. Next, orange energy bolts surged from his crest into his mouth, creating a molten fireball. Once charged, Ra fired the flames like a cannon and blasted the fusion monster into oblivion, as Claudio blocked the vision with duel disk.

Claudio: 6100

Franz: 9900

"And then, the effect of Mound of the Bound Creator activates," the Ra captor grinned, "You lose and extra 400 life points whenever a Level 10 or higher monster destroys another monster in battle!"

Claudio groaned as a red aura surrounded him...

Claudio: 5700

Franz: 9900

He then countered with, "You got your burn damage out, let me show you mine! First, destroying Tenacious D brought back the guys who created the band! JB and KG, come on back!"

In two flashes, the Tenacious D members returned and defended with their guitars. (4/1400/1200), (4/1200/1400)

"And because Jukebox Heroes were summoned with Slash on the field, I can deal 500 points of damage for each one summoned," He continued as Slash summoned his burning rain again.

Claudio: 5700

Franz: 8900

"I end my turn, but be warned boy," Franz stated, "This is only the beginning..."

"We'll see about that," Claudio replied as he drew, bringing his hand to seven, "I summon Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire in defense mode!"

The burning microphone dropped to the ground, letting flames erupt around it and summoned the shirtless singer, swinging the mic by its cord. (4/1800/300) Slash, once again, burned Franz with his November Rain effect.

Claudio: 5700

Franz: 8400

"I then place two cards facedown to end my turn," He concluded as he inserted two facedown cards into the disk, "But now, Bon-Fire deals you 300 points of damage for every Jukebox Hero on the field!"

Claudio: 5700

Franz: 7200

"Trying to keep up, are you," Franz taunted as he drew his lone card, "Well I hope you're not planning to keep those monsters! Ra, use Blaze Cannon!"

As the divine dragon tried to open his mouth, Claudio's facedown card revealed itself, "I activate my trap card, Stage Fright!"

"'Stage Fright?'" the rogue card designer repeated as the Egyptian God stopped creating its attack, making him yell," What are you waiting for, attack!"

"He's not going to," Claudio smirked, "Since I control more monsters than you, Stage Fright makes it so your attack is cancelled along with the rest of the battle phase!"

"Right," Pegasus stated, "Ra cannot be destroyed by card effects, but all other effects only remain for one turn."

"And one turn is all he needed," Melody added with a smile.

"Lucky move," Franz grumbled as he inserted a card into his disk, "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"Thanks for the extra turn," Claudio grinned as he drew his next card. He then held up another card from his hand, "Now I sacrifice JB and summon Soul Guitar!"

JB vanished into a golden flame, creating a glowing, sliver guitar that landed in Claudio's hands. (5/1000/300)

"And when it's summoned by sacrificing a Warrior monster, it's a special summon," He announced, "Plus it gains the ATK of the monster Tributed for it."

Franz looked unimpressed as the Soul Guitar's glow stopped, painting the surface crimson red. (5/1000-2400/300) "Is there a point to this," He asked, "You're only serving up more targets for me to knock down with my Egyptian God."

The J-Hero duelist sighed, "Full of yourself, aren't ya? Well, there's a reason why its out," He stated holding out a Polymerization card in his hands, "Because I'm fusing it with the Soul Drums in my hand, and Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire on my field with him!"

"Hey, I remember this," Melody realized, "This is another fusion that didn't use his Soul Mic as fusion material!"

On cue, the sliver drum set with a flaming aura appeared in front of Bon-Fire. As a fusion portal opened, melting the guitar and drums to the ground. Next, Bon-Fire stepped and let the liquid metal surround him and then jumped into the vortex. Then, slowly descending from the vortex, Bon-Fire reappeared encased in a bulky, metal armor with missile launchers on his shoulders. (11/3800/3000)

"Franz, let me introduce you to my Jukebox Hero War Machine," Claudio stated, "And since it's another Jukebox Hero, Slash will be hurting you again!"

The Ra captor covered his head as the November Rain of Slash pelted him again.

Claudio: 5700

Franz: 6700

"Now his effect activates," the Ra Yellow declared as he held up a silver dollar in his left hand, "I flip this coin three times, and for every head result I get, it determines War Machine's effect! So here goes!"

Claudio flipped the coin in the air, catching it when it landed on his open hand... "Heads number 1!"

Once again, Claudio flipped the coin into air and caught in his hand... "Alright, Heads number 2!"

Feeling lucky, the Ra Yellow flipped the coin for his third try and caught it... "Aw man, tails! But I can still use his second ability... one that will negate the effects of the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Franz gasped, "You lie!"

"Hey, it's like the creator of Duel Monsters said, 'Destruction and removal from play: no, all other effects: yes, for one turn,'" Claudio grinned, "But you shouldn't even be talking, you have no right to control Ra," He then turned to his fusion monster, "War Machine, do your thing and negate Ra's effects!"

Suddenly, War Machine's armor let out a burning radiation, sending out red, hot waves that didn't hurt Ra... It relaxed and made itself vulnerable and laid itself on the ground. (10/4500-0/2400-0)

"Did Ra..."

"Yeah," Melody stated, finishing Pegasus' thoughts, "It's like Ra wanted Claudio to free it!"

The J-Hero duelist whistled as he looked at the fully drained Egyptian God, "Alright buddy, let's break you outta those chains! War Machine, attack Ra with AC Missile Rocker!"

The armored J-Hero opened his missile launchers, firing nearly 20, white and red missiles out. First, six of the missiles destroyed the chains binding the God, freeing him from his prison. Then, Ra let the remaining 14 hit him dead on, vanishing into a golden light and that went into Franz's graveyard.

Claudio: 5700

Franz: 2900

"Alright," Melody cheered, "Claudio took out an Egyptian God!"

 _'Amazing,'_ Pegasus thought, _'Only ones with an Egyptian God could only hope to face Ra, but Claudio defeated without one... It's like what Yugi-boy told me about his friend Joey Wheeler able to survive Ra's onslaught... even though he collapsed minutes afterward...'_

"Looks the Egyptian Gods have a collective weakness," Claudio smirked, "Sure, they're all powerful when summoned and played the right way, but the problem is that all other cards can affect it for one turn only! So by playing the right cards, they become like every other monster."

But then, a loose chain from the stone pillar behind Franz suddenly struck him in the back...

Claudio: 5700

Franz: 2500

"Another 400," Claudio wondered.

"Claudio," Melody called out, "It's the field spell! You have a level 11 monster on the field that destroyed a monster!"

The J-Hero duelist got the messaged and smiled, "And that means War Machine can't be destroyed by card effects! Basically it's indestructible except by battle, alright!"

In spite of everything that happened, Franz laughed.

"Okay, I missed the joke...," Claudio said to his opponent.

"It's because, you've done exactly what I've wanted you to do," the Ra captor grinned, "Ra's at its most dangerous and destructive in the graveyard, my friend!"

He then drew his next card, "I now activate Card of Sanctity, letting us both draw until we have six cards!"

"Is he trying to run out Claudio's deck," Melody asked as Franz drew the full six and Claudio drew four more to make his six, "That's the second time, Claudio had to make a big draw!"

"No, it's just Franz looking for something in his deck," Pegasus added, "After all, if an Egyptian God card is special summoned from the graveyard, it could mean bad news for Claudio."

Once the rogue card designer looked over his hand, he gave a wide grin to his opponent and spectators...

"It won't matter for your pathetic Jukebox Hero to withstand destruction," He stated, "Because there are other cards that can make it go away! Like the spell card De-Fusion!"

Everyone gasped as the familiar spell card, showing two unknown monsters seemingly splitting off from each other. The light from the spell card flashed onto Jukebox Hero War Machine, transporting him from the field and back into Claudio's Fusion deck!

"And since I don't carry your fusion components in my graveyard, they cannot comeback," Franz grinned as he held up another familiar spell card, "Now I activate Monster Reborn to revive my captive servant, my Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The ankh of the spell card emerged and blazed a blood, burning red and grew over five times its normal size, before it transformed into the Winged Dragon of Ra (10/0/0). But its glory was short lived as Ra was quickly subdued by the Field Spell's chains.

"Would you yet up on the chains," Claudio shouted, "Enough the abuse, alright?"

"Oh, I will show you abuse," Franz grinned, "When Ra is summoned from the graveyard, it has the power to instantly attack everything on the field! But even if I did that, I'd lose the duel, so I'll spend 1000 life points..."

Claudio: 5700

Franz: 1500

"And that activates one of Ra's devastating abilities... Egyptian God Phoenix!"

Once the words left Franz's mouth, the chains sent an electric jolt into the Winged Dragon of Ra, as it erupted into flames, now looking like a blazing phoenix!

"In this form, Ra has the power to destroy any monster that it fights," the Ra captor explained, "Combined with the power of Instant Attack, all monsters will burn by Ra's touch! And to make sure you pay dearly for its effect, so I activate my facedown card, Coffin Seller!"

The facedown card revealed a trap card, depicting a cloaked man with bags of money, sitting in the middle of a cemetery.

"That'll cause Claudio lose 300 points for each monster or monsters he loses to the graveyard," Pegasus gasped, "And since Ra will attack his monster individually, he'll lose more life points!"

"Now, to make sure I get the amount of damage, I summon the Power Supplier in defense mode," Franz said as he threw the card onto the field, summoning a man with wild blue hair appeared, dressed in a purple blazer, white pants and black boots. Strapped to his shoulders were two green capsules, connecting to a brown, rifle-like injector gun. (2/400/400)

"Once per turn, Power Supplier can boost the ATK of another monster by 400," He continued, "Guess who?"

The answer was clear when the Power Supplier injected Ra's large foot with the chemicals of its gun, though it barely felt the jolt... (10/0-400/0-400)

"And then I activate Divine Evolution," Franz stated as he revealing a spell card, showing a silhouette of morphed God-like creature, "This allows any monster to gain 1000 ATK and DEF, and I choose Ra!"

"Claudio!"

Turning to the forest, everyone saw Jaden and Allyson run out to them, just in time to see Ra's form flaring up.

"Uh oh," Allyson shouted, "Is that the Winged Dragon of Ra?"

"It is," Melody replied, "It just went into its Egyptian God Phoenix mode, and that lets it destroy a monster instantly! And then, since it came from the graveyard, it can attack all of his monsters!"

"That means Claudio will lose 800 points because of Franz's field spell," Jaden gasped, and then he eyed the Coffin Seller, "Oh man, he's losing more life points because of that trap card!"

"That's not all, look!"

Everyone heeded the Duel Monsters creator's words as they saw blazing form of Ra. The flames died out around it, and formed into a startling sight... Ra now looked like an actual Phoenix! The entire body was now red with black streaks. The wings were still golden, but surrounded by flames. Finally, the head was now colored crimson red as it roared. (10/400-1400/400-1400)

"Oh man..." Claudio whispered.

"Now Ra... go and attack his monsters with Divine Blaze Cannon," Franz commanded as the evolved God charged up its attack again...

"Before you hit me, I activate Written in the Stars, a trap card," the J-Hero duelist shouted as his facedown card revealed itself. The ground underfoot faded away, showing the rooftops of a great city and the skies darkened into nighttime, but the clouds above Ra remained. Yet the stars in the skies grew brightly.

"It matters not," Franz shouted as Ra finished charging its attack, "Ra, destroy them now!"

Ra fired its attack, unleashing dark red, gold and black flames that engulfed Jukebox Heroes Slash and KG into its wake before they shattered. And the flames nearly hit Claudio if he didn't hit the dirt.

"And with the effects of Mound of the Bound Creator and Coffin Seller, you lose 1400 life points!"

As Claudio tried to get to his feet, a burning red aura surrounded him, nearly dropping him to his knees.

Claudio: 4300

Franz: 1500

"Well... by destroying my monsters, you activated Written in the Stars' effect," the Ra Yellow announced, "Since you destroyed my monsters in two attacks, I gain two Message Counters each for my trap!"

As Written in the Stars shined, four stars in the skies lit up brightly for Written in the Stars. (WitS: 4MC)

"Okay, I know what happened with Welcome Home when that gained counters," Jaden stated, "But what about his Written in the Stars card?"

"Guess we'll have to wait and see," Allyson replied.

But neither he nor the rest of the gang were prepared for Franz's next command...

"Winged Dragon of Ra, you attack with Power Supplier directly!"

Everyone gasped as Ra was forced to fire another Divine Blaze Cannon, enhanced with another shot of Power Supplier's chemical. The blast hit in front of Claudio, but it sent him flying back and he hit the ground flat on his back with the yell of pain!

Claudio: 2900

Franz: 1500

"Claudio," his friends cried.

"Franz, stop this now," Pegasus demanded, "You're threatening the life of duelists who aren't involved in this!"

Franz scoffed as he inserted a facedown card into his disk, "Herr Pegasus, you had the power to stop him but let him fight. His defeat will be by the cause of his own doing and yours!"

"Get a life, psycho," Melody shouted.

"Yeah, you're just jealous that Chumley has probably reached your level in card designing," Allyson stated, "And with the way you're acting, I'd say he surpassed you and the other guy that took Obelisk!"

"You tell him..."

Everyone saw Claudio groaned as he picked himself up to his feet.

"Besides, you're relying too much on power," the J-Hero duelist stated, "Soon, that's going to be an empty threat like you are going to be soon!"

"I'd like to see you try," Franz demanded, "Since it's your turn, Ra must go back to the graveyard since his revival only works for one turn."

On cue, Ra vanished into a golden light and poured into Franz's graveyard.

"Good, I can't wait to shut you up," Claudio said as he drew his card, making seven in his hand, "And you must be pretty confident in giving me these cards. I summon my Jukebox Hero Tom Sawyer!"

When he threw the card onto his disk, the prideful warrior/guitarist appeared with his guitar-spear in hand. (4/1900/1000)

"And thanks to Written in the Stars having 4 counters, my Jukebox Hero Monster gains 100 ATK for each of them," He stated as the four stars in the sky shot down into Tom Sawyer, boosting his power in a white aura. (4/1900-2300/1000) "Now, attack Power Supplier with Pride Spear," He commanded as Tom Sawyer strummed his guitar, sending out white sound waves that smashed down the supplier.

"I activate Flat Level 4," Franz countered revealing his next trap card, "Now both of us can summon a level 4 monsters from our decks!

Both players then took out a desired monster from their decks and placed them on their respective fields.

"I summon Ra's Disciple," said the Ra captor brought out an Egyptian man, wearing a golden armor, cape and headdress... all fashioned to resemble the Winged Dragon of Ra. (4/1100/600)

"And I summon my Drummer Superstar in defense mode," Claudio stated as he brought his blond-haired, wild-styled drummer appeared with his drum set. (4/500/2000)

"Once, Ra's Disciple is summoned to the field I can bring 2 more Ra's Disciples from my deck into my hand," Franz explained as he collected his two monster cards from his deck.

"Now, I end my turn by placing one card facedown and activate the continuous spell card, World Tour!" Claudio concluded as facedown appeared alongside a spell card depicting Jukebox Heroes traveling by boat, bus and airplanes.

"Hey, that's one of Chumley's new cards," Jaden exclaimed.

"I bet it helps out on Claudio's next turn," Melody hoped.

"That card won't save you, my move," Franz stated as he drew his next card. "I activate Pot of Greed," He then drew another two cards, "Now, allow me to use another card that I created especially for Ra," He turned over the card he just drew, depicting as spell card of three Ra's Disciples offering themselves in a sacred chamber, with the Spirit of Ra emerging from their bodies, "My Ritual of the Sun Dragon card!"

Everyone gasped.

"Somehow, I doubt that's a good thing," Jaden muttered.

"You are correct, Young Slifer student," Franz smirked, "It spells out Herr Claudio's defeat! If I have 3 Ra's Disciples in my hand or field, I can summon the Winged Dragon of Ra from the graveyard again! And this time, it's treated as a normal summon!"

Once again, the Winged Dragon of Ra rose up from the graves in its original form and held up by the chains of the field spell. (10/?-3300/?-1800)

"Now I activate its final effect, the Point-to-Point Transfer," the rogue card designer announced, "I keep 1 life point and the rest gets added to Ra!"

Everyone gasped as Franz raised his arms towards the Egyptian God, transferring a purple smoke from his body into Ra's. All of it gathered to the blue jewel at the base of Ra's head, suddenly forming into a vindictive looking version of Franz on top! (10/3300-4799/3299)

Claudio: 2900

Franz: 1

"NOW ALL OF YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO RESPECT ME," He shouted, "NOT ONLY DO I WIELD A GOD, I AM ONE! NOW TIME FOR YOU TO FEEL MY WRATH, WITH BLAZE CANNON!"

"NO!" Everyone shouted as Claudio was engulfed by the flames of Ra's attack.

"Stop this madness at once," Pegasus demanded.

"HE BROUGHT THIS UPON HIMSELF," Franz shouted, "NOW I CAN..."

"Can what..."

Franz looked as the flames dissipated and saw to his horror (and to the delight of Melody, Pegasus, Jaden, and Allyson) that Claudio was still standing, albeit breathing pretty hard. "You can't get rid of me that easily!"

Claudio: 1401

Franz: 1

"BUT HOW… YOU SHOULD HAVE LOST THE DUEL! EVEN THOUGH THE BATTLE DAMAGE LEFT YOU WITH 1 POINT, MOUND OF THE BOUND CREATOR AND COFFIN SELLER ADDED 700 MORE," Franz protested.

"It's because I activated Nutrient Z just in time," Claudio grinned as he held up a trap card, depicting a medicine bottle with the number 4000 on it...

* * *

 _(Flashback)_

 _As the flame pillar surrounded Claudio and destroyed Tom Sawyer, he revealed his Nutrient Z trap card, receiving the medicine bottle. He opened it up, drank from the bottle and threw it away in one fell swoop..._

 _Claudio: 6900_

 _Franz: 1_

 _Then the flames started to turn on him, damaging his life points..._

 _Claudio: 1401_

 _Franz: 1_

 _(End Flashback)_

* * *

"I gained 4000 life points just before your attack hit," the Ra Yellow stated, "So I'm still in this game, and you can't make another move! Also, Written in the Stars gains more counters!"

Two more stars lit up in the sky. (WitS: 6MC)

"EXCEPT I CAN SET THIS FACEDOWN CARD," Franz stated as he inserted the last card in hand in to his disk.

"Alright, it's my turn," Claudio declared and smiled, "Looks like Chumley's about to strike again, as I activate the new continuous Spell card, World Tour's effect! Since a field spell card's already on the field, I swap it with field spell of my own from the deck, by giving up my draw phase!"

"WHAT!" Franz shouted.

A card slipped out of Claudio's deck, letting him retrieve it and place it inside the field spell slot, "I activate Live Stage – World of Lines!"

Franz yelled in protest as the stone pillars of his field spell shattered, and then another city of black and white was made in its place. It was like something out of science fiction as the place looked futuristic.

"Hey, this kind of resembles my new field spell," Jaden stated.

"I'll get to that later," Claudio replied as he threw another card onto his field, "I now switch Drummer Superstar to attack mode and summon Soul Mic in attack mode as well!"

In a burst of fire, a sliver microphone appeared in Claudio's right hand with the ball and chain attached to the bottom. (1/300/200) Also, Drummer Superstar switched his wooden drumsticks with sliver ones and twirled them around.

"Now with Soul Mic, I can attack you directly," the J-Hero duelist smirked, "And with one life point, you're not looking so hot!"

"THEN I WILL SEND MY FACEDOWN DE-FUSION CARD TO SEPARATE MY LIFE POINTS FROM RA," Franz announced as his dark image vanished from the Egyptian God and appeared inside him, revitalizing his points. But it also served to drain all of Ra's power, dropping him to the ground and leaving it a weakened state. (10/4799-0/3299-0)

Claudio: 1401

Franz: 4800

Everyone started to feel peeved on how Franz treated the Egyptian God.

"Okay, stealing and beating down students already ticked me off," Claudio stated with an angry look, "But now you're leaving Ra out to take a fall?"

"Like I said before, I am the God and that dragon's my servant," Franz declared with false pride.

The Ra Yellow rolled his eyes and spun the chain from his mic around, "Let's see how God-like you are now, when I strike you directly with Soul Mic!"

He then tossed it straight at Franz's head, letting it bounce off.

Claudio: 1401

Franz: 4500

"Sorry about this Ra... Drummer Superstar attack!"

Franz braced himself as the superstar launched the cymbals off his drum set and fired straight at the Egyptian God, making it vanish into the graveyard.

Claudio: 1401

Franz: 4000

"I'll activate my trap card, Michizure which destroys your other monster," Franz retaliated as his trap activated and fired a purple blast, ripping the Soul Mic into shreds, adding two more stars to the skies. (WitS: 8MC)

Claudio: 1101

Franz: 4000

"Big mistake, Franz," Claudio grinned, "You just activated World of Lines' effect, by destroying a monster card of mine, I get to special summon a monster with ATK equal or less from your graveyard!"

Melody gasped, "And if that's true, then Claudio can summon..."

"Winged Dragon of Ra, time to pay back Franz for what he's done," Claudio announced as the field shined brightly. And from it emerged... the sphere of Ra? (10/?/?) "Hold on, I thought when it was revived from the graveyard, it doesn't take on its Sphere Form!"

Franz roared in laughter, "Silly boy, you must recite the Ancient text! And the only reason I know it, is because I read the translation of notes I discovered in Kaiba Corporation!"

"Big deal," Melody called out, "Claudio's probably heard you say the text already and he can recite it back!"

"It's not that simple," Pegasus said in a sad tone, causing everyone to look to him, "Once the Hieratic Text has been spoken once, Ra creates a fail-safe that changes the words to another text to recite whenever a new person prepares to recite it."

Everyone except Franz gasped.

"So, you mean Claudio can't summon it," Allyson asked.

"Of course, he can't," Franz shouted, "And once his turn has ended, it'll just wind up back inside the graveyard, giving me another chance to shut down Herr Claudio!"

"Nuts," Jaden shouted, "This is not what we needed!"

Claudio growled as he stared at the ancient text on the bottom of Ra's card _, 'Sorry Ra, thought I could help you get revenge against him... but then again, I'd be like him... no matter, I still got the cards to win this in a couple of turns, at least you'll still be free.'_

Suddenly, the Ra card shined brightly and the text started to rearrange itself...

"What..."

Then, once the card stopped shining, Claudio looked at the card again... only it had the words in English!

"I can read it..." He whispered to himself, "But how..."

He then saw a twinkle in the corner of his eye and looked to see apart of Ra, its own eye, twinkling back...

Claudio got the message and nodded, _'Thanks Ra! I owe ya one,_ ' He thought before he looked at the card's text and chanted:

"Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry.

Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.

I beseech thee, grace our humble game.

But first I shall...call out thy name,

Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Everyone gasped as the orb transformed itself... into the original Winged Dragon of Ra! (10/0/0)

"But how," Franz shouted, "You weren't supposed to be able to read it! You're not even able to control it without my Field Spell!"

"Yeah, but let's just say Ra and I have an understanding," Claudio grinned, "I won't need your card to work together!"

"He's controlling it," Melody cheered, "Now he just needs something to power him up!"

"Moving right along, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Written in the Stars," Claudio announced as a windstorm emerged and destroyed the trap card. The rooftop images changed back to leveled ground, but the stars that came from the trap, remained, "Once Written in the Stars is destroyed when it had at least 7 Message Counters on it, I can summon Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs to the field!"

The stars in the sky rained down and combined together like a laser light show, creating the Roadie of the Jukebox Heroes. (7/2500/2000)

"Roadie Riggs," Pegasus wondered, "Has that been released yet?"

"Now, I think this time calls for some music," Claudio stated, bringing out his guitar, "And since we're in this field spell, I think this song will just about do it. Especially guys like you trying to abuse your job by creating cards all about power!"

(World of Lines – Coheed and Cambria)

Claudio started to play a hard beat on his guitar and then started singing, glaring straight at Franz's eyes. He hated the oppression Ra had to go through, all because of a person who couldn't handle when someone else deserved praise. And for that, others were injured by the forced attacks of the Egyptian Gods. He really wanted to hammer it home as the Field Spell's color started to appear in the city, making it all silver.

Suddenly, Roadie Riggs and Drummer Superstar started to vanish into energy and then floated all the way inside the blue jewel of Ra's head, empowering him. (10/0-3000/0-4000) When Claudio was reaching the climax of the song, energy flowed from his body and then zoomed straight into Ra's jewel as well... (10/3000-4100/4000-5100)

Claudio: 1

Franz: 4000

Finally Ra unleashed its Blaze Cannon attack and fired it straight at Franz, blasting away the rest of his life points...

(End music)

Claudio: 1, Winner

Franz: 0

As the holograms disappeared, Claudio looked back to the Egyptian God and smiled...

'Hope no one else uses you for selfish purposes again, Ra...,' He thought.

Ra nodded in appreciation as he vanished.

"You're welcome," Claudio said and then turned to see Melody running up and hugging him.

"That was too scary," She said, "I thought you were badly burned."

"I think Ra let up on his attacks," the J-Hero duelist stated, "I guess he believed I could save him..."

"Hey Claudio," Jaden shouted, "Sweet finish, bro!"

"Thanks," Claudio smiled, "I guess Slifer's been saved as well?"

The E-Hero duelist held up the Slifer the Sky Dragon's card in reply.

"Cool!"

Then, blue lightning erupted near the beach area as a transparent blue giant appeared... Obelisk the Tormentor!

"Obelisk," Pegasus gasped.

Melody and Claudio gasped, "Alexis! She was heading in that direction!"

"Then we better go help her out," Jaden declared as he turned to Allyson, "You stay here with Pegasus and Franz, Claudio, Melody and I going to go check it out."

Allyson nodded as the trio headed in the direction of Obelisk.

 _'Just come back safe, okay,_ ' She thought, fearing what could happen to Jaden...

Phew, another chapter done, getting close to the New Year!

Ascender Lion-Heart

FIRE/ Warrior/Gemini /Level 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1000

This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it again to have it be treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: When this card attacks a monster with higher ATK, it gains 1000 ATK during damage calculation only.

Gemini Rider Hot-Trump

FIRE/ Warrior/Fusion/Effect /Level 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000

1 FIRE Gemini Monster + 1 Warrior-Type Gemini Monster

This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. This card can attack twice per Battle Phase. If this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Gemini monster from your Graveyard.

Gemini Buster

Normal Trap Card

Image: Evocator Chevalier and Future Samurai charging towards a castle as their bodies begin to ignite with energy.

Activate only while you have a Gemini Monster(s) in your Graveyard. Remove from play a number of Gemini Monsters in your Graveyard equal to the number of Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls, and destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls.

(The above three cards are inventions of Digidramon and creative credit for them goes to him. I do not own the characters who inspired Gemini Rider Hot-Trump, however, they are the properties of the Toei Company respectively.)

Quick Attack

Normal Spell

Image: Rude Kaiser wielding a battle axe as he swiftly cuts through an unknown opponent.

Select 1 Fusion Monster you Fusion Summoned this turn. That Fusion Monster may attack this turn.

(Used throughout the second and third season of Yu-Gi-Oh!, all rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Divine Evolution

Normal Spell

Image: A silhouette of a monster, possibly The Wicked Avatar, going through a monstrous transformation.

Target monster gains 1000 ATK and DEF, for as long as it remains face-up on the field. This card's activation and effect cannot be negated by any other card.

(Used by Yugi Moto and Yakou Tenma in the R manga, all rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Ra's Disciple

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

Level 4

1100/600

When this card is Summoned, you can add up to 2 "Ra's Disciple" from your Deck to your hand.

(This card was used by Franz in the GX episode Rah, Rah, Ra! All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Ritual of the Sun Dragon

Normal Spell Card

Image: 3 Ra's Disciples offering themselves to the flames in a sacred chamber, with the Spirit of Ra emerging from their bodies.

Activate this card when you have the Winged Dragon of Ra in your graveyard. Send 3 "Ra's Disciple" cards from your hand and field to the graveyard and special summon 1 "The Winged Dragon of Ra" from your graveyard. (This is treated as a Normal Summon.)

World Tour

Continuous Spell Card

Image: Three pictures in a cut image: 1. Jukebox Hero Tenacious D traveling by boat, Jukebox Heroes Slash, Nirvana and Manson, traveling by bus and Jukebox Heroes Prince of Darkness, Wild Ford and Kill Master, traveling by airplane.

If your opponent has a field spell active on the field, you may activate one of your own "Live Stage" Field Spells instead of conducting your normal draw on your Draw Phase.

Live Stage – World of Lines

Field Spell

Image: A black and white futuristic city.

When a player's monster is destroyed, the owner can special summon 1 monster from their opponent's deck with ATK equal to or less than the monster destroyed. (If the selected monster has ? ATK, it is treated as 0 ATK.) When the monster summoned by this effect is removed from the field, it is removed from the game.

(Inspiration: World of Lines by Coheed and Cambria)

(The above three cards are of my own creation and creative rights go to me.)

Written in the Stars

Continuous Trap Card

Image: A series of shooting stars falling to Earth, seen from the rooftops of New York City where the girl seen on Swing of Memories looks up at the sky.

Each time a card(s) you control is destroyed, place 2 'Message Counter's on this card. For each 'Message Counter' on this card, face-up 'Jukebox Hero' monsters you control gain 100 ATK. When this card is destroyed with 7 or more 'Message Counter's on it, Special Summon 1 'Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs' from your Deck.

Inspiration: Written in the Stars by Tinie Tempah

(Created by Digidramon, all rights go to him.)

The Winged Dragon of Ra

Level 10

DIVINE

Divine-Beast

?/?

Spirits sing of a powerful creature that rules over all that is mystic

You must Tribute 3 monsters to Normal Summon or Set this card.

When this card is summoned, its controller must first speak the line of the Hieratic Text corresponding to the effect that player wishes to activate. If that player is unable to, this card cannot attack, defend or have any of its other effects activated. The other player is then free to try and, if successful, gains control of this card.

When this card is Tribute Summoned, its ATK and DEF are the sum of the respective ATK and DEF of the monsters Tributed to summon it.

While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be destroyed by card effects, returned to the player hand/Deck or removed from play, its control cannot be switched, it cannot be equipped with Equip Cards, and the effects of Spells, Trap and other Monsters can only affect it until the End Phase of the turn. This includes the effects of "Obelisk the Tormentor" and "Slifer the Sky Dragon".

If this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard…

…it is returned to its controller's Graveyard at the End Phase of the turn.

…when your opponent has attacked with a monster, you may switch the attack target to this card in Defense Position.

…it cannot be prevented from attacking under any conditions, and can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. If your opponent controls no monsters after this effect resolves, it can attack your opponent directly, even if it has already attacked one or more times this turn.

…it is not affected by the effects of "Obelisk the Tormentor" and "Slifer the Sky Dragon", until the End Phase of that turn.

The following effects may be activated at any time of the duel:

Pay all but 1 of your Life Points and Tribute any amount of monsters you control to increase the ATK and DEF of this card by the amount of Life Points paid and the combined sum of the ATK and DEF of all the Tributed monsters. By discarding 1 "De-Fusion" from your hand or sending it to the Graveyard while it is face-down, you gain Life Points equal to the total ATK of this card, and this card's ATK and DEF both become 0; if you use this effect after you attacked with this card, the attack is negated.

Pay 1000 Life Points. Until the End Phase, any monster that battles with this card is immediately destroyed by this card's effect without applying damage calculation

(This card makes use of the effects depicted in the second series anime. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Next Time: The Final God card show down is underway. But everyone's going to want it for themselves: Alexis, to stop the injuries of innocents, Sartorius to add a powerful monster to his arsenal, but Kenji and Jason also have other ideas...

Please Review! Later!


	52. The Fist of Obelisk

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 52: The Fist of Obelisk

* * *

At the Society's Dorm, Jason, Chazz and Juli met up with Sartorius in his room after an important announcement that called them.

"I'm informing you three right now, that I am withdrawing from the tournament," Sartorius stated, earning a chorus of gasps from the elites.

"But why, Master," Chazz asked, "From the way you defeated Ojin, the Society of Light can easily win."

The SOL leader chuckled as he laid a hand on his newest acquisition, the briefcase that held the controls to Misgarth's satellite laser, "I've already won the ultimate prize... this entire world! At any given time, I could purge it completely and rebuild."

Juli's eyes widened, "Then... we don't have to participate in this tournament? We all figured it would be best if the Society were recognized as the world's greatest duelists!"

"Hmm... that would be a legacy to end this world's generation and into my own," Sartorius pondered, "But I wouldn't know about that?"

"Why not," Jason asked. He was then subjected to an angry stare from his master, making him cower.

"By all accounts, you should have lost your place in this tournament like Ojin did," Sartorius shouted, "I expected it from my many lower-class followers, but you... my second in command and my eyes and ears of the Academy... failed to defeat someone who dresses up as a knight! How can I expect my own followers to win, when my best duelist lost?"

Jason cringed, "It won't happen again, I swear it! I'll take down every duelist I see and make them see the Light if it makes you feel better; it may help you weaken resistance towards the members we have lost."

"We don't need any more stragglers," Chazz scoffed, "I can just win this hands down; or maybe I can just lay back and watch the Master take over this world already."

"Not without me you're not," Juli stated, "I haven't got much practice with my new deck, and I plan on winning this tournament with it. I never had to be saved out of a win because of someone's insecurity or influenced into summoning my best monster and then losing it in a flash!"

The Lightsworn and White Knight duelists growled at the Ritua duelist, planning to retort when...

"You know..." Sartorius interrupted, "I can wait until I eradicate this world..."

The elites stopped their bickering, and looked toward their master to give him the full attention.

"I would enjoy that the Society of Light shall be revered as the greatest of this world, before I create another," the SOL leader said thoughtfully, "So, I'll leave you all to your tournament. But once an ultimate victor is declared, I use the Satellite Laser... agreed?"

"Yes sir," the elites bowed.

"And Jason..."

The Lightsworn duelist looked back up in time to catch Sartorius' GX medallion in his right hand.

"I have something you want to know, if you want to redeem yourself," Sartorius said, "I just received word from an informant that three of Pegasus' card designers are on the island, wielding copies of the Egyptian God cards."

The elites gasped, "The most powerful cards held by Yugi Moto?"

"Exactly, but we were unfortunate that two have been dealt with," the SOL leader continued, "So, find the third and bring it to me, and I'll probably let you wield it. But do not come back empty handed!"

Jason nodded as he left out, while he had a shadow of a smile as well...

"Tch, lucky," Juli scoffed.

"Don't worry about it," Chazz smirked, "Chances are, he'll screw it up."

Unbeknownst to them, Kenji saw the whole meeting through Juli's eyes as he was already outside the White Dorm's walls...

"I knew it," the rogue SOL member grinned, "I saw Obelisk the Tormentor! And if Sartorius wants a representative of the Society of Light to defeat Obelisk, who am I to not answer the call!"

With that, he leapt off into the direction he saw Obelisk last...

* * *

Meanwhile, Alexis finally made it to the beach and looked around to find nobody there.

"Guess, I struck out finding this guy," Alexis stated, "From the photo Chumley sent me, he should be easy to find." She then took the time and fished through her deck until she came across Star Ninja Kaabii, "Part of me hopes Kenji gets here, so I can snap him out of it. Every passing day, I'm losing him... but once I do, I'll beat him and break him out of the Society's grasp. If Shion did that for Missy, I can do that for Kenji!"

"Lost someone important, fraulein? Or are you just talking to yourself?"

The Obelisk girl turned around to see a brown-haired man with a muscular build appear, dressed in a white, short-sleeved dress shirt, black pants with suspenders and black dress shoes along with it.

"Looks like, I finally come across an Obelisk Blue student to use my own Egyptian God card with," He stated.

Alexis narrowed her eyes in anger and strapped on her duel disk, activating it, "So you must be Gunter, one of Pegasus' card developers!"

"Oh, is he here," Gunter asked with a sly grin, "Perfect, I can find him and make him pay for shunning away my work!"

"Not on my watch," the Cyber Girl duelist stated, "You won't be injuring anymore students with the God cards, and I bet your two friends have already been dealt with!"

"But of course," the rogue card designer replied, "Slifer and Ra both have effects that need to rely on something to keep them powerful; Slifer needs cards in hand to stay powerful and without the right cards, he can only have 6000 ATK and DEF for a standard score. Ra either needs three monsters or enough life points to make itself known. Yet, Obelisk the Tormentor needs nothing to bring it down; with his power, he can conquer armies of duelists, special effects or not!"

"Then you don't mind proving it against two duelists at once!"

Gunter and Alexis turned their directions to the beach shack nearby. Right on top of the roof was someone that the latter recognized...

"Kenji!"

The ninja duelist jumped of the shack and activated his duel disk, ignoring the Cyber Girl duelist for the moment.

"So, Gunter was it... if you think you can take on armies of duelist with Obelisk the Tormentor, I like to see you get past me and Alexis," He boasted.

"Kenji, we have to talk," Alexis whispered to him. She then saw his hair and gasped that what Allyson said was true; it both had a black and white hair color, "Did they...?"

Kenji turned to Alexis and then gave a friendly smile, "Tried to, but suffice to say, I'm done with the Society..."

Hearing that comment sparked a happy smile from the Obelisk Girl...

"But how? I heard from Allyson... and that hair color..."

"Oh this," Kenji pointed to his hair, "Result of a duel to win my freedom, kinda permanent though... anyway, I heard about some duelist being injured by Egyptian God cards, hard to believe at first, but now I'm hearing straight from a user himself... the thing is, to make up for my earlier actions, I'll help you take down this guy... the Society's planning on taking Obelisk for more power."

Alexis nodded, but then she remembered something..., 'Wait a second... I don't think he's telling the truth, it feels like the time he led me to believe I could bring him back after he made Juli surrender that duel. I have to see how this plays out...'

"Hold on children," Gunter interrupted, "I propose this... we shall have a triangle duel, that way we can all have separate life points, instead of me having 16000 life points to your 8000 life points each. A fair go, hmm?"

"Okay," Kenji agreed, "I wouldn't want you to go back on your own challenge."

"I'm in," Alexis added.

All players drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!"

Kenji: 8000

Alexis: 8000

Gunter: 8000

"Let's go," Kenji stated as he drew his sixth card. Quickly, he placed a monster card on his tray, letting a set monster appear on the field, "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I'll go next," Alexis replied as she drew her next card as well. Then, she took two of her cards to play, "I also set a monster and add a facedown card along with it."

"Both of you are hiding from me already," Gunter grinned as he drew his sixth card, "But that's to be expected against the most feared of the Egyptian Gods!"

"So you say," The ninja duelist scoffed, "Unlike the other Gods, Obelisk has a set ATK and DEF score. That means, all we have to do is topple that and it's no longer a threat!"

"Plus, I know about Obelisk's other effect," the Cyber Girl duelist added in, "You'll need two more monsters, plus it can't attack after its use."

"Clever children, but how can you stop me when you can't touch me," the rogue card designer stated as he placed a monster card on the field, "I summon the Marauding Captain in attack mode!"

In a flash, the blonde, double-blade Captain appeared to fight. (3/1200/400)

"And that's not all," Gunter continued, placing another monster card on the disk, "Summoning him activates his special ability to summon a Level 4 or below monster from my hand, like another Marauding Captain!"

On cue, a double of the Captain appeared next to the original. (3/1200/400)

The Obelisk captor chuckled. "The classic Captain lock never gets old, ja? I'll even place one more card facedown to end my turn."

"It's so old..." Kenji began as he drew his next card, and then flipped over his monster card, "That it's easy to counteract! Reveal yourself, my new ninja!"

As the holo-card flipped over, it unleashed a monster with a black cloak and a short sword. But the strangest thing was... it was a dark painted Machine, like a wooden puppet! (3/1200/1200)

"What is that," Gunter wondered.

"Meet my newest ninja, Karakuri Ninja mdl 339," Kenji introduced, "Codename: Sazank! They derive themselves from wind-up toys from 17th through 19th century Japan know as Karakuri! And do you know why this monster is in my deck? It's in the name meaning: a mechanical device to tease, trick, or take a person by surprise!"

"Like a ninja," Alexis concluded.

"Of course," the rogue SOL member stated, "But like wind-up toys, they move in a predetermined pattern. So if they are able to attack, they must!"

Gunter laughed, "I have my monster lock, boy! Save your ninja games for someone else!"

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Kenji continued, "With this particular monster, I can send one face-up monster to the graveyard... like a Marauding Captain!"

The blue glass 'eye' on the Karakuri lit up, flashing towards the first captain and he was surrounded in a blue aura. Suddenly, the Captain vanished, making Gunter growl in frustration.

"Do you plan on destroying your own monster to destroy mine," he shouted.

"Not at all," Kenji stated as he inserted another card into his disk, "I activate my Fuhma Shuriken, boosting my Ninja's ATK by 700!"

The shuriken with the unknown kanji appeared inside the mechanical ninja's right hand. (3/1200-1900/1200)

"But don't worry, I'm not after you captain," the ninja duelist continued, "Its other effect allows a direct attack on the turn its flip summoned!"

The Karakuri didn't even need a command as it threw the shuriken like it was pre-programmed to do, shooting past Gunter and cut across his arm...

Kenji: 8000

Alexis: 8000

Gunter: 6100

"And then, I'll end my turn," Kenji smirked.

Alexis drew her next card, 'Okay, I have to be ready for when anyone attacks me. Kenji may have said he's working with me, but I'm not sure he's in it for the teamwork.'

"Before you make a move, little girl," Gunter interrupted, activating his facedown card, "I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back my Marauding Captain," he announced as the Captain emerged from the trap card, joining his double. (3/1200/400) "So, I know you can't pull the same tactic twice."

"I won't have to," Alexis stated as she placed another card on her disk, "I summon my Etolie Cyber in attack mode!" In a flash, the graceful, red-headed ballerina spun her way onto the field. (4/1200/1600) "Next, I reveal my trap card, Inverse Universe and chain it with the Allegro Toile in my hand," She continued, revealing her trap card and spell card. "First, when I normal summon a monster, Allegro Toile destroys any spell or trap card like Call of the Haunted!"

Then, the Cyber dancer spun around with her right leg out, kicking a small dagger that stabbed Call of the Haunted and shattered. It also caused the 2nd Marauding Captain to shatter as well.

"Now for Inverse Universe's effect; all monsters swap their ATK and DEF around!"

As she said that, a glitch appeared on all monsters, as their computer codes were rewritten to adjust to the new stats...

(3/1900-1200/1900-1200), (4/1200-1600/1600-1200), (3/1200-400/400-1200)

"Now, I attack your second Marauding Captain with Etolie Cyber," Alexis commanded as the ballerina advanced towards the Captain, as if she was gliding on her feet and landed a swift kick to his face, shattering him instantly.

Kenji: 8000

Alexis: 8000

Gunter: 4900

"I end my turn with that," She concluded.

"Both of you are pathetic," Gunter stated as he drew his next card, "Obelisk will still come for you both! But I'll take my time in toying with you both; I use Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!"

The grinning green pot appeared as the German duelist drew two more cards before it shattered.

"Then, I use the card Trade-In to discard the level 8 Beast King Barbaros and draw two more cards," He continued, discarding his monster and then drew two more and then held up another spell card, "Now, I use the power of Polymerization! I choose my Medium Piece Golem and Big Piece Golem together to form the Multiple Piece Golem!"

Alexis was struck with déjà vu as she saw two familiar golems appear and then disappear into a fusion vortex. Finally, the 14' tall brick golem dropped down from the vortex, rocking the earth when it landed. (7/2600/1300)

 _'He must have Obelisk in his hand right now,'_ she thought, _'after his attack goes through, he'll bring out the three Golems and then summon it!'_

"Now Multiple Piece Golem, strike down the white one's Karakuri Ninja with Massive Crush," Gunter commanded as his golem reared back its massive fist before hurling it towards Sazank. Kenji chuckled softly as the mechanical ninja suddenly went into a defensive stance and then was crushed by the Golem's fist.

"And here's the part I love most about Karakuris," the ninja duelist spoke up, "They move to defense mode whenever they are attacked, meaning my life points are safe. Also, since my Shuriken card went to the graveyard, I can deal another 700 points of damage to you!"

Gunter growled as a red aura surrounded him, draining his points...

Kenji: 8000

Alexis: 8000

Gunter: 4200

"Now I'll end my battle phase so that my Golem returns to the Fusion Deck, and then I get Big and Multiple Piece Golems to take their places on the field!"

The golem then broke down into Big Piece Golem and the Medium Piece Golem, both of which blocked by holding out the palms of their hands. (5/2100/0), (4/1600/0)

"Also, Small Piece Golem makes its place on the field since Medium Piece Golem was summoned in Big Piece Golem's presence!"

The smaller golem made its spot next to Medium Piece Golem. (3/1100/0)

"Now, I summon my Earth – Hex-Sealed Fusion," Gunter announced as he set one of his cards on his disk, bringing out a strange rock made up of stone, bone and earth. (3/1000/1600) "With this card, I can substitute a fusion material monster for an EARTH fusion monster when I fusion summon. But the best part is that I can just sacrifice it and the other monster to summon it."

Kenji and Alexis braced themselves, knowing what was coming as the strange rock morphed into another Big Piece Golem.

"Now I sacrifice my Hex-Sealed Fusion and Medium Piece Golem to fusion summon my Multiple Piece Golem once more!"

The rock monsters melded together and grew to form the giant golem and let it storm the field once more. (7/2600/1300)

"But here's another card, Card of Demise," He continued as he drew the five cards needed, "And then I conclude with two cards facedown!"

"It's my turn again," Kenji announced as he drew his card and looked over his overall hand, 'Nothing to attack with, but I can defend for now...'

He then inserted one card into his tray, letting a holographic card appeared on his field, "I end my turn."

"Then, I go," Alexis shouted as she drew, "I flip my monster from defense to attack mode as well, she's called Invader of the Throne!"

Gunter growled as the Obelisk Girl's facedown monster revealed itself to be a tan-skinned woman with long, purple hair, clad in a long, pink dress with an evil smile on her face. (4/1350/1700)

Kenji raised an eyebrow at that monster, 'Impressive...'

"Any beginner knows that when this monster revealed, I can switch control with an opponent's monster, so I'll take that Multiple Piece Golem," Alexis declared as both Invader of the Throne and Multiple Piece Golem both transporting to the other's side, "Next I use the spell card Metamorphosis to sacrifice it and summon a Fusion monster with the same level! So with your Level 7 Multiple Piece Golem, I'm able to summon the Level 7 Cyber Blader to the field!"

The large golem suddenly began to shrink as it morphed into Alexis' signature fusion monster. (7/2100/800)

"And since you currently hold three monsters, all card effects on your field," She announced as her fusion monster gave off a bright light, making Gunter's monster cringe.

"But my monsters don't have any ignition or continuous effects," the Obelisk captor protested.

"Alright then... Etolie Cyber, destroy Invader of the Throne," Alexis announced as her red-headed ballerina danced across the field and struck the throne invader in the stomach, shattering her to pieces.

Kenji: 8000

Alexis: 8000

Gunter: 3450

"Now Gunter, since you hold two monsters, Cyber Blader now has an effect that doubles her ATK!"

Gunter gasped as the light grew brighter, amplifying the Blader's power. (7/2100-4200/800)

"Now, I'll attack your Big Piece Golem with Skate Blade Slash," Alexis continued as her fusion monster charged at the rock golem...

"I activate my facedown cards, the Quick Summon spell and the Natural Selection trap card," Gunter interrupted, revealing both facedown cards, the trap card being new, "First, Natural Selection destroys any monster you control and then let's me summon a token with the same stats as the monster destroyed. Destroy Cyber Blader!"

The Natural Selection trap flashed, blinding the Cyber Fusion monster enough for an unseen force to shatter her into pixels, causing Alexis to gasp at her loss. She then got angry when a double of her monster appeared on the opposing player's side. (7/2100/800)

"And since it only lasts during your turn, it's the reason why Quick Summon activated," the rogue card designer continued, "And with three monsters in play, I can now sacrifice them to summon a monster without a true rival... the God who should be at the top of the world..."

(Play the Egyptian Gods Theme from Yu-Gi-Oh! Unreleased Scores)

Alexis and Kenji watched as Gunter's Piece Golems and Cyber Blader Token were gone in three eruptions of light...

"... I summon the Egyptian God, Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Within that same light, a giant, black shadow started to raise itself from the ground, its height started to reach higher than the tree tops. Once the light faded away, Alexis and Kenji were treated to the sight of a giant, blue behemoth of a monster. Muscles ripped throughout from its entire body and its wingspan may have been as large as the Winged Dragon of Ra's. Its head carried a row of sharp teeth, a head crest of three spikes extending from left, right and up, and its pupil-less red eyes stared down at the entire field as it growled. (10/4000/4000)

"There it is..." Alexis whispered.

"Finally..." Kenji said, but mentally relished the sight of the Egyptian God.

"You now stare at the face of the true ultimate God, Seto Kaiba himself once wielded," Gunter rejoiced, "Nothing you do can stop this massive behemoth!"

'It sure will be tough,' Alexis thought worriedly, 'I don't have the cards to even destroy that monster... but I can get at his life points and defend myself...'

'The Egyptian Gods are three of the most powerful monsters in the game,' Kenji thought with a grin, 'but I plan to prove that wrong today... by showing them a real one!'

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn," the Obelisk girl concluded.

"And its show time," Gunter grinned as he drew, and then inserted one of his cards into the field spell slot, "First I'll make sure my God obeys me with Mound of the Bound Creator!"

The ground started to shake up as it releases a stone pillar behind each of the duelists, with iron chains attached to each of them.

"Now bind him!"

On Gunter's command, the chains around the stone pillars snapped around Obelisk's neck and hands. The Egyptian God prepared to rip off its bindings, but was stopped by a massive thundershock to keep it in line.

"A Field Spell that puts Obelisk in its place," Kenji wondered.

"So that's how you control a God," Alexis shouted, "It's more like usurping its power for your own selfish needs!"

"You're in no position to talk, little girl," Gunter sneered, "In fact, you can be the first Obelisk Blue Student to fall by my God since most of them are gone," He then looked to his God Monster, "Obelisk the Tormentor, strike down the Etolie Cyber with Fist of Fate!"

The Tormentor reeled back its right fist, filling it with a black mist before it let loose with a massive punch that disintegrated the Cyber Girl before it impacted the ground. But once it did, it knocked Alexis off her feet and sent her to the ground.

Kenji: 8000

Alexis: 5600

Gunter: 3450

"And then, the effect of Mound of the Bound Creator activates," the Obelisk captor grinned, "You lose and extra 400 life points whenever a Level 10 or higher monster destroys another monster in battle!"

The Obelisk girl groaned as a red aura surrounded her...

Kenji: 8000

Alexis: 5200

Gunter: 3450

 _'A card that binds a God and deals damage as well,_ ' Kenji thought, not even flinching from Alexis' fall, _'I can use that to my advantage as well...'_

"I activate... Warrior's Pride," Alexis groaned as she activated her trap, "I bring back Etolie Cyber in defense mode!"

The trap card released a bright flash, bringing back the red-haired dancer. (4/1200/1600)

"Now my young friend, you're next," Gunter said to Kenji, as he held up a quick-play spell depicting a demon-like monster destroying a city while three warriors flee the scene, "I activate Power Collapse! This card allows Obelisk to attack again; all I have to do is decrease its power by the ATK of the monster it just destroyed."

Obelisk's power waned a bit, but felt refreshed as it roared... (10/4000-2400/4000)

"Attack directly with Fist of Fate!"

Kenji cringed as he saw Obelisk's left fist approach him, leaving him with the option of trying to dodge the attack. Quickly, he back flipped away before the giant fist hit the ground, but was still hit with some dirt from the impact.

Kenji: 5600

Alexis: 5200

Gunter: 3450

"Now it's time, I bring out my ninjas with my trap card, Damage Condenser," the ninja duelist shouted, revealing his trap card, "Now I discard one of my cards to summon a monster with ATK equal or less than the damage I've taken," He announced discarding one of his cards, "And I'll summon Ninja Commando Kabuki in defense mode!"

The trap card shined, unleashing the white armored ninja who took a defensive pose. (3/700/700)

"Then, I'll get another ninja due to his special ability," Kenji continued, retrieving another monster card from his deck, "I'll summon the Ninja of Dusk in attack mode!"

But instead of a ninja jumping out from nowhere or a puff of smoke, an orb of blue fire, about the size of a baseball appeared from the skies. Once it hit the ground, the blue flames erupted outwards making everyone except Kenji brace themselves. Within the flames, a tall, blue-haired young man was seen. He wore a dark orange jumpsuit with patchwork and stitches throughout his clothing, a wider shoulder band, and three belts across the neck, color alterations and a unique symbol on his hat. His face had red tattoos on both sides and stared through the flames with his electric green eyes. Finally, he pulled out two sharp, triple-edged blades as it fanned out and dissipated the flames. (9/3000/2700)

Alexis stood up and stared at the new monster, 'Where did he get a monster like that?'

"So, you think your God is the almighty one," Kenji announced, "Wait until you see what I bring out later..."

"Intimidating kid, but it'll take more than ninja to trash my God," Gunter stated as he set a card facedown, "But I like to see you try."

"Gladly," Kenji grinned as he drew, "Allow me to show you a demonstration, as I use his special ability! I can remove any monster my opponent controls, and its effect cannot be negated. Furthermore, the monster removed by this effect cannot return."

"It won't do you any good, kid," the Obelisk captor stated, "Or have you forgotten that Egyptian God Cards cannot be taken off the field except by battle."

"I'm well aware of that," the ninja duelist replied. He then turned his eyes at Alexis' monster, "So I'll use that ability on Alexis' monster! Activating 2128 Drain!"

Alexis gasped as Ninja of Dusk pointed his bracelet at the Cyber Girl causing a dark force to take a hold of her and then break her into digitized data.

"What are you doing Kenji," She protested, "I thought we were on the same side for once!"

"I said I'd help you take down Obelisk," Kenji replied, "But you failed to establish how we do it... I'm just preparing our friend for my monster's abilities. Besides, you do have a facedown card to protect you. So I'll end my turn with one of my own and let you have a shot.

'This is getting worse than I thought,' Alexis thought, 'He says he's left the Society of Light, but still why is he shunning me away? He has to be still apart of them!'

"Alexis!"

Everyone in the duel turned to see Jaden, Claudio and Melody approach the beach to see the duel. But also...

"Kenji's dueling?"

... Jason also made it at the exact same time.

"Oh no, the Society's after Obelisk, too," Melody gasped.

"Is he interfering with my goals again," Jason snapped and growled. But then he chuckled and said to himself, "Relax, he's under complete control of the Light. Once he wins this duel, he'll deliver Obelisk to me and then the Light will reign supreme!" He then thought, 'Of course, since Master Sartorius promised me the Egyptian God card, I will reign supreme once again... and I'll even start with that knight!'

Kenji grinned, 'Oh this is perfect! Jason thinks he's got the control, but everyone will start to lose it after this duel...'

"Hey Alexis," Jaden shouted, "We're right behind you!"

"Yeah, since Slifer and Ra are gone, all we need is Obelisk," Claudio added.

Gunter laughed, "So those fools Hanz and Franz fell to you students, ja? Then, I'll make sure to leave a mark on this island, unlike Slifer or Ra could!"

"You'll have to wait because it's my turn," Alexis interrupted as she drew her next card, "I use Monster Reborn to revive Cyber Blader in defense mode!"

The angelic ankh of the spell card flew into the air and released the fusion blader from her grave. (7/2100/800)

"And then joining her will be Cyber Tutu," the Obelisk continued as she played her next monster card, letting the young ballerina spin her way onto the field. (3/1000/800)

"And because she's currently weaker than Obelisk, she can attack directly," Alexis stated, "So attack Gunter directly with Pounding Pirouette!"

Tutu started to spin around furiously, creating a tornado to zoom past the Egyptian God and surround the rogue card designer with a flurry of kicks on all sides.

Kenji: 5600

Alexis: 5200

Gunter: 2450

After Cyber Tutu did the damage, she returned to Alexis' side of the field and stopped her spin. Finally, Alexis pressed a button her disk activating the other card, "I end my turn by activating Pixie Ring."

"Good move," Melody praised, "She created a wall to stop Obelisk from getting at her life points, plus damage Gunter every chance she gets."

"But still, after he goes... Kenji's next," Claudio stated.

"Didn't you want to end this with Alexis," Jaden wondered.

"If she can stop him and get Obelisk back in one go, I wouldn't mind," the J-Hero duelist shrugged.

"My move you brats," Gunter spat out as he drew his next card. After looking at it, he immediately placed onto his disk, "Now I summon Phantom Skyblaster in attack mode!"

Rising up from the ground, a winged, blue-skinned demon appeared purple upper body armor, with two cannons popping out of its back. (4/1100/800)

"But you triggered the second effect of Cyber Blader," Alexis countered, "My Cyber Blader's ATK doubles!"

True to her word, Cyber Blader's aura brightened and amplified her power. (7/2100-4200/800)

"Yes, but now my Phantom Skyblaster's effect activates," Gunter continued, "For every monster I control when it's normal or flip summoned, I can summon Skyblaster Tokens to the field. And that means I get two more!"

On cue, two duplicates of the Phantom Skyblaster appeared to its left. (4/500/500) x2

Unfortunately, for Cyber Blader her aura faded away... (7/4200-2100/800)

'No, now I can't use my facedown card to take down Obelisk,' Alexis gasped.

"And because of that, I can bypass all of your monster's special abilities," the Obelisk captor stated, "But now, I can activate the special ability of my Obelisk! By sacrificing two monsters, I'm allowed to obliterate every monster on the opponent's field and then deal 4000 points of damage! And since Obelisk is almighty, there are no choices involved!"

Everyone gasped as Obelisk reached down and grabbed the two Skyblaster tokens into his hands. Suddenly, both started to glow bright yellow and transformed into energy and transferred straight to Obelisk's head crest, turning it blood red.

"Obelisk the Tormentor, Soul Energy Max!"

The Egyptian God pulled back both of his mighty fists and then proceeded to strike down Alexis' Cyber Tutu and Cyber Blader, along with Kenji's Ninja of Dusk and Ninja Commando Kabuki in a massive collision of flames. It wasn't enough for damage as the flames surrounded Alexis and Kenji, causing both to cry out in pain.

Kenji: 1600

Alexis: 1200

Gunter: 2450

Once the flames blew away, both Academy and SOL duelists were on the ground with scorch marks on their clothes and skin...

"Alexis!" Jaden, Claudio and Melody cried out.

Even seeing Kenji knocked out all Jason did was marvel and grin at Obelisk's power, "I can't wait until it is mine..."

Alexis struggled to her feet, standing on unsteady feet, "If he does that again, it's over..."

Kenji flipped up onto his feet, panting hard, "No kidding... we just need to keep him from summoning other monsters..."

Gunter even loved the damage he had done, savoring the weakened forms of his opponents, "Unfortunately for me, I can't have Obelisk attack on the same turn he used his effect, so you two live until my next turn!"

Suddenly, a rumble from the ground turned everyone's attention from the Egyptian God.

"What's happening," Claudio shouted.

"An earthquake," Melody wondered.

"No clue..." Jaden stated.

Kenji smirked, "Allow me to shed some light on the subject at hand!"

Everyone looked towards Kenji as a massive object slowly started to rise up from behind him. Once it fully reaps itself from the ground, everyone could see it as a brown, near anchor-like structure. The bottom of it was shaped like large bull horns and the top with a bronze, spiked crest. The middle of it, however, was shaped to make the outline of a person as the red section looked similar to arms crossing.

Jason gasped, "Is that a... casket?"

The ninja duelist grinned, "Yes it is."

"But how," Gunter shouted, "There were no cards for you to play to summon a casket."

"Actually, it happened when you destroyed Ninja of Dusk," Kenji stated, "On the End Phase where he's been sent from the field to the graveyard... it resurrects him from the graveyard!"

Right on time, the coffin slid open and the door fell harmless to the floor. Then, stepping out of the coffin was the Ninja of Dusk, ominously staring down the monster that destroyed him. (9/3000/2700)

"What!" the Academy kids shouted.

"Resurrection," Jason exclaimed.

Kenji relished the spectators' awestruck looks as he drew his next card, "Now that my monster is back, I will show off his attacking prowess by taking down the weaker Phantom Skyblaster! Ninja of Dusk, strike it down!"

Dusk roared inhumanly and charged straight at the smaller fiend with his dark blades out by his sides. In a quick motion, Phantom Skyblaster was chopped down into bits before becoming pixilated.

Kenji: 1600

Alexis: 1200

Gunter: 550

"They're almost there," Claudio stated, "Alexis needs to make her timing right for winning this duel."

"Yeah, and she needs to make defensive move as well," Melody added.

"Either way, it's down to the wire here," Jaden said.

"Finally, I place three cards facedown and summon the Ninja of Twilight in defense mode," Kenji concluded as three facedown cards were near his feet, along with the summoning of a childlike ninja, possibly younger than Ninja of Dusk by resemblance in orange clothing but without the dark tint or patches on them. But the noticeable thing was the large, golden bracelet on the wrist. (3/1300/800)

"My turn," Alexis announced as she drew her lone card, _'Good enough to keep a defensive monster line,'_ "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

As she placed the card on her tray, the set monster appeared near her feet.

"And, I go." Gunter announced and drew his lone card before he pressed a button on his disk. It revealed a spell card showing a big, white X over the image of a knight holding up his shield, "I activate my facedown card, Stop Defense on the monster, Ninja of Twilight!"

Jason growled as Kenji's childlike ninja was forced to stand up, 'One of those facedown cards better not be a bluff!'

"I don't know if I'll like Kenji getting slammed again by Obelisk, but I hope it snaps him out of the Light's control," Claudio hoped.

"Now fall by Obelisk's fists," Gunter shouted as Obelisk reeled back his right fist and prepared to charge it. Ninja of Twilight quivered in fear, as the fist began to descend on him...

"He won't be your target though," Kenji announced as he revealed his facedown card, "I activate Monster Replace! This spell allows the monsters on my field to switch places, so that your new target is the Ninja of Dusk!"

"No!"

Suddenly, Dusk threw Twilight into the spot he previous stood, and then took the massive fist to the face, putting him to death once again. Also, a red aura burned through Kenji, courtesy of Mound of the Bound Creator.

Kenji: 200

Alexis: 1200

Gunter: 550

"You will be put down," Gunter cursed as he signaled the end of his turn, "I will not be defeated like my idiot co-workers!"

On cue, Ninja of Dusk's coffin returned and brought him back to the field once again. (9/3000/2700)

"We shall see about that," Kenji said calmly as he drew. He then inserted into his disk, "I activate my Spellbook inside the Pot, meaning three more cards for everyone!"

Everyone drew the three cards needed, providing each of them with puzzling conclusions, in which they played out a scenario in their heads...

Alexis was one of joy, 'If Kenji can defeat Gunter this turn, I can knock him down with Machine Angel Ritual and summoning my Cyber Angel Roku. With her on the field, I can use the effect of summoning Cyber Tutu and knock him down!'

Gunter had one of triumph, 'You just helped me out, Herr Kenji! I have Fires of Doomsday in my hand, summoning two more tokens; giving me enough power to silence you and the girl! You'll see why Obelisk is called the Tormentor come my next turn!'

Finally, Kenji's looked indifferent as he stared at the five cards in hand, 'Of course, I have what I want from my first four cards... but that accursed fifth card!'

In his hand, he currently held White Veil! His Light side was tempting him to play it, feeling its urges...

'No, if I play it now, I can't win... and if that happens, I'll end up in a coma and then fully under its control," the Ninja duelist thought, fighting the Light's instinct. He then gasped as he forgot about the two cards he had set, 'Of course... it's the very reason I added those cards to my deck, so I wouldn't be subjected to it. The Light wants me to play it, I'll play it; time to silence Obelisk and break out of my imprisonment!'

He then placed a monster card on the field, "I summon Ninja Soldier Katana!"

In puff of smoke, the low-class ninja appeared prepared to fight. (3/400/400)

"Next, I activate the spell card Tribute Doll and sacrifice it to summon Ninja of Dawn," He continued, inserting the spell card into his disk. Dark tendrils erupted from Kenji's graveyard and pulled the ninja inside. Then, another ninja appeared in a flash of light. He looked like Ninja of Dusk and Twilight, but looked more of a young adult and in red clothing like Twilight's. Pulling out two long knives, he stared straight at Obelisk with intent to fight. (7/2500/2250)

"None of your monsters have the power or the effects to handle Obelisk," Gunter shouted, "You'd best give up!"

"Well from my studies, I know that some effects can harm the Egyptian Gods..." Kenji smirked, "Like my Ninja of Dawn's for example, he can decrease a monster's power straight to 0! And since it doesn't destroy, I can effectively use it on Obelisk!"

"Perfect," Jason grinned, "And I can see White Veil in his hands! Even better once he plays it..."

"Ninja of Dawn activate your Data Drain," Kenji announced as Dawn raised his right arm to activate his green bracelet. As it shined, a purple gateway was created and launched mult-colored data streams, heading straight for Obelisk...

"If this connects, Kenji has it won," Jaden stated.

"Not quite, I activate my trap card," the Obelisk captor stated as he revealed his facedown trap card. It depicted an Egyptian in blue armor-like clothing that was fashioned to resemble Obelisk the Tormentor, "I activate Obelisk's Protection! When an effect targets Obelisk the Tormentor, I can special summon a monster that will take the fall! Obelisk's Disciple, come forth in defense mode!"

The trap card shined, summoning the Egyptian from the trap's artwork. He carried a large shield shaped like Obelisk's head with a weapon like the God's claws. (4/1500/1500) Suddenly, the Data Drain ability was pulled away from Obelisk and straight into his Disciple, draining him of his strength. (4/1500-0/1500)

 _'Great, even if I used my facedown card, he can block Ninja of Dusk's ability as well,'_ Kenji thought _, 'or can I...'_

"So what say you, Herr Kenji," Gunter smirked, "Are you ready to throw in the towel?"

"No, I activate my Ninja of Dusk's special ability, 2128 Drain!"

Once again, Ninja of Dusk pointed his bracelet at the disciple, letting the same dark force that held Alexis' Etolie Cyber, break him down into digitized data.

"Now that's settled, I can use my face down card Fiendish Chain," Kenji announced revealing his trap card, in which shadow chains appeared from it and wrapped around the Egyptian God, "Now all of Obelisk's effects are negated, for this turn of course!"

"Fine, but you've used up all resources to shut down Obelisk," Gunter stated, "And once your turn ends, it'll all be over!"

"Oh really, maybe I should use up any resources you have," the ninja duelist stated as he played a spell card from his hand, "I activate Exchange!"

The Society of Light member shouted. "WHAT!"

The Academy kids looked puzzled at their outburst.

"Okay, what's got them so worked up," Jaden wondered.

"Maybe Kenji's got something that they think he shouldn't give up," Melody stated.

Alexis gasped, _'It has to be White Veil... but why?'_

Kenji walked up to Gunter and snatched the card from his hand, letting him look at it...

"Monster Reborn, you could've resurrected Obelisk at any time," the ninja duelist stated as he handed over his own card, "But White Veil should assist you..."

Once the cards were exchanged, Kenji went back to his spot on the field.

"Kenji, why did you give up that card," Jason shouted.

"I'm using it aren't I," the ninja duelist scoffed, as he pressed a button on his disk, revealing as spell card depicting of a hidden hand, "I activate Hand Control! This forces you to play a card from your hand, as long as you have it. And I select White Veil!"

"And his monster doesn't have the effects to prevent Equip Cards from being played on it," Claudio said, "What's Kenji up to?"

Gunter inserted the card, "I equip Obelisk with White Veil!"

Suddenly, White Veil's card image suddenly expended a huge amount of light as the Egyptian's color went from blue to completely white!

"Now the stage is set for my ultimate monster revolt against your Egyptian God! And all I have to do is remove my three Ninja's from the game and combine to a fusion monster!"

Ninja of Dusk jumped in to the middle of Twilight and Dawn, grabbing them by their collars and then using his 2128 Drain technique to digitize them. But it caused a side effect: Dawn and Twilight erupted into flames and surrounded the Ninja of Dusk causing him to scream out in a raspy sound. Soon, his skin started to shock with electricity and turned it pitch black.

"Is he destroying itself," Melody wondered.

Her answer was quickly given when Dusk's form went bright and then held his arms up, carrying two, black wing-like objects and then shot different colors around the playing field and digitizing it. He then took the energy within himself and his eyes went bright blue.

"What?" Gunter shouted.

Soon, the body and the joints of all of Dusk's limbs erupted into blue flames and then created a soft of lower armor. His lower were now magenta leg armor with a black belt. The arms were now three long sword and claw-like weapons with a black spinning wheel attached. The head was now floating above the flames, yet right behind the body a large crest-like structure appeared behind it with a large pinwheel inside it. The new monster floated ominously above Kenji as blue flames. (12/4000/3700)

"Bow down to my God," Kenji announced, "From the entities of child, adolescent and adult comes the true ninja deity! Ninja God of the Azure Flames!"

"Another monster with 4000 ATK," Jaden shouted.

Claudio, Melody and Alexis were all in shock, and although his fellow Society Member seemed like the clear-cut winner, not even Jason could stop gawking at the God Ninja.

"He had THAT monster the whole time," the Lightsworn duelist exclaimed in fear, "And if he had that monster, then…," He stopped to think of how he had to summon his Judgment Dragon to defeat the Ninja duelist, "I..."

"You would have lost, right," Kenji grinned, looking back at the frightened Lightsworn duelists, "The whole satelliod behind Sartorius so long, you truly have weakened in your dueling prowess! The only reason Sartorius sees you as a high-ranked member is just too keep your hopes up like Bastion!"

"That's not true," Jason snapped, "I am powerful!"

"Please," the ninja duelist scoffed, "You hardly even duel... you're just like Sartorius! All of you Society of Light people morals are weak and if any one lost to him, then they are below the bottom of the barrel! And even these rogue card designers using the Egyptian Gods just to take out students... spineless!"

"Kenji, stop this," Alexis shouted, "What is wrong with you?"

"Alexis...," Kenji interrupted, "This duel was example of your misplaced guidance! Instead of trying to save me, focus on your dueling! If you did that, you wouldn't have to suffer the devastation of what I'm about to unleash!"

"What are you getting at Kenji," Claudio shouted.

"My Ninja God is impressive beyond any normal monster," the rogue SOL member replied, "Thanks to the three monsters that formed him, he gains many effects. I could spare you the details of each one, but I'll just wrap this up and just use a Kamikaze attack against Obelisk! And that will set off White Veil, taking away the rest of Gunter's life points!"

Everyone gasped...

"Time now to show who is truly a God among Duel Monsters," Kenji shouted as he turned to his monster, "Ninja God of the Azure Flames, destroy everything with Obelisk to free me from the Light!"

The God Ninja stretched out his entire body and then formed his hands, bringing in some of his flames into them. Suddenly, six sigils appeared around the main body and pointed at the flames. Green eye-like symbols appeared in the end points of the sigils and started to charge up a laser that suddenly appeared from the flames, creating a large black orb with yellow, swirling data around it and fired it. Once it reached the very top of the sky, it suddenly expanded to the size of the moon! Everyone could only watch in horror as the orb dropped like an anvil and slammed into the playing field, eradicating every single in-play card. Afterwards, the big bang came in the form of the white Obelisk the Tormentor exploding in a blanketing light, knocking Gunter, Alexis and the spectators out cold. It even went far as shortening out Alexis' duel disk...

Kenji: 200, Winner

Alexis: X

Gunter: 0, Out

Once the holograms disappeared from the area, Kenji stood tall and proud along with his hair free of the white color... also, his clothes and headband all lost the white color and became pitch black! But still, something about the way he looked gave off a threatening aura...

"Finally, I'm free of the Light's influence," the ninja duelist rejoiced, "I thought I'd have to leech off Sartorius a little longer, but now I can serve my own purpose."

He looked around to see everyone watching or participating in the duel, all sprawled out on the ground.

"So, Obelisk and White Veil had a catastrophic effect on things..." Kenji said to himself, "Oh well, as long as I never suffered. So everyone, continue to play your silly little tournament while I achieve domination. But first..."

He then walked up to Gunter's fallen form and picked up Obelisk the Tormentor's card and three GX medals the man acquired.

"No... Kenji..."

The ninja duelist turned to see Alexis straining to stay conscious, and staring at him with pleading eyes.

"Stop..."

"You still hang on to the silly hope of returning me out of the Light. You got your wish," Kenji flashed an evil grin, "But, I have no intention of returning! Now that I have the power, I can make this world into my own image after a few hindrances are out of my way. If that move hadn't shortened out your duel disk, you would've been next so I can stop your false hope. Fortune seems to smile on you a lot... but beware, since you and Claudio want me back, prepare for the upcoming battle. Darkness will soon blanket the Light... until we meet again! Keep on dueling!"

With that, Kenji left in a quick dash lost in the forest, dropping the three GX medals in front of the Obelisk Blue girl. Seeing that, Alexis lost the will to stay conscious and fell to the ground.

* * *

Soon, Jason woke back up, feeling a little dazed from the Light but not so much as to be unconscious as the rest. But seeing Kenji nowhere to be found, the Lightsworn duelist gasped and ran towards the rogue card designer and searched through his cards. When he was done, he looked furious...

"No... no, no, no! He didn't," He cried out, "My God card, it was supposed to be mine! How did Kenji purge the Light from within him? He was supposed to be a puppet, a pawn... a worker ant!"

He suddenly calmed down, dropping the cards and staring down at the fallen Gunter. He then put an evil grin of his own, "As a matter of fact, there's something else I can bring back."

Later on...

Jaden, Claudio and Melody regained consciousness after some minutes ago and saw that the beach was cleared out, except for Alexis who sat on the sand.

"Hey Alexis," Jaden said as he stood up and stretched out, "What happened here? Last thing I remembered, we saw a bright light that came from your duel and then... a blur..."

"Wait a second," Claudio gasped, "Where's Kenji?"

Alexis didn't answer...

"Alexis are you alright," Melody asked as she turned to face her silent friend, "Why aren't you...?"

Her voice was caught in her throat as she saw that the Cyber Girl duelist had an extremely sad look with tears going down her cheeks.

When Jaden and Claudio looked at her, they both gasped.

'Kenji... why do you keep on doing this to us,' Claudio thought sadly, 'can't you see you're hurting your friends, especially Alexis?'

At the White Dorm, Jason felt like he was on top of the world as he walked through the hallways. On the way, he passed by Chazz who was leaning on the wall near Sartorius' room who saw Jason empty handed.

"Weren't you supposed to bring back a card," the White Knight duelist asked with a smug smile. Jason paid it no mind as he entered Sartorius' room.

Inside the room, Jason bowed slightly to Sartorius, who was divining his cards.

"Good evening, Master," He greeted, "I see you awaited my arrival."

Sartorius never turned his head towards his subordinate as he continued to shuffle them, "I thought I would never see you again, Jason. In fact, making you a lowly servant would have ended up your punishment for failure. So tell me, do you have Obelisk the Tormentor in your possession?"

"Better..."

Jason snapped his fingers and swiftly, the doors opened to two nameless SOL members dragging a man inside and onto the ground... Gunter with white hair...

Sartorius looked up from his cards and saw the man on the ground, who stared at the SOL leader with a defeated stare. When Sartorius looked to Jason, the Lightsworn duelist replied with...

"Why settle for one mere card, when we can have countless given to us at will? Sometimes, the unreleased have the advantage..."

Sartorius gave a grin and started laughing.

Yet he never realized that one of the cards he shuffled fell off the table and landed under it.

The black card started to glow red and formed into the kanji for darkness...

Elsewhere in the forest, Kenji stared at his newly acquired Egyptian God Card with dark malice in his eyes...

Finally! I am done! Take that school work and Winter Break! Never again will you hold me back!

Natural Selection

Normal Trap Card

Activate only during your opponent's turn. Destroy 1 face-up monster your opponent controls, and Special Summon 1 "Selection Token" with the same Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, and DEF as the destroyed monster. The "Selection Token" is destroyed during the End Phase.

(Used by Yami Yugi in the second series episode, On the Wrong Track part 3. All creative rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Power Collapse

Quick-Play Spell Card

Image: A demon-like monster destroying a city while three warriors flee the scene.

Activate only during your Battle Phase. Select 1 monster that has destroyed an opponent's monster by battle. Decrease the ATK of the selected monster by the ATK of the destroyed monster. Afterwards, the selected monster may attack another monster this turn.

(Used by Yakou Tenma in the R manga chapter 30 and all creative rights go to its creators.)

Obelisk's Protection

Continuous Trap Card

Image: An Egyptian man in blue armor-like clothing that was fashioned to resemble Obelisk the Tormentor.

After activation, Special Summon this card in Defense Position; it is treated as an Effect Monster Card (Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500). Once per turn, if you control a face-up Obelisk the Tormentor, you can change the target of a card effect. (This card is also still treated as a Trap Card)

(Created by me, and all creative rights go to me.)

Ninja of Dawn

Level 7

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

ATK: 2500

DEF: 2250

Effect: Once per turn, you can either reduce the Level of an opponent's monster to 1 or reduce the ATK and DEF of an opponent's monster to 0. If you use this effect, this card cannot attack this turn.

Image: Kite from the .hack/IMOQ (Infection, Mutation, Quarantine, Outbreak) games for the PS2

Ninja of Twilight

Level 3

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

ATK: 1300

DEF: 800

Effect: Once per turn, you may flip a coin. If heads, the ATK and DEF of all monsters your opponent controls becomes 0. If tails, all cards you control, except this card, are destroyed.

Image: Shugo from the .hack/Legend of the Twilight anime

Ninja of Dusk

Level 9

FIRE

Warrior/Effect

ATK: 3000

DEF: 2700

Effect: This card is also treated as a LIGHT-Attribute monster. This card is also treated as a Pyro-type monster. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 monster your opponent controls. This effect cannot be negated. At the End Phase of the turn this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, Special Summon it (except when used as a Fusion material for "Ninja God of the Azure Flames"), this effect can only be used 3 times.

Image: Azure Kite from the .hack/G.U. games

Ninja God of the Azure Flames

Level 12

FIRE

Warrior/Fusion/Effect

ATK: 4000

DEF: 3700

Effect: "Ninja of Dawn" + "Ninja of Twilight" + "Ninja of Dusk". This card cannot be Special-Summoned, except by Fusion-Summon. This card can only be Fusion-Summoned by sending the above material from the field to the Graveyard (you do not need a Polymerization). This card is also treated as a LIGHT-Attribute monster. This card is also treated as a Pyro-type monster. When this card is on the field, you cannot control any other monsters. This card gains the following effects when the Fusion material monsters are in the Graveyard:

("Ninja of Twilight": Once per turn, you can destroy all cards the opponent controls. If you use this effect, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn. This effect cannot be negated.)

("Ninja of Dawn": This card is unaffected by your opponent's card effects)

("Ninja of Dusk": Once per turn, you can remove all cards in your opponents' Graveyard from play. You cannot use this effect if the opponent's field is empty. This effect cannot be negated.)

(All three: If this card is destroyed in battle, you can special summon 1 "Ninja of Dusk" from your graveyard.)

Artwork: Azure Kite's Azure Flame God form from .hack/G.U.

(The above 4 cards are created by Master of Death and Darkness. All creative card rights belong to him, but the characters based belong to the creators of .hack/ series.)

Obelisk the Tormentor

DIVINE

Divine-Beast

Level 10

4000/4000

The descent of this mighty creature shall be heralded by burning winds and twisted lands. And with the coming of this horror, those who draw breath shall know the true meaning of eternal slumber.

You must Tribute 3 monsters to Normal Summon or Set this card. When this card is Special Summoned from either player's Graveyard, it is returned to its controller's Graveyard at the End Phase of the turn. If this card is Special Summoned in Defense Position when your opponent has attacked with a monster, you may switch the attack target to this card. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be destroyed by card effects, returned to the player's hand/Deck or removed from play, its control cannot be switched, it cannot be equipped with Equip Cards and the effects of Spells, Trap and other Monsters can only affect it until the End Phase of the turn. By Tributing 2 monsters you control, destroy all monsters your opponent controls and inflict 4000 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points. This card cannot attack during the turn you activate this effect.

Next Time: More GX tourney duels, headlined by Allen taking on the Kabuki kid himself, Orlando!


	53. The Duel is the Stage

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 53: The Duel is the Stage!

In an empty classroom, Jaden and Claudio were taking a break from the tournament after winning duels, thinking about the previous day.

* * *

 _(Flashback)_

 _At the docks, Pegasus and Chumley were taking their leave from Academy Island from their helicopter with Hanz and Franz already in the back seats. Along with Jaden and Claudio, Melody, Syrus, Allyson and Alexis were with them too. Immediately, the Hero duelists fished out the Egyptian God cards and held them out to Pegasus._

 _"Here you go, sir," Claudio stated as he and Jaden gave Ra and Slifer to the Duel Monster creator._

 _"Thank you for the help gentlemen," Pegasus thanked as he accepted the God Cards, "I'll be sure to repay you as soon as we get Hanz and Franz back to Industrial Illusions."_

 _"But what about Gunter," Jaden wondered, "He and Obelisk are still out there..."_

 _"This what I need your help for again," the I2 president stated, "Find them and contact me as soon as you can."_

 _"I know where Obelisk is..." Alexis spoke up._

 _"Where is it," Melody asked._

 _"Kenji has it..." the Cyber Girl duelist replied, "After he used his monster destroy Obelisk, he took it from Gunter's deck before running off..."_

 _"Oh no..." Claudio groaned, "This is bad... the Society having one the Egyptian God cards..."_

 _"No, he's not with them anymore," Alexis continued as she looked to Allyson, "Remember how you said how Kenji was fighting the Society?"_

 _"Yeah," the Spirit duelist replied, "You think he meant taking Obelisk? But how'd he know about that?"_

 _"Maybe he heard about the injuries that the God cards caused," Chumley figured, "Or at least was nearby..."_

 _"That leaves what happened to Gunter," Melody said, "He couldn't have gotten far; I mean we were all knocked out after what Kenji pulled with that Ninja God of his."_

 _"At any rate," Pegasus interrupted, "We need both Gunter and Obelisk the Tormentor back soon... once you find them, keep them safe until I return... Sheppard has something he wants to discuss in private."_

 _"Got ya," Jaden nodded as he turned to Chumley, "Sorry we couldn't meet on happier days, pal."_

 _"Still, great to see everybody," the Koala duelist smiled, "Even got in some much-needed dueling time against Alex, tell him and the others I'll be seeing them later."_

 _"Will do, bud," Claudio added as Chumley and Pegasus got on the helicopter, and then flying away from the island..._

 _(End Flashback)_

* * *

"Do you really think we're ready take on Obelisk," Claudio wondered, "In Kenji's hands, he could summon all the monsters he wants to play it and then use its ability to gain victory in two turns; we'd have to find some way to stop him from summoning."

"If Pegasus thinks we can handle him, I say we should," Jaden stated, thinking back to yesterday, "Also, we need to find that last guy, Gunter. Who knows what happened to him..."

"One thing's for sure..." The J-Hero duelist sighed, "Kenji needs to be stopped... as soon as Alexis feels better, we'll start looking again."

"How's she taking it," Jaden wondered.

"How would you feel if your best friend started acting evil and now you don't know what's causing it," Claudio asked.

The E-Hero duelist could only give a sad sigh.

"Exactly..."

* * *

At the Society's headquarters, the newly brainwashed Gunter was inside of room, drawing various pictures of monsters, places and events and hanging them around walls. Looking them over was Chazz who was grinning happily...

' _I can't wait until I improve my deck,'_ Chazz thought, ' _Just having the few White Knights are not enough... I need a whole cavalry to beat down Jaden!'_

* * *

Near the main Academy building, Allyson was amid a duel with one of the many Society members of the female kind. She had wavy, red hair and a smirk.

Allyson: 1000

SOL Member: 2400

"You'll soon be a fellow member like the rest of us, Allyson," the SOL girl said as she looked over the field, "There's no escaping my Allure Queen's wrath especially after I took your Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi!"

With her on the field, another blonde woman appeared wearing a strapless purple dress with arm veils on her forearms and carried a gold scepter with a blue sapphire inside. And inside that jewel, the flaming-headed spirit tried to break free to no avail. (7/1500/1500)

"And don't bother coming after him or my Queen because with Queen's Bodyguard powered up with two Lightning Blades, I can demolish any Spirit I come across," She continued as she gestured over to the three men, a young black-haired man, an older grey-haired one and a bald, dark-skinned one, all in royal suits and carrying blades. Of course, the ones in first two men's hands were surging with lightning. (4/1700-3300/1200)

"It's not about power," Allyson stated as she drew her next card, making her hand to two, "Or when you got brainwashed... you forgot that I don't need to attack your monsters to get ahead?"

"Huh," the SOL member wondered.

The Spirit duelist smirked as she revealed her facedown card, depicting an army of zombies holding weapons and being destroyed by red lightning, "Watch this, I activate the trap card Really Eternal Rest! And this little card destroys every monster with any kind of Equip Cards on them!"

"What," the white clad girl shouted as a dark cloud loomed over her monsters, suddenly releasing red lightning upon them and shattering them into pixels, "Oh no!"

"It gets even better," Allyson continued, playing a card from her hand, "I summon Susa Soldier!"

In a flash, the silver armored Spirit appeared. (4/2000/1600)

"And even though he can only do half the damage, I'll activate Forbidden Chalice to negate the effect and grant it 400 ATK," the Obelisk announced, playing her last card which splashed holy water upon the Spirit. (4/2000-2400/1600) "Now attack directly!"

Susa Soldier drew his sword, flew across the field and knocked out the SOL girl with a thunderous slash.

Allyson: 1000, Winner

SOL Member: 0

"That's game," Allyson exclaimed as she ran up to defeated opponent and took the several GX medals near the deck, "I hope Sartorius knows that he won't win!"

* * *

Later, at the docks, Spencer also got into a duel with Society member…

Currently, the Slifer Red Headmaster had an empty field with one card in hand…

The Society Member, however, had Green, Yellow and Red Gadget on the field, standing tall. (4/1400/800), (4/1200/1200), (4/1300/1500)

Right next to the Green Gadget, a giant, metal golem stood over the field with green, yellow and red gears lodged inside of the body and turning the systems on. (8/0-3000/2000)

Finally, separating the field in half, a large wall of light was erected as a barrier to keep anything Spencer had from coming in. (WoRL: 4000 life points)

Spencer: 1200

SOL Member: 3000

"I've got you right where I want you teach," the guy grinned, "My three gadget monsters along with Stronghold the Moving Fortress and Wall of Revealing Light set to 4000, you got no chance! Of course, you caught me off guard with that Draconis Warrior Long with the effect damage, but now it can't make a threat after I used Disappear to remove it from play."

"We shall see about that," Spencer stated as he drew his next card. After looking over the drawn card, he immediately played it, showing the image of a red-scaled dragon emerging from a bronze mirror that looked like a dragon as well, "Time for my spell card! I use the power of Dragon's Mirror to fuse five dragons from my graveyard and summon Five-Headed Dragon!"

The Society member was terrified as he saw faint images of Spear Dragon, Spirit Ryu along with Draconis Warriors Heavy Wvyern, Ryu, and Double Head float into the dragon mirror that appeared. Then, with five massive roars, the Five-Headed Dragon broke out of the mirror and stood over the Wall of Light. (12/5000/5000)

Seeing the fear over the white clad duelist's face, Spencer said, "I would've set Wall of Revealing Light to 5000 at least... Five Headed Dragon, attack Green Gadget!"

The flaming dragon head started to stretch down, aiming at the Green Gadget and launched a breath of flames to melt it and make it explode.

Spencer: 1200, Winner

SOL Member: 0

The SOL duelist dropped to his knees and dropped the several medals he had won previously as the holograms disappeared. Spencer walked up to him and retrieved the medals.

"You should leave the Society, they are doing nothing for you," Spencer stated as he left out in search of new opponents.

* * *

On another side of Academy Island, Allen, Lyra and Vincent were walking up a mountain hill.

"Alright, I really need to find a day's duel around here," Allen stated as he took point. He then looked behind to see the two Ras, Lyra holding her dark umbrella and Vincent looking at the forest around the mountain, "I'd say it's nice having you two around."

"I like to see potential competition," Lyra replied, "After all, I heard if they are 8 duelists with medals left, it's going to be a tournament to end this."

"Explains why they monitor the duels, aside from the students for grades," Vincent figured, "I guess the free-for-all won't last as long, eh?"

"Some pro duelists and mainlanders haven't dueled yet, so there's no telling," the Goth said in thought.

"Yeah, the best might be coming in the later days," the Obelisk added in, "But, I think we can take 'em!"

"Someone's looking on the bright side," the Dragon/Rider duelist noted.

"Overconfidence is more like it," the Infernity duelist added.

Allen sighed and smiled, "Come on, Lyra. I know that even you would relish the challenge of taking on a pro, right?"

"More than life itself," She replied sarcastically.

The Obelisk shrugged as they continued up the hill... Suddenly, the Academy students were met with a rain of cherry blossom petals over their heads.

"What's going on here," Vincent wondered.

"It's my Grand Entrance, lady and gentlemen," A loud and grand voice called out from above. The students followed the voice to the top of the mountain and found a young man with long, white hair looking down on them. He wore white and red paint on his face along with yellow kimono on with designs of black forest on it, "Five minutes to show time, and playing the part of my next victim..."

He then pointed to the duelist in the Blue Blazer...

"...is you!"

Allen raised an eyebrow at his would-be opponent before turning to Lyra and Vincent, "Do you guys know who he is?"

"No..." Lyra stated.

"Then, I guess you two haven't been to many Kabuki theaters," Vincent spoke up, "This is Orlando, a Pro duelist who's also a Kabuki actor."

"I'm a household name," Orlando announced proudly, "What rocks have the ones in blue and black been living under?"

"Hawaii and Academy Island," Allen replied.

"Show a little respect," the Kabuki actor shouted, "You're in the presence of a living legend, dueling artiste and the only Kabuki actor-turned-duelist in the Pro League!"

"He's really hamming it up, huh," Vincent asked.

"I'd like to see if he's all talk," Lyra stated.

"Then, I'll be the one to duel him," Allen grinned, "Finally, I found an opponent!"

Orlando crouched down, looking straight at the Obelisk, "You in the blue costume, what's your stage name?"

"It's Allen," he replied.

"Very well, Allen, you and I shall do battle," the Kabuki actor announced, "But would you like to borrow some makeup or eyeliner before we get started?"

The Academy duelists looked at him strangely, before Allen replied with, "No thanks, I'm good."

* * *

Soon, Allen, Lyra and Vincent made it to the top of the mountain as the Obelisk faced the Pro duelist.

"Ready, Orlando," Allen asked.

"A master of the performing arts is always ready," Orlando shouted as both players activated their duel disks...

"DUEL!"

Both players drew their opening hands...

Allen: 8000

Orlando: 8000

"I shall begin," Orlando announced dramatically as he drew his sixth card. Immediately, he placed as spell card into the field slot, "Time for the first act to begin, and the scene will be Kabuki Stage – Big Bridge!"

A puff of smoke surrounded the playing field, soon unleashing a wooden stage in the style of an old Japanese Mansion. Then, it soon opened to a backdrop of a large wooden bridge under a clear blue sky.

"He's got stage cards like Claudio," Vincent wondered, "I wonder how this card will help his monsters..."

Orlando laughed, "My stages always help out my actors! Picture this: a large, wooden bridge on a summer's morn; the first act of my play!"

"Bravo! Bravo!"

Everyone turned to see Crowler and Bonaparte sitting under a tree, having a small picnic.

"Oh joy, a fan club..." Lyra droned before she turned her attention to the duel, "Like this day can't get any worse..."

"Next, I bring out the first actor... Yoshitsune, the Goblin of Beauty," the Kabuki duelist announced as he placed the monster card on his duel tray, bringing out an androgynous male with a pale face and black hair tied in long tail by a white tassel. His outfit consisted of a white kimono with blue outlines on the bottom, covered in a clear veil and held a white sword in his scabbard. (4/800/800)

"And scene," He concluded.

"Well, I've always wanted to be a part of a play," Allen announced as he drew his sixth card, "And here's my supporting actor, the Royal Knight!"

As the fairy duelist placed his card on the field, a white-armored synthetic angel appeared with large, white wings and a short, purple sword. (3/1300/800)

"Attack the Goblin of Beauty," the Obelisk announced as his angel leapt into action and prepared to cross swords with the Goblin of Beauty...

"Hold that pose," the Kabuki duelist interrupted, "When he's attacked by a monster with at least 1000 ATK, Yoshitsune switches to defense mode!"

Instead of moving his hand towards the sword, the kimono clad man kneeled.

"He'll still be destroyed, even if no battle damage will be dealt to you," Allen stated. But soon, he was unprepared for the next move as Yoshitsune quickly flipped into the air with grace once the Knight swooped in to strike, "Huh?"

Orlando smirked, "When in defense mode, my actor cannot be destroyed in battle! So, my leading man gets to stay for another scene! And your attack also activated my field spell's effect, introducing another monster whenever a player's monster is attacked," He took another card from his hand and placed it on the field in attack position, "So I summon the Armed Samurai – Ben Kei!"

A samurai in a white hood and green tunic appeared carry various weapons on his back. He looked like he was in a very tough battle as arrows were in his limbs, yet still able to fight. (4/500/800)

"I set one card facedown and end my turn," Allen concluded, "I wonder what else you have in store..."

"Allow me to show you," Orlando stated as he drew his next card. He then placed one of them on the field, "Time to begin the next act, I switch Yoshitsune to attack mode and summon a supporting actress, the Beautiful Headhuntress!"

As the Goblin of Beauty stood upright, a flash of light brought out a beautiful woman with her blue hair in an exotic hairstyle, dressed in a blue kimono and pink obi. She also wielded a large cleaver that she held out in front of her. (4/1600/800)

"Next, I equip Ben Kei with the spell card, Fairy Meteor Crush," He continued, inserting the card into the disk and giving the samurai a white aura, "Not only it allows him to inflict piercing damage, but with another equip card he can attack an additional time. And to properly prepare for your upcoming actor, I use another spell card, Dramatic Pose!"

Another spell card appeared, revealing a man with white face-paint with red and blue markings.

"How does this prepare you," Allen wondered.

"This spell takes away 500 ATK from your Knight and simply adds 500 to my cast of characters," Orlando replied as Royal Knight's power began to wane from its body... (3/1300-800/800)

Then, Orlando's monsters became more powerful with their intimidating gaze... (4/800-1300/800), (4/500-1000/800), (4/1600-2100/800)

"I'd say he prepared pretty well," Lyra stated, "With enough attack power, Allen's next monster might end up defeated along with Royal Knight."

"Now prepare for the fight scene," the Kabuki duelist announced, "Yoshitsune, attack Royal Knight with your Great Blade attack!"

The Goblin of Beauty drew his sword and then charged across the stage to slash Royal Knight in half.

Allen: 7500

Orlando: 8000

"Nice shot, but I can still use your Field Spell's effect," Allen stated as he took another monster card from his hand and placed it onto his field, "I summon Nova Summoner!"

A bell rung, alerting his opponent to the flying fairy wreath that emerged onto the field... (4/1400/800)

"Yes, but your monster is no match for the Beautiful Headhuntress," Orlando shouted as he signaled his monster to attack with her cleaver, "Now let's strike down your fairy monster!"

The head-huntress yelled out a battle cry as she chopped down the Nova Summoner into pieces.

Allen: 6800

Orlando: 8000

"And this was your big mistake," the Obelisk stated as he retrieved a monster card from his deck, "By destroying my Nova Summoner, I can summon a LIGHT Fairy-Type monster with up to 1500 ATK. And I pick out this one, another Nova Summoner!"

The remains of the wreath shined and recreated another form to bring out the small, inverted pink blob standing on its card image. (3/1400/800)

"So you've ceased my performance for this turn," Orlando stated as he took a spell card from his deck and replaced it with his field spell, "The time is mid-afternoon, so I change the scenery to Kabuki Stage – Cherry Blossom Mountain!"

The backdrop of the bridge was now replaced with a large, cherry blossom tree spreading its petals.

"And now I end my turn, causing the effects of Dramatic Pose to cease," He concluded as his monsters lost their power boost.

(4/1300-800/800), (4/1000-500/800), (4/2100-1600/800)

"I cannot think of a more pleasant way to spend the afternoon," Bonaparte smiled.

"Here's to find theater and Orlando's victory," Crowler said as he and his partner toasted their cups.

"I can see that he's different from Claudio using his field spells," Lyra stated, "This guy will probably cycle his, instead of keeping only 1 or 2 in his deck."

"My move then," Allen said as he drew his next card. He nodded as his find and then replaced it with his other monster, "I sacrifice my Nova Summoner to summon my Majestic Mech – Goryu!"

The spectators gasped as the summoner erupted into a pillar of light and brought out a large, serpentine-like dragon. Its color alternated from white to gold as its long tail whipped out, large wings spread out and its head let out a power roar. (8/2900/1400)

"That is not a fairy monster," Vincent exclaimed, "I know the Majestic Mechs are fairies, but it looks too much like a dragon!"

"Hey, that's a level 8 monster," Bonaparte protested, "Someone better eject that kid from the theater."

"And I bet that's not in the programs," Crowler shouted.

"And maybe you should chill out," Allen replied to the faculty member, "By sacrificing one monster I can still summon it, but it's destroyed at the end of the turn. And I'll make the most of it by attacking the Beautiful Headhuntress!"

But before Goryu could make a move, a storm of blossom petals blocked his view of Orlando's side.

"What's going on now," Lyra wondered.

Orlando laughed as he announced, "It's my field spell going into play! I first block my opponent's attack and then redirect it! My signature move, if you will!"

Goryu then made his move, flying into the eye of the storm.

"Your target will be... Yoshitsune," the Kabuki duelist continued as the Goblin of Beauty appeared within the petal storm, taking a defensive stance, "And of course, he moves to defense mode to save my life points!"

Allen grinned, "Not this time, because Goryu's effect allows piercing damage against any defense position monsters!"

"What?" Orlando, Crowler and Bonaparte shouted as the Majestic Mech unleashed a blast of thunder aiming for the Goblin of Beauty. Yoshitune quickly flipped over the attack, but quickly realized he left Orlando wide open to take the fall as he heard a wailing scream from the Kabuki duelist.

Allen: 6800

Orlando: 5900

"Orlando certainly was shocked to feel that," Vincent said as he popped a sucker in his mouth, "Excuse the pun."

"I am," the Infernity duelist stated.

"And to finish my turn, I'm placing one card facedown and trigger the trap card, Light-Imprisoning Mirror," Allen concluded as he inserted a card into his disk, and activated his facedown card to create an Egyptian Mirror.

Orlando took his time to stand up and face his opponent, "Impressive, but now your monster has to leave the stage and take his final bow!"

Goryu started to spark with light.

"He'll make his encore soon because Light-Imprisoning Mirror will cancel the activation of a LIGHT monster's effect," the fairy duelist countered as the mirror shined and absorbed the light from Goryu, keeping him in play, "And that only goes for his destruction effect, the piercing effect won't be touched!"

"So, your monster's safe," Orlando stated as he drew his new card, "But now it's time I took the stage by placing one card facedown, and activating Card of Demise, adding five new cards from my deck!"

Once he drew his needed cards, he checked them over and smiled.

"For every leading man, there is a leading lady," He announced as he played his card, "Introducing the lovely Shizuka, the Heavenly Dancer!"

From the cherry petals, a lovely woman with her black dressed in a red and white kimono, carrying two white fans. (3/300/600)

"Then, I give her the New Year Drum I just set to end my turn," Orlando concluded as one of the fans in Shizuka's hands was replaced with a small drum.

"Alright, it's my turn again," Allen announced as he drew, "I summon Majestic Mech – Ohka without a sacrifice!"

In another pillar of light, a large foxlike Majestic Mech appeared with red sigils all over its body. (6/2400/1400)

"Now, let's start the battle with Goryu," He announced as the Field Spell launched blossom petals across the field.

"Goryu shall now face his new target, Shizuka," Orlando announced as the Heavenly Dancer appeared within the view.

Allen gasped, _'He wants me to attack her knowing she has 300 ATK?'_

"Why would Orlando choose the weakest monster he has an attack target," Vincent wondered.

"I shall now tell you about Shizuka's special talent," the Kabuki duelist smiled, "Whenever she becomes the target of an attack, I automatically gain 600 life points!"

Crowler and Bonaparte started to applaud as Shizuka started a dazzling Kabuki-style dance while tapping her drum.

Allen: 6800

Orlando: 6500

"Okay, but you're about to lose 2600 life points because of her being the attack target," Lyra interjected.

"Not at all, Goth one," Orlando stated. "Shizuka can now activate New Year Drum's effect to summon Battle Claw Fox and forces Goryu to attack her instead!"

A white aura emerged from the drum, bringing out a silver-haired, pale woman in a pale blue kimono. The scary thing about her, aside from her facial expression, was the long, red fingernails she had on her. (4/800/800)

But soon, she was quickly struck down by an electrical force, extinguishing her spirit from the field.

Allen: 6800

Orlando: 4400

"Also, when Battle Claw Fox is targeted, the monster she does battle with is destroyed as well during the end of the turn," Orlando smirked, "So, despite preventing your monster's death from its own effects, they'll leave the stage by my own doing."

"Oh man, if Allen attacks he could take down another 1000 points," the Dragon/Rider duelist stated, "But he'd destroy it in the end..."

"If he wants to stay in the duel, there's only one move to take..." Lyra added.

"I'll end my turn...," Allen concluded.

Orlando smiled as he announced, "Goryu, exit stage left..."

Suddenly, the spirit of Battle Claw Fox emerged from the Majestic Mech dragon and shattered it from the inside out.

"Time for my next act," Orlando said as he drew his next card, "It's time to bring out a new actor. But first, I activate the Garma Sword Oath spell card!"

As Orlando inserted his spell card, a circle of blue flames appeared in the middle of the field.

"You're gonna Ritual Summon this time," Allen wondered.

"Precisely, my friend," the Kabuki duelist replied, "And this ritual dictates I need to sacrifice at least 7 stars worth of monsters to complete it. So Yoshitsune, Ben Kei... it is time to make your final bow!"

Both the Goblin of Beauty and the Armed Samurai stepped into the flames and let themselves be engulfed inside.

"Introducing the devil samurai himself, the Garma Sword..."

Jumping out of the flames, a silver-armored six-armed man with a skeletal looking face appeared. He snarled as he swung his six blades around and stood poised to attack. (7/2550/2150)

"Oh man," Allen mumbled as he prepared for the attacks to come...

"Now Garma Sword, attack his Majestic Mech - Ohka with Hexagonal Blade Slash," Orlando commanded as his ritual monster leapt at the synthetic beast and started to hack and slash away, chopping it down into pieces around Allen.

Allen: 6650

Orlando: 4400

"And now, you are out of monsters so that my Beautiful Headhuntress may wage a direct attack," He continued, letting his cleaver wielding headhunter slice across the Obelisk's chest.

Allen: 5050

Orlando: 4400

"Finally, Shizuka will strike down more of your life points," He concluded as the Heavenly dancer waved her fan to spread another cherry blossom petal storm across the fairy duelist's body.

Allen: 4750

Orlando: 4400

"Encore! Encore!" Crowler and Bonaparte applauded as the Kabuki duelist close the gap in scores.

"Will they ever shut up?" Lyra wondered, feeling irritated by the outburst of her teachers.

"They really need too," Vincent added.

"This act is over," Orlando concluded, "And soon, the show will end in my favor."

"It's not over yet," Allen countered as he drew his next card. Immediately, he set that card on the field, "I'll set one monster on the field and end my turn."

"Very well," Orlando said as he drew his next card, "But now, I'll think I can take the lead! Beautiful Headhuntress, attack with his facedown monster, now!"

The cleaver wielding girl charged down the stage and chopped down the facedown card... but she didn't count on the two floating angels that emerged and moved away from the blade as they laughed. (4/1700/0)

Orlando grumbled as Allen explained, "Sorry, but Gellenduo can't be destroyed in battle, despite the low defense points!"

"Nice, if Allen can get a high-level monster into his hand, he can stop Garma Sword," the Dragon/Rider duelist stated.

"My turn again," Allen said as he drew and saw his choices, 'I hope he can't stop this move...' "I activate Big Bang Shot on your Garma Sword!"

Everyone gasped as Garma Sword reveled in the burning aura he received from the equip spell. (7/2550-2950/2150)

"I end my turn here," He concluded.

"Is he bonkers," Crowler shouted, "He just gave Orlando the upper hand!"

"As long he wins, right," Bonaparte scoffed, "It's not our fault Allen made a stupid move!"

 _'He made an impressive one, actually,'_ Orlando thought _, 'since he controls Big Bang Shot, I'll take all the piercing damage. But I must be careful, he can destroy Garma Sword anytime he wishes...'_ He then drew his next card and looked towards his opponent, "And I switch Beautiful Headhuntress to defense mode and end with two cards facedown," the Kabuki duelist continued as he inserted two cards into his disk, "Clever, but I saw through your ruse, fairy duelist!"

Allen groaned as he drew, "Well I have your monster in the palm of my hand, and I'll sacrifice my Gellenduo for another fairy monster. And that allows me to summon a double tribute monster, like Athena!"

The twin fairies vanished into a searing light, firing into the skies. Later, a silver-haired woman in a white toga, sliver helmet appeared wielding the Aegis Shield and three-pronged trident. She gave a stern look to her master's oppressors. (7/2600/800)

"Did he just summon the Greek Goddess of defensive war and wisdom," Vincent wondered.

"That's what it appears to be," Lyra replied, "But with 2600 ATK, he'll need to set up some defense."

"Taken care of," the Obelisk grinned, as he activated another card from his hand, "But first, I use Magic Planter to destroy Light Imprisoning Mirror and draw two cards!"

The mirror shattered, letting Allen draw two more cards.

"Moving on, I use another spell card, Monster Reborn to revive a monster from my graveyard, my Nova Summoner," Allen announced as the fairy wreath returned to the field. (3/1400/800)

"You think two weaker monsters will stop me and Garma Sword," Orlando challenged.

"By using Athena's special ability, it'll lower some of your ratings, so to speak," the Obelisk replied, "When a fairy-type monster is summoned in her presence, I can deal 600 points of damage to you!"

Orlando gasped as the Goddess of war charged a bolt of lightning and unleashed it near his feet, making him jump.

Allen: 4750

Orlando: 3800

"Next, I activate Athena's second effect, letting me summon another fairy monster by giving one up," He continued as he took Nova Summoner from his field, and replaced it with another monster from his graveyard, "I send Nova Summoner back to the graveyard and summon Majestic Mech – Goryu!"

Nova Summoner vanished into the light and brought back the large, Majestic Mech Dragon. (8/2900/1400) Athena then fired another lightning bolt at Orlando once more, but he dodged it again.

Allen: 4750

Orlando: 3200

"Next, I spring my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Big Bang Shot," Allen announced as a harsh windstorm appeared and shattered the spell card image.

"And by destroying that card, Garma Sword is removed from the game," Lyra nodded as the six-armed warrior roared in agony while vanishing into thin air.

"Let's see you get out of this! Goryu, make your attack," the Obelisk announced as the cherry blossom blizzard started again.

"Goryu shall face, the lovely Shizuka," Orlando announced, bringing the heavenly dancer into view, "But now, her effect activates granting me 600 life points..."

Allen: 4750

Orlando: 3800

"And then New Year Drum activates, summoning Battle Claw Fox as your new attack target," the Kabuki duelist continued as another pale, ghost woman appeared with her fierce, claw-like fingernails. (4/800/800) Soon it was met with a giant thunderbolt from the Majestic Mech, obliterating her from the field.

Allen: 4750

Orlando: 1700

"Now, I end my turn with another facedown card," Allen concluded, inserting another card into the disk. Afterwards, the spirit of Battle Claw Fox appeared from inside Goryu and ripped it apart.

"He's got him down to the low numbers," Vincent cheered.

"Splendid performance," Orlando praised as he drew his next card, "But now, it's that time again to change the scenery!"

"Finally, another act," Bonaparte praised.

The Kabuki duelist soon replaced his field spell, with one from his deck, "Now the time is midnight and the scene is Kabuki Stage – The Rough Seas!"

Once again, the backdrop became replaced with a boat traversing through a stormy sea at dark.

"This card lets me take a monster from my deck and add it to my hand," Orlando announced as he complied with the spell card's effect, and then shuffled his deck, "Next comes the dreaded trap card, Xing Zhen Hu Replica to lock down your hidden card! And for a bonus, no other card can be activated in response!"

Allen gasped as a large weight appeared on his face down card, flattening it to the ground, _'I could've stopped whatever he was summoning with that card!'_

"Now, I sacrifice both Shizuka and Beautiful Headhuntress and summon Genghis Ghan – The Emperor Dragon! This actor won't share the spotlight," Orlando shouted as both women transformed into a light beam and disappeared behind the stage. But emerging from behind it, a large, gold-scaled Chinese Dragon appeared and let out a monstrous roar straight at Allen, Athena and Goryu. (8/2800/2300)

"Big dragon," Vincent shrugged.

"Please, I've seen monsters with more height than that thing," Lyra stated blandly.

"Now, attack Athena with your Golden Cannon Blast," Orlando announced as his dragon opened his mouth to reveal a cannon inside, shocking everyone in the moment. After a quick charge, Genghis Ghan fired a blast at the Goddess, blowing her to pixels.

Allen: 4550

Orlando: 1700

"You really stepped up your battle plan, eh," Allen praised.

"If you mean my performance, then yes, I have," Orlando stated, "But for the moment, I must turn the stage over to you."

"Appreciate the kindness," the Obelisk replied and drew his next card, "I start by activate your field spell card, adding another monster to my hand," He stated, placing another monster card into his hand and reshuffling the deck, "Next, I use Pot of Avarice, returning Athena, the two Majestic Mechs, and the two Nova Summoners to the deck and draw two cards!"

After taking the five mentioned monsters out of his graveyard, Allen reshuffled them into his deck and then drew two more. What he saw put a smile on his face...

"I activate my Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen spell card," He announced as the heavenly halls of Valhalla appeared right behind him, "And with this card, I can special summon any fairy monster from my hand, and guess what I drew!"

As he slapped the next card, everyone gasped as Goryu returned to the field with a large roar! (8/2900/1400)

"He's back again!" Orlando shouted.

"That's right! Attack Goryu!"

The Majestic Mech fired off a blast of lightning, reaching towards the Chinese dragon.

"Not quite, my young friend," the Kabuki duelist grinned as he activated his facedown card. It depicted a man in Kabuki clothing like Orlando's unleashing numerous white strings across the area, "You triggered the trap card, Thousand Strings! This will negate the attack and cause all monsters to lose all of their ATK!"

Allen gasped as a thousand white thread strings wrapped around both monsters and drained them of their strength. (8/2800-0/2300), (8/2900-0/1800)

"He drained them of their power," Crowler shouted before taking a sip of his tea.

"It's not exactly a smart move," Bonaparte added, scratching his head.

"I end my turn by setting a facedown card," Allen concluded, "Not much to do for both of us."

"It's time for the plot twist," Orlando stated as he drew his next card, "For my standby phase, if Genghis Ghan's attack points have decreased, it returns the points to its original value! So, it becomes strong once again!"

"No way," the Obelisk shouted as the Emperor Dragon felt its strength return and broke itself from the strings' hold. (8/0-2800/2300)

"Allen's into some deep trouble now," Lyra stated.

"And then next, I shall attack your weakened Majestic Mech with Golden Cannon Blast," Orlando shouted as his dragon fired another golden blast, obliterating Goryu off the field.

"Hold on," Allen countered, revealing his facedown card, "I activate Begone, Knave! Whenever a monster inflicts battle damage, I can return that monster to the player's hand!"

The golden blast extended towards the fairy duelist, dealing him the damage...

Allen: 1750

Orlando: 1700

...Yet, the continuous trap card shined deep purple and blasted Genghis Ghan off the field, forcing Orlando to retrieve into his hand.

"Good move," Lyra said, "Now he's got a clear shot at his life points."

"It can't end like this," Crowler exclaimed.

"We won't be able to see his victory kabuki dance," Bonaparte shouted.

The two Ras looked at the two faculty members with puzzled looks, "Victory kabuki dance?"

"Not to worry," Orlando stated as he placed a monster card on the field, "I shall summon the Samurai Sword Baron in defense mode to defend my points!"

Jumping out from the stage, a man wearing an elaborate green and white dogi, carrying two green katana in his hands and blocking his body... (4/1600/1200)

"And to end my turn, I'll play this card," He concluded, playing another spell card. It depicted a Kabuki actor performing various stage tricks, "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Keren! To do this, I discard one monster from my hand and it deals damage equal to half of that monster's ATK! But I had to have another monster on the field to do that, and I'll discard my Genghis Ghan to damage you!"

The Samurai stood up and performed a strange sword dance. During the dance, the Spirit of Genghis Ghan emerged from swords and charged straight through Allen, knocking him on his back.

Allen: 350

Orlando: 1700

"Now do you see the impressive art of my dueling," Orlando rejoiced, "It's impossible to defeat me!"

Allen raised himself off the ground and drew his next card, "Oh yeah, it's impressive... but I have to disagree on your theory of beating me, after what I just drew!"

"Oh, I would like to see if you can back up your words, Allen," the Kabuki duelist challenged.

"Be happy to," the Obelisk smiled as he played the card he just drew, "I summon Victoria," He announced, bringing out the elegant woman riding the four-headed dragon. (4/1800/1500)

Orlando smirked, "It may best my Baron, but you won't be able to summon any more of your monsters to strike at my life points!"

"You're right, but Victoria has a special ability you'd wanna know," Allen countered, "Once per turn, I can summon a Dragon-Type monster your graveyard, and I think you know which card I want!"

The Kabuki duelist gasped horribly when a golden light shot out from his graveyard slot and transported itself behind Allen, forming into the golden Chinese dragon once more. (8/2800/2300)

"Speechless, right," the Obelisk continued, "Allow me to issue the final act! Genghis Ghan, destroy Samurai Sword Baron!"

The dragon roared out and unleashed its golden blast, destroying the samurai.

"Now Victoria, end this with Dragovian Radiance!"

Orlando could do nothing as the dragon riding fairy raised her scepter at him and unleashed a searing light. Not only did it blast away the remainder of his life points, but it also knocked off the white wig he had!

Allen: 350, Winner

Orlando: 0

Orlando fell flat on his back as the holograms disappeared.

"Alright, he won," Vincent cheered.

"After that last move, obvious," Lyra stated, "But at least he pulled it off..."

* * *

Soon, Crowler and Bonaparte packed up their picnic and started to leave as the sun set...

"Tragedies are so depressing," the toy soldier duelist sighed.

"And we didn't see that victory dance, either," the Ancient Gear duelist added, "Oh well..."

As they left, Allen watched them continuing to sulk...

"Oh yeah, they did keep taking about that victory dance thing..." He muttered.

"Allen..."

He then turned to see Orlando back on his feet, and still without the wig...

"It was an impressive match," He stated as he handed over the GX medals on his possession, "You've truly shown the art of dueling, and I bet you'll become a great pro someday."

"Thanks," Allen replied, accepting the medals, "I'm glad to have fought a Pro with a style such as yours."

"You're most welcome," Orlando smiled, "In fact, for giving me such a proud and hard fought duel, I'll treat you and your friends to my victory dance!"

"Are you sure, I mean you didn't win..." Vincent asked.

"Nonsense," the Kabuki duelist shouted as he put his wig back on and started to perform a random Kabuki dance...

* * *

Kabuki Stage – Big Bridge

Field Spell Card

Image: A large wooden bridge under a cloudy morning.

Once per turn, if a monster is attacked, that monster's controller can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below monster from their hand in Attack Position at the end of the Damage Step. During your Main Phase, you can send this card from the field to the Graveyard to activate 1 "Kabuki Stage" Spell Card from your Deck.

Kabuki Stage – Cherry Blossom Mountain

Field Spell Card

Image: A cherry blossom tree in a clear afternoon.

When a monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned, change the monster(s) to Attack Position. When a player declares an attack, their opponent selects the attack target. During your Main Phase, you can send this card from the field to the Graveyard to activate 1 "Kabuki Stage" Spell Card from your Deck.

Kabuki Stage – The Rough Seas

Field Spell Card

Image: A stormy night creating rough waves among the sea.

During each player's Main Phase 1, the turn player can select 1 Monster Card from their Deck and add it to their hand. During your Main Phase, you can send this card from the field to the Graveyard to activate 1 "Kabuki Stage" Spell Card from your Deck.

(A/N: I added the activating the Kabuki Stage from the Deck abilities for Big Bridge and Rough Seas, because it would actually fit along with Cherry Blossom Mountain)

Yoshitsune, the Goblin of Beauty

EARTH

Warrior/Effect

Level 4

800/800

When this card is selected as an attack target by an opponent's monster with 1000 or more ATK, change this card to Defense Position. While this card is in Defense Position, it cannot be destroyed by battle.

Shizuka, the Heavenly Dancer

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 3

300/600

When this card is selected as an attack target by an opponent's monster, gain 600 Life Points.

Genghis Ghan – The Emperor Dragon

DARK

Dragon/Effect

Level 8

2800/2300

Whenever this card's ATK decreases, it becomes 2800 during your next standby phase.

Battle Claw Fox

EARTH

Beast-Warrior/Effect

Level 4

800/800

If this card is attacked by an opponent's monster, destroy the monster that attacked during the End Phase.

New Year Drum

Equip Spell

Image: A small hand drum played in many Japanese festivals.

When the equipped monster is selected as an attack target, Special Summon 1 "Battle Claw Fox" from your Deck and switch the attack target to that monster.

Dramatic Pose

Normal Spell

Image: A kabuki actor's face painted with blue and red markings, up close and personal.

Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Until the End Phase, it loses 500 ATK and all face-up monsters you control gain 500 ATK.

Thousand Strings

Normal Trap Card

Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Negate the attack. The ATK of all face-up monsters on the field becomes 0 until the End Phase.

(The Preceding cards were used by Orlando in the GX episode The Art of the Duel. All rights go the creators of the anime)

Keren

Quick-Play Spell Card

Image: A kabuki actor performing 'flying' stage trick.

Activate only when you have a monster on your side of the field. Discard 1 monster from your hand. Inflict damage equal to half the discarded monster's ATK.

Inspiration: Keren are stage tricks performed by Kabuki actors.

(This is my creation and creative rights go to me.)

Next Time: We get a look at some Pro duelists facing duelists, how will they fare against the new decks acquired by the Society of Light?

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	54. Pro League Dueling

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 54: Pro League Dueling

* * *

Inside his room, Sartorius started to divine his cards while Gunter stood up against the wall. The tarot reader flipped over one card, the Tower card in the upright position, making him chuckle a bit.

"Looks like you'll soon cause quite a stir with your new cards, my friend," Sartorius said to Gunter, who didn't give a response, "At least I was able to gain one powerful asset after another..."

The door to his room opened, showing Ripley stepping in.

"Master, the two duelists you've requested are here," She announced.

"Send them in," the SOL leader replied as the cosmic duelist left out. A minute later, she returned with two more SOL boys walked in and stood before the leader. The first had black hair in a bowl-cut style and a giant white clock around his neck. The second had slightly unkempt brown hair and white fingerless gloves on his hands, "Welcome Gentlemen, I have some tasks for you."

"Whatever you wish, Master," the boys responded simultaneously.

"Gunter, the decks please," Sartorius demanded of the card designer, as Gunter picked up two deck cases and handed one each to a respective member, "Today, more Professional duelists are coming to participate in the GX tournament. We need you two to duel them and turn them over to our cause. I'd normally send my others... but I have more pressing matters for them."

"Consider it done, Master Sartorius," the clock-wearing member bowed.

"And we'll certainly bring back some good ones, too," the gloved member replied and bowed as well.

* * *

(Hours later...)

Syrus and Hassleberry were walking along the many pathways of Academy Island, looking around for more opponents after their required wins...

"I still don't understand why we should look out for more opponents," Syrus whined as he followed the dino duelist.

"Where's your courage private," Hassleberry shouted to the shorter Ra, "I mean you win your match, impressive I may add, but now you're going back to the same wimpy kid!"

"So what," the Vehicroid duelist mumbled, "I'm just saying we should be careful this time; I heard the Pro duelists are coming to the island, starting now! Think about it; we've only fought other classmates... now the best are coming over to kick our butts!"

The dino duelist laughed, "Is that all, half-pint? Let 'em come... although, there's one Pro I like to tackle myself before challenging others."

"And who's that?"

Hassleberry then pulled out a poster out of nowhere and stuck in Syrus' face. The little Ra backed up to see that the poster was of a tall, purple-haired man wearing an all-black leather jacket, plants and shoes look. He had an intimidating looks on his face as he posed with his duel disk, in front of a prehistoric setting backdrop with Black Tyranno standing behind him. "I do believe you know Rex Raptor," He grinned.

Syrus completely bugged out and stared at the poster, "That's Rex Raptor! He's huge!"

"Yup, over the 11 years, he's now a more rough and tough Pro Dinosaur Duelist," the military styled Ra grinned, "Soon as I find him, I plan on dueling him and beating him!"

"He'd clobber you!"

"Not with all my dino troops taking on his! To become the best dinosaur duelist, I have to beat the best!"

"Time to duel!"

Suddenly, the Ras heard two voices further down the road and ran towards the source. They were met with one of the Society duelist who had a clock around his neck facing off against a young, teenage girl. She had brown green eyes, brown hair that went down to her waist, style like into a pony tail, and was around Alexis' height.

"Aw man," Syrus grumbled, "Lousy Society duelists are picking on a little girl."

"Look who's talking," Hassleberry replied, making the shorter Ra glare at him, "Relax, he's messing with Pro Duelist Roxanne Terrador Jones!"

"Isn't she a little young for the Pro League," the little Ra stated.

"Trust me, she's the exception to the rule," the taller Ra replied.

"What's a little half-pint like you doing in a place for big boys," the SOL duelist grinned as he asked.

"Dueling, the same as you," Roxanne stated as she turned on her duel disk, "And you're my first opponent!"

"You won't even get past me, Chrono the Time Duelist!"

"'Time Duelist?'" Roxanne and the Ras parroted.

"Notice the clock's time," Chrono pointed to his giant clock, "1:00: time to win some more duels for the Society of Light!"

"Huh?" the Pro duelist wondered.

"Enough of that for now," Chrono stated as he turned on his duel disk, "Time to duel!"

"If you say so," Roxanne announced as she took her hair and styled in a bun, placing chopsticks to hold it in place, "Let's go!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

Roxanne: 8000

Chrono: 8000

"Hope she wins this," Syrus said in a worried tone.

"Time to begin this duel," Chrono grinned as he drew out his sixth card, "I'll begin the duel by playing Monster Clock in attack mode!"

As the SOL member played the card, a small black fiend appeared with small, skinny arms and a clock as its only eye. (1/0/0)

"Your move," He concluded.

"That's all you're gonna do? Okay," Roxanne shrugged as she drew her sixth card, immediately playing a couple, "I start with the spell card Ancient Rules! It lets me summon a high-level Normal Monster to the field, like my Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

In a flash, a knight appeared covered in blue armor with red horns on the helmet, carrying two red, giant lances. He rode out to the field on his horse that was outfitted with a blue helmet of its own. (7/2300/2100)

"Attack Monster Clock with Spiral Shaver," She commanded as Gaia pulled the reins of his war horse and charged into the fray, about to drive the lances into the small monster...

But the clock wearing duelist flashed another wicked grin when Monster Clock opened its jagged mouth and lashed out its tongue, wrapping the appendage around the knight and horse.

"Wha..."

Then... the tongue pulled Gaia and his horse into Monster Clock's mouth, letting it gobble them up in one bite, somehow making it stronger. (1/0-2300/0)

Chrono laughed maniacally, "Sorry, any monster of yours that's dumb enough to attack first every turn, he'll be swallowed up by my little friend here and have its ATK stolen!"

 _'I never heard of any card doing that during my own battle phase,'_ the Pro duelist thought as she inserted two facedown cards into her disks, _'who is this guy?'_

"Time for my draw again," Chrono announced as he drew his next card and immediately played it, "I summon Clock Knight #12 in attack mode!"

In a blue portal, a strange knight with the body of a magenta number 12 appeared with a knight's helm on top, armored legs on the bottom, and armored arms on the sides with the right hand holding a claymore. (4/1200/1200)

"Clock Knight," Roxanne wondered, "Has those been released yet?"

"Just recently," the SOL member smirked as he showed off another spell card, showing a strange paradox where numerous Clock Knights floated around, but with the number 3 knight being struck by lightning, "Next, I use Clock Work, letting special summon another Clock Knight with a lower level, so I can play Clock Knight 9 from my hand!"

After playing the card, another knight appeared but with a purple number 9 as its body. (3/900/900)

"Your special summon, activates my Demise of the Land spell card," the Pro interrupted, activating one of her facedown cards, "Now I get to activate a field spell card from my deck, like my Gaia Power!"

Once Roxanne inserted the card into her field spell slot, the whole open field changed into a forest area with a giant tree growing from the side.

"I don't suppose you have the other 10 numbers, do you," the Pro duelist asked.

"Wait and see, but first I activate the effect of Clock Knight 12," the Clock duelist announced, pulling out a sliver coin with the Millennium Symbol on one side, "By tossing a coin, and the result becoming Heads, my Knight gains an additional 1200 ATK, but if Tails, I lose the monster. In fact, all my Clock Knights have this power as part of their archetype. So prepare for the coin toss!"

Roxanne and the spectators watched as Chrono flipped the coin into the air and then descend back into his hand seconds later.

The clock duelist frowned as the coin came up with Tails.

"Looks like you're without one monster," Roxanne stated.

"Not to worry," Chrono grinned, "Once per turn, I can also negate a coin toss and flip again when I have another Clock Knight on the field."

The pro growled as her opponent flipped his coin once again, letting it fly and then drop to his hand again. He grinned when it the coin fell on Heads.

"Ha! Now my Knight gets a 1200 ATK boost," He announced loudly as a blue aura surrounded the #12 knight. (4/1200-2400/1200) "Now, since that worked out so well, let's use Clock Knight 9's coin toss!"

For the third time, Chrono flipped the coin and caught it. This time, the result came up Heads on the first try.

"Now my second knight gets more powerful as well," Chrono stated as his #9 knight became surrounded in blue aura as well. (3/900-2100/1200), "Time for a triple direct attack starting with Clock Knight #12's Claymore Slash attack!"

The nimble knight rushed across the field and then slashed across the Pro duelist, making her stagger back...

Roxanne: 5600

Chrono: 8000

"This is bad," Syrus stated, "She's lost nearly 3000 points already!"

"I take this huge amount of damage you caused, and use it for the Damage Condenser trap card," Roxanne shouted as she revealed her facedown card, "By discarding another card from my hand, I can summon a monster with ATK up to the damage you just dealt me from my deck, like another Gaia the Fierce Knight! Along with Gaia Power, he gets 500 ATK at the cost of 400 DEF!"

From behind the giant tree, Gaia returned to the field on his trusty steed. (7/2300-2800/2100-1700)

Syrus sighed at the sight of the powerful monster.

"See that private, nothing to worry about," Hassleberry stated, "Roxanne's got it all ready to take out Chrono's monsters!"

"I place one card facedown and activate Raregold Armor," Chrono announced, inserting two of his cards into his disk, with one of them creating a white paint with gold outlining on the monster, "Now the only monster you can hit is my Monster Clock, letting me safely end my turn without worrying about my Clock Knight's losing their power."

The blue auras from the knights vanished along with their boost. (4/2400-1200/1200), (3/2100-900/900)

"I draw," Roxanne announced as she prepared to draw.

"Not!" Chrono interrupted as he revealed the facedown card he just set. It showed metal chains erupting from a talisman inside a time portal, "I activate the trap card, Time Seal!"

The Gaia duelist frowned as she moved her hand away from her deck.

"Aw man, she needed that draw, too," Syrus whined.

"I end my turn, here," Roxanne concluded.

"Then it's my turn again," the SOL duelist laughed and drew his next card, "Just to show you no hard feelings, I set two cards facedown and switch the Clock Knights to defense mode as well. Quick enough for ya?"

"Plenty, it's my draw," Roxanne scoffed as she finally drew, "I use my Pot of Greed to pick up two new cards," She announced, drawing her cards, "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Before I begin, I activate my Shattered Axe trap card," Chrono interrupted as he revealed his facedown cards, showing a warrior in shock of his broken axe, "And then, I start my turn with a draw," He drew for his Draw Phase, "During my standby phase, one of your monsters loses 500 ATK, and..." He then, activated his other card, a trap with an ancient clock, "with Pyro Clock of Destiny another turn moves forward and making you lose another 500 ATK!"

Gaia's lances started to develop hairline cracks, traveling from the tip and halfway through it... (7/2800-1800/1700)

"Then, I activate Clock Knight #12's effect," He stated, flipping his coin into the air and caught it, revealing heads, "And my luck continues to get better!"

The blue aura returned to the knight, granting it strength. (4/1200-2400/1200)

"Now I sacrifice Clock Knight #9 and summon Timeater," the SOL member continued as the 9-knight vanished and in its place, a purple ogre with massive arms, legs and head with a demonic looking clock for a body appeared. (6/1900/1700)

"Now, I attack Gaia with my Monster Clock," He commanded as the demonic clock attacked.

"I activate Negate Attack," Roxanne countered, revealing the common trap that created a swirling vortex to block the attack, "Now your attack is negated and the battle phase is over!"

"Fine then, I still got you where I want you," Chrono stated as he concluded with his turn.

"We'll see about that," Roxanne states as she drew, "I activate Polymerization to fuse Gaia with the Curse of Dragon in my hand!"

Soon, Gaia jumped off his horse with a tremendous leap and jumped on a dark yellow dragon with blood red markings over its body that appeared and stayed aloft. (7/2600/2100)

"So what, you'll just make him food for my Monster Clock if you attack," Chrono shouted.

"Which is why, I'm doing this activating my facedown card, Skill Drain," the Pro continued as she revealed the trap depicting the Dark Ruler Ha Des being drained of his power, "Now I pay 1000 life points and your effects are negated! Meaning Monster Clock just lost his power boost."

The crowd cheered as Monster Clock was drained of Gaia's energy and slumped over. (1/2300-0/0)

Roxanne: 4600

Chrono: 8000

"Now attack it with Flying Spiral Shaver," She commanded as Gaia rode the dragon and charged straight through the clock fiend and shattered it.

Roxanne: 4600

Chrono: 5400

"Wow, she's making a huge comeback," Syrus cheered.

"Told ya she's got it under control," Hassleberry assured his fellow Ra.

"And since my Main Phase 2 will be skipped because of your spell card, I'll end my turn," Roxanne concluded.

"I'm not done yet," Chrono shouted as he drew. But grumbled as he saw his dead draw, "I switch both of my monsters to defense mode and set another to end my turn."

"Now you're on the run," Roxanne stated as she drew her lone card, and smiled her fortunate one, "And it won't help as I play the continuous spell card Spiral Spear Strike!" As the pro inserted her card, it depicted Gaia the Fierce Knight striking with his spears with a wind current surrounding it.

"Now any monster that is Gaia or Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight, along with Gaia the Dragon Champion can deal piercing damage," She explained, "So now, I'll attack Clock Knight 12 with Spiral Spear Strike!"

Letting out a battle cry, Gaia took his dragon on a head-on collision against the numbered knight, using the force of the wind to destroy it and knock Chrono a few feet back.

Roxanne: 4600

Chrono: 4000

"Also with Spiral Spear Strike, if Gaia the Dragon Champion does damage with the piercing effect I can draw 2 cards and then send 1 to the graveyard," Roxanne stated as she drew two cards, and sent one of them into her discard slot. "Finally, I summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight because it's the only card in my hand!"

Suddenly, a doppelganger of Gaia appeared on the field, quickly than the others. (7/2300/2100)

"She's really getting the duel under control," Hassleberry smiled, "Roxanne's really as good as they say as one of the youngest Pros in the League."

"Let's hope she keeps it up," Syrus added, "We can't let these Society guys win."

"I can't lose with these cards, not even to some Pro," Chrono shouted as he drew, "I play Pot of Greed to draw my two cards," he announced, drawing twice, "I summon Time Wizard to the field!"

From a blue portal, a small magician emerged shaped like a red clock. It currently wore a purple cape and a pair of shoes, along with white gloves over its hands and held a small staff with a clock on top. (2/500/400)

"Time Wizard!" the spectators shouted.

"That's right," the clock duelist grinned as he held up his coin once again, "This time, I'll have to call it right instead of waiting for heads. If right, your monsters are destroyed... if I'm wrong, as if, my monsters go along with half of their total ATK!"

Roxanne sighed, "You should just give up, there's only a 50-50 chance at this. I don't know where you got those unreleased cards from, but this is over."

Chrono scoffed as he inserted another card, depicting the Goblin of Greed picking up gold coins from a zombie who dropped it carelessly with a grin, "Please, you didn't think I forgot about that? I activate Second Coin Toss to improve my chances! Then, I use Timeater and Time Wizard to attack you with! Now let's have a flip of the coin! Heads!"

Chrono flipped the coin into the air and caught it...

Tails...

"Hmm, no matter I use Second Coin Toss to negate it and use the effect again," the SOL member shrugged, "Heads!"

Everyone watched withheld their breath as the coin stopped rising and started falling.

"It can't land on heads," Syrus exclaimed, "The Society will get another member!"

"It ain't gonna happen," Hassleberry assured, but he was clearly worried as well.

The coin suddenly fell into Chrono's hand...

Once he opened it up...

It was...

"TAILS? NO!"

The spectators cheered as a time vortex appeared above Time Wizard, Timeater and a facedown card, revealing to be Clock Knight 11 (4/1100/1100) and sucked them inside... never to be seen again...

Roxanne: 4600

Chrono: 2250

"But... these cards... they said..."

Chrono was lost in his words as Roxanne drew her next card.

"I warned you, but I'll have to finish this the old-fashioned away," the Gaia-themed duelist announced, "Gaia, attack him directly!"

Instead of charging in, Gaia had Curse of Dragon unleash its Dragon Flame attack and burned down the stunned SOL member, sending him to the ground.

Roxanne: 4600, Winner

Chrono: 0

As the holograms disappeared, Roxanne let her hair down. "Wow, I really had to hammer it home there," She said with a sigh before turning to Chrono, "I don't where these new clock monsters came from, but you should use better care with them."

Chrono frowned as he dropped 7 GX medals from his blazer pocket before walking off without a word.

"I hope the rest of Academy duelists pose a better challenge," Roxanne thought out loud, "Maybe I can see where I stay since this tournament can last several days..."

"Uh, if you like we can take you to Chancellor Sheppard and see about living arrangements."

The young Pro turned around to see Syrus and Hassleberry walking up to them.

"Oh, are you also students at the Academy?" She asked.

"Yup, proud Ra Yellow duelists, ma'am," Hassleberry stated, "Sgt. Hassleberry's the name."

"And I'm Syrus, nice to meet you Miss Jones," Syrus introduced.

"You can call me 'Roxanne', I'm no different from you two as duelists," the Pro stated, "And I do appreciate the kind offer, but I'll see about finding more duels before I do that. But you're welcome to join me."

"Sure, we dueled already to keep ourselves in the tournament," Syrus said.

"And we get see more Pros in action," Hassleberry added, "By the way, is Rex Raptor on the island?"

"Not yet, he's coming on the next boat," Roxanne replied.

"Alright, soon I'll prove myself to be the best Dino Duelist," the Ra cheered.

* * *

(Elsewhere...)

While other Pro duelists went off the docks and searched the island for other duelists, one of them stayed on docks with a fishing pole; a young 12-year-old with tanned-colored skin, spiky blue hair on his head. He only wore a white muscle shirt, ocean blue shorts and brown sandals, along with his duel disk and deck. He was the sea-themed duelist Matthias Tsunami, son of Mako Tsunami.

"I guess the sea won't provide much of catch for now," He sighed as he stared out at the ocean, "But, I have a tournament to win and possibly a trophy to show my father!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that!"

Matthias suddenly turned around to see a duelist, older than he was, with unkempt brown hair, wearing an all-white outfit of a blazer, pants, fingerless and shoes. He activated his duel disk and stared down the Pro duelist.

"The name's Indy," He announced, "And you're my next opponent!"

The son of Mako smiled as he stood up and strapped on his duel disk, "Since the fish aren't biting now, I can spare some turns of a duel with you!"

"Hey check it out!"

Matthias then looked behind Indy to see Alister and Erika standing near the docks as well.

"Isn't that Matthias," Erika wondered.

"Alister, Erika... what a surprise!" Matthias greeted, "So this is where you two went after last year!"

"Talk later," Alister called out, "You should worry about this guy first!"

"I'm looking forward to it," the sea duelist smirked as he activated his duel disk and prepared to duel.

"Don't hold your breath, kid," the SOL duelist grinned as both players drew their opening hands.

Matthias: 8000

Indy: 8000

"I'll start this duel," Indy announced as he drew his sixth card, "I summon Ashoka Pillar in defense mode," He then summoned a card on his disk, unleashing an elegant, black monument. (3/0/2200) "And after two cards facedown, that'll do," He concluded as two facedown cards appeared.

"I never heard of any released card called Ashoka Pillar," the Guardian duelist wondered.

"Mean neither," the Maverick duelist added, "Where'd he get this one?"

"Interesting card," Matthias announced as he drew his sixth card, "But they will fall by my creatures of the sea! I start with playing the spell card, A Legendary Ocean and send us to the sea!" After playing the card into his field spell slot, the entire field became submerged in water.

"Oh yeah, he's definitely his father's son," Alister noted.

"You think we wouldn't expect any less," Erika wondered.

Indy scoffed, "Seen one water-themed deck, seen them all..."

"Runs in the family, I'm afraid," the young Tsunami stated as he played a monster card, "But I have different monsters than my father, like Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness!" Surfacing from the water, a large killer whale with a large aircraft carrier on its back, armed with missiles and cranes. (5-4/2100-2300/1200-1400) "And then, I'll attack your Ashoka Pillar with Armed Sea Force!"

Orca Mega Fortress took a deep breath, and then shot a huge fireball from the cannon in its mouth at the pillar, shattering it to cracks by the force.

"Good for you," the SOL Member smiled, "When Ashoka Pillar is destroyed I take 2000 points of damage..."

Matthias, Alister and Erika looked at the Society member like he was insane as the rubble of Ashoka Pillar started to fall on him. That's when Indy smirked and activated one of his facedown cards...

"... or it would've been the case if I didn't use this spell card, the Curse Reflection Doll!" He grinned, "Now the effect damage gets turned on you!"

The Quick-Play Spell appeared in front of him and the rubble fell on it harmlessly, before a tide of paper dolls shot from the card and bombarded Matthias, who gave a grunt of pain.

Matthias: 6000

Indy: 8000

"What in the..." Erika gasped.

"It's a burn deck!" Alister deduced, "Something like Fonda's Anti-Cure deck that turns a possible bad thing for the user onto their opponent."

"Yeah, but these cards I carry are from various places around the world with ancient curses on them," Indy stated, "It's a thrill to have these cards used!"

"Curses or not, I'll still sink you and your life points soon," Matthias stated as he signaled the end of his turn.

"Oh, you'll understand the curses soon enough," the SOL member countered as he drew his next card, "First, I summon the Cabrera Stone in attack mode as well!" A large stone inscribed with mysterious carvings appeared in front of him. (1/0/0)

"Then, I activate the Stonehenge equip spell card," He continued as the towering standing stones from Salisbury Plain, Britain appeared around them. "This allows me to bring back a monster with zero attack points in my Graveyard and equip it with Stonehenge, like Ashoka Pillar in attack mode!"

Arising from the middle of the stones, the black monument stood tall once again. (3/0/2200)

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Indy concluded.

"My move," Matthias announced as he drew his next card, "It's a pretty bad decision to leave your monsters in attack mode, even with the possibility of transferring damage to me! I summon the monster known as the Armed Sea Hunter in attack mode!" Surfacing from the ocean, a magenta fish-like creature with a bottom of a sea reptile appeared, preparing to fire an arrow. (4-3/1800-2000/400-600)

"I then use the Double Summon spell card to play Oyster Meister, also in attack mode," He continued as a humanoid monster created from oysters appeared, standing on the waters. (3-2/1600-1800/200-400)

The SOL member growled, _'I didn't expect three monsters now...'_

"Sea Hunter, attack Cabrera Stone with Hunter Arrow," Matthias commanded, as his monster pulled back the string of the bow and took an arrow from its quiver...

"I activate my trap card, Totem Pole," Indy announced as a great pillar of wood with three masks attached to it rose behind Cabrera Stone. "Using Totem Pole, I can negate up to three of your attacks! So I'll negate your Sea Hunter's attack with it!" One of the masks shot from Totem Pole and took the arrow before shattering.

"Finally, a card I've heard of," Erika noted, seeing the Totem Pole trap at work.

 _'He wants me to attack his Ashoka Pillar to deal its 2000 points of damage at me,' Matthias thought, 'I'm not...' "_ Orca, fire at Cabrera Stone!"

Once again, the killer whale opened its mouth to fire a cannon blast, but with a snap of the fingers from Indy, the second Totem Pole fired back and took the blow.

"Here's attack number 3; Oyster Meister attack with Oyster Shot," the sea duelist continued as the living oyster monster chucked a smaller one at the stone. But Indy commanded his third Totem mask to fire and take the hit once more. "Now that your trap is used up, I end my turn here with two cards facedown."

"Fine with me," Indy shouted as he drew his next card, "I'll end this soon, but I need to get the rest of my hand and use Card of Sanctity to draw until I have six, at the cost of you doing the same!"

"Indy's trying to shut Matthias up," Alister figured as he saw both players draw until they reached six cards.

"I bet he can do it too," Erika nodded, "A deck that can turn any damaging effect towards the opponent sounds more dangerous than a normal burn deck."

The SOL member grinned as his hand, "Let's start by using the Piri Reis Map spell card," He announced, playing a card that created an old map right next to him, "I get to choose any monster with 0 ATK from my deck, such as the Crystal Skull, and add it to my hand! But, the moment I play it, my life points are cut in half!"

"Are you really going to risk lowering yourself down to the shallow end," Matthias warned as his opponent collected another monster card from his deck, "It's not worth it!"

"Trust me little Tsunami, it's worth it as I summon the Crystal Skull in attack mode," Indy announced, summoning the card, unleashing a skeleton's head made of crystal. (1/0/0), "But of course, when summoned I take 1000 points of damage... or you shall, as I chain the summoning with my second Curse Reflection Doll!"

A flash of lightning erupted from the skull and zapped the card image of Curse Reflection Doll before hitting Indy. Soon, another paper doll storm came crashing down on the young sea duelist.

Matthias: 5000

Indy: 8000

Also, more energy flashed from Crystal Skull and struck Indy as Piri Reis Map took effect.

Matthais: 5000

Indy: 4000

"You've almost taken yourself out of the game," Matthias protested, "All for the cost of bringing out three 0 ATK monsters in attack mode?"

"As Pegasus once said, 'you must spend life points, to take life points,'" the Treasure duelist shrugged as he inserted another card, depicting the three Ancient Treasure monsters surrounding in three colored comets, shaping up to a triangle, "Now, I use Triangle-O! This card can only be used if I have the Crystal Skull, Cabrera Stone and Ashoka Pillar monsters are on the field together. Now I get to obliterate the field and deal all the damage from card effects to you!"

Alister and Erika gasped as a triangle of light flashed under Indy's monster and spread towards Matthias' side of the field. But they noticed that the water duelist stayed calm...

"Doesn't he realize his field is about to be destroyed," the Guardian duelist shouted.

Yet it didn't matter as a blinding light took control of the field, power crackling outwards and the ensuing explosion that followed...

"Now all that's left to do is..."

The SOL Member gasped as he saw that only the Armed Sea Hunter survived the blast! (3-4/2000-1800/600-400)

Matthias: 2000

Indy: 4000

"His Sea Hunter survived," Erika wondered, "How'd that happen?"

"Simple," Matthias announced, "Whenever Armed Sea Hunter is about to be destroyed, I can send a level 3 or below WATER monster, like Oyster Meister, to the graveyard to let it stay, but token that would have been summoned had already perished. But when you destroyed the field, you destroyed the facedown cards I had..."

He then revealed both trap cards, depicting a whirlpool with a Spiral Serpent at the bottom.

"When my Dreaded Whirlpool is destroyed, I can unleash another sea monster of my own, straight from my hand," He continued, playing another couple of monster cards, "So I play two Spined Gillmen in defense mode!" On both sides of the Armed Sea Hunter, two blue fishmen appeared, holding red tridents in their right hands. As their names suggested, their back fins had spines growing out from them. (3/1300/0) x2

"And while they stay on the field, all Fish-Type, Sea Serpent-Type, and Aqua-Type monsters I have gains 400 ATK," Matthias stated as blue auras surrounded each of his sea monsters. (3/1300-2100/0), (4/1800-2600/400)

"Good, that means Armed Sea Hunter will stay on the field," Erika praised.

"And add in a nice power boost," Alister added.

"No matter," Indy shouted as he took another spell card and played it, "I activate Foolish Burial to send a Crystal Skull to the graveyard!" He stated, sending another copy of the monster to the graveyard. "And now, I can remove from play 2 Crystal Skulls, Ashoka Pillar and Cabrera Stone in my Graveyard to Special Summon Avatar of the Ancient Treasures!" With a loud roar, a giant stone statue seemingly cobbled together from different artifacts appeared. Its right arm appeared Indian in style and wielded a miniature Ashoka Pillar as a spear, while a Cabrera Stone was fixed to its left arm as a shield. It also had a Crystal Skull for a head. (8/?/0)

"Oh great, now he gets a monster that could possibly deal more burn damage to knock out Matthias," Alister grumbled.

"So tell me," the sea duelist said to Indy, "What does this monster do?"

"I'm glad you asked! You see, Avatar of the Ancient Treasures can only be summoned by removing from play any number of Crystal Skull, Cabrera Stone and Ashoka Pillar in my Graveyard while I have no other cards in my hand or on my field," the SOL member explained "And with four monsters, I have it at 4000 ATK!" The stone statue roared again as its head glowed brighter... (8/?-4000/0) "And now, my Avatar shall strike your Sea Hunter with Monument Joust!"

The Avatar of the Ancient Treasures roared and charged, stabbing at Sea Hunter with the Ashoka Pillar spear. The sea monster yowled in pain...

"I send Spined Gillman to the graveyard, for Sea Hunter to prevail," Matthias countered, as one of the Spined Gillman transformed into water and surrounded the Armed Sea Hunter, pushing back the attack. (3/2100-1700/0), (4/2600-2200/400)

Matthias: 200

Indy: 4000

"So close to victory and glory," Indy rejoiced, "And all with new cards I've recently acquired!"

"Really," Erika wondered, "Just how did you get these cards?"

"From Master Sartorius of course," the SOL member stated, "Soon, the Society of Light will have the most powerful cards in the universe, all thanks to this new member we've acquired!"

"New member," Alister wondered.

"How are you going to do that with your monster at its weakest," Matthias pointed out.

"Huh?"

Once Indy saw his monster, he completely freaked out in seeing his statue cracked in all places, causing the artifacts to lose their glow. (8/4000-0/0)

"What happened? What did you do?"

"It's what you did when you attack Armed Sea Hunter," the sea duelist stated as he drew his next card, "When he battles with another WATER monster on my field, he negates the effects of the opponent after damage calculation! And to finish this duel, I'll play the field spell Umi to boost my monsters' power just enough to win!"

Another tidal wave kicked in, covering the field in water and the monsters dived right in, their shadows visible on the surface. (3/1700-1900/0-200), (4/2200-2400/400-600)

"Now attack, denizens of the deep!"

Both underwater monsters' shadows charged towards Indy and then jumped out and tackled him into the water.

Matthias: 200, Winner

Indy: 0

As the holographic water and monsters faded away, Indy was seen with a dazed look in his eyes. 7 GX medals were near his pockets as Matthias went and picked them up.

"Nice work, Matthias," Alister praised as he and Erika walked up to him, "You even took out a Society member."

"Society?"

"Long story," Erika spoke up, "Let's just say, we have a big problem this year, just like the last. Remember when we met up with your father to invite people to the wedding later?"

"I remember something about cards disappearing," the sea duelist said, "Is it happening now?"

"No, but it's something a lot worse," the Guardian duelist pointed out, "You got the time?"

"After a duel, plenty," Matthias smiled. Suddenly, he heard his fishing line tugging inside the water, alerting him to a catch, "As soon as I catch this fish!"

The engaged couple shared a little laugh as the young Pro started to reel in his catch.

* * *

In Sartorius' room, the tarot reader drew the Wheel of Fortune in the reversed position.

"It appears the duelists our members faced are more powerful than we thought," He stated, "We'll need our more powerful duelists to take out interference before I launch the Satellite laser."

Soon, Chazz walked into the door and bowed before Sartorius, "You called, Master?"

Sartorius grinned as he motioned for Gunter to hand him over a set of cards, "Your new monsters are ready at your disposal! In fact, you can try it out on any duelist you like."

Chazz grinned back as well, "And I know just who to destroy..."

* * *

It's on now!

Monster Clock

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 1

0/0

Once per turn, if this card is attacked by an opponent's monster, equip the attacking monster to this card. This card gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK.

Clock Knight #12

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

Level 4

1200/1200

Once per turn, toss a coin. If the result is Heads, this card gains 1200 ATK until the End Phase. If not, destroy this card. Once per turn, if you control another "Clock Knight" monster, you can negate the effects of a card requiring a coin toss and redo the coin toss.

Clock Work

Normal Spell Card

Image: A time-space portal with numerous Clock Knights warping around and Clock Knight #3 being zapped by lightning.

Activate only while you control a face-up "Clock Knight" monster. Special Summon 1 "Clock Knight" monster from your hand with a lower Level than a face-up "Clock Knight" monster you control.

(The preceding three cards were used by Lyndon in the 5D's episode: Mother Knows Best. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Clock Knight #11

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

Level 4

1100/1100

Once per turn, toss a coin. If the result is Heads, this card gains 1200 ATK until the End Phase. If not, destroy this card. Once per turn, if you control another "Clock Knight" monster, you can negate the effects of a card requiring a coin toss and redo the coin toss.

Clock Knight #9

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

Level 3

900/900

Once per turn, toss a coin. If the result is Heads, this card gains 1200 ATK until the End Phase. If not, destroy this card. Once per turn, if you control another "Clock Knight" monster, you can negate the effects of a card requiring a coin toss and redo the coin toss.

(The preceding two knights were created by me, based on the previous Clock Knights.)

Terminal World

Continuous Spell Card

Image: A data grid of a Duel Terminal Machine

Activate only during your Main Phase 1. While this card is on the field, both players skip their Main Phase 2.

(This card is currently released only in the OCG version of the game.)

Dreaded Whirlpool

Normal Trap Card

Image: Spiral Serpent inside the eye of a whirlpool.

When this set card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon 1 Level 3 Sea-Serpent, Aqua or Fish-type monster from your hand.

(This card is created by me, and all rights go to myself.)

Crystal Skull

WATER

Rock/Effect

Level 1

0/0

When this card is Summoned, the controller of this card takes 1000 points of damage to their Life Points.

Ashoka Pillar

EARTH

Rock/Effect

Level 3

0/2200

When this card is destroyed, its controller takes 2000 damage.

Cabrera Stone

EARTH

Rock/Effect

Level 1

0/0

If this card is in face-up Defense Position, destroy this card. When this card is destroyed, inflict 1000 points of damage to the Life Points of its controller.

(The above three cards were used by both Yanagi and Yusei in Episodes 6 and 7 of 5D's respectively. Creative credit for them goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Avatar of the Ancient Treasures

EARTH

Rock/Effect

Level 8

?/0

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing from play any number of 'Crystal Skull', 'Ashoka Pillar and 'Cabrera Stone' in your Graveyard while this is the only card on your field or in your hand. This card gains 1000 ATK for each card removed to summon it. During the End Phase of a turn in which this card attacked your opponent directly, destroy this card and its controller takes damage equal to this card's ATK when it was destroyed. Then Special Summon the monsters removed from play to summon this card to your side of the field.

(Avatar of the Ancient Treasures was created by Digidramon and creative credit for it goes to him.)

Curse Reflection Doll

Quick-Play Spell Card

Image: A paper doll flashing with blue aura and releasing a barrage of black paper dolls towards the foreground.

Activate this card when you would receive damage from the effect of a card that you control. Negate the damage, and inflict the same amount of damage to your opponent.

Stonehenge

Equip Spell Card

Image: A birds-eye view of Stonehenge.

Special Summon a Monster from your Graveyard that has 0 ATK and Equip it with this card. If this card is destroyed, destroy the Equipped Monster.

Piri Reis Map

Normal Spell Card

Image: An old map of the world, the paper yellowed. A compass is lying on it, and the map is laid out on a table.

Select 1 Monster in your deck with 0 ATK and add it to your hand. If you summon the searched-for Monster, you must pay Life Points equal to half your current amount.

Triangle-O

Normal Spell Card

Image: Crystal Skull, Ashoka Pillar and Cabrera Stone within a triangle of energy, all three of them glowing with auras.

You may activate this card when you control at least 1 each of the following face-up Monsters: "Crystal Skull", "Ashoka Pillar", and "Cabrera Stone". Destroy all cards on the field. Any damage that you would receive from cards being destroyed by this effect is negated, and the same amount is inflicted to your opponent.

(The above four cards were used by Yusei (using Yanagi's Deck) against Bolt Tanner in Episode 7 of 5D's. Creative credit goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Totem Pole

Continuous Trap Card

Image: A Native American totem pole with three masks on it.

When your opponent declares an attack against a Monster, you can use the effect of this card to negate the attack. After using the effect of this card 3 times, destroy this card.

(Totem Pole was first used by Yusei (using Yanagi's Deck). Creative credit goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Next time: First, the return of Melody's older brother as he faces a laywer turned duelist, hoping to drop the book on the second-ever Toon duelist. Then, Chazz's White Knight decks are trashing the Academy and Pro duelists alike, causing Jachin to step in and bring him back.

Please Read and Review! Later!


	55. Blinding Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 55: The Duelist's Court and Blinding Light

* * *

It was a foggy morning at Academy Island, as two duelists started the next day of the GX tournament early. One happened to be the Pro duelist Gelgo, a man with thick black eyebrows and jet black hair wearing a black suit. The other, was none other than Chazz Princeton, staring down the Pro, right in front of the main building.

"You gotta lot of guts, taking on a Pro strong as me," Gelgo shouted to the SOL elite.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing," Chazz countered, "You have no idea who you're up against."

"Well, allow me to give you an idea now!"

Gelgo opened his suit jacket and revealed about over 30 medals underneath the flaps.

"So you won a few medals..."

Chazz then responded with opening his white blazer to reveal more than twice the amount of Gelgo's medals!

"No way," Gelgo gasped, "You must've won those from third-rate losers!"

"That must be why I challenged you," the White Knight duelist grinned, activating his duel disk.

"Funny," the Pro duelist growled, activating his disk, "But I'll shut your mouth soon…"

"DUEL!"

* * *

(Sometime later...)

During the duel, the fog cleared away from the island and some students caught sight of the match taking place. Including Aster Phoenix and Masaki Oda...

"Hey, Chazz is dueling!"

The former apprentices of Sartorius turned to see Jaden, Hassleberry and Jachin approach the crowd.

"Hey guys," Masaki greeted, "You missed nearly this entire duel."

"Of course, the beginning was missed by everyone," Aster stated, "When I heard Gelgo was dueling, I had to check this duel out. He was once ranked higher and almost beaten me a few times."

"Whoa, is Chazz losing?" Hassleberry wondered.

"No way, Chazz is beating the guy!" the S-Hero duelist pointed out.

The Slifers and Ra turned to see the stats of the duel.

Currently, Chazz had a White Knight Lancer and a White Knight Swordsman on the field powered up by the A. Forces, with two cards in his hand. (4/1500-1900/0), (4/1200-1600/1200)

And Gelgo's field was bare and he had five cards in his hand!

Not only that...

Chazz: 8000

Gelgo: 6000

"You won't be getting any more luck from me kid!" Gelgo declared as he drew his next card, "Perfect, I use the Double Summon spell card to summon two monsters on the field. And I'll set these two monsters on the field!" He announced as two set monsters appeared on the field. "Next, I place one card facedown and end my turn!"

"Sounds like a desperate move," Chazz taunted, drawing his single card.

"I activate A Feint Plan, cancelling any attacks on my face down monsters!" the Pro interrupted.

"Like I said, a desperate move," the SOL elite continued as he revealed one of his cards, "I activate the Spell Card Dark-Piercing Light, forcing your monsters face-up!"

Gelgo gasped as both of his monsters were revealed to be two piles of brown scarabs, staying motionless on the ground. (3/500/1000)

"Was that really the best you could do?" Chazz grinned as he turned over another card, "Well my Infernal Gauntlet will shatter your defense, equipping it to my White Knight Lancer!" Soon, the Lancer's spear arm was covered in a dark red muscle mass. "Finally, I summon the White Warrior – Sleet the Morning Star!"

In a white flash, a young man in a white toga and bronze helmet appeared, holding a giant mace. (1/0/0)

"But he won't be staying for long, because I sacrifice him for his special ability!" He continued, as his White Warrior turned into sleet and surrounded the White Knight Lancer, "Now whenever my Lancer destroys a monster, you take damage equal to White Knight Lancer's ATK; very bad for you because he also does piercing damage!"

The audience gasped at the amount of damage, the Pro was soon to take. Only a select few were more concerned about the cards in play.

"White Knight and White Warrior," Jaden wondered.

"Cards from Sartorius, maybe?" Hassleberry figured.

"I heard a rumor going around," Jachin spoke up, "Apparently, the Society of Light's been getting new cards from an outside source. We've already seen the White Knights when Chazz dueled Bastion, plus I heard the other day two Pro duelists faced Society Members with all new cards!"

"No way!" the E-Hero duelist gasped before turning his attention towards the duel again.

"Now, for the Battle Phase I sacrifice White Knight Swordsman for Infernal Gauntlet's effect," Chazz announced as the Swordsman vanished into the gauntlet. (4/1900-1700/0), "And since my Swordsman's in the graveyard now, all White Knight monsters gain 300 ATK!" A white aura surrounded the lancer, amplifying his power. (4/1700-2000/0) "Now White Knight Lancer, takedown his first Swarm of Scarabs!"

Gelgo watched helplessly as the White Knight charged at his first pile of scarabs, chopping them up into pixels. The Pro screamed as the tremendous amount of damage he took.

Chazz: 8000

Gelgo: 3000

"And if you didn't remember, he gets to attack twice!" Chazz announced as his Lancer struck down the second pile of scarabs with a force so powerful, that Gelgo was sent to the ground.

Chazz: 8000, Winner

Gelgo: 0

Everyone gasped as the holograms vanished.

"Chazz just took out a high-ranked Pro!" Hassleberry stated.

"And with Sartorius' cards, it'll be tough to defeat him..." Masaki stated.

Soon, the winner of the duel approached Jaden and his group with a proud smirk on his face.

"So, who's next? How about... you Jaden," He challenged, "I've been waiting for a rematch since last year!"

"Why me," Jaden wondered, "I mean, I'm willing to throw down and all..."

"So that I can finally prove I'm superior to you," the SOL elite interrupted, "How can you not realize that? Were you off on another planet?"

"Of course, I was, didn't you hear?" the E-Hero duelist asked.

Chazz rolled his eyes, "Why do I even bother?"

"You meant that as an insult..." Jachin stated.

"Very perceptive," the SOL duelist said to the Psychic duelist, "And I suggest you watch as well, Jachin. Soon as I beat Jaden, I'm coming after you!"

"Why not me before him, then," Jachin asked, "As I recall, I'm stronger than you..."

"Per my idiotic brothers' confirmation," Chazz pointed out, "But seeing as I like to prove them wrong, I'll take you up on your offer... tomorrow!"

"Why not now," Jaden wondered.

"Simple... with the deck I've got now, he'd lose! I want a challenge, so I'm giving you 24 hours to set up the best of your Personas!" the SOL duelist smirked as he started to leave, "You'll probably give me a couple more rounds than 1."

"Trust me... it'll last longer than that." The Persona duelist replied.

"Nice comeback, dork."

"Wait a second, I'm confused." Jaden said, stepping in between the two of them.

"What else is new?" Chazz stated.

"No, the Ojamas. Where are they?" the Slifer asked.

"Oh, those losers... they're gone now. And they won't hold me back any longer!"

With that, the SOL elite left.

"I can't believe it," Hassleberry grumbled and shook his head, "What kinda Commanding Officer discharges his troops without proper reason?"

"Yeah, those guys have been with Chazz forever," Jaden sighed, "Especially it's because of them, the school was saved by Chazz's brothers."

Jachin suddenly laughed, "Wait, Slade was beaten by the Ojamas?"

"Totally," the E-Hero duelist replied.

"Then, I know who to look for!" Jachin shouted as he ran off.

"Hey wait!"

"Just let him go," Aster waved off, "Let's just check out some other duels."

"Shouldn't you and Masaki be dueling?" Hassleberry asked.

"Well, if people weren't avoiding us..." Masaki replied as he and Aster pulled out an entire pile of medals from their pockets, "As Claudio would probably say, this is some heavy metal, eh?"

"Not sure if he'd say it like that..." Aster pointed out, "But my medals are weighing down my pockets so here..."

Masaki was baffled as his medal collection increased with the D-Hero's addition.

"Wait, don't you need those?" the dino duelist asked.

"I only need one," the Pro duelist reminded him, "And if you want that, you'll have to challenge me."

"Uh..."

"I didn't think so," Aster smirked as he left out a different direction.

"Later guys," Masaki said to his classmates, walking off as well.

* * *

At the Ra Yellow Dorm, Claudio, Melody and Jeremy were leaving out the cafeteria, duel disks on left arms.

"Did you hear that Chazz took out Gelgo earlier this morning," the Alien duelist asked.

"No, really," Melody gasped, "He was ranked higher than Aster before he left!"

"That means he must have worked those Ojamas out to the bone," Claudio figured, _'I'm starting to feel bad about those guys. They must hate that Chazz is in the Society and being used to help them.'_

"Chazz has new monsters," Jeremy stated.

"Not even the Armed Dragon, or V-Z monsters?" the Magician duelist wondered.

"No, word is Chazz got some new cards during his time in the Society," the Alien duelist said, "Probably a gift from Sartorius for being a lackey."

"Definitely," the J-Hero duelist replied, "Meaning we better clear out these Light fanatics and quick."

Once they reached the door, they heard two voices outside of it.

"Prepare for the trial of the century!"

"Aren't you supposed to be a duelist, not a lawyer? I'm trying to see if my sister's in."

The Ras looked at each other in thought.

"Mel, is it my imagination, or was that your brother?" Claudio asked.

"It was," Melody stated, "I know his voice!"

"How about we check it out," Jeremy stated as he opened the door. Once outside, they met up two duelists turning on their duel disks and drawing their opening hands. One of them was a white-haired man wearing a weird visor over his head, wearing a green dress shirt with a brown sweater vest, tan khakis and shoes. "Hey, isn't he in the Pro League?"

The visor wearing man turned to see the Ras talking about him and in a second, he was right in front of them which startled the teens.

"Hello, Harvey Godot, Attorney at Law," the Pro greeted, handing Jeremy a business card, "My card!"

"Uh, thanks?"

"Wait a sec," Claudio pointed out, "Weren't you retired from the Law biz?"

"I kept telling him that, but he doesn't listen," asked the other duelist, turning out to be none other than Melody's brother, Isaac, "By the way, hey guys!"

"Hey Isaac, you finally made it!" Melody greeted as she ran over to her brother to hug him.

"Huh," the J-Hero duelist said, "You mean he was going to show up into the GX tournament?"

Suddenly, his girlfriend turned with a smirk, "Remember when you left me out of the action during the field trip? Isaac was telling the rest of us about how he was showing up to a tournament the day before it started!"

"Aw man, you're still mad about that," Claudio whined, "I thought we talked about it!"

"Excuse me," Harvey shouted, getting everyone's attention, "I thought we were dueling here!"

"Oh right," Isaac stated, getting back into place, "After the duel Claudio, you and I are going to have a little talk."

"Aw, man!" the J-Hero Duelist groaned.

Isaac: 8000

Harvey: 8000

"Order in the court," Harvey shouted as he drew his sixth card, "Let's begin with our case with the Field Spell, Supreme Court of Law!"

Once the lawyer inserted his field spell, the area turned into a large courtroom. Isaac was now standing behind a counsel table with a railing, and Harvey stood in front of the Judge's bench that stood 14 feet tall. On the right, the Jury box stood and behind Isaac, the gallery where Melody, Claudio and Jeremy were sitting now.

"You know," Isaac pondered, "You say you're done with the Attorney business, but this field says otherwise..."

"Well, I suppose I may still have the profession within me," the Pro stated as he played another card, "Like this one for example, I call Hysteric Fairy to the stand in attack mode!"

Descending from the skies, a tall, black-haired female fairy in a smart, blue business dressed appeared, holding a blue book with the ankh of Monster Reborn and adjusting the red glasses over her eyes. (4/1800/500)

"And then I'll end my turn here," He concluded, "Your first witness, defendant..."

"I know, I know." Isaac muttered as he drew his sixth card, "Lucky me, I activate Toon World at the cost of 1000 life points!"

(Play Toon World theme)

Everyone watched as the giant children's popup book rise from the ground and opened itself up into the city with all the cartoonish sounds out.

Isaac: 7000

Harvey: 8000

"Here we go," Melody smiled.

"You're using Toon monsters?" Harvey asked, "Not exactly what I call useful since they can't attack on the turn they are summoned."

"Oh, I think you'll be changing your tune as I bring out the Toon Dark Rabbit!" The elder Hikarii announced as he played the monster card on his disk, prompting the book to flip its pages to the forest area. Jumping out of it, a caricature of tall, dark purple rabbit appeared dressed in a blue tunic and white gloves on its hands. (4/1100/1500)

"There are more of these guys now?" Jeremy wondered, "I never heard of Toon Dark Rabbit."

"Guess they came out with more retrained versions," Claudio figured.

"Such a weak monster," the lawyer duelist stated as he waved his hand around the field, "And it'll get weaker! Because of my Supreme Court of Law, your monsters lose 300 ATK for every monster I control!" He announced as a red aura surrounded the deranged rabbit, lowering its strength. (4/1100-800/1500) "And I bet you'll end your turn now."

"You'd lose that bet," the toon duelist grinned, "Toon Dark Rabbit's one of the monsters that can attack on the turn it is summoned!"

Harvey gasped as the rabbit laughed and jumped over to him, pummeling him with a flurry of punches.

Isaac: 7000

Harvey: 7200

"Yes," Melody cheered as the rabbit returned to her brother's side, "I hope he has more monsters that can attack like that one and Toon Dark Magician Girl!"

"He also needs to provide some counter strategies for protecting his monsters now," the Alien duelist pointed out.

"Taken care of," Isaac stated as he placed another card on the field, and one inserted into the slots. "Here's a facedown card and the Manga Alligator in defense mode to end my turn!" Toon World's pages turned to a swamp setting with pop-up snakes and crocodiles. It then spawned a small, toonish green alligator with the same crazy grin as the rabbit, holding a small stone axe. (4/800-500/1600)

"I don't know how that helps," Harvey stated as he drew his next card, and then held it up, "But I'll make sure it stops, as I activate Fiend's Sanctuary to summon a Metal Fiend Token!"

In a dark flash, the metal, ball-bearing monster appeared. (1/0/0)

"Don't worry, token monsters have no effect for the field spell; for or against either of us," He continued, as the monster quickly vanished, "But by sacrificing it for a real monster, I can continue to use its effects! Everyone must now rise; the honorable Judge Man presiding!"

Appearing on top of the bench above Harvey, a giant, burly troll in a purple cape, blue robes and blue helmet appeared. He grabbed the gavel on the bench and slammed it once, weakening the toons more. (6/2200/1500), (4/800-500/1500), (4/500-200/1600)

"Isaac, I hope you've got a plan," Melody called.

"Judge Man, attack his Toon Dark Rabbit with Order of the Court!" Harvey announced as the giant troll threw his gavel at the rabbit in question.

"Reveal the trap card, Spirit Barrier," Isaac countered, activating his trap card that erected a glass barrier around him, "If I at least have one monster on my field, I take no battle damage!"

"It still doesn't save your monster from a life sentence in the graveyard," the Pro duelist countered as the gavel hit the rabbit's body... or it would have because the Toon stretched out to the left, letting it bounce off Spirit Barrier and back into the Judge's right hand. "What?"

"Sorry Harvey, Dark Rabbit can't be destroyed in battle if it's with another Toon!" the toon duelist grinned, "You'll have to deal with my gator first."

"And I will! Hysteric Fairy, throw the book at Manga Alligator!" Harvey commanded as the fairy, literally threw the book at the toon gator, shattering into pixels.

Despite that, Isaac kept up the grin on his face as he collected a card from his deck, "You're a big help; when Manga Alligator's destroyed in battle, I can bring a Toon monster from my deck into my hand, like Toon Gobiln Attack Force!"

"I end my turn." Harvey scoffed.

"Nice, that deck is living up to the hype," Claudio cheered, "He saved his life points from taking a big drop."

"I guess he learned from our duel during the field trip," Melody smirked, "I had a big influence on him..."

"Don't take all the credit, Mel," Isaac replied as he drew. Then, he placed two monster cards on the duel tray, "I summon out the Toon Gemini Elf and Toon Goblin Attack Force!"

Toon World's book closed and spun around before re-opening to the main city popup, unleashing the twin toon elves and the four-goblin toon team. (4/1900-1300/900), (4/2300-1700/0)

Harvey gasped as the red auras around the Toon Monsters suddenly lifted. (4/500-1100/1500), (4/1300-1900/900), (4/1700-2300/0)

"His monsters gained back their ATK," Claudio pointed out.

"I wonder why," Jeremy added, "I thought his Field Spell works against the opponent's monsters."

That's when the Hikarii siblings were struck with a revelation.

"That's because it must depend on having the greater number of monsters," Melody figured.

Isaac then smirked and said, "And if that's the case..."

Suddenly, the red auras were around Hysteric Fairy and Judge Man! (4/1800-900/500), (6/2200-1300/1500)

"... then his monster will catch the bug!"

"Hey, you can't turn my court against me!" Harvey shouted.

"It's the way of the field spell, you must have gotten the better of your opponents by keeping more monsters than they did," the Toon duelist shrugged before he turned to his rabbit, "Why don't you attack directly again, with your full power!"

With another crazy laugh, Dark Rabbit nodded and then turned his right hand into a boxing glove. It wound up the arm and then delivered a big punch to the Pro's gut.

Isaac: 7000

Harvey: 6100

"It's a big drag that your field spell's about to backfire," Isaac continued, signaling the end of his turn. "As long as I don't stay behind or match your number of monsters, I'm good!"

"Hey, if he gets another monster or a decent ATK boost on the field, Isaac can win this," Jeremy calculated, "All he needs is at least 800 ATK!"

"Wow, Isaac knocking over a Pro in a few turns," Melody imagined, "Mom and Dad are gonna love this!"

Hearing the commentary of the spectators made the Pro duelist's blood boil, 'Enjoy it while it lasts; I just thought I never had to rely on my key card, so early in the duel...'

"It's my turn," Harvey announced out loud, drawing his next card. He then placed that same drawn card into his disk, "I place one card facedown and end my turn. It wouldn't do any good to change modes since we all know you're going to attack directly."

"Yeah, I would," Isaac stated as he drew his next card, "First, I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." He drew twice from his deck and then activated a spell card depicting and axe-wielding warrior's axe growing. "Here's the spell card, Extra Boost! If you ever hear of Wild Nature's Release, then think of it when I use it on Toon Gemini Elf!" The elf twins giggled as both reached behind their backs and pulled out giant mallets, staring at Harvey with crazy smiles. (4/1900-2800/900)

"I knew it; Hammerspace!" Jeremy pointed out.

"What?" Claudio and Melody asked.

"Hammerspace is a term where cartoon girls bring out hammers out of nowhere," the Alien duelist stated, "You know; where a girl gets so irritated with something, she busts out a hammer on the cause."

"Oh..."

"Alright Toons, bring home a victory with a triple Toon Attack!" Isaac commanded as Dark Rabbit wound up his punch, Gemini Elf wound their hammers and Goblin Attack Force wound up their clubs.

"Activate trap card!" Harvey shouted, revealing his facedown card. It depicted Judge Man banging his gavel, forcing the occupants of a courtroom to leave, "You really thought I'd let you win this duel so easily by not attacking my monsters. I'm the one with the power of attorney here!"

"Okay..." the Toon duelist muttered, "So does this card have a name?"

Harvey grinned, "I'm glad you asked... it's the continuous trap card known as..."

Judge Man banged his gavel on the bench and shouted...

 _ **"CLEAR THE COURTROOM!"**_

Suddenly, the back doors of the courtroom opened and a huge suction of wind came in, starting to suck in the Toon monsters. They suddenly screamed and bugged their eyes out while comically running against the current as fast as they could. But seeing as they were no escaping it, they turned to Isaac, meekly waving their hands before the suction got them and forced them to leave the field spell.

"What's the deal, they're all gone!" Claudio shouted.

"It's my trap card, Clear the Courtroom." The Pro stated, "With Judge Man on the field, along with paying 1000 life points, I can destroy every monster you own. And as failure for not saving your monsters, I sentence you to take 500 points of damage for each monster lost by my trap card!"

Everyone gasped as Isaac's score lowered even bigger.

Isaac: 5500

Harvey: 5100

"Plus, since you lost all your monsters, I am awarded with the full ATK of my monsters being restored!"

The red auras around Hysteric Fairy and Judge Man were lifted, restoring their points. (4/900-1800/500), (6/1300-2200/1500)

"He's got to get that trap card off the field," Melody stated, "With that on the field and then the field spell lowering ATK, Isaac's will have trouble."

"Yeah, and if Isaac tries to beat him out on monsters... he'll just lose more life points," Jeremy pointed out.

"I'll just end my turn," Isaac concluded sadly.

"Falling apart aren't you," Harvey smirked as he drew his next card, "Lucky for you, Judge Man can't attack if Clear the Courtroom is in play. But Hysteric Fairy can, and you're out of monsters!"

The fairy lifted her glasses and fired two light beams out and burned through the Toon duelist's life points.

Isaac: 3700

Harvey: 5100

"Isaac!" Claudio and Melody cried out.

"Order in the court," the Pro interrupted as he inserted a facedown card. "Now, make your move so that I can hold your medals in contempt of court!"

"Enough with the court terms," Isaac stated as he drew his next card. "Perfect, it's my turn to bring the gavel down and play Hammer Shot to destroy the strongest monster on the field!"

After inserting the spell card, a giant, wooden mallet appeared in the middle of the field.

"And the strongest monster on the field is Judge Man," Jeremy cheered, "Which means Clear the Courtroom is outta here!"

"I object!" Harvey shouted as he revealed his facedown card, depicting a defense attorney shouting at the prosecutor, shocking him, "Counter Trap card, Objection! This negates the activation of spell card, destroys it and deals 700 points of damage towards you!"

Everyone watched as the giant hammer shattered into pixels up against Isaac.

Isaac: 3000

Harvey: 5100

The toon duelist recovered from the blow and then placed his final two cards on the field, "I place one card face down on the field and set this monster card to end my turn."

"He's on the ropes now," Claudio stated, "He's got to find a way to break his combo."

"He will," Melody nodded, "I know he will..."

"Let's see some evidence, shall we?" Harvey announced, drawing his next card, "Hysteric Fairy attacks your facedown monster." The fairy threw her book once again at the facedown card. Before the book hit, the facedown monster revealed itself to be a grey jar with a black mass peering out and then shattered. (2/700/600) "You have a Morphing Jar?"

"Yup, with the special summoning of Toon Monster that can completely take down my hand, I have to find other ways of getting cards into my hand." Isaac shrugged, "But now both of us have to discard our current hands and draw five new cards."

"Okay, that's good with Isaac since Harvey's the only one to discard," Melody pointed out as Harvey discarded his hand and then both players drew five cards.

"I finish with one card facedown." The pro concluded.

"Alright, let's see what my new hand can help me out with," Isaac stated as he drew his next card, "I use Toon Table of Contents to add a Toon card in my deck!" He then collected another card and placed it into his hand. "First, I set this monster facedown and then use Book of Taiyou to summon the Toon Masked Sorcerer!" After the set monster appeared, it completely flipped over thanks to the spell card and revealed the goofy sorcerer who appeared from the magic ring. (4/900-300/1400) "And by declaring an attack, I activate my facedown card, Magician's Circle!"

After the toon duelist's trap revealed itself, the Spellbinding Circle appeared in the middle of the court.

"Magician's Circle," Melody wondered.

"Well, he does have a couple of Spellcaster monsters in his deck," Claudio figured, "Maybe even more since he came out with more Toon monsters."

"So, with the power of my trap, I bring out the Toon Dark Magician Girl to cancel out your field spell's effect," the Toon duelist announced as the chibi version of Dark Magician's apprentice appeared and twirled her scepter with her fingers. (6/2000/1700), (4/300-900/1400)

"I don't have any spellcasters, but I can activate my own trap card," Harvey countered.

"I knew he'd wait for a powerful monster to use its effect," Jeremy gasped.

Once again, Judge Man slammed the gavel shouting...

"CLEAR THE COURTROOM!"

Isaac: 3000

Harvey: 4100

Isaac grinned as he inserted a new card into his disk, "Gotcha, I can now activate the Book of Moon spell card from my hand, and use it on your Judge Man!"

The Pro duelist gasped, "Oh no!"

"Oh yes!" Isaac countered as the Judge Man vanished from the Judge's bench and set itself near Hysteric Fairy. "Now, since there was a number change of monsters, I replay Toon Masked Sorcerer's direct attack!"

The little sorcerer created a strange, blue smoke and blew it into the Pro's face, making him cough.

Isaac: 3000

Harvey: 3200

"Thanks to his effect, I get to draw another card," Isaac continued as he complied with the effects, "Next my Toon Dark Magician Girl attacks your facedown Judge Man!"

The toon mage charged forward, winding up her staff and slammed the facedown card, revealing Judge Man and shattering him into pixels. Also, with the difference of monsters changed, Hysteric Fairy grew weaker. (4/1800-1500/500)

"And since Judge Man is gone, Clear the Courtroom is too!" Jeremy cheered as the trap card shattered, "Which means Harvey's done."

The Elder Hikarii smiled and said, "I end my turn with one card facedown."

"Alright, Mr. Hikarii" the Pro duelist stated softly, draw his next card. Once he saw it, he smirked. "You force me to do something, I really don't want to subject towards you. My field spell is a lot more powerful than you think."

"How so," Isaac asked.

"First, I use the spell card, Scapegoat," Harvey announced as four different colored sheep tokens appeared in puffs of smoke. (1/0/0) x4 "It's funny how the name Scapegoat came to pass, don't you think? It's a term used to refer to an innocent person who is unjustly blamed for a wrongdoing and/or unjustly punished."

"Yeah, and I bet it suits you perfectly," Claudio stated.

"Not when that innocent person is the culprit," Harvey replied, "And I have just the card to help me. Since we're in my courtroom I can sacrifice two of the tokens to special summon the Ruthless Prosecutor!"

Two of the goats disappeared into sparkles and brought out a gray-haired man with a stern look, wearing a magenta suit with a black vest and white dress shirt underneath. He set down a black briefcase and stood in front of the judges' bench. (8/2700/2000)

"2700 ATK!" the spectators gasped.

"That's right, and it's enough to shut out your Toon Dark Magician Girl!" Harvey shouted as he turned to his new monster, "Have her removed from my court!"

The Prosecutor laughed as he grabbed his suitcase and then smacked it across the Toon Mage, shattering her into pixels.

"Now, Hysteric Fairy, destroy his Toon Masked Sorcerer!" He continued, letting his fairy throw the book at the masked sorcerer, breaking him apart as well. "Finally, I place one card facedown and activate Hysteric Fairy's effect in sacrificing my two remaining Scapegoats and regain 1000 life points!"

After a facedown was planted near Harvey's feet, the final two scapegoats vanished into sparkles, replenishing his life points.

Isaac: 3000

Harvey: 4200

"Great... not only the guy found a more powerful monster, but he has more life points again," Claudio muttered.

"It's still not over yet," Melody pointed out.

"I draw," Isaac announced as he drew. "I use Monster Reborn and bring back Toon Dark Magician Girl!" As the ankh of the spell floated in the air, it recreated the DMG caricature as she roamed across the field. (6/2000-1400/1700) "Object this!"

"Overruled," Harvey countered as he revealed his own facedown trap card, showing Judge Man yelling at a prosecutor, "Not only it stops your special summoning, but it deals 700 points of damage!"

A red aura surrounded the Toon DMG and chucked her back into the graveyard, causing Isaac to drop in his score.

Isaac: 2300

Harvey: 4200

"I figured you have a card like that, so I have this card ready to use... this facedown card," Isaac concluded. 'He'll attack; far as I'm concerned, he has the stronger monsters... but I have the better strategy planned!"

"Good, but with Ruthless Prosecutor's effect you lose 500 points for every monster you don't have in comparison to mine during your End Phase," Harvey grinned as the Prosecutor opened his briefcase again and two flaming papers fired from it and burned through the Toon duelist's points.

Isaac: 1300

Harvey: 4200

"Come on, Isaac," Melody shouted, "Stop letting him hit you so much!"

"Now to draw," The Pro duelist announced as he drew his next card, "Now I can complete this strategy... with my field spell in play, I can summon the Ace Attorney with only one sacrifice, and that'll be from Hysteric Fairy!"

The female fairy disappeared from the field, letting another man with jet-black hair appear in a blue, three-piece suit along with white collared shirt and red tie. Unlike the Prosecutor, he carried a positive smile on his face. (8/2500/2000)

"Of course," Isaac exclaimed, "What would a Prosecutor be without a defense attorney to fight against?"

"Oh, these two are big rivals and enemies," the Pro duelist stated as the Ruthless Prosecutor showed is reaction to Ace Attorney's presence with a glare, "But they shall work for the common good... Ace Attorney, attack directly and end this duel!"

Everyone gasped as the defense attorney took out his own briefcase and dashed across the field to strike with it.

"It's not over yet, I activate Scapegoat!"

"You have one?" Harvey shouted as four more colored Scapegoats appeared. (1/0/0) x4 but one took the briefcase, getting smashed into pixels. "Grr... Prosecutor, the second one," He continued as his other attorney threw his briefcase like a boomerang and smashed the second one down. "And that's it, but don't think you've got me beat!"

"Whew, he saved himself again," Jeremy stated.

"Just how many close calls is your brother gonna make," Claudio asked his girlfriend.

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Melody smiled, "Looks like he really improved his deck."

The toon duelist drew his next card and smiled, "I improved alright... not just because of the new Toons, but because of waiting for the right moment! And to prove it, I'll sacrifice a scapegoat and special summon the Toon Parrot Dragon!" He announced as the third goat vanished, making way for a strange, crazed dragon-bird hybrid monster. Aside from the green feathers, and tan underbelly... it had dragon wings, yellow beak and a red mane. (5/2000-1400/1300)

Harvey chuckled, "Even if the field spell not weighing you down, that bird dragon still won't beat me on a direct attack."

"Oh, he will, thanks to my facedown card," Isaac countered, revealing spell card that depicted a soldier lagging behind his troops, "The spell card, Fallout! And it brings the word 'Overkill' into play; I can only activate when I special summon a monster, once that happens the monster summoned gains a whopping 4000 ATK and DEF boost!"

"NO WAY!" Everyone else shouted as the toon went crazy with power and started flying around in quick circles. (5/1400-5400/1300-5300)

"H-Hold on..." the Pro duelist stuttered, slowly losing his composure, "You can't attack... I know that Toon is not like Dark Rabbit and Dark Magician Girl!"

"You're right, it's not," Isaac replied, "In fact, it ain't like the rest of the toons! For his attack, he needs a sacrifice to. And I have one final scapegoat to let go for it!" The final scapegoat vanished into a blue light and zoomed into the dragon's body, "Now attack directly with your Bombarding Beak!"

The parrot squawked as it flew into the skies and did a dive bomb over the lawyers and straight into their duelist, zooming past him and knocking about 10 medals off his person.

Isaac: 400, Winner

Harvey: 0

As the holograms disappeared, the former lawyer slumped down his shoulders.

"Case dismissed..."

"Uh... yeah..." Isaac muttered, "Can you really cool it with the court terms, starting to get irritating?"

"Sorry," Harvey said, going back to his energetic self, "It sticks with you after many years in Law School and going to courts a lot."

"Ah," the toon duelist realized, "Anyway, we had ourselves a good duel and I have to admit your cards and skills were impressive."

"I guess I can leave knowing that," the former lawyer stated, "Just watch yourself in this tournament; for beating me, I expect you to go far in this tournament."

"I expect the same from myself," Isaac said as he picked up the medals, "First of many duels to win."

"Good luck, to you and your friends then," the law duelist stated as he walked away, "And keep the card, never know when you need someone who knows some legal mumbo jumbo that need sorting."

"At least he stopped talking like he was still a lawyer," Jeremy shrugged.

"Still, cool to see some strict monsters from him and more wacky monsters from Isaac," Claudio stated.

"And the best thing about it was that he won," Melody added.

"Yeah," Isaac said as he turned around, "But once the rest of the people are gone, I plan on take you down, little sis."

The magician duelist smirked, "You want me to beat you again?"

"Like I said, I'll save your beating for the final stretch," the elder Hikarii stated.

"Sounds like to me that's code for: I'm scared of my little sister!"

"And your boasting's code for: Little sis is really looking to get outdueled like old times!"

As they continued to bicker, Claudio couldn't help but smile, "I'm starting to miss my family..."

"I plan on calling mine after a duel," Jeremy stated, "After last year, my parents have been checking up on me."

* * *

Nightfall soon came to Duel Academy as everyone started to rest at their dorms. However, Jaden and Jachin were still up working on the latter's deck.

"So, why did you want to duel Chazz, instead of letting me?" Jaden wondered, "I mean it's pretty obvious since last year, he wanted me instead of you."

"Oh yeah, I haven't told you and Claudio about my past," Jachin realized, "Well, long story short... not only do I owe the Personas for keeping me sane, but Chazz as well."

"How so?"

"Both of us have really taken enough of his brothers' constant nagging of wanting world domination," the Persona duelist stated, "I think you know since they made several visits to Duel Academy because of Chazz."

"Yeah, the school duel and when they wanted to buy Duel Academy to destroy it," the E-Hero duelist nodded.

"They planned on me using my powers to just terrorize the Academy," Jachin stated, "Far as they concern, I'm still a kid with head problems from my early childhood. But they'll know I'm done with that... I want to kill two birds with one stone by dueling Chazz to get him out of the Society of Light and proving to Slade and Jagger that they don't own me anymore."

"Well, I'm behind ya, bro!" Jaden smiled, "I was in it to get the old Chazz back anyway, plus looking for his old Ojama cards."

"You think they're still around?"

"Trust me, the less you want them around, the more they stick around. Problem is, I checked everywhere on this island!"

 _'Not everywhere, Jaden?'_

"Huh?" The Slifers asked as they turned around to see a ball of light escape from Pharaoh, who had been sleeping on the rafters, and floated down to them.

 _'Jaden! Jaden, it's me!'_

The E-Hero duelist gasped, "Professor Banner, is that you?"

"You mean the former Slifer Red Headmaster?" Jachin wondered, "But didn't he...die?"

 _'I did, and I was looking forward to the afterlife... except Pharaoh had other plans for me...' the disembodied spirit said, 'By the way, I like how the Slifer Dorm has been remade!'_

"You have no idea what he had to go through with it," Jaden said, "But it's all good with our new Headmaster as well."

 _"So I was replaced after all..." Banner said, "But I guess if he didn't come, the Slifer Red would be done... but anyway, if you are looking for the Ojamas, I know where they are!"_

"Really?" The Slifers asked.

* * *

Soon, the spirit of the deceased Professor led the Slifers into the forest, down a dirt path. After a few minutes of walking, they were led to their destination...

"It's the old well!" Jaden deduced.

"Old well?" Jachin asked.

"It's where weak cards were dumped by duelists who didn't think they were any use," the E-Hero duelist explained, "This is where Chazz found the Ojamas last time, so it would makes since they'd be back here."

 _"Listen carefully, gentlemen..." Banner said as they stood quietly._

* * *

Inside the well, eight voices were screaming for help. It turned out to be the Ojama Family whose cards were being held up by small crabs.

 _"Someone help us!" Green wailed._

 _"There are card-eating crabs!" Black shouted._

 _"They'll tear us apart!" Yellow cried._

 _"That's it! Let me go right now, so I can wack ya!" Red challenged._

 _"Like that'll help..." Blue muttered._

 _"How's about a joke Mr. Crab?" Ojama Aqua chuckled._

 _"They can't understand us, my brother..." Angel sighed._

 _"Then let's just die already! At least I know where I'm going..." Devil grumbled._

Suddenly, everyone felt their cards being picked up and freed from the crabs' claws.

 _"We're saved!" the Ojamas rejoiced._

But once a small light ball appeared in front them, shining a light on two giant faces behind it...

 _"Giants! We're dead!"_ the Ojamas cried and close their eyes for the end.

"So this is where you guys went to?"

"Wow, discarded cards really do come here. I can see every card that goes with the Ojama Archetype."

Yellow slowly opened his eyes and saw two familiar faces...

 _"Guys look, it's Jaden and Jachin!"_

The others opened their eyes and sighed with relief.

 _"Aren't you guys a sight for sore eyes?" Black said._

 _"Yeah, I couldn't believe we found ourselves back in that place!"_ Green added.

"Well, don't worry guys, we're busting you guys out!" Jaden declared to the Ojama brothers' delight.

* * *

Later, the Slifers and Banner's spirit took the Ojamas back to the Red Dorm. Once there, Banner floated back up to Pharaoh's mouth saying...

 _"After seeing the torment in that old well, I'll take my chances inside my cat's mouth."_

Soon, the fat cat swallowed up the willing spirit and went back to sleep.

 _"I must say, thank you for saving us, Masters Jaden and Jachin," Ojama Angel bowed._

 _"Are you going to adopt us?"_ Yellow asked the Slifers.

"I thought I'd help you all get back with Chazz," Jachin wondered, "Him and I are dueling each other tomorrow."

 _"Thanks, but no thanks..." Blue waved off._

 _"Yeah, he ditched us! So we don't want him either!" Red growled._

 _"He'll throw us away the minute you give us back to him."_ Green shouted.

"Of course, he would," the Persona duelist stated, "I mean, I create a deck with you guys and your cards and we work on getting Chazz's old self back."

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Jaden exclaimed, "If we can get Chazz to remember you guys and his past, he'll be back to normal."

 _"Forget it!" Black exclaimed, "He ain't worth it anymore!"_

 _"Besides, we remember those White Knights we had to share a deck with," Devil stated, "We kept playing Scapegoat to them!"_

 _"Scapegoats..." Aqua chuckled._

 _"Come on, guys!" Yellow shouted, "We've got a chance to do something with our lives and help fight the Society! We can be heroes like we when we saved Duel Academy from Chazz's brothers."_

 _"Yeah!"_ the rest of the Ojamas cheered.

"I think we got to them," Jaden smiled at Jachin before he left for his room, "Good luck, bro!"

"Thanks," Jachin replied.

* * *

(The next morning...)

Both Jaden and Jachin ran down the path to the main building, where Chazz and some of the SOL entourage were waiting.

"Why are you late, Jachin?" Chazz shouted. "Did you forget, or try to chicken out of your arrangement?"

"We lost track of time while going through your old stuff," Jachin stated, "And look what Jaden and I found..."

The E-Hero duelist held out Chazz's old black blazer.

"Why don't you try it on?" He asked. "Beats that white thing..."

"Put that away!" the SOL elite shouted, "I know what you two are trying to do, and it won't work on me! The old Chazz is gone; I've seen the Light!"

But then, he started to stare at the old blazer... like he wanted to put it back on...

"Hey Jaden, put it on the pedestal near Chazz," Jachin asked his fellow Slifer, "He'll want to wear it sooner or later."

Jaden nodded as he did just that, much to the dismay of the Society. Once of the underlings wanted to take it...

"Keep it there," Chazz shouted as he activated his duel disk, "I'll use it to wipe the floor with both Jachin AND Jaden, after I beat them!"

"Setting your sights, a little high," the Persona duelist stated, activated his disk, "But I'll have a surprise for you in this deck."

Both players drew their opening hands as the crowd cheered.

"Go get him, soldier!" Hassleberry cheered.

"Good luck!" Alexis added.

"Show no mercy!"

Both spectators turned to see a trash can, with the lid swiftly closing.

"Is Syrus... hiding in there?" Alexis wondered.

"You have no idea for how long..." the dino duelist stated.

"Chazz," Jachin spoke up, "Before we start, I just have one thing to ask you..."

"What do you want now?" the SOL elite replied.

"In essence, you never relied on anyone but yourself your entire life," the Persona duelist pointed out, "So, why would you start now and why someone as demonic and possessed like Sartorius?"

Chazz scoffed, "Deluded fool... It's very simple... After I lost to him he helped me return to the way I used to be; when I was the perfect duelist cold-hearted and ruthless willing to be the best at all cost regardless of the consequences," He then started to look thoughtful, "But after the school duel, when Jaden defeated me, I began to see you guys as almost like a second family and for a while I thought maybe... I really should settle down and play the game for the fun of it," He then put on an evil scowl, "I was a fool back then to believe that...

Jachin sighed, "How sad... I never thought of you to be someone who would be the lackey of another whether forcibly or willingly.

"Shut up you punk," the SOL elite shouted.

"The truth always hurts, doesn't it?" the Slifer stated, "Remember, I know you all too well..."

"I'm not hearing this..."

"You don't need to because behind that arrogance and false pride, I see the truth," Jachin continued.

That's when Chazz lost it as a white aura surrounded...

"I'll show you!"

Chazz: 8000

Jachin: 8000

"Winners first," Chazz shouted, drawing his sixth card and placed another card on the field from his hand, "I start with White Knight Swordsman in attack mode!" Soon, the white armored swordsman took the field and drew his sword. (4/1200/1200) "Next, I place three cards facedown and that'll do it for me." He concluded as three reversed cards appeared behind the swordsman.

"Already, he's trying to power up his White Knights," Jaden figured, remembering the knight's effect.

"Still, Jachin has no other choice to strike it down," Aster pointed out as he and Masaki walked up to the crowd, "But the question is: can he risk those facedown cards activating?"

"I know those cards facedown cards aren't meant to destroy or negate my attacks," Jachin stated as he drew his sixth card, "If you want your monster in the graveyard, I'll be happy to give you your wish! I activate the spell card, Double Summon!" He announced, inserting the spell card, "With two Normal Summonings, I can bring out Persona – Pollex the Immortal Warrior and Castor the Argonaut!"

A flash of stars in the sky opened, bringing out two young warriors in ancient Roman armor, without helmets. The first had long blonde hair, wearing bronze colored armor, carrying a rectangular, semi-cylindrical body shield on his left arm. (4/1000/1000) The other had long silver hair, wearing black colored armor and carried a short sword, called a Gladius. (4/1000/1000)

"I thought you were giving me a challenge," the SOL elite shouted, "You keep playing with these Persona monsters, it's so predictable!"

"So this is your enemy today?" Castor asked his master, 'He does not seem much."

"He's a friend gone rogue," Jachin corrected, "I was hoping you two could help me out in knocking some sense into him."

"Of course," Pollex replied, staring down the swordsman opposing him, "It'll be a lot easier taking down this since you summoned my brother and me. Show your opponent, our special powers."

The Slifer nodded as he turned to Chazz, "When Pollex is on the field my warrior monsters gain an extra 500 ATK!"

The Immortal Warrior lightly tapped his shield on the ground, creating a white energy field around him and his brother, granting them strength. (4/1000-1500/1000) x2

"I'm not done yet," Jachin continued, playing two more cards, "By using Quick Summon and bring out an old friend of yours!"

Chazz became totally surprised when another flash brought out... Ojama Blue!

 _"What's up, Chazz?"_ (2/0/1000)

"You!" the White Knight duelist shouted.

"I thought you guys said that Chazz threw the Ojamas away," Syrus asked from within the can.

"Jachin and I found them last night," Jaden replied.

"But can he use them, right?" Alexis wondered.

"Seeing Chazz's duels, I bet anyone close to Chazz could." Hassleberry figured.

Suddenly, Chazz started holding his head like it was in pain, "They're back... but how?"

"Alright, here's our chance, Blue," Jachin said, playing the last card in his hand, "I give you the equip spell, United We Stand!"

As the card image appeared behind Blue, the Ojama turned around to see it, "I never heard of this card before..."

"Really," the Slifer asked, not believing his ears, "From someone with weak points, it's perfect for powering you up! This lets you gain 800 ATK and DEF for every monster on my side of the field! With you and my Persona's that's three meaning..."

"2400 ATK and 3400 DEF!" Alexis gasped, "That Ojama will really get powerful now!"

Suddenly, Blue gasped as he felt an enormous power build up within him and started to grow and build muscle...

"I have the... POWER!" He shouted to the sky. (2/0-2400/1000-3400) "I never felt this kind of strength in my entire life," The Ojama stated, flexing his muscles, "Chazz never let me get this powerful before!"

"While you admire yourself, I'll have Castor make the first move!" Jachin announced.

Castor announced as he drew his blade and charged, "Feel the wrath of Gemini's Blade!" He shouted, slicing the swordsman in half and into pixels.

Chazz: 7700

Jachin: 8000

"Now's your chance to Ojama Blue, strike now and refresh Chazz's memory!"

"I'll also pay him back for the year-long torment!" The now-grown Ojama shouted as he charged with heavy footsteps and prepared to stomp the White Knight duelist.

"You'll have to wait," Chazz shouted as he revealed one of his facedown cards, "I activate the trap, Call of the Haunted! Now I can revive White Knight Swordsman to the field!" The trap card let out a dark glow, bringing back the white armored swordsman. (4/1200/1200) "And before reintroductions start, I activate my second facedown card, the Inferno Reckless Summon... Since I just special summoned a monster with lower than 1500 ATK, I can summon two more to the field from my deck!"

In two light pillars, two more White Knight Swordsman appeared, both in attack mode. (4/1200/1200) x2

"Alright, I'll change my attack towards one of your White Knight Swordsman that just came back with Call of the Haunted!" The Persona duelist announced.

"Lucky..." Blue grumbled as he moved his right foot away from Chazz and used it to stomp down on the returning knight, blowing the pixels at Chazz.

Chazz: 6500

Jachin: 8000

"Thanks for that," Chazz stated, "When a White Knight Swordsman's in the graveyard, all White Knights on the field gain 300 ATK!" Two white auras surrounded the remaining swordsmen, granting them power. (4/1200-1500/1200) "This is where you, end your turn!"

"Not yet," the Slifer announced, confusing the audience, "When Pollex and Castor are together, they both can't be destroyed in battle! Meaning, this next attack will send your second swordsman away!"

"Here's my Gemini's Shield attack!" Pollex cried as he charged in, shield first into the next swordsman and struck him down. Although the final swordsman's aura, shined brighter with the second one's death... (4/1500-1800/1200)

"Now I end my turn," Jachin concluded.

"Oh, I get it now," Chazz growled, "You're using my old cards to mock me! This is all a joke to you!"

"If it was I wouldn't be here, trying to knock some sense into you!" the Persona duelist argued, "Getting you back from the Society of Light!"

"Listen to him," Jaden added, "They brainwashed you and forced you to give up everything you believed in! I almost felt that when I lost to Aster that one day."

"Sartorius isn't who he says he is," Jachin continued, "He's making promises so that everyone can play puppet to him and preys on the weaknesses! You joined because he manipulated your will!"

"I chose to join!" the SOL elite shouted, and then grabbed his head again, 'Or did I?' He then shook his head rapidly and drew his next card, "No! I still got the advantage, since you used up all the cards in your hand!"

Jachin and Blue gasped.

"First, I activate my final facedown card, Forbidden Chailce on your so-called Immortal Warrior!" Chazz announced, revealing his facedown card, "But since we go way back, he'll get 400 ATK at the cost of losing his effects!"

A splash of holy water drenched Pollex's eyes, blinding him and making him cry in pain while, Castor tried to help get the water out of his eyes. (4/1500-1000-1400/1000), (4/1500-1000/1000)

"Then, I summon my White Knight Lancer," Chazz continued, summoning the lancer of his group. (4/1500-2100/0) "Now attack Pollex with Light Lance!" He commanded as the Lancer charged and slammed his weapon across the blinded warrior's chest, destroying him and knocking Castor on his back.

Chazz: 6500

Jachin: 7300

"Castor, you alright," Jachin gasped.

"He should be the least of your worries," the SOL elite grinned, "Since one of your monsters bit the dust, Ojama Blue gets weaker by 800 points!"

"'Oh no..." Blue squeaked as he felt his power wane, his muscles disappear and his height going down a third. (2/2400-1600/3400-2600)

"Now, White Knight Swordsman, attack that blue freak with Light Slash!" Chazz announced as the swordsman dashed right in front of the Ojama and then sliced him down into pixels.

Chazz: 6500

Jachin: 7100

"I guess I have to jog your memory a little more," Jachin stated as he grabbed two cards from his deck, "Because when Ojama Blue is destroyed in battle, I can grab any two Ojama cards from the deck, like Ojamarking and Ojama Country!"

"Those Ojamas are worthless," Chazz waved off, "I'm not even worried."

"Keep thinking that," Jachin said as he drew his next card and opening up his field spell slot, "The first thing is I'll activate Ojama Country!" As the spell was played, the area transformed into the small town of the Ojamas. "Next, I activate its special ability by discarding an Ojama card to special summon Ojama Blue to the field!"

The Slifer discarded his Ojamarking card and popping out from one of the houses, Ojama Blue returned.

"Thanks... Boss," the Ojama thanked, grinning at his former boss while said that. (2/0/1000)

"Wait a second, I'm your boss, you twerp!" Chazz shouted.

"Now that sounds like Chazz," Jaden cheered, "You want your Ojamas back, right? You miss them!"

"You must be outta your mind," the SOL elite denied.

"I bet you'll change your tune after this," Jachin warned, "Since an Ojama monster is in his country, all monsters' original ATK and DEF swap! And even with you're the boost of your Swordsmen in the graveyard, Lancer becomes weaker than Blue!"

Blue grinned as he felt power gain, though not as much... (2/0-1000/0)

While White Knight Lancer's aura faded away, forcing him to kneel in weakness. (4/2100-600/0-1500)

"Ojama Blue, attack White Knight Lancer!"

"You got it!" Blue shouted as he flew across the country and then gave the lancer a head slap to the face, sending him into Chazz and knocking them both over. "Still think I'm worthless?"

Chazz: 6100

Jachin: 7100

"I end my turn with one card facedown and switch Castor to defense mode!" Jachin concluded as Castor sheathed his sword and a reversed card appeared behind him.

Chazz growled as he stood up and drew his next card, "Ha! I'll teach you to mock me; I summon White Knight Guardna... in attack mode!" Everyone gasped as spike shield guard wielding knight appeared, but stood upright rather than kneeling. (4/800-2600/2000-800) "You see that, Ojamas only serve to backfire on the opposing player until they're nothing! That's why Master Sartorius chose me to wield the monsters I carry now! And thanks to your pathetic move, Ojama Blue will meet the fate he's destined... to fall by my hand!"

"Sorry, Boss," Blue stated as White Knight Guardna charged and stretched out his shield guards for a crushing attack.

"Hang on," Jachin shouted, while revealing his facedown card, "I use the Trap card, Draining Shield! It negates your attack and gain life points equal to the ATK of Guardna!"

The Ojama sighed in relief as Guardna smashed his shields into a glowing, glass dome, transferring energy into Jachin.

Chazz: 6100

Jachin: 9700

"I figured something like that would happen, that's why this card is here," the Slifer stated, "I'm telling you to wake up Chazz, and see what's going on!"

"Swordsman, finish him off that annoying freak!" the SOL elite interrupted as his swordsman cut down the Ojama once again, yet weakening his Guardna. (4/2600-1400/800-2000)

Chazz: 6100

Jachin: 8900

"You just activated Ojama Blue's effect again," Jachin announced, taking two more cards from his deck, "This time, Ojamagic and Ojama Red come to my hand!"

"Ready and waiting," Red grinned, as the Slifer gave a nod in confirmation.

"Go ahead and bring them all out," Chazz shouted, "I want to destroy them all and move on!"

"I knew it," Masaki stated, "He's trying to force Jachin to play all the Ojamas on the field!"

"But why," Aster wondered, "I know their abilities are good if played the right way, but are they really a threat to Chazz?"

"If it can bring out the old Chazz, it's possible," Alexis figured.

"You want them all, you got them all," Jachin shouted as he drew his next card, "I activate Spellbook inside the Pot, letting us draw three cards!" Both players then drew out their three cards, while Jachin discarded one from his overall hand. "Next, I send Ojamagic to the grave and bring back Ojama Blue to the field!" Once again, Ojama Blue exited his hut and kneeled in front of his temporary partner. (2/0-1000/0), (4/1400-2600/2000-800) "And since Ojamagic went to the graveyard, Ojama Black, Green and Yellow can come to my hand!"

"Hey Jachin!" The normal Ojamas greeted.

"Jachin, I hope you're going somewhere with this," Blue whispered, "I'm feeling déjà vu here, and I don't like it."

"Don't worry, he won't go after you again next turn," Jachin replied, "He wants all of you on the field first, but when that happens, Yellow, Black and Green have a surprise waiting." He then turned to Castor, "Sorry, but you're going to have to play martyr now."

"If it means getting your friend back, I'll oblige," Castor nodded, "Just avenge my defeat and Pollex's..."

"I will," Jachin nodded as he placed a card facedown, and turned to Chazz, "I end my turn."

"All you did was talk to your cards, the match is up here loser!" Chazz shouted as he drew his next card, "Now, I think you've seen a new monster of mine when I beat that hack of a Pro the other day! So, let me introduce to you, this time, White Warrior – Sleet the Morning Star!"

In a flurry of snow, the toga wearing, mace wielder appeared. (1/0/0)

"Oh man, that's how he beat Gelgo," Hassleberry gasped.

Chazz grinned as he took the monster card into his graveyard, causing Sleet to vanish into snow and surround White Knight Guardna, "I use Sleet's effect to sacrifice it, giving White Knight Guardna another effect: When he destroys a monster in battle, half of his ATK come out of your life points. So White Knight Guardna, attack Castor!"

The knight charged at the Persona and crushed him into pixels. Then, he put the armguards together and then rushed Jachin, hitting him into his chest and forcing him to his knees.

Chazz: 6100

Jachin: 7600

"Jachin!" the Ojamas cried.

"I'm... okay..." the Slifer stated.

"Good, because I hope you stay up so I can keep knocking you down," the SOL elite grinned, "Your Psychic Dueling is nothing compared to the power of the Society of Light!"

"I'm not even using that power," Jachin declared as he drew his next card, "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Trust me," Chazz replied, "You'll need it. After all, you're supposed to be the better one between the two of us."

"Now he's coaxing Jachin to hurt him?" Hassleberry asked, "What's his deal?"

"It's that whole superiority complex," Masaki figured, "He wants to beat the Ojamas and Jachin to move on. Remember how Jachin told us the story about how he was favored to rule the world of dueling?"

Jachin sighed as he held up his next card and played, "I summon Ojama Red!"

"Oh yeah, the red beast is back!" Red shouted as he posed with a peace sign. (2/0-1000/1000-0)

"And when he's summoned, I can summon up to 4 Ojamas monsters on to the field," the Slifer announced, laying the three Ojama monsters on the field, "Yellow, Black, Green, let's go!"

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

"Hello!"

"HELLO!"

The normal Ojamas cheered as they appeared with grins on their faces. (2/0-1000/1000-0) x3

"You guys ready?" Jachin asked as held up the next card.

"Just say the word!"

Chazz scoffed, "Let me guess, Ojama Delta Hurricane, right?"

"Wrong!"

"Wrong?" The spectators shouted.

"Don't Ojama Yellow, Black and Green follow up with Ojama Delta Hurricane?" Alexis wondered.

"Yeah," Jaden replied, "It's like Chazz's signature move!"

"Well guys, let me say something," Jachin announced to everyone, "While Ojama Delta Hurricane's great and all, I got something a little better that was never in Chazz's deck!" He then turned over his card, revealing the artwork of Yellow, Black and Green floating in an upside-down triangular formation, brimming with electricity, "Here's the new and improved, Ojama Delta Thunder!"

"Ojama Delta Thunder?" Everyone asked.

"Like the Hurricane card, I have to have them on the field," the Slifer explained, "But instead of destroying all cards on the field, I get to hit you with 500 points of damage for every card in your hand and on the field!"

Chazz gasped as Yellow, Black and Green floated to top of the country and then got into position. Black stretched himself out diagonal right, Green stretched out diagonal left, Yellow stretched out straight and then held his brother's feet. Green and Black grabbed each other's hand. Then, all three shouted...

"OJAMA POWER!"

Suddenly, lightning shot forward from their bodies and zapped the monsters and facedown card on Chazz's field and the four cards in his hand. All the power coalesced into a massive thunderbolt, striking the SOL duelist.

"AAHHHH!"

Chazz: 2100

Jachin: 7600

"It'll take more than that to bring me down," Chazz protested.

"Your wish is my command," Jachin smirked as he took another card from his deck, "The final effect of Delta Thunder allows me to send Ojama Delta Hurricane from the deck to graveyard, and in essence, activates the effect and destroys every card on your field! So hit him again guys!"

"We're on it!" The Ojamas shouted as they went into Delta Hurricane formation and blasted every one of Chazz's field cards with their powerful force, kicking up a giant cloud of dust.

"Looks like Jachin just won," Alexis pointed out, "With each of the Ojamas having 1000 ATK points, all he has to do is say the word."

Ojama started to cheer, "We're gonna get Chazz back!"

"No you won't, stooges!"

"Huh?" Everyone wondered as Chazz appeared through the smoke.

"What's he talking about, each of the Ojamas can wipe him out now with their combined 5000 ATK, like Alexis said." Jaden added, "It's not like he has anything to use since Hurricane destroyed everything he had."

"Jachin made a stupid move when he did that," Chazz announced, as the smoke cleared to reveal a trap card, showing barred, stone gates of a large castle, "By destroying the Sealed Gates while on the field, it activates! Now I can remove each of the White Knights in my graveyard, I can summon my ultimate monster! I remove White Knights Swordsman, Guardna and Lancer to summon the White Knight Lord!"

Erupting from behind Chazz, came the stone gates from the trap card he used. Slowly, it creaked opened and released the Lord of White Knights, brandishing his mace and his cape flowing behind him. (7/2000-2300/2000)

"That's the monster that took out Bastion," Jachin gasped.

"Exactly," the SOL elite, "And with the power of this deck, you won't stand a chance! You'll wish you were all-powerful like me!"

"I still have this, my Urgent Fusion spell card," the Slifer announced, playing another card from his hand, "I start by fusing Ojama Yellow, Black and Green together and form Ojama King!"

"OJAMA!" the three normal Ojamas shouted as they jumped into the fusion vortex that arrived above them. But soon, the giant King of their type appeared.

"The King has arrived!" He shouted as Blue and Red started to bow down. (6/0-3000/3000-0)

"So you brought the king of lame, so what?" Chazz stated.

"So... three monster zones are out of the game while he's in town," Jachin stated as the three of Chazz's monster zones were stamped with red circles, "Now, I end my turn."

"Your lousy move won't hold me back," the SOL elite declared as he drew, "I summon out my new White Warrior – Hail the Iron Hammer!"

A hailstorm suddenly rained down upon the field, bringing out another toga-wearing warrior with green sleeves, bronze helmet with a blue jewel on top, and carried a giant, blue hammer in his right hand. (4/1800-1600/1600-1800)

"They're more of these guys?" Jaden wondered.

"Yes, finally I use the spell card Block Attack on Ojama King and force it into defense mode," the SOL elite continued as a red force, forced the king to kneel down, "Your fatal weakness of the spell card, exploited! Now, White Knight Lord, attack Ojama Red!"

Ojama King and Blue cringed as he saw the giant knight launched his mace straight into his face, shattering him into pixels flying across Jachin.

Chazz: 2100

Jachin: 6300

"And then his ability activates, I can hit you up for another 300 points of damage!" Chazz informed as his knight called back his mace, hitting the Slifer from the back.

Chazz: 2100

Jachin: 6000

"Now, Hail the Iron Hammer, bring down the hurt on Ojama King!" He continued, as the White Warrior dashed across the field and swung his hammer at the giant Ojama, knocking him out of the country, "Pitiful!"

"Oh no, come back King!" Blue whined, but then he saw a shadow hovering over him. He turned around to see Hail, bringing down the hammer on him and crushing into pixels.

"What gives?" Jachin shouted, "He can't attack twice in one turn!"

"When Hail destroys one monster in battle, he can destroy another with his effect; leaving you all alone," Chazz grinned as the spectators gasped.

"Guess again," the Slifer shouted as a card was removed from his graveyard. He held it up to show a trap card depicting Ojama Yellow in geisha makeup, "I remove the trap card, Ojamarking from my graveyard!"

"Ojamarking?"

"Another Ojama card, I own personally," Jachin announced, pocketing the trap card, "By removing this card when an Ojama is destroyed in battle, I can use it to special summon one back from the graveyard. So return, Ojama King!"

In a giant flash, the King returned and stood over his country again.

"That was one heck of a ride," the King said as he breathed heavily. (6/0-3000/3000-0)

"What is it with you and these freaks," Chazz shouted as he placed two cards facedown, "I've had enough of you already!"

"We're your friends, Chazz," Jachin stated as he drew his next card, "And I'm not giving up on you! We all know you well... And it looks like I'll have to use a little Psychic power to help you think straight. I never used it against you, because I didn't want to lose the only person who saw me as a person and just thought nothing of my power. I bring out Ojamachine Yellow in attack mode!"

In a tiny flash, a small machine version of Ojama Yellow appeared and crouched down like a frog. (2/0-1000/1000-0)

"Next, its ability activates: for every free monster zone I have, I can summon tokens with the same stats as Ojamachine Yellow!" He continued as the machine opened its mouth and brought a doppelganger, who opened its mouth and brought another one, who opened its mouth and brought out the final one. (2/0-1000/1000-0) x3

Chazz chuckled, "I pity you, Jachin... how are you going to hurt me with that little guy?"

"Trust me, it'll come to ya," the Persona duelist stated, "Ojama King, attack his White Warrior with Flying Belly Flop Drop!"

Ojama King jumped high into the air and flew over Hail, his cape flying in the wind. He looked down as he began to descend, "INCOMING!"

"I activate Staunch Defender and Inverse Universe," Chazz interrupted, revealing both of his trap cards, "Not only do I force you to attack White Knight Lord with all of your monsters, but every effect monster on the field has to switch their ATK and DEF scores around!"

"That means..."

"OH NO! Don't be cruel!" Ojama King shouted as his power shifted along white the Ojamachines. (6/3000-0/0-3000), (2/1000-0/0-1000) x4

Then, Hail's and White Knight Lord's power shifted as well. (4/1600-1800/1800-1600), (7/2300-2000/2000-2300)

"Now, get that freak of the field!" Chazz commanded as the Lord used his mace to strike down the King, shattering him into pixels, "And don't forget that you lose an additional 300 points of damage!"

Chazz: 2100

Jachin: 3700

"If this keeps up, Jachin will lose everything," Syrus whined.

"Now with Staunch Defender's effect, your puny Ojamachines have to attack me!" Chazz grinned, "And with four attacks, it's game over!"

"Fine, Ojamachines attack!" Jachin announced, sending his machines into the fray.

"Don't attack!" Jaden shouted.

"As if he had a choice," Alexis added, sadly.

Chazz laughed manically as he shouted, "White Knight Lord, destroy them all!"

The knight let out a triumphant roar and swung his mace in a long swipe, breaking apart the machines one by one, creating a large cloud of smoke.

"Yes! I win! No one can beat the power of the Society of Light!" the SOL elite rejoiced, "I have it all!"

"That's what you think!"

"Hmm..." Chazz peered into the smoke as it cleared, showing that Jachin was still on his feet!

Chazz: 2100

Jachin: 2500

"NO WAY! THAT SHOULD'VE FINISHED YOU!"

"Alright, he's still in," Jaden cheered.

"But how," Masaki wondered as he saw Jachin's facedown card still on his field, "Jachin had nothing on his field to protect himself from the attacks."

"I did," Jachin stated "Those Ojamachines, the monster and the tokens all had the ability of taking zero battle damage! But, when they were destroyed, you take 300 points of damage for each one!" He then frowned, "I'm sorry about this Chazz..."

Suddenly, Chazz felt four jolts hit his head, making him cry out and hold it in pain.

Chazz: 900

Jachin: 2500

"Jachin used his powers?" Syrus gasped. "But why?"

"Now I can talk to you, after attacking some of those pesky impulses in your head," the Psychic duelist stated, locking up his powers again, "Listen; Sartorius brainwashed you after you lost a duel with him, while searching for Jaden and Claudio! He was trying to bring you and me into his Society, only I managed to get away!"

"Not... true..." the SOL elite struggled to say.

"It's true," Jachin continued, "Then, he forced you to convert nearly the entire student body into Light fanatics. He's been playing with your minds!"

"Shut up! You're just jealous of the power I possess!" Chazz denied, shouting at the top of his lungs.

 _"Stop lying to yourself, Chazz!" Yellow shouted as he and his brothers appeared in spirit form, "If what Jachin said is not going to bring you back, then hear this: White is not your color!"_

Chazz gasped and started to look towards his old black blazer.

 _"You know you want to try it on," Green protested, "You love black, but the only reason was because you used to wipe up tables on the old Slifer tables."_

 _"And I didn't even mind," Black added, "That's because the stains never show on black!"_

"I'm always clean..." Chazz protested, until he looked towards the sleeve of his white blazer. He gasped when he saw a big dirt spot on it, "That's a stain!" He then narrowed his eyes in anger, having a lot of things running through his mind, "Sartorius used the Light to brainwash me... he wants everyone to be exactly like him..." More flashbacks of his defeat against Sartorius, his meetings with him and then dueling many students to convert them went by in a quick flash, until... "I'm not like those freaks... get these ridiculous clothes off me!"

Jachin and the Ojamas cheered as Chazz finally threw away the white blazer and donned the black one once again. "He's back!"

"Chazz's back!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Alright," Alexis and Hassleberry smiled.

"Wait a second," Chazz grumbled, looking around the dueling field, "Why do I have these cards? I never had these in my deck. And Ojama Country... if it's not in my field slot..." He then looked to Jachin, "Jachin, you're using my lame Ojamas aren't you?"

"Uh, yeah..." the Psychic duelist stated, "You know that..."

"I don't remember giving you permission!" the reformed Slifer stated, "What gives you the right to steal from my room?"

"Huh?" Jachin gasped, "Don't you remember when you lost to Sartorius? During your time in the Society, he gave you those White Knights and White Warriors for your loyalty! You've been brainwashed, so Jaden and I thought that the Ojamas could help jog your memory."

Still, Chazz growled and turned to the, "Jaden... of course... HE stole my cards, and then gave them to you! I bet he forced you to take all the credit, huh?"

"It's not like that!" Jaden shouted.

"Zip it, slacker! Once I'm done with Jachin, I'm coming after you!" the black coat Slifer stated as he turned to Jachin, "First things first, give me back my Ojamas now!"

"In the middle of a duel," Jachin asked.

"Did I stutter? Knowing you, you probably got some kind of special card to do that... so stop playing dumb!"

"Okay..." the Persona duelist shrugged, playing a spell card showing a Slifer Red's hand and a Society White's hand, trading a pile of cards, "I activate Cemetery Change! Since I hoped you would get your memory back during the duel, so I stuck this in my deck. By paying 1000 life points, I get to destroy all monsters on the field and then swap graveyards with my opponent. Does this help?"

Suddenly, red aura grew around White Knight Lord and Hail the Iron Hammer, creating a huge explosion across the field.

Chazz: 900

Jachin: 500

"Hold on, Jachin lost 2000 points," Alexis pointed out, "He only paid 1000 for Cemetery Change."

"It's because I destroyed White Knight Lord with a card effect," Jachin explained, "I figured out why White Knight Lord was so powerful; not being defeated in battle, it would cause the player to use a spell or trap card on him... only to be hurt himself in the end."

"But why did you do it?" Jaden asked.

"I bet it was more about destroying Sartorius' monster than about the duel," Aster figured, "Some monsters just needed to be destroyed..."

"Alright, I can end this just as quickly," Chazz stated as he drew his next card, "I activate Monster Reborn to revive Ojama Yellow!"

The ankh of the spell card shined in the air, reviving Yellow from Chazz's graveyard.

"Good to see ya, boss!" Yellow greeted, facing his rightful partner. (2/0-1000/1000-0)

"Shut up, twerp. There's work to do," the black coat Slifer replied.

"Right on, boss! Just say the word, and I'll smack Jachin down!"

"You know, I can hear you," Jachin waved, "You're not every showing me a little gratitude for helping you reunite with Chazz."

"Well, nothing personal but, I'll have to beat you up now!" the Ojama grinned.

"I activate the spell card, Crushing Impact," Chazz interrupted, shocking Yellow. It depicted a giant foot about to flatten Ojama Blue and Red as they ran for their lives, "By destroying a monster on the field, we both take 1000 points of damage.

"What!?" Jachin asked.

"What!?" the spectators asked.

"WHAT!?" Ojama Yellow shouted as he suddenly exploded and once again spread smoke across the field, damaging both Slifers and ending the game.

Chazz: 0

Jachin: 0

DRAW!

"Why'd he end it in a draw?" Masaki wondered as the holograms disappeared, "I thought Chazz would love to win a duel."

"He'd hate to win unless it's by his own skill," Jaden wondered, "During the School Duel, he was trying to win without his brother's help."

"I see it now," Alexis nodded.

"What puzzles me is that Sartorius can use mind control," Aster said thoughtfully, "And all this time, I thought he was just persuasive."

Jachin walked up to the reformed Slifer with a thoughtful look on his face, "You could've attacked me and won, what gives?"

"I don't need to tell you," Chazz scoffed, "You're lucky I didn't attack you, and take your medals."

"Come on, you can tell me," the Persona duelist pried, "But then again, I know you so well that I know why you spared me... You're welcome, Chazz."

As the Slifer walked away, the Ojama duelist growled, "Don't read too much into that draw, I plan on beating you with my own power and make you pay for taking my cards!"

Jachin chuckled as he continued to walk, "See you in the finals, then..."

"Who could've known that Chazz could be such a grateful guy," Hassleberry stated.

"I would've thought that," Alexis replied, "Especially since he's back to his old self."

"ALEXIS!"

Soon, she was subjected to the returning affections of the Princeton.

"Which means, he's back to that again," she sighed as everyone else laughed.

* * *

Standing on top of the main Academy building, Jason and Juli watched as the crowd started to clear out.

"Chazz is out of the Society," Juli said, calmly, "Good riddance, I'd say."

"I would only put it lightly," Jason stated as he glared at the retreating forms of the duelists, "But soon, Master Sartorius' plan will come into fruition as soon as the Light claims victory." 'And I'll make sure, I achieve it!'

* * *

Hurray, Chazz is away from the Society! This had to end in a draw, even though if I had either one of them win, they'd still be in the tourney. Also, Chazz having Cemetery Change didn't make sense in his White Knight Deck, if you catch my drift. And this is 13, 000 words, people! As far as the story goes...

The Ruthless Prosecutor (Miles Edgeworth)

Level 8

FIRE

3000/2500

Fairy/Effect

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Tributing 2 monsters you control while Supreme Court of Law is on the field. During your opponent's End Phase, deal 500 points for every monster you control minus the number of monster he/she controls.

The Ace Attorney (Phoenix Wright)

Level 8

WIND

2500/2000

Fairy/Effect

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Tributing 1 monster you control while Supreme Court of Law is on the field. During the end phase of your turn, you can select one Counter Trap card from your graveyard and add it to your hand.

(The above two monsters were created by me, and creative card ideas go to me, while the characters inspired goes to Capcom.)

Toon Dark Rabbit

Level 4

DARK

1100/1500

Beast/Toon

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned while "Toon World" is on your side of the field. When "Toon World" on the field is destroyed, this card is also destroyed. If your opponent doesn't control a Toon Monster, this card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. If a face-up Toon Monster is on your opponent's side of the field, you must select the Toon Monster as an attack target. This card cannot be destroyed in battle while another Toon Monster is on the field.

Manga Alligator

Level 4

WATER

800/1600

Reptile/Toon

This card cannot attack during the turn that it is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned. When "Toon World" on the field is destroyed, destroy this card. If "Toon World" is on your side of the field and your opponent does not control a Toon Monster, this card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. When this card is destroyed in battle, you can add 1 Toon monster from your deck into your hand.

Toon Parrot Dragon

Level 5

WIND

2000/1400

Dragon/Toon

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned while "Toon World" is on your side of the field. You can Special Summon this monster from your hand, but Tributes are required for monsters Level 5 or more. When "Toon World" on the field is destroyed, this card is also destroyed. If your opponent doesn't control a Toon Monster, this card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. This card cannot attack unless you Tribute 1 monster on your side of the field.

(The three monster cards were created by me. Creative credit goes to me, but Toon monsters are the idea of Konami and Upper Deck Entertainment.)

The Sealed Gates

Normal Trap Card

When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can remove from play one each of "White Knight Swordsman", "White Knight Lancer" and "White Knight Gardna" from your Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "White Knight Lord" from your Deck.

(Used by Chazz Princeton in the GX episode, Blinded by the Light, Part 1. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

White Warrior – Hail the Iron Hammer

Level 4

LIGHT

1800/1600

Fairy/Effect

If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, destroy 1 monster on the field.

White Warrior – Sleet the Morning Star

Level 1

LIGHT

0/0

You can Tribute this card to have a face-up monster you control gain the following effect: • If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half of this card's ATK.

(The White Warrior monsters were used by Bolger in the 5D's episode 94. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Ojama Delta Thunder!

Normal Spell card

Activate only when you control a face-up "Ojama Green", "Ojama Yellow" and "Ojama Black". Inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent for each card they control and in their hand. Then, you can send 1 "Ojama Delta Hurricane!" from your hand or Deck to the Graveyard to destroy all cards your opponent controls.

(Used by Chazz Princeton in the GX episode, Head in the Clouds, Part 2. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Crushing Impact

Normal Spell Card

Destroy 1 monster you control and deal 1000 points of damage to both players.

(My own invention and creative rights go to me.)

Next Time: The Pros are in town as Rex Raptor faces Hassleberry in a duel of dinos, while Chancellor enlists Atticus, Jeremy, Alex and Lily to wake up Zane from the darkness... if only they knew...

Please Read and Review! Later!


	56. The Darkness Returns

Alright, we got Pros coming in and that we both know! Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 56: The Darkness Returns

* * *

Another day rising at Duel Academy, as the residents of the Slifer Dorm was feeling upbeat about their morning. Jaden, Hassleberry and Jachin were eating homemade waffles cooked up by their headmaster.

"These waffles are great," Jaden exclaimed, with his voice muffled with the breakfast in his mouth, "Best breakfast I ever had!"

"Jaden, anything you eat is the best thing you ever eaten," Jachin stated as he took another bite of his food.

"Still, it's great that we've got the grub," Hassleberry cheered as he continued to munch down what's on his plate.

"Sad to say, we won't have seconds since we have others that need to eat," Spencer called out as he set aside his own plate to eat.

"Like who?" Jaden asked.

"Like me!"

Everyone turned around to see Chazz walk into the cafeteria and take a plate into the kitchen for his breakfast.

"Finally, this dump got a makeover," the black clad Slifer stated as he took a bite of a waffle, "And good food for once..."

"Happy to see your back, Mr. Princeton," Spencer smiled, "Wish you were a little bit nicer like yesterday..."

"WHAT?" Chazz yelled, turning to Jachin, "Why didn't you keep that to yourself?"

"Calm down, it was everyone else that saw the match who told," the Persona duelist stated, "I learned to respect your personality, which is already painful as it is..."

"Come here and say that!"

"All I'm saying is that you chill out a bit," Jachin replied, "Aside from that, I was kidding about the painful stuff. I'm just happy you're out of the Society and back to your old self."

"Alright, the Slifer Dorm is back to normal!" Jaden cheered.

"Except for Jason, since he's a Slifer," Hassleberry pointed out.

"And what's with the dork," Chazz asked, pointing to Syrus who hadn't even touched his food.

"Anything wrong, Syrus?" the Slifer Headmaster asked.

The younger Ra sighed as he suddenly spoke up, "At the Yellow Dorm, Claudio and Melody told me that another boat of Pro League duelists came in."

"Sweet, I'm getting my game on right now," Jaden shouted as he was prepared to leave.

"Hold on," Jachin said as he grabbed the E-Hero duelist's blazer by the back, "We haven't learned the reason why Syrus is down about more Pros."

"Zane was on that boat," the Ra stated.

"Zane's on the island," Chazz gasped.

"Now I see why," Spencer realized, "It's the way he's been dueling lately... even I was surprised on how he battled Weevil..."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sight of Roxanne coming into the Slifer Dorm.

"Excuse me, is there someone named Hassleberry that lives here?" She asked, "I asked around the Yellow Dorm, but I didn't see him..."

"What's Roxanne Terrador Jones doing looking for you," Chazz asked the dino duelist.

"Syrus and I met up with her the other day, dueling the Society members," Hassleberry replied as he stood up to the Pro, "What brings you here?"

"You wanted to duel Rex Raptor, right? You've got your chance; he's been spotted on the island and already took out a couple of duelists as well."

"Well, alright!" the Ra cheered, "I'll soon have my match with the best of my dino dueling. Hey, half-pint let's go!"

"Why me," Syrus protested, "This is your match!"

The dino duelist grinned, holding up the smaller Ra over his shoulders, "You need some R & R after hearing about your brother, and watching me duel with my idol should help! Which way did he go, Roxanne?"

"He's been dueling in the forest," She stated, "If we hurry, you might run into him."

"Then let's go!" Hassleberry shouted as he followed Roxanne, leaving everyone else in the dust.

"Things just got interesting," Spencer smirked, returning to his breakfast.

* * *

At the Chancellor's office, Sheppard was staring outside his office windows watching the ferry that carried the last of the Pro duelists leave the island. He also remembered seeing Zane being the first off, the boat and standing behind the lighthouse, most like he did his three years of being a student.

Soon, he heard his door opened and turned his chair around to greet the visitors.

"I'm glad you could take time out of the tournament to see me... Atticus, Alex, Jeremy and Lily," He greeted the four Obelisk and Ra students.

"No problem, Chancellor," Jeremy nodded, "After all, you did say it was an urgent matter."

"And I did," Sheppard nodded as he stood up from his chair and gave them a look that meant business, "What I'm about to say, cannot leave this room and kept only to the four of you. You all are the only ones who can help me right now."

"Whoa, this must deep," Alex said in awe, "What's going on?"

"Your old friend Zane is in a heap of trouble," the Chancellor informed them, earning an audible gasp from each of the former Shadow Riders, "Neither one of you knows this, but he is the heir to the Cyber Legacy which is how he has become a powerful duelist wielding the Cyber End Dragon. But now, he recently obtained a group of cards known as the Cyberdarks and the Underworld deck."

"Underworld," Lily wondered.

Sheppard nodded, "He went to such great lengths to take them; now I believe he's under the control of a dark force, and I can't help him."

"You dueled Zane yourself," Atticus figured, earning another affirmative from the Chancellor.

"But now, I need the four of you to help me," the Chancellor pleaded, "After all, you four are no strangers to dark, possessive spirits."

"Oh yeah," the Alien duelist sighed, "We were all worse off then."

"I'm just glad it's all over," Lily stated.

"I hear ya," Alex added, "I nearly had you guys killed if Gemini had his way..."

"Plus, we pretty much still are part of those Shadow Riders," Atticus nodded, "They're a lot powerful than any of think, despite the first four to fall..."

"So..." Sheppard gathered back their attention, "Can I count on your help?"

"Of course," the four former Riders replied.

"But I think I'll take him on first," Atticus stated, "And I have just the deck to use for this duel..."

* * *

In the forest area, a couple of SOL duelists were staring down an Ultimate Tyranno in the Jurassic World setting. (8/3000-3300/2300-2600) And the owner of the dinosaur was a tall, purple-haired man wearing an all-black leather jacket, pants and shoes.

"Oh man, what were we thinking taking on Rex Raptor?" one of the members said.

"We? It was your idea to gang up on him?" the other said

"Too bad, that your plan to stomp me down backfired," Rex grinned as he turned to his monster, "Now Ultimate Tyranno, attack them directly!"

The SOL members screamed as the giant T-Rex swung its tail around and dealing a devastating tail swipe, hurtling them deeper into the forest and dropping their life points to zero.

"That was a little too much," the dinosaur Pro said to himself, picking up the GX medals. "Then again, I heard Duel Academy students' prowess was supposed to be top notch. But those guys in white were total pushovers!"

"Then, allow me to show you a real duelist that's should rival you!"

Rex turned around to see Roxanne walked up to him and two kids in yellow blazers.

"Roxanne, I thought I heard you," the dino Pro smirked, "You sure you want to lose out on this tournament easily?"

"Not yet, but I've got someone who wants to challenge the best of the dinosaur duelists," the Gaia pro stated.

"You mean the little shrimp," Rex grinned staring at Syrus, making him freak out and hide behind Roxanne and Hassleberry.

"She meant me, sir," Hassleberry stood up, "Name's Tyranno Hassleberry, and I came to challenge you in a duel of dinos! Plus, I'm a big fan!"

"Hmm, a dinosaur duelist yourself," the Pro wondered.

"Sure am," the Ra exclaimed, "And I figure if I'm going to be one of the best dinosaur duelists, then I'll beat the best!"

"I don't think you should make him mad," Syrus cringed, "Besides, we just saw how he beat those Society members like nothing!"

Despite all of that, Rex grinned, "You're on kid! Also, I like to see how well another dino duelist performs!"

"Then it's game on!" Hassleberry announced as both players shuffled their decks, activated their duel disk and drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Rex: 8000

Hassleberry: 8000

"Let's start off with the Dino Pro," Rex announced, drawing his sixth card, playing one of them, "I'll begin this duel by special summoning a little monster known as Gilasaurus!" In a flash, the small brown velociraptor appeared. (3/1400/400) "But he won't stick around for long, since I activate the spell card, Big Evolution Pill!"

Hassleberry nodded mentally as the velociraptor vanished in place of the spell card's image, 'Next, he'll summon one of his Level 7 and higher dinos...'

"Between us, I won't need to explain the effects, so I'll move on with my Black Tyranno," Rex continued as he played another monster card, letting loose the vicious black scaled T-Rex on to the field, roaring loudly. (7/2600/1800) "And then, I'll end with a facedown card." He concluded as a reverse card appeared in front of his feet.

"Time to show you my dinos," Hassleberry announced as he drew his sixth card. He then held up a familiar monster, "I'll play my Gilasaurus, also as a special summon!" As he played it, another small raptor appeared and stomped the ground. (3/1400/400) "And of course, since I special summoned it, you can bring out a monster from your graveyard."

"So thoughtful, kid," the Dino pro stated as he re-summoned his own Gilasaurus in defense mode, letting it lower its head. (3/1400/400) "Next, you'll also play your Big Evolution Pill, am I right?"

"Like I can lie to you," the dino student smirked as his monster vanished, letting the image of Big Evolution Pill take its place, "Then, I summon something a little different than Black Tyranno. So meet my Jurrac Tyrannus in attack mode!"

Rex suddenly raised an eyebrow as the multicolored T-Rex stood tall and roared at Rex's Black Tyranno. (7/2500/1400) "I see you're using the Jurracs... too bad... I'm not a big archetype user like some people are becoming these days."

"Oh trust me, there's a reason I got into these. But more on that later," Hassleberry replied as he turned to his monster, "Tyrannus, attack Gilasaurus... forward march!"

Tyrannus roared as it rushed towards the small dinosaur and then took it into its teeth, chomping it down to pixels.

"Now, for Tyrannus' effect: whenever he destroys a monster in battle, he gains 300 ATK as the spoils of battle," the Ra continued as his Jurrac powered up with a burning aura. (7/2500-2800/1400) "I place two facedowns and turn it over to you!"

"Nice, now Hassleberry as the strongest monster on the field and some defense as well," Roxanne stated, "And he'll need it to face Rex Raptor; he's gotten better with his dinos over the years..."

"I'll let you in on something kid," Rex said to his opponent, while drawing, "Dinosaurs may have the brawn, but they need the right brain to help them rule... so, your monster doesn't faze me by have more ATK."

"He's sure calm about himself," Syrus pointed out, "But seeing as he knows dinosaurs, I wouldn't blame him."

"It's more than that," the teen Pro added, "He's spent years coming up with perfect strategies to take control of the duel in a second. Hassleberry recently got the Jurracs, so it's hard to say what'll happen."

"I activate another spell card, Giant Trunade," the Dino pro announced, revealing the facedown card he placed, "Now, I get to blow every spell and trap card off the field and back into our hands. So kiss and goodbye for now..." The spectators gasped as a large hurricane appeared in the sky, creating a huge storm and sucked up both players Big Evolution Pills and Hassleberry's facedown cards. "Now, to take care of your Tyrannus, I use Block Attack to switch him into defense mode!"

Hassleberry groaned as his monster was forced to lower its head into defense mode. 'Just like I can read his moves, he'll read into mine and launch an effective counterstrike! Now Black Tyranno can get at my defenses!'

"Then, I summon up my Sabersaurus in attack mode," Rex continued as he played another, unleashing a giant, red triceratops that dragged its feet into the ground, ready to charge. (4/1900/900) "First, I'll let my Black Tyranno attack directly!"

The black T-Rex roared as it stomped towards Hassleberry and then turned for a tail swipe that knocked him on his butt.

Rex: 8000

Hassleberry: 5400

"Now, let's clear the field of your Jurrac monsters on the field! Sabersaurus, attack with Saber Charge," the Pro commanded as his red dino lowered its head and charged towards the multicolored T-Rex and rammed it off the field.

"Aw man, Hassleberry's cards were all gone in just one turn," the Vehicroid duelist sighed, "I told him Rex would be too much for him."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm still in this, private," Hassleberry stated to his fellow Ra.

"I see that," Rex smiled as he took a card from his hand and played it, "But I'll respond to that by playing my Big Evolution Pill and sacrificing Sabersaurus for his effect!" The red triceratops vanished into sparkles, restoring the spell card to the field. "I finally end with a facedown card."

"Here I come," the Ra declared as he drew his next card, "I place two cards facedown and then summon Jurrac Ptera in defense mode," He announced as two reversed cards were placed behind Herra, and a green, flaming pterodactyl appeared and landed on the ground." (3/800/1500) "It's all you!"

"All me, huh," Rex grinned as he drew, "It's not going to be something, as I summon Ultimate Tyranno to the field!" The Ra tried to stay calm as the giant, heavily scaled T-Rex appeared and looked down at its next meal. (8/3000/2300)

"He's going to clear the field of Hassleberry's monster," Jaden realized.

"No way, I activate my facedown card, Trap Hole," the Ra duelist announced, revealing his trap card, "Since you summoned a monster with at least 1000 ATK, your monster gets sent out of play!"

"If it weren't for this," Rex countered, activating a trap card of his own, depicting a giant, red glowing dinosaur's heart, "I use Jurassic Heart, a counter trap card that negates and destroys any trap targeting a dinosaur!"

Hassleberry growled as his trap card shattered into pixels.

"Now, it's time for my dinos to attack yours," Rex commanded, "Ultimate Tyranno, attack all of his monsters!"

"I still have one more card to play," the Ra shouted, revealing his facedown card and discard one card, "It's my Fossil Excavation trap card!"

"So, you'll special summon a dinosaur from your graveyard at the cost of discarding one card from your hand," the Pro acknowledged, "Not a lot of good it'll do since your only chances are Gilasaurus and Jurrac Tyrannus!"

"Actually, I have one more choice," Hassleberry continued, wagging his finger, "Remember, the first thing my trap does is discard. And I discarded another dinosaur monster, so it becomes fair game. And look who it is!" Suddenly, in a flash of light, another Ultimate Tyranno appeared on the Ra's field! (8/3000/2300) "Lucky for me, this monster's effect is negated, but you still have to attack all of mine with yours!"

"Of course, Ultimate Tyranno has a big drawback," Roxanne noted, "Now, he'll end up destroying his monster in a suicide attack!"

"Still, I get to choose the order of my monster attacks," Rex interrupted, "And I'll have my Tyranno take out Ptera before I go after your Tyranno! Go now, Cretaceous Rampage!"

The hard-scaled T-Rex roared and stomped towards the flaming pterodactyl, crushing it with his feet, "Now attack his... huh?" Out of nowhere, a flaming aura surrounded Rex's Ultimate Tyranno as it started to glow. "What's going on here?"

"Obviously, you don't know Jurrac Ptera's special ability," Hassleberry grinned, "After the damage has been dealt, your monster has to go back into your hand!"

The Dino pro gasped as his monster was forced off the field and back into his hand.

"Nice move, an effective monster and a power monster to lure Rex into giving up his monster for the time being," Roxanne praised.

"I'll end my turn," Rex concluded.

"Alright, my move," Hassleberry stated as he drew, "Time for my comeback, I activate the spell card Spellbook Inside the Pot to let both of us draw three cards from our decks."

"You're too kind," the Pro replied as both dino duelists drew three cards.

"Next, I summon Hyper Hammerhead in attack mode," the Ra continued as he summoned his brown, hammer-headed dino and let it stare down the Pro. (4/1500/1200) "Now Ultimate Tyranno, relieve General Raptor of his Black Tyranno!" He commanded, letting his own Tyrannosaurus rushed forward to bite down and beat up the black Tyrannosaur, breaking it down to pixels.

Rex: 7600

Hassleberry: 5400

"Now Hyper Hammerhead, attack directly," He continued and then played a spell card from his hand, "And I'll use Dino Stomp to take down your Big Evolution Pill!"

The Pro braced himself as the Hammerhead dino leapt up into the air and struck his chest with a nosedive, also destroying the Big Evolution Pill in the process.

Rex: 6100

Hassleberry: 5400

"Now, I end with a facedown card of my own," the Ra concluded, inserting a reversed card into his disk, "How's that for a comeback?"

"Pretty smart," Rex stated as he drew, "But I'll soon create an even bigger upset, by first using Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." The grinning green jar appeared as the Pro dino duelist drew out two more cards, shattering itself afterwards, "Next, I summon the Last Tusk Mammoth!"

Stomping the ground as it was summoned, a large, brown-furred mammoth with three tusks under its large trunk roared straight at the large Tyranno. (3/800/1500)

"Last Tusk Mammoth," Syrus wondered, "Why summon a monster that weak?"

"Next, I equip it with Mist Body," Rex continued as a white shroud of mist covered the giant mammoth, "Now attack Ultimate Tyranno with Last Tusk Tackle!"

"It must have a special ability," Roxanne gasped as the mammoth charged towards the stronger dino, "And he'll probably continue to use it since Mist Body prevents the Mammoth from being destroyed!"

"And I know," Hassleberry announced, activating his facedown card. It revealed a continuous trap card, depicting a human hand rising out of a pitfall with liquid amber, "Go Amber Pitfall!" Before Last Tusk Mammoth could pierce Ultimate Tyranno's body, it suddenly slipped into a small trap hole and soon wrapped around the sticky amber, preventing its movements. "Thanks to this, not only does it switch your monster to defense mode, it stays there for if the trap stays."

"So you saw through my plan," Rex sighed as he inserted another card into his disk.

"Of course, any battle damage Last Tusked Mammoth sustains will get sent to me instead," the dino student replied as he drew his next card, "Also, became pretty obvious if you're planning on keeping that thing on the field. But now, I'll take full advantage of your mistake!"

"But how, Mist Body's still equipped to the Mammoth," Syrus wondered.

"Just watch," Hassleberry stated as his Hyper Hammerhead vanished from the field, in its place was the familiar dino spell card, "I use my Big Evolution Pill and sacrifice Hyper Hammerhead! I could've attacked it and sent it back to your hand, but then you'd summon it back and deal some big damage. So instead, I'll go for you directly and summon Dark Tyranno!"

In a flash, another Tyrannosaur appeared with brown skin and yellow stripes along the back. It gave an intimidating leer towards Rex and the Mammoth, and roared viciously. (7/2600/1800)

"Dark Tyranno," Rex gasped, making Hassleberry grin.

"Yep, this is a retrained version of the Black Tyranno," the Ra stated, "And unlike needing a drawback of no facedown cards, I could have it attack directly since you own defensive monsters in your platoon! Frontal Assault!"

The predator charged in with swift speed and turned its tail to swipe down the Pro duelist of his feet.

Rex: 3500

Hassleberry: 5400

"About time he got ahead," Syrus said.

"Which is why you should take Roxanne's and my advice, and take on a Pro duelist," Hassleberry pointed out, "It doesn't have to be Roxanne."

"You can just challenge yourself instead of hiding around," Roxanne added.

Rex groaned as he got up, "Good kid, real good... gave me a real beating that made my Black Tyranno's damage feel like a love tap. You certainly are a rising expert Dinosaur duelist."

"Well, that's mighty kind of ya to say, Mr. Raptor!" the Ra exclaimed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Just Rex," the dino Pro stated, "But now, let me raise the difficulty and reset the field with my trap card, Jurassic Impact!" Everyone gasped as the familiar trap card of a meteor impacting earth revealed itself, "I destroy all monsters on the field and deal 1000 points to each of the owner's destroyed monster!"

From the sky, burning meteors blanketed the field tearing apart Rex's Last Tusk Mammoth and Hassleberry's Dark Tyranno and Ultimate Tyranno, leaving the entire field a molten lava pool.

Rex: 2500

Hassleberry: 3400

"Aw man, Rex was almost done," Syrus whined.

"I told you, Rex will wait for a time when you least expect it," Roxanne stated, "It's how he keeps his power strategy strong, even waiting for a winning moment."

"Since we have to wait until the end of my next turn, I'll just let it go," Hassleberry concluded.

"And here's where it all begins," Rex announced as he drew his next card, "I also place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Let's see what else I can find," Hassleberry wondered as he drew, 'I can still turn this around, but I only got a turn left when he starts his turn,' "I end my turn with a facedown card."

"Alright, it's time for my ultimate monster," Rex announced as he drew, "I start by discarding my Ultimate Tyranno to special summon the Hardened Armed Dragon!" He stated as he discarded his monster and then brought out the raw bone armored dragon to his field. (4/1500/800)

"He just summoned a dragon-type monster," the vehicroid duelist wondered.

"His strongest monsters usually come into the form of dragons," the Gaia-themed duelist said, "He used to have a Serpent Night Dragon and the Red Eyes Black Dragon before he lost them at Battle City and Duelist Kingdom, years before I went pro."

"Next, I summon the Two-Headed King Rex," the dino pro continued, unleashing the purple, flying dinosaur with two, tri-horned heads. (4/1600/1200)

"And that used to be his signature monster," Hassleberry whispered to himself.

"Finally, I activate my facedown card, Quick Summon and sacrifice them both to summon the Tyrant Dragon," Rex announced as both of his monsters suddenly melted into lava, creating a puddle of magma. Then, a towering inferno erupted from it and unleashed a large red dragon standing on all fours with wavy fins on the sides of its face and a green jewel in between its eyes. (8/2900/2500)

"It's one of the Dragon Lords," the Ras exclaimed.

"That's right, and this set above from the other duelists since they won't expect my dragon until it's too late," the Pro grinned as he inserted another spell card, "And with Rush Recklessly, that time is now!" He stated as a green aura surrounded the Dragon Lord. (8/2900-3600/2500) "Tyrant Dragon, take him down now!"

"Go trap card," Hassleberry announced as the dragon took flight.

"It won't work," Roxanne protested, "Any traps aimed at Tyrant Dragon will be destroyed, not only that but since Hardened Armed Dragon was used as one of the tributes, he can't be destroyed by card effects!"

"Then, it's a good thing my trap is Survival Instinct," the dino student stated, as his trap card revealed dinosaurs taking evasive action as a volcano erupted in the background, "I remove any number of Dinosaur monsters in my graveyard and then gain 400 life points for each one removed. To survive your attack, all I need is to remove one, my Ultimate Tyranno!" He stated as he took out the desired monster from his graveyard...

Rex: 2500

Hassleberry: 3800

"Tyrant Dragon, attack with Tyrant Flame Burst," Rex commanded as his dragon breathed a tornado of fire towards the Ra student, forcing him to use his duel disk for cover.

Rex: 2500

Hassleberry: 200

"My turn's done, but you better pull your lucky card out on your next turn," Rex warned as his Tyrant Dragon's power returned to 2900.

 _'He's right,'_ Hassleberry thought, _'I can make one draw to save my hide. And only one monster in my deck can beat this Tyrant Dragon...'_

"Come on, Hassleberry," Syrus shouted, snapping him out of his thoughts, "You wanted to show your idol how well you dueled! Now you have the chance to beat him and show the world that Duel Academy students are just as great!"

Soon, the Ra dino duelist developed a smile on his face, "Right!" He then turned to Rex, "This match is still on," He shouted as he drew his next card, "I activate Card of Variation! This allows me to draw two cards, but forces me to discard one of them during the End Phase or risk losing 3000 life points."

"It's a long shot," Roxanne stated, "Even if he used Survival Instinct to remove every dinosaur from his graveyard, it wouldn't save him."

"Time to draw," the Ra shouted as he drew his two cards and looked at them. "Alright, with just one turn left from my Big Evolution Pill, I can summon the strongest Dinosaur yet!"

A huge pillar of flames erupted from the Big Evolution Pill card as a large roar bellowed out from it. Even the Tyrant Dragon had to take flight and move away to see the entity about to be released. Stepping out of the flaming pillar, a massive bipedal dinosaur, unlike the T-Rex, emerged with a mixture of black and red colors over its form. The body looked like that of a dinosaur's, but the head was more similar to a dragon's. (9/3000/2800)

"No way," Rex shouted, "What on earth is that thing?"

"Meet the Jurrac Titano," Hassleberry grinned, "Derived from the dino who can even dwarf the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex: the Tyrannotitan!"

"Who knew that dinosaurs could grow up to be that big?" Syrus cringed, "Maybe that's why he upgraded his deck with them..."

"A mix of power and strategy," Roxanne acknowledged, "Sounds about right for those who strive to make other types work more effectively..."

"I'm still in this kid," the dino Pro stated, "Even you have the bigger monster; I'll only lose 100 life points! All I need is to make a good draw and you and your new dino will fall!"

"Not if this one card I have helps, and boy does it," the Ra duelist grinned, activating his final card, "I use the spell card, Tail Swipe!"

"Oh no!" Rex shouted, "That allows you to return up to 2 cards to the players' hand!"

"That's right! And guess who I have my sights set on!"

The tyrannotitan charged at Rex's Dragon and spun around to smack it off the field with the tail, forcing Rex to take it off the disk tray.

"Now, attack Rex directly! Titan Dino Firestorm," Hassleberry shouted as his powerful dino breathed a dark red flame breath, engulfing the Pro duelist and ending the game.

Rex: 0

Hassleberry: 200, Winner

The holograms disappeared as the Ra dino duelist shouted his own praises.

"He won," Syrus gasped, "He actually beat a Pro!"

"Come on," Roxanne assured him, "It's not like we Pro duelists are superhuman at dueling. I think that's the reason why you're feeling so inferior about the Pros coming in... Not because of your grade is on the line, like you and Hassleberry are, but thinking you're the weakest out of the entire bunch."

"You should've seen opening day," the vehicroid duelist stated, "Everyone saw me as the weakest duelist to start with and tried to gang up on me!"

The Pro duelist started laughing a bit, "That means YOU'RE the real threat in their eyes!"

"Huh?"

"First, I heard that Ra Yellow's full of gifted duelists who are smart and cunning," she elaborated, "And that they usually think outside the box. I saw that in Hassleberry's duel just now, and the fact that you're still in the tournament should show that for you as well. I think you're ready to take on some Pro duelists..."

"You think so?" Syrus asked.

"I know so, just stop feeling like your inferior and just try your luck... for yourself."

Rex finally walked up to Hassleberry with his intimidating staredown, scaring him a bit.

"Let me tell you something kid," He growled, "I don't take losing lightly and if you know my past, I just hate to lose! So..." He roughly grabbed Hassleberry's left hand and then slammed something in it, When the Ra took it back he found himself holding about 20 medals. Rex then started to smile, "You better make sure that dinosaur duelists are a force to be feared!"

Grinning back, Hassleberry pocketed his new medals, "Thanks very much, Mr... I mean, Rex!"

"You're welcome," the Pro replied as he wrapped an arm around his fellow dinosaur duelist and started to walk with him out of the forest, "But, even though you beat me, I still got a few tricks to teach you…"

"Someone's got a mentor," Roxanne smiled, before turning to the vehicroid duelist, "Come on; let's go find you a Pro to battle..."

"Okay..."

* * *

At the docks, Zane was still leaning on the dock's lighthouse, enjoying the isolation...

"So the rumors are true, Zane Truesdale returns to Duel Academy..." Standing behind the other side of the lighthouse, Kenji started to calibrate his deck, expecting a duel. "How've ya been, Hell Kaiser?"

Zane scoffed, "Let me guess; you've come to meet with me and tell me how I've changed in my dueling and morals. Spare me the garbage..."

The ninja duelist just chuckled, "It's funny; I know what you've become, but you don't know a thing about me. I see where you are coming from..."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"After that horrendous losing streak, you started to see the real focus of competitive dueling," Kenji stated, "How to stop caring about the well-being of your opponent and just wanted to shut him out. The match with Weevil rings any bells?"

"I lived that duel, so just get on with it..." Zane demanded.

"You finally become the ultimate duelist in your eyes, but everyone else sees your outside persona," the ninja duelist smirked, "I see how your skills have drastically changed for the better... I mean, you never went for one turn kills, focusing on seeing the potential in others before deciding the battle. Now you focus on beating the opponent and stopped appeasing the crowd."

The Hell Kaiser found himself smiling, "Finally... you truly are a duelist of the mind. So, you say you know where I'm coming from, but what about you? You've piqued my interest."

"I haven't exactly gone into one turn kills as much as you do, but starting to look out for number one's helping me focus on my strategies." Kenji smiled as he stared as his new Obelisk the Tormentor card, "I do find the thrill of using my most powerful cards without caring whether they are ready for them; if they aren't... oh well..."

"Interesting," Zane replied, "You know, I recently obtained new cards to test out, but seeing as you understand my methods, there's no reason to fight..."

"Unless you wish to face each other when we are the last duelists standing," Kenji added.

"I'll see you then," the Pro added as he noticed Kenji leaving the docks with his ninja stealth.

"Hey Zane!"

Suddenly, turned his attention towards the cliffs and saw Atticus, Jeremy, Lily and Alex standing their look down at him.

"Let's duel and talk," Atticus called out, "Meet outside the volcano, and the rulings do state you have to accept the first challenge given!"

The Hell Kaiser responded by nodding and leaving the docks as the other four left the cliff.

* * *

Soon, Atticus and his friends stood at the base of the volcano with the challenger going behind the bushes with a duffel bag.

"Just curious, why are you dueling Zane out here?" Alex asked.

"It'll become clear once Zane gets here," Atticus replied.

"Well, I hope he gets here soon, I hate the fact I'm near a volcano," Lily said worriedly.

"Don't worry, it's inactive," Jeremy assured her, "Otherwise, it'd be a waste of money and labor to build the Academy on this island. Not to mention the staff would be up to their ears in lawsuits..."

"I just hope that we can get Zane out of this dark state he's in," the Dragon duelist added, "It's not exactly something to be happy about."

"We still have to wait for Zane to get here," Alex said, "And Atticus, if you're not done using the bathroom or whatever is doing behind the bushes, I'll duel him!"

"Why not?"

Soon, the former Shadow Riders were met up by the dark clad Zane, eyeing the three with a glare.

"The four of you dragged me out to the middle of nowhere for a duel, so I demand a reason..." He stated.

"Alright, I'll tell ya!" Atticus called out, throwing the duffel bag out in the open with his Academy clothes inside. The others got their answer as they saw Atticus now wearing a dark blazer with raised shoulders, shirt and pants.

"Wait a second, that's..."

"Right Jeremy, these are the clothes I wore when I was possessed by Nightshroud," Atticus interrupted as he inserted a deck into his duel disk, activating it. He then turned to Zane, "And you should know this place Zane; it's where Kenji freed me from his grip. I realize the only way to rescue you from the dark is to go inside with you. I'll use Nightshroud's deck to enter the darkness and then, hopefully, return us back."

"Entering the darkness?" Zane asked, activating his duel disk, "Sounds like there's some Nightshroud left in you."

"Nightshroud will always be a part of me," the Obelisk stated, "Except I'm in control."

"And you're saying I'm not in control," the Hell Kaiser wondered, "I couldn't disagree with you more. I'm in complete control, and you'll all see that first hand!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!"

Atticus: 8000

Zane: 8000

"I'll go first," Atticus announced as he drew his sixth card, and playing one, "Come out, Red-Eyes Black Chick!" He stated, as a red egg appeared and hatched into a small, baby Red-Eyes Black Dragon. (2/800/600) "But he won't be here for long because I use its special ability to sacrifice it and special summon the original, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Suddenly, the baby glowed bright white and started grow until it became a full-grown, black scaled, sliver clawed dragon who peered into Zane's cold eyes with its dangerous red ones. (7/2400/2000)

"Finally, I set one card facedown and activate the spell card Inferno Fire Blast," He stated, "Since Red-Eyes can't attack on the first turn, using his attack card to deal the damage will more than make up for it!"

The Dragon roared and sent a huge ball of flaming red energy flying from its mouth. Zane didn't even flinch as the flames hit his entire body and waited for to fizzle out.

Atticus: 8000

Zane: 5600

"It's your move Zane," Atticus concluded.

"2400 life points down like that? Wow, if it wasn't tainted with Nightshroud's energy, he should use the Red-Eyes Deck more often," Alex stated.

"It's exactly the reason, I won't use Light and Darkness Dragon," Lily added, "It's that card that is mainly used with Brightveil's influence."

"I guess Alex and I can count us lucky," Jeremy sighed, "Alex's main focus for Gemini was destroyed when Orichalcos Shunoros was torn up, and I really didn't have anything for Twilight to hang onto."

"Not necessary," the Gemini duelist interjected, "Each of our Shadow Rider personas is still lingering inside us. We just keep on keeping them suppressed."

Zane chuckled, "Not a bad move, Atticus. Are you sure you could've done that yourself, or did Nightshroud give you a hand?"

"I told you; he's gone, I'm in control," the Obelisk stated firmly. But he suddenly saw a flash of darkness seeped out from his duel disk, giving him a second thought.

"Keep telling your mind that," the Pro duelist smirked as he drew his sixth card, "I start with Foolish Burial, sending Hunter Dragon from my deck into my graveyard!" A card slipped out of his deck, letting Zane retrieve it and then place it into his graveyard. "Next, I summon Cyberdark Edge in attack mode!"

The former Shadow Riders were baffled as a dark portal opened and unleashed a mechanical bug-like creature with eight blades on its back, function as its wings. (3/800/800) "Cyberdark?"

"When this Normal summoned to the field, I can bring a level 3 or below dragon monster under its control and it gains all of its ATK," the dark clad Pro stated as a grey-bodied dragon with silver wings appeared in front of Edge, only to be wrapped by its legs and hooked up to cables. (3/800-2500/800)

"He's using torture monsters," Lily stated, disgusted at how Hunter Dragon was roaring in pain, "Is this why the Cyberdarks are forbidden?"

"Oh, I'll show you why they are forbidden," Zane grinned, "I activate Edge's effect, I can have it attack directly, but it only does half the damage! But that's okay, at least I'm sparing Red-Eyed to do more damage!"

Edge flexed out its blade wings, reducing its power for a bit. (3/2500-1250/800) Then, the Cyberdark flapped them down and unleashed a razor-sharp windstorm onto Atticus, who he endured the hit.

Atticus: 6750

Zane: 5600

"That was brutal," Jeremy stated, "But this is the 'new' Zane, we're dealing with."

"Still, he didn't have to go that far," Lily muttered.

"Finally, I place one card facedown to end my turn," the Pro concluded as a reversed card appeared near his feet.

"My turn again," Atticus announced as he drew his next card, seeping with darkness.

"Don't try and fight the darkness, Atticus! Embrace it, feel its power!"

The Obelisk shrugged it off and activated another card, "Next, I use the power of Polymerization and fuse my Red-Eyes and the Meteor Dragon within my hand to summon another one of Red-Eyes' forms, the Meteor Black Dragon!"

A purple dragon with a meteor for a body screeched as it appeared on the former Shadow Rider's field and jumped into a fusion vortex along with Red-Eyes and merged together. Emerging from the vortex, a large purple and red dragon appeared with its body cracks seeping out hot magma with every step it took. (8/3500/2000)

"Nice, one of Atticus' best monsters," Alex grinned, "Let's see how Zane gets out of this!"

"Meteor Black Dragon, attack Cyberdark Edge with Molten Meteor Blitz," the Red-Eyes duelist commanded as the dragon roared and charged at the Cyberdark and tackled it. Only it endured the hit and the Hunter Dragon was extinguished instead. (3/2500-800/800)

Atticus: 6750

Zane: 4600

"Hey, why didn't go to the graveyard," Lily gasped.

"When Cyberdark Edge would be destroyed in battle, the equipped monster goes instead!" the Cyber duelist announced, "So my monster stays to fight."

"I place my last card facedown," Atticus concluded, "You're up."

"Too kind," Zane mocked as he drew his next card, "I activate Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards and then get rid of two from my hand," He began, drawing his cards and then sent two of them into his graveyard, playing another spell, "I now activate Earthquake to switch all monsters on the field into defense mode!"

The volcano floor started to rumble, forcing both monsters to cover themselves with their wings.

"This is bad, if he plays what I'll think he's playing," Jeremy stated worriedly.

"Now, come forth my Cyberdark Horn!" Zane announced, bringing out another dark metal field with monstrous head, blue eyes peering from the 'mouth.' (3/800/800) "And just like Cyberdark Edge, he'll take a level 3 dragon from my graveyard and absorb its attack points!" Hunter Dragon reappeared into the arms of the Cyberdark and then hooked up to cables, having its power drained by its captor. (3/800-2500/800) "Finally, I activate Unstable Evolution to take Horn's original power to 2400," He continued, inserting another card, "Meaning the overall power will be even greater!"

Atticus cringed as the Cyberdark Horn grew, obtaining a large power. (3/800-2400-4100/800)

"He didn't need to boost its power that far," Alex pointed out, "He already had enough to beat out Meteor Black Dragon!"

"Zane's just caring about putting Atticus through the wringer to satisfy his own strength," Jeremy deduced, "Despite having the advantage..."

Lily could only stare at Zane with sadness and anger.

"If you didn't figure it out just now, Cyberdark Horn can inflict piercing damage to a defensive monster," Zane stated, "Now Cyberdark Horn, attack Meteor B. Dragon with your Dark Spear attack!"

Horn roared a metallic scream and then fired as spear made from pure darkness, heading straight for the dragon...

"I activate the trap card, Negate Attack," the Red-Eyes duelist countered, revealing one of his facedown cards and creating a vortex that shielded the dragon from the attack.

"Desperate aren't you," the Pro mocked as inserted another facedown card into his disk, "Then again, Nightshroud did try his best to keep himself alive as well."

Atticus growled as he drew his next card.

"Keep your cool, man," Alex shouted out to the Obelisk, "He's trying to play head games!"

"Are you sure, Alex," Zane asked, "After all, I faced Gemini and he and you were alike."

"The guy only used my personality to play head games with everyone else," the Gemini duelist waved off, "Plus, I already accepted he's my darkness a while ago. So don't even start..."

"I activate Card of Demise," Atticus announced, bringing everyone's attention back to the duel, "This lets me draw until I'm holding five cards in my hand, but have to discard my hand in 5 of my standby phases." He stated, drawing out five cards. He then gasped seeing the five cards build up with darkness.

"Is something wrong," Jeremy asked.

"Nothing," the Obelisk stated, revealing his facedown card, "I use my facedown card, De-Fusion separating the Meteor Black Dragon into the monsters that formed it!" A green flash took over the molten dragon and soon split itself apart back into Meteor Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Dragon again. (6/1800/2000), (7/2400/2000) "Now, I sacrifice Red-Eyes Black Dragon and summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!"

Everyone started to cover themselves as a dark storm blanketed the skies and a black tornado surrounded the black dragon and started to bulk it up. Soon, the Red-Eyes Dragon was now covered in sharper scales with golden stripes along its body and head, as well as six strange wings on its back. (9/2400/2000)

Then, dark electricity started to surround Atticus and started to take hold of him.

"It won't be long now!"

Somewhere near the volcano area, Jaden had finished up a duel against a low-ranking Pro with his Burstinatrix and Lady Heat in play.

"That's game!" He exclaimed, dishing out his two-finger salute, "I'll take those medals to go!"

Suddenly, the skies went dark and interrupted the Slifer from his victory praise.

"What's going on? I hope it's not Kenji using Obelisk the Tormentor this soon!" He gasped as he turned around towards the volcano. But what he saw wasn't the Egyptian God card it was the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon! "Is that... a Red-Eyes Black Dragon?"

"Jaden!"

Soon Syrus approached him along with Hassleberry.

"I just heard that Zane's dueling Atticus up near the volcano!" the vehicroid duelist stated.

"So Zane's close by?" the Slifer asked.

"10-4!" Hassleberry replied, "But I don't know why they are dueling..."

"Well let's go find out!" Jaden declared as he and the Ras headed up the mountain.

Back at the volcano...

"Since my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon is here, he gains an extra 300 ATK for every Dragon in my graveyard," Atticus announced as his deck brought out more tendrils of darkness and seeped into the dragon, filling it with more power. (9/2400-3000/2000) "But that's not all, now I remove Meteor Dragon from the game and summon his counterpart, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!"

The Meteor Dragon started to roar in pain as more darkness took hold of it and started to morph it. Suddenly, another Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon appeared, only this time it was encased in hardened metal and let out a fierce, metallic roar. (10/2800/2400)

"Two Red-Eyes Darkness Dragons," Lily gasped, "This is too big!"

"And with the power they have, Zane will be in deep trouble," Alex stated.

"But he'll need more power to shut him down and those Cyberdarks," Jeremy added.

"Next, I activate Dragon Heart," the Red-Eyes duelist continued, activate a spell depicting a large, green dragon showing its bright heart shining, "This allow me to send 3 Dragons from my deck into the graveyard and gives Darkness Dragon an extra 1000 ATK, but bars me from Normal Summoning or Setting a monster!" He stated, taking Spear Dragon, Darkblaze Dragon and Troop Dragon from his deck and placing it into his graveyard, "Plus with 3 more dragons, he gains another 900 ATK!"

Suddenly both Atticus and Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon were surrounded in pitch black auras, amplifying the darkness within them. (9/3000-4900/2000)

But soon, the dark aura took its toll on the former Shadow Rider and making him scream out in agony. "The darkness... it's too powerful!"

Lily and Jeremy were about to go and help, but Alex stopped them.

"Don't! This may be what he needs to let happen," the Gemini duelist stated, "And after we get Zane back, if Atticus is still possessed by darkness, we can take him down together..."

"Alright, let's try this once more," Atticus shouted, trying to fight the darkness, "I may be forbidden to Normal Summon, I can still Special Summon from the graveyard using Darkness Metal Dragon's special ability! Come forth, Darkblaze Dragon!"

Now, the Darkness Metal Dragon expended darkness from its body and used it to create a small, thin dark red wyvern with four straight wings and a large maw. (7/1200/1000), (9/4900-4600/2000) "And when summoned from the graveyard, his stats double!" He continued as the dark aura tampered with the new dragon, making it grow twice its size. (7/1200-2400/1000-2000)

"Hey look, it is Zane!"

Jeremy, Lily and Alex turned away from the action to see Jaden, Syrus and Hassleberry approaching the duel.

"Whoa, Atticus is really burning up the pressure on Zane," Jaden exclaimed.

"Then, I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Hunter Dragon," Atticus announced, managing to regain his voice, letting a windstorm destroy the Hunter Dragon and release it from Cyberdark Horn's grip. (3/4100-2400/800) "Now it's all set! Darkblaze Dragon, destroy Cyberdark Horn!"

"Cyberdark Horn, counterattack!" Zane countered as his dragon torture monster charged at the wyvern and both monsters blew each other up in a suicide explosion of darkness and flames.

"I may have destroyed my own monster, but 300 ATK gets added to Darkness Dragon," the Red-Eyes duelist shouted as his Darkness Dragon leaked out more darkness. (9/4600-4900/2000) "That's not all; since Darkblaze Dragon destroyed your monster, the 2400 ATK of Cyberdark Edge gets subtracted from your life points!"

As a red aura surrounded Zane, he activated his facedown card that depicted a large firestorm being repelled by an unknown force, "I activate Fusion Guard, sending one of my Fusion Monster to the graveyard and cancel out your effect damage!"

The Fusion deck slot of his duel disk ejected a monster card, letting the Hell Kaiser place it into his graveyard. Still, Atticus was not giving up...

"Darkness Metal Dragon, attack Cyberdark Edge with Flash Darkfire!" He announced as the dark metal dragon fired a dark red laser from its mouth, vaporizing the Cyberdark monster. "And now Darkness Dragon, destroy Cyberdark Horn and 4100 of his life points with Inferno Darkfire!"

The scaled armored dragon unleashed a stream of darkened flames and melted the Cyberdark monster.

"I won't be losing that much," Zane smirked as he activated his facedown card. It depicted an ancient warrior creating an energy wall to block a dragon's flames, "I activate Power Wall and toss out most of my deck!"

Everyone couldn't believe as the Hell Kaiser reached for his deck and threw away 24 of his cards into the air!

"Since you made an attack on my monster, I sent 24 cards from my deck into my graveyard and then I negate 100 points of damage, meaning 2400 altogether is shielded while you only deal 1700 points damage!"

Atticus: 6750

Zane: 2100

"But... you treated your cards like trash..." Atticus said sadly, "You always treated your cards with respect... I guess I can't get through to you after all..."

 **"Not without my help!"**

Soon, the darkness took over Atticus' body completed through his sadness.

"Atticus!" the former Shadow Rider cried.

The Red-Eyes duelist hunched over with his bangs covering his eyes...

"Atticus... has left the building. But not to worry..."

Everyone stood in shock as Atticus stood up straight... only to have a dark dragon mask covering his face!

"...Nightshroud has arrived!"

"He's back?" Jeremy gasped.

"I was afraid of this..." Lily said worriedly.

"Let's just hope this ends quickly," Alex stated as he activated his duel disk, "So we can save Atticus if we need to."

"I won't need saving after this," Nightshroud smirked as he activates the last card in his hand, "I activate Dragon's Gunfire! This allows me to deal 800 points of damage since I control Dragon-Type monsters!"

Darkness Dragon roared and unleashed a giant, red fireball letting hit Zane dead on... but he didn't flinch...

Atticus: 6750

Zane: 1300

"I end my turn meaning Darkness Dragon loses the 1000-point boost from Dragon Heart," the Shadow Rider concluded as the monster in question lost power. (9/4900-3900/2000) "But with only four cards left in your deck, there's not much you can do anyway!"

"You'd be surprised, Nightshroud," Zane retorted as he drew, "I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot allowing me to draw out the last three cards from my deck, as well as giving you three cards from yours!"

"But that's crazy," Hassleberry shouted as both players drew their three cards, "If Zane doesn't get the right cards; he's done for by decking out!"

"I activate my facedown card, Junk Dealer," the Hell Kaiser announced, revealing his facedown card that showed a bald man in a strange armor, standing in front of a junkyard, "Now I get to summon two monsters from my graveyard with half of their strength! And I choose Cyberdarks Edge and Horn!"

From two dark portals, the Cyberdark Machines returned and took a defensive stance. (3/800-400/800) x2

"That was pointless," Nightshroud mocked, "All I have to do end my next turn and you're done!"

"Not quite, I activate my spell card Power Bond!" Zane interrupted, activating his signature spell card, "Now I can fuse together Edge, Horn and Cyberdark Keel in my hand!"

A dark fusion vortex appeared in the sky, pulling in the weakened Cyberdarks along with another who was only a small, serpentine dragon machine with cables.

"What's he creating?" Jaden wondered.

"Meet my Cyberdark Dragon!"

Emerging from the fusion vortex, the Cyberdarks returned and were connected. Keel served as the entire tail, Edge became the body and wings, and finally Horn became the monstrous head. (8/1000/1000) "And with Power Bond, its ATK doubles!"

The massive machine dragon let out a dark roar as its power rose higher. (8/1000-2000/1000)

"All of that for a 2000 ATK monster?" Alex wondered, "What is wrong with that?"

"You should shut your mouth, Alex," Zane smirked, "My Cyberdark Dragon retains the same effect as the monster that created it! Only this time, there are no level restrictions!"

"But if that's true, Zane must have put a ton of strong Dragon type monsters in his deck," Lily figured.

"Correct, and when I used Fusion Guard, I placed the strongest Dragon of them all! Now Cyberdark Dragon, take the ATK of... the Five-Headed Dragon!"

"WHAT!" Everyone shouted as the giant, five-headed monstrosity appeared on the field... and even it was prey to the torture of the Cyberdark Dragon as it wrapped its torso around the middle head and connected its cables around the body to drain its power! (8/2000-7000/1000)

"Then, it gains 100 attack points for every monster in my graveyard, and I have exactly 20 monsters in there!" Zane continued as a dark aura surrounded the machine. (8/7000-9000/1000) "Finally, I use Shrink making your Darkness Metal Dragon shorter and weaker at the same time!"

Nightshroud gasped as his dragon shrunk to half its size and power. (10/2800-1400/2000)

"So that's why he trashed most of his deck," Jaden realized.

"Yeah, but he didn't need all of that power to beat Atticus," Syrus protested, "That's not like Zane!"

"Cyberdark Dragon, show everyone the power of the Underworld Deck! Destroy the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!"

Hearing Zane's command, the dragon let out a powerful shockwave that nearly shook the entire volcano up and the spectators of the duel. The attack was so powerful, both Darkness Dragons exploded into dark flames! Also, the attack shattered the mask of Nightshroud and returned Atticus to normal!

"It's over Nightshroud!"

Atticus: 0

Zane: 1300, Winner

The holograms disappeared as Atticus fell to his knees in exhaustion. Jeremy and Lily ran over to their defeated friend.

"You okay?" Lily asked.

"I'm fine..." Atticus replied and gave a weak smile, "And so is Zane..."

"What are you talking about?" Jeremy wondered.

The defeated duelist slowly stood up and faced the winner, "You defeated the darkness, Zane! Does this mean you're back?"

"No!" said the Hell Kaiser in a gruff voice. "The Zane you knew long ago is gone!"

Alex growled, "So the darkness is still inside you?"

"No, I just figured out the truth! All that matters in life is victory!" Zane shouted proudly.

"But... how did this happen to you?" the Dragon duelist protested. But she received no answer. "Answer me!"

"Let it go, Lily," Atticus sighed as he threw his GX medal to Zane, who picked it up without a word. "We still got enough time to bring him to his senses... even if he's not brainwashed..."

The Hell Kaiser scoffed as he took his leave, passing his own brother who stared at him with a determined glare. He knew Zane wouldn't even give a word or a passing glance as he said to himself one thing...

 _'Zane... when we duel... I will beat you!'_

* * *

It's over! I did it!

Jurassic Heart

Counter Trap

Image: A red glowing dinosaur's heart.

Negate the activation and the effect of a Trap Card that targets 1 face-up Dinosaur-Type monster you control and destroy it.

(Used by Rex Raptor in the second series anime episode trilogy: On the Wrong Track. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Last Tusk Mammoth

EARTH

Level 3

Dinosaur/Effect

800/1200

Your opponent takes all Battle Damage you would have taken from battles involving this card.

(Used by Noah in the second series anime episode trilogy: Brothers in Arms. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Amber Pitfall

Continuous Trap

Image: A human reaching out of a pitfall filled with sticky amber liquid

Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Change the attacking monster to Defense Position. That monster cannot change its battle position.

(Used by Tyranno Hassleberry in the GX episode: A Hassleberry Hounding. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Dragon Heart

Normal Spell Card

Image: A green dragon's glowing heart.

Send 3 Dragon-Type monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard and select 1 Dragon-Type monster you control. It gains 1000 ATK, until the End Phase. You cannot Normal Summon or Set this turn.

(This card was first used by Atticus in the GX episode: The Darkness Within. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Power Wall

Normal Trap

Image: A soldier creating an energy wall, blocking a dragon's flame.

Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Send any number of cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard. Decrease the amount of Battle Damage by 100 for each card you sent to the Graveyard by this effect.

Next Time: Lorenzo's up to no good as he takes a new deck and starts trashing foes all around, calling out his favorite Runner-up. Will Jeremy answer the call?

Please Review! Later!


	57. Rivalry Invasion

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 57: Rivalry Invasion

* * *

Sometime after Atticus' duel with Zane, Jeremy met up with Claudio and rushed down the pathways of the island, heading over to the white dorm.

"So... are you going to tell me why you had me run all the way from across the island?" The Alien duelist asked.

"Melody sent me a message saying that she saw Lorenzo going after a Pro duelist," Claudio replied. "He's also been using cards that are not from the B.E.S. deck like you told me about."

"Tch, figures. The Society's really trying to up their game with all these new cards coming out," Jeremy stated. "We should tell Chancellor Sheppard and have him e-mail Mr. Pegasus about this... I know he doesn't know about these new cards coming out."

"I got his contact information; I could give him a call after we check out this duel and record it for those cards." The J-Hero duelist nodded. "Need some evidence for this mess... it almost makes me wonder how they are creating cards... I don't know anyone who's skilled at drawing except Chumley."

"Yeah, and the fact of making them into authentic dueling cards," Jeremy replied. "And I don't think Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp would let this slip by without investigation."

"First, let's check out this duel and then we'll send the info to Pegasus."

"Good."

* * *

Soon the Ra duelists made to the Society's dorm, seeing a crowd of Academy and SOL duelists standing just outside the doors. Claudio pointed out Melody, who was also standing with Isaac and walked up to them with Jeremy behind him.

"I got your message," He said to his girlfriend, "Who's dueling him?"

"Take a look." She stated, pointing to the opponent. A man with a muscular physique, shaved head and a scar of over the left cheek wearing a black tank top with camouflage pants and black boots.

"Hey that's that Pro duelist Bonaparte hired to help him take down the Red Dorm, a few months back," Jeremy realized.

"Why take down a dorm?" Isaac wondered.

"Long story short, our Vice-Chancellor thought that the weakest dorm should go, in order for high publicity ratings for the school." Claudio droned. "Stupid ideas, since majority of the Obelisk and Ra students are not good in dueling like most think. Otherwise, the Society of Light wouldn't have been created and stopped in its tracks."

"I hear you," the Toon duelist nodded, "So I guess Scar's just dueling in the tournament now for his own ends."

"Did anything happen now?" Jeremy asked.

"No, all they did was talk trash and then drew their opening hands." Melody shrugged. "Mostly it was Lorenzo talking about the Light and Scar saying he plans to score top seed in the Pro League. Nothing special..."

"Looks like they are going to start..." Isaac stated.

"DUEL!" the dueling participants shouted.

Lorenzo: 8000

Scar: 8000

"The professionals go first," Scar announced as he drew his sixth card, activating it on the spot, "I start with the spell card, Electronic Motor! From now on, all of my machine-type monsters gain 300 ATK," He stated, playing another card, "Like my Storm Commando E-2 Virus!"

Flying from the sky was a white aircraft carrier that looked to be 6 feet tall with a weather satellite on its back. Suddenly, it started to transform into a robot with the wings folding up like an insect's, the cockpit folding forwards to reveal a silver head and the tail splitting up to create the legs. (3/1400-1700/1850)

"This is how he started off last time," Melody noted.

"And that thing's got a lot of firepower," Claudio added, "It can cause hand, deck or facedown card destruction on both players' turns."

"Well that just means, Scar will rack up the pressure on the white guy's cards." Isaac deduced.

Jeremy just stared at the video game champion with indifference and thought, 'It's not that simple... knowing Lorenzo, he has something planned already...'

"Now, I activate one of E-2 Virus' effects," Scar announced, "I can cause you to discard one of your cards! The middle card please..." The video game champ shrugged as he took the selected card and placed it into his discard slot. "I end my turn here kid."

"Alright, it's my turn now, wise guy!" Lorenzo shouted as he drew his fifth card, grinning at it.

"Before you start, my E-2 Virus can force you to discard again on your own turn," the military Pro interrupted and grinned, "And from the way you were staring at that card you drew, let's get rid of that one!"

The SOL duelist grumbled as he discarded the card he drew.

"Now I'm seeing how Scar got to be ranked number 4," the Toon duelist nodded, "He's not giving his opponent any room for any big plays he might have."

"I can still battle back," the SOL duelist retorted as he slapped down a monster card on his disk, "I summon the Egg Cerberus in attack mode!"

Everyone in the audience gasped as a giant, sliver dog-like robot take the field. Unlike the name suggested, it only had one head which had bright red crest lined up. (5/2000/2100)

"Is it my imagination, or did he summon a monster from one of the Sonic the Hedgehog games?" Jeremy wondered.

"I think he just did that." Isaac replied.

"Then I guess the rumors are true about the Society getting brand new cards from somewhere," the Magician duelist figured. "You think they have a Society member doing an inside job?"

"Pegasus would've figured it out by now and axed the cards," the J-Hero duelist replied.

"That's a level 5 monster kid," the military Pro pointed out, "You can't summon him without another sacrifice."

"True, but I can summon my new monster without a tribute!" Lorenzo interjected as the giant mech's back broke in half, but still functioned. (5/2000-1000/2100-1050) "The attack points are gonna be cut in half, but I'll make it a little better as I activate Machine Assembly Line, boosting its ATK by 200! Of course, it helps you out too, but I'm a nice guy..."

As the spell card image of a factory assembly line appeared, both Egg Cerberus and E-2 Virus sparked with electricity, functioning better. (5/1000-1200/1050), (3/1700-1900/1850)

"He's up to something," Jeremy muttered, "Even if it benefits the opponent he's not that helpful..."

"Hey Cerberus, why don't ya smash yourself against that wanna-be transformer over there," Lorenzo commanded as the machine dog charged straight at the Storm Commando without any protests.

Scar chuckled, "Virus, shut him down!"

As the machine dog approached the military machine, the latter took flight and out of the dog reaches. Then, it used the satellite to fire a red laser and obliterated the dog into pixels.

Lorenzo: 7300

Scar: 8000

"Thanks pal, my Machine Assembly Line has another special effect," the SOL duelist announced as the spell card in question gave off a blue glow (MAL: 2JC), "Any time a Machine monster's destroyed, it gets two Junk Counters add on to it!"

"It was still a dumb move," Scar pointed out, "You trashed your monster just for junk!"

"No, I trashed it for something new," Lorenzo countered as he took a card out from his deck and placed it on the field, "When Egg Cerberus is destroyed in battle, I can summon another one from my deck!" In another flash, a second machine dog appeared as brand spanking new! (5/2000-2200/2100) "Now, attack his monster!"

The new machine dog rushed at the Storm Commando with better performance than the latter and ripped apart the Storm Commando with its teeth, sparking the Assembly Line card. (MAL: 4JC)

Lorenzo: 7300

Scar: 7700

"Man, that deck is already living up to the hype," Claudio noted, "And the duel just started!"

"And after a facedown, I'll chill out!" Lorenzo concluded as he set a reversed card, "So you're gonna back down right?"

"Wrong, because I got your number kid!" Scar exclaimed as he drew his next card, and then summoned another monster card, "Since you control monsters and I don't, I summon Storm Commando MH-53 Giant Blade!"

From the sky, a giant sliver helicopter descended to the field. Like its predecessor, it undergone a transformation; it's tail end created two legs, the wings folded up to become arms, the cockpit folded over to show off a shiny, robot's head. It landed on its feet and then took two of the copter rotors and used them as swords. (5/2200-2700/2000)

"Next, I use the spell card, Command Post Leader," He continued inserting a spell card, depicting a military base being setup while having some Storm Commandoes defending the soldiers, "Now I can summon a Level 7 or higher Storm Commando from my hand, only difference is that it becomes part of the spell and trap card zone!"

"In the spell/trap card zone," Claudio wondered.

"I guess he forgot to mention that with Bonaparte when they tag-teamed," Melody figured.

Scar placed another monster card, this time into his spell/trap zone, "Here comes my Storm Commando CH-47 Transporter!"

A dark green, twin-rotor transport helicopter appeared right behind Scar and landed. (7/2550/2600)

"Why the back row," Isaac wondered.

"More on the reason on why my monsters in the back row later," the Pro stated, "But for now, my Giant Blade attacks the Egg Cerberus!"

The robotic commando charged straight the mech dog, ready to slice it down... until...

"Nuh-uh," Lorenzo interrupted, activating his facedown card. It was a trap, depicting a swinging, brown wrecking ball in a green hill background, "I activate Wrecking Ball Swing!"

"A trap card!" the Pro realized too late.

"This little baby can knock off a monster that tries to attack one of my boys!" the SOL duelist announced, "You also get whacked 600 points of damage, so say 'ciao' to your transformer!"

Egg Cerberus jumped into the air to avoid the commando's attack. Soon, it opened a compartment to let out a wrecking ball on a chain and smashes it against the Storm Commando, making it explode and the Assembly Line card glowing. (MAL: 6JC)

Lorenzo: 7300

Scar: 7100

The spectators went in an uproar as they couldn't believe Scar was blocked so easily. The Pro growled as he placed a facedown card on the field, and declared, "I end my turn."

"I think it's time for you to see the rest of my boys," Lorenzo announced as he drew his next card, "First, I use my Pot of Greed and draw two more cards!" He stated, drawing two more cards and then summoned one of them to the field, "Go Egg Genesis in attack mode!"

In a giant flash, another massive machine joined the field. It was tan with four, large 'arms' and had a laser in between them all. At the top, mid-section there was a pop-up turret 'head' with green eyes that functioned as search lights and a red warning light. (7/2800-3000/2100)

"Another high-level monster that can be normal summoned?" Claudio gasped.

"And like my last guy, he has to cut his stats in half," Lorenzo stated as the Genesis powered down and lowered itself to the ground. (7/2800-1400-1600/2100-1050) "But with his special ability, I can discard one card to let it gain 1000 points since it was normal summoned by its first effect!"

Everyone watches as the Genesis rise back up into the skies and powered up again. (7/1600-2600/1050)

"This won't go well for Scar now," Melody stated, remembering the ATK of both Lorenzo's monsters.

"Now get some of this; a double direct attack!" the Egg Machine duelist declared as first, the Egg Cerberus rushed through the Pro duelist, making him block with his arms. But then, he was subjected to a massive laser blast from Egg Genesis, knocking him off his feet.

Lorenzo: 7300

Scar: 2300

The SOL member had a good laugh at it as well, "This will never get old, and it'll be too bad it'll end soon!"

"It won't," Scar grunted, as he raised himself off the ground and activated his facedown card, "I activate the Shock Draw trap card! I get to draw a card for each 1000 life points I lost, meaning 4 more cards for me!"

The military drew out his four cards and then grinned at the find he had received.

"After this facedown card, I'm sitting pretty!" Lorenzo concluded, "Just give it up!"

"Shut up!" Scar growled as he drew his next card. "Now you're in for it. Even though my CH-47 Transporter's on the field as a spell card, during my standby phase it can still activate its effect! Because you have two monsters on your side of the field, I can special summon two Storm Commandoes as long as they have the same or less than the level of your monsters!"

"And with the levels Lorenzo's monsters carry, he could bring out some big time monsters of his own!" Claudio exclaimed.

"Meaning, Lorenzo's going to be in deep trouble!" Melody added.

Jeremy, however, wasn't convinced... 'He's waiting until the right moment and then start to crush this guy's plan on the spot... you haven't changed at all, Lorenzo... possessed or not...'

The spectators gasped and cheered as they saw the military Pro about to make his big play, "So for your level 7 Genesis, I have AC-130 Phantom Defender!"

CH-47 Transporter sent out a radio signal, beamed across the skies. Soon, a large heavily-armed ground-attack aircraft appeared with propellers and missiles under its wings. Next, the aircraft started to transform into another robot and used its missiles as small rocket launchers. (7/2900-3400/2850)

"This little beauty will take apart both your monsters and then your life points since when it attacks a monster, it can attack again up to two more times!" Scar grinned and then placed another card on the field, "And for your level 5 monster, I have the level 4 FA/18 Archangel!"

Another aircraft appeared from the sky, a sliver fighter jet complete with two missiles. Like the first Storm Commando, it transformed into another robot using the missiles that also transformed into twin Gatling guns. (4/2000-2500/1800)

"And combined with this monster's ATK, I can clinch this duel right now," the Pro announced again, "You may have gotten some cheap shots on me with those new released cards, but this is where it all ends!"

"He's right," Isaac pointed out, "Phantom Defender can trash both monsters and deliver a direct attack along with the other; this duel is done."

"No, it isn't," Jeremy interjected.

"What do you mean?" Melody asked.

"I know Lorenzo all too well," the Alien duelist stated, "That facedown card will mess up the plan."

That's when Lorenzo smirked, "You could if it weren't for this trap card! I activate Torrential Tribute!"

"NO!" Scar yelled as a massive tidal wave erupted from the trap card and washed away all of the machines from the field. (MAL: 8JC)

"Man, he walked right into that one!" Claudio exclaimed.

"It's not over yet," the Pro shouted, "I haven't even normal summoned yet! Watch me play my Storm Commando E-3 Controller!" Another white aircraft appeared with a black tracking device on its back appeared. It then transformed into another mech using that tracking device as a shield. (3/1500-2000/1850) "And I'll follow up with the continuous spell card, Signal Intercept!" He stated, inserting another spell card inside is disk, "Now I can use a continuous trap or spell card and use it in place of this spell. And I'll use it on your Machine Assembly Line giving it 200 more ATK!"

E-3 Controller shot a transmitter at Lorenzo's spell card and connected it to Signal Intercept, boosting the ATK of the Storm Commando again. (3/2000-2200/1850)

"Now, attack directly with Signal Beam Strike," He commanded as his monster launched a more concentrated beam that shot through the SOL duelist's body.

Lorenzo: 5100

Scar: 2300

"And after this facedown, I'm set," Scar concluded. 'No matter what he does next, my trap card will bring out another Storm Commando to deal with the rest of his scrap-heap of monsters.'

"It's my turn now," Lorenzo announced as he drew, he then grinned, "Now I can end this by sacrificing my Assembly Line card!"

The spell card shattered, making E-3 Controller weaker. (3/2200-2000/1850)

"Doesn't matter," the Storm Commando duelist announced, "My monster can still create the likeness of that spell card, even if it's destroyed!"

"Whatever, by sacrificing it, I can special summon a machine monster with the level as the same number of Counters!" the SOL duelist continued as he collected a card from his graveyard, "Since my card had 8 Junk Counters on it, I can summon one of the monsters you made me discard. Egg Wvyern, get ova here!"

As the Lorenzo placed the card on his disk, a large pillar of light erupted from the ground and unleashed a giant red machine wyvern, an armless dragon. Its size rivaled Egg Genesis, but the power was way different. (8/2900-3100/2100)

"That's huge!" Jeremy exclaimed. "And it as 3100 ATK!"

"First things first," Lorenzo announced, "When special summoned, it can make sure that keep our monsters on a balanced ratio, know what I'm sayin'? So, if I keep one monster, you keep one monster!"

"That means it'll be tough to summon a monster higher than 6." Claudio stated.

"You still may have my monster beaten, but you won't strike down my life points!" Scar protested

"That's where you're wrong," Lorenzo grinned as he waved his lone card, "You see, the other card you sent to the graveyard set the stage for this new card! Introducing..."

He turned it over to show an equip spell card... it depicted a person wearing a white cloak. The hood covered most of the face, but from the ruby red lipstick on the lips, it was safe to say the person was female. On top of that, a few strands of silver hair slid out from the hood.

"... the White Cloak equip spell!"

"White Cloak?" the Ras shouted.

"It sounds like White Veil!" Melody gasped.

"Meaning it could do the same thing!" Claudio added.

Jeremy stood at a loss for words.

"Since you put White Veil into my graveyard with your monster's effect on the first turn, I can activate White Cloak! Now all I need to pay is the half of the DEF points of the monster I'm equipping it to, and I'm set! Witness the power of the Light!" the SOL member rejoiced as the White Cloak card unleashed a large amount of light as Egg Wvyern's color went completely white! Soon, Lorenzo was also glowing white as he welcomed its power.

Lorenzo: 4050

Scar: 2300

"What's going on here?" Isaac asked his little sister.

"What we've been dealing with most of this year," Melody replied, not taking her eyes of the duel.

"Finally, this little baby gives me ATK points equal to the difference in life points since mine is higher," Lorenzo grinned as his machine roared out, gaining power. (8/3100-4850/2100)

"Oh no!" Scar shouted.

"Oh yes!" Lorenzo grinned maniacally, "Egg Wvyern, attack him directly!"

The machine let out another mechanical roar as it raised its wings, firing several light lasers from them and causing mass explosion that blew up the Storm Commando, his spells and traps, and engulfed the Pro duelist in eternal light.

Lorenzo: 4050, Winner

Scar: 0

The Society Members rejoiced the victory of one of their own. Within the crowd, Bastion smirked used his Duel Pilot.

"Master Sartorius, the White Cloak Project was a success!" He reported.

"Excellent, Bastion!" the SOL leader stated. "Be sure to keep an eye on Claudio, as well as the duelists who now carry our perfect card!"

"Of course,..." the intellectual duelist nodded as he logged off. He then looked back up to see the audience staring in awe of the fallen Pro duelist, as he was now covered in white! "As it should be..."

"No way," Claudio gasped, "Not even Kenji was that glazed over when he got beat!"

"And he nearly resembles Juli after she got hurt by White Veil's side effect." Melody added.

"You mean these guys are transforming other duelists into... that?" Isaac asked, pointing to Scar.

"That's why we don't have an Obelisk Blue dorm for the guys and girls," the J-Hero duelist added. "It started with just Jason, Chazz, and Juli but soon we have almost three entire dorms' worth since they managed to expand to the Ra Yellow Dorm, forcing the ones left behind back in to defend it."

"Hmm, maybe I should look for a job here and help out if any more stuff like this happens," the Toon duelist said thoughtfully.

"Alright," Bastion said, emerging himself from the SOL crowd and revealing himself to the crowd of Academy duelists. "I think we have proven that the Society of Light will be left standing in the GX tournament, so if you value your dignity... hand over your medals and give yourself to the Light! You can ensure a healthier conquest in your future endeavors, even against the Pro League and possibly become a part of the League itself! Join us, and together, we'll make a perfect victory that knows no rival!"

The crowd of SOL members started to cheer as the Academy students were left to contemplate on their choices as they looked at their medals.

"Alright," Claudio stated, "I think it's time I knocked Lorenzo out his Light fanatic dreams, maybe even Bastion's!"

"Don't overexert yourself," Melody interjected, "Just let one of us take Bastion while you deal with Lorenzo."

"Listen to her," Isaac added, "They'll know your deck if Lorenzo gives you a hard time, and from how you talked about Bastion, he'll capitalize on it with spades."

"No!"

The three of them turned to the Alien duelist.

"I'll take on Jeremy," He said as he shuffled his deck and placed it into his disk, activating it. "It's about time, Lorenzo and I settle our rivalry. Despite him being a part of the Society, he's still the same arrogant champion who needs to be taught a lesson."

"Whoa, where did this come from?" Claudio asked, impressed with Jeremy's declaration.

"When it came to Lorenzo and me, I just let him get in my head and that's how he wins," Jeremy stated, "Now I can battle him again with a clear head... and even plan some surprises of my own."

"Then, go get him," Melody encouraged, "We're right behind you."

"Exactly," Isaac added.

"Thanks," Jeremy smiled as he headed into the crowd.

"So, will you all offer yourselves to the Light?" Bastion asked.

"NO!"

The crowd broke apart of its circle to let Jeremy in as he declared. "I'm fighting!"

Lorenzo laughed, "The runner-up returns to reclaim his ranking!"

"No jokes this time Lorenzo," Jeremy stated as he held up his duel disk, "Let's go."

"You can't be serious," Bastion interjected, "The likes of you would not prove useful to Master Sartorius."

"Oh, and you would?" Claudio asked as he, Melody and Isaac walked through the crowd and stood behind Jeremy, "You're the one complaining how you'll always be alone and never be anything unless the Society wanted you!"

"Don't be jealous, Mr. Osbourne," Bastion smirked, "I finally have recognition as a powerful duelist!"

"By hiding behind Sartorius like a lap dog," Melody asked, "You're even worse off now then you were before!"

"Please, it's thanks to me Sartorius has a perfect faction in line," the intellectual stated, "And it's because of me, Lorenzo's now a perfect duelist!"

"Then you won't mind proving as I take him on!" Jeremy added.

Bastion shook his head, "As you wish... but know this; your silly little Aliens won't win."

"And I'll make sure that happens," Lorenzo stated, reshuffling his cards and placing it back into his deck, "I hope you like never being a champion!"

"If it means acting like you, I love the idea of never being your persona of a champion," Jeremy stated, "Because, at the end of the day, it'll still be good since I'm not you!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Lorenzo: 8000

Jeremy: 8000

"I'll start this duel," Jeremy announced as he drew his sixth card. He then inserted one of the cards into his disk, "I use the spell card Double Summon, allowing two Normal Summonings on this turn." He stated, taking two more cards from his hand, "Now, I set one monster and then summon Alien Warrior in attack mode!"

After a set monster appeared, a monstrous, silver extraterrestrial appeared with large, sharp claws, red eyes, and a muscular body. It let out an otherworldly roar as it stared down Lorenzo (4/1800/1000)

"Still believing in life on other planets?" the video game champion mocked.

"Of course, in fact they live among us," the Ra stated, inserting another card into his disk, "Next, I activate Code A Ancient Ruins, a landmark of their world!"

With a rumble, an ancient temple raised behind the Ra. Looking closer, the inside walls of this otherwise old-looking structure seemed to be covered with computer circuitry.

"It's your turn," Jeremy concluded.

"Still the same guy who was left behind," Lorenzo mocked as he drew his next card, "First, I'll activate the field spell card, Egg Carrier!"

The skies darkened as a large, armored aircraft with red, yellow, black and white colored hull, super laser cannon, turret laser cannon, air mines and missile launchers. Before anyone could question the SOL duelist, another flash transported them to the deck as the wind blew by as if they were flying.

"Are we...?"

"That's right; we're on the Egg Carrier!" Lorenzo stated, "Complete with two set of cannons, mines and missile launchers, and an indoor Jacuzzi if it strikes my fancy!"

"And what does that have to do with the duel?" Jeremy asked.

"First, since you have a monster and I don't, I can special summon the Egg Hornet on ya!" the gaming champion announced as he brought out a large hovercraft, outfitted with two large retractable drills at the side of the vehicle and three boosters at the back. (3/1500/1500)

"That's all?" Melody asked.

"Nope, I summon the Egg Walker, next!" the SOL duelist continued summoning a large, four-legged machine that stood up higher than the Egg Hornet's altitude. (4/2200/1200)

"Two monsters and he didn't have to use a Double Summon card," Isaac pointed out, "Already this is bad..."

"Alright Egg Hornet, crash right into his facedown monster and tear it to pieces!" Lorenzo commanded as the hovercraft started to glow blue and started to spin its drills while crashing into Jeremy's facedown monster. It revealed itself to be a small, grey alien with tentacle-like fingers before it splattered. (2/300/800)

"Since you revealed Alien Grey, I get to place an A-Counter on one of your monsters, like your Egg Walker!" Jeremy announced as a sickly, gray blob attached itself to the four-legged machine's front left leg. (EW: 1 AC) "Also, by destroying after it was flipped, I draw one card!" He added, drawing a new card. "Finally, my Ancient Ruins gains an A-Counter as well!"

Another of the gray blobs attached the ruins' walls. (A: 1AC)

"You activated yours, and now I get to activate mine, Bada-Bing!" the SOL member stated as two electrodes emerged from the deck by Jeremy's feet, "Due to my field spell, when an Egg Machine monster attacks and destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to 100 times the level of your monster!"

Soon, the electrodes gave Jeremy a small shock to the legs, making him jump a bit.

Lorenzo: 8000

Jeremy: 7800

"Now, I can do the same thing to your Alien Warrior. Egg Walker, walk all ova him!" He continued as the giant machine stomped the ground, yet the grey blob on it started to drain its strength. (4/2200-1900/1200-900)

"Since Alien Warrior's effect states it, your monster loses 300 ATK and DEF since you're battling an Alien!" Jeremy interjected, but still the Walker flattened his warrior with another step, earning him another shock from the field spell.

Lorenzo: 8000

Jeremy: 7300

"By destroying Alien Warrior, your Egg Walker now gains two more A-Counters on itself and my Ancient Ruins gains another one as well!" the Alien duelist continued as three A-Counters appeared in the sky and latched on to the proper positions. (EW: 3AC), (A: 2AC)

"I end my turn by activating the spell card, Robot Carnival," Lorenzo concluded as he inserted a continuous spell card, revealing numerous small red robots swarming a Ferris wheel. "Also, Egg Walker gets to sit down in defense mode after it attacks, so I don't have to worry too much about losing a lot of life points." He added as the machine lowered itself towards the ground.

"That's okay," Jeremy stated as he drew, "I get to activate the second ability of Code A Ancient Ruins, allowing me to remove 2 A-Counters from anywhere on the field to special summon an Alien monster from the graveyard. And I'll remove them from your Walker and re-summon my Alien Warrior!"

The Ancient Ruins started to glow, causing two of the counters evaporate from the Egg Walker (EW: 1AC) and bring back the monstrous Alien from the dead. (4/1800/1000)

"Next, I summon Alien Hypno to the field in attack mode!" He continued, as he summoned a strange, blue-colored extraterrestrial with blue, three-fingered hands, an onion-shaped head with red eyes and a body made up of a capsule. (4/1600/700) "Now, I'll let him attack your Walker with Blue Laser Flash!"

The Alien's hands started to glow its deep blue before unleashing blue lasers from the fingertips and exterminating giant machine off the field in a big explosion.

"Alien Warrior, attack that Egg Hornet with your Invading Pounce!" Jeremy commanded as the monstrous Alien leapt on top of the hovercraft and started tearing it to shreds, causing another explosion.

Lorenzo: 7700

Jeremy: 7300

"Two machines down to the scrap heap," Melody cheered.

"Yeah, he may be down by 400, but he's got field advantage now!" Claudio added.

"I wouldn't say that," Lorenzo said from beyond the smoke.

The audience behind Jeremy's side wondered what the SOL member was talking about. But as soon as the smoke cleared...

The Video Game Champion started laughing four red, small round robots appeared and started dancing side to side. (2/500/500) x4

"What?" Jeremy shouted.

"You just activated the effect of Robot Carnival," Lorenzo stated, "Whenever an Egg Machine monster goes down for the count, two of these little guys take its place. By destroying two, you gave me four... thanks for the help!"

"He had him," Isaac growled.

"He had nothing." Bastion smirked, "And trust me, Lorenzo's just getting started..."

"Anything else?"

"I activate "A" Cell Breeding Device and place one card facedown and end my turn," Jeremy concluded, emptying his hand by inserting a reversed card and a spell card depicting small A-Counters inside various cases.

"Running out of options, are we?" Lorenzo taunted as he drew, "Well let me clear the air, by sacrificing two of my Egg Pawns and summoning my Egg Viper in attack mode!"

Two of the Egg Pawns vanished into the air and opened a portal to bring out a flying snake-like machine with two large spiked slowly-spinning discs on both sides of the upper body and a slim, long tail with flashing green lights on it. (8/2200/2600)

"Don't think you're gonna intimidate me with your facedown card, it's a plot for to keep me away from your spell card," The SOL duelist proclaimed.

"Why is that?" Jeremy asked.

"As long as that Code A Ancient Ruins exist with those A-Counters, you can keep summoning those freaks! So that's why Egg Viper will destroy it with his special ability! Now get a load of this!" On cue, the Viper slithered close to the ground and fired three heat-seeking lasers at the ruins and blew it to rubble along with its two A-Counters. "Now, you can't revive your monsters, so destroying Alien Warrior and getting Alien Counters won't mean squat after this laser blast from my Viper!"

Everyone watched as the Viper stretched out its tail and opened its head to reveal the hidden laser cannon, firing a massive blue blast that evaporated the monstrous Alien in seconds. But not before the 2 A-Counters latched onto the snake machine. (EV: 2ACs)

Lorenzo: 7700

Jeremy: 6900

"And since my Egg Carrier's here, you still get shocked for 400 points!" Lorenzo continued as the electrodes shocked the Alien duelist again.

Lorenzo: 7700

Jeremy: 6500

"Oh yeah, well check out my facedown card," Jeremy countered, activating his facedown card, showing purple aliens from the game Gradius stationed at certain intervals, "My trap, Option Hunter! Since my monster was destroyed in battle, I gain life points equal to its original ATK!"

A purple aura surrounded the Alien duelist, revitalizing his points past normal.

Lorenzo: 7700

Jeremy: 8300

"Nice work, he did just like the game suggested," Isaac praised, "He forced Lorenzo to go after his revival spell and got life points from his monster."

"Still, that Viper monster is not going to be easy to take down if he doesn't draw the right Alien monster." Claudio noted. "There are specific ones that state the stat decrease."

"Alright, I'll end my turn." Lorenzo stated. 'Go ahead and blow it up, since it'll cost you a monster and some of your life points!'

"My draw," Jeremy drew his next card, "And it's a good thing you and I have never dueled. You don't know a thing about my Alien deck!"

"What's to know? You have a bunch of weak monsters at your disposal, flopping around those counters that can't do much without the right monsters."

"True, but I can do a whole lot with ones that have," the Ra countered. "First, my "A" Cell Breeding Device can place another A-Counter on another monster you control. And since they've been getting along nicely with your Viper, I'll place it on that machine!"

Suddenly, a capsule appeared out of the continuous spell, carrying another A-Counter. Next the capsule broke, releasing the counter and latched onto the snake-like machine. (EV: 3AC)

"Now I can reap the benefits with Alien Hypno!" Jeremy stated.

"How are you going to do that?" Lorenzo asked.

"Simple; this Alien is different from others. And to clue you in, it's a gift from Alex after I made Ra Yellow!"

Bastion gasped, "You mean...?"

"Alien Hypno, Gemini Summon!" Jeremy announced.

The Alien shined with a blue aura, making the creature in its capsule-like body come to life.

"Now, I can activate its effect and take control of a monster that you've got with A-Counters," the Ra grinned. "Bring Egg Viper to me!"

Hypno's capsule creature shined a blinding light straight into the A-Counter, which went into the systems of the Egg Machine, overriding and forcing it to fly over to Jeremy's side.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lorenzo shouted.

"Apparently, winning..." Jeremy smirked as he held up his lone card, "Now, I remove two counters from the Egg Viper and summon Alien Overlord to the field!"

Two of the blobs evaporated off the machine and brought out a darker colored version of the Alien Warrior except it was bigger, more monstrous and traded the muscular arms for six skinny ones with sharp claws attached. (6/2200/1600) (EV: 1AC)

"Oh yeah, Lorenzo's about to get a big drop in life points," Melody cheered.

"Before I make my attack, I'll use Viper's ability and destroy your Egg Carnival card!" Jeremy announced, as his captive card fired another laser, blowing the spell card to pixels. "Now, Egg Viper and Alien Hypno destroy both Egg Pawns with your lasers!"

Using its hypnotic powers, Hypno forced the machine to fire its laser while firing its own, obliterating both token monsters.

"Also, since I destroyed monster with an Egg Machine, you lose 100 times that monster's level. 200 may seem small, but every little bit helps!"

Two electrodes opened near the SOL duelist, shocking him enough to make him jump as well.

Lorenzo: 7500

Jeremy: 8300

"Now Overlord, direct attack on Lorenzo," Jeremy continued as his final monster lunged at the opponent, pummeling him to his back.

Lorenzo: 5300

Jeremy: 8300

"I end my turn." He concluded. "And that means an A-Counter has to leave the Egg Viper due to Alien Hypno's effect!"

On cue, the last A-Counter on Egg Viper evaporated. (EV: 0AC)

"Good, that means I get it back, right?" Lorenzo grinned as he thought about what he'll do with his monster.

"Nope!"

Suddenly, Alien Hypno released its hypnotic trance on the machine... causing it to explode!

"WHAT!" Everyone shouted.

"Some Alien captives can't survive without the DNA that they may be subjected to," Jeremy smirked. "Whenever a monster controlled by Alien Hypno loses its A-Counters, it dies..."

"You little..." Lorenzo growled.

"Jeremy came to play!" Claudio grinned.

"A 3000-life point gap with him in the lead, and field advantage... he's got his Alien deck down to the letter!" Isaac smiled.

Soon the Academy kids were behind the Alien duelist with praise, telling him to beat down the white-clad gang.

"Lorenzo, get your act together!" Bastion shouted to his cohort. "We have a duel to win!"

"Right, it's my turn..." Lorenzo shouted as he drew, "First, I'll activate my Spellbook Inside the Pot giving us both three more cards to work with!"

Both players drew out their three cards, giving Lorenzo five and giving Jeremy a hand again.

"Alright tough guy, I activate another effect of my Egg Carrier..." the SOL duelist said, "I get to trade it in for another field spell from my deck, specifically another one of my Egg Battleships! So, let's leave the Egg Carrier and come to the Egg Flagship – Final Fortress!"

Once Lorenzo replaced the field spells, the Egg Carrier vanished in place of a large fleet of airships that stayed high in the darkened skies. There were a large number of smaller vessels with a red and grey color scheme, several larger ships painted blue and a giant flying fortress painted a purple-grey color and took on the general appearance of a stingray.

Jeremy sighed, "Have you ever heard of quality over quantity? Unless this army was an actual monster, I'd be afraid..."

"You'll be afraid in a minute after I play the Book of Eclipse," Lorenzo continued, activating his spell card, "This forces you to put all of your monsters facedown until the End Phase of the turn." Soon both Alien Hypno and Overlord were replaced with facedown cards. "Now, I'll take it to them with the Egg Hawk in attack mode!"

In a bright flash, a red plane descended the field in the likeness of a red hawk. The head and the claws of the plane carried turrets, that could let it fire in a multi-directional assault and the wings carried rotors that let it hover above ground. (4/1700/1700)

"The beauty of this mech, is that I can attack all of your monsters directly! And if my eyes were blurry, you're Aliens' DEF sucks," the SOL duelist grinned. "And that's bad for you when you're in the presence of this airship fleet; because all of my Egg Machines can deal piercing damage!"

"Aw man..." Jeremy groaned.

"Egg Hawk, initiate Rotary Attack!" Lorenzo commanded as the red bird machine started spinning in a slow motion, while firing its turrets across the field. As the bullets hit Jeremy's facedown cards, revealing Alien Hypno and Overlord in the process, both exploded into pixels. But what surprised everyone is that the entire airship fleet opened fire on Jeremy, complying with the piercing effect, making him cry out in surprise.

Lorenzo: 5300

Jeremy: 7200

 _'For 1100 points of damage, that field spell made it a big deal...' Jeremy thought as he shook off the shock he felt, 'It almost seemed real...'_

"Hey Jeremy, you cool?" Claudio called out to the Alien duelist.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jeremy replied, "A little startled, maybe..."

"Please, I'll keep gunning you down like I did when I beat you at Gradius," Lorenzo smirked, as he inserted a reversed card into his disk, "You may have the high score now, but you'll soon be in second place with the deck I carry!"

"Too bad, this is Duel Monsters... where the skill can vary no matter who you play," Jeremy shouted as he drew his next card. "First, my "A" Cell Breeding Device places an A-Counter on your Egg Hawk!" Another blob materialized on the Egg Hawk's head. (EH: 1 AC) He then looked at his hand, not liking his choices... _'Not good, I can't attack this turn, but I can stall for a bit...'_

"I place one card facedown, and activate the spell card Nightmare's Steelcage!" He announced as a large, cage-shaped dome surrounded the Ra, covered in spikes. "As long as this card's on the field, we're barred from making any attacks until after your second turn."

"Yeah, Jeremy doesn't have a lot of strong Alien monsters except Cosmic Horror Gangi'el," Claudio noted.

"And even that's hard to bring out unless he takes one of Lorenzo's monsters to use as a sacrifice," Melody added.

"He needs a good play soon, that Egg Hawk's not that tough unless Lorenzo makes it that tough," Isaac pointed out.

"Backed you into a corner," Lorenzo smirked as he drew, "I can wait all day, so I'll place one card facedown..."

"One turn down," Jeremy stated as he drew his next card, "I'll just pass this turn and let Egg Hawk gain another counter!" He concluded as another blob landed on the Hawk's right wing. (EH: 2 AC)

"This is just a walk in the park," Lorenzo stated as he drew his next card. "I'll place another card facedown and let your steel cage go away." He stated as another reversed card was set, plus Jeremy's cage vanishing away.

"This card needs to be a good one," Jeremy muttered as he drew. Once he saw it, he smiled... "First, Egg Hawk get's a third A-Counter!" He announced as a third blob appeared on the Hawk's left wing. (EH: 3 AC) Next, he inserted a spell card, revealing it to be... "Now, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Alien Overlord!"

The ankh shined brightly in the darkened skies, bringing back the dark armored Alien, flailing its six arms and snarled at the armada. (6/2200/1600)

"And he picked the right one too," the J-Hero duelist smiled. "It's one of the Aliens that can make a monster weaker with the number of A-Counters on it."

"Right, and then I'll place another on the Egg Hawk so when I attack, it loses 1200 ATK and DEF points!" Jeremy stated as the Overlord spat out another counter on the Egg Hawk's tail. (EH: 4 AC) "Attack with Invasion Rampage!"

The Alien roared and charged straight for the blob covered machine...

"Don't think so, I activate Gravity Laser," Lorenzo stated as a trap card revealed itself, depicting a golden anthropomorphic hedgehog being held down by a machine, using artificial gravity to lock it place while an egg-shaped man with a red mustache started laughing. Soon, four lasers appeared out of the hull, pointing at the middle of the field. Once Alien Overlord reached the middle, they fired and locked it in place, forcing it to its knees. "If this card remains on the field, your monsters forced into defense mode!"

"You'd better try harder," Bastion taunted, "As if you could..."

Jeremy growled, "I end my turn."

"Was it that hard to give up," Lorenzo smirked as he drew his next card, "Now I can upgrade my Egg Hawk, by revealing my facedown card, the Egg Blimp!" A spell card revealed itself, creating a large yellow blimp with propellers at both ends. "And it also activates Egg Carriage from my hand!" Then, a large sliver carriage with small cannons and wings with fan thrusters stretched out appeared on the bottom. "With these two cards, out on the field with Egg Hawk, I can take them all to the graveyard to combine them into the upgraded, Egg Albatross!"

Everyone watched as the blimp extracted some cords that connected to the carriage, letting each other fly off the ship. Then, the Egg Hawk flew up to the skies and shook of the A-Counters before landing at the very top of the blimp, folding its own wings upward. (7/2500/2500)

"As if that thing couldn't get any bigger," Melody shouted.

"And the firepower's bigger as well," Lorenzo grinned, "Egg Albatross, show them what I'm talking about! Open fire!"

On cue, all the Albatross' cannons and turrets unleashed a deadly barrage of firepower at the bound Alien, destroying it in an explosion.

Lorenzo: 5300

Jeremy: 6300

"And when Egg Albatross destroys a monster in battle, I can deal an additional 300 points of damage!" the SOL duelist added as another shot hit the Ra's feet, making him jump.

Lorenzo: 5300

Jeremy: 6000

'This is not going well,' Jeremy thought, 'One minute I'm up by three grand, and in the next few he takes it down to 700!'

"Another facedown card and I'm golden!" Lorenzo concluded. "Maybe you should just give up now, while you have the chance!"

"Just because I lost my 3000-point lead, doesn't mean the duel's over," Jeremy shouted as he drew his next card, "First, your Egg Albatross gets an A-Counter for its trouble!"

The A-Counter materialized on the blimp of the Egg Mech. (EA: 1 AC)

"Then allow me to remove some of your options with this trap card, Remove Brainwashing!" the Game Champ grinned as the trap card revealed itself. "Now you can't control any of my monsters!"

"Wait a minute," the Alien duelist interrupted, "You got that from Ripley didn't you? No other person could know my deck better than another extraterrestrial duelist..."

"Exactly the reason why I provided the rest of the members with countermeasures against you," Bastion replied, "Knowing your rivalry against Lorenzo, you would challenge him."

"Of course..."

"So in other words Bastion, you became a sell-out." Claudio stated.

"Call me what you will; but the Society is in better hands with me becoming one of them..."

"Oh, you mean that you're getting noticed as a powerful duelist?" Melody asked. "You're just fooling yourself... being used like all of the rest! And you're worse since you went in willingly!"

"Calm down, Melody," Jeremy interrupted softly, "The only way we'll get something out of him is to beat him in a duel. Like all the rest..."

"Please... anyone who opposes me will be destroyed!" Bastion declared. "With the new deck of Light I've acquired, I'll have you all bowing to me as a superior duelist!"

"We'll see..." Isaac stated.

"Alright, can we get on with this?" Lorenzo shouted. "I'm up for the Light and all, but I'm so close to victory I can taste it! It can't wait anymore!"

Jeremy checked his hand again... "Fine, I set one card facedown and summon Alien Shocktrooper in attack mode!" After a reversed card was set, a centaur-like Alien appeared wearing black armor and holding a longsword in its right hand. (4/1900/800) "Is that quick enough for ya?"

"Very!" Lorenzo smirked as he drew his next card, "Now Egg Albatross can take you down, destroy Alien Shocktrooper!"

Another barrage of firepower erupted from battleship, blasting the Alien into oblivion and damaging Jeremy a little extra.

Lorenzo: 5300

Jeremy: 5100

"Now, let's stop your battling with my continuous trap card called Viper's Grudge!" Jeremy announced, activating his facedown card, yet it was unlike anyone thought it would be... the trap depicted a large, pitch-black snake preparing to strike at a warrior who supposed took out a whole swamp full of them.

"Hey wait a second," the SOL duelist shouted, "What are you doing with a snake card?"

The Alien duelist started to smirk, "It's not my fault Duel Monsters based Aliens as Reptile-Type monsters. But the thing is... I'm may be a so-called nerd when it comes to my love for science fiction and extraterrestrials. In dueling, I'll use everything I can to help my deck. Viper's Grudge allows me to summon a Reptile Monster up to level 4 four from my deck or my graveyard." He then took out one from his deck and placed on the field into defense mode. "Meet my Alien Psychic in defense mode!"

A small grey orb appeared on the field and morphed into a small, snake-like alien with tentacles for its tail and arms. Its head was skinny and white with yellow eyes and had purple crests growing out of the sides. (1/200/100)

The entire SOL crowd laughed.

"You could've at least brought out something that could lessen the damage, but this will be overkill!" Lorenzo stated. "And you've forgotten that Egg Albatross can attack every monster you own until you have nothing left..."

"Oh? And how can it attack when it can't move?" Jeremy asked.

"Huh?"

Everyone saw that the Egg Albatross was now locked in place by a light blue aura. The cannons, the rotors, the turrets... all of them were not locking on to the new monster! "What gives?"

"It's all because of the effect of Alien Psychic," the Ra smirked. "All monsters with A-Counters can't attack if he's on the field!"

"Grr... I place one card facedown and end my turn..." Lorenzo concluded.

"Man, those A-Counters can really help this guy," Isaac smiled, impressed with the Alien duelist's strategies. "They can really put a stop to anything..."

"It's my turn now," Jeremy announced as he drew his next card, letting another A-Counter fall on Egg Albatross from the Breeding Device. (EA: 2 AC) "First, I play my Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" He stated, drawing two cards afterwards, "Next, I summon Alien Hunter in attack mode!"

Another alien appeared within a blue light, revealing itself to be a humanoid-lizard with a long tail, dressed in lightweight armor with blue orbs on the chest, holding a weird-looking, trident-like staff. (4/1600/800)

"And joining him will be the Alien Dog!" He continued as a small dog, with blue skin and a white exoskeleton rushed out to the field, human bone in mouth, tail wagging happily. (4/1500/1000) "Since I normal summoned an Alien monster, I could special summon this little guy and activate its special ability to place another 2 A-Counters on your Egg Albatross!"

Lorenzo growled as another 2 blobs fell on the blimp of his machine (EA: 4 AC)

"And if you thought my monsters were initially weak," Jeremy stated as he inserted a spell card, showing Ojama Yellow, Green, Black, Red and Blue standing together and held their hands in a star formation while in a graveyard full of their fallen brethren. "Solidarity will make them more powerful! If I carry only one type of monster in my graveyard, the others on the field with the same type will all gain 800 ATK... and it's all Reptile monsters!"

Alien Hunter, Alien Psychic and Alien Dog howled as blue auras surrounded them and filled them with their fallen race's power. (4/1600-2400/800), (1/200-1000/100), (4/1500-2300/1000)

"So what, they're still short a few hundred!" Lorenzo pointed out.

"What is his game?" Bastion mused.

"Oh, I'll show you after Alien Dog strikes down your Egg Albatross!" Jeremy shouted as his dog rushed towards the heavily armed machine, growling all the way...

"Since you're focused on attack me with weak monsters, I can make 'em weaker with this trap card, Flying Battery Bomb Drop!" the SOL duelist shouted as his facedown trap activated, revealing a large battleship dropping black bombs across a forest, creating a wildfire. "If this card's out, your monster's ATK drops my 400!"

Soon, one of the large airships flew closer to the ground and dropped numerous bombs around Jeremy's side of the field, creating a burning aura around his monsters (4/2400-2000/800), (1/1000-600/100), (4/2300-1900/1000). The aura deterred the dog long enough for Egg Albatross to fire a giant blast at it, enveloping it in flames.

Lorenzo: 5300

Jeremy: 4200

Despite all of that, Jeremy grinned, causing everyone to gasp in shock.

"He's... glad that he lost his monster?" Melody wondered. "He's lost it..."

"I am sad that I had to put my monster on a suicide mission," The Alien duelist admitted, and then pointed to his Viper's Grudge trap, "But the Aliens will have their grudge since my trap is still on the field!"

"Oh nuts..." Lorenzo muttered.

"This time, I'll use its effect to summon a monster from the graveyard...," Jeremy announced, taking a monster card from his graveyard and placing it on the field, "Alien Warrior, come on back!"

With a vicious roar, the beast-like Alien returned to the field, feeling more powerful than ever, despite the aura from Lorenzo's trap. (4/1800-2600-2200/1000)

"Sweet, now the A-Counters can make Egg Albatross weaker since a monster can place that rule in effect!" Isaac exclaimed.

"Right," the Alien duelist nodded, "Now Alien Hunter, make your attack!"

The hunter charged its spear with electricity and started to charge at the Egg Albatross. Sensing the presence of Alien Warrior, the A-Counters started to drain the energy from machine. (7/2500-1300/2500) Soon, the Alien Hunter stabbed the blimp, sending a current through the whole body and caused it to explode into burning debris and smoke.

Lorenzo: 4600

Jeremy: 4200

"Alright, he got rid of that thing once and for all!" Claudio cheered.

"Not for long," Lorenzo shouted, "When Egg Albatross is destroyed I can bring back Egg Hawk to defend my points!" He stated as the Egg Hawk flew out the smoke cloud and landed on the field. (4/1700/1700)

"Ok, but Alien Hunter can attack again after it destroys a monster with A-Counter," Jeremy grinned as the Hunter charged immediately and then stabbed it through the torso, ending its existence. "Finally, I'll let Alien Warrior make a direct attack on your life points!"

The SOL duelist freaked out once he saw the monstrous Alien run for him and took a powerful slash to the chest.

Lorenzo: 2400

Jeremy: 4200

The crowd of Academy duelists began the uproar of cheers for the Alien duelist as he placed a facedown card on his field, "It's your move Lorenzo..."

As Lorenzo placed his fingertips on the next card of his deck, he started to think... 'What's going on here? He's supposed to be behind me in everything... I was in Obelisk Blue... him in Ra Yellow... Me in first place... him behind me... He's not supposed to be better that me!"

"It's not going to change a thing," Jeremy stated, snapping the video game champ out his thoughts, "All those times you beat me... we're because of my own feelings getting in the way of playing effectively. I can see it's affecting you now... I also felt that because the Aliens were made into cards, it was cool... problem was, I never used those... effectively... we can all change for the better..."

Lorenzo growled and shouted, "What do you know?" He then snatched the top card from his deck for his draw phase and chuckled maniacally at his find, "I'll teach you to respect your superior! Since Egg Hawk and Albatross are in the graveyard, I can summon this monster to the field! Egg Emperor, get out here and show him who the boss is!"

Suddenly, a big hatch opened from the ground and made a whirring noise like an elevator going up. Everyone was surprised when they were met with a massive golden robot in the likeness of a red, giant-mustached man and an evil grin. It carried a giant red lance in its right hand and a giant black shield in its left. (8/3000/1000)

"Oh crap..." Jeremy muttered.

"3000 ATK," Claudio gasped, "Lorenzo's not playing anymore!"

"Trust me, I'm still the top contender in game..." the SOL duelist stated, "Egg Emperor, attack his Alien Hunter with your Spear Laser Slice!"

The Emperor started to stretch its lance before slicing the air several times, creating laser arcs charging towards the Hunter.

"Don't think so," Jeremy shouted, activating his facedown card, "I activate the trap card, Negate Attack!" Soon, a spiral vortex appeared and sucked in the attack before it vanished.

"So, you stopped the battle phase..." Lorenzo mused as he inserted another card into his disk, "But I'll use this, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your A-Cell Breeding Device!"

A harsh windstorm appeared and shattered Jeremy's continuous spell card into pixels.

"He's still going be dealing with powerful Aliens that can reappear as soon as they're destroyed," Isaac pointed out.

"Yeah, but he stopped them from being manipulated," Melody added. "The only way Jeremy can do that now is to use monsters that can spread them."

"It's my turn," Jeremy announced as he drew his lone card, "I'll just set one card facedown and end my turn." He concluded.

Lorenzo grinned, "Charge!" Suddenly, everyone watched as the Egg Emperor charged straight at the Alien Warrior and stabbed it down to nothing. "When you don't make an attack, my monster can waste your best card!"

"And you obviously forgot that when one of my Reptile monsters goes to the graveyard, Viper's Grudge can just summon a different one like my Alien Hypno again!" Jeremy countered as the mind-controlling Alien returned from its grave. (4/1600/700)

"That didn't even faze him," Bastion noted.

"Then I better use something that will do the trick," Lorenzo stated as he drew his next card and immediately swapped out his field spell for another from his deck, "First, I'll change the scenery again to another field spell... but we're gonna finish this duel where we're meant to finish it... in deep space!"

"Space," Claudio, Melody and Isaac wondered.

Jeremy sighed, "Of course..."

"Now, let's go to the Death Egg Space Station!" Lorenzo proudly announced as the entire battleship fleet started to fly away and disband. Soon, the entire field sunk into the vastness of space with everyone seemingly standing on nothing. Then, the crowd was treated to the sight of a spherical space station with with concave eye-sockets and a mustache of vacuum-hardened plasmasteel!

"That is the biggest Space Station I've seen!" A spectator shouted.

"Next, I'll draw out my big guns with Card of Sanctity!" the SOL duelist announced, inserting his spell card into the disk.

"That'll just help me out as well," the Alien duelist muttered as both players drew until they had six in hand.

"But I bet it won't help you out as much as its going to help me," Lorenzo stated as he held up a monster card and waved it in his hand, "By wanting to battle you, I have a monster that can rely on your own swarming tactics... so get ready, because with 3 Reptiles on your field, here comes the Egg Dragoon!" As he slammed the card on his disk, a dark nebula of lightning surged through the stars and landed in front of him. Once it died out, it brought a large and bulky machine with a claw for a left hand and a green laser for its right. Its blue dome head glowed wildly and its bottom green orb kept it floating. (9/3200/2000)

"A monster that can take advantage of the number of Reptiles it opposes?" Jeremy gasped, "That's insane!"

"It is genius," Lorenzo rejoiced, "Because when its special summoned from my hand, I can remove one card from your field, graveyard and hand all at once!"

"It what?" the Academy crowd shouted.

"I'll remove Viper's Grudge from your field, Alien Warrior from your graveyard and one of the cards in your hand! Try and recover from this!" The SOL member taunted as Egg Dragoon aimed its green laser and fired it across the field, engulfing the Alien duelist...

"Jeremy!" Claudio and Melody cried out.

The Alien duelist struggled to see through the laser blast, watching his trap card vanish from his field, Alien Warrior shoot out from his discard slot and a card from his hand fly out. Once the laser died out, Jeremy tried to shake off the light and took his glasses off for the moment.

'Okay... too intense...' the Ra duelist thought as he rubbed his eyes and put his glasses back on, 'Is he trying to blind me, or what?'

"Now that the pre-light shows over, I'll treat you to a couple of attacks," Lorenzo announced as both of his monsters charged up their attacks, "Egg Dragoon, you take down his Alien Hunter and then Egg Emperor will shut down his Alien Hypno!"

"I'll stop the show by activating the "A" Cell Scatter Burst!" Jeremy countered as he revealed his spell card, depicting a capsule detonator with many A-Counters inside it, "I'll destroy Alien Hypno and then distribute A-Counters among your monsters. And just to be fair, both of your monsters will get 2 A-Counters each!"

Alien Hypno glowed deep red and then exploded into four small blobs, landing two each on both Egg Mechs (EE: 2 AC), (ED: 2 AC). Suddenly, the mechs stopped charging their attacks once Alien Psychic's eyes emitted its white aura.

"Smart thinking, he still has a way to stop him from striking his points." Claudio nodded.

"But... can he keep it up?" Melody wondered.

"I place two cards facedown," Lorenzo stated as he inserted two of his cards into his disk. "You're just getting lucky, little man!"

"We're about the same height, so stop the trash talk; it's getting old," Jeremy announced, drawing his seventh card, "I switch Alien Hunter into defense mode and Oshaleon in defense mode as well!"

As Alien Hunter knelt and blocked with its lance, a small multicolored chameleon appeared with three stars on its body, crouching low to the ground. (3/1400-2200/800)

"Another non-Alien monster?" Bastion gasped.

"Yeah, kinda stops you from thinking too much on my cards," the Alien duelist smirked as he placed three more of his cards facedown, "And I end my turn!"

"Oh yeah, if you remember Egg Emperor destroys a monster when you don't make an attack... so I'll be destroying your Alien Psychic!" Lorenzo stated as his knight-like monster struck down the small white Alien. "And that leaves you wide open to my next monster..." He continued, drawing his next card, "Because once I sacrifice my monsters to play it, I can shut you up!"

"Well, hold on a bit for that because I activate two of my trap cards," Jeremy announced, revealing them to his opponent. The first was the common Dust Tornado, and the second depicting an explosion that was seemingly caused by A-Counters, "First, my Detonator Circle "A" destroys your Egg Dragoon since it carries an A-Counter, plus hits us with 1000 points of damage. It'll hurt me, but you'll be closer to losing!"

Suddenly, smoke rose from the A-Counters on the Dragoon before it spread a purple color around it and created a giant explosion, hitting both players with mutated machine debris.

Lorenzo: 1400

Jeremy: 3200

Once the Ra recovered, he continued with his move... "Then, I'll use Dust Tornado to blow away your Remove Brainwashing trap card and place another facedown card as well!" He stated as a dusty storm blew away the continuous trap card off the field, and dropped another facedown card on Jeremy's field.

"Good, he got rid of the strongest monster and stopped his only wall from controlling his monsters." Claudio smiled.

"So what, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Egg Viper!" Lorenzo countered as the ankh of the spell card, brought back the small snake-like machine. (7/2200/2400) "Now get ready, pal! I sacrifice..."

"Activating my final trap card, Brainwashing Beam," Jeremy interrupted, revealing his third trap card, showing Alien Grey emitting two bright flashing lights from its eyes, giving of a hypnotic feel, "Now I can command a monster with A-Counters! So, it looks like Egg Emperor will join my ranks!"

Lorenzo gasped as the A-Counter pulled his Egg Emperor to Jeremy's side.

"Alright," Isaac smiled. "Sounds like Lorenzo's about to lose!"

"No, he isn't," Bastion shouted, "Lorenzo, you better summon it now!"

"Cool it, will ya!" the Video Game champ shouted as he activated his facedown card, Call of the Haunted, "It's why I kept this facedown card, my Call of the Haunted trap card to bring back Egg Walker!" The trap card emitted a dark aura and brought back the giant, four-legged machine. (4/2200/1200) "Now, I can sacrifice them both to summon out your worst nightmare!"

As both machines exploded into debris, a dark shadow loomed of the Death Egg Station.

"What's going on up there?" Claudio asked, pointed over to the space station, making everyone turn their attention towards it.

 _'Finally... I will earn greater recognition for improving lesser known members of the Society,_ ' Bastion thought as the shadow floated over to Lorenzo's side of the field and revealed itself. Jeremy was more astonished than anyone, knowing the identity of the monster. Its appearance was of a blue, robotic anthropomorphic hedgehog with elongated spikes on its head and back, red eyes and a long cape that covered the back of his legs. (10/0/0)

"That's Metal Sonic!" Jeremy gasped.

"Correction," Lorenzo interjected, " _Neo_ Metal Sonic; an ultimate creation of great power..."

"Is that why he has 0 points?" Melody asked.

"Of course, so then he can absorb the power of his sacrifices," the SOL duelist proclaimed, "And that's exactly what he'll do with Egg Viper's and Egg Walker's double 2200, giving it the power of 4400!"

Everyone gasped as the metallic hedgehog sparked with mass electricity. (10/0-4400/0-3600)

"Oh man, it can't get any worse..." Jeremy muttered.

"Oh it can," Lorenzo smirked as he took out a monster from his graveyard, "Another of his effects, let's me remove any of my monster, like Egg Albatross, from the game and take on its name and effects! Meaning, I can attack all of your monsters and deal 300 points of damage for every single one destroyed!"

Then, Neo Metal Sonic melted into liquid metal and then re-morphed itself into the likeness of Egg Albatross with only the sliver sheen as its only color.

"But that means..."

"Show's over, Runner-Up," Lorenzo shouted as the liquid metal machine charged up its turrets and cannons. "And since I have to start on your wimpy chameleon, let's get this over with... attack Oshelon!"

"I activate Attack Guidance Barrier," Jeremy shouted, revealing his trap card depicting a couple of hands creating a crystalline barrier, "Since you're already attacking a defense position monster, I can just skip on to where it says it adds 600 DEF points to Oshelon and ends the battle phase!"

A crystalline barrier surrounded the chameleon, boosting its power. (3/2200/800-1400) Still, Jeremy braced himself as the barrage of firepower took down his small chameleon and set its wave of pixels cutting through him.

Lorenzo: 1400

Jeremy: 2900

"And by destroying Oshelon, I can take a Reptile from my deck with up to 500 ATK and add to my hand!" Jeremy announced, taking his desired card from his deck and placing it into his hand.

"It's still no good, since my field spell can come into play," Lorenzo smirked, "When Egg Machine monster destroys a monster in battle, it's ATK come out of your score! And it had 2200 before it left, so open wide!"

Two flashes of light erupted from the space station, alerting everyone to charging and static sound emitting from it. But once Jeremy turned to look, he was subjected to a double blast of white lasers, shaving off a huge amount of points.

Lorenzo: 1400

Jeremy: 700

"Oh man, he's lucky he ended the battle phase now," Claudio sighed, "Otherwise, he'd be done..."

"And then, he just took a reptile monster from his deck with low points," Melody added, "I don't know what he plans to do with it, but if it's bad..."

"Let's not think about it..." Isaac said.

"Alright, since you won't stay down... I got something that will make you stay down!" Lorenzo shouted as he revealed his next card, showing a monstrous dragon-like monster wreaking havoc on an airship, "With Metal Madness, I can sacrifice my already power Neo Metal Sonic and make it an unstoppable form with 1000 more ATK!"

"You mean it's not done evolving?" Someone shouted.

 _ **"All life forms, bow before your new master**_!" the metal hedgehog commanded as the space station unloaded millions of metal debris from itself. And just as quickly as it came, a blue vortex sucked up the parts and bonded them together. The parts formed a large sphere below a giant chest connected to a crab-like claw, a spiked claw, and a spiked spine. Then, Neo Metal Sonic transformed to become a gigantic spiked dragon head with two vertical eyes. Finally, it sprouted claw-like wings from the sphere on his lower body and detached himself from the ground and loomed over the field.(10/4400-5400/0)

Everyone was at a loss for words as the SOL crowd cheered for their inevitable victory.

"Speechless right," Lorenzo smirked as he revealed his facedown card, "Next, I activate the spell card, Tribute to the Doomed! Discarding one of my cards to destroy and take back my Egg Emperor!" Next, many white bandages wrapped around the giant mech and then pulled it into the bottomless depths of space. Jeremy didn't look too pleased. "And finally, the card that'll seal your fate to the Light... since I discard White Veil to the graveyard, I can activate the White Cloak spell card, and equip it to my Metal Overlord!"

As the SOL duelist inserted the last card into his disk, the giant metal beast's color went completely white!

"It is your best interest to give up now, Jeremy," Bastion stated, "With White Cloak in play, he didn't have to pay any points against the non-existent DEF of Metal Overlord. Also, the side effects of White Veil are naught as well. It's hopeless; you can't win."

"Only because you believe it," Jeremy asked, "Or because of that so-called alien Light believes it? I've got three cards, soon to be four, in my hand. If I draw the right card, that monster will be finished!"

"Ha! Your monster can't stand up to my 5400 ATK ultimate beast! It also can't be affected by any of your card effects!" Lorenzo boasted. "Once again, I'm the champion and you're the lowly runner-up, so please... hand over your medals and yourself to the Light!"

Jeremy sighed, "You know, when I saw Jason control your mind that day Jaden beat you, I felt remorse for you since it was against your will. But now that I look at you… you're still the same sore winner I kept losing to. But it all ends here... after this move, you'll wake up not only from the light, but from your deep-seated dreams of trying to one-up everybody in everything!"

"Don't press your luck!"

"Whatever!" Jeremy shouted as he drew his next card. He smiled inwardly at his find. "First, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy your Flying Battery trap!"

A harsh windstorm kicked in and shattered Lorenzo's trap card.

"That's weak..." Lorenzo yawned.

"Next, I activate Mining for Magic Stones," Jeremy continued, playing his second card, "This lets me send two cards from the top of my deck to grave and bring back a spell card, like Monster Reborn!"

"He's really banking on his deck now..." Melody stated as the Alien duelist took the two cards from his deck, checked them out before discarding them.

"It'll need to pay off now," Claudio added as Jeremy retrieved Monster Reborn and immediately played it.

"Now I use Monster Reborn to revive a monster, I just sent to the graveyard... Cosmic Horror Gangi'el!" Jeremy announced, as the ankh shined in deep space and unleashed a monster that could pass of as an Alien fused into a saucer descended from space. It was lined in wall to wall tentacles and had a strange-looking face like all the Alien monsters. (7/2600/2000)

"Haven't seen that monster in a while," the J-Hero duelist mused, remembering his last year duel with Jeremy's Shadow Rider Persona, Twilight.

"You're wasting my time here," the SOL duelist boasted.

"Then, let me show you a monster that's worthwhile," Jeremy smirked as both Gangi'el and his Alien Hunter both vanished into the stars, and placed another card on his disk, "This next is not a true Alien, but it's about to be classified as one! It's the monster I brought to my hand when Oshaleon was destroyed… meet one of the Legendary Planets... the Tyrant Neptune!"

Everyone gasped at the name of the monster, none so more than Lorenzo and Bastion as a large light flashed from above, letting a shadow of something big landed across from Metal Overlord. Emerging from the light, appeared to be a large being with the body of an alligator but with the head replaced with a longer, upright body in sliver armor and two more hands holding a strange spear/scythe weapon. What was most freaky was the visage of the monster, pitch-black, many tendrils flowing out of the back of its head and neck, with hissing green eyes peering. (10/0/0)

"No one told me he had a Legendary Planet monster!" Bastion shouted. "What's going on here?"

"Relax, it's only got 0 points," Lorenzo scoffed.

"You fool," the intellectual duelist growled, "The Legendary Planets are in a high class!"

"I'd listen," Jeremy announced, "Think about it, a level 10 monster with only 0 points has to be in high demand on effects, right?"

"Ooh, this is good," Isaac smirked.

"I know, right?" Claudio added.

"Shush, I wanna here this!" Melody interrupted.

"First thing is, he could've been summoned for one sacrifice. But not in this case," Jeremy explained, "Second, Neptune gains the combined ATK and DEF of the monster's tribute for it. So with Gangi'el's 2600 ATK and 2000 DEF, along with Alien Hunter's 1600 ATK and 800 DEF, it adds up to 4200 ATK and 2800 DEF!" He stated as the Legendary Planet flashed bright blue, sizing up its power. (10/0-4200/0-2800) "Next, add on another 800 for Solidarity since it is a Reptile monster!"

Once again, the Tyrant Neptune flashed white, gaining more power. (10/4200-5000/2800)

"All you did was fall short 400!" Lorenzo smirked.

"Unless this last card does something valuable," the Alien duelist said, waving his final card around, "And if I'm correct... Unstable Evolution helps greatly since my points are behind now, making its original ATK 2400! And adding on the 5000-point boost... it's all over for you!"

Once Jeremy inserted the Unstable Evolution card, Tyrant Neptune started to morph into larger monster that towered over Metal Overlord, making it more a force... (10/5000-7400/2800)

The SOL crowd suddenly backed up in fear while Lorenzo fell on his butt, more terrified then they were. The next thing he saw was even more horrifying to him...

Lorenzo suddenly felt tiny in front of Jeremy as the Alien Duelist stared him down, with his glasses flashing white.

Suddenly, Jeremy got the urge to ask one question...

"Who's the runner-up now?" He asked in a serious tone.

"M-Me?" Lorenzo squeaked.

"You know it!" the Ra smiled. "Neptune, attack Metal Overlord with Invasion Scythe Terror!"

The Legendary Planet roared as it brandished the scythe and then slashed it downwards creating a laser blast that hit Metal Overlord as its core. The blast was so strong, it pushed backwards towards the Death Egg Station, slamming into its right eye and created a blue electrical current that shocked it to the insides and caused the biggest explosion known to humankind, making a blinding light sear through the field and transported everyone back in front of the White Dorm.

Lorenzo: 0

Jeremy: 700, Winner

The academy kids cheered for Jeremy's victory as he turned off his duel disk and smiled himself. He looked ahead towards Lorenzo, seeing that the Video Game Champion was cured of 'seeing the Light' as his white hair turned to black once again, but unconscious for the moment. The Society Members growled in frustration, losing a member and then started to go inside the dorm. Bastion, however, stayed behind and scoffed.

"Pathetic; Lorenzo couldn't use that new card properly when up against the wall." He stated. "No matter, they are lots of other high-ranked members to use it for. And of course, I'll be able to use it effectively no matter who I face..."

"Bastion!"

The SOL member looked up to see Claudio and Melody walking up to him.

"Feeling proud of your own self for this?" Melody scolded. "What's your problem?"

"No problem at all," Bastion shrugged. "I'm finally getting the recognition I deserve, and I had to do is lose when it really mattered."

"Oh I heard about that duel," Claudio grumbled. "The one where the Society disbanded if you followed through with your move; the one where you threw it all away to join the Society; that was sorriest excuse for a plan you ever had."

"Don't be jealous, because I'm now valued by stepping out of everyone's shadow!"

"Shadow?"

"The only reason I wasn't seen as Ra Yellow's powerful duelist because you and Melody stole all the glory!" Bastion accused, pointing his finger at them. "I couldn't get so much as a duel against someone that could match or exceed my level to improve... but you two did, and it stops here! Soon, I'll create an all-powerful deck and leave both of you by the wayside."

"And all for Master Sartorius?" Melody stated and then snapped. "That's pathetic! So what if people don't recognize you? The only person that should matter if you're a good duelist is your own self! But when you went crawling to the white dorm that day to 'prove yourself' as a threat and worthy of Sartorius' time, you just made the biggest mistake in life!"

"Is that so..."

"It is!" the Magician duelist interrupted. "You gave up on yourself! We were your friends, Bastion! You came to us with your problems and we told you it was nothing to worry about. Instead of seeing the positive in Society not trying to claim you, you should've seen it as a chance to stop worrying about a target on your back. You were always the smartest out of everyone... able to think for yourself... now you just made yourself a puppet for Sartorius' scheme... hope you're happy with your new joke of a life..."

With that Melody turned and left with Jeremy and Isaac after the latter picking up Lorenzo before walking after the Magician duelist.

"You just became a sad man, Bastion." Claudio added before he followed his friends and girlfriend.

The words hit home for Bastion as he started to get lost in his thoughts...

* * *

In the white room, Sartorius flipped over a tarot card, showing the Moon in the upright position...

 _'Bastion...'_

* * *

Another long one for ya! How does this happen to me? LOL

White Cloak

Equip Spell

Activate only if you have a "White Veil" in your graveyard and pay life points equal to half the DEF of the monster you are equipping it to. If your life points are higher, the equipped monster gains ATK equal the difference. (Max: 2000) If the equipped monster attacks, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls and negate their effect(s). If White Veil is removed from the graveyard, take damage equal to the DEF of the destroyed monster.

(My own creation, all rights go to me.)

Electronic Motor

Continuous Spell

All Machine monsters you control gain 300 ATK.

(Used by Axel Brodie in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga)

Viper's Grudge

Continuous Trap

Each time a Reptile-Type monster you control is sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Reptile-Type monster from your Deck or Graveyard.

(Used by Seika Kohinata in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Storm Commando AC-130 Phantom Defender

Machine/Effect

Level: 7

Attr: Wind

If there is a face-up monster on your Opponent's side of the field, this card can attack again if it successfully destroys one monster as a result of battle (this effect can be used up to twice per turn).

2ATK: 2900 DEF: 2850

(basis: Lockheed AC-130)

Storm Commando CH-47 Transporter

Machine/Effect

Level: 7

Attr: Wind

While this card is face-up on the field, during your Standby Phase, if you have less monsters on your side of the field than your Opponent has on theirs, select monsters on your Opponent's field equal to the difference, and Special Summon the same number of monsters with "Storm Commando" in their names as the difference between the number of Opponent's monsters and your monsters whose Levels are each equal to or less than that of each of the selected monsters.

ATK: 2550 DEF: 2600

(basis: CH-47 Chinook)

Storm Commando MH-53 Giant Blade

Machine/Effect

Level: 5

Attr: Fire

If you have no monster's on your side of the field, and your Opponent has at least 1 monster on their side of the field, you can summon this monster without a tribute.

ATK: 2200 DEF: 2000

(basis: MH-53 Pave Low)

Command Post Leader

Spell Card

Special Summon one Level 7 or higher "Storm Commando" from your hand to one of your Spell & Trap Card Zones in Defense Mode. The monster summon by the effect of this card stays in Defense Mode for the remainder of the duel

Signal Intercept

Continuous Spell Card

Effect: You can only play this card if you have a "Storm Commando E-3 Controller" face-up on your side of the field. Select one Continuous Spell or Trap Card on your Opponent's side of the field. For as long "Storm Commando E-3 Controller" is face-up on the field, this card's effect is treated as the effect of the selected card. If "Storm Commander E-3 Controller" is destroyed, destroy this card.

(The top five cards were created by Rocket Knight 777. Creative rights go to him and inspiration goes to the US Armed Forces.)

Egg Hornet

Level 3

WIND

Machine

1500/1500

If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.

Egg Walker

Level 4

EARTH

Machine/Effect

2200/1200

When this card attacks your opponent successfully, this card is switched to Defense position at the end of your turn.

Egg Viper

WIND

Level 8

Machine/Effect

2200/2600

Once per turn, you can destroy 1 spell or trap card your opponent controls. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, destroy the monster that destroyed this card, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to half that monster's ATK.

Field Spell:

Okay, the Egg Carriers from Sonic Adventure, Heroes and the 2006 game as field spells.

Egg Carrier

Field Spell

When an Egg Machine monster is destroys a monster, deal damage equal to 100 times the level of the destroyed monster. During your Main Phase, you can send this card from the field to the Graveyard to activate 1 "Egg" Field Spell Card from your Deck.

Egg Flagship- Final Fortress

Field Spell

During battle between an attacking Egg Machine-Type monster you control and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the Egg Machine-Type monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent. During your Main Phase, you can send this card from the field to the Graveyard to activate 1 "Egg" Field Spell Card from your Deck.

Death Egg Station

Field Spell

When Egg Machine-Type monster destroys another monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster. During your Main Phase, you can send this card from the field to the Graveyard to activate 1 "Egg" Field Spell Card from your Deck.

Egg Hawk

WIND

Level 4

Machine/Effect

1700/1700

This card can attack all monsters on your opponent's side of the field once each.

Egg Blimp

Continuous Spell

When this card is activated, activate 1 "Egg Carriage" from your hand.

Egg Carriage

Continuous Spell

Send this card, along with 1 Face-up Egg Hawk and Egg Blimp to the graveyard and special summon Egg Albatross from your fusion deck.

Egg Albatross

WIND

Level 7

Machine/Fusion/Effect

2500/2500

This card can only be special summoned by the effect of Egg Carriage. This card can attack all monsters on your opponent's side of the field once each. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, inflict 300 points of damage to your opponent. When this card is destroyed, special summon 1 Egg Hawk from your graveyard.

Egg Emperor

WIND

Level 8

Machine/Effect

3000/1000

This card cannot be Normal summoned or set. This card can only be special summoned if you have Egg Hawk and Egg Albatross in your graveyard. If your opponent does not declare an attack on their turn, destroy 1 monster he/she controls.

Egg Cerberus

Level 5

EARTH

Machine/Effect

2000/2100

You can Normal Summon or Set this card without Tributing. If you do, its original ATK and DEF are halved. When this card is destroyed in battle, special summon 1 "Egg Cerberus" from your deck.

Egg Genesis

Level 7

Machine/Effect

2800/2100

You can Normal Summon or Set this card without Tributing. If you do, its original ATK and DEF are halved. As long as this card is face-up on the field, while its original ATK and DEF are halved, you can discard 1 card to have this card gain 1000 ATK.

Egg Wyvern

Level 8

2900/2100

Machine/Effect

This card cannot be special summoned. When this card destroys a monster in battle, that monster zone cannot be used for the remainder of the duel. When this card would be destroyed by battle, you can have it lose 1000 DEF instead.

Egg Dragoon

Level 9

WIND

Machine/Effect

3200/2000

This card can only be special summoned if your opponent controls at least 3 Reptile monsters. When this card is Special Summoned from your hand, you can active this effect to remove from play up to one card each from your opponent's hand, field and Graveyard. (The card in the hand is chosen at random.)

Neo Metal Sonic

DARK

Machine/Effect

0/0

Level 10

This card cannot be special summoned. This card gains the total ATK and DEF of the monsters Tributed for its Tribute Summon. Once per turn, you can activate this card's effect by removing from play 1 "Egg" Machine Type Effect Monster from your Graveyard. Until the End Phase, treat this card's name as that monster's name and this card gains the same effects as that monster while face-up on the field.

Metal Overlord

DARK

Level 10

Machine/Effect

0/0

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Metal Madness". The original ATK of this card is equal to the ATK of the monster Tributed by the effect of "Metal Madness" + 1000. This card is unaffected by card effects other than its own.

Metal Madness

Normal Spell

Tribute 1 "Neo Metal Sonic" to Special Summon 1 Metal Overlord from your hand

Robot Carnival

Continuous Spell Card

Whenever your opponent destroys an Egg Machine monster you control and sends it to the graveyard, special summon 2 Egg Pawn Tokens (Level 2/WIND/Machine/500/500/) on your side of the field. The tokens summoned by this card cannot be Tributed unless it is for the Tribute Summoning of an Egg Machine Monster.

(Basis: Robot Carnival/Storm bosses of Sonic Heroes)

Gravity Laser

Continuous Trap Card

Activate when your opponent declares an attacks with a monster. The attacking monster switches to defense mode, is unable to change battle positions, and its effects are negated.

(Basis: The opening cinematic where Eggman locks Super Sonic in a trap in order to drain the Chaos Emeralds' power in Sonic Unleashed.)

Wrecking Ball Swing

Normal Trap

Activate when an Egg Machine you control is attacked. Negate the attack and return the attacking monster to the owner's hand.

(Basis: The first boss where Eggman/Robotnik uses a wrecking ball for his weapon in Act 3 of Green Hill Zone for the Sonic the Hedgehog: Genesis version.)

Flying Battery Bomb Drop

Continuous Trap Card

During your opponent's Battle Phase, decrease the attack points of all their monsters by 400.

(Basis: Near the ending of Act 2 of Angel Island Zone, Sonic and Tails rush towards Eggman while avoiding bomb drops from a battleship)

(The above cards were created by me. Creative card rights go to me, while other rights go to Sega.)

Next Chapter: Erika is greeted by an old rival and friend that know each other in and out. Who would win in the next battle? Also, Vincent battles Reggie who gains a new strategy for his equip spells.

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	58. Familiar Faces

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 58: Familiar Faces

* * *

Bastion was inside the White Dorm, walking among the always and pondering about earlier events... particularly what Melody told him off about...

 _'Am I... that blind?'_

* * *

(Flashback)

 _"The only reason I wasn't seen as Ra Yellow's powerful duelist because you and Melody stole all the glory!" Bastion accused, pointing his finger at them. "I couldn't get so much as a duel against someone that could match or exceed my level to improve... but you two did, and it stops here! Soon, I'll create an all-powerful deck and leave both of you by the wayside."_

 _"And all for Master Sartorius?" Melody stated and then snapped. "That's pathetic! So what if people don't recognize you? The only person that should matter if you're a good duelist is your own self! But when you went crawling to the white dorm that day to 'prove yourself' as a threat and worthy of Sartorius' time, you just made the biggest mistake in life!"_

 _"Is that so..."_

 _"It is!" the Magician duelist interrupted. "You gave up on yourself! We were your friends, Bastion! You came to us with your problems and we told you it was nothing to worry about. Instead of seeing the positive in Society not trying to claim you, you should've seen it as a chance to stop worrying about a target on your back. You were always the smartest out of everyone... able to think for yourself... now you just made yourself a puppet for Sartorius' scheme... hope you're happy with your new joke of a life..."_

 _With that Melody turned and left with Jeremy and Isaac after the latter picking up Lorenzo before walking after the Magician duelist._

 _"You just became a sad man, Bastion." Claudio added before he followed his friends and girlfriend._

(End Flashback)

* * *

The intellectual duelist stopped, shaking the thoughts out of his head...

 _'No, I can't think like that!_ ' He thought as sweat was flowing down his brow _, 'I'm with the Society of Light now! I've become a more powerful duelist using a deck of LIGHT monster to show my loyalty! I've won countless duels and medals to show how valuable I am!'_

He then looked outside of a nearby window, past the moat and seeing a random duelist being defeated by a random Society member, who took his medals from him and left. Bastion found himself gasping...

 _'Wait? Why did I care about that duelist losing to one of my own...?_ ' He thought, racking his brain for answers _. 'I should be enjoying that feeling... I helped this organization train to become better in dueling... And yet... I'm not happy about it. Was Melody right?'_

* * *

He then found himself right in front of Sartorius' room, sighed and walked inside. The sight was still the same: Sartorius divining his cards, Gunter creating more cards and a few SOL duelists setting the finished ones aside.

"I hear that Lorenzo is lost to us..." the tarot reader stated, his eyes not leaving his cards.

"Yes," Bastion nodded, "His rival defeated him; Lorenzo let his pride and the lack of knowledge against his opponent in Duel Monsters defeat himself. Apparently, they never dueled against each other up until now..."

"No matter, Lorenzo did his part in instilling fear among the non-believers..." Sartorius stated. "Also, he even showed a strong Pro duelist the Light..."

"That he did..." the intellectual duelist replied in low voice. But the SOL leader caught the tone of his voice.

"Something wrong, Bastion?" he pried.

"Nothing's wrong," Bastion answered. "I'm just... flustered that after all I've done to train Lorenzo, we still lost strong member..."

"Something else troubles you..." Sartorius interrupted, finally looking away from his cards. Bastion gasped as he suddenly made eye contact with his master, "There is no need to hiding anything from me, tell me..."

"I... well..." the intellectual duelist stammered, trying to hide his fear inside.

"Say no more..." the SOL leader interrupted again as he held out a card, a copy of the new White Cloak card, "Maybe a few duels, will calm your mind..."

 _'Maybe... if I can show the others this card, I can show them it's weaknesses,'_ He thought, as he accepted the card. Once he did, Sartorius' eyes and a white energy flowed from within himself and into Bastion, stunning the intellectual duelist. Soon, Bastion's hair started to turn stark white and his eyes glazed over in bright light as well, before setting on a bronze color.

"Now, don't you feel better?" Sartorius smirked. "Go out and claim victory for the Light!"

Bastion gave off an evil smirk as he shuffled White Cloak into his deck, "At once, Master!" He announced and left the room.

Sartorius looked at the cards he divined, the upright Moon and the upright Wheel of Fortune, _'You want to show your worth, Mr. Misawa... now you have it!'_

* * *

Later that day, Vincent left the Ra Yellow dorm with a satisfied look on his face.

"I'm telling ya, Professor Sartyr's a master chef!" He exclaimed. "Aside from the good cooking they finally have in the Red Dorm, nothing like a gourmet meal to keep my mind on the duel! And now, time to find myself a challenge before the day's through." He stated as he walked around campus.

 _'Also, I wonder how I can pitch my idea of those new kinds of monsters to Pegasus...' He thought, passing a few duels along the way. 'When Claudio told me about his business for his employees and the Egyptian Gods, missed my chance... but he had a lot on his plate to deal with, so that's okay...'_

"Alright, Chazz it's now payback time for what you did to me in the beginning of the year!"

"Oh cry me a river, little Reggie!"

The Ra was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard two voices arguing, one of them he recognized. Hearing that the voices were up ahead, he ran a little further and was soon met up with Chazz and Jachin facing off against one of this year's top Obelisk students, Reginald Van Howell III, now clad in the SOL colors.

"Hey guys," Vincent called out, "What's going on here?"

"Nothing special, that's for sure," Chazz scoffed.

Jachin sighed as he turned to the Dragon/Rider duelist, "From what I'm hearing, that guy Reggie holds a grudge against Chazz for beating him at the beginning of the year. I can only go on their words, since I was a little late in transferring to the school."

"Oh yeah, I saw that match," Vincent stated. "Reggie was at the top of the freshman class, and Chazz had to duel him to get back into Obelisk Blue. Reggie spent the entire duel taunting Chazz about being a low-rate duelist, and shown some dislike for the Ojama monsters. In the end, Chazz came out on top but Crowler had him stay since the Slifers were praising Chazz about not being a high-level duelist just because of the dorm and blazer color."

"Wow," Jachin smiled as he turned to the young Princeton, "You're even nicer than I thought!"

"Just drop it already..." Chazz scoffed. "That was in the past..."

"Just like I'll leave you in the past, after I take you down," Reggie interrupted as he turned on his duel disk.

"I already accepted another challenge from one of your other dorks," the black coat Slifer stated, "There's no reason to trash a pathetic wannabe, anyway."

"What?" Reggie snapped.

"I'm in the same boat as well," Jachin added, "And quite frankly, you're too annoying to face... You're just upset that Chazz is not the same duelist he was when he came here."

The SOL duelist was livid with anger, seeing his chances for redemption shattered and another duelist thinking him to be not worth it.

"Alright, I'll accept your challenge," Vincent stepped up, turning on his duel disk, "Since you wanna duel somebody so bad... and from the sound of it, the only way you're getting Chazz is if you meet him in the finals, but that won't happen."

"Oh, another guy who thinks he's a better duelist than I am?" Reggie snapped. "Fine then, let's go!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Reggie: 8000

Vincent: 8000

"So, how exactly good is this guy?" Jachin asked the black coat Slifer. "Just curious..."

"He's just big on Equip spells, but he's all talk..." Chazz waved off.

Then, the spirit of Ojama Yellow appeared.

"Yeah, the Ojamas are where it's at!" He cheered.

"Shut up, you dork!" Chazz snapped, forcing the little spirit away.

"You guys sure do have a love-hate relationship..." Jachin acknowledged.

"We do not!"

"Ready for the Light," Reggie smirked as he drew his sixth card, placing one of them on the field, "I summon Sangan in attack mode!" In a bright flash, the furry three-eyed fiend appeared and snarled at the Ra duelist. (3/1000/600) "Then, I equip him with my Black Pendant, boosting his power by 500!" He continued, as a black jeweled necklace was placed around the field. (3/1000-1500/600) "Let's go, Yellow!"

"Wow, Chazz was right..." Vincent stated as he drew his sixth card, "You're talking way more than you duel."

"Told you," Chazz added flatly.

"You all shouldn't talk, because I'll be the one up ahead!" the SOL member stated.

"I rest my case," the Dragon/Rider duelist sighed as he inserted a spell card into his disk. "I activate Graceful Charity! I can draw three cards, and then discard two to the graveyard!" He announced, drawing three cards and then sending two from the overall hand. Next, he inserted another spell card, depicting a dimensional gate with metal claws emerging from it. "Next, I use Different Dimension Hangar. With this, I can remove three Union Monsters that are up to level 4 from my deck!"

Next, the Ra removed his Hydro Rider, Electro Rider and Pitch-Dark Dragon from his deck and pocketed them as a dimensional rip appeared over his head.

"Sounds like he got another way to use his union monsters," Jachin stated. "Then again, he did say he traded cards with Claudio back before the field trip."

"Then, I summon Dark Blade in attack mode!" Vincent announced, bringing out his dark armored, dragon-rider. (4/1800/1500) "Next, the effect of my Hangar activates! When I summon a monster that's compatible with a Union Monster removed from the game, the Union Monster returns to the field!"

Soon, a giant metal claw emerged from the portal and carried out the small pitch-black dragon and placed it next to Dark Blade. (3/900/600)

"Alright, he can start by making their union." The Persona duelist nodded.

"Now, I use Polymerization to fuse them together!"

"Huh?" Everyone wondered as a fusion vortex opened behind the two monsters and pulled them in.

"Now meet, Dark Blade the Dragon Knight!"

Emerging from the fusion vortex, Dark Blade returned but now he was flying on a larger version of Pitch-Dark Dragon! (6/2200/1500)

"That's nothing," Reggie boasted. "Sure, it can destroy Sangan and damage my points, but all you did was waste a card with that!"

"Keep talking," Vincent smirked as he inserted another spell card into his disk, depicting a portal sucking in two small monsters and a giant, blue crystal from opposite sides, "Next, I activate Equivalent Exchange! This has me send the top three cards from the graveyard, and in exchange you send cards from your graveyard equal to the combined Level of monsters I sent this way!"

"That means he could take out his entire deck," Chazz realized as Vincent pulled Divine Dragon (Lv. 6), Combination Attack and Formation Union from the top of his deck and discarded them.

"Lucky, only one monster was sent," the Ra stated, "But it was a level 6, so you have to drop six cards!"

Reggie growled as he took off the top six cards from his deck, revealing them to be Gilford the Legend, Rocket Pilder, Armed Samurai – Ben Kei, Pain to Power, Gearfried the Swordmaster, and Spirit Slayer.

"Now Dark Blade, attack his Sangan with Dusk Flame Blade!" Vincent announced as his dark warrior rode his dragon towards the fiend, and had it knock it in the air before he chopped in half with his blade.

"Forget?" Reggie countered, "When Black Pendant goes to the graveyard it deals 500 points to you!"

Reggie: 7300

Vincent: 7500

"I get to use Dark Blade the Dragon Knight's special ability," Vincent shrugged. "When he does Battle Damage, I get to remove up to three monsters from your graveyard! Lucky for me, I removed three monsters that can benefit from using equip spells!"

"No!" The SOL duelist cried as he saw Gilford, Ben Kei and Gearfried slip out of his discard slot. He grudgingly pocketed them, before reaching for his deck, took a card from it and reshuffled, "At least Sangan gives me a monster with up to 1500 ATK from my deck!"

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Vincent concluded, setting his facedown card. "You're up!"

"You're gonna be sorry you did that to me," Reggie warned before he drew his next card. "I use Reinforcement of the Army, letting me grab a Warrior monster that's up to level 4! I'll pick my Hard Armor!" He declared as his disk pushed out the card from his deck, letting him retrieve it.

"Hard Armor?" Jachin wondered. "It's only 300 ATK with 1200 DEF?"

"Sounds like that deck's even lamer than I thought..." the black coat Slifer stated.

"Then, I summon Witch of the Black Forest in attack mode!" the SOL duelist announced, summoning the black-haired, three-eyed witch. (4/1100/1200) "Finally, I equip her with Power Converter to end my turn." He concluded as a white aura surrounded the Witch.

"My move," Vincent announced as he drew his next card, immediately activating it, "I activate my own Equip Spell, Fusion Weapon! Since my Fusion Monster's below level 7, I can increase his points by 1500 each!"

Dark Blade roared in triumph as his right blade became red, trident-like weapon. (6/2200-3700/1600-3100)

"Hey, that's overkill!" Reggie protested.

"From previous days, you Society guys are the masters of it!" the Dragon/Rider duelist countered, "Now Dark Blade, give that Witch a taste of your new power! Trident Shock Blast, go!" The armored warrior fired a blast of lightning from his new weapon, electrifying the witch and breaking her down into pixels.

Reggie: 4700

Vincent: 7500

"Now, Witch of the Black Forest gives me a monster that has at least 1500 DEF!" Reggie said, retrieving another monster from his deck.

"He's up to something," the Persona duelist mused. "He's searching for a plan..."

"What makes you think that?" Chazz asked.

"He's not exactly doing much to protect himself. Plus, he shook off the fact that three of his best monsters are beyond his reach."

"That's it from me," Vincent concluded. 'If I can just grab another monster, I can wrap this up quick... using De-Fusion and then getting either Hydro Dragon or Adamantine Dragon out on the field, I can win... I just hope he doesn't make use of those monsters in a compatible way...'

"It's my draw!" Reggie announced, drawing his next card. He then smirked at his find, "Time for you to feel the true power of Armament Reincarnation!"

Vincent and the Slifers were baffled as the spell card revealed to them showed pieces of knight's armor, reanimated to move on their own.

"Any of you heard of this card?" Vincent asked.

"No clue." The Slifers stated.

"Then allow me to shed some light on it," Reggie grinned, "This card allows me to bring out all the equip spells from my graveyard, and summon them as effect monsters with 500 ATK and DEF! So, thanks for trashing my cards! So, I bring back Rocket Pilder, Pain to Power, Black Pendant, Power Converter and Spirit Slayer."

Soon, five white wisps appeared from the ground and recreated themselves to become humanoid spirits, each holding or wearing the equip spell in question. The first monster carried a giant, red rocket engine on its back. The second monster wore a white and gold ribbon around neck and shoulders. The third monster wore the Black Pendant around its neck. The fourth monster wore a bronze and sliver mechanical armor. Finally, the fifth monster carried a wicked-looking blade in its right hand. (1/500/500) x5

"Okay, I fail to see the 'true power'," Chazz mocked.

"Like I said, they become effect monsters, using the equip spell cards as their effects!" Reggie continued, "So, with Black Pendant, it gains the power boost from the text!" The monster holding the mentioned spell card, shined with grey light. (1/500-1000/500) "And then, Spirit Slayer gains 500 ATK, by draining it from your Dark Blade!" The monster holding the Spirit Slayer absorbed a portion of the fusion monster's strength. (1/500-1000/500), (6/3700-3200/3100)

"It's still not helping," Jachin protested.

"Which is why, I'm using this final spell card, Power Connection!" the SOL duelist announced, holding up a spell card depicting an army standing united, "Since all my monsters are of the same type, Equip Spell Cards, I can have them gain 500 extra ATK from all the others!"

Vincent gasped, "That means they'll gain all of 2000 points!"

The humanoid spirits powered up to twice their size, feeling the power of every monster on their side. (1/500-2500/500) x3, (1/1000-3000/500), x2

"It's still not enough," Chazz scoffed.

"Oh, it's enough," Reggie smirked. "Rocket Pilder, attack Dark Blade the Dragon Knight!"

Everyone was taken aback as the Rocket Pilder launched itself and rammed into the dragon, making it roar angrily and retaliated with a big tail whip to send it back to Reggie's side.

Reggie: 4000

Vincent: 7500

"When Rocket Pilder attacks, it can't be destroyed in battle and then it drains the monster it battled of his ATK equal to its own!" Reggie grinned as a red aura surrounded Dark Blade's dragon. (6/3200-800/3100) "And then Pain to Power gains ATK equal to the points I lost during a battle!" He continued as the ribbon shined with overwhelming light. (1/2500-3200/500)

"Oh no..." Vincent murmured.

"Now, I'll start with Power Converter's attack on your Dark Blade!" Reggie announced as the armored spirit charged towards the weakened rider.

"Not so fast, I activate De-Fusion," the Ra announced, revealing his spell card, "Now I can separate Dark Blade the Dragon Knight into its material monsters, placing them into defense mode!" A white light engulfed the fusion monster, and split back into Dark Blade and Pitch Dark Dragon. (4/1800/1500), (3/900/600)

"That was close," Jachin sighed with relief, "He could've lost the duel if that hit along with the other three attacks."

"Your De-Fusion caused a replay," the SOL duelist pointed out, "So, I'll send Power Converter to attack your Dark Blade and Black Pendant to attack your dragon!" He shouted as the armored spirit tackled the armored rider into oblivion, while Black Pendant emitted a dark lightning bolt to zap the dark dragon into pixels.

Vincent then braced himself for the next commands, blocking with his disk.

"Spirit Slayer, Pain to Power... double direct attack," Reggie commanded as both the sword and ribbon unleashed a vast amount of light energy and blasted the Ra Yellow to his back.

Reggie: 4000

Vincent: 1300

"Ouch," Jachin winced.

"Hey, Merchet... this guy's weak, what's going on?" Chazz shouted to the fallen Ra.

"He just found out, that I'M the stronger one!" Reggie smirked as he inserted a facedown card, "I place one card facedown then activate Power Converter's ability; by send it to the graveyard, I can gain life points from the monster's ATK. But since the monster is the equip card, I'll just send it to the graveyard."

Power Converter's image shattered and he glowed with energy, putting him at a high number.

Reggie: 6500

Vincent: 1300

"Now, I'll end my turn and the effects of Power Connection," Reggie concluded as his monsters powered down. (1/3000-1000/500) x2, (1/3200-500/500), (1/2500-500/500)

"That's a bad place to be," Jachin stated, "Down by 5200 life points..."

"At this rate, it's over," Chazz waved off, "I don't see how Vincent can get out of this..."

"I have to get something," Vincent muttered as he drew his next card, "I activate Monster Reborn to revive the Hydro Dragon I discarded from the graveyard!" He stated as the aquatic dragon revealed itself from a geyser and roared. (6/2400/1600). "And since I got him, Different Dimension Hangar sends down my Hydro Rider to the field!" Soon, the hangar's claws appeared the portal and sent down the coral armored warrior next to the dragon. (3/1300/800) "And since, Hydro Dragon was summoned without its Rider in my hand I can draw one new card," He continued, drawing his card.

"Nothing you do is gonna help," Reggie taunted. "Just hand over your medals and let this thing blow over!"

"Now, I union equip my Rider with the Dragon!" Vincent ignored and continued as Hydro Rider mounted his dragon. "Now, attack his Rocket Pilder with Hydro Cannon Force!"

The dragon roared as it launched a huge column of water from its mouth...

"I activate the trap card, Mirror Barrier," the SOL duelist countered, revealing facedown card. "This card becomes an equip card, and then it prevents it from becoming an attack target for the next 3 turns!"

The Ra growled as a clear barrier surrounded the rocket and reflected the water towards the sky, where it evaporated. "Alright, since I only control a dragon type monster, I can use Dragon Draw and draw two more cards," He continued drawing two cards. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Falling apart, aren't you," Reggie smirked, drawing his next card. "I activate Hidden Armory, sending the top card from my deck and then taking an Equip Spell card from my graveyard!" He stated, dropping his top card and then taking a card from his deck. "Now, I'll just end it with Megamorph! Since I have higher life points, I can equip it on to your monster and make it lose half its strength!"

Vincent gasped as Hydro Dragon descended lower to the ground, feeling tired. (6/2400-1200/1600)

"Now Black Pendant, attack his Hydro Dragon!"

The spirit bearer of Black Pendant rushed blindly at the large dragon, but was met with a face full of pressurized water, destroying the spirit and cracking the Pendant, damaging Vincent instead.

Reggie: 6300

Vincent: 800

Then, Pain to Power started to glow brightly and power up. (1/500-700/500)

"Now, Rocket Pilder goes after your Dragon as well!" Reggie continued as the rocket charged head-on into the dragon, being pushed back by the rider's blade.

Reggie: 5600

Vincent: 800

But, the damage was still done as the Hydro Dragon roared weakly and Pain to Power grew in strength... (6/1200-700/500), (1/700-1400/500)

"If these next attacks hit, Vincent's done." Jachin looked on.

"Pain to Power, attack his Hydro Dragon!" Reggie announced as the ribbon unleashed a large light beam, striking the rider of its dragon.

Reggie: 5600

Vincent: 100

"Now, Spirit Slayer can attack and win this duel!"

The spirit holding the sword charged straight at the weakened Dragon and sliced it down into pixels...

"I activate Defense Draw!" Vincent countered, as an emerald barrier deflected the damage away from him as he drew a card. "You just used up all of your attacks!"

"You're lucky," Reggie growled as he signaled the end of his turn, letting Pain to Power's ATK return to 500. "But one more planned out move, and then you're mine!"

"We'll see about that," Vincent announced as he drew his next card, immediately activating it, "I activate the spell card, Dragonic Soul Exchange. This lets me summon a Dragon monster that's the same level as one of my other Dragons in the graveyard!" He then brought out another dragon from his deck, "By choosing Level 6 Hydro Dragon, I select Level 6 Electro Dragon!"

In a flash of thunder, a Dragon with dark blue scales and a lightning bolt shaped horn appeared and roared to the skies. (6/2500/1600) "Then, I draw a card and my Hangar releases Electro Rider to the field!"

As Vincent drew his card, the portal's claw sent down another Rider with dark yellow armored and a lightning bolt shaped sword, using it to block. (4/1700/1400) He then activated another spell card from his hand, depicting a soldier's hands holding up a sword in front of a Dragon's shadow. "But this time, I won't combine them and use the Adamantine Sword Revival I just drew to sacrifice my Dragon!"

Soon, the Electro Dragon shined bright white and started to morph into a larger beast. Once done, it was replaced an all emerald dragon with diamonds embedded within its knees and wings, landing right behind the Ra duelist. (8/?/2800)

"I remember this," Chazz mused, "This is what he tried to be Claudio with last year..."

"What's it do," Jachin asked.

"First, it can only be summoned with Adamantine Sword Revival and a dragon that was just special summoned," the black coat Slifer explained, "Then, it takes on the ATK of the dragon used plus 1000 ATK."

The dragon roared as its power was set. (8/?-3500/2800)

"Lucky for you, I can't attack with this monster just yet," Vincent stated as he inserted a reversed card, "So, I place one card facedown to end my turn."

"Reggie still has Pain to Power and Rocket Pilder left," Jachin stated, "He could destroy it and have the life points to spare... not to mention he could attack with three monsters in his hand."

"Alright, I'm done playing around." Reggie announced as he drew his next card. "First, I play Pot of Greed!" He said, drawing another two cards, "Then, I activate my own Polymerization, fusing the three monsters I've been holding out on: Fiend Sword, Hard Armor and Millennium Shield!" Everyone gasped as they saw a demonic sword, a living suit of blue armor with a shield and sword, and a red shield and golden shield with the Millennium Symbol on it. "Now fuse together to form the Legendary Millennium Soldier!"

Soon, the Millennium Shield combined with Hard Armor's shield and Fiend Sword combined with the original sword. Then, the entire armor changed from blue to red and added a blonde man's head inside with a helmet of the same symbol embedded in it. (9/1700/3000)

"That explains a lot," Vincent mused, "Each of the card's text... the power of the armor and weapons..."

"Yup, and it's time for you to feel it!" the SOL duelist smirked, "Once a turn, my monster can take an Equip Spell card from my graveyard and then equip to himself. Plus, he gets an additional attack for each Equip Spell card he has! So, I'll take Rocket Pilder and equip it my Soldier!" He stated as the red rocket became strapped to the Soldier's back.

"And I'm not done yet; I'll take Lightning Blade and equip it to him as well!" He continued as the Fiend Sword was charged with electricity. (9/1700-2500/3000)

"Oh man, that means Vincent's monster will lose 2500 ATK on the first attack!" Jachin realized.

"Warrior, First Attack!" Reggie commanded as the Rocket on Millennium Warrior's back ignited, letting him slam head first into Diamond Head Dragon and left a giant imprint on its chest. (8/3500-1000/2800)

Reggie: 4600

Vincent: 100

"And now, I get another attack which will wipe you out!"

Soon, another charge by the warrior began and went another head-on collision...

"I activate my facedown card, Roll Out!" Vincent shouted, revealing his trap card. "Now I can place Union Monster from my graveyard on an appropriate Monster on my field!"

"But he doesn't have a Union monster that's compatible with Dragons," Chazz stated.

"Chazz is right for once, so don't bother saying the name," Reggie added.

"I wouldn't interrupt," the Ra interjected, retrieving another Union Monster card, "When I played Equivalent Exchange, I sent one more Union Monster in my graveyard. The monster that forced you to drop six cards! My Divine Rider, the leader and the mightiest of them all!"

From a burst of light almost as bright as the sun appeared, a bright, armored warrior. The person was garbed in shining armor, the leg armor was blue, the chest armor was red and the helmet and shoulder armor was gold, the helm being shaped like a famous golden God monster. On the back, were a pair of metallic feathered wings and in the warrior's hands were two golden broad swords. (6/2300/2100)

"Wow, that's powerful!" Jachin said in awe.

"If you think that's powerful, watch the union Effect!" Vincent stated. "For every Dragon and Rider monster in my graveyard, I can have the monster gain 400 ATK thanks to Divine Rider's powers!"

Diamond Head Dragon's power soared as the golden armored Rider mounted it and surged the power of its armor. (8/1000-3000/1000) Together, they were able to withstand another attack, even though it meant losing more power again. (8/3000-500/2800)

Reggie: 4100

Vincent: 100

"Your luck just ran out," Reggie smirked, pointing out Vincent's last card, "I know that facedown card's a bluff, since you placed on the field a couple of turns ago."

Vincent gasped.

"I knew it!" the SOL duelist shouted as his Warrior charged once again... "Say goodnight!"

Then, the Ra's shock turned into a smug grin as his facedown card activated, "Psyche! I activate Power Frame!"

"Power Frame?" Reggie gasped as a clear prism appeared in between the Millennium Warrior and Diamond Head Dragon.

"That's right," Vincent countered as the Warrior's attack struck the prism, absorbing the blow. "When you make an attack, my trap negates and adds the difference between our two monsters' ATK to my monster! So that means, Diamond Head Dragon gains 2000 ATK!" The prism fired a concentrated aura at the dragon and its rider, empowering them even further. (8/500-2500/2800) "I knew somehow, you'd use Rocket Pilder again with your life points high enough to sacrifice a few... even though Divine Rider's my best Union monster, I knew it wasn't to enough to stop your multiple attack. But thanks to Power Frame, you're the one that is out of luck..."

"N-No fair..."

"Now that his turn's over, the effects of Rocket Pilder are over," Jachin cheered as Diamond Head Dragon and Divine Rider recovered from their previous beatings and restored their energy. (8/2500-7500/2800)

"Heh, little Reggie's about to get hurt..." Chazz smirked.

Vincent drew his next card, but didn't need to look at as he looked to his monster, "Diamond Head Dragon, attack his Legendary Millennium Soldier with Crystal Breath!" He announced as the dragon unleashed a barrage of sharp diamonds, piercing through the armor of the Soldier and continued its way to knocking Reggie off his feet. Once he hit the ground, the Light from his body was purged.

Reggie: 0

Vincent: 100, Winner

Vincent turned off his duel disk, letting the holograms disappear. "Wow, all of that and he still brought my life points down to 100. Good thing I called that bluff when I did..."

"And your deck's gotten better with its union functions," Jachin praised, "Plus, seeing the effects of that Divine Rider was also something to see after bringing it back from the graveyard. It was like a battle of equip cards..."

"I still say you're weak if you let Reggie, of all people, get you down to low score..." Chazz added.

"Even more reason to improve," the Ra duelist stated as he walked over to Reggie's unconscious form and took the medals off his person, "Well, I got my challenge in... I'll see you guys some other time." He waved as he left down a random part.

"Come on Chazz, it's almost time for dinner," Jachin said as he left towards the Slifer Dorm.

"Finally, real food here I come!" Chazz cheered as he followed the Persona duelist.

* * *

At another part of the island, Alister, Erika and Matthias were all at the beach shack, letting the visitor make the choice of venue.

"So, how's your dad?" Alister asked.

"Still sailing the seas," Matthias shrugged, "But I don't blame him, he's living the dream of his father: to become the greatest fisherman that ever lived."

"It's also interesting that the Domino City Aquarium also became even more popular than before, thanks to Mako," Erika added. "And to think, I remember how I heard from him that it started with trying to catch fish, which was a Killer Whale's dinner!"

The young Tsunami laughed, "I remember Mom telling me that; it's how they met actually. As he was trying to prevent himself from becoming dinner, my mother scolded him for stealing the whale's fish. She was sick at the time, and after he got her to doctor, he took over the Aquarium's show just in case. Mom watched his duel against Joey Wheeler from inside the Aquarium's infirmary, and after hearing about dad's love for the sea, she started to become smitten with him... the rest is history."

"Aww..." Erika sighed with happiness.

"No wonder the Aquarium's staff are also duelists," Alister realized, "Although, I had a talk with Mr. Moto about the field trip we had, he had to get two of the staff members named Aqua and Marine to the hospital..."

Matthias gasped, "Aqua and Marine! What happened?"

"The Society of Light, that's what happened," the Maverick duelist stated, "They brainwashed them to dueling our friends, but don't worry they're alright and recovered."

The sea duelist let out a sigh of relief, "That's good to here... the Aquarium staff is like family ever since Mom took me there when I was younger... Aqua and Marine were the very first friends I made and even gave me a few of these cards for my deck as a sign of friendship. Is that why those guys in white were after me?"

"They'll go after anyone with a deck powerful enough to satisfy their needs," the Guardian duelist replied. "And I think its world domination they're after..."

"Well, they won't have their way," Matthias proclaimed, "I'll stop them no matter what!"

"We have a lot of ground to cover since they could nearly take up the entire island," Erika stated. "Even with the normal students and the Pros combined."

"Then, we should get out and win some more duels," Alister added as the three of them stood up from their table. And as they prepared to leave, a familiar face to the former Pros and the young Tsunami Pro. A voluptuous woman with long, blonde hair, purple eyes and wearing an all-purple clad outfit consisting of a short-sleeved purple coat, mini-skirt, fingerless gloves and heeled boots...

"About time you noticed I was here..." She said with a smirk.

"Mai!" they exclaimed and ran up to their friend.

"We haven't seen you since beginning of this school year," Alister stated.

"And you haven't changed a bit either," Erika added.

"Trust me, hun," Mai waved off, "It is not easy staying this hot... of course, Joey would know being married to me and all."

"Yeah, how is Joey?" Matthias wondered.

"He's around the island, probably showing these kids a thing or two," the blonde woman replied, "We parted ways for the day, winning our duels and hoping that we catch up with you two... well three, seeing little Mako Jr. here," She smiled, facing Matthias, "How's the tournament treating you, kiddo?"

"Hasn't beaten me down yet," Matthias stated.

"Good," She nodded, "Joey and I have been here for a couple of days, and haven't seen any of you around. I was afraid I missed you guys."

"Wow, that is news," Erika proclaimed.

"And with familiar faces, you and Joey should've been easy to spot," Alister added, "Yet, the only one found was Matthias since he stood around for the fish."

"Anyway..." Mai interrupted, "Hearing about this school's level of duelists, I decided to participate in this tournament and for once my luck beat that lunkhead of a husband's. But still unlucky in finding some good duels... those duelists in the white coats, so not worth my time..."

"At least you haven't lost yet," Erika smirked, activating her duel disk, "It'd be a shame that one of my favorite rivals got beat by a bunch of kids..."

Mai returned the smirk and activated her disk as well, "Is that a challenge I hear?"

"Here we go..." Alister sighed.

"Rivalry?" Matthias asked.

"Trust me, with them being the two strongest female duelists I know... it'll happen..." the Guardian duelist replied.

"DUEL!"

Mai: 8000

Erika: 8000

"Let's see how much school taught ya," Mai smirked as she drew her sixth card, before placing a monster card on her disk, "I summon Harpie Lady 1 in attack mode!"

Jumping out of a rising air current, was a half-woman, half-birdlike creature with short, magenta-colored hair, green wings attached to her arms, yellow claws and wearing a purple leotard with black lines. She let out a bird-like shriek before landing. (4/1300/1400)

"One set of monsters, I've missed since coming here," Erika smiled.

"And they'll leave a bigger impression on you," the Harpie duelist replied, "While she's on the field Harpie Lady 1 gives all WIND monsters an extra 300 ATK!" A green aura surrounded the Harpie Lady, boosting her power a bit. (4/1300-1600/1400) She then held up another spell card, depicting a kaleidoscope of a Harpie Lady. "And no Harpie deck is complete with this spell card, Elegant Egotist! With one Harpie Lady, I can summon another one, like my Harpie Lady 2!"

Suddenly, the Harpy Lady flew higher into skies and raised her claws, causing several prisms to emerge from behind. Then, another Harpie Lady flew from the prisms, one with short, orange hair. Both ladies shared quick smirks before facing Erika. (4/1300-1600/1400)

"And then I place one card facedown and end my turn," Mai concluded. "Let's see you get out of this one."

"Same old Mai with her Harpies," Alister mused, "But she may have a different battle style going on..."

"If she gets it out, she'll be a lot more dangerous," Matthias added.

"Here I go," Erika announced as she drew her sixth card, and immediately summoned a monster card, "I start with Robotic Knight in attack mode!" In a bright flash, Erika's spirit monster appeared and activated its laser sword for battle. (4/1600/1800) "Next, I activate the Continuous Spell Card Final Artillery!" She continued, inserting a spell card into her disk. It depicted Robotic Knight commanding Cyber Soldiers and Mechanicalchasers to fire their weapons. "Once per turn, I can discard any number of Machine-Type monsters in my hand to the graveyard and deal 500 points of damage for each one!"

"This is won't be pretty," Mai muttered as she held up her duel disk for defense, as Erika discarded three of her cards into her graveyard.

"Robotic Knight, activate Final Artillery," the Maverick duelist announced as her machine commanded three cannons to appear and fire one shot each around their opponent, blasting away some of her life points.

Mai: 6500

Erika: 8000

"A lot of fire power on her first turn," the sea duelist acknowledged, "But she just left herself with only one card to use..."

"Next, I activate Card of Demise to draw five new cards from my hand," Erika continued drawing out her new hand, "Of course I lose my hand in five standby phases, but I won't worry about that now. For now, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn." She concluded as two reversed card appeared at her feet.

"I see you haven't changed much either," Mai stated as she drew her next card, "But I have something for your army machine; meet Birdface in attack mode!" She announced, playing her card and bringing out a humanoid eagle with bronze wings, green feathers on its legs and black armor all around the upper body. (4/1600-1900/1600) "Now, attack Robotic Knight with your Eagle Scream attack!"

Birdface inhaled some air before letting out an ear-splitting scream, sending a shockwave towards the machine.

"I activate Soul Anchor," Erika countered as her trap card revealed itself, creating a bright chain and anchor around the knight and took the shockwave head on. "With this card out, my Robotic Knight sticks around since he can't be destroyed in battle."

Mai: 6500

Erika: 7700

"Alright, I am convinced," the Harpie duelist smiled as she placed a facedown card, "Here I am, doing all the attacking yet you're the one dealing damage... guess I have to step it up..."

"I'd be careful now, Erika," Alister warned, "You know she means it..."

"Let's see how she backs it up." Erika stated as she drew her next card, and activated it, "Go Junk Dealer! This card allows me to summon two monsters from the graveyard, but their ATK's are cut in half..."

"And you're summoning high level monsters that you discarded with Final Artillery," Mai deduced.

Two monster cards slipped out of Erika's discard slot, letting her place them on the field in, "Bingo, so meet Maverick Phoenix in attack mode and Maverick Trilobyte in defense mode!"

In two flashes of light, two more machine monsters appeared. The first appeared to be a humanoid, phoenix with black metal body with flames igniting on the shoulders, golden leg armor and claws and giant red wings. (7/2400-1200/1850) The second machine, was a brown, anthropomorphic trilobite with long blue whiskers emerging from the sides of its mask-like face, wore hard metal armor, gloves and boots. (7/2300-1150/2700)

"Nice, she's got a good defensive wall set up," Alister praised. "Erika's really making herself a good swarming tactic."

"Which will cost her," Mai smirked, revealing her facedown card. A trap depicting a dark looking beauty tri-mirror with a dark eye on top of it, "I activate Nightmare Tri-Mirror! When you special summon at least one monster, it allows me to bring out token monsters of my Harpie Lady 1 for each one. With two special summoned monsters on your side, I can summon two Harpie Lady 1 tokens."

The mirrors reflected the sight of the mavericks and transformed them into two more Harpies. They flew out of the mirrors and landed on the other side of Birdface. (4/1300-1600/1400) x2

"And the best part of this, my tokens retain the effects of the host monster," the Pro continued as the green auras around her monsters intensified. (4/1600-2200/1400) x4 (4/1900-2500/1600)

"Not only she bypassed the Maximum of 3 Rule, but she just increased the power of her monsters," Matthias noted. "She truly has gotten better..."

"It's not discouraging me one bit," Erika stated, revealing her second facedown card, "I activate my spell card, Cleansing Water! With this, I can negate all point changes from my Maverick Phoenix and return them to its original attack points!" She explained as the skies started to get cloudy and rain crystal clear water on the Maverick, restoring its power to normal. (7/1200-2400/1850) "Now let's weaken your monster army, starting with the original Harpie Lady 1! Attack with Blazing Helix!"

The mechanical phoenix gained a burning aura and then dashed for the first Harpie...

"I don't think so," Mai countered, revealing her second facedown card. It showed ancient seal with a giant bird on fire, "I activate the Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation! With at least two Harpie Ladies on my field, I can end the battle phase on the spot!"

The four Harpie Ladies flew in a diamond formation and then ignited themselves into a firey inferno of a sparrow. It flew straight into the flaming Maverick's body and pushed it away, cancelling the attack.

"Since we got that out of the way, I'll end my turn with another facedown card," Erika concluded.

"You anticipated my moves, as always," Mai smiled as she drew her next card, "Too bad, you won't have anything to do after this... I activate the spell card, Pot of Greed!" She announced, drawing her two cards, "Next, I use Cyber Shield to boost the attack strength of Harpie Lady 1!" A golden light enveloped the magenta-haired harpie, and placed a sliver body plate, shoulder and leg guards increasing her power. (4/2200-2700/1400)

"Now, Birdface attack her Mantis with Eagle Scream!" She commanded as her Winged Beast let out another shockwave of screams.

"I activate Triobyte's effect," the Maverick duelist announced as the monster in question jumped in front of the shockwave, and created a crystallized wall that deflected the attack away from the battlefield, "By cutting his defense points in half, he can block your one of your attacks!" The crystal wall shattered, leaving the Maverick a little weak in defense. (7/1150/2700-1350)

"Well, I'll make sure it doesn't use it again so Harpie Lady 2, attack Trilobyte!" Mai countered as her orange-haired harpie flew towards the armored maverick, stomping it down with her foot claws. "Next, Harpie Lady 1 will strike the Phoenix, attack!"

The magenta-haired harpy followed her sister, clawing down the mantis maverick into scrap metal.

Mai: 6500

Erika: 7400

"Next, I place one card facedown and its back to you," Mai concluded.

"Good move," Erika praised as she drew her next card, immediately playing two cards, "I set one monster into defense mode and the equip Robotic Knight with 7 Completed on its ATK!" She announced as a facedown monster appeared next to the militaristic machine, while itself gained a red aura to power up. (4/1600-2300/1800) "Now attack one of the Harpie Tokens, Destructive Bullets!"

[Launching attack...] the machine stated as it raised its left arm and fired a barrage of red bullets, zoning in on the one of the Harpie Tokens...

"Sorry, but you just walked into a trap," the Harpie duelist smirked, revealing her facedown card, "I activate the continuous trap card, Mirror Wall!"

Erika and Alister gasped as a giant, glass wall rose in front of Mai's monster and took in the bullets. The craziest thing that happened was when it hit the reflection of Robotic Knight, the machine started to short out! (4/2300-1150/1800)

"It's attack points were cut in half?" Matthias wondered.

"When Mirror Wall's in effect, all of Erika's monsters will lose half of their ATK after they declare an attack on me or my monsters," Mai explained to the sea duelist, "Not only that, but it since her monster still waged that attack, my Harpie Token can counterattack!"

As soon as the wall sunk back into the ground, one of the motionless Harpie 1 tokens made a lunging assault and smacked the weakened Robotic Knight across the face.

Mai: 6500

Erika: 6350

 _'Now it's really going to be tough,'_ Erika thought, _'But then again because of the restriction of Mirror Wall, paying 2000 life points during her standby phase, she won't keep it on the field for long...'_ She then came to her decision... "I end my turn with."

"Wait, she's not going to play anything else?" the Guardian duelist wondered. "Even though Soul Anchor's keeping her Robotic Knight on the field, it's now a sitting duck..."

Suddenly, his duel spirit, Guardian Eatos appeared next to him...

 _"So, you don't have any faith in your future wife?"_ She asked, sincerely.

 _'That's not what I'm saying,'_ Alister replied, remembering to use his thoughts when around others, _'I know both hers and Mai's tactics when they see an opening. And they are both able to capitalize on them effectively... I'm worried that's all...'_

 _"You shouldn't," Eatos stated. "Just because she's up against the wall, as you say, doesn't mean she's done... just keep your faith..."_

Alister sighed and smiled, _'Yeah... you're right...'_

"Time to really let you have it, girlfriend," Mai smirked as she drew her next card, "Now you and I both know it's risky to keep Mirror Wall out on the field, considering its payment... but I have the points for it, so I'll give 2000 points to keep my trap and its effects in play."

Mai: 4500

Erika: 6350

 _'I was afraid of that...'_ Erika thought as she braced herself for what's to come...

"Birdface, Harpies, attack her Robotic Knight!" Mai commanded as all three winged-beasts took to the skies and started to fly in formation. The Harpie Sisters stood back to back and spun around furiously to make a thin tornado with their claws outstretched. Quickly, they surrounded the machine that was still anchored and scratched it up. Then, Birdface dive-bombed into the tornado and caused a massive dust storm to kick up, making everyone around Erika cough. And as the dust settled, Robotic Knight was left a near-functioning, broken machine.

Mai: 4500

Erika: 2400

 _'Are you okay?_ ' the Maverick duelist spoke out to her partner.

 _[Systems... still... functioning_ ] the machine sparked.

"What do you know...," Mai said to herself, "Joey was right about taking those risks..." She then inserted another set of cards into her disk and announced, "I set two cards facedown and its back to you, Erika."

"My turn now," Erika announced as she drew, "First, I activate the effect of Final Artillery to just discard one monster to damage 500 your life points!"

Slowly, Robotic Knight unleashed one cannon from the spell card, which fired a blast towards the Harpie duelist.

Mai: 4000

Erika: 2400

"But I'm not done yet," the Maverick duelist continued, revealing another trap card showing a soldier taking a treasure chest from a weeping woman, "That move also activates my trap card, Forced Requisition! From now on, every time I discard from my hand, you're forced to discard the same number of cards I did."

"She's switching to deck destruction now," Alister stated as Erika inserted her next card into her disk.

"Now, I activate Card of Sanctity to let us draw until we have six cards from our hands," She announced, as she and Mai drew until their hands were six cards strong, "Then, I set one card facedown and flip summon my facedown monster, Morphing Jar!"

Mai gasped as the living jar with its black mass monster peering out emerged onto the field and cackled. (2/700/600)

"Now they have to discard and redraw five cards each," Matthias looked on as both ladies dropped their current hands and then redrew again. But Forced Requisition shined its bright purple, forcing the Harpie duelist to discard her new hand as well.

"Now it's time I made all the difference in this duel," Erika stated, revealing the card she just placed facedown, depicting a scrap yard and a garage with two shining headlights flashing beyond the darkness, I activate Old Model to the Frontline! This lets me special summon any Machine-Type Monster from my graveyard, and I'm choosing a monster I discarded... Maverick Mantis, appear now!" A light from the ground unleashed a mechanical, anthropomorphic mantis with a dark purple color to it. On its forearms, two deadly looking blades were equipped as it sliced the air twice. (7/2450/1800)

"Afterwards, I'll sacrifice Morphing Jar for my Maverick Spider in defense mode!" she announced, as the jar vanished and let the mechanical, humanoid spider appear and crouch to the ground. (5/2000/2500) "When this is summoned, one of your monsters loses 100 ATK for each of their levels. So, by using it on your original Harpie Lady 1, I drain it of 400 ATK!"

On cue, the spider shot out its thick, white thread and wrapped it around the armored harpie, making her unable to move. (4/2700-2300/1400)

"Then, to really make your monsters weak, I use the Clockwork Night spell card!" Erika announced as the spell started to emit a blinding light, shining on Birdface and the Harpies, making them become hard metal versions of themselves, and weaker as well. (4/2300-1800/1400), (4/2200-1700/1400) x3, (4/2500-2000/1600)

"I remember this card," Mai muttered to herself, "All of my monsters become machines and get 500 ATK weaker. Not only that, but her machines gain 500 ATK as well."

The light also enveloped the Maverick monster, increasing their strength. (7/2450-2950/1800), (5/2000-2500/2500)

"A lot of power boosting won't do you any good," the Harpie duelist proclaimed as her Mirror Wall activated and rose from the ground. "As soon as bug boy makes an attack, he'll lose half of its ATK to my Mirror Wall and all of my monsters can squash it!"

"Not this one," Erika countered, leaving Mai speechless. "My Maverick Mantis is immune to your trap cards, and not only that but if I decided to cut his ATK in half, he can attack directly! Now, Mantis attack Mai directly with Black Arrows!"

The Maverick Mantis charged up its blades with dark energy, decreasing its strength into them. (7/2950-1475/1800) Then, it swiped them into the skies and created small, black arrows that went over the glass wall, zoned in on Mai and pierced through her duel disk.

Mai: 2525

Erika: 2400

"Nice one, Erika!" Alister cheered. "Not did she score a decent hit to Mai's life points, but she weakened her monsters so that Mai can't launch a counterattack on her turn.

"Yeah, but we shouldn't count Mai out yet..." Matthias warned.

"I activate Mystik Wok," Mai announced, revealing her facedown card as Birdface vanished into sparkles. "With this card, I can sacrifice my Birdface to the graveyard and then gain life points equal to its ATK, meaning 2000 life points for me!"

Mai: 4525

Erika: 2400

"Darn, all of that planning for nothing," Erika sighed as she inserted a facedown card into her disk. "One card facedown and end my turn."

"Finally, I get to draw," Mai sighed as she drew out her lone card. Once she saw it, she gave a loving smile before turning her attention back to her opponent.

"Good card?" Erika asked.

"Very," Mai replied, "First, since your Mantis is immune to traps, I'll get rid of my Mirror Wall!" The trap card shattered like glass on her vocal command. "Now, because of your little stunt most of my best cards were discarded among those eleven cards. Luckily, I was able to save one... a little present any mother would love to be honored to have..."

"Hmm?" Alister and Matthias wondered. Yet Erika smiled warmly, answering her opponent's silent question...

"A child..."

At that answer, Mai kissed her card before placing on the field, "I summon the Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon!" She announced with pride as a tornado of flames burst into the spot where Birdface once stood. When it extinguished, a young, pink dragon, the size of an adult human appeared its place. Like her adult form, she had a green headdress and a small collar around the neck, in which one of the machine harpies took the claws. The dragon's little green eyes started to look around the field with curiosity. (4/1200-2100/600)

"The Harpie's Pet Dragon had a kid," the sea duelist wondered.

"It would appear so," the Guardian duelist replied with a smile.

"She's so cute," Erika cooed as the dragon squealed back.

"And trust me, this cute little dragon has a lot more spirit than her Mom," Mai smiled, staring at her dragon. "She has three effects depending on the number of Harpies I have on the field. The first effect is always the saddest, with one Harpie she's the only one you have to attack." Even as machines, the Harpies slumped sadly as they knew what the dragon had to endure. "But if I have the other effects, I won't have to worry about. Like if 2 Harpies are on the field, her original ATK and DEF doubles, meaning she becomes a better force!"

Everyone gasped as the baby dragon gave a more adult roar, really trying to bring out her strength. (4/1200-2400-3300/600-1200)

"Something tells me, I won't like the third effect," Erika muttered.

"And you'd be right, because with at least three harpies, my baby can destroy any card you own!" Mai smirked. "And I have my sights on your facedown card! Baby, it's time to play with Erika's facedown card!" She said in a sing-song voice, letting dragon flutter into the air and let out a green flame that zoomed past the Mavericks and blasted Erika's facedown card, sky high!

"My Negate Attack!" Erika cried.

"Too bad, she doesn't know any better," Mai stated in a playful tone as her dragon landed in front of the Mavericks, giving a childish smile. "Now attack Maverick Mantis with Fearsome Fire Breath!"

The baby dragon took in a deep breath, faced the dark mantis and let out a giant, flaming breath that melt the machine into liquid and combusted on the spot.

Mai: 4525

Erika: 2150

"That baby just got a lot more dangerous," Alister stated as the dragon flew back to Mai's side.

"Aw, she's just playing," Mai added, petting the little dragon to her delight. "It's your move, Erika."

"Alright, here goes..." Erika declared as she drew. "Okay, you're bringing out your best, I'll bring out mine... first, I activate Premature Burial, paying 800 points to summon back my Maverick Mantis!" She started, as her dark Maverick returned from the grave. (7/2450-2950/1850) "Then, I let it attack directly!" She commanded as the Mantis released darkness into its blades again. (7/2950-1475/1850) Then, threw its dark arrows into Mai's disk again...

Mai: 3050

Erika: 2150

"Moving to Main Phase 2, I summon the Maverick Storm Owl!" Erika continued as the she placed another monster card on the field, bringing out the mechanical owl, readying its cannon arm. (4/1800-2300/1300) "And then, your Harpie's have that fatal flaw for WIND monsters because it affects my side as well!"

Mai gasped as the winds kicked in, enveloping the Storm Owl and giving it strength. (4/2300-3200/1300)

"But thanks to his special ability, one of your harpies needs to go away. Since it was summoned, Storm Owl removes one of them from the field and back to your hand, but by choosing the token it's gone for good!" The Maverick duelist continued as Storm Owl launched green blast at the Harpie 1 copy, blowing it away from the field letting it shatter. (4/3300-2900/1200), (4/1800-1500/1400), (4/1700-1400/1400) x2, (4/3200-2900/1300)

"And for my final trick, I sacrifice my three Mavericks to summon their leader, the Maverick Virus Sigma!"

Alister smiled as the Maverick monsters turned to dark-green matter and combined in a mishmash of metal. Soon, the metal cracked open like a chicken's egg and exploded across the field. Once everyone stopped covering themselves from the impact, they were met with a bulky, bald humanoid with a red crystal on his forehead, and two parallel scars running through his eyes. He was clad in a black body suit, covered with white armor and a purple cape flowing behind him. (8/2700-3200/2200)

"She finally brought out the leader," he stated, "Now it'll be tough for Mai to pin Erika down."

"What do you mean?" Matthias asked. "Sure, it has the attack points to be Harpie's Pet Dragon, but by waiting after the battle phase Sigma's a sitting duck."

"Trust me, Sigma's a monster that somehow keeps up his fight." The Guardian duelist replied. "Just watch..."

"I end my turn!" Erika concluded.

"I guess you saw through my trap," Mai stated as she drew her next card. "I activate Pot of Greed!" She drew two cards as the grinning pot appeared above her head. "But that will cost you, because I activate Pet Baby Dragon's effect! Take down her Maverick Virus!" The baby dragon unleashed her massive flames, surrounding the Maverick in painful flames. "Too bad, he had to leave so soon!"

"Think again!" Erika countered as Sigma's look of pain turned to a sinister one, and then raised his arms to blow the flames away. (8/3200-3500/2200) "Whenever Sigma's destroyed by a card effect, he simply revives itself with 300 ATK added to its score!"

Mai gasped as she saw the next move in her mind, seeing her baby dragon destroyed by Sigma. She then placed two cards facedown and signaled the end of her turn.

"I really hate to do this," Erika quickly interjected, forcing Mai to look at her, "Trust me on this; I know when you see that card, you see your children. And just like any mother, you don't want to see them hurt or killed. And were both duelists who have to fight."

The Harpie duelist took a deep breath and smiled, "Then make sure your next card's a move that can take me down!"

Moved by her own declaration and her friends, Erika made her next move, "I now activate an effect in my graveyard... Copy Chip Reploid! For one time only, if it's in the graveyard, I can remove it from the game and special summon a Chip Token!"

As Erika removed a card from her graveyard, a faint image of a small, ordinary grey machine appeared and left behind a grey crystal, like Sigma's. (1/0/0)

"Now, I draw!" Erika shouted as she drew her next card. Once she saw it, she nodded and immediately played the card. The image showed a spell card, depicting a small, closed satellite. "On my draw phase, I activate Reflect Energy! By sacrificing one monster, the others on my field can attack directly!"

Soon, the crystal shattered as a small, satellite appeared over Mai.

"Now Sigma, attack with Virus Blast!"

The Maverick condensed his hands together and fired a small, purple beam at the satellite causing it to spark to life and activate. It opened itself wide and then reflected the blast...

"This is where it all ends, Erika!" Mai shouted as she revealed her last two cards. The first was a flock of Harpie Ladies protecting the Harpie Queen from a flock of vultures. "First, I activate Harpie's Vanguard! This stops any attack aimed at me directly if I have a Harpie Lady on the field!"

Erika gasped, "But, your dragon!"

The blast was heading straight for the baby dragon, who was unaware of the danger she was going to be in.

"Will be alright!" Mai smirked, "Since your attack is going for my baby dragon, I also activated Mother's Rage!" The Trap depicted a Harpie's Pet Dragon looming over Sky Scouts with the Pet Baby Dragon hiding behind the mother. "This adds the DEF of my Pet Dragon in the graveyard to my Pet Baby Dragon's ATK to counter! Also it adds 300 ATK for each Harpie Lady on the field, meaning another 900!"

Suddenly, a giant pink wing blocked Sigma's attack on the baby dragon. When the little dragon saw the shadow looming over it and turned around, it squealed in delight as she saw her mother... the Harpie's Pet Dragon! (4/2900-5400-6300/1200)

However, the larger dragon was filled with rage as she saw Sigma trying to kill her baby. She then roared and launched a massive flame that incinerated Sigma to smoking scrap, taking out Erika's Life Points.

Mai: 3050, Winner

Erika: 0

The holograms disappeared from the field as both duelists turned off their duel disks, relieved of the outcome reached.

"Wow," Erika sighed, "You're really powerful, Mai. I've never seen that move before."

"Yeah..." Mai nodded, taking Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon off her disk and started at it softly, "Show's how much a mother will do for her kids. Besides, let that be a lesson! Anyone or anything trying to mess with your kids, they'll pay big time! It's also the first time I used the Pet Baby Dragon. At least I got to play with Airo's card..."

"It was the same way when Dad used Legendary Fisherman, in honor of Grandpa," Matthias added.

"Speaking of Airo, what about her and Jesse?" the Guardian duelist asked. "If you and Joey made it to the island, who's watching them..."

"Their sweet Aunt Serenity," the Harpie duelist smiled, "She just loves the children..."

"That's understandable," Erika smiled as well, "Considering she spoils those two anytime she visits."

"And the fact that she has a good husband behind her," Mai added, "Of course to Tristan's and Duke's disappointment..."

Alister laughed, "Consider all they did was fight over her 10 years ago, they couldn't see that she finally found someone. At least they found their dream girls along the way."

"You're soon to be marrying one yourself." Erika said, lightly kissing her fiancé.

Mai suddenly pulled her over and whispered, "I bet you can't wait for the honeymoon... I know I was ready for mine..."

Hearing that made Erika blush fiercely as she yelled... "Mai!"

Matthias and Alister raised an eyebrow at the outburst.

"What did you say to her?" Alister asked the Harpie duelist.

"Trust me, you're better off waiting till after your wedding day," Mai replied and gave him a wink. "But for now, let's find Joey... I bet he's having the time of his life." She stated and left while still talking privately with Erika.

"I'm never gonna understand that girl," Alister said flatly.

"Maybe we're not meant to," Matthias shrugged as he and the Guardian duelist followed the women.

* * *

Alright, hope I could give as much as I could for this one. I noticed the last time, people hated the outcome of Mai vs. Erika, so I decided to change it. Besides, Mai needed more 'On-Screen' wins. For now, it's on to the next chapter.

Legendary Millennium Soldier

Level 9

EARTH

Warrior/Fusion/Effect

1700/3000

Millennium Soldier + Fiend Sword + Hard Armor

This monster cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. In addition to a normal attack, this card can attack during the same Battle Phase as many times as the number of Equip Cards equipped to it. When this monster destroys an opponent's monster in battle, equip one appropriate Equip Spell Card to this card. (This can only be activated once during your Battle Phase.) If this card would be destroyed while equipped with an Equip Spell Card, you can send that card to the Graveyard instead.

(This card is my own creation and creative credit goes to me.)

Different Dimension Hangar

Continuous Spell Card

Select and remove from play 3 Level 4 or lower Union monsters from your Deck. If a monster is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned to your side of the field, and that monster is written in the card text of a Union Monster that was removed from play by this card's effect, you can Special Summon that Union Monster. The Union Monster Special Summoned by this card's effect cannot declare an attack or be Tributed.

(First used by Chazz Princeton during the two part GX episode, Head in the Clouds. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Equivalent Exchange

Normal Spell Card

Send the top 3 cards of your Deck to the Graveyard. Your opponent sends cards from the top of their Deck to the Graveyard equal to the total Level of monsters you sent to the Graveyard this way.

(First used by Clark Smith in episode 116 of 5D's. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Power Converter

Equip Spell Card

Image: A bronze backpack with two funnels emitting blue light.

During either player's turn, you can send this face-up card to the Graveyard to gain Life Points equal to the equipped monster's ATK. If you do, the equipped monster's ATK becomes 0 until the End Phase.

Pain to Power

Equip Spell Card

Image: A white ribbon with golden embroidery, glowing with energy.

The equipped monster gains ATK equal to the damage you take from battles involving other monsters you control during this turn, until the End Phase.

(The above two cards were used by Leo and Luna in the 5D's episode 'Mark of the Monkey Part 4'. Creative credit for them goes to the writers of 5D's.)

Armament Reincarnation

Normal Spell Card

Special Summon as many Equip Spell Cards and Equip Trap Cards from your Graveyard as possible; they are treated as Effect Monster Cards (ATK 500/DEF 500). Apply each card's effect(s) to itself, if possible.

Spirit Slayer

Equip Spell Card

When this card is equipped to a monster, select 1 face-up monster on the field (except the equipped monster)... The equipped monster gains 500 ATK, and the selected monster loses 500 ATK.

Power Connection

Normal Spell Card

Until the end of this turn, all face-up monsters on the field gain 500 ATK for each other monster on the field with the same Type.

Mirror Barrier

Equip Trap Card

Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. After activation, this card is treated as an Equip Card. The equipped monster cannot be declared as an attack target. During your 3rd Standby Phase after this card's activation, destroy this card.

(The above four cards were used by Gekko Tenma in the R manga. Creative credit goes to the manga writers.)

Final Artillery

Continuous Trap Card

Activate this card's effect, only when "Robotic Knight" is face-up on your side of the field. Once per turn, discard any number of Machine-Type monsters from your hand and deal 500 points of damage to your opponent for each one discarded.

(This card was created by RoyalShowstopperXIII and myself. Creative credit goes to the both of us.)

Nightmare Tri-Mirror

Normal Trap Card

Activate only when your opponent Special Summons 1 or more monsters. Select 1 monster you control. Special Summon 1 "Copy Token" that has the same original Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, DEF, and card name as the selected monster for each monster your opponent Special Summoned. These tokens gain the same effect(s) as the selected monster, but cannot attack.

Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation

Normal Trap Card

Activate only when your opponent declares an attack while you control 2 or more face-up "Harpie Lady" monsters. Negate the attack and end the Battle Phase.

(The above two cards were used by Mai Valentine during the Waking the Dragons season. Creative credit goes to the anime writers.)

Maverick Mantis

Type: Machine

Attribute: Dark

Level: 7

Attack: 2450

Defense: 1800

Effect: By cutting attack points in half, Dark Mantis can attack opponent directly. This card is unaffected by trap cards.

Art: ( megaman.)

Maverick Phoenix

Type: Machine

Attribute: Fire

Level: 7

Attack: 2400

Defense: 1850

Effect: Gains 200 attack points for each card with the name "Maverick" on the field, can attack twice in one turn.

Art: ( megaman.)

(The above two cards were created by RoyalShowStopperXIII. Card creative credit goes to him, while character credit goes to Capcom.)

Maverick Virus Sigma

ATK: 2700

DEF: 2200

DARK

Machine/Effect

Level 10

Effect: This card cannot be normal summoned or set. This card can only be special summoned by its own effect, or by tributing three 'Maverick' monsters you control. When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the graveyard, it is immediately summoned to your side of the field. When this card is special summoned, it gains 300 attack points.

Image: Sigma's first form in Megaman X 5

(Created by patattack. Card creative credit goes to him, while character credit goes to Capcom.)

Copy Chip Reploid

Normal Spell Card

While this card is in the Graveyard, one time only, you can special summon a Chip Token on your side of the field. (EARTH/1/0/0)

(My own creation, creative rights go to me, while inspiration goes to Capcom)

Reflect Energy

Quick-Play Spell

Tribute 1 Monster. This turn, monsters you control can attack your opponent directly.

(Used by Seto Kaiba in the Episode A Duel With Dartz, Part 2. Creative credit goes to the writers of the episode.)

Next time: Have you seen Crashtown arc in 5D's? Well, it has come to my story as Jethro rallies a group to help against Dorian's group Western-Themed duelists. And they may have to face someone a little extra...

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	59. Showdown at the Academy Corral

It's time for some Western Themed Duels, baby! Let's start this off with a Bang!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 59: Showdown at the Academy Corral

* * *

Sometime in the late afternoon, a random Slifer duelist was left cringing in fear even as he had some three Bowgainians to back him up. (3/1300/1000) x3

Yet, the opponent he faced off against... he had a reason to be afraid. It may have been another SOL duelist, but this one became a rising contender in the GX tournament. The Ogre duelist, Dorian Marston...

"Come on now, three Bowgainians are the best you can deal with in effect damage? It's not even a challenge anymore letting people go first..." Dorian grinned as he drew his sixth card.

Dorian: 8000

Slifer: 8000

"Here comes my Gatling Ogre!" Dorian announced, as a blue-haired, blue-skinned fiend appeared in front of him. It had a thin and lanky figure, and wore a confederate military uniform. Its left arm was mechanical, and included a large device which contained an ammunition belt, the purpose of which seemed to be to deliver the ammo to its torso. Its torso contained a Gatling gun in the mid section, and its right hand was holding the crank. (3/800/800)

"It's not so tough," the Slifer pointed out.

"Oh, it's tougher than it looks, partner." The SOL duelist grinned as he inserted two more cards into his disk, "I then activate two copies of my Double Arms Equip Spell, and give them to my Gatling Ogre!" Soon, two more ammunition belts appeared from the sky and attached themselves to the first. "Then, I set my final three cards facedown." He announced as three reversed cards appeared behind the Ogre. "And finally, I activate Gatling Ogre's special ability! When I send a facedown spell or trap card into the graveyard, I can deal some damage to ya!"

"How much?"

"Well, let me think..." the Ogre duelist pondered with an evil smirk, "Normally, it would deal 800 points of damage by itself. But thanks to Double Arms, Gatling Ogre doubles the amount of effect damage it deals! But not just 1600, friend... since another one's equip, the damage doubles again to 3200! And for three cards I'm about to fire... you're outta luck!"

The three set cards vanished, and Gatling Ogre's mechanical arm loaded several rounds of bullets into the gun on its torso... once fully loaded, the fiend monster turned the crank, and the Gatling gun fired, sending a stream of bullets directly into the Slifer, making him scream out in pain and drop to the ground.

Dorian: 8000, Winner

Slifer: 0

Dorian cackled as the holograms disappeared from the field.

"How many duelists did I whip? 30?" He asked himself, picking up the defeated duelist's medals. "What do you think, Sundance?"

"It had to be way more than that, boss!" Another black-haired SOL duelist exclaimed, wearing the same style of SOL clothing as Dorian. "Right, Butch..."

"Of course, it had to be more than 30! More duelists have fallen to the boss' faster deck than many flies' death before their 24 hours!" A third SOL duelist, a heavy-set boy with spiky, black hair exclaimed.

"And he'll soon win the tournament for the Society," a fourth SOL member, a girl with blonde hair styled in pigtails and a cowgirl hat. "And we'll be there as well!"

"Right you are, Annie." Dorian grinned. "And I think it's time I extend an invitation to my old friend, Jethro! Bring the loser to me!"

Sundance and Butch picked up the fallen Slifer duelist and held him up to Dorian's face.

"Listen here, boy!" He stated, giving him a letter. "Tell Jethro to come to the spot before sundown... the consequences will be told in the letter, got it? Now go!"

As soon as the SOL duo let him go, the Slifer ran off to find the cowboy Obelisk as Dorian and his cohorts laughed and left at the meeting spot.

"Now get ready, gang." Dorian smirked. "If he decides to come, he'll have to go through a gauntlet!"

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, some of the residents up at the dorm were having dinner and talking amongst themselves.

"This is some good food!" Jethro exclaimed, shoveling some macaroni and cheese on his fork, taking it into his mouth.

"I'm really getting better at this cooking thing," Spencer smiled to himself, eating a piece of fish. Chazz silently approved as well.

"Not to mention we're all getting ahead in this tournament." Alex grinned. "But of course, that's to be expected from my skills!"

"Spare me..." Lyra groaned as she continued to eat.

"Still, it's all great that if we play our cards right, it'll just be some final battle between friends." Allen added.

"But we'd have to beat everyone in the Society of Light," Missy proclaimed. "Even if Sartorius is out of the picture, the rest of his top ranked flunkies are still out there."

"That's true..." Shion sighed. "Sooner or later, I have to face Juli and Jason..."

"Both have been on a killer streak..." the cowboy Obelisk stated. "But none as much as Dorian, from what I've been hearing..."

"Right, the duelist you defeated to get into Obelisk Blue." The Slifer Headmaster mused. "It's strange how he was defeated by the Society; I heard his dueling skills were impressive for the first student to master the First Turn Kill."

"It would only take about two duelists or more to beat him," Jethro replied. "And that's if they were lucky..."

"Sounds like Lady Luck was with them..." the Gemini duelist stated.

Suddenly, the doors to the cafeteria burst open... revealing the Slifer duelist that was just defeated by Dorian.

"Jethro!" He shouted, running over to the table the cowboy was sitting at. Soon as he made it, he collapsed right in front of the table, making everyone gasp.

"Hey, buddy!" Alex exclaimed as he got out of his seat and picked the guy up. "What's going on?"

"I need... to talk to Jethro, it is important." The Slifer stated as Jethro himself walked to him.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"I was told to give you... this." The Slifer replied as he gave him an envelope. Jethro opened it up, and received a letter from it, prompting him to read it. "'Jethro... it's about time to see which one of us is the superior duelist of our Western-based decks... Come to the Abandoned Dorm if you ever these people again... Signed, Dorian Marston, Society Duelist.'"

"'These people?'" Shion wondered, "He's got people as hostages? Who are they?"

"It looks like there's a photo inside the envelope." Spencer pointed out, seeing the corner of a photograph inside. Jethro pulled out the photo to see the picture and gasped at who was in it. It showed a boy, around Jethro's age wearing a brown cowboy hat and blue overalls over a white shirt, and a young, blonde girl wearing a green dress that was long enough to cover her ankles with a matching hat. Both were shown tied up by rope with frightened expressions as they stood in front of the Abandoned Dorm.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"They got my brother Shane and my sister Ellie May." The cowboy replied, earning a gasp from the crowd. "I'm guessing they were trying to surprise me, but Dorian caught up with them. I'm going after them..."

"Wait..." the Slifer Headmaster interrupted. "Are there any other western-themed decks around aside from yours and Dorian's?"

Jethro snapped his fingers, "Of course... he was planning to ambush me into dueling more than once. During my time in Obelisk Blue, there were three other students that had those kinds of decks. So, I'll need just three of you guys to come with."

"Hey, I'll come!" Alex offered. "I got some new strategies that'll be perfect for countering effect damage, if I that's what I think they do."

"Yeah, aside from some of the cards in my deck, they'll do that." Jethro nodded.

"I'm coming as well..." Lyra said as she stood up. "I've got cards that will pretty much mirror the same thing."

"I'll come too," Missy added. "I might as well pull my weight against the guys that made me one of their puppets."

"Then, it's settled!" Spencer stated. "Good luck out there, hope your family's get out alright."

"Me too, Professor..." Jethro said as he, Alex, Lyra and Missy left out.

"Wait a minute..." Spencer whispered.

"Professor?" Shion asked.

"There may be one more duelist they'll have to face..." the Slifer Headmaster stated as he pulled out his Duel Pilot. "And I think I may have to call in some help..."

* * *

At the Abandoned Dorm, Dorian was sitting on a refurbished lounge chair quick-shuffling his deck. To the right of him, tied up in rope and sitting inside a barred cage was Shane and Ellie May.

"Enjoying the scenery?" Dorian grinned, drinking a bottle of root beer. "Nobody comes 'round here anymore, so I won't have to worry about the Disciplinary Action Squad for a long while... but your brother and I gonna have ourselves a good time!"

"What do y'all have against my brother?" Ellie May shouted.

"Didn't you hear? He and I are good buddies ever since I made a name for myself in Western Dueling!" the SOL duelist replied. "Let's just say the freshman will replace the junior, in school terms..."

"My brother's gonna kick your boys' down and come after you next, rascal!" Shane growled. "No one can best my brother in a game of Duel Monsters 'round our parts!"

"Yeah!" His sister shouted.

"Oh, I know he's got a shot against my boys and gal," Dorian waved off, "But, if he fixin' come see me after that, he's got a deal with some hired help thanks to Master Sartorius!"

Jethro and the gang soon made it to the outside of the forest, planning to enter but then...

"Hang on there, you guys!" A female voice called out. Soon, they were face to face with Annie. "So, Jethro, you finally answered the call!"

"After what you guys did to my brother and sister, it was the least I could do!" Jethro replied. "I should've known the Society of Light would stoop this low..."

"Oh, trust me when l say, we can get even lower... especially what the boss has in mind for your kinfolk!" the SOL duelist grinned as she activated her duel disk. "But that's all you'll hear from me! And from the look of your friends, I guess you knew we were planning an ambush!"

"Right..." Lyra stated as she moved forward and activated her duel disk. "So, let's just get on with it and we can be on our way..."

"Sure thing," Annie smirked as both players drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Lyra: 8000

Annie: 8000

"Welcome to the way of the Wild West," the SOL duelist announced as she drew her sixth card, "I'll start with Illegal Keeper in attack mode!" She stated as a strange-looking cowboy with a crazy grin and six, skinny claws from his back appeared. He was wearing a cowboy hat over his black hair, a brown vest over a white collared shirt and tan scarf, and black pants with gun holsters strapped to the belt, in which he took the twin pistols out and pointed them at the Infernity Duelist. (3/1300/1300)

'Hmm, I guess not only do they dress the part, but their monsters look it as well,' the Goth thought as her opponent inserted another card into her disk.

"Next, I activate Card Destruction! Now we both have to discard our hands and redraw the same number of cards we had." Annie continued she discarded her four cards and Fonda discarded her five, and then drawing new hands.

"But what's the point in playing that this early?" Alex asked.

"Here's the deal," Annie smirked, "My Illegal Keeper forces Miss Dark to send her hand back into her deck, and then deal 1000 points of damage to her!"

Everyone gasped as the Keeper fired his guns at Lyra's hand, forcing her to shuffle her hand into the deck.

Lyra: 7000

Annie: 8000

"She lost her cards already?" Missy wondered.

"Well, it isn't bad..." Jethro stated, trying to stay positive.

"Right, because she just played into Lyra's hand!" Alex grinned. "Or rather a lack of one..."

"Are you done yet?" Lyra asked flatly.

Annie growled as she inserted three of her cards into her disk. "There..."

"Thank you," the Infernity said as she drew her card. "I activate the effect of Infernity Archfiend from my hand!"

"No, you won't," the cowgirl stated as she revealed her first facedown card, "I activate the trap card, Drop Off! Now send that card into your graveyard!"

Lyra gave her scowl before dropping it into her discard slot.

"And from your silence, I'll take my turn," Annie smirked as she drew her next card.

"Oh man, if only she got that card out..." the Gemini duelist sulked.

"There's still a whole round of turns left," the cowboy Obelisk assured him, "I'm sure she can hold out alright..."

"Alright, how's about another Illegal Keeper for your troubles," Annie taunted as she summoned another mutated cowboy from her hand. (3/1300/1300) Afterwards, she activated another one of her face down cards, "Then, I activate my second trap card, Greed Pact! This lets us both draw a card from our decks!"

"Sounds like she has a bunch of cards that can draw and make sure Lyra's prevented from playing her cards," Missy looked on as both players drew a single card.

"Now, with two Illegal Keepers on my field I can deal 2000 points of damage!" the SOL duelist cheered as both of her monsters fired a single bullet at Lyra's hand as she placed it back into her deck.

Lyra: 5000

Annie: 8000

"Finally, I activate my third facedown card, Aqua Chorus!" She continued, revealing her continuous trap card. "Since I have two of the same named monsters on my field, they both gain 500 ATK!" Both Illegal Keepers gained a bright blue aura, raising their power. (3/1300-1800/1300) x2 "Now show her a direct attack; go Sneak Shootout!"

Both Illegal Keepers cackled and fired a storm barrage of bullets all around Lyra, who didn't even flinch...

Lyra: 1400

Annie: 8000

"How can she stay calm like that?" the Insect duelist wondered.

"Most people forget that we are dealing with holograms," Jethro figured. "But I guess with everything that happens involving the strange forces, we may feel those attacks."

"Nah, Lyra's just cold like that in a good way," Alex waved off. "It's her lifestyle."

"It's your turn now!" the SOL duelist concluded, "If I were you, I'd play dead already..."

Lyra drew her next card silently, "And if I were you, I'd shut up. I activate the spell card, Infernity Launcher!" She announced, playing a continuous spell card showing Infernity Archfiend and another monster being shot out of a dark launcher. "Normally, I'd have to discard an Infernity monster once per turn, but now I can send it off to the graveyard and summon two Infernity monsters from there. So meet Infernity Archfiend and Infernity Destroyer!"

The spell card burst into flames and split into two pillars creating the red-haired, blue-skinned archfiend and the demonic, muscular beast. (4/1800/1200), (6/2300/1000)

"And when Infernity Archfiend is special summon while I'm handless, I can bring out another Infernity card to my hand from the deck." The Goth stated as she took another card from her deck. "And I summon Infernity Shaman!" In a dark smoke, the shaman of the Infernity emerged and started to make its mystic chant. (4/1500/1500) "Along with not having a hand, all Infernity monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF!"

The Shaman started chanting in an ominously, mystic voice as he, Infernity Archfiend and Infernity Destroyer gained dark auras. (4/1500-2000/1500-2000), (4/1800-2300/1200-1700), (6/2300-2800/1000-1500)

"Alright, there's the swift gameplay of the Infernities!" Jethro cheered.

"Shaman, attack the first Illegal Keeper!" Lyra commanded, as the Shaman performed another chant and unleashed its dark flames, incinerating one of the Keepers.

Lyra: 1400

Annie: 7800

"And with one gone, Aqua Chorus is no longer in effect," Missy stated as the second Illegal Keeper's aura vanished. (3/1800-1300/1300)

"Destroyer, attack the second Keeper!" the Ra continued as the giant fiend roared as it covered itself in dark red flames and tackled the second Keeper into ash.

Lyra: 1400

Annie: 6300

"Next, when he destroys a monster, I can deal 1600 points of damage without a hand!" Lyra announced as the flames turned on the SOL duelist, making her cry out in anguish.

Lyra: 1400

Annie: 4700

"Now, attack directly Infernity Archfiend!" The archfiend summoned the firey demonic hand from above and slammed into Annie, damaging her points again.

Lyra: 1400

Annie: 2400

"I end my turn." She concluded. "My advice: surrender..."

"N-No way!" Annie shouted as she drew her next card, but with a look with a disdain that she quickly hid and made her move, "I set three cards facedown and end my turn!"

"Sounds like a desperate move." Lyra stated as she drew again, "But this is the end; to avoid any precautions, I activate Infernity Burst!" She announced, inserting a spell card view demonic, black spirits charging through a tunnel. "For every Infernity monster I own, I can deal 800 points of damage to you. And with exactly 3 monsters to match your score, you're done!"

Once again, the SOL duelist screamed as she was knocked down by three dark spirits, purging the Light from her form.

Lyra: 1400, Winner

Annie: 0

"One down," the Infernity duelist stated as she turned off her duel disk and obtained Annie's medals.

"Nice work, Lyra," Jethro praised, "Now let's move on!"

On that command, the Academy students moved on into the forest…

* * *

But as soon as they made it halfway through the forest path to the Abandoned Dorm...

"That's close enough!" Two male voices shouted, revealing to be Sundance and Butch.

"Sundance, Butch!" Jethro stepped up. "Let us pass!"

"Ah, no," Sundance replied. "Not until you beat the two of us."

"Frankly, we didn't think you'd be Annie that fast." Butch added, looking over Lyra, Missy and Alex. "But I guess it's because she figured you would bring friends... Oh well, it'll be heartbreaking anyway seeing if Jethro loses his chance to save his siblings, on the count of someone else messing up."

"Let's make this a tag duel then," Missy stepped up. "I'll make it quick for ya."

Before Alex could join the insect duelist...

"And I'll help!"

Everyone turned to the side of the forest and saw the Obelisk Headmistress, nurse and gym instructor run up to the battlefield, Fonda Fontaine.

"Miss Fontaine?" Missy and Alex said at the same time.

"What're you doing out here?" Jethro asked.

"Well, I am a faculty member," the Headmistress stated, "So really, I could just turn that question out on everybody here. But, since you guys are dealing with the Society, Spencer called me to give you an extra hand."

"What's up?"

"He said among these guys, there might be guard left before Dorian." She replied as she activated her duel disk. "So, I'm here to add a spot in your group."

"Well, happy to have ya!" Jethro nodded, tipping his hat. "I guess you got the next one Alex..."

"I better; I'm itching to get this thing going!" Alex grumbled.

"You ready, Missy?" Fonda asked, standing next to her student.

"Always, Headmistress..." Missy stated, activating her duel disk.

"Well then fine," Butch smirked as everyone drew their opening hand. "That'll make this victory even sweeter! Two of the left behind Obelisks to go..."

"DUEL!"

Missy/Fonda: 8000

Sundance/Butch: 8000

"Let's dance, ladies!" Sundance grinned as he drew his sixth card. "I summon Fuse Ray Musketeer in attack mode!" He announced, bringing out a lanky, Spanish cowboy wearing a red vest, blue pants, red cape and a sombrero. In his hands, he carried an old-style rifle. (4/1500/800)

"Now we're going into the Mexican outlaws, banditos, if you will," Jethro acknowledged.

"And he won't be alone," the SOL outlaw continued, playing another monster card, "I'll bring out his twin brother!" On cue, a second Fuse Ray Musketeer appeared on the field. (4/1500/800) But then out of the blue, the first Musketeer fired a shot at the nurse's duel disk, startling her.

Missy/Fonda: 7200

Sundance/Butch: 8000

"What's going on?" Fonda asked.

"It's the effect of the Fuse Ray Musketeers!" Sundance laughed. "Whenever another one of these bad boys are summoned to the field, the other gets to hit you both with 800 points of damage!"

"And I bet that's all these guys need," Alex grumbled, "If they summon at least five more of those guys, its game over for the ladies."

"Because the effects will overlap," Lyra answered.

"I place one card facedown and its back you!" the SOL duelist concluded.

"It's my draw now," Fonda announced as she drew.

"Before you do, activate my Full Salvo trap card!" Sundance interrupted, activating his facedown card depicting missiles being fired from a battleship launcher, "Now I discard my four-card hand, and you gals lose 200 points for each card sent to the graveyard!"

Both girls gasped as the trap card transformed into four, glowing bullets and fired at the girls' duel disks.

Missy/Fonda: 6400

Sundance/Butch: 8000

"Now that you're done, I summon my Nurse Reficule the Fallen One!" Fonda declared, bringing out her white bandaged nurse, who gave off a vindictive smile. "Next, I place five cards facedown and end my turn." She concluded as five reversed cards appeared near her feet.

"I think she got it setup, nicely!" the Gemini duelist grinned. "If those cards are what I think they are..."

"Just wait and see..." the Desperado duelist replied.

"Those cards won't stay there for long!" Butch announced as he drew his sixth card, "I activate Heavy Storm to blow away all of your facedown cards!"

On cue, the harsh windstorm kicked up and started to blow away the Nurse's facedown cards.

"I'll chain them," She announced, activating two of the facedown cards, "First, I activate my trap Gift Card and then chain that to my Bad Reaction to Simochi card! Like Reficule, Simochi can deal effect damage equal to a Life point gain that my opponent receives! And with Gift Card, you automatically receive 3000 life points... yet with my trap and Nurse on the field for now, you automatically lose 6000 points!"

The SOL duo gasped as the Gift Card shined dark purple, letting Reficule wrap her bandages around Sundance while the trap card enveloped Butch in its poison smoke.

Missy/Fonda: 6400

Sundance/Butch: 2000

Then, Heavy Storm took away Bad Reaction to Simochi, Gift Card and Fonda's other three cards.

"Nice work," Lyra stated.

"I'll say," Alex grinned, "Only 2 grand left for the whiteheads!"

"I'll teach you to make a fool out of us!" Butch shouted as he played a monster card, "Fuse Ray Musketeer, it's time we did some damage!" In a flash, yet another bandito appeared tapping his rifle. (4/1500/800) Then, the other two Musketeers fired a bullet into Missy's and Fonda's disks.

Missy/Fonda: 4800

Sundance/Butch: 2000

"Then, I use Quick Summon and bring out another!" He continued as a fourth monster appeared next to the third. (4/1500/800) He signaled the other three Musketeers to unload their guns into the ladies' points once more.

Missy/Fonda: 2400

Sundance/Butch: 2000

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn!" He concluded. "It's over, gals!"

"That's what you think..." Missy announced as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Flying Kamakiri #2 in attack mode!" She declared, playing the giant, brown mantis that was poised to attack. (4/1500/800) "Next, I activate Spider's Lair!" She continued, playing a continuous spell depicting a web infested cavern with nest of Relinquished Spiders. "Now when one of my Insects attacks a monster, I get to switch the opposing monster's mode."

"And with you're trying to avoid a suicide attack," Butch stated as he revealed one of his facedown cards, "Not like it matters, I activate Spell-Shattering Arrow in response! Now I can destroy that card and deal 500 points of damage to you!" Soon, a bright red arrow shot from the spell card and pierced through Missy's spell card, shattering it into pixels.

Missy/Fonda: 1900

Sundance/Butch: 2000

"That's not all," He continued, revealing his other facedown card, "I activate my other facedown card, Mystic Eruption! Now a player who lost a spell or trap card this turn loses 1000 life points!"

Missy gasped as her life points dropped another grand.

Missy/Fonda: 900

Sundance/Butch: 2000

"We got this duel won!" Sundance cheered. "There's no way those girls can outduel with us!"

"You should've waited!" the insect duelist interrupted smirked as she held up two spell cards, "I have two spell cards that will end this duel here and now! First up, I activate Retribution of the Ant Lion!" She announced inserting a spell card showing a sandpit with an antlion's pincers sticking out from the bottom. "Then, I activate Level 2 Power Boost, giving my Insect monster a 1200 ATK and 200 DEF boost!"

The outlaw duelists gulped as small, twin exhaust fans appeared on the back of the mantis. As they spun, they transferred a blue energy into the Flying Kamakiri as it raised its arms. (4/1500-2700/800-1000)

"Attack a Fuse Ray Musketeer with Fury Cutter!" She commanded as the mantis flew towards Butch's Musketeer and performed consecutive arm slashes towards at him, leaving the bandito a scarred mess.

Missy/Fonda: 900

Sundance/Butch: 800

"We still got life points left!" Butch shouted.

"Not with my Retribution of the Ant Lion active," the insect duelist countered, "Whenever a monster is destroyed as sent to the graveyard, it deals 800 points of damage to the owner!"

Suddenly, a sandpit opened below the scarred musketeer. Waiting below, a giant black ant lion emerged. It took in the musketeer and dragged it under... but not before launching a black beam towards the SOL duo, knocking them out of the game.

Missy/Fonda: 900, Winners

Sundance/Butch: 0

Missy and Fonda deactivated their duel disks and nodded to each other before taking the medals from the fallen duelists.

"Alright, let's get this next guy and it's on to Dorian!" Alex exclaimed as the group pressed on.

* * *

Another set of minutes later, the gang found themselves at the forbidden landmark of Academy Island, the Abandoned Dorm. It was a large, run-down building with boards over the windows and the front door broken open. Despite all of that, Jethro and his gang crossed the 'Do not enter' sign and walked up to the front door.

"That's as far as you go!" A voice called out from the darkness.

"Oh right," Alex scoffed. "Like you're gonna stop me, whoever you are? I hope you're more of a challenge than your cohorts... or maybe don't be so I can make way for my friend to get his brother and sister out of there. You Society freaks are making this way too personal."

"I'm not even a Society member, kid." The voice replied. "I was paid to stand in your way, so I'm just doing my job!"

"Well 'your job' is standing in the way of my siblings, so don't even start on money!" Jethro snapped. "I rather be dueling you, but my business is with Dorian for pulling the strings."

Everyone nodded in agreement, backing Jethro up for his devotion towards his family.

"Then, I best get this duel over with." The voice replied as footsteps were heading towards the door. "It'll be quick a duel alright..." Finally, the figure emerged as a spiky-white haired man wearing a black jacket with a white-furred collar and blue jeans. He carried a stern expression on his face and a black duel disk on his arm. "...But it'll mean my quick victory."

Jethro gasped, "Richie Merced!?"

"One of the members of the Card Professor Guild," Lyra asked.

"Try the highest-ranking member of the Card Professor Guild!" the Cowboy Obelisk added. "That black duel disk he's wearing is proof of that! Not only that, but his cards are tougher than any other Western Themed deck!"

"Yes, and it was easy to get it back." Richie stated, activating the black duel disk. "Without the Tenmas trying to regain their status and working to promote Duel Monsters in other countries, I emerge as the top Card Professor. Of course, if anyone were to beat me, they would get to wear this."

Hearing those words put a grin on Alex's face, "So you're saying... if I were to beat you here and now, that black duel disk becomes mine?"

"It would, if you could beat me..." the Card Professor stated.

"Alex, don't let him get you riled up," Jethro warned. "And don't make this about that duel disk, okay?"

"I know, just getting into my mood when I'm dueling!" Alex replied, turning on his duel disk and facing Richie, "You ready?"

"Always..." Richie smirked.

Both players drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Alex: 8000

Richie: 8000

"And just to be fair, you can go first." The Card Professor offered.

"You're too kind," Alex replied as he drew his sixth card, 'Only one monster, but I can make the best out of this hand!' He then slapped a card on his disk, "I summon Gemini Soldier in defense mode!" He announced, as a short elf-like soldier in green and white flared armor to appeared, crouching defensively as its white cape flapped in the wind. (2/500/300) "Next, I activate Double Summon to Gemini Summon it!" He continued as a white aura surrounded the soldier. "Next, I play Future Fusion! By sending some Monster cards into my graveyard, I can bring out the Fusion Monster that they form in two standby phases!" He then took two monsters from his deck and placed them into his graveyard. "I send Phoenix Gearfried and Chthonian Emperor Dragon to the graveyard and you'll see my Superalloy Beast Raptinus later!"

"A big start..." Lyra mused. "In two turns he'll have all of his monster's effects up and running."

"Gemini Monsters, eh?" Richie acknowledged as he drew his sixth card. "Let's see how it measures up to the Twin Gunfighter!" He stated, bringing out a cowboy with long, blonde hair in a dark red coat, cowboy hat, pants and boots appeared, aiming his two guns at Gemini Soldier. (4/1600/1000)

Jethro gasped, "Oh no..."

"What's wrong?" Fonda asked. "He can't destroy Alex's monster with its Gemini effect in place..."

"That's not what I'm worried about..." the cowboy Obelisk replied.

"Attack with Double Fire!" Richie commanded as his cowboy fired one of his guns at the elf, who blocked the bullet with its cape.

"Sorry pal, but Gemini Soldier can't be destroyed in battle on the first try!" Alex grinned. "Not only that..."

*BANG!*

The Ra suddenly felt a shot on his arm and gripped it in pain. He then noticed that the Gunfighter pointed his other gun directly at him and let out small trail of smoke!

"After Damage Calculation, Twin Gunfighter can deal effect damage equal to its ATK." The Card Professor smirked. "Meaning you just lost 1600 ATK!"

Alex: 6400

Richie: 8000

"That's what I was worried about." Jethro pointed out. "Richie's monsters all have abilities that will take advantage of any situation to deal damage. Even if Alex takes it on, he'll face a tougher monster afterwards."

"At least Alex knows what he's up against now..." Lyra replied.

"True, but he needs something to step it up against that kind of power." Missy added.

After the Gemini duelist shook off the pain, he straightened himself up. "As I was saying... my monster can summon another Gemini monster up to level 4 from my deck, except another Gemini Soldier!" He announced, searching through his deck. "I bring out Goggle Golem in attack mode!"

Once Alex placed the card on the disk, a muscular, tan, stone golem clad in black pants, fingerless gloves, and like the name suggested, red goggles appeared. (4/1500/500)

"I end my turn with two facedown cards." Richie concluded. "Let's see if you're not a waste of time..."

"I'm a waste of time, please!" Alex scoffed as he drew his next card, immediately activating it, "I activate the continuous spell card, Burden of the Mighty! As long as this card's in play, your monsters lose 100 ATK times their level!"

Twin Gunfighter groaned as a red aura surrounded his form, draining his power. (4/1600-1200/1000)

"Good, that'll definitely decrease the damage from his monster, if Richie has something to bring back his monsters with to do more shooting," Jethro nodded with approval.

"Next, I Gemini Summon Goggle Golem, to have his ATK set to 2100!" the Ra continued as his golem gained a white aura, increasing his power. (4/1500-2100/500) "Now, take his Twin Gunfighter with Crushing Stone Fist!" He commanded as the golem ran up to the gunslinger and dealt a crushing uppercut to the stomach, making the opponent explode into pixels.

Alex: 6400

Richie: 7100

"Not good enough," the Card Professor replied, revealing one of his facedown cards, "I activate Call of the Haunted to bring him right back!" He announced as Twin Gunfighter reappeared from the ground. (4/1600-1200/1000) "You won't keep my monsters down."

"Figured as much," Alex replied as he inserted a facedown card, "I'll end my turn here with a face down."

"And starts my turn now," Richie stated as he drew his next card, "To keep my monster grounded, I equip him with the Mist Body spell card! Now you can't destroy him in battle!" He said as a Twin Gunfighter began to use the cover of the mists that appeared in front of him. "Next, I summon the Pierce Musketeer in attack mode as well!"

In a bright flash, a black-haired woman wearing a red Western-style dress and cowgirl hat appeared, aiming a rifle at Alex's monsters. (4/1700-1300/1000)

"And when Pierce Musketeer attacks, she deals piercing damage! So you're Gemini Soldier's failed you again!" He stated as the Musketeer unloaded some shot into the small soldier, who then defended with his cape. Alex then saw the rifle-wielding woman aimed at him, and used his duel disk to block the bullets in time.

Alex: 5400

Richie: 7100

"And I thought those other guys played rough with the ladies," the Gemini duelist stated as he searched through his deck and took out another monster card, "But since Gemini Soldier's battled, I can use his ability to summon the Magical Reflect Slime in defense mode!" He announced, as a puddle of blue liquid metal appeared and formed into the shape of a shield. (3/700/1200)

"A new monster won't make the difference," Richie stated, "Besides, I'll just knock off your Soldier now, so you won't summon your monsters again! Go Twin Gunslinger!" He shouted as the cowboy unleashed the first shot into the elf soldier, blowing it away while the second shot grazed Alex's arm in one quick motion.

Alex: 4200

Richie: 7100

"He's really taking it to Alex's points," Missy stated. "How much more is he going to take?"

"Not much, because since he destroyed Gemini Soldier while he had an effect, you deal with my facedown card!" Alex grinned, revealing his facedown card. It showed Goggle Golem smashing a rock slab underneath the Goblin Attack Force, falling into a pit. "This is the Gemini Trap Hole! And that means your monsters have to play dead... or rather they die for real!"

Richie gasped as the ground underneath his monsters cracked opened and dropped them into the pit below.

"Also, I still get that monster from my Gemini Soldier's effect, so I pick my Evocator Chevalier!" He continued as he brought out his flaming armored soldier who drew his sword towards the Richie. (4/1900/900)

"After his fusion monster appears, he'll be able to deal almost 7000 points of damage," Lyra stated,

"If he draws a monster or at least something to boost one his monsters attack points, he'll win next turn!" Fonda added.

"Not quite," Richie interjected as he inserted another card depicting a sunny desert with the vision being rippled. "Thanks to my Mirage, for the next three turns you can't attack me directly or use any spell or trap effects to target me with! Now take your turn!"

"Crud," Alex muttered as he drew his next card, "Alright, since two standby phases have passed since playing Future Fusion, I can Fusion Summon my Superalloy Beast Raptinus!" Soon, a fusion vortex appeared above his head and emerging from it, a large dragon with several colored limbs of other dragons. Nevertheless, it landed on the field and walked the grounds with a menacing roar towards the Card Professor. (6/2200/2200) "And if he's on the field, all of my Gemini monsters gain their effects! Meaning my Magical Reflect Slime and Evocator Chevalier gain their effects!"

Raptinus' wings flowed bright blue as a blue aura surrounded the slime and a burning aura surrounded the Chevalier.

"But since I can't touch now, I'll have to pass this turn." He concluded.

"You won't be able to make a move anyway if Mirage stays in effect," Richie stated as he drew his next card, inserting one of his other cards into his disk, "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"I'll just make the best out of what I got." Alex countered, drawing his next card and inserting one into his disk, "I also set one card facedown."

Richie drew his next card. "Here's another." He announced, setting another reversed card on his field.

Alex made his draw phase. "Here's one from me too." He replied, setting a reversed card of his own.

"Now Mirage is gone, since Richie's third standby phase is about to expire." Jethro stated as Richie drew his next card and let Mirage fade away.

"Good, because that's all I needed," Richie stated as he placed a monster card on his field. "But first, I activate Double Cyclone destroying my face down and destroying your Burden of the Mighty!" He announced as a red cyclone flew in from behind the Card Professor and destroyed the Burden of the Mighty. Then, a yellow cyclone flew in from behind Alex and destroyed one of Richie's facedown cards. "But the card destroyed was Wild Tornado and it destroys any card on your side of the field, like Future Fusion which holds your fusion monster and its effects together!"

Suddenly, giant white tornado appeared and closed in on the Future Fusion image.

"And I'll use one of my facedown cards De-Fusion to bring back the monsters that fusion summoned it," Alex countered, revealing his facedown spell card, "Chthonian Emperor Dragon and Phoenix Gearfried, let's give him a warm welcome!"

Soon, a white light shined from the dragon and split itself apart into a towering, black dragon with a serpentine, armored body, massive wings and an arrowhead-shaped head coated in bony plates, and its crimson eyes glaring and a tall, imposing warrior clad in white armor that had a flaming red trim, with a crested helmet, and he carried a decorated broadsword and a shield. (6/2400/1500), (8/2800/2100)

"He's got five monsters now," Missy exclaimed.

"And that activates my trap card, Just Desserts!" Richie interjected, revealing his facedown card that depicting a large monkey eating foods labeled as desserts, "With five monsters on your side of the field, you lose 500 points for each one!"

Alex gasped as a large, ghostly hand emerged from the trap, grabbed his head and squeezed the life points from him as he yelled in agony. Once it was done, the Gemini duelist was left, breathing heavily.

Alex: 1700

Richie: 7100

"You're down by more than 5000 life points, and you only made 900 on mine," Richie stated, "Surrender and I'll spare you the humiliating defeat…"

"Hell no!" Alex grumbled. "It'd more humiliating to not finish this duel, especially bowing to someone selling themselves for these Light fanatic freaks! And if you didn't get the memo, Jethro's family's in there; and I'm not going to let him down by quitting on him! So keep going, so I can beat you down!"

"Very well," the Card Professor smirked as he inserted his last card in, "I activate Card of Demise to draw until I'm holding five cards!" He announced, drawing his five cards. "I place three cards facedown and summon Grenadier in defense mode to end my turn."

After a triple set of reversed cards appeared, a shady man in a black top hat, coat and boots appeared, wielding a grenade launcher. (4/1500/1100)

"I hope he's got a plan set," Jethro wondered. "I know Richie's game plan... if Alex makes a reckless move, he'll lose the duel."

"Then, we better pray for this." Fonda added.

"My turn now," Alex announced as he drew his next card, "To start, I switch Magical Reflect Slime to attack mode and Gemini Summon it!" the liquid metal morphed into a spiked ball and then started to glow with a sliver aura. Afterwards, the Ra's facedown card revealed itself to show a strange, red machine sparking with electricity through its cables. "Next, I activate my second facedown, Gemini Booster on my Chthonian Emperor Dragon, giving him 700 ATK!"

Red cables hooked up to the dragon, making it roar loudly as its power increased. (6/2400-3100/1500)

"This should do it!" Alex shouted, as his Chevalier swiped his sword. "Evocator Chevalier, attack his Grenadier with Blazing Blade Strike!"

"You just sealed your fate and those siblings," Richie interrupted as two of his facedown trap cards flipped over. The first showed Judge Man about to be overcome by a giant flash of light, while the second trap showed a gunman firing his pistol at a man, grazing the side of his face. "Go trap cards, Dazzling Radiance and Grazing Bullet!"

"Oh no," Jethro gasped. "This is it! Grazing Bullet will cause both to lose life points equal to a choice monster's ATK on the opponent's side of the field!"

"I select your Magical Reflect Slime and you're forced to deal with Grenadier!" Richie announced as the metal smile formed into a gun and fired a bullet at Richie's disk, while Grenadier fired one of his grenades at Alex's feet, causing a big explosion.

Alex: 200

Richie: 6400

"Alex!" Jethro cried out.

"This is getting worse..." Missy added.

"Now Dazzling Radiance effect resolves next, ending this duel," the Card Professor announced, "It negates your attack and then forces your Dragon to attack the weakest monster you have, and in that case, that Magical Reflect Slime!"

But as the blinding light erupted from the trap card, blinding Chthonian Emperor Dragon as it prepared to breathe its darkened flames, Alex was smirking even as he covered his eyes!

"What's wrong with you?" Richie protested. "You're about to lose this duel!"

"Says you," Alex grinned, "You just made a mistake activating that trap instead of letting your monster go down... whenever battle damage is dealt to Magical Reflect Slime, the damage becomes your problem, pal!"

"What?" the Gunslinger duelist watched as the dragon unleashed its flames onto the slime, letting it bounce off the surface and turn on him, screaming out. Finally, the Magical Reflect Slime destroyed itself as the excess flames got to it.

Alex: 200

Richie: 3900

"He'll feel that one tomorrow..." the Gemini duelist joked as he put his entire hand facedown, filling up his spell/trap card zone. "I place four cards facedown and its back to you!"

"That was a close one," Missy sighed with relief.

"Me too," Fonda added. "If Magical Reflect Slime didn't have its effect, it would've been the end."

"I draw," Richie announced as he drew.

"Hold on pal, I activate the quick-play spell, Unleash Your Power!" Alex countered, revealing a spell card depicting Goggle Golem, releasing its Gemini Powers. "Thanks to this card, all Gemini Monsters gain their effects on the spot, at the cost of being Set at the turn's end. But since Goggle Golem's already got his, he won't be affected by the side effect!" He stated as Evocator Chevalier, Phoenix Gearfried and Chthonian Emperor Dragon gain blazing red auras.

"It won't matter, since I summon another Twin Gunfighter!" Richie grinned as another double-pistol wielding gunslinger appeared. (4/1600/1000) "All I have to do his attack anyone of your monsters and I'm set!"

"I still got three cards left, first I activate Taunt, followed by Ceasefire!" the Ra countered as his two trap cards revealed themselves, the first showing two strange fiends taunting each other to make a move, while the other showed two army generals signing a ceasefire. "Of course, seeing as we now have five effect monsters, you're about to lose 2500 life points!"

"I think you'll lose the points, with this card Spell of Pain!" the Card Professor interrupted, activating the card from his hand, "Now all the effect damage is transferred to you!"

"It would, if I didn't activate my final card, the counter trap, Gemini Counter!" Alex shouted, revealing a trap card showing Ancient Gear Knight about to charge with its lance. "By placing a Gemini Monster facedown, I can negate and destroy your Spell of Pain! Then Ceasefire resolves and deals 2000 points instead!"

Richie growled as Phoenix Gearfried charged at the holographic image of the quick-play spell, and destroyed with his sword before being replaced by a facedown defense card. Suddenly, he was burned by the effects of

Alex: 200

Richie: 1900

"Finally, Taunt activates forcing you to attack Chthonian Emperor Dragon if you decide to!" Alex continued. "But I wouldn't recommend it! I could turn your attack around, ya know!"

Richie sighed and smirked, 'It won't matter kid! Your final trap will cause my Twin Gunfighter's effect damage to turn to me... but I'll use my final card, Barrel Behind the Door to shoot it back! It's all over!' "I'll call your bluff, Twin Gunfighter attack!"

As soon as the guns fired, the Dragon retaliated with a giant burst of flame that burned the bullet down.

"Now..."

"Go Rush Recklessly!"

"Huh?"

The dragon's flames intensified as a green aura surrounded it, coming from Alex's final facedown card, proving Richie's theory to be false. (6/3100-3800/1500) Then, the flames covered the Gunfighter and soon Richie himself, causing him to be launched a few feet on his back.

Alex: 200, Winner

Richie: 0

"Yes!" Alex cheered as the holograms went down. "That was a hard-fought duel! And it was even better that it was a top-ranking duelist!"

"Who knew that Alex was powerful enough to become the next Card Professor," Fonda smiled.

"Alex was that strong?" Lyra asked monotonously.

"Of course, I'm that strong!" the Gemini duelist shouted. "Don't think I was going to fall for that joke, Lyra!" The Goth's only reply was to shrug her shoulders.

"At least we cleared out the trash for Jethro. I had enough of this Wild West Standoff for today." Missy stated, as she turned to the Obelisk. "No offense..."

"None taken," Jethro waved off. "Just glad you helped," He then turned to Fonda and Lyra. "Thank you everyone, now I just need to take care of Dorian and then we can end this torment."

"Good luck to you," Fonda stated.

"Just beat the guy," Lyra added. "Society member or not, I'd throttle him."

"Oh, he's not getting out of this cheap," the Obelisk replied, before turning to Alex. "And Alex..."

Everyone turned to see the Gemini duelist taking the black duel disk from the unconscious duelist's arm. When Alex felt eyes on him, he turned around to see stern looks from the four.

"He did say I could have this after I beat him," Alex shrugged.

"Leave it, Alex," Fonda stated firmly.

"Aw come on, I'm the new #1 Card Professor!" the Ra protested.

"Alex..."

"Oh, alright..." the Ra sighed. "Can I just take a picture with this on my arm?"

"ALEX!" Everyone shouted.

"Just take any medals from him, and be happy," Missy scolded.

Jethro chuckled as Alex took the sack of medals from him, "I'll be right back guys..." He stated, walking inside the Abandoned Dorm, ready to face his rival...

* * *

Illegal Keeper

DARK

Level 3

Warrior/Effect

1300/1300

While you control this face-up card, if your opponent draws a card(s) outside of their Draw Phase, return the card(s) to the Deck and inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent.

Fuse Ray Musketeer

EARTH

Level 4

Warrior/Effect

1600/800

While you control this face-up Attack Position card, each time a "Fuse Ray Blaster" is Summoned, inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent.

(These two monsters were used during the 5D's episode, Duelist for Hire. Creative Credit goes to the writers of the episode.)

Twin Gunfighter

FIRE

Level 4

Warrior/Effect

1600/1000

If this card attacks, after damage calculation, inflict damage to your opponent equal to this card's ATK.

Pierce Musketeer

FIRE

Level 4

Warrior/Effect

1700/1200

During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster who's DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

Grenadier

FIRE

Warrior

1500/1100

If this card attacks, after damage calculation, your opponent's monsters lose 500 ATK.

Grazing Bullet

Normal Trap

Activate only during your opponent's Battle Phase. Select 1 face-up Attack Position monster on each player's side of the field. Inflict damage to each player's Life Points equal to the total ATK of his/her opponent's selected monster. Your opponent's selected monster cannot attack in this Battle Phase.

Dazzling Radiance

Normal Trap

Activate only when your opponent declares an attack and he/she controls 2 or more Attack Position monsters on his/her side of the field. Negate the attack, and your opponent must immediately declare an attack with the monster with the lowest ATK in face-up Attack Position on his/her side of the field, selecting another 1 of his/her own monsters on the field as the attack target.

Mirage

Normal Spell

Until your 3rd Standby Phase after the activation of this card, you will be unaffected by the effects of Spell and Trap Cards that target a player, and you cannot be attacked directly by any monster.

(The above six cards were used by Richie Merced from the manga Yu-Gi-Oh! R. Creative Credit goes to the writers of the manga.)

Retribution of the Ant Lion

Continuous Spell Card

When a monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, inflict 800 points of damage to its owner.

(Used by Lenny in the 5D's episode, Creepy Crawlies... creative credit goes to the writers of the episode.)

Level 2 Power Boost

Equip Spell Card

Equip only to an Insect-Type monster. It gains 1200 ATK and 200 DEF.

(Used by Weevil Underwood in the second series anime episode, The Ultimate Great Moth, Part 1. Creative credit goes to the writers of the episode.)

Next Time: Jethro and Dorian set up for the showdown of the Western Duels! Stay tuned readers! Please Read and Review! Later!


	60. Do you Feel Lucky?

It's here, Duel fans! The showdown between Jethro and Dorian is about to commence! Let's read, shall we? Also, it happens to be my 2nd anniversary of being an author in ! Rejoice fans!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Last time on Duel Academy Stories: Dorian called out Jethro for a rematch against each other, but this time an added stake was involved... Jethro's brother and sister! Knowing that Dorian would have a gang to slow him down, Jethro was joined by Lyra, Alex, Missy and Fonda to battle the wall setup. Even with a surprise match against the #1 Card Professor Richie Merced, everyone prevailed over their matches. Now Jethro walks into the dorm to beat Dorian and free his family.

Chapter 60: Do You Feel Lucky?

* * *

Jethro walked inside the Abandoned Dorm, not even sparing a passing glance to the dusty furniture, the broken windows or the ruined walls. He was too focused on getting his younger siblings back and out of the Society's clutches.

 _'I better get them outta here... for their sake...'_ the cowboy Obelisk stated looking at a staircase leading upwards.

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Back when he was about to start his first year of Duel Academy, Jethro remembered talking to Shane and Ellie May about his new start before he was about to take his leave._

 _"You're really going over there?" Shane asked his older brother._

 _"That's right," Jethro nodded as he carried his duel disk. "Just got my exam results back from the test center and they said I passed with flyin' colors! But since I'm starting my year a bit late, they having me start at the bottom of the class."_

 _"Why they have to do that?" Ellie May asked feeling hurt that her brother would be placed in a tough position. "If they said your tests were high, you should be at the top or somewhere along the lines."_

 _"It's alright," the elder Cartwright stated. "I see it as my chance to show how tough I really am."_

 _"Huh?" the younger siblings asked._

 _"When I get in there, most of the school will mainly see a greenhorn duelist with talent hanging on by thread." Jethro explained. "But once they see me duel, it won't matter if I'm ranked the lowest; I'll be one tough man to deal with."_

 _"I guess so," Ellie May shrugged. "You understand Duel Monsters better than anyone of us... Except Dad and Grandpa..."_

 _"That's how he inherited the cards Grandpa had." Shane stated. "Not that I could do any better..."_

 _"But are you sure you can handle using both your cards and Grandpa's in one deck?" the young Southern belle asked._

 _Pulling out his Duel Monster deck, Jethro smiled as he wrapped his arms around his siblings. "You bet! Besides, it wouldn't be right if I couldn't represent both sides of my family blood."_

 _"Then you better come back the best!" Shane shouted._

 _"No problem!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

As Jethro walked up the stairs, he kept his mind focused on the mission... 'Being the best won't mean anything... if you two aren't there to share it with...' He thought, reaching the top. He looked around to see if there were any signs of Dorian or his siblings. Looking down to his right, he saw a brown cowboy hat on the ground, picking it up. One glance was all he needed to know who it belonged to. "Shane..."

He then took the right-side path and walked down the hallway. It led to a large door with a light under it and hearing some music as well.

'Here it comes...' He thought again, raising his right foot in preparation for kicking the door down.

* * *

(Play Sorry 'bout Your Damn Luck by John Oliver)

Inside the room, Dorian had a record player on, while strapping on his new duel disk. It was just like Jethro's new model, except the color was all white, fitting the Society's theme. Shane and Ellie May were cringing at how loud the volume was.

"Whoo! Come on, sing along, kids!" He shouted as he started singing the song as loudly as he could.

"Hey, turn that off!" Ellie May shouted. "Y'all don't have to turn it up so loud!"

The SOL member smirked as he looked at the Cartwright siblings. "Oh, I'm sorry! Prisoners get no requests!"

Shane growled. "I can't wait until Jethro gets here, so he can shut you up!"

"I'm here sooner than you think!"

Soon, the door was busted down and in plain sight, Jethro walked into the room and pulled out his duel disk.

"Jethro!" Shane and Ellie May cried happily.

The Obelisk smiled, hearing that his family was alright, but turned into an angry frown as he directed his attention to Dorian.

"Well, you got here quicker than I expected, partner!" the SOL member chuckled. "I hope my gang didn't give you any trouble!"

"No trouble at all... partner." Jethro replied with an angry tone. "It's good to have some friends that watch each other's backs in times of need... especially times when man's family gets involved!"

"Oh, I figured you'd be sore about that." Dorian stated, walking over to his record player and stopping the music. "But hey, Master Sartorius' orders are orders. You see, because you can alter his fate and all, he has trusted me with the job of coming and put you down. But because of this tournament, any opponent we lock eyes with should throwdown with; meaning it'll be tough to get in a word with ya. Luckily for me, your brother and sister here wanted to surprise you by watching you duel. You shouldn't be mad; they're about to get what they want!"

"You endangered their lives in the name of your blasted cult!" Jethro snapped. "You wanted a duel? Be a man and come find me, instead of listening to that madman of a master."

"Hey, hey, hey!" the SOL duelist growled. "Let's not put down my leader here... I don't go putting down your Chancellor."

"He ain't apart of this, is he?" the Obelisk asked. "Now, I kindly ask you to let my brother and sister go..."

His answer came in the form of Dorian wagging his finger. "Now, you know I can't do that." He replied. "I called you here for a duel and I'm gonna get one! Otherwise, I could use the gun function of this duel disk, insert a couple of White Veils and Cloaks into this thing and... You get the picture."

Jethro growled as he strapped on his duel disk. "Fine, let's go."

"First, let's make this interesting..." Dorian stated. "Whoever has the fastest draw of their opening hand will make the first move!"

"Hey, that's how Jethro and other kids back home started their duels." Shane exclaimed. "This should be breeze for him!"

"But think about it," Ellie May interjected. "That Dorian guy can probably draw fast too, otherwise he wouldn't have asked for it this way."

"Alright you're on," Jethro replied to the Ogre duelist. "But on the condition, we have to activate our duel disks before we draw the cards.

"Fine with me..." Dorian smirked as he and Jethro shuffled their decks and inserted them into their disks.

After strapping the disk to their sides and moving their hands away, they both stared at each other and ready to go.

A few seconds went by and...

"DRAW!"

Both duelists quickly grabbed their disks and activated them on the spot. When it came to drawing cards, Dorian drew out one card a second faster than Jethro drawing his five.

"Yes! Jethro gets to go first!" Shane cheered.

Dorian chuckled and gave a wide grin holding up his one card, before he fanned it out to show five! The Cartwrights gasped.

 _'He got five cards before I did!' Jethro realized a little too late, 'That was too fast! Other than that, there's hardly any way I could stop him from making his First Turn Kill...'_

"Looks like I got the fast hand." Dorian stated. "It's my move first..."

Jethro: 8000

Dorian: 8000

"And here it comes!" Dorian grinned as he drew his sixth card. Once he looked at the entire hand, he laughed. "Already, my combo's in my hand! Gatling Ogre, come out my friend!"

Jethro, Shane and Ellie May gasped as the blue-skinned Ogre appeared, readying his Gatling gun device. (3/800/800)

"Next, I activate three copies of the Double Arms Spell Card!" the SOL duelist exclaimed as three ammunition belts appeared from the sky and attached themselves to the first. "Now Jethro, surely you can do the math if what happens if I just set one card facedown and then blast ya with it?"

Jethro's eyes widened in fear as he shouted... "6400 points of damage!"

"That's right, and with two cards set to destroy you, the damage will be catastrophic!" Dorian laughed as he set his two reversed cards into the disk. "Now kiss and goodbye!"

The two set cards vanished, and Gatling Ogre's mechanical arm loaded up the bullets into the gun... once fully loaded, the fiend monster turned the crank, and the Gatling gun fired, sending a stream of bullets directly into Jethro, leaving him screaming in pain!

"Jethro!" the Cartwright Siblings cried out as their brother fell on his back.

Dorian laughed. "Sorry 'bout your damn luck, Jethro! Mine's was better this time!"

"Better check the score, partner..." Dorian stopped laughing to take another look and saw to his dismay (and to the delight of Shane and Ellie May) that Jethro was breathing and getting up. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"But how, you lost the duel," the Ogre duelist protested. "That was 12800 points of damage going into ya!"

"Simple," Jethro smirked, fishing out two cards from his graveyard. One of them was a spell card depicting Tribal Warrior - YellowTail the Quick standing next to Tribal Spirit - Yellow Coyote, whose is transforming into a copy of YellowTail. Desperado Six-Shooter is standing in front of them, confused, trying to figure out which one to shoot. "While you were off grandstanding on my 'bad luck', I activated Coyote's Trickery from my hand! When I'm about to take at least 4000 points of damage, I can discard this along with the Tribal Spirit – Yellow Coyote from my hand or field and cut the damage in half! Meaning, I only took 6400 points of damage!"

Jethro: 1600

Dorian: 8000

"Not only that, but I can summon a Tribal Spirit Union Monster with DEF equal to or less than half the damage I just took," Jethro continued, taking out his deck to search, "And with 3200 points from that, I can very well choose any card I may please! Like the Tribal Spirit – Blue Turtle!" He announced as the large, blue turtle appeared. (4/0/1100)

Shane sighed, "For a while there, I thought..."

"Don't think that!" Ellie May shouted. "Jethro's gonna win this!"

"I end my turn." Dorian concluded. "I wouldn't feel lucky just yet, if I were you... all I need is one spell or trap card to set, and you're done!"

"Here's your problem, friend." The Obelisk stated as he drew. "You're First Turn Kill strategy doesn't prepare for cards that could block the damage from the player's hands. Not only that, you exhausted your ammo trying to deal the big damage! I bet Lyra would still be around, given she has a card that can keep herself in the game. But I'm your opponent now, and I'm the one dishing out your justice! And it begins by using these facedown cards, along with a facedown monster for good measure." He concluded as two facedown cards, along with a set monster appearing next to the turtle.

"That's it, huh?" Dorian grinned. "After all that talk about how my FTK failed, you have nothing to protect yourself from the fall I'm about to?"

"You never know?" the Obelisk shrugged. "These two cards I got facedown could very well change a lot. You know my deck right... at least the Desperado side of me... you don't know the Native American blood in myself, though. Also, one draw is all you got... you feelin' lucky, Dorian?"

The SOL duelist grimaced as he drew his next card. Once he saw it, he smirked, "Oh I feel lucky, Jethro! Watch as I load up my ammo with another facedown card!"

"Not again..." Ellie May muttered as a facedown card appeared next to Gatling Ogre.

"It won't go as planned, my facedown card will see to that, the spell card Spell Shattering Arrow!" Jethro countered as he revealed his facedown card, "With this card in play, all of your spell cards are destroyed and then you take 500 points of damage for each one!" Then, three bright red arrows shot from the spell card and pierced through Gatling Ogre's extra ammunition belts, shattering them into pixels all over Dorian as the Cartwright siblings cheered.

Jethro: 1600

Dorian: 6500

"I take your feeling lucky is a no." the Obelisk smirked. "You can still use that facedown to shoot some ammunition at me... if you don't mind dealing just 800 points of damage?"

"I'm good," the SOL duelist replied as his Ogre took a knee, "I switch Gatling Ogre to defense mode and my turn."

"Big brother fakes out the competition again!" Shane grinned. "Show 'em who's boss, Jethro!"

"You got it!" Jethro nodded as he drew. "I flip summon my facedown monster, Desperado Sharpshooter!" He announced as the rifle wielding Desperado appeared in front of him. (3/1200/900) "But rather than use his ability to attack directly, I'll destroy your Gatling Ogre instead! Snipe Shot!"

Sharpshooter aimed his rifle at the kneeling Ogre and shot a bullet into its gun, causing an explosion to consume it.

"You activated my trap card, Call of the Haunted!" Dorian countered, revealing his trap card. "And that bring back my Gatling Ogre from the grave and into attack mode!" He grinned as his Ogre came back from the dead once more. (3/800/800)

"At least he'll wait for two more cards now," Shane stated. "And it's still weaker than Jethro's monster."

"Still, Jethro needs a lot more cards to play because he's without much cards himself," Ellie May added.

"Don't worry about a thing, sis," Jethro stated as he inserted his last two cards into his disk, "I end my turn with two cards facedown."

"It's my turn then," Dorian shouted as he drew his next card, immediately playing, "I activate Pot of Greed which means two more cards for me!" He grinned, drawing two more cards.

 _'If it's two more spell or trap cards, I gotta be ready to spring my card...'_ the Obelisk thought, readying himself for the worse.

"I sacrifice my Gatling Ogre and summon Full Armor Ogre!" Dorian announced as his Ogre vanished and a large Ogre took its place, more heavyset in figure. It was clothed in a full flak jacket with a gas mask, and had two gun muzzles in place of hands. (5/1600/1600) "I hope you didn't forget I have other plans of getting my other boys to do the dirty work, in case Gatling Ogre doesn't finish!"

"I remember," Jethro replied. "When that monster destroys another monster in battle, I take an additional 1000 points of damage. Even if you take my Sharpshooter down, I'll still have 200 points left."

"Every little bit of damage helps," the SOL duelist confirmed as his Ogre raised its right arm, aiming the gun at Sharpshooter. "Shoot him..."

On the last word, Full Armor Ogre unloaded giant shot into Sharpshooter, instantly blowing him up into pixels.

Jethro: 1200

Dorian: 6500

Then, it raised its left arm, ready to fire again, "Here's that 1000 points you owe me!" Dorian grinned as his Ogre fired again, blasting his rival with another shot. Jethro's siblings both cringed as they saw the impact kicking up a storm, blinding their brother.

"He's only got 200 points left..." Ellie May cried.

"Not quite!" Jethro shouted, once the smoke cleared. The Obelisk was still standing, but he looked better than he did before, especially his life points and hand!

Jethro: 2200

Dorian: 6500

While Shane and Ellie May cheered, Dorian growled, "How did you get five cards in your hand and 1000 more life points?"

"The moment you destroyed Sharpshooter, I activated a couple of trap cards," Jethro stated as he held them up from his discard slot, the first showed a shiny, black monolith absorbing a wave of light and the second showed the familiar Card of Last Will, "First, Card of Last Will gives me five new cards after a monster of mine gets destroyed and then Energy Absorbing Monolith granted me a life point gain instead of losing some due to effect damage!"

"Not only did he get more, but also got more cards into his hand." Ellie May exclaimed, "And that means Jethro's got more of a chance to win!"

"It's not over yet," the Ogre duelist shouted as he inserted his last card into his disk, "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"You can run but you can't hide, partner." Jethro said as he drew his sixth card. Considering his overall hand, he selected one of his cards and placed into his disk, "Guess you're luckier this turn, I set one card facedown and end my turn."

"I've got you now!" Dorian grinned as he drew his next card, "Full Armor Ogre, unload a shot into his turtle and then him!" He commanded as Full Armor Ogre complied, blowing up the turtle into pixels with its right gun. Next the Ogre turned its attention to Jethro, aiming the left gun at him.

"Hold on," the Obelisk countered, revealing his trap card, "I activate Dodge Roll, negating all battle and effect damage from your attack or card effect!" As soon as the Ogre fired its second shot, Jethro rolled out of the way as the blast exploded where he stood.

"You can't hide forever either," the SOL duelist replied, activating his lone card from the hand, "First, I use Magic Planter to destroy my useless Call of the Haunted card and then draw two more cards!" A purple aura appeared over the trap, shattering it and letting him draw his two cards. He then inserted both of those cards into the disk. "I finish with one card facedown and equip Full Armor Ogre with the Ribbon of Rebirth!"

"Both are now at a stand-off," Shane stated. "Still, Jethro needs to watch out; he's still behind by at least 4000 points."

"We both know that Jethro's lucky in his draws," Ellie May added. "He's nearly like Joey Wheeler, except without every card in his deck being about dice rolls and coin flips."

"It's my turn!" Jethro shouted as he drew his next card, 'Alright, here's where my luck comes in...' He thought, activating it. It depicted a cowboy unloading a cartridge from his gun, and reloading a new one inside it. "First, I activate Bullet & Cartridge! I have to send 4 cards from my deck into the graveyard and then I draw once after!" He informed his opponent, as he took the four cards from the deck and placed them into his graveyard.

Dorian watched with a quick and keen eye, seeing four monster cards going inside the graveyard, 'I think my old friend just slipped up' He smirked as Jethro drew the fifth card from his deck.

"Finally, Bullet & Cartridge goes on the top of my deck and when it's drawn thanks to its own effect at the top of my deck, I discard it immediately." Jethro continued placing the used spell card into his deck.

"In other words, you'll have a dead draw starting your next turn!" Dorian smirked.

"I won't be because our battle will be decided by this card," Jethro announced holding up his newly drawn card. It was a continuous spell card depicting Desperado Twin Six-Shooter standing under the clock of the Wild West City, staring down Gatling Ogre with the clock at 12 noon. "High Noon Showdown let's choose any monster from our decks or hands and remove them from the game. Once twelve standby phases have gone by between the both of us, we bring them out for a little showdown!"

Dorian laughed. "I heard about that card! You only used it once last year and lost because of it!"

Jethro's siblings gasped staring at their brother.

"It's true, but that was a duel for fun." Jethro smiled. "But playing this card now, if it comes down to it, all my faith will be put into the final battle!"

"I like to see you try!"

"You will, later," the Obelisk stated as he inserted another card, "I activate Junk Dealer to bring back two of my Desperadoes, Outlaw and Stranger from the graveyard with half their ATK!"

The Ogre duelist gasped as two light pillars erupted from the ground, bringing two cowboys out on Jethro's field. The first wore a black cowboy hat under his brown hair with a coat and pants to match, and a brown belt with gun holsters strapped to it. His face had a stubble and black handkerchief around his neck. (7/2300-1150/1700) The second wore an outfit consisting of brown vest over a white shirt with a brown sash around his neck. He had dark blue jeans with a gun holster on his belt and a brown cowboy hat. In his bearded mouth was toothpick lazing out. (7/2650-1325/2150)

"That's why he played Bullet & Cartridge first!" Ellie May realized, "He was hopin' that some high-level monsters will get in there and play cards that can get 'em out quicker!"

"And I bet he's got some cards left that boost their strength!" Shane grinned.

"Now, how about everyone feel right at home as I activate the field spell card, Wild West City!" Jethro announced as the field spell slot opened on his disk, letting him place the field spell inside, replacing the inside of the old dorm, into a dusty Western town with wooden buildings and saloons and had tumbleweeds being blown across the field.

"Not really 'home', but I get the idea," Shane stated.

"Still, all of my Desperadoes gain 300 extra ATK while on this field!" the elder Cartwright stated as his Desperadoes took in the familiar air and loaded up their guns. (7/1150-1450/1700) (7/1325-1625/2150) "Now let's shootout some Ogres with Desperado Stranger, attack Full Armor Ogre with Wild Shot!"

Stranger quickly stretched out his arm, cocked the gun and fired a few bullets straight through the Ogre's armored vest, destroying it into pixels.

Jethro: 2200

Dorian: 6325

"That shot barely even grazed me," Dorian smirked, waving off the move. "Plus, it was all a waste of time for 25 life points."

"Yeah, I know Full Armor Ogre's special ability." Jethro replied. "With his destruction, Gatling Ogre comes back to the field."

"Correct." The SOL duelist stated as his blue-skinned Ogre returned, kneeling on the ground. (3/800/800) "But that's not all, because Ribbon of Rebirth was equipped onto Full Armor Ogre, it returns it the field as well!" He continued as the double gun-armed Ogre returned, crossing them for defense. (5/1600/1600)

"Oh no, now he has to deal with both of those things?" Ellie May cried. "That's not fair!"

"All's fair in the game of Duel Monsters," Dorian stated, before turning to Jethro. "You still have an attack left, wanna risk it with my facedown card? Of course, I could use it for ammo."

'He would if he had two more cards facedown,' Jethro thought, 'I know his game ever since we started... he'll go for the winning damage, instead of falling short...' He then inserted two more cards into disk, "I place two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"Scared?" Dorian grinned as he drew his next card.

"Taking precautions, thank you," Jethro replied. "Not only that but, the first turn of High Noon Showdown goes through!" He announced as the giant clock started spinning its hands until the big hand was in the twelve and the little hand was on the one. (HNS: 1 turn)

"Oh, I can finish this a lot earlier than eleven turns!" the SOL duelist continued as he, revealed his facedown card, "You really should've attacked when you had the chance! I activate my facedown card, Share the Pain!"

Jethro gasped as a spell card image appeared, depicting two soldiers killing each other in charging sword thrusts.

"Now both of us must drop a monster from the field, and it's listed as a Tribute!" the SOL duelist explained. "And I'll choose my Full Armor Ogre to send to the graveyard!"

The Obelisk grumbled as he looked to his weaker monster, "I choose Desperado Outlaw."

As soon as the monsters were set, both the Ogre and Desperado pointed their guns straight at each other and...

*BANG!*

Two shots flew across the field, both shooting through the monsters' bodies before they fell to the ground, exploding into pixels.

"That was not right..." Shane cringed as he looked to his sister, covering her eyes.

"Next, since Full Armor Ogre's in the graveyard, I can sacrifice the Gatling Ogre on my field and special summon the Big Cannon Ogre from my hand!" Dorian continued as his first Ogre vanished again for another Ogre monster. This one had to be as twice as tall than the Full Armor Ogre, but was hard to tell as it was squatting down on its arms and knees. It was also wearing a Confederate military uniform, one that suggested an officer this time, and finally, one very big cannon and two smaller cannons were mounted on its back. (7/2400/2000)

"I knew it was coming next," Jethro groaned.

"That thing is huge!" Shane shouted.

"And it has more points than Jethro's Desperado!" Ellie May added.

"That's not all, boys and girl." The Ogre duelist grinned. "And its time Jethro got reacquainted with the Big Cannon Ogre's effect, inflicting double the battle damage!" He then looked to his Ogre. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

There was a deafening blast as Big Cannon Ogre launched a blazing cannonball at Desperado Stranger, blowing him and Jethro on their backs, leaving Shane and Ellie May gasping.

Jethro: 650

Dorian: 6350

"You may have gotten to my points, but Desperado Stranger sticks around." Jethro groaned as he and his Desperado stood up on wobbly feet. "By giving up 1000 DEF, Desperado Stranger can't be destroyed no matter what!" He informed as Stranger spat out his toothpick and reloaded his gun. (7/1325/2150-1150) "Also, I activate the Damage Gate trap card!"

His facedown card revealed itself, showing a yellow demon opening a portal that led from a graveyard.

"Now, I can take that 1500 points of damage and use it to summon another monster from my graveyard!" He continued as a monster card shot out from his discard slot. "Here's where it gets complicated for you, the monster I summon has 0 points, but has an extraordinary ability! But I rather talk about it while it's on the field! So meet, my Legendary Tribal Spirit – Golden Eagle!"

Suddenly, a golden radiance flashed through the room, blinding everyone but Jethro from its sight. It soon formed itself into a small, golden eagle flying around the Obelisk before landing on the field. (1/0/0)

"Isn't that the card Grandpa gave him?" Ellie May wondered,

"Hey, it is!" Shane exclaimed. "He always finds away to help out when he's not around..."

"Too true," Jethro smiled, looking at the eagle. 'Still, it's gonna take a lot of hard work in taking down that Ogre... I just need to get his life points low enough for High Noon Showdown to do the rest.'

"Your little birdy won't stop the end of this match," Dorian proclaimed as he inserted a facedown card. "Just wait until next turn when I take it down."

"You won't!" Jethro shouted, beginning his Draw Phase. "First, my standby phase comes and the clock strikes two!"

On cue, an hour passed by on the old clock and chimed twice. (HNS: 2 turns)

"Next, I can activate Golden Eagle's effect! I get to roll a six-sided die and my monster spaces will count from 1-5. Meaning, my Desperado Stranger's at space 3 and my Eagle's at space 4. If the die rolls on the number with an empty space or six, I must re-roll, if it lands on 4, the effects are cancelled. But I'm hopin' on 3, where it equips onto Desperado Stranger!"

Soon, a large die appeared in the sky and dropped down to the field and rolled around.

 _'This is too much of a gamble...' Dorian smirked. 'It'll hit 4 before anything else...'_

Then, the dice stopped rolling yet it spun around on one of the corners.

 _'Oh boy, I hate it when it does that...' Jethro thought. 'Luck's teasing me...'_

Finally, the dice stopped and it hit the number desired, 3! The Cartwrights cheered yet Dorian didn't really show emotion towards it. Next, the golden eagle let out a call before fusing itself into Stranger's body, making him glow the same golden radiance.

"Good, but since my guy doesn't have any attack points to stand up to your Ogre, I'll switch him to defense mode and end my turn," Jethro announced as his golden Desperado took a knee and withdrew the gun.

"But it's my turn now!" Dorian shouted as he drew, as the clock struck three. (HNS: 3 turns) "I'll blow your Desperado off the map, but only after my facedown card activates!" He announced, as his facedown card flipped over showing a large snake preparing to bite. "I activate Snake Fang to reduce its DEF by 500!" In a quick flash, a large rattlesnake lunged out the trap card, biting Desperado Stranger's leg as he howled in pain. (7/1325/1150-650) "Now, that your cowboy's special effect is cancelled, I can destroy it and your golden eagle..."

As the Ogre's cannon charged, Jethro swiftly activated his trap card showing an army of soldiers, rushing to put on their armor. "Before you do that, I activate the Swift Equip trap card! This lets me place one equip card from my deck and then placing them onto monster on the field, like my Big Bang Shot card! And since I'm a nice guy, I'll let your Ogre have the fun!"

Dorian raised an eyebrow at his opponent while his Ogre gained a burning red aura. (7/2400-2800/2000) "You're just asking for it now! You just let deal trample damage to your monster now!"

Finally, the Ogre let out its large cannon shot, engulfing Jethro's side of the field. While his brother and sister looked on with concern, Jethro spoke from inside the smoke...

"True, but I didn't say I'd get the damage!" He stated. "Because I own Big Bang Shot, you're the one taking all the damage from this battle! But don't worry, since that Ogre's doubled battle damage only applies to me, you'll only take the normal damage!"

"Huh!?"

Soon, golden flame erupted from the smoke and then engulfed the Ogre duelist, and made him scream out in agony.

Jethro: 650

Dorian: 4200

"Way to turn the tables on 'em, bro!" Shane cheered.

"Keep showin' 'em who's boss!" Ellie May added.

"Darn loophole," Dorian grunted.

"I sure will," Jethro smiled as he drew his next card and the clock struck 4. (HNS: 5 turns) "Next, the final ability of my Eagle activates! I send him away along with my Desperado and Eagle to form the leader of the Tribal Warriors... their chief, if you will... and I must say, this will be the first time I've summoned him in a duel! Meet Legendary Tribal Warrior – GoldFeather the Tribal Chief!"

Everyone started to cover their eyes as the golden aura around Desperado Stranger brightened up and engulfed him inside the light. Soon, it morphed the form into another human body and then faded away. Once done, a new Tribal Warrior set foot upon the dusty field town. It was a copper-skinned, middle-aged man wearing a white and black-tipped feathered headdress along with a buckskin cape and pants. He held his staff up high, shining with the golden radiance. (10/2950/2800)

"So you're switchin' back to the Native American monsters," Dorian looked on.

"You bet," Jethro nodded. "And it's fitting for the Tribal Warriors to fight you as well as my Desperadoes, considering that the Ogre monsters tried to strong arm them out of their land. In fact, it's how they got on good terms with the Desperadoes because they shared a common enemy."

"Oh, more of these stories?" the Ogre duelist scoffed. "If they're enemies, why become friends with me? We're pretty much the same as them."

"That's the Light talking,' the Obelisk stated, "But to answer the question, like every other duelist had a friendly rival that they could relate with, I saw it in you; a countryman duelist wanting to be at well-known top of the Dueling World and starting at the top of this school's standards. If I made it in time to register for Duel Academy in my first year, I'd be exactly like you. It puzzles me how you became one of the Society of Light members in the first place; playing your cards rights you would've saved yourself."

"I don't need to explain myself." Dorian replied. "Just get on with your turn."

"Considering your dueling style, I know the answer already." Jethro nodded. "But you're right, let's get back to the duel so I can free my siblings. First, as long as my Tribal Chief is on the field, all Tribal Warriors and Tribal Spirit Warriors gain 300 ATK!" He informed as the Tribal Chief tapped his staff lightly on the dusty floor. (10/2950-3250/2800)

Then, he inserted a spell card depicting a woman's spirit floating among a starry night. "Next, I activate the spell card, Soul Release! It allows me to remove up to 5 monster cards from the game and the ones I have in my sights are your two Ogres, Tribal Spirit – Yellow Coyote and the fourth monster I sent with Bullet & Cartridge, Tribal Spirit – Crimson Grizzly!"

Soon both players' graveyard spat out the named monsters, prompting them to recover the cards and place them into their pockets.

"Good, now those Ogres can't comeback!" Ellie May smiled.

"What makes you say that?" Shane asked.

"Think about it; every time one of the bigger ones gets destroyed, those smaller ones' comeback!" She explained. "I bet when Jethro gets rid of this one, that armored Ogre would've come back."

"Oh okay..."

"Now that I've got your revival plan put out to pasture, I activate the Equip Spell Tribal Totem – Coyote Paw!" Jethro continued, inserting his next card and letting a string necklace of five grizzly claws around GoldFeather's neck. "I'll get to that later as I activate his second special ability; once per turn, I can summon another Tribal Spirit that's been removed from play and place it into defense mode!" He then reached into his pocket and took the Tribal Spirit monster and placed it sideways on his disk. "Tribal Spirit – Yellow Coyote, return to the field!"

In a golden flash, the transparent coyote emerged and sat down. (4/0/1300)

"Finally, because of my Tribal Totem's effect of listing the chief as Yellowtail the Quick, my Coyote can Union Equip on to him and give him the ability of a direct attack!" Dorian started to cringe in anger as the coyote fused himself into the Tribal Chief, mixing the crimson red aura into the golden aura. "Now attack!" Jethro shouted. "Use the Swift Pride of the Coyote!"

The tribal chief began his chant, bringing forth the Yellow Coyote from his body. It howled loudly and then dashed through Big Cannon Ogre, biting the Ogre duelist's leg.

Jethro: 650

Dorian: 950

"Alright, they both are below 1000 points!" Shane cheered. "Jethro needs one good direct attack and we're outta here!"

"Keep it up, Jethro!" Ellie May praised, as Jethro gave her a thumbs up.

"That's my turn." Jethro concluded. "Looks like you were right about this not ending by High Noon Showdown's effect. But I'm thinking you were hoping it was by your standards!"

"Oh it will," Dorian growled, drawing his next card and letting High Noon Showdown reach 6 o'clock. (HNS: 6 turns) "First up, I use Card of Sanctity and have us draw until we have 6 cards in our hands!"

"Fine by me..." the Obelisk stated as they both drew their six cards. 'Looks like I'll be the one ending this duel... but first, if he tries to hold me off until that clock expires, I need to keep my life points out of the dirt...' He then made his move playing a few of his cards, "I place two cards facedown and then activate Smashing Ground and chain it with Emergency Provisions! I'll send those three cards and gain 1000 life points per card!"

Just as soon as the two reversed cards were sent, along with a spell card showing a massive fist crushing the ground, they quickly vanished into tiny sparkles of light and surrounded the Ogre duelist.

Jethro: 650

Dorian: 3950

"Oh no, he's almost got everything Jethro took away!" Shane growled.

"And next, Smashing Ground destroys your Chief and any hopes you had of winning!" Dorian continued as a large hand appeared from the sky, reaching out for the Tribal Chief.

"And you forgot that union monsters are destroyed in place of the equipped monster!" Jethro countered as the Coyote removed itself from the chief's body and into the giant hand, making it vanish.

"That was close..." Ellie May sighed with relief.

"I'll switch my Big Cannon Ogre to defense mode and end my turn with a facedown card."

"Then it's my move," Jethro announced as he drew, while the clock struck seven. (HNS: 7 turns) "I'll also activate my own Emergency Provisions to send my Field Spell and both equip spells to gain 3000 points of my own!" He declared as Wild West City, Big Bang Shot and Tribal Totem – Coyote Paw vanished into sparkles and surrounded the Obelisk to the delight of his brother and sister.

Jethro: 3650

Dorian: 3950

"And because Big Bang Shot was removed from the game, your Big Cannon Ogre is removed from play as well!" He continued as the giant Ogre vanished into thin air. "Next, I use Ancient Rules and summon Tribal Warrior - CrimsonClaw the Hunter to join up with them!" In a bright flash, the black-haired Native Warrior jumped onto the field and pointed his spear at the Ogre duelist. (5/2100-2400/1700)

"With those two monsters, Jethro can win this with two direct attacks!" Ellie May cheered. "We're almost home free!"

"Alright you two," Jethro said to his two Tribal Warriors. "Give Dorian a double direct attack and knock the Light right outta him!" He commanded as CrimsonClaw let out a battle cry and started dashing towards the SOL duelist. GoldFeather then surrounded his tribesman with a golden aura, filling CrimsonClaw with his own strength.

"It won't end this way!" Dorian shouted, revealing his facedown card. It showed a little tumbleweed-demon monster holding two torches in a western backdrop. "I activate Backattack Ambush! This trap ends this current battle phase and summons an Ambush Token for all of your monsters in Attack mode!"

Before CrimsonClaw's spear hit home, it was blocked off by a wall of flame that forced him back to Jethro's side of the field. When the flames subsided, two tumbleweed-looking monsters from the trap image appeared, holding up their torches. (1/0/0) x2

"Rats!" Shane cursed. "Almost had him..."

"You're lucky that you played your Emergency Provisions when you had the chance," the Ogre duelist proclaimed. "Otherwise, these two tokens would've been able to take down the rest of your life points!"

'Lucky is right,' Jethro thought. 'I can still keep up with him, but the best he can do now is hold me off with those tokens for another round... his last monster can't be summoned unless Gatling Ogre's in the graveyard, which I removed from play along with his others. It's almost over... but to make sure he doesn't pull a fast one...' He then inserted a reversed card into his disk. "I place one card facedown and then use GoldFeather's ability to summon back my Crimson Grizzly that was removed from play and then Union Equip him CrimsonClaw!"

With another chant, the chief brought out the crimson colored grizzly bear from the heavens. (4/0/1900) Then, the bear fused itself within CrimsonClaw, giving him a crimson aura. (5/2400-3400/1700)

"It's my turn." Dorian announced, drawing his next card while the clock passed another hour. (HNS: 8 turns) He then looked at the cards he just drew and grinned. "At first, I was worried that I couldn't bring out my next Ogre..." He then turned over the card he drew. "But after I activate Foolish Burial to send another Gatling Ogre to the graveyard, I'll be able to do just that!"

'I was afraid of that...' Jethro grimaced as his opponent took another Gatling Ogre from his deck and then placed it into the discard slot.

"Here it comes; I sacrifice my Ambush tokens and summon the Longbarrel Ogre in defense mode!" the SOL duelist rejoiced as both tokens burned out into smoke and let out a fourth Ogre, wearing a slimmer version of Big Cannon Ogre's uniform. The thing that most made it stand out was the sniper rifle it held over its shoulder, which was three times the thickness of a normal one and easily twenty feet long! (7/0/3000)

"And I thought this monster was going to be a larger Ogre." Ellie May thought out loud. "But it doesn't have a single ATK point."

"Don't be fooled by its lack of power," Jethro warned. "In addition to its high DEF, it can destroy a monster twice per turn and take half their ATK out of my life points!"

The siblings gasped while Dorian smirked. "That's right, and from the way your points are settled, it'll be on my next turn when I finish you off! And I have just the monster to do so... I use Monster Reborn and bring back Gatling Ogre in defense mode!" He announced as the spell card's ankh shined brightly, and brought back the blue overcoat wearing fiend. (3/800/800) "But for now, I use Longbarrel Ogre's effect; since your union monster allows the equipped to survive destruction by giving it up, he'll have the first shot."

The ogre took aim with his large sniper rifle and fired a huge brass bullet at CrimsonClaw, causing the grizzly bear spirit to emerged and take the bullet in a mid-air explosion. (5/3400-2400/1700)

"And to make sure you don't go back in using that union monster sometime later, I'll go ahead and use its second shot to obliterate it from the field!" He continued as the Ogre fired his second bullet into the warrior, blowing him into pixels. But before anyone could mourn, the bullet flew into the air and then drove straight through Jethro's body and made him cry out in pain.

Jethro: 2250

Dorian: 3950

"Jethro, are you alright?" Shane shouted in concern.

"I'm... fine..." the Obelisk replied as he steadied himself. "Because I know his next move... I'll still be in this duel..."

"Not for much longer!" Dorian grinned. "If you summon another monster to fight back, I'll just blow him and your new monster to the grave and reap the victory!"

"One problem though," Jethro interjected as he drew, while the clock struck 9. (HNS: 9 turns) "It only works if your Longbarrel Ogre can survive next round, but with GoldFeather's ATK set over three grand, along with this next summoning to take down your Gatling Ogre, it's still in my odds."

"Nothing but talk from my point of view..." The SOL member shrugged.

"Have it your way..." Jethro replied, playing his next card, "Desperado Specter, you're on!" With a ghostly wail, a cowboy that was white and transparent as any other ghost appeared wearing the cowboy hat and a cape over his back. (3/1300/0) "And even though his powerful enough for your Gatling Ogre, he gains 300 extra ATK for every Desperado Warrior-type monster in my graveyard... and I count five!" On cue, the ghostly spirits of the Desperado warriors appeared to energize the specter with their own power. (3/1300-2800/0) "Attack Gatling Ogre, Bullet of the Dead!"

Specter pulled out a sliver gun from his holster and unloaded a few shots into the smaller Ogre's gun belt, blowing him into the graveyard.

"For that, I can remove a trap from my graveyard and out of the game," Dorian countered as his desired card removed itself from the discard slot. It depicted an old locomotive from the Civil War days, pulling a flatbed carriage with Gatling Ogre, Full Armor Ogre and Big Cannon Ogre on it. "This here's my trap card, Cannon Train!"

"Cannon Train?" Ellie May wondered. "When did he pull that card into the graveyard?"

Jethro gasped as he realized the answer...

"That's right, I had it in there since turn one when I tried to knock you off!" Dorian replied. "I've got a load of backup plans, if and when my Gatling Ogre fails to win me the victory. You're really forcing to play my best out on you!"

"You mean... Longbarrel Ogre..."

"...is not my best!" the SOL duelist finished for Shane, grabbing a card from his deck. "Cannon Train lets me bring any FIRE Fiend-Type Ogre monster from my deck and adds it to my hand. And it has to be a higher level than the one destroyed! This will put you in quite a dilemma, Jethro... Attacking my Longbarrel Ogre can save you from its effect, but what would happen if it triggers the summoning of this monster I hold now?"

Jethro growled.

"Oh no, Dorian's holding a powerful monster in his hand but he can win by using the one he's got on the field to win." Ellie May realized. "But if Jethro takes out that Ogre... the next one my come!"

"That means Jethro's only choice is to keep this duel going long enough for that High Noon Showdown to work out." Shane added. "He has to attack that Ogre."

Realizing the same route as his brother, Jethro made his declaration... "GoldFeather, attack Longbarrel Ogre!"

The chief followed up by pointing his staff at the tall, skinny Ogre and called on the spirit of his Golden Eagle... prompting a smirk to appear on Dorian's face.

"Once again, you've played into my hands and activated another trap card from my graveyard!" He laughed, removing another card from the discard slot. It depicted a massive explosion engulfing a large, rock monster as it charged through a huge mountain. "I activate Dynamite Wall! If it was used while on the field, I could've destroyed both our monsters... but with this card, I can remove your chief and my Ogre from the game instead!"

Suddenly, two lit sticks of dynamite dropped onto the field where one of them landed near Jethro's side and the other near Dorian's. Once the strings burned out...

*KABOOM!"

A huge explosion hit the field, making everyone brace themselves as when the smoke blew by. Jethro and Dorian used their duel disks to clear the vision while Shane and Ellie May turned their backs to the smoke and covered their heads.

Outside the Abandoned Dorm, Alex, Missy, Lyra and Fonda looked up to the second story window and heard the explosion.

"What do you think is going on up there?" Missy wondered.

"Jethro's taking it to Dorian, that's what!" Alex stated. "I bet he's bringing out everything in his deck to shut that possessed cowboy up!"

"Hopefully..." Lyra added. "Some Obelisk students have actually earned their right to be in their spot, Dorian being one of them..."

"After all of this, both are really going to be exhausted..." Fonda added and began to worry for everyone involved in the explosion.

Back the room, the smoke subsided and only left Desperado Specter from the aftermath along with Jethro's facedown card and High Noon Showdown cards.

"Alright, you've saved yourself again." Jethro stated, signaling the end of his turn. "Let's see how long it stands..."

Somehow, that comment made Dorian's blood boil... _'I saved myself? What's he talking about; I'm the one leading him around through this duel and he says that to me? Where does he get off with that remark?'_

Dorian then drew his next card, letting High Noon Showdown hit the 10 o' clock mark. (HNS: 10 turns) "Let's see you save yourself from this... My new Ogre's summoning requirements stated that I need four Ogre monsters in my graveyard to Special Summon it. And now, I just drew the card that let me have it all!" He stated, activating the card he just drew. "I use my Burial from a Different Dimension to put Longbarrel, Full Armor and Big Cannon Ogres into my graveyard!"

The Ogre duelist soon took all the monsters in his pocket and then placed them into his graveyard.

"Now, meet the monster of your destruction!" He rejoiced, playing his monster card. "Come forth, General Ogre!" A large pillar of fire erupted in front of him. Another green skinned Ogre emerged from it, and was around Gatling Ogre's size and height, wearing the same Confederate Army uniform as most of his archetype did. Only this time, on the right arm sleeve, it carried an insignia of a green skinned Ogre's face; possibly showing the rank. Unlike the rest of the Ogres, it didn't carry any large firearms or any at all; but that didn't discourage anyone from its stats. (10/3400/3000)

"3400 ATK and he don't carry a firearm?" Jethro wondered.

"Impressive, eh," Dorian smirked. "Seeing that he is general of the Ogres, he can have all the firepower of them as well."

"What're you getting at?" Shane shouted.

"His special ability..." the SOL duelist replied as he took out Big Cannon Ogre from his graveyard. "Once a turn I can remove an Ogre from my graveyard, and allow General Ogre to gain its effects!"

Ellie May gasped and whispered to her brother, "If chooses Longbarrel Ogre, he'll lose the duel once that General attacks!"

"But there's always a downside... I can't choose Longbarrel Ogre unless it's the only Ogre monster in my graveyard. So, you lucked out because I'm choosing my Big Cannon Ogre!" General Ogre cackled as Big Cannon Ogre appeared behind him in a pillar of fire. Jethro braced himself for what was to come. "And here's your command...Attack his Specter with Mortar Cannon!"

The General pointed to the undead Desperado, with Big Cannon Ogre lowering itself to aim and fire the cannons on its back, causing the fire to engulf the Specter and then Jethro.

Jethro: 1050

Dorian: 3950

When the fire subsided, Specter still stood strong. "Too bad, Desperado Specter can't be destroyed in battle..." Jethro stated.

"Oh well, I still got you powered down enough to win on my next turn..." Dorian concluded. "I may not have the firepower to put you down and out for this turn, but knowing your luck on the High Noon Showdown, I can win this with the monster I put away for the showdown!"

Jethro smiled inwardly, _'Got it! Knowing him, the monster he put away is a third Gatling Ogre or a second Full Armor Ogre! Clever since my Specter's side effect will come into play. And he thinks I placed a high-level monster for my spell... Now I don't need to beat him this turn... unless my draw gives me what I need!'_

"Here I go!" Jethro announced as he drew his next card, letting the clock strike 11. (HNS: 11 turns) When he looked at it, he smirked. "Time for a little payback of my own; but first I pay 500 life points to keep Desperado Specter on the field!" A cold blue aura surrounded both the Specter and Jethro, draining the life points.

Jethro: 550

Dorian: 3950

"It just became that much sweeter for me to win!" Dorian grinned.

"You'll be changing your tune after this," the Obelisk continued, playing one of his cards. "It starts with Half Shut! Using this, your monster sticks around but those ATK of his will be cut in half!"

The General Ogre groaned as he felt his power drain away, yet a protective aura surrounded him. (10/3400-1700/3000)

"After that, I summon Desperado Twin Six-Shooter!" In another flash, the double pistol wielding cowboy appeared, twirling them on his fingers. (4/1500/800) "Now Desperado Specter, attack his General Ogre!" Jethro commanded as the ghost fired a round at the general's arm, wounding him but failed to spill the blood due to the aura.

Jethro: 550

Dorian: 2850

"And before Twin Six-Shooter makes his double attack, I need to make a dice roll!" Jethro interjected as a white die with black dots, symbolizing the numbers appeared in the sky before it started rolling around on the ground, until it landed on a three. "And that let's my monster gain 200 times the number, so with 2100 ATK, I won't have to worry about my losing my monsters. Go Double Shootout Impact!"

The Desperado loaded up both guns and cocked them both. (4/1500-2100/800) Then, it unloaded all the bullets into General again and also the Big Cannon Ogre behind him, dealing the double damage.

Jethro: 550

Dorian: 2450-2050

"Alright, that's what I call payback!" Shane cheered.

"Oh, it ain't over yet!" Jethro grinned, holding up another spell card depicting Desperado Shotgunner and Desperado Six-Shot Rifleman reloading their weapons behind a saloon's wall as Gatling Ogre fired multiple shots through the window. "The fun continued with Quick Reload!"

"Quick Reload?" Dorian questioned. His face suddenly paled as he saw Twin Six-Shooter load up some bullets into his gun again. "Hey, why's he loading up again?"

"Oh, he's complying with the effects." The Obelisk smiled. "Quick Reload activates during the Main Phase 2 and if I had at least 1 Desperado Warrior that battled, which I did. In exchange for skipping my next Draw Phase, I can re-enter this turn's Battle Phase but only the Desperado Warrior-Types can battle again."

"That means, Jethro's got another chance to lower his life points again!" Ellie May beamed.

"Right you are sis," Jethro nodded as he turned to his Twin Six-Shooter, "Load 'em up again and with another dice roll!" The die raised itself back into the air and before dropping down and rolling around. But this time, the number landed on 5.

The Cartwrights cheered as Twin Six-Shooter grinned and pointed both of his guns at General Ogre. (4/1500-2500/800) Finally, it unloaded the pistols again and fired bullets into the Ogre duo who took cover to Dorian's dismay.

Jethro: 550

Dorian: 1250-450

"I wished it was a 6 that time though," Shane admitted. "He would've won then..."

"Don't worry; he's still got that spell card to use." Ellie May assured him. "Though I am worried that he has a half a chance to win..."

"Finally, I place one card facedown!" Jethro concluded as a facedown card appeared near his feet. "Now's get to the showdown and get my siblings out!"

"Or, if all of you join the Society of Light as a family!" Dorian announced as he drew his next card. Finally, the clock tower of High Noon Showdown moved another hour until...

*DING!**DING!**DING!*

The clock stuck twelve! (HNS: 12 turns)

"Time now for the showdown... So the remaining effects of my card can now activate!" The cowboy Obelisk cheered.

"Then let's get down to it." Dorian interjected.

"Hold on there, partner! Before we special summon the monsters removed by this card, all face up monsters must return to our hands to clear the field for the stand-off!"

When the clock was heard, every monster left had vanished into a white light and then zipped right back into their cards, letting their respective owners removed the cards from the disk and placed them into their hand.

"Now that the field is clear, our two monsters now show up and the showdown begins!" Jethro declared, pulling the card out from his pocket. "Meet the monster that started it all for me, Desperado Six Shooter!" He announced, bringing out the single pistol wielder who stood ready to draw his gun. (4/1400/1200)

"That's it?" Dorian scoffed, pulling out his desired monster. "Here's my Full Armor Ogre!" He shouted as a second armored Ogre appeared, pointing its gun arms at the Desperado. (5/1600/1600)

Both monsters stared each other down, the Ogre smirking and the Six-Shooter let a bead of sweat run down his brow. Jethro then used his right hand and pulled out a silver dollar coin from his pocket, getting it ready to flip.

"Now that the field is set, here's the deal..." He stated. "I flip the coin and call it in the air... If right, your monster is destroyed and half his attack points come out of your life points, if wrong, the effect happens to me."

"A coin toss, no wonder..." Shane whispered, trying not to break the concentration of his brother.

"He just needs it to go his way..." Ellie May added.

"I can't wait to win this..." Dorian grinned.

"We'll see... about that! Heads!"

With Jethro's shout, he flipped coin high into the air. Everyone watched with held breath as the coin stopped rising and started falling.

The Cartwrights started to pray as the coin fell into Jethro's right hand and he quickly covered it with the left.

Everyone watched as he removed his hand.

Jethro sighed as he saw that it fell on tails...

"NO!" Shane and Ellie May cried in despair.

Dorian let out the loudest laugh he ever made. "I knew it! Welcome to the Light and sorry 'bout your..."

"It ain't over yet!" Jethro interrupted, revealing his facedown card. It was a trap card depicting a slot machine showing a replaying result on the reels. "I activate Probability Change!"

"What are you doing?" Dorian protested. "You can't do this after I've just won!"

"Well thanks to this trap, my first coin flip never happened and I'm allowed to re-flip for my showdown!" the Obelisk grinned, getting his coin ready and as Shane and Ellie May let out big sighs of relief. "So, let's get this thing going again with Heads!"

Once again, Jethro got his coin flipped into the air again.

Once again, the coin reached its highest altitude, it started falling again.

Once again, Shane and Ellie May started praying when Jethro caught it, this time in the left hand and quickly covered it with the right.

Once again, Jethro removed his hand from the coin, but out of everyone's sight except his own.

With a stern look to his opponent, Jethro walked over to Dorian and slowly showed the result...

Heads!

Dorian cringed in fear. "OH NO!"

"YEAH!" Shane and Ellie May cheered loudly.

Jethro held up the coin in front of Dorian's face and said, "I'm speaking to this almighty Light you keep preaching about when I say this..." He snatched the keys from Dorian's belt and continued. "Sorry 'bout your damn luck..."

With that, Jethro flipped the coin into the air a third time, kicked Dorian to the ground and ran towards his captive brother and sister.

He heard a gunshot coming from his Desperado Six-Shooter's pistol as he placed the keys inside the cage's lock, freeing his brother and sister.

He quickly told them to run out of the Abandoned Dorm and put Shane's cowboy hat back on his head, letting them run off.

Once he heard a bullet hitting the inside of gun, he knew that Six-Shooter shot the inside of Full Armor Ogre's arm gun and quickly took cover behind a dusty couch before...

*BOOM!*

An explosion of pixels and light flowing out of the room let Jethro know that Full Armor Ogre was destroyed, the duel was done and that the Light's hold over Dorian had expired along with them.

Jethro: 550, Winner

Dorian: 0

Once he turned off his duel disk, Jethro stood up from behind the couch and saw the holograms gone from the playing field. He then let out a sigh of relief seeing Dorian unconscious, yet unharmed from the last bit of damage. He walked over to the fallen reformed Obelisk and took the white cowboy hat Dorian had on and threw it away.

"Sorry you had to go through that, partner..." He said to Dorian, picking him up and carrying on his back. "This Society of Light's going down, that's for sure..." But as he walked away, he stepped over Dorian's custom duel disk along with the White Veil and White Cloak cards inside the deck holder. "We also need to find out what's these cards deal..." He added, taking the cards in his possession before carrying his friend out the door.

* * *

As the sun set on that day, everyone was back at the Slifer Dorm taking the rest from their exhilarating duel.

Everyone else watched as the Cartwright siblings exchanged heart-filled looks and hugged each other tightly, despite the condition they were in.

"You know, watching this reminds me of the time Alexis beat Titan for Atticus' memories." Alex said. "Strange that it switched from dark enemies to light enemies this time..."

"Except Richie wasn't possessed like the others," Lyra clarified. "He was paid to stop us by Sartorius."

"And that factor needs explanations as well." Spencer stated. "How would someone like a fortune teller get a lot of money in his profession?"

"Maybe he brainwashed some wealthy people or has some private accounts stashed somewhere?" Missy wondered.

"Still, the important thing is that Dorian and his gang is freed from the Society and Jethro's reunited with his family." Fonda smiled.

"Still wished I would've gotten that black duel disk, though." The Gemini duelist grumbled.

With Jethro, Shane and Ellie May, they sat down at a further table to talk amongst themselves.

"So, tell me what happened to get yourselves caught by Dorian..." the eldest told his younger siblings.

"Well... we wanted to surprise you ever since Mom and Dad told us about the GX tournament being held at Duel Academy." Ellie May replied.

"Thinking you would be in the tournament for sure, we begged them to let us come over and see how you were doing." Shane added.

"You do know I send e-mails about that," the Obelisk told them. "Ever since Dad got that computer keep tabs on me..."

"We know, but the chance to see you duel in the biggest tournament ever..." the younger brother replied. "We couldn't resist coming over."

"It was supposed to be a surprise..." the younger sister added. "But as soon as we got off the docks, those guys tied us up faster than Grandpa hog-tying the pigs last summer."

"I see..." Jethro realized. "And when did this happen?"

"It was today afternoon." Shane stated.

"No wonder, I was on the other side of the island," the Obelisk gasped, snapping his fingers. "And to think it was against a Society member as well... those guys knew you were coming!"

"How did they know?" Ellie May asked. "Those Society of Light guys everyone's going on about?"

"They must be a lot organized than I thought..." Jethro figured. "At least you guys are safe, but if you decide to go out, I have to keep an eye out for the both of ya."

"Right!" Shane and Ellie May replied.

The cowboy Obelisk then pulled out the cards Dorian left behind after being knocked unconscious from the duel.

'Also, we need to find out about these cards and how they can do a lot more than the effects on the text...' He thought. 'Knowing Jaden and Claudio being close to Pegasus after helping him with the Egyptian God cards, maybe they can get these to them...'

* * *

Rocket Knight 777, I hope I made you proud with this duel. Sorry I couldn't use some of the new cards you sent, wanted to get some of the other card you submitted over the months done first. Thanks for the help on the FTK Block!

Coyote's Trickery

Normal Spell

You can only activate this card from your hand during either player's turn if you have "Tribal Spirit - Yellow Coyote" in your hand or on your side of the field and you are about to take at least 4000 points of damage by a card effect. Send this card and "Tribal Spirit - Yellow Coyote" to your Graveyard to halve the amount of damage you would take from that effect. Then, you can Special Summon one "Tribal Spirit" Union Monster from your deck whose DEF is equal to the amount of damage you just received.

Quick Reload

Normal Spell

Effect: This card can only be activated during your Main Phase 2. If you have a "Desperado" Warrior-Type monster on your side of the field, skip your next Draw Phase, re-enter your Battle Phase this turn, and have all face-up "Desperado" monsters on your side of the field attack.

Image: Desperado Shotgunner and Desperado Six-Shot Rifleman reloading their weapons behind a wall as a Gatling Ogre fired multiple shots through the window. The backdrop is Wild West City.

Legendary Tribal Spirit – Golden Eagle

LIGHT LV: 1

(Winged Beast/Effect)

Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1, roll a six-sided die. Treat your Monster Card Zone as #'s 1-5, counting from your left. Equip this card to a Warrior-type monster in the same Monster Card Zone as the die result. If there is no monster in that Monster Card Zone, the die result is 6, or if a non-Warrior-type or this monster is in that card zone, this effect does not apply. If this card is equipped to a Warrior-type monster on your side of the field, the equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle. During your Standby Phase, you can sacrifice the equipped monster to Special Summon 1 "Legendary Tribal Warrior – GoldFeather the Tribal Chief" from your hand in Attack Mode.

ATK: 0 DEF: 0

(A transparent Bald Eagle covered in a golden aura)

Legendary Tribal Warrior – GoldFeather the Tribal Chief

LIGHT LV: 10

(Spellcaster/Effect)

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned expect by the effect of "Legendary Tribal Spirit – Golden Eagle". All face-up "Tribal Warrior" and "Tribal Spirit Warrior" monster you control gain 300 ATK. Once per turn, you can Special Summon one removed from play "Tribal Spirit" monster to the field in face-up Defense mode.

ATK: 2950 DEF: 2800

(think of Pocahontas's father in the disney movie)

(The above four cards were created by Rocket Knight 777 and creative card rights go to him.)

Cannon Train

Normal Trap Card

Image: An American Civil War era locomotive, with a flatbed carriage carrying Gatling Ogre, Full Armor Ogre and Big Cannon Ogre.

Activate only while this card is in your Graveyard, after being sent there from the field and a FIRE Fiend-Type 'Ogre' monster you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. Remove this card from play and add 1 FIRE Fiend-Type 'Ogre' monster with a higher Level than the destroyed monster from your Deck to your hand.

(This is card was created by Digidramon and creative card rights go to him.)

Bullet & Cartridge

Normal Spell Card

Send the top 4 cards of your Deck to the Graveyard and draw 1 card. Then, place this card on top of your Deck. If you draw this card placed on top of your Deck by this effect, send it to the graveyard.

(Used by Kalin Kessler in the 5D's episode Clash at Crash Town, Part 2. Creative rights go to the writers of that episode.)

Dynamite Wall

Normal Trap Card

Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Destroy the attacking monster and 1 monster you control. If this card is in your Graveyard when your opponent declares an attack, you can remove it from play to remove from play the attacking monster and all cards you control.

(Used by Lotten in the 5D's two-part episode, Race to Escape. Creative rights go to the writers of the episodes.)

General Ogre

FIRE

Fiend/Effect

Level 10

3400/3000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by having 4 or more "Ogre" monsters with different names in your Graveyard. Once per turn, you can select an "Ogre" monster from your graveyard and remove it from play. This card can use the effects listed on the Ogre monster removed from play by this effect. (You cannot choose Longbarrel Ogre unless it's the only monster in your graveyard.)

(This card is my own creation and creative rights go to me.)

Next Time: This time, the matches are played at night when Lyra faces a North Academy student who uses a Duel Spirit to draw the right cards and Alexis faces another duelist who seeks the other half of the Street Fighter deck.

Please Read and Review! Later!


	61. Fight in the Dead of Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 61: Fight in the Dead of Night

* * *

During the night, a random Obelisk duelist was participating in a duel with his field setup to knockout the opposing player's life points and with protection as well. He currently had two Marauding Captains forming the lock against warriors (3/1200/400) x2, Armed Samurai-Ben Kei equipped with a Premature Burial, Legendary Sword and Invigoration, (4/500-1200/800-600), and two facedown cards on his playing field. Yet his opponent retaliated playing a single spell card, and not even worried.

The opponent was dressed in a uniform that was from a branch dueling school, North Academy; an opened tan and black blazer with a brown shirt underneath and jeans. He had long, black hair with a large bang sticking straight out, dark brown eyes and a facial expression that sort of looked undead. His name was Lucien Grimley.

Obelisk: 8000

Lucien: 8000

"The time has come, for you to rest in pieces!" Lucien announced, raising his right hand that had a tattoo of a skull with wings imprinted on it. The Obelisk stood back in fear as the skull's mouth leaked out a black smoke and surrounded the North Academy duelist's right hand, while his eyes were glowing blood red. "And now, witness the power of the Reaper! With the Lord of Darkness on my side, I can draw any card I desire to vanquish you! Since I just used my Slash Draw, and that you have 8 cards on the field... my next draw with end this duel!"

The Obelisk freaked out as the darkness surrounded Lucien as he was about to draw.

"Take it easy, pal!" the Obelisk shouted in fear. "I'm just in this for the medals!"

Lucien paid it no mind as he drew his card and grinned. "Prepare to meet your maker!"

All the Obelisk saw next was a flash of a hooded ghost with a scythe and then hearing many slashes across his cards, before he was knocked out.

Obelisk: 0

Lucien: 8000, Winner

* * *

Later Lucien sat down on a log near a pond, satisfied with his latest victory.

"There's no way I can lose this tournament, with the power I possess!" He said to himself, placing his deck into his holder.

Suddenly, darkness leaked from a card necklace he had around his neck and formed into the cloaked spirit behind him _ **. "Well done, Lucien!"**_ It praised in a deep, dark voice. _**"I hope you haven't forgotten our pact!"**_

"Of course not!" Lucien smirked. "You bring me victory within this tournament, and my soul is yours. And if I keep winning, it's a sure thing... so don't... worry..."

Then, his vision got blurry and then passed out on the ground. If he had the energy to stay awake, he would've heard footsteps on grass. Appearing from the shadows of the forest was the Infernity duelist, Lyra Raine.

"You..." She pointed at the sleeping Lucien. "Get ready to duel..." the Goth girl suddenly stopped when she saw something else behind him. She widened her eyes at the sight of the cloaked spirit that suddenly turned around to face her. Only this time, Lyra saw a white face with menacing red eyes and sharp teeth like a mask.

"Hey Lyra!"

Afterwards Jaden and Allen came up behind her and caught a glimpse of the spirit as well.

"What is that?" the Fairy duelist shouted.

"Something not friendly I suppose," Jaden replied as the spirit conjured up a dark wind, causing everyone to take cover from the storm. Seconds later, the winds died down and the spirit disappeared. "Was that some kind of ghost?"

"No..." Lyra replied, walking over to Lucien. "That was..."

"...The Grim Reaper."

Everyone turned to another part of the forest to see Chazz appearing.

"The Grim Reaper?" Jaden and Allen asked the black coat Slifer.

"So, you know about it too?" Lyra asked also.

"I only heard about it while I was at North Academy." Chazz replied, walking up to Lucien and taking the card necklace off his sleeping form. Inside, the Grim Reaper's card was placed. "It was supposed to be locked away, until this guy supposedly freed it."

"North Academy deals with spirits as well?" Jaden wondered.

"It would appear so..." Lyra replied.

* * *

Chazz and the gang brought Lucien to finish resting at the infirmary. Lyra leaning against the wall, near the door, while Allen, Jaden and Chazz watched over the sleeping Lucien. The latter of the group scanned through his Duel Pilot, scrolling through the list of GX tournament participants until he came across Lucien's profile.

"Here it is." He said, showing the profile to everyone near. "Lucien Grimley; a student duelist from the North..."

"Don't this school and North Academy have a big rivalry?" Allen asked.

"Yeah, they do," Jaden replied. "The schools usually have a big dueling face-off every year, but we skipped it this year for the tournament." He then gave a happy grin. "Of course, Duel Academy always wins!"

"I know, now be quiet or you'll wake up this guy!" Chazz shouted.

"Hey, what's going on?"

The three guys suddenly turned to see Lucien wide awake and frantically looking around the room.

"Too late..." Allen pointed out.

"Alright, where are my cards?" Lucien growled.

"Chill out dude, its right here." Jaden stated as he handed over the North Academy duelist's duel disk and pre-shuffled deck inside. Lucien then snatched it away and then took the time to search through the deck. "It's alright, pal. We didn't go through your deck or anything."

"You better not..." the North Academy duelist stated as he still skimmed through his cards.

"Cranky, aren't you?" the Slifer asked.

"We can't always be as happy as you..." Chazz scoffed.

Lucien then looked up from his cards and stared directly into the boys' faces. "Wait a sec, you're Jaden Yuki and Chazz Princeton!"

"It's the Chazz..." the Ojama duelist corrected.

"You're a couple of the duelists leading this tournament!" Lucien proclaimed. He then looked around the room again, staring at Allen and then Lyra. "And then you two are rising up as well... so, anyone feel like losing to my unbeatable deck?"

"I don't know about dueling someone who was just passed out a few minutes ago," Allen shrugged.

"Spare me..." Lyra replied in a bored tone. "Besides, the only reason you'd think you're unstoppable is because of a dangerous spirit..."

Lucien gasped as he reached for his card necklace... only to discover it was gone!

"Hey, where is it?" He demanded. "Tell me right now! You don't what you're dealing with!"

"You don't either..." Chazz stated. "That's why I got it stashed somewhere... What were you thinking releasing that thing in the first place? The Grim Reaper spirit is dangerous!"

"I don't care..." Lucien scoffed.

"So, you just want to throw away your soul just to win?" Lyra asked coldly. "I know the legend of the pact... it's a miracle you survived more than one duel with that spirit around."

"Whoa, for real?" Allen and Jaden gasped.

"It's true." Chazz proclaimed. "Why do you think it was locked up?"

"I unlocked it to win!" Lucien shouted. "At North Academy, I used to lose every time because I couldn't draw the right cards! I was the lowest rank of this year's class because of it! I made a choice then: to get some help!"

"So you call selling your soul to the Grim Reaper, getting help?" Allen asked. "That's twisted..."

Lucien gripped the sheets of his bed tightly, "So what? What's a measly soul compare to winning... especially when the Reaper promised me victory in the tournament!" Suddenly, the skull tattoo started to unleash its smoke and surround Lucien's right arm as he raised it up high. "Harvester of souls, return to my deck! If you want my soul, then keep your pact and bring me victory!"

Afterwards, the dark wind conjured up causing everyone to take cover. During the storm, the infirmary doors opened up and in came Dr. Crowler with a possessed look on his face. And in his hand, was the card necklace containing the Grim Reaper's card inside. Thinking fast, Lucien stopped the storm and ran over to the possessed teacher to snatch the card and ran out of the room. Lyra recovered from the storm first and made chase.

Then, Jaden, Allen and Chazz recovered as well just in time to see Crowler collapsed on an infirmary bed.

"What just happened?" Jaden wondered.

"Lucien called the Grim Reaper and then ran off that's what." Chazz growled. "But how; I had it protected!"

"By who?" Allen asked.

The black coat Slifer sighed as his Ojama Spirits came to him... beaten and battered down.

 _"Sorry Chazz," Ojama Angel apologized. "The Grim Reaper eluded us..."_

 _"Besides, you didn't think we could hold him down after that weird smoke kicked us outta your hiding place?"_ Ojama Yellow whined.

 _'Thanks for nothing..._ ' Chazz thought in anger.

"Wait, where's Lyra?" Allen asked, snapping the Ojama duelist out of his thoughts. "You don't think she went after Lucien?"

"Knowing the legend of the Grim Reaper as well as Chazz does, it's possible." Jaden replied.

"Then let's go, already!" Chazz shouted as the three boys ran out of the infirmary, leaving Crowler to sleep...

* * *

Outside of the main building, Lyra ran out to the front of the building and looked around.

"Lucien, where are you?" She demanded.

"Right here!" She turned around to Lucien placing the Grim Reaper's card around his neck. He then activated his duel disk. "As much as I like to take out Jaden or Chazz to take the top of the charts, I think another warm-up match will get me ready!"

Lyra sighed and rolled her eyes, activating her duel disk. "It won't be a mere warm-up... and it won't be an easy victory, despite your use of that Grim Reaper spirit. Toying with death won't get you far with me blocking your path."

Both players drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Lyra: 8000

Lucien: 8000

"Let's go," Lyra said monotonously as she drew her sixth card and placing it on the field, "I start by placing one card facedown and ending my turn."

'Just one card... this ain't gonna cut it?' Lucien thought angrily, 'I want to destroy her in one turn! And to do that, I need eight cards on the field!'

Just then, Jaden, Allen and Chazz ran out of the main building to join up with the duel in progress.

"The duel's already started!" Jaden exclaimed, and then looked at Lyra's field. "But what's Lyra planning with only a single facedown card?"

"Relax, Jaden... she's got this under control." Allen assured the Slifer.

"And what makes you so sure?" Chazz asked the fairy duelist.

"Because I dueled against and alongside her..." The Obelisk stated. "It's probably something that discards from her hand like Depth Amulet. That way she could block attacks and prep her Infernities for their effects."

"Still, the Grim Reaper allows Lucien to draw any card he needs." The black coat Slifer replied. "Even though Lyra knows about the legend, does she have to cards to stop it?"

"Are you going to move... soon?" the Infernity duelist droned to the North Academy duelist. "Or is one card too much for you?"

"You're gonna regret that!" Lucien shouted as he drew his sixth card, setting another card onto his field. "I summon Mystic Tomato to the field in attack mode!" In a bright flash, the maniacal face of the living tomato appeared, and gave a big grin. (4/1400/1000) "Attack her life points directly!"

At the duelist's command, the living tomato hopped towards the Goth. Before the blow could hit her head, Lyra nonchalantly held up her duel disk in defense and blocked it.

Lyra: 6400

Lucien: 8000

"Done now?" Lyra continued her questioning. "I thought you were going to show me this 'impressive One-Turn Kill' you've been so proud about."

"I can still show you all the gates to Hell!" the North Academy duelist announced, activating a spell card depicting a blonde, angelic Goddess giving off a seductive aura and look. "I activate the spell, Temptation of the Goddess! With this card, I can look at your hand and if you got any Level 4 or below monsters in your hand, I can force you to play one of them!"

"Cards that force your opponent to play their own cards," Jaden wondered. "How's that helpful?"

"He must have a big reason for it to be in his deck," Allen stated.

"Now, dearly departed, unveil your hand so that I may proceed with your cremation!" Lucien grinned to his opponent. Lyra shrugged as she turned over her five-card hand. She had Infernity Zero, Infernity Death Gunman, Infernity Necromancer, Infenity Signaler and Infernity Launcher. "You had monsters in your hand and didn't play them? Well, I make sure it's one of the cards that die, so put Infernity Signaler on the field!"

"As you wish..." Lyra stated as she placed the monster card on her field, letting the pipe smoking fiend on the field. (4/1000/1000) She then retaliated by flipping over her facedown card. It was a trap card depicting a spiral flame approaching a giant meteor. "But now, I activate the trap card Meteor Flare! Since you have at least 3000 life points, I can send two of my cards into the graveyard and then deal 2000 points of damage to you!"

Lucien cringed as he saw Lyra placed Infernity General and Infernity Death Gunman into her graveyard, and then a bright red flash in the sky caught everyone's eye. What they saw was giant, flaming meteor appear that startled everyone but Lyra and then crushing into the North Academy duelist.

Lyra: 6400

Lucien: 6000

"2000 life points with just one card, nice!" Jaden cheered.

"It's no Depth Amulet, but it sure packs a punch." Allen nodded.

"I'm not worried." Lucien smirked. "A little peeved that you damaged my life points before I finished my OTK, but that's alright," He then inserted another spell card into his disk, showing the same Goddess from the first spell card, but this time she was playing around with an Obelisk duelist's hand. "Next, I play Mischief of the Goddess. This forces you to play a spell or trap card from your hand! And if memory serves right, you have Infernity Launcher, so place that on the field."

Lyra silently inserted the named spell card into her disk, letting its reversed image onto the field.

"Keep up with the silent treatment; I have you scared soon enough once I play this final spell card!" He then held up a third spell card, revealing a dark portal in the sky with the Ultimate Obedient Fiend's hand grabbing a monster a purple monster whose face resembled the Mask of Dispel. "I use the Obligatory Summon spell card, forcing you to fill up your monster card zone with monster that has the same attribute as your Infernity Beast!"

"Another card that forces her to play cards..." the Ojama duelist stated as Lyra went through her deck and pulled out four cards from it, reshuffled the deck and placed into her disk. "My guess is he'll have something to destroy her monster that destroys monsters and leave Lyra with nothing to defend herself. But, what about that OTK he's planning?"

"I summon these 4 monsters: Infernities Dwarf, Beast, Randomizer and General to the field!" Lyra announced, placing all four cards onto her field in attack mode, bringing out the small, grey-skinned dwarf, the Doberman fiendish beast, the red-haired, native-looking fiend, and a new monster clad in black and gold armor, carrying large blade with the same color scheme. (2/800/400), (3/1600/1200), (1/900/0), (7/2700/1500)

"Hey, she's got another new one." Allen pointed out to the final Infernity monster. "I wonder what she's planning to do with that..."

"With 2700 ATK, she'll be able to deal some real damage like what that Meteor Flare did." Jaden replied.

"Now it's time..." Lucien said, with a vindictive look on his face. "...To end your existence in the GX tournament, by activating the Slash Draw spell card!"

The boys gasped seeing the spell card image appear on the field; Armed Samurai – Ben Kei reaching out to draw his swords.

"Is this how he makes his OTK?" Chazz wondered.

Lucien grinned. "That's right! First, I send several cards from the deck into the graveyard, equal to the number of cards on the field... that's seven." He explained, while taking 7 cards from the top of the deck into the discard slot. He then placed his fingertips on the next top card. "Then, I must draw this next card and if it's Slash Draw, I can destroy all cards on the field and then hit you for 1000 points of damage for each one."

"And with 7 cards that's 7000 life points!" Jaden said in shock. "Lyra will lose the duel!"

"Wait a sec; after dropping 7 cards from your deck, you expect to draw another Slash Draw card?" Allen asked indifferently. "Lucien must've dropped one of them, or most likely both."

"I told you; Lyra's finished." Chazz said, shaking his head.

The reaper duelist had a big laugh at everyone's comments, while holding out his tattooed right hand. "Who says I'm drawing it? With the power of the Grim Reaper, he'll be the one giving me victory!"

Lyra narrowed her eyes as Lucien raised his hand and chanted.

"Grim Reaper; unlock yourself from the shadows and grant me victory!"

Soon, the dark mist from his hand surrounded him and the Grim Reaper revealed itself, in spirit form.

 _ **"My price... is your soul!"**_ It responded.

Lucien smirked and announced, "Agreed!"

Both he and the Grim Reaper shared a dark laugh as the former prepared to draw, while everyone waited on bated breath.

"Now...FAREWELL!" Lucien shouted as he drew the next card, unleashing a bright arc of energy that cut up Lucien's Mystic Tomato and then extinguished Lyra's monsters and facedown card. The Goth cried out in pain as the light passed over her and blanked her out.

"Lyra!" Allen and Jaden shouted, as Chazz looked away from the Goth's position towards Lucien, carrying a second copy of Slash Draw. Lyra on the other hand, looked like she was on her last legs with her hair covering her face.

"That's it, game over!" the reaper duelist proclaimed. "Nice try, but your medals are mine."

"I don't think so..." Lyra whispered. "This duel's not over yet..."

"Huh?" Everyone wondered as they reviewed the scores of both opponents.

Lyra: 0

Lucien: 6000

"What is she talking about?" Chazz wondered. "Her life points hit zero! That's about as over as it's going to get!"

"That is pretty strange..." Jaden stated.

Then Allen gasped, "Wait a minute, what's happening to Lyra?"

The boys looked at Lyra again and saw a dark aura surrounding her, creating a light wind that blew her hair, coat and skirt slowly. The dark aura started to move from Lyra's form and make its way towards the field, morphing itself into form of its own. It looked like a small totem pole with numerous eyes all over the body and head. The torso and eyes, however, has infinity symbols around them. (1/0/0)

"Hey, why's there a monster on your field and this duel not stopped?" Lucien protested.

"It's because of your foolish plot to destroy me by dealing effect damage to win." Lyra replied. "Once that happens, I discard every card in my hand, except this monster... Infernity Zero!"

"Infernity Zero, wow..." Allen whistled.

"While this monster is on the field, I can't lose the duel with zero life points." The Goth explained. "And don't bother using card effects, because he can't be destroyed by them."

Lucien growled in frustration, "That's way too broken; you can't lose?"

"This coming from a person using a spirit to draw for him..." Lyra shot back. "At least my card has a proper downside: Every time I lose 500 life points, Infernity Zero gains 1 Death Counter on it. When it has three of those counters, it destroys itself, leaving me to lose the duel."

Lyra: ZERO: 0DC

Lucien: 6000

"Looks like Lyra turned Slash Draw to her advantage." Chazz smirked.

"Right, because now she doesn't have any cards in her hand!" Jaden exclaimed.

"Meaning Lyra's at her best." Allen added. "Still, she's gotta keep on her toes to keep Death Counters off Infernity Zero."

"This is not good..." Lucien said, looking at his dark mist covered hand. "My OTK never fails..."

"Against me... it will." Lyra stated, cryptically. "Now you'll see what facing death is like... with my life points at zero, and I can continue dueling... you can say I'm the living dead."

"How dare you mock the Reaper!" the reaper duelist shouted.

"I don't, I mock you." She replied. "And to continue with my move, I can use the effect of my Infernity Signaler. When it's destroyed when I have no cards in my hand, I can summon a Level 4 or below Infernity from my deck." She continued, taking a card from her deck. "I bring out, Infernity Guardna in defense mode!" After she slapped down her card, a hulking, fiendish warrior in black armor, with massive black spearhead-shaped shields attached to both forearms. (4/0/2200)

"Nice, a save from losing by life points and two new monsters," Allen smiled.

Lucien growled as he inserted his final card into his disk, "I place one card facedown and end my turn!"

"Finally..." the Ra said as she drew her next card. "I place one card facedown card, and then activate an effect from my graveyard... My Infernity General..." She announced as the armored Infernity monster's spirit appeared behind her. "Since I hold no cards in my hand, I can remove it from the graveyard to summon two Infernity monsters, also from the grave. But they have to be at level 3 or below..."

She then removed the General from her discard slot and pocketed it, and took another two Infernity monsters from her graveyard.

"I summon back Infernity Beast and Infernity Randomizer!" She announced, placing the monster cards on her disk, prompting the dark dog and native to return to the field. (3/1600/1200), (1/900/0)

"Now she has two monsters to deal some damage!" Jaden cheered.

"Infernity Randomizer, attack his life points directly!" Lyra commanded as the fiend swung its body around to aim its double-sided gun at the North Academy duelist.

"Not so fast," Lucien interrupted, revealing his facedown card. "I activate Call of the Haunted to revive a monster from my graveyard... come forth, my Invincible Demise Lord!" Appearing from the trap card, a large, demonic figure appeared from the card. It happened to be another reaper monster in a black cloak and devil's helmet with a purple cape. He also carried a scythe, as tall as he was. (6/1300/2000)

"I'll cancel Randomizer's attack, and move onto my Beast..." the Ra countered as Randomizer backed off and Beast stepped up. "Go, Hell Howling!" The beast let out a bone-chilling howl, sending a shockwave to destroy the reaper monster.

Lyra: ZERO: 0DC

Lucien: 5700

"And that ends my turn." She concluded.

Lucien laughed, "I may not have an OTK off, but I will win in two turns! Because when Invincible Demise Lord is destroyed in battle, I can re-summon from the graveyard with a bonus... immunity from card effect destruction and his ATK becomes 3000!"

The boys gasped as Invincible Demise Lord returned from the dead, removing his cape and unleashing dead souls from his scythe. (6/1300-3000/2000)

"Oh great, now it has enough ATK to give Lyra three Death Counters!" Chazz growled.

"We better hope Lyra's facedown card does something..." Jaden added.

"Prepare to die!" Lucien shouted as he drew. "Demise Lord, destroy Infernity Randomizer and remove Lyra from this duel!" He commanded, as the tall reaper flew across the field and prepared to slice the native Infernity.

"Now you hold it!" Lyra countered, revealing a trap card that showed a pitch-black shield. "I reveal the Shield of Purgatory trap card. As long as this card's out and I'm handless, I can negate 1 attack per turn!"

The shield emerged from its card and took its place in front of Randomizer, taking the slash from Demise Lord's scythe.

"That was close..." Allen sighed.

"Yeah, lucky she drew that card last turn to protect herself." Jaden replied.

"Figures..." Lucien muttered, staring Lyra directly in the face. "You would be able to draw the card you need... all because of luck. But that's one thing I never had, despite my skill! That's why I have the Grim Reaper to help me out to draw any card I need!"

"A soul is not worth that..." Lyra said softly. "Even if I continuously lost the way you did..."

"You wish!" the N. Academy duelist proclaimed. "If you were in my predicament, you'd do the same!"

"I don't cheat death to win..." the Goth continued. "Using the Grim Reaper just to draw every card you need... it just makes you a quitter and a coward. Also, your soul is not even yours to begin with; how could you barter it for the power to win?"

'Wow, I was just thinking the same thing...' Allen thought surprisingly. 'Then again, she does hate unjust deaths, as she puts it...'

"Enough of this," Lucien scoffed, "You're just jealous of the power I've received! Now back to the duel, I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn!"

"My move," Lyra announced as she drew her single card. "I switch both monsters into defense mode and then place another card facedown." She concluded as both of her monsters backed up a few steps and defended themselves, while a reversed card appeared next to Shield of Purgatory.

"Soon, your luck's going to run out!" Lucien shouted as he drew his next card. "First, I flip up my facedown monster, the Des Feral Imp!" He announced, letting his facedown monster flip over to reveal a strange reptilian monster with dark green skin, tan underbelly and spikes running down its back. (4/1600/1800) "Thanks to this monster, I can take any card from my graveyard and shuffle it back into my deck. Such as my Slash Draw card..."

"And thanks to the Grim Reaper, he'll draw it soon." Chazz said as Lucien took the favored card from his discard slot and shuffled them into his deck. "Meaning, Infernity Zero might not be there for long."

"It can't be destroyed period," Allen noted.

"But it can be removed from the game." The black coat Slifer countered. "It has to be on the field to maintain Lyra's stand in the duel."

"Alright, now I can use Card of Sanctity to draw out six cards that I need, plus block out your trap's effect!" Lucien announced as both players drew out their six cards. "Now, I use the Heavy Storm to destroy your facedown card and your Shield!"

"I retaliate by using my facedown card, Full Salvo to send my hand into the graveyard and deal 200 points of damage for each card inside!" Lyra continued, revealing her facedown trap card. It then transformed into six glowing bullets and fired at Lucien's disk.

Lyra: ZERO: 0DC

Lucien: 4500

Finally, the harsh windstorm broke down the dark shield.

"That had to hurt him..." Chazz smirked.

"Minor setback, I activate my Slash Draw Spell card again!" Lucien announced, placing 6 of his cards into his graveyard.

"He must have a third Slash Draw in his deck," Jaden realized. "Even though Infernity Zero can't be destroyed, everything else can!"

"Lyra must have a card somewhere in her graveyard that she can use..." Allen stated. "She can avoid damage to herself if that monster she used to save us both in Domino City."

"And with the power of the Reaper, he'll be able to get out the final Slash Draw." Chazz concluded.

"Wrong..." Lyra interrupted causing everyone to gasp. "Lucien will draw the card... by himself... that is if he didn't give up on himself completely..."

"What do you know about me?" Lucien snapped.

"From what I gathered... you're just afraid... and probably never had complete faith in yourself to win any duels." The Goth stated. "Tell me... did your deck have compatible cards before this current one?" Lucien widened his eyes. "Exactly... and even if you had a strategy that was all over the place, you never bothered to draw the right card because of your lack of faith and focus. The Grim Reaper will just feed on your insecurity until you're dead. And you can't expect to be the best, if your soul is gone..."

" _ **And yet, without me he'll face defeat and embarrassment..."**_ the Grim Reaper said as he emerged from its monster card. _**"Also, we made a pact! Do not listen to that foolish girl!"**_

Lucien gripped his smoke covered hand, fighting the urge to draw. "He's right... I can't break the pact..."

"Yes you can, if you trust yourself to draw the right card..." Lyra shouted. "Forget your doubts and draw for yourself!"

 _ **"Draw with my power, and you'll win this duel and I'll win your soul!"**_ the Reaper urged.

Lucien sighed and closed his eyes. "No deal..."

 _ **"WHAT!?"**_

"Lyra's right, I need to have faith in my cards." Lucien stated as he ripped the Grim Reaper's card case away from his neck. "Besides, last time I had your help it failed in bringing her down. So now, our deal is null and void!"

" _ **NO!"**_ the spirit shouted as Lucien threw away his monster card.

"And to make sure I draw myself..."

Suddenly, Lucien chucked his duel disk right off his left arm and into the air. Then, he raised his right arm and slipped the duel disk on.

"Whoa, he switched arms!" Jaden exclaimed.

Lyra smirked. "Finally, I can have a real duel with a real duelist..."

"Thanks for saving me Lyra..." Lucien smiled before placing his fingertips on his deck. "But I'm still going to win!"

He drew the next card of his deck and smiled at his find...

Slash Draw!

"He drew it!" Allen gasped.

"Say goodbye!" Lucien shouted as a dark smoke enveloped the field, with a series of pixel explosions being heard. The smoke cleared, leaving Lucien's Invincible Demise Lord and Lyra's Infernity Zero and Guardna.

"Wait, Guardna wasn't destroyed?" Chazz wondered.

"When I have no cards in my hand, Infernity Guardna is immune to card effect destruction." Lyra announced.

"Still, with my Des Feral Imp and your other two Infernity monsters gone, you lose 3000 life points." Lucien smirked. "Meaning, your Infernity Zero gains 3 counters and destroys himself!"

*CLICK*

Lucien tensed up hearing that clicking sound and something cold pressed against his duel disk arm.

"Huh..." He turned to the left and let out a startled gasp as he stared into the face of a demon with a white horned skull for head stood right next to him, pointing a pistol at his Duel Disk. It wore an opened red coat, revealing a green body with a set of red eyes staring, blue jeans and a holster strapped to its hip. (1/0/0)

"I would have if it weren't for my Infernity Death Gunman's effect." Lyra countered. "When I discarded my hand for Infernity Zero's effect, it was sent to the graveyard. And since I have no cards in my hand, I could remove it to negate the battle damage." She then placed her fingertips on her next card. "Now, you decide on my next move. If you choose to accept, I'll draw the top card of my deck and reveal it. If it's a monster card, you lose the 3000 points I would have lost. If not, I lose double the damage, 6000. You can skip it altogether, but overall I'll be safe."

"This is how she won our tag duel against the Light Brigade..." Allen thought.

"She can't win," Chazz whispered. "Most of her monster cards were sent to the graveyard..."

"You never know…" Jaden replied.

"And to tell you the truth," Lyra smiled, "I've forgotten how many monster cards are in my deck... with all of the discarding and you playing Obligatory Summon to force some out as well."

 _'Hmm... I could draw it, because I'm still in...'_ Lucien thought. _'But... I owe her a real duel now...'_

"I stand down!" He announced, letting Death Gunman vanish. The N. Academy duelist then inserted another card from his hand. "I'll win the old-fashioned way by using Fairy Meteor Crush to allow piercing damage!"

Everyone gasped as a bright aura surrounded the Lord.

"Now, attack Infernity Zero!" Lucien commanded as his tall reaper monster leapt into the fray.

"I activate the other effect of my Infernity Guardna!" Lyra interrupted. "When another Infernity Monster is targeted for an attack, I can redirect it to him!"

As Invincible Demise Lord closed in on Infernity Zero and struck with its scythe, Infernity Guard jumped in the way and took the attack, exploding into pixels. Afterwards, the pixels were absorbed into Zero and created a flaming number 1 inside it.

Lyra: ZERO: 1DC

Lucien: 4500

"That must be a Death Counter." Jaden claimed. "Good thing she had Guardna take the fall, otherwise it would've been a number 3 on it."

"It also means she needs to get that monster off the field now," Allen added. "One more attack, the next two counters will be on it."

"Nice save," Lucien praised. "You get to last a bit longer. It's your turn now, better hope you get your card."

"Thank you." Lyra replied, drawing her lone card. She then smirked at Lucien. "Too bad, you should've taken the chance on my Infernity Death Gunman. I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Energy Drain. Now I can drop your Demise Lord's attack straight to zero, and I get to make another draw!" The spell card image emerged onto the field, unleashing a green energy that sapped the strength of the Demise Lord. (6/3000-0/2000) Lyra then made another draw. "Another good card; I use Burial from a Different Dimension to place Infernity General and Death Gunman back into my graveyard."

"Now she can use their special abilities again," Chazz realized as the Goth placed her two monsters into the graveyard. "And it helps, just in case Lucien pulls a card that deals effect damage."

"I now remove Infernity General from play again to summon back Infernity Beast and Randomizer from the graveyard!" Lyra announced as she removed her monster card from the game, unleashing the dark Doberman and the dark native shooter (3/1600/1200), (1/900/0). "Attack his Demise Lord and his life points with Hell Howling and Hell Roulette!"

At the duelist's command, Randomizer floated over to the middle of the field, pointing its gun at the Demise Lord and fired a bullet into its chest, exploding it into pixels.

Lyra: ZERO: 1DC

Lucien: 3600

Then, Infernity Beast let out a dark flame from its maw and blasted Lucien in the chest.

Lyra: ZERO: 1DC

Lucien: 2000

"Now, let's see how you respond without ultimate monster." The Infernity duelist challenged. "I end my turn."

"Trust me, I'll get my card I need and when I do, you won't be able to get through my defense!" Lucien smiled as he drew his next card, bringing his hand to four. "And with these four cards, I'll be able to take you down in two turns!"

"Then let's see it..." Lyra pried. "Back up your words..."

"With pleasure," the N. Academy duelist announced, turning over one of his cards, "I activate Polymerization to fuse my Spirit Reaper with my Nightmare Horse, creating the one and only Reaper on the Nightmare!"

The boys gasped and Lyra glared as the dark mists that formed in the sky. Along with the purple cloaked skeleton, a small horse made of blue flames and mummy bandages flew into the dark mists, beginning to merge. Seconds later, Spirit Reaper rode the Nightmare Horse out of the dark mists, both larger than their normal size. (5/800/600)

"That monster retains both fusion material monsters' effects!" Jaden realized. "If Lyra can draw another card that targets, she can destroy it."

"And she'll need it too; Infernity Beast and Randomizer can't do enough damage to send Lucien's points to 0." Chazz stated.

"Reaper on the Nightmare, go and attack Lyra directly with Dark Flame Scythe!" Lucien commanded, as his Reaper rode across the field and then struck the Goth with a quick slash of its scythe. The flaming number 1 appeared and transformed into a 2.

Lyra: ZERO: 2DC

Lucien: 2000

"And to make sure you don't strike back with anything, I'll activate my continuous spell card, the Messenger of Peace to end my turn!" Lucien concluded, inserting a spell card that depicted a man in church clothing, holding a red book and holding out his hand in peace. "Now I can prevent monsters with at 1500 ATK from attack, meaning you can't touch me!"

"Never thought he had something like that in his deck." Allen muttered. "But it's getting the job done because only Infernity Randomizer can attack... but Lyra's deck only has one card I know of that can win this, that Infernity Burst card. Since she has 3 Infernity monsters, she can deal 2400 points of damage."

"What's she going to do now?" Jaden wondered. "She can't attack to deal enough damage."

Lyra shrugged, "Looks like it's just down to my luck of the draw."

"Looks like it," Lucien agreed. "Either you make a winning draw, or it's a dead one."

"Well then, let's see!" Lyra shouted as she drew her next card. When she looked at it, she put on a straight face and played card. "I summon the Shadowpriestess of Ohm!"

Everyone put on a confusing look, hearing a non-Infernity monster card being announced. A dark portal opened up to reveal a woman with long, grey hair wearing dark priestess robes. In her hands, she carried a set of dark whips. (4/1700/800)

"But she has 1700 ATK," Lucien protested. "With my Messenger of Peace, you can't attack with her!"

"It's still a lucky draw," the Goth stated. "While I may not be able to launch attacks to win, your life points are soon to be zero, thanks to my Shadowpriestess' effect. By sacrificing a DARK monster on my side of the field, I can deal 800 points of damage. And due to the fact, that I have enough of them... you lose."

"If you give up the Infernity Zero, you'll lose before he does!" Chazz pointed out.

"Thanks for the info, but not needed." Lyra droned. "But I can also sacrifice the Shadowpriestess herself to deal the damage. Along with Infernity Beast and Randomizer, that's 2400 points and more than enough to defeat Lucien."

Lucien sighed as the Shadowpriestess transformed both Infernity monsters into pitch-black flames with a mystic chant. Then, she fired them directly at the North Academy duelist as he braced for impact. Finally, she herself erupted into flames and she charged at her opponent, blasting him with dark embers and ending the game.

Lyra: ZERO: 2DC, Winner

Lucien: 0

The holograms disappeared from the field as Lyra nodded at the outcome.

"A good duel..." She said, "You may have lost, but I saw the real duelist battling me instead of the Grim Reaper's pawn."

"Yeah," Lucien nodded. "At least I went out as myself. And the next time I duel, I plan winning as myself."

"Good to hear," Lyra stated as she took out a black handkerchief and wrapped it around the Grim Reaper's card. "Now, let's find a place to lock this thing up..."

"Let's go talk to Chancellor Sheppard, I bet he know where to put it..." Allen stated. "Though he may be sleeping around this hour..."

"I'll keep watch over it then..." the Goth replied as she left for the Yellow Dorm.

"I can do that." Chazz stated.

"After the Ojamas messed up," Jaden whispered.

"Shut up, Slacker..." Chazz growled as he left for the Red Dorm, the E-Hero.

Allen chuckled as he followed after them.

* * *

In the woods, Alexis, Claudio and Melody were walking around in search of Kenji.

"He's just gotta be here," Claudio stated, "Kenji wouldn't be at the dorms or buildings... what could he be doing?"

"Winning duels apparently," Melody replied, "Kenji quickly shot up in the ranks, swiftly winning duels..."

The J-Hero duelist grumbled, "No doubt he's using Obelisk the Tormentor to win then all... with power like that at his disposal..."

"He didn't," Alexis sighed, "Otherwise, he'd be easy to find..."

"And we will," the Magician duelist assured her. "No matter how hard it'll be. Taking out the Society's getting easier, but Kenji will be a different story."

Alexis then pulled out her deck and took out certain cards, namely the Street Fighter cards in her deck. She remembered how Kenji helped her add more variety in her deck, knowing her lack of suitable monster cards of the Cyber Girl archetype. Then she turned her sight to the headband she wore that once belonged to the Ninja duelist before his defection to the Society, giving her more reason to go through with her mission...

 _'I will get you back, Kenji...' She thought, 'Whatever's controlling now, I'll make sure to break that hold...'_

"Alexis Rhodes, I finally found you!"

The Obelisk girl gasped and turned in the direction of the voice that called her name. Claudio and Melody also turned to see a muscular man wearing green cargo pants and a light-yellow flak jacket. He also had an exaggerated hairstyle consisting of a large forelock of blond hair.

"Finally, I can get my hands on the female half of the Street Fighter deck!" the man stated, staring straight at Alexis. "Are you ready to duel?"

"Okay... who are you?" Alexis droned.

"The name's Charlie, and I've come to claim your half of the Street Fighter deck as well." He declared.

"And why?" Claudio asked.

"I've been searching for those cards to complete my deck," Charlie stated. "I had to beat it out of a few duelists, but the information was worth it to know that a student duelist has it!"

"Wait, you beat information out of people?" Melody wondered, not liking how it sounded. "Like winning a few duels?"

"That and beating up a few people on my way to the island." The man grinned. "I just love a good fight!"

Alexis grumbled and turned on her duel disk in a matter of seconds. "Already, I know you're not a good guy... so let's get this over with."

Charlie turned on his as well, "Good. Winner gets the other's cards as well as their medals!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

"DUEL!"

Alexis: 8000

Charlie: 8000

"I hope Alexis beats this guy," Melody said. "No way she'll lose her cards to this creep!"

"No joke, if he had to beat up people on his way here." Claudio added.

"I will start our fight!" Charlie announced, drawing his sixth card. Immediately, he played a spell card showing a large band of fighters getting ready to enter a martial-arts tournament ground, "I start with the Spell Card, All Fighters Welcome! Both players can now take a Street Fighter monster from their decks and play them in attack mode!"

"You're willing to help me out that much?" Alexis asked suspiciously as she pulled out her deck and searched for her card.

"I want to make this a proper battle between us." The strongman stated as he searched through his deck as well. "Since you have the cards, why not?"

The Obelisk girl took out her monster card, and placed on the field. "Then, I'll bring out my Street Fighter Ninja to the field!" She announced as the young teenage kunoichi appeared in a puff of smoke, readying her kunai. (4/1450/1650)

"And I'll bring out my Street Fighter Colonel!" Charlie countered, summoning a muscular man with light blue eyes, a chiseled jaw, and a particularly tall flattop blonde haircut. His style consisted of a green muscle shirt, camo pants and black combat boots. He also had dog tags around his neck. (4/1800/1400) "You see that I have the better monster!"

"But you'll be losing two cards from your hand, due to my Ninja's effect!" Alexis countered. "When she's special summoned, you have to discard two cards from your hand!"

Charlie narrowed his eyes in anger, as he discarded two of his from the hand. "That's why I'll take them off your hands when I win..."

"Man, this guy's obsessing over those cards way too much." Claudio said.

"The fact that Alexis has cards that he needs, it's a given..." Melody added.

"Next, I'll place one card facedown and summon the Street Fighter Spiritualist to the field in defense mode to end my turn!" the Street Fighter duelist continued, playing a new fighter that looked as if he originated from India. His build showed that he exercised regularly, with only three small skulls around his neck. He also wears torn saffron shorts as his only clothing attire as well as saffron wristbands and anklebands, and three colored stripes adorning his head. (3/1200/1200) He immediately got into a Yoga position and started floating in mid-air.

"Good move, but watch this," Alexis shouted as she drew her sixth card. "I start by activating the Graceful Charity spell card, allowing me to draw three cards and then discard two of them." She announced, drawing her three cards and then two from her overall hand. "Next, I'll summon Street Fighter Killer Bee in attack mode!" She continued, summoning out the blonde, green leotard-clad fighter who was raring to go. (4/2000/100) "Then, I'll add the A. Forces giving my warrior-type monster 200 points for each warrior or spellcaster-type monsters on my field!"

White auras surrounded Alexis' Street Fighters, boosting their attack power. (4/1450-1850/1650), (4/2000-2400/100)

"With that, she can beat both of his monsters!" Melody exclaimed.

"Killer Bee, attack his Street Fighter Colonel with Spiral Arrow!" Alexis commanded as the blonde fighter jumped into the air and then started spinning in a cork-screw manner with her feet leading towards the military fighter.

"Not gonna happen, I activate Staunch Defender!" Charlie countered, revealing his facedown card that depicted the Marauding Captain facing off against Despair from the Dark, "When you make an attack, I get to choose the target of your attack and then force your monsters to attack him. And I pick my Spiritualist to defend against both your monsters."

"That makes no sense," the J-Hero duelist muttered as Killer Bee changed direction towards the Spiritualist, being joined by the Ninja's kunai throws. "Spiritualist will get pummeled by Killer Bee, and Alexis' Ninja will beat Colonel."

But when both attacks neared their destination, Spiritualist started to stretch himself out of the way by leaning to the right from Killer Bee's attack, while leaning his head back from the kunai!

"What?" Alexis gasped.

"As long as Spiritualist is with another Street Fighter, he can't be destroyed by anything." Charlie laughed, "Meaning your turn was a bust!"

"And if can't be destroyed by anything, Alexis needs to get the other one off the field to get at him." The Magician duelist noted.

"I play a facedown to end my turn." Alexis concluded, inserting a reversed card into her disk.

"Good, now I'll be in the driver's seat!" the strongman stated as he drew his next card. "First, I switch Spiritualist to attack mode and then sacrifice Street Fighter Colonel and summon Street Fighter Hadou to the field!" He announced as the American fighter vanished in place of Japanese fighter whose attire consisted of medium-length brown hair, brown eyes, a long, red headband; a white karate gi with the sleeves ripped off at the shoulders, bare feet, and a black belt. (6/2400/1800) "And then his special ability kicks in! When he's Tribute Summoned by using another Street Fighter, I can pay 1000 life points to special summon his friend from the graveyard!"

Alexis gasped as Charlie collected a card from his graveyard, 'Oh no, I must have put it in the graveyard! No wonder he didn't worry much when I activated my monster's effect, he was counting on it!'

"Meet Street Fighter Rising Dragon," Charlie announced, bringing out a blond American fighter wearing a similar karate gi as Hadou, except his was red and wore brown sparring gloves. Once he saw Hadou, they exchanged friendly smiles before they went serious to their opponents. (6/2400/1800)

Alexis: 8000

Charlie: 7000

"Two monsters with 2400 ATK?" Melody gasped.

"And it gets worse," the strongman continued. "While they are on the field, they gain 500 ATK from each other!"

Alexis felt unnerved as saw the two men power themselves up with blue auras. (6/2400-2900/1800) x2

"Powering themselves up and can summon each other from the graveyard?" Claudio wondered. "This deck sounds alright to me, incomplete or not."

"Trust me; it'll make itself known when the time comes." Charlie continued, inserting his final card depicting a red energy gauge, filling up to the max. "Now, I activate my final card... the continous spell card Super Combo Gauge! But I'll show its effects, after Hadou and Rising Dragon takes out Street Fighter Ninja and Killer Bee!"

Both men pulled their arms back and charged up blue electrical energy in their hands. Once it was fully created into the size of a basketball, they thrust their hands to expel the energy and yelled: "HADOKEN!"

The first energy blast hit Ninja dead on, resulting in electrical explosion that made Alexis brace herself and Killer Bee weaker due to the A. Forces. (4/2400-2200/100)

Alexis: 6950

Charlie: 7000

Next, the second energy blast struck Killer Bee and obliterated her from the field as well.

Alexis: 6250

Charlie: 7000

"And now that your field is fresh, I can have Spiritualist attack you directly! Attack with Yoga Fire!" Charlie announced as the Spiritualist took in a deep breath and blew a large fireball heading straight for the Obelisk Girl.

"I'll block your attack, by activating Call of the Haunted!" Alexis countered, revealing her facedown trap card. "And you're not the only one that discarded powerful monsters from the hand! So, come out Street Fighter Crimson to the field!"

In a blaze of fire, a red-haired woman wearing an elaborate, black business suit that seemed more than meets the eye. Along with it, a pair of black gloves and high-heeled boots was worn. She stared directly at the trio of fighters that opposed her. (7/2500-2700/1200)

"Nice, she waited until he launched a direct attack to bring out a stronger monster!" Claudio cheered.

"And if she can get at least two more on the field, Alexis can beat one of the stronger monsters." Melody added.

"Clever aren't you," Charlie smirked, "I end my turn."

"And starts mine," Alexis announced as she drew. After looking at her overall hand, she nodded. "First, I special summon Street Fighter Purna to the field since you control at least 2 monsters more than I do!" In a blue flash, the Arabian Street Fighter appeared and got into a fighting pose. (6/2300-2700/1400), (7/2700-2900/1200)

"Then, I'll summon Street Fighter Warrior Princess in attack mode as well!" She continued, as a white-haired African woman appeared wearing only a a white two-piece bikini-like outfit with pale red, sky-blue, gold and purple bands on her neck, arms, wrists, shins, and ankles. (4/1850-2650/1500), (6/2700-2900/1400), (7/2900-3100/1200)

"Three for three, this will be cool." The Magician duelist smiled.

"First, I'll have Street Fighter Crimson attack Hadou with Shock Knuckle!" Alexis commanded as the red-haired woman rushed towards the white gi fighter and delivered a left hook to his gut, making him twitch with electricity and then an uppercut that made him explode into pixels. Rising Dragon gasped at the loss of his partner. (6/2900-2400/1800)

Alexis: 6250

Charlie: 6800

"When Crimson destroys a monster in battle, she deals an additional 200 points of damage times the level of the destroyed monster!" Alexis added. "Flare Kick!"

Swiftly, Crimson dashed over to the Street Fighter duelist and then placed a foot on him. Suddenly, a flame started up and pushed against Charlie to leave embers surrounding him and pushed her back towards Alexis.

Alexis: 6250

Charlie: 5600

"Let's keep this up; Purna, attack Rising Dragon with Dazzling Pirouette!" She continued as the Arabian Street Fighter started to spin rapidly with bright stars surrounding her, dealing a powerful kick that destroyed the second fighter.

Alexis: 6250

Charlie: 5100

"Now that he's alone, Spiritualist can be beaten by Warrior Princess! Attack with Wild Kick!" On command, the African fighter ran across the field towards the Indian. At first, she seemed was about to fall mid-run, but instead she landed on her hands and started to perform swift, powerful kicks that sent the Spiritualist flying.

Alexis: 6250

Charlie: 3650

"Finally, her attack activates her special ability, giving me 500 life points!" Alexis said as a white aura surrounded her, restoring some of her points.

Alexis: 6750

Charlie: 3650

"Sounds like this match won't last long," Claudio noted.

"I'll say," Melody added. "With all his monsters gone, Charlie's out of luck. Alexis' monsters will have enough power to take down any monster he tries to summon next."

"Is that so?" Charlie smirked. "I beg to differ, kids."

"What makes you say that?" Alexis asked. "You're top-decking right now, and you can't summon a monster powerful enough to take on mine!"

"The moment I played my first card, I knew you'd summon Street Fighter Ninja to make me discard and limit my choices." The strongman stated, "But since I could make the choices, I was able to make the best out of normally stressful situation. To clarify, when you destroyed Street Fighters Hadou and Rising Dragon in the same Battle Phase, you just summoned another monster card from the graveyard that discarded with your help!"

"Not again..." Alexis muttered, as Charlie took out another monster card from his graveyard.

"I bring out, Street Fighter Sensei in attack mode!" Charile announced, slapping the monster card on his disk. A white smoke expelled itself from the graveyard, bringing out an elderly man with a white beard and prayer beads around his neck. He wore a single sleeved, navy blue-colored karate gi and sports a long, white braid of hair adorned with a single prayer bead. (8/3000/2000) "Meet the Martial Artist Master that trained the two fighters needed to summon him. He was once thought dead after a battle with a dark martial artist that supposedly dealt a fatal blow."

"Great 3000 points, now what?" Claudio groaned.

"I end my turn with this card facedown." Alexis concluded, inserting a reversed card into her disk. 'I can make sure he doesn't go after my monsters... I can spare the life points for the moment.'

"It's my draw!" Charlie announced as he drew. "Looks like I got a second chance with Spellbook Inside the Pot, letting us both draw three cards from our decks!" He stated as he and Alexis drew their three cards. "And since I know you have a card waiting to ambush me. As I let Sensei, I'll use the spell card Hand-to-Hand Combat!"

Everyone gasped seeing the spell card, depicting two fighters preparing to charge at each other.

"That stops any spell or trap cards from being played on an attack!" Melody realized.

"Meaning one of Alexis' weaker monsters will be targeted!" Claudio added.

"And I'll take down the Princess!" the Strongman announced. "Sensei, attack with Gō Hadōken!"

On cue, the old man reeled in his right fist and charged up energy like how Hadou and Rising Dragon did with two. With battle cry, he thrust his fist out and launched the energy projectile at the Warrior Princess, blowing her away from the field. (6/2900-2700/1400), (7/3100-2900/1200)

Alexis: 5600

Charlie: 3650

"And then his special ability kicks in," Charlie continued as a red aura surrounded Alexis. "Instead of destroying any monster, he sends it to the bottom of the deck and then blasts you with the original ATK of the monster sent!"

Alexis: 3750

Charlie: 3650

"And then, I'll place one card facedown." He concluded. "Just like that, the battle shifts into my favor... you could never channel this archetype's power like I can."

"Don't back down, Alexis." Claudio called out. "The duel's not over yet."

"And we all know you can pull something out of your deck and make it work!" Melody stated. "Just keep finding that card!"

Alexis nodded as she drew her next card, 'The thing is, I already got my card out... but I need to make his monster weaker and mine's stronger somehow.' She then looked over the card she just drew and another card from her hand and inserted them into her disk, 'But I'll just save these two cards for later.' "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to help!" Charlie taunted as he drew his next card. "I move to my battle phase and activate the trap card, One-on-One Fight!" He announced, activating his facedown card. It depicted a sunset beach with two samurai planning to battle. "During the battle phase, we fight with our strongest monsters on the field! And with an added bonus, this also blocks all card effects from activating. Once again meaning your facedown cards and A. Forces are null and void!"

The Obelisk girl watched helplessly as Crimson was forced to engage in battle with Sensei with her original 2500 ATK. But it was a losing battle when she launched her flame-powered kick, Sensei quickly caught it and delivered a swift uppercut that turned her into pixels on impact, leaving Street Fighter Purna the last woman standing. (6/2700-2500/1400)

Alexis: 3550

Charlie: 3650

"Surrender now?" Charlie asked.

"Does this answer your question," Alexis countered as she drew her next card, "I play Stray Lambs to summon two Lamb Tokens to the field!" She started as two puffs of smoke brought out a yellow lamb and a white lamb who did notice anything around them. (1/0/0) x2 "Now, I'm not allowed to make a Normal Summon, but I can still sacrifice them to set a monster!" She continued as the both tokens vanished in place of a facedown monster card.

"I wonder what she has to even up the score..." Melody wondered.

"You'll see when I use Book of Taiyou to raise it up!" Alexis answered, inserting the spell card into her disk, causing the monster card to turn to vertical position and flip face up. "I flip summon, Street Fighter Fortuneteller!" She announced as a tall, curvy woman with long dark wavy hair appeared that also had violet eyes, a fair complexion, and a small mouth with full lips. She was clad a loose red evening gown with large gold buttons, a large golden scarf around her shoulders and arms, dark colored body stocking, and red high heels. (7/2400-2800/2100), (6/2500-2700/1400)

"She doesn't hold a candle to my monster!" Charlie protested.

"Not unless I activate her effect," Alexis countered, taking a coin out of her skirt pocket. "By flipping this coin, if I get the Heads result, she'll gain 600 ATK, enough to overpower your monster. But Tails will give your monster the 600!"

"She's leaving this to luck?" Claudio asked. "That's a first!"

"And I hope first time is the charm!" the Obelisk girl shouted before flipping the coin high into the air. Everyone watched as the coin rose, and then descended onto Alexis' hand. When she revealed it, she smiled and said, "Heads!"

"No!" the Street Fighter duelist shouted as the Fortune Teller's scarf started to glow, filling her with much needed power. (7/2800-3400/2100)

"Fortuneteller, attack with Future Strike!" Alexis commanded as her new fighter vanished before everyone's eyes. Then she reappeared right in front of Sensei, startling him before he was subjected to a flurry of chops and kicks from his opponent, smashing him into pixels.

Alexis: 3550

Charlie: 3250

"And I'm not done yet," Alexis continued, "Purna, Attack him directly!" The dazzling Street Fighter spun around in another pirouette, surrounded by flashing stars and then delivered a smashing kick the Charlie's jaw, making him stagger back.

Alexis: 3550

Charlie: 550

"I end my turn." Alexis concluded. 'I can with this duel with my facedown cards, all I need to do his spring them when he comes after me. I know he'll summon another strong monster soon, but I can weaken him with one card and then use Doble Passe to finish him off!'

"Nice, one more move and she'll win!" Claudio cheered.

"And she's doing it without the Cyber Girls too!" Melody smiled. "But then again, you don't get ahead in dueling by knowing just one set of cards... even if we all use specifics."

"Those cards will be mine!" Charlie shouted as he drew again. He laughed once he saw the card in his hand, "This is going to be fun... I use all sorts of Street Fighter cards in my deck, but I'm about to summon one of my best! In fact, it is the best!"

"What's so great about this one?" Alexis asked.

"This card is modeled after the brother of Street Fighter Sensei." Charlie replied. "Both this monster and he trained under the same Master, but walked down different paths... Sensei walked the path of self-defense, while this monster wanted to kill with his power."

The Academy Kids cringed at the thought of a fighter intentionally killing another.

"And with his opponents in the graveyard, I can summon the Street Fighter Demon to the field and have him help me win this duel!" He rejoiced slamming his card down on the tray. In a flash of dark fire, another fighter appeared by different than any other human being or monster alive. He had maroon hair and wore prayer beads around his neck, a charcoal gray dogi and a piece of twine around his waist in lieu of an obi. He gave a menacing glare to his opponents as he flared up. (9/3300/3000)

"3300 points?" Alexis whispered to herself, before gazing at her facedown cards. "It'll be a lot to take, but I can win during this turn."

"Before I make my attack, I'll use the effect of my Super Power Gauge now!" Charlie announced as his card vanished. "Since I've defeated at least 3 monsters, a Street Fighter monster I control gains 1000 ATK permanently! So now he's more a powerful force!" He shouted as a white-hot flame surrounded Demon, roaring uncontrollably. (9/3300-4300/3000) "And then I'll move onto my Battle Phase and attack your Street Fighter Purna with Zankou Hadoken! And during the battle phase, while he attacks, no effects are active meaning your girl's not at 2300!"

Alexis gasped, seeing her plan failing again while Street Fighter Demon launched his fist to unleash a dark blast at Purna, causing her to explode in an inferno! Everyone gasped in awe of the attack's devastion.

Alexis: 1550

Charlie: 550

"And it ain't over yet," the Street Fighter duelist continued, playing a spell card from his hand depicting Street Fighter Hadou fighting a tall, muscular man with a scar over his chest and eye-patch over his left eye. "I activate Second Impact, allowing a second attack!"

"If it hits Fortuneteller, Alexis is done fore!" Melody gasped.

"She'll lose her spot in the tournament, and those Street Fighter cards." Claudio added.

"Not yet, I activate Emergency Provisions!" Alexis interrupted, showing one of her three facedown cards. "Since you haven't made your attack declaration yet, I'll use this to send my facedown Doble Passe and gain 1000 life points!"

The facedown Doble Passe revealed itself and vanished, granting a white wind around Alexis to restore her health.

Alexis: 2550

Charlie: 550

"No matter..." Charlie waved off, but his voice betrayed the irritation he felt not being quick enough to strike. "Demon, destroy her Fortuneteller!" He shouted, as his monster unleashed another Zankou Hadoken, wiping Alexis' final monster off the field.

Alexis: 650

Charlie: 550

'If only she had a third monster on her field, I could activate Third Strike to destroy the next monster and finish off her points,' the Street Fighter mused. 'But no matter, she can't get out of this one...' "I end my turn, and I can't wait to have those cards!"

"You won't get those cards, understand?" Alexis snapped. "You only want them to collect... I keep them because a friend gave to me..." She stated, thinking about Kenji's current condition, "One I plan to help out after defeat you in this duel! In other words, this is the end for you!"

Melody gasped and Claudio whistled at the tone of their friend's voice as she drew her next card. Both were also thinking the same thing: 'Go get him, Alexis!'

"And how do you plan to beat me?" Charlie asked.

"By activating Monster Reborn," Alexis shouted, activating her spell card.

"But you don't have a monster powerful enough in your graveyard!" the Street Fighter duelist stated.

"It's why I'll go after one of yours!" She countered. "I revive Street Fighter Sensei from the graveyard, since you already summoned him with the normal requirements earlier!"

The ankh of Monster Reborn flashed its bright light, bringing back the elder fighter to combat his brother. (8/3000-3200/2000) Both Sensei and Demon glared at each other, their energies flaring up.

"Brother vs. Brother," Charlie mused. "I would be more thrilled if your monster wasn't on the losing end."

"Wrong again!" Alexis interrupted. "So far, all you've been doing lately is blocking me from playing any spells or trap cards during the battle phases. Well, now it's time I did something about it. Originally, I was going to use this card with my Doble Passe trap card, so that the attacks would be direct and I could win the duel. But now, I can just go for the direct approach and use this facedown card, Half Shut!"

Charlie gasped, while Melody and Claudio cheered as a white aura burned through Street Fighter Demon's body, draining him of his strength. (4/4300-2150/3000)

"And I hearing how Street Fighter Sensei wouldn't attack to kill, this is fitting! Attack Street Fighter Demon with Gō Hadōken!" the Obelisk announced, as the elderly Street Fighter rushed up to his demonic brother and fired his Gō Hadōken attack at point-blank range. It served to push the Demon far back into Charlie and knocking them both into the ground, ending the game.

Alexis: 650, Winner

Charlie: 0

The holograms disappeared from the field, leaving Alexis with a sigh of relief.

"Nice work, Alexis!" Claudio stated, giving her the thumbs up.

"You really showed how you took only half the monster crew in your deck, and still showed you're a powerful duelist." Melody smiled.

"Thanks guys," Alexis smiled back, and then turned to Charlie picking himself up from the ground. "All of his boasting about claiming my cards was starting to get to me though. I would've lost, if I didn't remember the reason I have these cards in the first place."

Charlie sighed as he took out his pouch of medals and started to take out his Street Fighter deck. "A deal's a deal..."

"One that I'm breaking," the Obelisk girl interrupted. "I'll just take the medals since I won an official GX duel."

"Yeah, but..."

"Nothing, I said keep them. I just hope you start to value your cards instead of using them as a way to take others' cards." Alexis told him. "Every duelist should cherish their cards, like friends who have their backs. They also represent what we see in ourselves, and how we bring it out every day."

Claudio and Melody smiled, knowing where she's coming from. Soon, Charlie gave a light smile as well...

"You're right," He said. "I should stop strong-arming people to get what I want... I'm going legit now..."

"Good," Alexis nodded. She then caught Charlie tossing the medal pouch to him. As he walked away, he had one more thing to say...

"You know, haven't seen any Dueling Champions that were girls," He stated, disappearing into the night, "You'd be a shoo-in with your attitude..."

"Hey, he's right," Melody stated. "It's about time, the ladies got their duel on winning major tournaments!"

Claudio laughed, "Well, you and Alexis are two of the toughest ones out there. You two would make the cut."

"But first..." Alexis stated, "I plan on waking up Kenji..."

"You and me both..." Claudio added as the trio decided to head back to their dorms for the night.

* * *

And... done!

Street Fighter Fortune Teller

LIGHT

Level 7

Spellcaster/Effect

2400/2100

This card is also treated as a Warrior-Type. Once per turn, flip a coin. Heads: This card gains 600 ATK until the end phase of your opponent's next turn. Tails: One of your opponent's monsters gains 600 ATK until the end of their next turn.

Crimson Viper

Street Fighter Crimson

Level 7

Warrior/Effect

FIRE

2500/1200

When this card destroys a monster in battle, deal 200 points of damage times the level of the destroyed monster.

Elena:

Street Fighter Princess

EARTH

Level 4

1850/1500

When this monster attacks while another 'Street Fighter' is on the field, you gain 500 life points.

Street Fighter Demon (Akuma)

Level 9

DARK

Warrior/Effect

3500/3000

This card cannot be special summoned or set. This card can only be special summoned by having Street Fighter Sensei in your graveyard. When this card battles, card effects cannot be activated and are negated during the Battle Phase.

Street Fighter Spiritualist (Dhalsim)

Level 3

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

1200/1200

While you control another face-up Street Fighter monster, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects.

Street Fighter Colonel (Guile)

Level 4

EARTH

Warrior

1800/1400

An American Army Force General, sworn to protect the rights of humanity from warlords

Street Fighter Hadou (Ryu)

Level 6

EARTH

2400/2400

Warrior/Effect

If you tribute summon this monster using a Street Fighter monster, pay 1000 life points to special summon Street Fighter Rising Dragon from your graveyard. This card gains 500 ATK for every face-up Street Fighter Rising Dragon on your side of the field.

Street Fighter Rising Dragon (Ken)

EARTH

Level 6

Warrior/Effect

2400/2400

If you tribute summon this monster using a Street Fighter monster, pay 1000 life points to special summon Street Fighter Hadou from your graveyard. This card gains 500 ATK for every face-up Street Fighter Hadou on your side of the field.

Street Fighter Sensei (Gouken)

Level 9

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

3000/2000

This card cannot be special summoned or set. This card can only be special summoned by having Street Fighter Rising Dragon and Street Fighter Hadou in your graveyard after being destroyed in the same Battle Phase. If this monster battles another monster weaker than this card, after damage calculation, send the monster that battled it to the bottom of the owner's deck and deal damage equal to monster's original ATK.

All Fighters Welcome!

Normal Spell Card

Activate when both players have no monster cards on the field. Both players Special Summon 1 Level 4 or below "Street Fighter" monster from each other decks, if possible.

Second Impact

Quick-Play Spell Card

Activate after a "Street Fighter" monster you control destroys an opponent's monster. The same monster that attacked this round may attack again.

Third Strike

Normal Trap Card

Activate after the effect of "Second Impact" resolves. Destroy 1 monster you opponent controls and deal damage equal to its ATK.

Super Combo Gauge

Continuous Spell Card

When a Street Fighter monster you control destroys a monster in battle, place one Combo counter this card. (Max: 3) On your Main Phase 1, you can remove any number of Combo Counters on this card to let 1 "Street Fighter" monster you control gain 1000 ATK permanently. The monster affected by this card is the only one that can attack this turn.

(The Street Fighter cards' creative rights go to me, while the characters, moves, etc. go to Capcom for the overall creation.)

Hand to Hand Combat

Quick-Play Spell Card

Activate only during your own Battle Phase when you declare an attack. Negate the effects of any Spell or Trap Cards that are activated, until the end of the Damage Step.

(This card was used by Ted Banias in the R manga. Creative rights go the creators of the manga.)

One-on-One Fight

Normal Trap Card

Activate only during the Battle Phase.

Conduct a battle between monsters both players control with the highest ATK (other effects cannot be activated during this battle.)

(Used by the Paradox Brothers in the GX episode, Tag Team Trial Pt.2. Creative rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Slash Draw

Normal Spell Card

Send cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard equal to the total number of other cards on the field. Then, draw 1 card and reveal it. If that card is "Slash Draw", send it to the Graveyard to destroy all other cards on the field and inflict 1000 damage to your opponent for each card destroyed and sent to the Graveyard this way. This card's activation and effect cannot be negated

Invincible Demise Lord

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 6

1300/2000

Once per Duel, if this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it during the End Phase with an ATK of 3000. If this card is Special Summoned this way, it cannot be destroyed by card effects

Temptation of the Goddess

Normal Spell Card

Look at your opponent's hand. If a Level 4 or lower monster is in their hand, you can Special Summon that monster to your opponent's side of the field in face-up Attack Position.

Mischief of the Goddess

Normal Spell Card

Look at your opponent's hand. If a Spell Card is in their hand, set that card in 1 of your opponent's unoccupied Spell & Trap Card Zones.

(The top four cards were used by Lucien Grimley in the GX episode, Don't Fear the Reaper. Creative rights go to the creators of the episode)

Infernity Gardna

DARK/ Warrior/Effect /Level 4/ATK: 0/DEF: 2200

When another 'Infernity' monster you control is attacked, you can redirect the attack to this card. While you have no cards in your hand, this card cannot be destroyed by card effects.

Image: A hulking, fiendish warrior in black armor, with massive black spearhead-shaped shields attached to both forearms.

(Created by Digidramon, creative rights go to him)

Shield of Purgatory

Continuous Trap Card

If you have no cards in your hand, once per turn, you can negate a monster's attacks.

Infernity General

DARK

Level 7

Fiend/Effect

2700/1500

If you have no cards in your hand, you can remove this card in your Graveyard from play to Special Summon 2 Level 3 or lower "Infernity" monsters from your Graveyard. Their effects are negated.

(The top two cards were used by Kalin Kessler in the 5D's manga. Creative rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Infernity Zero

DARK

Level 1

Fiend/Effect

0/0

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by discarding all other cards in your hand when your Life Points become 0 by an opponent's card. While this card is face-up on the field, you cannot lose the Duel. This card cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects. If you take 500 or more damage, place 1 Death Counter on this card for each multiple of 500 damage you took. When there are 3 Death Counters on this card, destroy this card.

(Used by Kalin Kessler in the 5D's episode, Clash in Crash Town. Creative rights go to the creators of the episode)

Next time: Crowler and Bonaparte find themselves in a tight spot after being yelled out by Sheppard, kicked out in process. Desperate for a job, they grovel to Pegasus who brings Chumley back and then the four engage in tag duel... Domino City Rules!


	62. Unemployment Blues

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 62: Unemployment Blues

* * *

At the Slifer Dorm, everyone was enjoying their lunches when Syrus came out with a rumor going around campus...

"You're saying that Crowler and Bonaparte are going to get fired?" Jaden wondered.

"That's right," Syrus nodded. "And after what they've done and haven't done, I'm surprised that Chancellor Sheppard's letting them off that easy."

"Serves them right," Chazz agreed. "It's there fought that Sartorius and his goons are messing up Duel Academy."

"Don't even talk, Chazz." Alex stated. "You were the one that made most of the Duel Academy's Obelisk and Ra students the goons, while you were one!"

"I'll tell you what!" Hassleberry grinned. "If I were those two, I'll be on my knees and be doing some serious kiester kissing!"

"Believe it!" Vincent laughed.

"Hey guys!"

Everyone at the table turned to see Claudio running up to them.

"Hey, Claudio!" Hassleberry greeted. "Pull up a chair and get your grub!"

"Later, I just got a call from Chancellor Sheppard." The J-Hero duelist exclaimed. "Pegasus and Chumley are coming back to see him for something important."

"He does?" Jaden asked. "Sweet! I gotta ask him how he got so good after that duel Alex told me about."

"Plus, I can finally tell him about those monsters I had that dream about." Vincent exclaimed.

"And the dragon you were turned into back at KaibaLand?" Syrus added, in which the Dragon/Rider duelist nodded. "Too bad, I still have to get a duel before this day's out."

The dino duelist slapped his forehead, "Darn it! Me too... Oh well, maybe you guys could tell us what's up, after the meeting."

"No problem." Claudio replied as he took out two cards. "I also got to give these Society cards Jethro got from Dorian the other night."

"This I gotta see," Chazz muttered as he stood up from his chair with Vincent.

"You're not the only one!" Alex smirked as he and Jaden.

"Then let's go," the J-Hero duelist stated. "He'll be flying in on helicopter again."

* * *

Meanwhile, Chancellor Sheppard was in his office deep in thought about a disturbing message he was given, first thing of the morning...

* * *

(Flashback)

 _As Sheppard began to his work on keeping tabs on the GX tournament, he was met with two people he never seen before... a red haired woman dressed in a pink business dress and a large, fearsome man clad in white plate armor, with a shield on his left arm and a sword at his belt. His eyes were piercing blue, strands of his blond hair escaping the confines of his helmet to brush on his forehead._

 _"May I help the both of you?" Sheppard asked._

 _"We work for Prince Ojin and we have an urgent message for you." Linda stated, "On the first day of the tournament, we were met by a man named Sartorius."_

 _"Yes, Sartorius was adamant about dueling him," the Chancellor nodded. "Go on..."_

 _"Before they dueled, Sartorius made a bet stating that he wanted our Kingdom's laser satellite against his Destiny Heroes." Solaris continued._

 _Sheppard gasped. "Aster Phoenix is the only person with the Destiny Heroes! There's no way that duel could've happened."_

 _Both Linda and Solaris gasped and looked at each other with worried looks before turning back to Chancellor Sheppard._

 _"Well it's worse," Linda added. "Prince Ojin lost that duel and Sartorius now holds the laser satellite!"_

 _"No..."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"I've got to do something," Sheppard said to himself. "But what?"

"Look at these medals I've won! The number shows I'm far superior to you!"

"Please! At least I dueled worthwhile opponents! I'm surprised people could see you way down there!"

The Chancellor was snapped out his thoughts when looked at his door and saw Crowler and Bonaparte bickering with each other as they held two handfuls of GX medals.

"That was low, Crowler!" Bonaparte snapped. "Height has nothing do with skill level, seeing as I heard a little girl was about to duel circles around you until a 'call' forced you to end it in a draw."

"There's no proof of that!" Crowler snarled. "Besides, I heard some nobody duelist was about to duel you, until you 'heard' a student that needed your 'help' called."

As the bickering continued, Sheppard sighed in annoyance. "What did I do to deserve these buffoons?" And when they kept going about how which medal was less valuable then there's, he snapped. "That's enough!" He shouted, getting their attention. "Settle this on your own time... which you'll have plenty of because I want the both of you out!" And then at the top of his lungs, "AND DON'T COME BACK!"

The words hit Crowler and Bonaparte like freight trains as they shouted. "WE JUST GOT FIRED!"

* * *

Later, the both were sitting at the docks with sad looks on their faces.

"Oh well, time to find new jobs..." Crowler sighed.

"This is just like the fall of Napoleon; the end of a glorious era..." Bonaparte stated in sadness.

"Hey Dr. C, Mr. B!"

Both unemployed men turned to see Jaden, Claudio, Vincent, Alex and Chazz walking up to them, with the Slifer greeting them.

"What's with the long faces?" Vincent asked.

"Who us?" Crowler tried to wave off. "We're fine!"

"Wait a second, you guys got fired didn't ya?" Alex asked, in which Crowler and Bonaparte responded by nearly falling into the water, frantically pulling themselves back up. "So the rumors were true..."

Suddenly, Crowler grabbed the Gemini duelist by his blazer and asked, "What rumors? They were talking about me and Bonaparte being fired?"

"After what was going on," Alex replied, ripping his former teacher's hands off his blazer, "It's a wonder why it didn't happen once Sheppard set foot on the island." He planned on hearing Crowler trying to snap at him for the remark, but instead he saw both teachers looking paler than ever.

"It's official, they're done." Claudio sighed, shaking his head.

Then, the former teachers broke down crying and weeping.

"How will we support ourselves?" They cried out.

"Are these guys for real?" Chazz scoffed.

"It's life..." Vincent shrugged, until the sound of a helicopter broke his focus, letting everyone present see one coming in to land.

"What's going on?" Bonaparte asked.

"Hello down there!" Said a familiar man with the red, expensive business suit.

"Alright, Pegasus is here!" Vincent exclaimed.

"In the living flesh." Jaden cracked.

Then, another round man in a black business suit looked out the helicopter door and waved.

"Hey, guys I'm back!" the man shouted.

"And Chumley's back too." Claudio smiled.

"Do my ears deceive me?" Bonaparte gasped. "Or is that Maximillian Pegasus?"

"It's him alright," Crowler replied. "President of Industrial Illusions and creator of Duel Monsters!"

"You think they're hiring?" Bonaparte asked. "If they hired that Chumley kid, they could do the same to us!"

* * *

Later, the helicopter landed with the students greeting the duo from the helicopter.

"Mr. Pegasus, Chumley, what's up?" Jaden greeted.

"Fine as always, Jaden-boy," Pegasus replied. "I hope the search for Gunter and Obelisk is going well."

"Not so good, I'm afraid," Claudio stated. "We can't find them around the island, but we do gotta lead on where he might be... with the Society of Light."

"Yeah," Chumley spoke up, "Chancellor Sheppard said something about that over the phone, and Mr. Pegasus has some lead on its origins."

"Then, we've got something to help." The J-Hero duelist continued, pulling the White Veil and White Cloak cards from his pockets and handing them to Chumley. Once he and Pegasus looked them over, they had some thoughtful looks.

"Where did you get these cards?" Pegasus asked.

"One of my friends got them off a Society member when he beat him." Jaden said. "Claudio took them over to the Chancellor's office..."

"And now I see where this meeting is coming from," the I2 President nodded in realization as he took the cards from Chumely and looked them over again. "Alright, we'll be talking about this over with Sheppard."

"Also..." Vincent spoke up, holding out a letter addressed to Industrial Illusions. "I had an idea for new subtypes of monsters that I think would help improve the game, if you don't mind."

Pegasus received the letter and then opened it up, reading its contents. After some time, Pegasus lowered the letter with a smile on his face.

"This is perfect!" He exclaimed, "This could change the face of Duel Monsters of the future!"

"So, you'll do it?" Vincent asked.

"Of course!" Pegasus replied. "And for this monster you described, I'll be happy to give you the first edition copy."

The Dragon/Rider duelist smiled, "Thank you sir!"

"No problem, but now I must see what Chancellor Sheppard needs and then we'll get started on it."

But as he and Chumley were about to leave...

"Don't leave!"

Crowler and Bonaparte were latching on to Pegasus' legs, begging.

"Please hire us!" Crowler cried.

"No job is too small!" Bonaparte added. "We'll even answer your phones, for Pete's sake!"

The students and Chumley gasped, looking at the desperate men beg for jobs.

"We have procedures for this," Pegasus strained to say as he tried to walk with the men latching onto his legs. "Now, out of my way, please!"

"But we're desperate men, Pegasus!" Crowler continued.

"That much is obvious," Pegasus exclaimed as he walked on. "Now, I suggest you fill out an application and we can forget about this whole thing!"

"Okay, this is too weird." Vincent stated.

"Looks more like a nightmare to me." Alex added.

"It's scarier than that," Chazz replied. "It's real life..."

"I'll call Chancellor Sheppard and tell him that Pegasus is here." Claudio stated as he pulled out his Duel Pilot and called for the Chancellor's office. Once the call got through, Sheppard was seen on the screen.

 _"What can I do for you?"_ He asked.

"Just wanted to tell you that Pegasus is here." The Ra stated.

 _"Ah, escort him to my office if you don't mind."_

"Well... there's a problem with that..."

Soon, Pegasus was on the ground, crawling off the docks with Crowler and Bonaparte still on his legs

"For the last time, let me go!" He demanded.

"Never!" Crowler protested.

"Not until you give us jobs!" Bonaparte shouted.

The students laughed the scene before them until Pegasus had enough.

"Alright fine!" He shouted. "You're both hired!"

"Yes!" the former teachers cheered, letting go of the President's legs.

"But first..." Pegasus interrupted. "You two must prove yourselves by defeating me in a duel! And since I'm short on time, it'll be a tag duel with Domino City rules with Chumley as my partner."

The statement shocked Chumley, but quickly got over it...

"Guess I'm dueling again, huh?" He stated, rubbing the back of his head.

"Cool, we get to see how much you improved up close and personal!" Jaden cheered.

"Just those lose to these jokers," Alex stated. "And make sure Bonaparte gets a good thrashing, will ya?"

"O-kay?" the koala duelist muttered.

Claudio chuckled a bit as he turned to his Duel Pilot, "Sorry Chancellor, Pegasus is being held up by some personal matters. He'll have to call you back." And before Sheppard could asked why, Claudio hung up and prepared to watch the duel.

* * *

As all four competitors got their duel disks (vests for Crowler and Bonaparte) ready, Bonaparte was making some final preparation words to his tag partner.

"Alright, monsieur," He spoke up. "Our careers on the line here... so no faux pas! We can win this duel easily if we play our cards right."

"Oh, just shut up," Crowler groaned. "I know what we need to do, and I'll even help since we both need it."

Over by the sides, Jaden, Claudio, Chazz, Vincent and Alex looked on as the duel was being prepared.

"You think Pegasus and Chumley can take them both?" Jaden wondered.

"Of course," Chazz replied, as if it was the obvious answer. "Pegasus invented the game, and I bet he and Chumely have cards that could duel circles around our former teachers."

"Not only that, Chumely's gotten way better," Alex pointed out. "You guys seen the duel Jethro recorded?"

"Oh right," Vincent nodded. "I bet even he can take both Crowler and Bonaparte on in a Triangle Duel."

"Still, it is better that this is a Tag Duel using the rules from Domino City." Claudio added.

"TIME TO DUEL!" The duelist shouted as they all drew their opening hands.

Bonaparte: 8000 + Crowler: 8000

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 8000

"Monster number un," Bonaparte announced, drawing his sixth card and immediately playing one from his initial hand, "My Trusty Toy Soldier!" Immediately in front of the short duelist, the French Toy Soldier appeared and stood upright with his rifle. (3/800/300) "And with one card facedown, my turn is over!"

"Good it's my turn," Pegasus smiled, drawing his sixth card. "I activate the spell card, Scapegoat to special summon four sheep tokens to the field!" He announced, activating his quick-play spell bringing out four multicolored, sleeping sheep. (1/0/0) x4

"Scapegoat on the first turn?" Jaden wondered.

"Well he is a Toon duelist like Isaac said," Claudio stated. "And using Scapegoat would help him get monsters out for his Toon since they don't restrict using them for special summoning."

"Seems like good idea to do that," Vincent noted.

"And then I'll end my turn with two cards facedown." The Duel Monster creator concluded. "Now it's your turn Mr. Crowler..."

"It's Dr., I may have lost my job but my PhD in dueling still stands," Crowler announced, pulling the sixth card from his vest, "And here's a real move, I summon the Ancient Gear Knight in attack mode!" In a flash of energy, a series of cogs and gears burst up before him, clustering together and building an ancient-looking machine filled with gears, in the shape of a Roman soldier with a lance on one arm and wielding a gear-shaped shield with the other. (4/1800/500)

"Well this is ironic," Alex smirked. "An Ancient Gear that's also a Gemini monster..."

The Ancient Gear Duelist groaned as he inserted another card into his disk. "I place one card facedown and I end my turn."

"I'm the last one," Chumley stated, drawing his sixth card, "I set one card facedown and one monster in defense mode." He stated as two reversed card, a monster and a spell or trap card appeared on the field. "And that's it from me."

"That's all he's going to do?" the E-Hero duelist noted. "I guess he's just going to try out Des Koala's ability again."

"Which means it'll be too easy for Crowler to dodge." Chazz added. "He'll empty his hand to prevent damage!"

 _'This will be too easy..._ ' Crowler thought as he smirked. _'I thought Chumley would have gotten new strategies by now, but he's still a one-trick pony!'_

"You know..." Pegasus pondered, snapping the Ancient Gear duelist out of his thoughts. "I have a perfect stipulation for this predicament!" Everyone started to listen intently to the I2 President's words as he faced his opponents. "Let's make this interesting; whichever one of you defeats their opponent who is across from them will receive a better position at Industrial Illusions!"

Chumley put on a questionable look to his tag partner, who gave him an assuring look that calmed him down. Crowler was feeling ecstatic as he eyed the one opposing him... Chumley.

 _'Perfect, I'll be able to dish out some real damage in my upcoming turn!' he cheered in his mind. 'That high-paid job will be mine!'_

As if he heard his opponent's thoughts and after seeing the giddy look he had, Bonaparte drew the next card thinking, _'Not if I have anything to say about that..._ ' "It's my turn!" Bonaparte announced. "Now that my standby phase is on, I can activate Toy Soldier's effect to special summon every other Toy Soldier in my deck!" He informed as he took two more mentioned copies and then placed them on the field, bringing his toy army to three soldiers. (3/800/300) x2

"Next, I summon the Toy Tank in attack mode!" A large camouflage-color tank appeared in a flash and aimed its cannon at the opposing side. (4/1800/1800)

"Now he's got a tank!" Claudio gasped. "This guy's prepped for war!"

Bonaparte grinned as he pressed a button on his disk, revealing his first facedown card. "Now, I'll activate the trap card, Meteorain! As anyone will notice, this trap card allows me to damage your life points even if your monsters are in defense mode! Since those scapegoats have no defense points, it's like four direct attacks!"

Crowler growled as he did the math of the four attacks. _'No, he'll be that much closer to those benefits!"_

"Now Toy Soldiers and Tank, take aim and FIRE!" Bonaparte commanded as his army aimed their guns and cannon at the four scapegoats and then fired their projectiles at the unsuspecting quartet.

"Too bad," Pegasus smiled, pressing two buttons on his disk and unveiled both of his trap cards. "Now, I activate the trap cards Spirit and Astral Barrier! Thanks to these cards played together, I can make your attacks aimed at me and not lose any points since I have monsters!"

The short duelist growled as the cork bullets and missiles were blocked by two barriers created from Pegasus and the Scapegoats, combining to push them away.

"An old tactic with common cards," Claudio pointed out. "Now Pegasus and Chumley are safe from losing life points from battle if they have monsters..."

Crowler turned to Bonaparte and shouted, "See what you've done! You're in the way of my bonus check!"

"Your bonus check?" the toy duelist snapped. "I need it more than you do!"

"Please," the Ancient Gear scoffed. "You'll only use it to buy more elevator shoes!"

"What's wrong with that?"

As they continued their argument, Pegasus sighed as he took out a gold pocket watch and looked at the time. Seeing that he was really getting short on time...

"ALRIGHT, ARE YOU DONE?" He shouted.

Both job candidates stopped their bickering and turned their attention back to the duel.

"Now that you're done bickering," Pegasus announced as he drew his next card. "I activate Pot of Greed, so that's two more cards for me!" After he drew his two new cards, Pegasus smirked as one of the cards caught his eye. "I hope you two are ready for a trip to Toon Land!"

"Toon Land?" Jaden parroted. "What's that?"

Chazz sighed, "You skipped that class too, slacker? Pegasus' deck is about to bring out his best cards!"

"The Toon monsters," Claudio added. "Where Isaac got his cards..."

"Now then," Pegasus continued as he took five of his cards from the top of the deck and placed them into his pocket. "I remove the top 5 cards from my deck and activate Toon Kingdom!"

On cue, giant pop-up book like Toon World's own book appeared out of a puff of smoke. But when it opened, it revealed a pop-up version of a small castle with torches lit and trees with no leaves.

"He created another version of Toon World?" Vincent wondered. "And he didn't have to pay the 1000-point cost as the original?"

"I bet whatever Toon monsters he summons; Toon Kingdom would count it as Toon World on the field." Claudio nodded.

"Dear students," the I2 President smiled, "Toon Kingdom is far more than just the portal for my wonderful Toons to cross... but everyone shall see firsthand!" He then placed a monster card onto his disk, "I summon the Toon Cannon Soldier in defense mode!" Appearing next to the four goats, a wacky version of the Cannon Soldier appeared. Like the original, it was purple, metal claws and armed with some small laser cannon up on top. But this version had an actual, goofy face as it chuckled. (4/1400/1300)

"And if it's just like the original, Crowler and Bonaparte are done..." Chazz smirked.

"I'll use his special ability to sacrifice all the scapegoats on my field and deal 500 points of damage!" Pegasus announced. "And I'll even split the damage between the two of you!"

Toon Cannon Soldier opened his mouth as a vacuum hose came out of it and sucked every single goat inside. The hose went back into the Toon, letting the laser aim at the two men across from it and fire two shots each, creating a funny 'BOOM' sound whenever they impacted.

Bonaparte: 7000 + Crowler: 7000

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 8000

Pegasus then took a spell card from his hand, depicting a black ghost with a goofy face and inserted it into his disk, "To end my turn, I'll activate Shadow Toon! While Toon World's on the field, I can select one of your monsters and deal damage to a player equal to that monster's points!" Crowler and Bonaparte cringed looking towards one of their powerful monsters. "And I'll choose Toy Tank and attack Monsieur Bonaparte!"

Suddenly, the shadow of Toy Tank stretched itself out and formed into the same ghost from the spell card's image. Bonaparte was stunned when the ghost shot through him, taking down more of the Toy duelist's points.

Bonaparte: 5200 + Crowler: 7000

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 8000

"So far, things are not looking up for the former teachers." Jaden stated. "And Bonaparte's the closest one to losing."

"Of course, they're losing," Chazz muttered. "Aside from the King of Games, Pegasus knows the game more than anyone of us."

"Still doesn't mean he's any danger of losing like any other duelist," the E-Hero duelist replied.

"It's my draw!" Crowler announced as his deck shot out another card. Immediately, he opened his field spell slot and inserted a card inside. "And I'll have a change of scenery with the Geartown Field Spell!" The entire pier was replaced by an old rustic town with giant spinning gears all over it and a smoky sky and buildings rose out of the ground. The sound of spinning machines and gears were heard. "In this field, I can summon all Ancient Gear monsters with one less sacrifice! Meaning, Ancient Gear Beast comes to field!" He announced as a large metal hound made of old gears and armor plating appeared, eyes glowing with the energy that fueled him. (6/2000/2000)

"I see, with that monster he can negate Des Koala's effect." Vincent stated. "Meaning, Crowler keeps his points safe from his effect."

"I guess you never learned any new tricks as Pegasus's top designers." Crowler smirked at Chumely, while pointing to the designer's facedown monster. "Now my Beast, attack Chumley's facedown monster!" He commanded as the mechanical beast rushed across the field and pounced on the set monster. "Looks like Des Koala won't be able to play..."

It was Chumley's turn to smirk as he replied with, "If Des Koala was on the field!"

"What are you getting at?" Crowler growled, but soon got his answer as the facedown monster revealed itself. Like everyone's thoughts, it was a koala but unlike anyone thought. This koala was small in size, about 2 feet in height and wore a tan cloak and hood around its form, blocking the mechanical monster's feet with a light-saber. (4/500/2100) "What is that?"

"This is my new Koala, Koala Elder!" Chumely announced proudly as his Elder pushed Ancient Gear Beast back to Crowler's spot. "And you can see, he has 2100 DEF, enough to fend off your attack!"

The former Chancellor grumbled as his points took a slight drop.

Bonaparte: 5200 + Crowler: 6900

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 8000

"I end my turn..." Crowler concluded, "At least I have more life points than Shorty over there!"

Bonaparte growled, "Oh don't be too comfortable... once it's my turn, I'll be the one ahead!"

"I think they forgot they are in a tag duel..." Jaden figured. "I mean, can't they play off each other's cards and defend each other?"

"And you must have forgotten about the huge rivalry they have." Claudio pointed out. "They want the better benefits of the job offer."

"They're not even seeing the mind game Pegasus played on them." Chazz added. "How did those two dorks run this school?"

"Heck, they basically ran it into the ground with getting Sartorius involved."

"Let's see what happens next!" Chumely interrupted as he drew his next card, and played another monster card. "Come on out, Berserk Koala!" In a flash, another koala appeared but now as large as Big Koala, orange and very angry! (4/2000/1800)

"Another new koala?" Crowler gasped.

"And a new trap card too," the card designer stated as he revealed his facedown card. It depicted Mother Grizzly letting out a large howl, leveling an entire area. "I activate my facedown card, Howl of the Wild and you'll see what it does after I switch Koala Elder to attack mode." He continued as his cloaked koala stood up in its battle stance. "Now for the fun part; I can pay 500 life points to swap its attack and defense points around!"

Crowler shrieked as the small koala activated his light-saber and put on a hardened stare. (4/500-2100/2100-500)

"Now, Koala Elder will attack Ancient Gear Beast!" Chumley commanded as his koala jumped at light-speed and started to hack and slash at the mechanical beast, chopping it to scrap metal.

Bonaparte: 5200 + Crowler: 6800

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 7500

"And since I destroyed a monster in battle and it went to the graveyard, you take 300 points of damage for every beast-type monster I have thanks to Howl of the Wild!" the card designer smirked as his trap glowed deep red.

"I don't think so," Crowler shouted activating his facedown card, depicting the inside of a machine being tuned up. "I activate the trap card, Time Box! It removes your monster from play, and affords me one card to draw!" Suddenly, a time portal opened up behind Koala Elder and sucked him right into the void. Crowler smirked as he drew one card. "Now how do you like that?"

"You still take 300 points of damage, since Berserk Koala's still on the field." Chumely pointed out as his trap card let out a vicious howl, hitting Crowler in the chest.

Bonaparte: 5200 + Crowler: 6500

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 7500

"And then I'll let Berserk Koala attack your Ancient Gear Knight! Thunder from Down Under!" He continued as his orange koala roared and charged at the knight, ripping it apart limb from limb. The battle sparked Howl of the Wild and let out another howl.

Bonaparte: 5200 + Crowler: 6000

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 7500

"And then when Berserk Koala destroys another monster in battle, he can attack again!" Crowler shrieked as he felt the giant koala's gaze at him before a transparent fist went through, blowing his hair and blazer back, sending him sitting on his backside.

Bonaparte: 5200 + Crowler: 4000

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 7500

"I end my turn with a facedown card." Chumley concluded.

"Both Crowler and Bonaparte are almost halfway done," Alex stated. "While Chumley and Pegasus practically haven't been touched!"

"With those Astral and Spirit Barriers setup, how can they touch 'em?" Claudio asked matter-of-factly.

"Good point." The Gemini duelist nodded.

"Nice job on your part," Bonaparte smirked at his 'partner's' failing turn and spoils of battle. He then he drew his next card. "First, I play the spell card, Crowning of the Emperor to sacrifice my Toy Soldier and summon Toy Emperor!" He announced as one of his Toy Soldiers saluted and vanished, letting his commander ride out on his toy horse and drew his rapier. (6/2300/800) "Next, I activate my facedown card, Royal Decree! For as long as this card's out, all trap cards have their effects negated!"

Chumley and Pegasus gasped seeing their continuous traps being sparked out by purple static, turning them pitch-black.

"Now he has a plan..." Chazz muttered.

"Destroy his Toon Cannon Soldier!" Bonaparte commanded his Toy Emperor as it rode across the field and prepared to slash down the toon machine. But once the sword nearly reached the side of Toon Cannon Soldier, it stretched itself out of the way! "Huh?"

Pegasus chuckled, "I guess you haven't watched much cartoons in your youth or in today's time. Thanks Toon Kingdom, by removing the top card of my deck, my Toon's can't be destroyed in battle. And after all that work to ensure damage was dealt."

Bonaparte shrugged his shoulders in defeat as he switched his all his monsters, except Toy Emperor to defense mode.

"I'll take that as a sign to make my move," Pegasus smiled as he drew his next card. "First, I'll place this monster in defense mode but, it along with my Cannon Soldier will go bye-bye in favor of the Manga Ryu-Ran!" As soon as Pegasus' facedown monster appeared, it vanished along with Toon Cannon Soldier. Popping out of the pop-up pages, a strange looking and orange dragon with a cream-colored belly appeared. It wore a bottom part of an eggshell as a diaper, grinning a big grin. (7/2200/2600)

"Not another one..." Bonaparte groaned. "But at least it can't attack on the same turn it was summoned..."

"Yes, it's said isn't?" Pegasus sulked as Manga Ryu-Ran let out a waterfall of tears. "But I have a card to rectify that!" The Toon Dragon perked up when he heard that as his master played a spell card. "I use the spell card Axe of Fools, equipping it to my Toon, removing his effect and give him 1000 ATK!"

Everyone's jaws dropped as a large, silver axe appeared in Manga Ryu-Ran appeared in its hands, but it with an additional accessory: a goofy, looking face in the middle of the blade. (7/2200-3200/2600)

"This is going to hurt..." Vincent muttered.

"Attack Toy Emperor!" Pegasus commanded as the dragon laughed hysterically, swinging his axe around and used the blunt side to smack Toy Emperor off his horse.

Bonaparte: 4300 + Crowler: 4000

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 7500

"I think that'll do for now." Pegasus concluded. "I do believe you gentlemen have no chance of winning against me and Chumley-boy at this rate."

Both Crowler and Bonaparte sighed and dropped down to their knees.

"He's right, what's the use?" Crowler said.

"We might as well face it," Bonaparte added. "We can't beat them at this rate..."

"You two are giving up already?" Chumley wondered.

"Very good, gentlemen!" the I2 President smiled. "I mean, how can you beat someone who invented the game? Now please, deactivate your duel disks and I'll be on my way to my meeting with Chancellor Sheppard."

As soon as both former teachers were about to declare their surrender...

"Don't do it!"

...they snapped their heads towards the boy who protested it; Jaden Yuki.

"The duel's not over yet," He stated. "You don't want your last duel here at this school as quitters. Fight back with everything you have, especially since some students do look up to you."

Alex scoffed under his breath, "Yeah right..."

"Anyway..." Claudio interjected. "The point is, if you think you two are going to lose this duel, then go down fighting instead of being afraid to lose. You might just surprise your opponents."

Crowler gasped as he stood back up, "They're right! After all the times I've lost, I never backed down from a duel! Besides this is our final duel at Duel Academy, and we have the students to think about."

"Inspired by those slackers?" Bonaparte asked in shock. "Now I know we're going to lose..." But still, he rose to his feet as well. "But they're right about one thing, I won't quit and I will leave a mark on Duel Academy as we face Pegasus."

Pegasus chuckled, "So you're going through with this?"

"Trust me, sir." Chumely stated to his partner, "At Duel Academy, they taught us to fight until the very end... and we shouldn't be afraid to lose. I know that all too well during my last year." He then faced Crowler. "And he was my last opponent, so I'd like to return the favor in this duel."

The I2 President nodded. "Then, let's continue..."

"And it's my turn!" Crowler shouted and drew his next card with determination. "There's only one way to take down your damage control! But I must draw it out with Pot of Greed!" He announced as two more cards slide out of his disk. After checking his entire and he nodded. "Now first, it's time to suffer the wrath of Heavy Storm, destroying all spell and trap cards on the playing field!"

Pegasus gasped as the harsh windstorm kicked in and destroyed his Toon Kingdom and Axe of Fools along with Chumley's Howl of the Wild and Crowler's Time Box and Geartown, sending the scenery back to the docks. But when Toon Kingdom left, Manga Ryu-Ran blew up like a balloon and then shriveled up into nothing.

The spectators gasped as well.

"Crowler must have figured out that Toon Monsters needed a Toon World card on the field to keep his monsters onto the field." Claudio noted.

"That's right!" Crowler rejoiced. "And even though, I had to take my own Time Box out of the picture, activating its effect to give Chumley his Koala back, it's all well."

As soon as he said that, a time portal opened to place Koala Elder back onto the field in defense mode. (4/500/2100)

"And you're happy, why?" Chumley asked.

"Since Geartown was destroyed, I can summon another Ancient Gear monster from my deck," the former Obelisk Headmaster replied, grabbing a monster card from his deck and placing it on the field, "Like my Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon!" From the rubble of Geartown, the ancient, mechanical dragon appeared and took to the skies, roaring. (8/3000/2300) "And if that's not trouble enough, I play Ancient Gear Statue!"

A rickety statue appeared. It was made of rusted metal like all Ancient Gears. (2/500/500)

"And then I'll use Machine Duplication to summon two more!" He continued as two more Ancient Gear Statues appeared to the left and right of the first. (2/500/500) x2

"Oh no..." Chumley gasped.

Crowler grinned as he took three cards from his hand and replaced them with the Ancient Gear Statue cards. "Now, I'll sacrifice all three to summon all three of my Ancient Gear Golems!" On cue, the three statues broke apart and unleashed all three of Crowler's giant mechanical Golem army. (8/3000/3000) x3

Everyone was in awe, even Bonaparte, seeing an advanced move being performed.

"And if I remember the rules of this Tag Duel, even if one member is defenseless, his partner can defend him by using his own monsters," the Ancient Gear Duelist recited. "So, I'll have two of my Ancient Gear Golems attack Chumley's Koalas with a double dose of Mechanized Melee!"

Two of the Golems reared back their right fists and then unleashed their devastating punches on the Koala Elder and Berserk Koala, spreading the excess damage onto Chumley.

Bonaparte: 4300 + Crowler: 4000

Pegasus: 8000 + Chumley: 5600

"And being the threat that he is in this match, my third Ancient Gear Golem and my Dragon will attack Pegasus directly with another Mechanized Melee, followed by a dose of Mechanized Acid Breath!" Crowler continued as his mechanical dragon unleashed a massive load of green, corrosive acid from its maw and his third golem threw a giant fist, all fired at Pegasus with a massive explosion.

Bonaparte: 4300 + Crowler: 4000

Pegasus: 2000 + Chumley: 5600

"He just cleared out Pegasus and Chumley's field in one move!" Alex gasped. "All this time, now he gets serious about kicking butt?"

"I guess that pep talk Jaden and Claudio gave out set Crowler straight." Vincent stated. "Otherwise, he would've focused all his attacks on Chumley, leaving our koala duelist with barely anything."

"But if you forget, Crowler used all his cards to pull that off," Chazz interjected. "Impressive as it is, if Bonaparte can't follow up, Chumley and Pegasus can walk all over them."

"Still, you gotta admit Dr. Crowler pulled off an impressive move!" Jaden cheered.

"I agree." Claudio added.

Bonaparte looked to his tag partner, "Finally, a good move."

"Just make sure you can finish Pegasus off," Crowler stated. "If we can keep his Toons off the field long enough to take his life points out, I can deal with Chumley the rest of the way."

"Got it." Bonaparte nodded.

"Alright, time for a comeback." Chumley stated as he drew his next card, immediately activating it. "I activate Graceful Charity, letting me draw three cards and discarding two afterwards!" He declared drawing three cards from his deck, and choosing two to place in his discard slot. He then played another card, a spell depicting a numerous koalas in a marching band with drums and red flags. "Next, I activate Koala March! With this card, I can summon a Koala monster from my hand and the same from my graveyard." He then took a card from his hand and retrieved one from his graveyard. "Here's my two Des Koalas!" In a flurry of eucalyptus leaves, two of Chumley's signature monsters appeared defending themselves (3/1100/1800) x2

"I don't see how two Des Koala will do without any effects." Crowler smirked.

"Just wait and see," the card designer grinned, activating a spell card. "I activate Polymerization, fusing a Des Koala with the Des Kangaroo in my hand!"

"Des Kangaroo with a Des Koala?" Chazz wondered.

"Another new Koala card?" Claudio deduced as the green boxing kangaroo appeared and jumped into fusion vortex with one of the Des Koalas.

"I fusion summon, the Outback Boxer!" Chumley announced as the fusion monster jumped out of the vortex. Instead of a real fusion between koala and kangaroo, it was still a koala but with the green fur of Des Kangaroo along with a pair of black boxing gloves and purple boxing shorts. (7/2500/1900)

"Your 500 points short, Mr. Huffington," the Ancient Gear duelist pointed out.

"He's okay," the Koala duelist smirked. "Unlike the Master of Oz, Outback Boxer gains 200 ATK for all the beast monsters in my graveyard! And with 4 presently in my graveyard, that's 800 points!"

Flashes of Koala Elder, Berserk Koala, Des Koala and Des Kangaroo appeared before the fusion boxer before a white aura surrounded him. (7/2500-3300/1900)

"Oh, an effect..." Crowler sulked.

"Attack Crowler's Ancient Gear Golem! Outback Knockout!" Chumley commanded as his boxer rushed across the field, right hand reared back, and then unleashed a metal crunching punch that shattered one of the Golems into scrap metal.

Bonaparte: 4300 + Crowler: 3700

Pegasus: 2000 + Chumley: 5600

"I place my last card facedown." He concluded.

"I draw." Bonaparte announced and drew. "First, I activate my Forced March Spell Card! It cuts my Toy Soldiers' points in half in order to have them attack directly!" He started as his monster loaded up on cork shots. (3/800-400/300) x2 "But that's not all, I activate Fife and Drum Corps to double their attack back at 800 a piece!" He continued, as a French Toy Army marching band appeared to pep up the soldiers. (3/400-800/300) x2

"Now boys, take down Pegasus' points!" He commanded as both corks fired from the rifles and shot the I2 President, who proceeded to dodge them...

Bonaparte: 4300 + Crowler: 3700

Pegasus: 400 + Chumley: 5600

"He's almost out of points!" Vincent exclaimed.

"These guys are about to knock off Pegasus?" Chazz wondered in shock, "No way!"

"It's over for you, Pegasus!" Bonaparte boasted. "Once my partner gets rid of your last line of defenses, if he doesn't finish you off, I will!"

"We'll see about that; my draw." Pegasus said calmly as he drew, and then immediately activating his card. "I activate my Card of Demise! Meaning my hand reaches five cards and in five standby phases, I lose my hand."

"He's sure keeping his cool with only 400 points backing him up," Alex stated as the I2 President drew until he had five cards. "Almost none of his Toon Monsters can get on the field now..."

"Now then, I think it's time I put business to work by activating Spell Economics!" Pegasus announced, activating his continuous spell showing a blank bankbook. "Now with this card out, I can play any spell card without paying life points, meaning the admission for Toon World is now free for every boy and girl!" He then inserted his Toon World spell card, letting the large pop-up book appeared and flip to the wacky toon city.

"I thought we could stop this..." Crowler stated.

"I thought so as well," Bonaparte added.

"Time to end this duel, by activating the spell card, Comic Hand," Pegasus continued playing an equip spell card, showing a white gloved hand attached to a crank. "With Toon World on the field, I can take control of any monster my opponent owns and turn into a Toon! And I do wonder what an Ancient Gear Toon Golem would like..." He then gave a smirk. "Time to find out!"

Crowler shrieked as a stretchy, white-gloved hand appeared from the pop-up book and grabbed one of his Ancient Gear Golems, pulling him into the book closed. Then, when it opened up again, the pages turned to an old, factory moving side to side and blowing smoke out of the pipes. Suddenly, the stolen Ancient Gear Golem returned, only shorter and a lot less intimidating when it comes to looks. "What did you do to my golem?"

"I made him a lot more powerful," the Toon duelist stated. "And... I'll have Toon Ancient Gear Golem attack Crowler!" Instead of punching through Crowler, the Toon Golem actually threw his right hand at its former master, knocking him to the ground.

Bonaparte: 4300 + Crowler: 700

Pegasus: 400 + Chumley: 5600

"But the fun's not over yet..." Pegasus smirked as he activated another spell card, depicting a movie reel of a cartoon. "I activate Toon Roll-Back! This resets my turn from Main Phase 2 to Main Phase 1, allowing me to make another attack."

"Hold on, you can't attack with my Ancient Gear Golem again since it already attacked this turn!" Crowler pointed out.

"Which is why, I'm lucky haven't summoned anything as of this turn," the Toon duelist replied. "And I'll sacrifice the Toon Golem and call upon the Toon Dark Magician Girl!" The toon machine vanished into the depths of Toon World, letting out the Dark Magician Girl's Toon Persona. (6/2000/1700)

"Bad for Crowler," Claudio stated. "Aside from Toon Dark Rabbit, she can attack on the same turn she's summoned."

"Meaning Crowler's done." Chazz replied.

Pegasus looked to his partner and nodded before turning back to the opponents. "Toon Dark Magician Girl, attack Bonaparte directly!"

Everyone, except Chumley, looked at Pegasus as if he grew a second head while the toon magician dove down on the shorter duelist and bonked him on the head with her staff.

Bonaparte: 2300 + Crowler: 700

Pegasus: 400 + Chumley: 5600

"And then, I end my turn." Pegasus concluded.

"Pegasus had Crowler out," Alex exclaimed. "Why'd he let him go?"

"Search me?" Vincent shrugged. "But if he took out Crowler, the turn would've automatically gone to Chumley and he could do whatever to stop Bonaparte."

"I draw!" Crowler drew and then smirked at the card he held. "You should've finished me off when you had the chance! I activate Ancient Gear Explosive!" He announced as his Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon flew over to Pegasus' side of the field. "By destroying my Dragon, I can deal half of its ATK as damage to one of my opponents... and I choose Pegasus!"

The dragon roared as it prepared to self-destruct over Pegasus.

"Not so fast, Doc!" Chumley interrupted, flipping over a trap card. "I activate Nature's Reflection, turning the damage you tried to inflict back to you!"

Crowler gasped as a green aura surrounded the Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon and forced it back over Pegasus, letting it self-destruct and blasting the good doctor on his back.

Bonaparte: 2300 + Crowler: 0

Pegasus: 400 + Chumley: 5600

"Now I get it," Claudio looked on. "Pegasus wanted both players to be low on points and Crowler wanted to save his attacks on Chumley, so he'd have to use a effect damage card to win instead."

"That was smart." Jaden nodded. "And the best part was Chumley was the one who used Crowler's card against him!"

"And since Crowler's out, it's my turn." Chumley stated as he drew his next card. "I switch my Des Koala to attack mode and then, attack one of the Toy Soldiers!" He commanded as his koala ran across the field and lunged itself at the small soldier.

"Hold on, there!" Bonaparte interrupted as he activated a trap card, depicting Toy Emperor sending in his Toy Soldiers into battle. "I activate the Toy Emperor's Conquest Trap card! With this, I can have one of my Toy Soldiers gain the ATK of my Toy Emperor!" Suddenly, the spirit of Toy Emperor flew out of the graveyard and into the attacked Toy Soldier, boosting its power. (8/800-3100/300) It then aimed its rifle and shot out a high-speed bullet, instead of a cork, destroying the Koala into pixels.

Bonaparte: 2300

Pegasus: 400 + Chumley: 3600

"Nice move, but you played into my hands!" Chumley countered. "Remember my Outback Boxer? With another Beast-Type Monster in my graveyard, the ATK goes up by 200!" He stated as the boxer started shadowboxing a bit. (7/3300-3500/1900) "And the best part is that the other Toy Soldier's still up for damage! Outback Boxer, destroy it and the rest of Bonaparte's life points!"

In the blink of an eye, Outback Boxer crossed the field and uppercutted the weaker Toy Soldier with a big right hand, leaving Bonaparte to fall on his knees.

Bonaparte: 0

Pegasus: 400 + Chumley: 3600

Winners: Pegasus and Chumley

"I guess that's it." Jaden stated.

"Of course, you don't mess with Pegasus." Chazz said like it was inevitable for the I2 duo's victory, "But they could've done worse."

"But still, they pulled off some impressive moves when they were backed into a corner and never quit." Claudio interjected.

Crowler sighed, "Guess we're not getting that job..."

"Looks like it..." Bonaparte agreed. "Time to hit the unemployment line or those job search websites..."

"Not quite..."

The former teachers looked to Pegasus.

"Despite your first couple of turns, in the end you both displayed dedication and teamwork skills." Pegasus stated. "And in any business, you need those two traits as well as good communication skills in order to succeed. And that is why I'm hiring you both at Industrial Illusions."

"So, welcome to the team!" Chumely exclaimed.

Crowler and Bonaparte cried tears of joy hearing that they were off the unemployment list.

"So you guys are leaving this island for good." Claudio stated.

"Look at it this way, I don't have to put up with Crowler's nagging and Bonaparte's plots anymore." Alex cheered.

"Yeah... that's good." Jaden muttered.

Crowler turned to the students and offered them one piece of advice. "Just don't stay slackers when you graduate."

"Done deal." Vincent answered. "I already got the grades and dueling skill to prove it."

"So, this is what's been going on."

Everyone turned to see Chancellor Sheppard walking up to the group.

"Chancellor Sheppard?"

"There you are, Pegasus." Sheppard stated.

"Sorry, Chancellor." Pegasus said, "I was a bit hung up with my own job for the moment."

"With what?"

"Well, since you fired Crowler and Bonaparte, they were dueling Pegasus and me for a job at Industrial Illusions." Chumely stated.

"What?" the Chancellor gasped, turning to the men in question.

"How could you, sir?" Crowler asked.

"And without a two-week notice!" Bonaparte added. "Or a severance package!"

Sheppard then remembered snapping off to the two men, and decided to clear the air.

"I never fired you two," he stated. "I just wanted some peace and quiet before the meeting with Pegasus, and then you showed up with your arguments."

Everyone except Pegasus gasped.

"Oh this is great!" Pegasus stated to Crowler and Bonaparte. "You see, you two don't need to be at my company when you have the students to dedicate your teaching towards!"

"Sweet!" Jaden exclaimed. "You guys get to stay!"

"Oh man..." Alex, Crowler and Bonaparte muttered.

* * *

Finally, done! And a special thanks to Bladeroc for the Koala hookup!

Outback Boxer Level: 7 Earth/Beast/Fusion (2500/1900) Effect: Des Kangaroo + Des Koala This monster gains 200 attack points for every beast in your graveyard. (Green Koala wearing boxing gloves and purple boxing shorts.)

Berserk Koala Level: 4 Earth/Beast (2000/1200) Effect: Once per turn, when this monster destroys a monster, this monster attacks again. (A large angry bright orange koala.)

Koala Elder Level: 4 Earth/Beast (500/2100) Effect: Pay 500 LP, this monster can switch ATK and DEF stats until the end of the turn. If you choose, this monster can switch into defense mode after attacking. (A small koala that looked like Yoda.)

(The top three cards were created by Bladeroc. Creative rights go to him.)

Toy Emperor's Conquest

Normal Trap Card

Activate only when a monster with Toy in its name is attacked while a Toy Emperor is in your graveyard. Raise the ATK of the monster being attacked by the value of the Toy Emperor's ATK from your graveyard.

Toy Tank

EARTH

Machine

Level 4

1800/1800

Time Box

Continuous Trap Card

Activate only when a monster you control is destroyed by battle. Remove from play the monster that battled it, and draw 1 card. When this card is removed from the field, Special Summon the removed monster to your opponent's side of the field.

(Used by Vellian Crowler in GX episode 167, and creative rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Toon Roll-Back

Normal Spell Card

Activate only during your Main Phase 2 while you control a face-up "Toon World". It is now your Main Phase 1. Monsters you control that attacked this turn cannot attack again during this turn, except with a card effect.

(Used by Amelda (disguised as Pegasus) in the episode Deja Duel Part 1, and all rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Toon Kingdom

Continuous Spell Card

When you activate this card, remove from play 5 cards from the top of your Deck. This face-up card's name is treated as "Toon World". If a "Toon" monster you control would be destroyed by battle, you can remove from play the top card of your Deck instead.

Shadow Toon

Normal Spell Card

Activate only if you control a face-up "Toon World". Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK.

Comic Hand

Equip Spell Card

When you activate this card, you must equip it to a monster your opponent controls. Gain control of the equipped monster. It is treated as a Toon monster. If you do not control a face-up "Toon World", destroy this card. If your opponent doesn't control a Toon monster, the equipped monster can attack your opponent directly. If your opponent controls a face-up Toon monster, the equipped monster must select it as an attack target.

(The top three cards were used by Maximillian Pegasus in the GX episode Duel for Hire. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Next time: It's duel of ice when a certain girl returns to make Claudio a part of the Society... and make him hers. After that, Allyson plans to get her feelings through to Jaden the only way she knows how.

Please Read and Review! Later!


	63. Looking for Love in Every Place

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 63: Looking for Love in Every Place

* * *

Nightfall came to Duel Academy and everyone was resting from another day of the GX tournament. Howeve,r in the White Dorm, someone was still awake with his laptop on...

Sartorius was staring at his newly acquired Misgarth Satellite controls with a grin on his face.

"It's time..." He said to himself. "I can't wait a moment longer for my pawns to finish this tournament. The Satellite must be activated, so I can purge the world of its impurity and recreate it into the perfect World of Light!"

As he was about to unlock the case...

 _"Sartorius! Sartorius!"_

Something inside the tarot card reader stopped his hand as he turned to his laptop, and saw the image of someone close to him... his sister, Sarina.

"Your mind is being controlled! You must come to your senses, my brother!" She pleaded to him.

Sartorius growled as he stood up out of his chair, "Sarina, stay out of this! My mission is nearing its completion!" He suddenly calmed down and leaned over the table where a mirror laid right in front of him. Somehow it was like he was struggling with himself. "Wait... what my sister said is true... we can't do this." He said as he looked in the mirror.

"You can't be serious..." His reflection spoke with a vindictive grin. "We're about to unleash the power of Light against mankind."

Sartorius himself looked to Sarina in the laptop, with the same vindictive look, "So, someone doesn't know when to quit! I suggest you stay out of my way, unless you'll find yourself deleted! Do I make myself clear?"

Sarina looked to her possessed brother with a sad look before the laptop cut off.

"Now that I control the Satellite, I control the fate of the world!" the SOL leader cackled as an eerie white aura surrounded him, walking towards the controls. But as soon as he was about to opened them, he stopped dead in his tracks.

 _ **"Not unless I have something to do with it!"**_ A voice inside his head shouted, as the aura brightened and sent an overwhelming glow within the room.

* * *

In Jaden and Syrus' room, the two Slifers were snoozing away, until the E-Hero duelist started to wake up, irritated from the glow.

"What's going on?" He said, wiping the eye dust out. "Who's got the lights on?"

"Jaden..."

He turned to his doorway and found Sartorius with a bright light glow around him.

"I don't have much time, so listen carefully..." Sartorius said calmly.

"Oookay..." Jaden muttered, clueless as to what was going on.

The tarot reader held out a small black box and held it out to Jaden. "Take this and protect it... and no matter what anyone says, never return it to me." He then mind-controlled Jaden long enough to hand over the box and leave... When the Slifer looked inside, it was a small, sliver key with a string through a hole."

* * *

At the Ra Yellow Dorm, Claudio was on the roof playing his guitar... until a blinding light surrounded him. He sat up in shock, looking around.

"Oh man," He groaned. "Did Twilight come back and possess Jeremy for another alien abduction thing?"

"Claudio, it's me..."

The Ra looked to his right and saw Sartorius walking towards him with a calming aura around him.

"Sartorius?" Claudio wondered as he stood up. "What do you want?"

"I mean no harm," the tarot reader stated as he held up another small black box. "Take this and protect it from me and any others who want it..." He sensed the J-Hero duelist's doubt, so like Jaden, he had to control the Ra's mind for him to hand over the box. Inside it was another small, silver key...

* * *

At the docks, Aster and Masaki woke up from the yacht and looked towards the school campus and saw a light pillar erupting from there.

"The Light is coming..." A voice said from behind them. They turned to see Sartorius and immediately turned defensive.

"What do you want?" Aster glared.

"Aster, Masaki," Sartorius said as he walked towards them. "We were all friends once, and I can understand you two can't trust me anymore. Yet, I can trust you..." He then held up two black boxes and handed them to the boys. "So take these and guard them with your lives."

"But... what is it?" Masaki asked as he and Aster looked down at the boxes. Once they turned back up, they saw Sartorius was gone.

"I hate it when does that..." the D-Hero duelist stated as he opened up the box and found a key inside. Masaki found the same thing inside his.

* * *

Back at the White Dorm...

"I'm only going to ask this once," Sartorius said into the mirror, which had a softer expression than his angrier one. "Where are the keys?"

"I can assure you they're in the right hands." The reflection spoke calmly.

"What?" the angry Sartorius shouted. "Do you realize what you've done? We need them to activate the satellite! Now, who has them?"

"The chosen duelist, of course." The calmer Sartorius replied. "I wasn't strong enough to fight you, but I was able to have enough control to give them the keys."

The SOL leader punched the mirror in fury, breaking it to shards and blood caking his knuckles.

"They can't stop me..." He declared as he developed an evil grin. "Once I'm through with Jaden, Claudio, Aster and Masaki... THEY SHALL SEE THE LIGHT! And I know just who to start with..."

* * *

Later that day, Sartorius divined his cards and laid out a card in the upright position of a woman sitting on a throne wearing a starry crown, holding a scepter in one hand. Then, a girl walked inside Sartorius' room and stood in front of him. She had light blue hair and eyes, and looks that could turn men's heads. Her name was Lola.

"You called me, sir?" She asked.

Gunter walked in from another room and handed Sartorius a deck of cards. The tarot reader then gave them to Lola, who looked happy when she seen the types of cards inside.

"I think it's time you brought Claudio into the light." He said. "He has something that belongs to me... be sure that he returns it."

Hearing the name Claudio, put a smirk to the SOL girl's face. "You have no idea, how long I've waited for you to say that." She then bowed out and left.

 _'Soon dear Claudio,' she thought with happiness. 'You will be with the one you belong with...'_

* * *

Outside the main building, Claudio and Jaden met up with Allyson, Melody and Alexis, having a conversation.

"Hold on," Melody said, "Sartorius ran into you guys and didn't attack you?"

"Crazy, but it is truth." Claudio replied.

"Yeah, he even gave us these keys." Jaden added as he held out the item in question along with the J-Hero duelist.

"What do they open?" Allyson asked.

"No clue..." the boys replied.

"Still, it's probably to something bad," Alexis deduced. "And you two should hang to them."

"Join the club..."

The five Academy students turned to see Aster and Masaki walk up to them with similar keys around their necks.

"You too, huh?" Claudio asked.

Masaki nodded. "We thought it went to his private jet, but no such luck."

"So there are four keys?" Jaden wondered. "What are we supposed to do with these anyway?"

"No idea," Aster replied. "But until we figure that out, we have to keep them safe."

* * *

Later, Claudio and Melody were inside the Ra Yellow dorm's common room, sitting next to each other.

"So, what should we do after we find you a duel?" Melody asked her boyfriend. "It's getting harder and harder saving our friends for last."

"Well, we could hit the beach since we haven't gone anytime this year." Claudio offered. "I'm planning on getting surfing lessons from Atticus."

"You surfing?" the Magician duelist smirked. "I can't wait to see you wipe out..."

The J-Hero duelist groaned. "Is that really all you wanna see me do... fall into the water multiple times while riding waves?"

"Those are your words, not mine." Melody laughed.

"Oh, I would love to see you try surfing," Claudio grinned. "Share in the pain, sweetheart."

"I would if I wanted to surf and..."

Suddenly, Alex rushed in the room holding a letter in his hand.

"Claudio, you gotta read this, man." He said handing the note to the J-Hero duelist.

"What's up?" The J-Hero duelist wondered as he read it over to himself. Suddenly, he his face turned pale and widened his eyes. "Oh man..."

"What?" Melody asked as she took the letter from him and read it. "'Claudio, I hope you haven't forgotten me completely, because I would never forget you. Sartorius told me about a little key you and three others have acquired... but I don't care about them, I want to duel you. Come to the main arena... and I'll help you come to your senses as to which girl you belong with...'" the Magician girl started to turn red in anger, especially when she saw the signature at the bottom. "Lola..."

"Who's Lola?" Alex asked.

"A hussy who won't leave Claudio alone," Melody snapped, causing the boys recoil, not expect those words to come out the Magician duelist's mouth.

"Uh... let me tone it down for you man," Claudio said to Alex. "Before Melody and I dated, at a school event before Winter Break, a girl named Lola was trying so hard to gain my attention because I was getting so popular after beating PaniK in my expulsion match."

"You singing every time you're about to win a match," Alex added.

"More or less." The Ra shrugged. "I would've considered being friends for a start, until she tried so hard to get Melody away from me."

"And then I beat her in a duel, and she backed off..." Melody smirked. "But now, I can't wait to do it again..."

"Mel..." Claudio interrupted. "I think I should be the one to duel her."

"Huh?"

"Don't get me wrong, I know you'd beat her again." He assured her. "But if she didn't back off after you beat her, it's best to come from the guy she's fixated on and then knock the sense into her head. Also, I think it's time she heard a song that would open her up to the truth."

Melody softened up, "Okay... but I don't trust her... she's probably setting you up for Sartorius to snatch that key and run."

"She won't..." the J-Hero duelist stated. "She wants me more than the key and expects me to go with her."

"Fat chance..." She replied. "Still, I'm getting everyone I can together and watch you beat her, proving you're already taken! And just to make sure you remember that..." She grabbed him by the blazer collar and pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss that surprised him for a bit before relaxing.

Alex chuckled as he left out, "Maybe I should round up the guys..."

* * *

After their make-out session, Claudio and Melody made their way towards the Main dueling arena. The J-Hero duelist had his disk and decks all ready, and the satellite key around his neck. Once they almost reached the doors they started to hear music like you'd hear from music boxes.

(Hands of the Wicked – Goldy Locks featuring Dave Oliver)

The Ras stopped for a bit, suddenly feeling a chill in the air.

"What's up with the cold temperature?" Claudio wondered.

"Yeah, what gives?" Melody asked as she covered her arms.

The Ras gasped hearing a woman singing eerily. Once they opened the doors, they saw that the lights of the Main arena were dimmed with half the audience filled with Society Members, all looking like they were entranced by the music. The music started to go more into rock and roll as the doors opened across room and out came Lola clad in her Society uniform, a cordless microphone as she continued to sing.

Once she saw Claudio straight ahead, she gave him seductive smile as she started to walk down to the arena, all the while having a spotlight shone down on her, keeping her eyes on the J-Hero duelist.

' _This song,'_ Claudio gasped. _'There's something wrong... it's like it's not Lola singing it...'_

He was brought out of his thoughts when Lola beckoned him down with her index finger. Rolling his eyes, he walked down the stairs as Melody sent a glare to the SOL duelist before she sat down. Once the song finished the Society members cheered and stood up for applause. Lola never paid it any mind as she was too fixated on Claudio as he finally made it to the arena floor.

"I do hope you loved the song, Claudio." She said.

"I would if it wasn't for the meaning of that song," Claudio stated. "Sounds like you just chose to sing it for reason being winter is your favorite season." He then added, _'Although, it feels like a deeper reason from the Society of Light...'_

Lola gasped happily, "How did you know winter is my favorite season?"

"Lucky guess..." the Ra stated. "Now, let's duel... I got a date with my girlfriend after this."

"You will..." the SOL duelist smiled. "With your NEW girlfriend!"

Both players activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands as the lights turned on.

Claudio: 8000

Lola: 8000

"Hey guys, did we miss anything?"

Melody turned to see Alex along with Jeremy, Lily, Alexis, Jaden and Allyson.

"No, you're just to in time to see Claudio beat down a possessed and obsessed little girl." She stated.

"Obsessed?" Jaden and the girls wondered.

"Long story short, Lola wants Claudio for herself and want no one else to be with him." Alex clarified.

"Wow that is obsession," Lily nodded.

"A wrong way to show love," Allyson stated.

"Still, I bet Claudio's going to make this a sweet match!" Jaden exclaimed.

"This will be the beginning of a wonderful relationship," Lola stated as she drew her sixth card, "But before I make you melt, let's start off with shaping the ice by summoning Snow Fairy in attack mode!" After placing a monster card on the field, a small snow flurry kicked up and brought out a young girl seemingly made of ice, wearing a white leotard and blue belt and headdress. Her icy white eyes gave a cold stare to the Ra across from her. (4/1100/700)

"Oh great, more of Sartorius' presents," Claudio muttered.

"Don't you worry one bit," the ice duelist replied. "Even though I'm nice, it's only the monsters that reflect how you left me cold when you ran off with Melody that Winter Festival."

"It was your own stipulation and your attitude against Melody that left you alone that day." The J-Hero duelist stated. "Don't blame my girlfriend for this."

"You tell her, Claudio!" Melody cheered. "No way she's gonna have a chance for you and against you in this duel!"

"You'll see things my way soon, Claudio..." Lola smirked. "Especially since with Snow Fairy on the field, your spell cards are unable to be activated from your hand or the turn that they are set!"

Everyone gasped, except for the Society members.

"Not good," Jeremy stated. "If he has any good spell cards this turn, he'll have to wait until his next turn!"

"And if Lola sets it up perfectly, Claudio's spells will be destroyed before he even has a chance to play them." Allyson stated.

"Don't count him out just yet, the duel just started." Jaden told his friends.

"Jaden's right, if Claudio has a strategy it won't be too long to play spells." Melody added.

"And to up the ante, I place this card facedown." The SOL duelist concluded. "Your turn dear..."

"Thanks..." Claudio said bitterly as he drew his sixth card. 'So, I can't use spells now, but I can use them on my next turn. Let's hope for the best with this trap card...' He then took two cards. "I place one card face down on the field and summon Band Roadie in Defense Mode!" He announced as his mullet-hairstyle roadie appeared and blocked with his wrench. (3/700/500) "That's my turn."

"Are you hiding from already, sweetie?" Lola smiled as she drew her next card. "I'll be sure to keep you safe when you're in the Society."

Melody growled, "Will she just get a life already? I hope Claudio thrashes her in this duel!"

"I hope she loses too," Alexis added. "Because if she does, we're going to lose another person to the Society..."

"I activate my spell card, White Night Fort!" Lola announced while playing a continuous spell card depicting a traveler coming across a giant fort made of giant ice spires. Soon, the spell card erupted into the same ice fort and started to create ice around Lola's field. "And thanks to this spell card, we're not allowed to activate any trap cards during our opponent's turns!"

"No, now he can't use his trap cards unless they can work on his field!" Lily stated.

"This can't be happening." Jeremy muttered.

"Now I can assure you won't hurt me," the White Night duelist stated as she played another monster card. "I summon Illusion Ice Sculpture in attack mode!" She announced as the ice next to Snow Fairy erupted into a massive monolith with a reflection among its surface. (1/0/0) "And the special thing about this monster is that it becomes an exact duplicate of a monster I control, minus the effects. And that's because its second ability prevents you from attacking any other monsters!"

The spectators gasped as the monolith glowed white and transformed itself into a duplicate of Snow Fairy. (1/0-1100/0-700)

"Next, I move on to the Battle Phase and activate my facedown card, Defenders Intersect!" Lola continued as her trap card revealed itself. "Now, your monster has to switch to defense mode and then negates any effects it has!" Claudio groaned as his Roadie moved his wrench away from his face. "Snow Fairy, attack his Band Roadie!" The original fairy flew into the sky with powder snow trailing behind her and then pointed a finger at Band Roadie, firing an ice beam from it and froze it solid before shattering with a kick and caused a cold windstorm to blow over the Ra duelist.

"That was cold..." He muttered.

"Illusion Ice Sculpture, freeze my future boyfriend to the ground!" the SOL duelist continued as the copycat fairy flew into the sky and fired another ice beam at Claudio, making him cry out in pain when it hit his feet.

Claudio: 6900

Lola: 8000

When Claudio blocked out the pain, he looked down to see that his feet frozen to the ground. "What?"

The spectators gasped. "Claudio, you okay?" Jaden asked.

"I can't move my feet, man!" The J-Hero duelist replied.

"Now there's no avoiding me," Lola giggled as she inserted another card into her disk, "And with Heart of Clear Water, there's no escaping my Illusion Ice Sculpture since it can't be destroyed by battle, or cards effects that target it!"

"This is bad!" Alexis exclaimed. "He can't use spells as soon as he plays them, or use traps on Lola's turn."

"To top it off, he can't take down that Illusion Ice Sculpture since it's invincible to practically everything!" Alex added.

"That means the only way out of this if he has a monster to take out that spell card." Melody deduced.

"It's my turn." Claudio announced as he drew. "I may not be able to destroy it, but Illusion Ice Sculpture's still getting hurt! I summon Jukebox Hero Tom Sawyer in attack mode!" He announced as white fog rolled around and a warrior with a stern look appeared in silver battle armor. He had brown hair that reached his shoulders and carried a guitar that looked like a spear point at the neck. (4/1900/1000) "Now, he'll attack it with Pride Spear!" Sawyer ran up to the copycat and launched a jumping spear attack, piercing some ice off it.

Claudio: 6900

Lola: 7200

"Next, I place one card facedown and end my turn." He concluded. "Now, you're the one who's backed against the wall! It's only a matter of time before kick Illusion Ice Sculpture off the field and your Snow Fairy is next!"

"You tell her!" Melody cheered. "There's no way that witch is going to win!"

"I beg to differ." Lola stated to magician duelist. "Face it 'Mel'... your time with him is done! It's time for Claudio to be where he belongs... with me!"

"He doesn't even like you!" the Ra girl shouted.

"Only because you stole him away from me," Lola snapped as she drew her next card. "Ooh, and with this next move, there will be nothing he can do to change it! I play the spell card Icicle Sacrifice!" The spell card image depicted an idol statue made of ice during a harsh blizzard. "With this, I can summon an Icicle Token! The drawback is that I have to give up one of my Monster Zones in order to play it!"

Suddenly, the ice rumbled next to the other side of Snow Fairy, erupting into two stone idols side by side. (1/0/0), (Lola's Monster Zones: 5-4) She then held up another monster card, one that was level 7, and announced. "Then, I can sacrifice that same token to summon my White Night Queen!"

"Hang on!" Jaden protested. "You can't summon that unless you sacrifice one of your other monsters with it!"

"Sorry Jaden, but an Icicle Token counts as two sacrifices for a monster." Allyson stated.

Suddenly, the ice idol cracked into small hailstones and then reformed to create a tall, dark blue, icy woman in a strapless dress made of ice as well. She gave off that same heartless stare that Snow Fairy did. (7/2100/800)

"And thanks to her special ability, she can destroy one facedown card every turn!" Lola smiled alluringly. "So, let's stop you from using that facedown card to hurt me later."

Claudio gasped as an icicle erupted from under the facedown card he just set and shattered it to pixels. "Lola, open your eyes! Sartorius is controlling you! If you actually cared about me you'd stop this duel now!"

"But then you'd run back with your current girlfriend!" She protested. "I can't have that! In addition, with these cards, you will never leave me! White Night Queen, take down Tom Sawyer!" The icy queen stretched her arms towards the Jukebox Hero, creating another blizzard that froze him over and shattered into pieces of ice.

Claudio: 6700

Lola: 7200

"Now Illusion Ice Sculpture, Snow Fairy, make sure he stays until the end!" She continued as both fairies flew into the skies and fired a double ice beam at the J-Hero duelist, freezing him up to his waist.

Claudio: 4500

Lola: 7200

"No!" Melody cried.

"Claudio's in a tough spot with three monsters and a strategy that stops his every move." Alexis stated.

"Not only that, who knows what else Lola is capable of with Sartorius' cards." Jaden added. "He's really trying to cover everything to get the satellite keys back."

Lola giggled at her opponent's shivering and struggling to get out of the ice. "Don't get cold feet on me now, honey. If you ran, I can't win you over."

Claudio growled, trying to get the feeling back in his legs to no avail _. 'I have to get rid of Illusion Ice Sculpture so that I can reach her Snow Fairy and play my spell cards. In addition, this girl is long overdue for a wakeup call... She takes the phrase "Love is blind" to an insane level...'_ He then drew his next card and then looked over his overall hand. _'On the other hand, I can still play off damaging her points...'_ He then gave a smirk to Lola, which everyone saw.

"I think Claudio's got a plan." Alex smiled.

"How do you figure?" Jeremy wondered. "Without playing his spells immediately and his traps at the proper time, he's a sitting duck... not to mention a frozen one."

"He can still damage her points since Illusion Ice Sculpture is still in attack mode." The Gemini duelist stated. "And if he still has a way in causing Lola to be the loser, Claudio's unstoppable."

"I activate the effect of a card in my hand, Jukebox Hero Rush the Beat!" Claudio announced, revealing the card he just drew and an image of a drummer wearing a black beanie, t-shirt, and jeans appeared in front of him. "By sending him to the grave, I can summon any Jukebox Hero from the graveyard as well! And I pick Jukebox Hero Tom Sawyer!"

Rush the Beat vanished from the field, bringing back the prideful warrior to defend Claudio. (4/1900/1000)

"Sorry, Hun," Lola stated. "Even though he can damage my life points, White Night Queen will take him out again and then you'll be down 2200 more points. Not to mention, you'll be that much closer to being mine."

"Then, how about I sacrifice him and summon the Jukebox Hero Sandman to take the stage!" the J-Hero duelist grinned as Tom Sawyer turned to sand and dropped onto the ground. Then, the sand started reforming into a new human shape. The 'person' looked like a man with a goatee and sandy hair. (6/2100/1200)

"Yes!" Melody exclaimed. "You're in trouble now, Lola!"

"I'll say!" Lily cheered. "Sandman has an advantage over LIGHT Monsters!"

"Bad news, Lola," Claudio smirked. "When Sandman attacks a LIGHT monster, he gains 1000 ATK during damage calculation!" Lola gasped in shock. "Sandman, attack Illusion Ice Sculpture and raise some sand!"

Sandman soon erupted into a massive sandstorm that quickly surrounded the fake Snow Fairy. (6/2100-3100/1200) The storm constricted it under the pressure while the White Night duelist did her best to block any sand from reaching her.

Claudio: 4500

Lola: 5200

"That should shut her up for a while," Melody stated, proud of her boyfriend's move. "If the Society of Light stick with LIGHT monsters so much, Sandman is the perfect monster to deal with them."

"I can tell you're happy," Alexis smiled.

"When someone won't leave your boyfriend alone, I'll get angry," the Ra girl proclaimed. "I trust Claudio to handle this."

After the storm died down, Sandman reformed himself into his human form. "That's my turn." Claudio concluded.

"You're rejecting me again!" Lola cried as she drew her next card. But she saw her card was a dead draw, and then moved one of her monster cards sideways, causing the fake Snow Fairy kneel and cross its arms, "I'll switch Illusion Ice Sculpture to defense mode and then use White Night Queen's effect to destroy your other facedown card!" With another icicle eruption, Claudio's first facedown card shattered. "And then I end my turn and you won't be able to hurt me again."

"Hurt you?" Claudio said in confusion as he drew his next card. "You basically hit me most of this duel!"

"I'm trying to open your eyes to the Light and where you belong!" She protested.

"Sartorius really warped your feelings for me on this one." The J-Hero muttered as he played his next card. "I'll set one card facedown and its back to you, Lola."

"Why'd he do that?" Allyson wondered. "It's just going to get destroyed again."

"You just slipped up, Claudio." Lola smiled as she drew. "White Night Queen, destroy it now!" She commanded.

"No, you won't!" Claudio shouted as he revealed his facedown card. It was a quick-play spell card! "I activate Book of Eclipse!"

Lola gasped. "A spell card?"

"A quick-play spell card!" the J-Hero duelist grinned. "Since it's not on the turn where it's set, your Snow Fairy's effect can't touch it! Now, Book of Eclipse forces all monsters facedown!"

Everyone on Claudio's side cheered as Claudio's Sandman and Lola's monsters flipped facedown to set cards, shattering Heart of Clear Water, replaced all of Lola's monsters.

"Yes! Now Claudio can destroy Illusion Ice Sculpture and then go after the others!" Alexis cheered.

"Why not when it's his turn?" Jaden wondered.

"It's because when Lola ends her turn, they'll all be face-up on the field." Alex stated. "Not to mention she gets a card for each one that flips up."

"A double-edged sword," Jeremy concluded.

"I set one card and end my turn, which means all my monsters are face up now." Lola concluded, as all her monsters revealed themselves while defending. (1/0/0), (4/1100/700), (7/2100/800) "Also, I draw three new cards!" She stated as she drew the exact amount needed, bringing her hand to four. "Thank you for the gift."

"And that's all you'll be getting from me," Claudio declared as he drew his next card. "Now I'm set, by summoning Soul Mic in attack mode!" He announced, bringing out his sliver microphone into his left hand. (1/300/200) "And even though I can attack directly, I'll opt for attacking the Illusion Ice Sculpture!" He shouted into the mic, shattering the Sculpture into shards. "Next, Sandman attacks Snow Fairy!" The Jukebox Hero turned his arm into a think whip and used it to smash the Snow Fairy into shards.

"Sweet, now Claudio can play his spell cards!" Jaden cheered.

"He just has to only place quick-play spells facedown, or cards that activate when destroyed if he wants to avoid White Night Queen's effect." Alexis added.

"I activate Card of Demise!" Claudio announced, playing his lone card. "Now I can draw five new cards, but have to ditch my hand when five standby phases go by!" He drew out his five cards. "And since I'm so happy to be playing spell cards again, I'll keep it going by activating the field spell card, Live Stage – A Favor House Atlantic!" The arena ground turned white for a bit, before it settled on an ocean where a factory was located. It was big and brown with two smokestacks at the top and only one window made. The duelists were just outside it building near the entrance.

"Been awhile since he played this card," Melody noted.

"Finally, I end with Welcome Home!" the J-Hero duelist concluded as he inserted a card, that made the ground on his side of the field black. "Let's see you get out of this!"

"He's making that good comeback." Alex grinned, slapping a hi-five with Jeremy.

"All he needs to do is destroy White Night Queen and go in for the direct attacks!" The Alien duelist concluded.

"I wouldn't count on an easy victory just yet," Lily stated. "If Lola commanded the field for this long, there could be a way to regain that control."

"With what I have in my hand, I can do so much more!" Lola stated as she drew her next card. "First, I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted and bring back my Snow Fairy!" She announced as her trap card flipped over, bringing back the small fairy of ice. (3/1100/700) "Back where we started, dear. And next I play my own Quick-Play Spell card, Forbidden Lance to prevent spell and trap card effects from harming Sandman but drains 800 ATK!"

Suddenly, a golden lance shot from the ceiling and stabbed through Sandman, draining its strength. (6/2100-1300/1200)

"Then, I activate Forbidden Chalice to increase my White Night Queen's power by 400, but unable to use her effects!" She continued as holy water drenched her ice queen, giving her power. (7/2100-2500/800)

Queen summoned another blizzard, causing Sandman to react and power up. (6/1300-2300/1200) However, it was not enough as he was frozen over and shattered into pixels.

Claudio: 4300

Lola: 5200

"The effect of Welcome Home activates, adding a C&C counter since a monster was destroyed in battle!" Claudio declared, prompting a blank TV screen to appear behind him with the counter viewed. (WH: 1 C&C)

"And then, Snow Fairy will destroy your microphone!" She stated as her returning fairy flew up into the sky. Acting fast, Claudio threw his microphone at the fairy, as it fired the beam and destroyed it. (WH: 2 C&Cs)

Claudio: 3500

Lola: 5200

The spectators behind Claudio gasped while the SOL crowd cheered.

"And once again, you're defenseless," Lola smiled. "Soon, you'll see the Light and stand by my side!"

"Well, until you actually win this, the effect of A Favor House Atlantic activates, forcing you to send a monster back to your hand, since you went through your battle phase," Claudio stated. "So who will it be?"

"My Snow Fairy of course," the SOL duelist replied as Snow Fairy vanished, when she took the card off her duel disk. "But since I haven't summoned any monsters yet, I can re-summon Snow Fairy back to the field!" She announced as she brought back the small icy fairy. (4/1100/700)

"It's my turn now," Claudio stated as he drew his next card. "I summon Jukebox Hero Modest Mouse in defense mode!" He announced, as his banjo-playing mouse appeared, blocking with his instrument. (4/800/1200) "And since he's the only monster on my field when summoned, I can draw two cards!" He then drew out two more cards. "And that's it from me. I'd think about my next move if I were you..."

"Worried I'll get through your weak defenses," Lola wondered as she drew her next card. "I pretty much have this duel won and I'll activate White Blizzard!" Her next continuous spell card depicted an icy pathway inside cold windstorm." From now on, every time I destroy a monster of yours by battle, I can deal 600 points of damage! Now, White Night Queen attacks Modest Mouse!" She commanded as the queen created another blizzard, freezing the mouse and shattered it. (WH: 3 C&Cs) Then, White Blizzard glowed and blew a harsh wind at Claudio.

Claudio: 2900

Lola: 5200

"And now, Snow Fairy attack directly!" She continued as her fairy, fired another ice beam at Claudio, causing him to shiver from the cold again.

Claudio: 1800

Lola: 5200

"And then I'll just remove Snow Fairy from the field and then re-summon it because of your field spell..." Lola stated as she took Snow Fairy off the field and then placed in back on the field in attack mode. (4/1100/700)

"She's just getting around Claudio's field spell." Melody groaned. "Even if she has another monster, she won't summon it if she keeps her lockdown strategy out."

"I just hope Claudio can find a way around this," Allyson added. "We can't lose him to the Society."

"It's my turn." Claudio drew and smiled at his drawn card. "Bad news, Lola; here comes the card that'll turn the tables around your strategy!" Lola put on a confused look as her opponent summoned a monster. "I play Jukebox Hero Aerosmith!" A wave of blue light came from the ground, and brought out a blonde, longhaired man wearing a purple jacket and pants with black shoes. He carried with him a microphone with a brown and red scarf wrapped around the stand. (4/1600/900)

Lola then laughed. "Sure, you can destroy Snow Fairy, but then I would turn around and end this duel with White Night Queen. Just tell me you want to be with me and I'll stop you from being humiliated."

"I wouldn't be getting ahead of myself, especially with Aerosmith's special effect," the J-Hero duelist grinned as he held up another card from his hand. "By discarding a monster, I can take control of a monster with the same level! And by discarding the level 7 Roadie Riggs, I can take control of White Night Queen!"

As the Jukebox Hero sung, White Night Queen suddenly marched over to Claudio's side and turned around to face Lola.

"No!" She cried.

"Oh yeah," Melody cheered.

"Aerosmith, attack Snow Fairy with Sound Wave Slam!" Claudio commanded as Aerosmith took the microphone off his stand and then shouted into it, shattering Snow Fairy away for good. (WH: 4 C&Cs)

Claudio: 1800

Lola: 4700

"And then, White Night Queen, give her a direct attack!" He continued as the Queen used her cape to send another blizzard, this time blowing across Lola's face.

Claudio: 1800

Lola: 2600

"He's got the score cut down to 800 apart!" Alex cheered. "All he's got to do his cut this down to the wire!"

"And he'll have Lola off his back!" Melody added.

"Now, I activate Quick Summon and bring out Soul Drums in defense mode to end my turn." Claudio concluded as his silver drum set appeared in front of him. (4/0/2200) "Then, with A Favor House Atlantic, I'll send White Night Queen back to your hand!" He stated as White Night Queen vanished from his field and back into Lola's hand. "You're all alone on the field, Lola, and I'll let you in on a little secret, I can take you down next turn. I suggest you come to your senses and surrender!"

Lola furiously shook her head, "Not until I have you..."

"Get it inside of your head! I don't like you that way; it's hard to like someone who was only interested in me because I was getting popular!" The Ra duelist snapped as he held up his satellite key. "Sartorius brainwashed you and filled you these empty promises just get to me and this satellite key!"

"So what," she shouted. "It's only matter of time that I'll get you to join me!" She then drew out her next card and smiled as she looked at it with her overall hand. "Now, I have the perfect hand to defeat you, my dear Claudio!"

"I don't like the way she said that..." Jeremy said, taking note of Lola's tone.

"She probably drew a pretty powerful card," Jaden added. "And with 1800 life points, that's not good for Claudio."

Lola smirked as she inserted her card into the disk, "I activate the spell card, Ice Age Panic! Since my field is empty of monsters, I can special summon a WATER attribute monster from my deck! So thank you for emptying my monster zones!"

Claudio cringed as the White Night Duelist took a monster card from her deck. _'Not a good place to be now...'_

"I summon the White Night Dragon in attack mode!" Lola announced as she placed the monster card on the field, causing a large ice storm to rise and blow around the field. Everyone in the audience felt the harsh cold brush against them until gathered in front of the White Night Duelist and created a physical form, leaving everyone in awe. The ice storm became a large dragon, made of ice hard as diamonds and the appearance of a Red-Eyes Black Dragon. In addition, its stats matched the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! (8/3000/2500)

"Oh no..." Claudio muttered.

"That monster is as powerful as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Jaden shouted.

"I bet Sartorius found a way to make it stronger than ever." Alexis added.

"And look at the scores between that dragon and Aerosmith." Jeremy pointed out. "If that dragon attacks him, it will deal 1400 points of damage and White Blizzard will finish off the remaining 400!"

"It won't." Melody stated firmly. "He's still in this..."

As the spectators wondered what Melody was talking about, Lola added more of the pressure to her opponent. "It's the beginning of the end!" She declared. "My Dragon's special ability makes it so that any Spell and Trap Cards cannot target it at any time. But I have one card that it will become compatible with it."

"How so," Claudio wondered. "By your explanation, the only way Spells and Traps can target it is that Skill Drain can take the effects away. What card in your hand can do all of that?"

Lola smirked as she turned over another card in her hand. It was White Veil!

"That's Sartorius' ultimate card!" Lily exclaimed as Lola played the card, surrounding the White Night Dragon in a veil of white light. "And it's working on that Dragon!"

"No way," Allyson shouted. "White Night Dragon's supposed to negate it!"

"Unless the Light's gotten stronger than we thought," Alex deduced.

Melody saw the difficult expression on her boyfriend's face. She knew he was thinking along the same lines as their friends. "That means his spells and traps are done and he can't summon Coheed Cambria."

"White Night Dragon, attack Jukebox Hero Aerosmith and bring Claudio to me!" She commanded as her dragon opened its maw and unleashed as devastating ice breath that wiped-out Claudio's Welcome Home and Live Stage Field Spell and brought them back to the Academy's arena. Lola then gasped as she saw that it soon veered off course, freezing Soul Drums, and shattered it. "What happened?"

"That was my Soul Drums ability," Claudio replied. "Any attack made will hit it instead!"

Everyone behind Claudio sighed in relief.

"I forgot about that special ability." Jaden admitted.

"Let's just hope Claudio can keep up his defenses." Allyson added.

Lola got over the shock and quickly stated, "I still destroyed a monster, meaning White Blizzard deals 600 points of damage!" After the explanation, White Blizzard activated and blew another storm around Claudio, making him shiver again.

Claudio: 1200

Lola: 2600

"To finish my turn, I summon Cold Sleeper!" She continued as she played another card, summoning a large, black container on long mechanical legs. (4/1100/1900) "It's your turn."

"And I'll make it count!" Claudio shouted as he drew his next card. He gasped, seeing the card he just drew and then smiled afterwards. It was Coheed Cambria. _'You always come in my time of need. I think Lola needs that lesson now._ ' He thought as he took a spell card from his and inserted it. "I play Grade Sword! It increases the ATK of a Warrior-Type monster by 300, but it also makes the equipped monster a double-tribute monster for another Warrior-Type!"

A large samurai sword appeared in Aerosmith's hands as he held it out. (4/1600-1900/900)

"It's time! I sacrifice Aerosmith and summon Jukebox Hero Coheed Cambria!" Claudio announced as Aerosmith and his sword vanished into motes of light and then let it form into Claudio's signature Jukebox Hero. A man with brown hair reaching down to his shoulders appeared holding a red double-neck guitar. He wore black shirt with a symbol of blue triangle with three big circles and four smaller circles in a formation, along with black jeans and shoes. (8/3300/3000)

"It's been awhile since we saw him!" Jaden exclaimed. "And with 3300 ATK, he can take out White Dragon!"

Lily gasped, "But that would trigger White Veil's side effect! Even though Claudio would win the duel, Lola would end up as insane as Juli is now!"

Alexis shuddered, "I'll never forget that moment... In a way, I caused Juli to be who she is now."

"And I may not like Lola, but no one deserves to be put through that." Melody added.

"At least we're doing something about it, right?" Allyson asked, placing a hand on the Obelisk Queen's shoulder. Alexis nodded.

"Even though I would love to end this duel right now, I don't want you ending up like Juli." Claudio stated. "I'm trying to save you guys from the Light, not bring you in deeper. So, Coheed Cambria, wipe out Cold Sleeper!"

The J-Hero held up his double-neck guitar to the side and then started strumming out a massive sound wave, heading straight for the black container.

Lola let out a laugh, getting everyone's attention. "You fell right into my trap! By sending a spell or trap card from my field into the graveyard, I can switch the attack target to White Night Dragon per its effect!"

Claudio gasped. "Are you crazy? If I destroy that thing, White Veil will take you out as well!"

"Aww, it's nice to know you really do care?" She smiled alluringly as she took White Veil from her disk and placed into the graveyard. "But, I'm sending White Veil to the graveyard to make its effect happen!"

Everyone saw that the white glow from the dragon vanished and then took the sound waves head on, cracking it and shatter into giant ice shards around Cold Sleeper.

Claudio: 1200

Lola: 2300

"That was a relief." Alexis sighed. "I didn't want to see that happen again."

"At least Claudio has a shot at getting her out of her insanity." Jaden stated.

"It's not over for my dragon yet!" Lola interrupted. "I have the ability of my Cold Sleeper to turn the tables; whenever a monster is destroyed in battle, I give up a Monster Card Zone to special summon White Night Dragon at the end of the battle phase!"

Cold Sleeper opened its doors and blew a harsh storm to its side, freezing up the spot next to the frozen idol and occupied another Monster Zone. (Lola's Monster Card Zone: 4-3) It blew another cold windstorm and brought back the giant ice dragon again. (8/3000/2500)

"So that's your strategy," Claudio deduced. "You're planning to hold out until you draw White Cloak!"

"Oh so deductive," the SOL duelist laughed. "And it won't be too long."

"Unless you count that you have limited Monster Zones." The J-Hero duelist pointed out. "I can either take your Cold Sleeper, or keep destroying your Dragon until there's no room to summon!"

"We'll see." Lola said as she drew her next card. "I pass."

"Fine by me," Claudio countered, drawing his next card. "Coheed Cambria, attack Cold Sleeper again!" He announced as his ace built up another sound wave attack, intended for the frozen container.

"I send White Night Fort to the graveyard and switch the attack towards White Night Dragon!" Lola countered back, as the ice fort broke apart and redirected Coheed Cambria's attack towards the dragon, shattering it once more.

Claudio: 1200

Lola: 2000

Cold Sleeper reactivated itself, freezing another zone on Lola's field and brought back the White Night Dragon all over again. (8/3000/2500), (Lola's Monster Card Zone: 3-2)

"I end my turn with one card facedown." The Ra concluded. 'Now that White Night Fort's gone, I can activate my traps on her turn again.'

"If Lola can't draw what she needs on this turn, Claudio can win by taking out the dragon one more time and then Cold Sleeper next." Melody stated.

"It's my turn." Lola announced as she drew her next card. "Now I can save myself the trouble by activating Dian Keto the Cure Master, giving me 1000 life points extra." A green aura surrounded her, restoring her life points.

Claudio: 1200

Lola: 3000

"Now I can finally activate White Cloak without any true drawback!" She continued with a big smile on her face. "All I have to do is sacrifice life points equal to half of the monster's DEF!" A white aura surrounded her next, draining the needed life points while surrounding the White Night Dragon. "Then, it gains life equal to the difference in our life point scores since mine is higher!" White Night Dragon roared as the power surged within it. (8/3000-3550/2500)

Claudio: 1200

Lola: 1750

"Aw man, now it can equip onto the dragon despite its drawback?" Alex groaned.

"This is starting to remind me of how Claudio faced off against Camula and Illusion Gate," Jaden pointed out. "It wasn't exactly a fair game then."

"And all White Veil's effects are planted inside of White Cloak as well," Lola continued, "So when I attack, your facedown card will be shattered!"

"Then I'm glad that this card's only good for the turn," Claudio countered, revealing his facedown card, "I activate the trap card, Invincible Hero! For this turn, Coheed Cambria's sticking around in battle!"

"Playing hard to get I see," the SOL duelist smiled. "Then, I better play along. White Night Dragon attack Coheed Cambria!" The Light powered dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of light washing over the J-Hero and his duelist, screaming in pain.

Claudio: 950

Lola: 1750

"Claudio!" Melody shouted. "Are you okay?"

Once the light died down, she saw that Claudio and his monster were both panting in exhaustion.

"Never better, sweetie," He replied. 'But it's going down to the wire, because my hand will be discarded as soon as I draw. And then, that dragon just got a little bit powerful from dealing battle damage.' The Light from White Night Dragon brightened. (8/3550-3800/2500)

"I end my turn." Lola concluded. "And it's been five of your standby phases, so you have to discard your hand."

"I know..." Claudio muttered as he drew his next card. He saw a glimpse of the card before he placed it into his graveyard. "Just go..."

"Don't be that way," Lola pouted as she drew her next card. "Just know that you're all mine!"

On cue, White Night Dragon fired another blast of light and headed straight for Coheed and Claudio.

Claudio's friends gasped while the Society Members cheered for the end to come.

"I activate a card from my graveyard!"

Lola gasped, "What?"

"Necro Gardna can block an attack by removing it from my graveyard!" Claudio stated as a card slipped out of his grave and the Light was blocked by a transparent image of a warrior dressed in grey, maroon, and black armor with long white hair that fell to his knees. He vanished after the attack. "Sorry, but it's not over yet!"

"Talk about luck of the draw!" Lily exclaimed. "Even when he had to discard, he got his card to survive!"

"He still needs that sweet card to end this duel," Jaden stated.

"But how," Jeremy wondered. "He's top-decking for all its worth."

"Because..."

"Claudio knows a way to get around to the side effect of White Cloak." Melody finished for Jaden. "Is that what you were going to say?"

"How'd you know that?" The E-Hero duelist asked.

"He told me after he read the card Jethro got from Dorian." She replied. "And besides, I figured White Cloak had a side effect since White Veil does, despite the added effect of increasing ATK."

"Ahead of the game, right," Allyson stated.

Lola groaned as she set a card facedown, "Sooner or later, you'll slip up and I will beat you and make you see the Light."

"That will depend on the card I draw now!" Claudio shouted as he drew his next card. "I activate the spell card, Crazy Train! I return Jukebox Heroes Tom Sawyer, Modest Mouse and Aerosmith back to the deck, reshuffled and then draw two new cards!" He complied with returning his three Jukebox Heroes from his deck and into his deck, shuffling it and then drawing out his two cards. "And it looks like the end of this duel, Lola. I activate Soul Release, so I can remove up to 5 cards from our graveyards. But there's only one card I want to get rid of..."

Lola gasped.

"Soul Release, remove White Veil from the graveyard!" He shouted as a white smoke started to glow from the SOL duelist's graveyard.

"Not now," Lola shouted, revealing her facedown card. "I activate Mystic Wok to send Cold Sleeper into the graveyard and gain life points and regain life points by its DEF!" Cold Sleeper vanished into light motes and refilled Lola's life points

Claudio: 950

Lola: 3650

Then, White Veil removed itself from the graveyard, causing the white aura around Lola to fizzle out and take life points.

Claudio: 950

Lola: 1150

Also, White Night Dragon's light started to fade away a lot, leaving a faint glimmer on its head. (8/4300-3200/2500)

"But how did you know about White Cloak's side effect," Lola gasped.

"Let's just say, one of your former members dropped the ball after he lost to one of my friends." Claudio stated. "I just became the first to exploit it. But now that fun and games are over, time for the next card that will help you see the truth. I activate Monster Reborn to revive Jukebox Hero Rush the Beat to the field." The ankh of Monster Reborn shined from the spell and brought back the drummer to the field. (4/1100/1800)

"He's got enough to win this duel!" Melody cheered.

"This is not fair!" Lola shouted. "You're not supposed to win!"

Claudio sighed as he reached for his guitar and brought it up to play. "You just don't get it, do you? You never loved me; you just wanted to be next to popular guy and a winner. Sartorius just promised you something you could never have in exchange for getting me out the way. And, all the time you've been trying kick Melody to curb, I just don't like it. I love her, not you and it's time I showed you what you're doing to yourself!"

(Feathers – Coheed and Cambria)

Claudio started up an upbeat guitar intro, but instead of a positive look he usually had whenever playing music, he kept a stern look to his opponent as Coheed Cambria sung and Rush the Beat provided the drums. He remembered one of the reasons this song was made as its creator suffered from a bad relationship as he made his albums. Luckily, he recovered and was happily married. But now, he wanted to save Lola from a fate of loneliness and stop her from having to lead on others.

During the solo, Coheed Cambria's sound waves turned into a flurry of black feathers that surrounded White Night Dragon and Lola. The SOL duelist covered her head to make sure anything struck her, but her dragon wasn't lucky as it was swarmed and had its wings replaced with the black feathers.

Claudio: 950

Lola: 1050

At the final verse, Rush the Beat smashed down on his cymbals, sending them in the air and smacked them across the black-feathered White Night Dragon, scattering the feathers around Lola as she screamed when the Light left her body.

Claudio: 950, Winner

Lola: 0

As the holograms disappeared, the Society of Light stood up from their chairs left. Then, the ice around Claudio's legs melted, freeing them from its grip.

"He's out of the ice!" Melody exclaimed as she got out of her seat and ran downstairs. Once she got down to where Claudio was, he got down on his knees. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just feeling a little numb in the legs," Claudio shrugged.

"At least you got into Lola's delusional head once and for all." The Magician duelist stated.

"By the way, did that Light leave her?" He asked.

"Yup."

"Then, she'll listen to reason this time." Claudio stated as he stood up and walked over to the unconscious ice duelist. "Lola, you alright? Rise and shine!"

Lola groaned as she woke up and sat up on her knees. "What the... where am I?" She then saw Claudio and gasped. "Claudio?"

"Sup?"

"What's going on? Were we in a duel?" Lola asked.

"Brainwashed by Sartorius with your... how should we say... obsession over me." The Ra stated.

The ice duelist grimaced. "To be honest, I got over that a year ago, but a part of me still liked you. Then somehow, I got into the Society... it was all a blur."

"At least you came to your senses."

Lola nodded. "Sorry for all the unwanted attention... And thank you..."

"Just save all of that flirting for when you get a boyfriend." Claudio joked. The ice duelist laughed a little before she left the arena as well. He then turned and walked back to Melody. "There, now we are cool! No other women will be stalking me, and I'm with the girl that I love."

"Good," Melody smiled as their shared another kiss. "Now, how about we get to the beach?"

"Sweet, I need to warm my legs first before I hit the surfboard." He stated as he and Melody left the arena next, together.

"At least everything is alright here," Alexis stated. "Another Society member down and we can get on with our lives until next time."

"Still, there's a lot more left." Jeremy added.

"Hey, here's a thought!" Alex grinned. "After we take down the stronger ones, we can gather up anyone who's left in the tournament to take down the rest of them."

"Like a dueling war?" Lily wondered.

"Exactly!" the Gemini duelist stated. "Not like we're in any danger of losing; if all those Obelisk and Ras lost that easily and to Chazz of all people, it'll be too easy!"

"That's a good idea." The Dragon duelist replied.

"And I bet you guys would like that too," Alexis turned her head to Jaden and Allyson, but noticed them both gone from their seats. "Where did they go?"

"Oh, right." Everyone turned to the Alien duelist. "Allyson whispered to me that she was trying to get through to Jaden about something, grabbed him by the hand and left."

Alexis and Lily shared a knowing smile. "That's because she's finally opening to Jaden, and trying to get him to see that." Lily stated.

"I have noticed it..." Alex shrugged. "But how Jaden is, good luck..."

"With how Allyson shares the same enthusiasm for dueling as Jaden does, she will..." Alexis smiled.

* * *

Outside the main buliding, Allyson dragged Jaden by the arm.

"Hey Allyson..." Jaden said, clueless to his friends' actions. "What's this about?"

When she let go, she took a few more steps before activating her duel disk. "You and I are going to duel!"

"You could've asked..." the Slifer stated. "No way would I turn down a duel."

"I know... but this is more than a duel, Jaden." The spirit duelist declared. "And there's something in it for you, if you win."

"Well, I know I get the medals..."

"Not that Jaden..." Allyson interrupted. "You see in due time... as we duel."

"Alright, then get your game on!" Jaden shouted as he activated his duel disk as well. Both players then drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Jaden: 8000

Allyson: 8000

"Alright, we get to see the both go at it!"

Both turned to the right and saw Alister, Erika and Matthias standing around.

"Hey guys," Allyson waved to them. "Wish me luck!" She then gave a knowing wink to the engaged couple.

"Now I see what's going on..." Alister said to Erika. "She's finally going through with it."

"Yup, let's hope Jaden can see it," The Maverick duelist said.

"Since you wanted this duel, it's only fair that you go first." Jaden offered.

"Thanks," Allyson smiled and drew her sixth card. "I activate the field spell, Future Visions!" She announced as she inserted her spell into the side slot and unleashed an aura psychedelic energy. "Thanks to this card, any Normal Summons we make causes them to be sent a turn into the future! And I think I'll do that with my monster Asura Priest in attack mode!" As she placed a monster card on the field, the blue-skinned, six-armed male spirit appeared. (4/1700/1200) Afterwards, he faded away into the field spell's aura. "And then, I place one card facedown to end my turn."

"Okay, it's my turn!" Jaden announced as she drew. "Since your field spell forces Normal Summoned monsters to be sent into the future, I'll activate the spell Charge Fusion and fuse together Avian with Burstinatrix to Fusion Summon, my Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" He announced as his winged hero and his firey heroine appeared and jumped into a fusion vortex, and from it came the favorite fusion monster. (6/2100/1200) "And since you're alone on the field, I'll have him attack you directly with Skydive Scorcher!"

As the fusion hero flew up to the sky and surrounded itself in flames, Allyson revealed her facedown card. "Sorry Jaden, but I activate Defense Draw! Negating the damage and allows me to draw one card!" An emerald barrier surrounded the Spirit duelist as she drew her card and blocked Wingman's attack. "Come on, Jaden. With a deck like mine, you think I wouldn't be able to block direct attacks?" She smirked.

"Oh well, live and learn," the Slifer shrugged as he inserted a spell card. "I end by activating the continuous spell card, Branch!"

"Isn't that the card, Allyson gave Jaden during that tag duel?" Alister wondered.

"I guess that means they never returned each other's' cards." Erika stated.

"Clever," Allyson said as she drew her next card. "But, I'll still take down him down since Asura Priest returns!" On cue, Asura Priest appeared from the field's aura. (4/1700/1200) "And joining him for a brief period; Tsukuyomi!" In a purple smoke, a young woman with tan skin and purple hair appeared clad in a purple cloak. (4/1100/1400) "Before she goes away, she forces one monster to be flipped face-down. And I choose Flame Wingman!"

The spirit woman drew her smoke around the signature fusion monster of the Slifer, forcing it to become a set monster. Tsukuyomi departed into Future Vision's aura.

"Nice move, which means your Spirit, has the upper hand." Jaden praised.

"Thanks, but I'm not done yet," the Spirit duelist continued, holding up a spell card depicting a clear glass orb on a soft, red pillow on a pedestal. "I activate the Equip Spell Orb of Yasaka! Like some of my other cards, I can only give this to a Spirit Monster, so Asura Priest will hold this one!" As she activated the card, the glass orb appeared in one of the Spirit Monster's hands. "Now, attack Flame Wingman with Five Dagger Strike!"

The six-armed spirit held out his five free hands as a dagger materialized into each of them, letting him throw three of them into the facedown card, revealing Flame Wingman. (6/2100/1200) The sharp blades sunk into his flesh and shattered him into pixels.

"So, you got me there..." Jaden stated. "But what's so special about your orb card?"

"Since the monster equipped took down your monster, I can get the ATK of the monster destroyed into my life points!" Allyson exclaimed as the pixilated remains of the E-Hero were absorbed into Asura Priest's orb and used it to fill Allyson's points.

Allyson: 10100

Jaden: 8000

"No way, over 10000 already!" Matthias shouted.

"It's not looking good for Jaden," Erika added.

"I still got a monster coming to me," Jaden stated as he took a monster card from his graveyard and placed it sideways on his disk. "With Branch! I can summon a Fusion Material monster of Flame Wingman, like Elemental Hero Avian in defense mode!" He announced as the green, winged hero returned to the field. (3/1000/1000)

The Obelisk girl smiled. "I think you forgot that Asura Priest can attack every monster during the battle phase!"

Jaden paled, "Oops..."

"Attack Avian," Allyson commanded as her spirit threw the final two daggers into Avian, shattering him into pixels. He then used to orb to absorb the remains and filled Allyson's points again.

Allyson: 11100

Jaden: 8000

"I end my turn." She concluded. "I hope you're not flustered with how I'm playing..." She taunted playfully.

"Um... no, I'm not." The E-Hero duelist muttered and blushed as he drew his next card. "I bring out Neo Spacian Air Hummingbird!" A green flashed on to the field, bringing the feminine hummingbird onto the field. (3/800/600) "Of course, thanks to your field spell, she's sent one turn into the future..." He stated as hummingbird vanished into Future Vision's aura. "So, I'll just throwdown a facedown!"

"I can't see how he'll get out of this one," the ocean duelist stated. "Unless that facedown card is something to block attacks, he'll be down a lot."

"Jaden always makes a comeback when it really counts," Alister told him. "But since Allyson knows his deck, she could plan a counterstrategy for it."

"My draw then," Allyson said as she drew her next card. "First, Tsukuyomi returns to the field!" On cue, the purple-haired Spirit returned next to Asura Priest. (4/1100/1400) "Now, let's see you do something with that facedown card... time for a double direct attack!"

"She's going for it?" Alister gasped.

"I told you, she's driven to get the best of Jaden." Erika stated as Tsukuyomi summoned a giant purple cloud and surrounded Jaden. Next, Asura Priest summoned five more daggers and threw them all at the defenseless Slifer. They nicked him at his sides, extinguishing the smoke and damaged his points.

Allyson: 11100

Jaden: 5200

"Nice shot," Jaden groaned. "Although, could you let up on the force?"

"Sorry about that," the Spirit duelist said sheepishly, "Having too much fun!"

"So am I, but..."

"Don't worry; I wouldn't hurt you on purpose...," She interjected. 'I just hope you realize why I'm doing this...' She then took another card from her hand. "Next, I sacrifice both of my monsters and set my monster facedown."

Tsukuyomi and Asura vanished into thin air as a set monster took their place.

'I wonder why she played it facedown...' Jaden wondered. 'I guess she wants to keep it for defense...'

"Now, to avoid your Air Hummingbird's special ability, I place two cards facedown and activate the continuous spell card, Field Barrier!" Allyson continued as two reversed card appeared, plus a clear barrier surrounded the Field Spell. "Not only do I protect my Field Spell from being destroyed or replaced, but when Air Hummingbird comes back, you won't gain life points from my hand!"

"Got him again," Erika smirked.

"Sweet moves, Allyson, now it's my turn." The Slifer praised as he drew his next card. Air Hummingbird emerged from the field's aura. (3/800/600) "After two turns, Charge Fusion returns to my hand from the graveyard." He announced, collecting his fusion card from the discard slot. "Next, I play Pot of Greed to pick up two more cards." He continued, playing his spell and drawing two cards. "Alright, I summon Elemental Hero Stratos!"

In a gust of wind, the metal winged, flying hero answered the call and took to the skies (4/1800/300).

"And before he goes, I get to use his special ability to bring Elemental Hero Neos from my deck and into my hand." Jaden stated as he took his desired monster card from his deck, while Stratos faded away into the field spell.

"I bet you've got something else," Allyson said.

"Yup," Jaden grinned, playing another spell card. "I activate Fake Hero, allowing me to play any Elemental Hero from my hand, but he can't attack. And I choose Elemental Hero Neos!" In a flash, the Neo-Spacian Hero appeared and crossed his arms. (7/2500/2000)

"That's an Elemental Hero I've never seen," the ocean duelist said.

Jaden looked to his two monsters and then called out, "Neos, Hummingbird, it's time for Contact Fusion!" He announced as Neos and Hummingbird jumped into the sky and fused together in a bright light. "I summon Elemental Hero Air Neos!"

The light went out, and brought out the red clad Neos who stayed aloft over the field. (7/2500/2000)

"I hope you're not planning to attack with him," Allyson warned. "You know I have two monsters in need of a double sacrifice, and it wouldn't do you any good to strike."

"I'm still going for it," the Slifer stated, causing the Obelisk to be puzzled. "It was a big mistake raising your life points and lowering mine so much. Air Neos gains life points equal to the difference, as long as mine are lower!"

Allyson gasped, "That means he gets 5900 ATK!" She stated as Neos' power skyrocketed. (7/2500-8400/2000)

"That's not all," Jaden continued, holding up another card. "I activate H-Heated Heart! It allows Air Neos to gain 500 ATK and piercing damage until the end of the turn!"

A giant blue H flew out of the card image and surrounded Air Neos with its power. (7/8400-8900/2000)

"Allyson is in for it now," Alister said, preparing for what's to come.

"Attack her facedown monster with Cosmic Wind!" Jaden commanded as Neos flew up higher and then beat his wings at sonic speed, creating a razor, white windstorm, tearing the facedown monster into ribbons. It revealed to be the eight-headed, snake-like dragon, the Yamata Dragon before it vanished. (7/2600/3100) The Obelisk braced herself as she blocked with her arms.

Allyson: 5300

Jaden: 5200

"From just one attack, Allyson lost her overwhelming lead because of her strategy to gain life points backfired." Alister stated, overwhelmed by Jaden's move.

"You've done that once before," Erika noted. "Albeit, you never faced someone with a life point gaining deck... but how you were down by so much before Eatos took out 8000 points by herself."

"Exactly why I'm amazed," the Guardian duelist replied.

"I'm impressed!" Allyson praised. "I never thought your Neo-Spacian that would gain life points by herself, would cause much of an impact on being behind. You really are surprising."

"Thanks," Jaden said. "And I'm planning on enjoying this duel... even though you have this 'special' prize in mind, this duel's more fun than to end this quick. I'll end my turn right now. And since Neo Space is not on the field, Air Neos must be sent back Fusion Deck." Soon, a multicolored light surrounded the Neos Fusion Monster and vanished off the field. "It's your move, Allyson. I can't wait to see what else you got!"

"Then here it comes!" Allyson exclaimed as she drew. "I remove Tsukuyomi from the graveyard and special summon Yamato-no-Kami!" A dark portal opened and from it came a twisted looking, dark haired spirit. He wore only white pants as his upper body wouldn't allow him to wear a shirt with the six tendrils coming out of his back. (6/2200/1200) "Now, attack directly!" The dark spirit cackled as his tendrils stretched out and reached out for the Slifer.

"I activate Negate Attack!" Jaden countered, flipping over his face down card from his first turn. A spiral vortex blocked the tendrils before they could reach him.

"You mean you had Negate Attack, but didn't block my direct attacks earlier?" the Spirit duelist wondered. She then gasped, "You knew I wanted to keep our life points apart!"

"Thanks to me, our life points are closer together," the Slifer replied.

Allyson started to blush at the comment, "I guess it does... well, I end my turn letting Yamato-no-Kami backing into my hand." The dark spirit turned into a black orb and floated back into Allyson's hand.

"Do you think Jaden realizes how much of an impact he had on her?" Alister wondered.

"Maybe..." Erika shrugged.

"It's go time!" Jaden cheered as he drew his next card. Next, Stratos reappeared from the Field Spell's aura. (4/1800/500) "Good to see you back Stratos! But we got a duel to win! Attack directly!" The E-Hero flew into the skies and then blasted her with twin small tornadoes.

Allyson: 3500

Jaden: 5200

The Slifer followed up; inserting the card he just drew. "I end by activating Elemental Sword!" He announced as a black handled light-saber appeared in his hands. "Now, he when he battles a monster with a different attribute than his, he'll gain 800 ATK... Sorry, I had to spilt us up for the moment," Jaden continued to Allyson. "But knowing you, you'll find a way to bring us back together."

"And I plan too," the Spirit duelist said with another blush, drawing her next card. "It's my turn! And I'll activate the spell card, Card of Sanctity! Now each of us both draw until we have six cards in our hands!"

"Thanks for the help!" The E-Hero duelist smiled as he and the Obelisk drew out their cards. 'She's really bringing out the best of what I got so far...'

Once Allyson saw what she just drew, she smirked. "Jaden, you force me to play my best monsters! It's the only way to bring out more of yours!"

"Then what are you waiting for, let's see them!" Jaden exclaimed.

"You asked for it!" Allyson stated as she took one of her cards from her hand and from her graveyard, placing them in her skirt pocket. "I remove Yamato-no-Kami from my hand and Asura Priest from my graveyard, to summon my strongest Spirit monster, Amateratsu!"

The sun's rays intensified, as the Sun Goddess Spirit descended from the skies and landed gracefully on her feet. (9/3200/2700)

"Whoa, I never knew you had a stronger Spirit monster than your Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi!" Jaden stated. "Can't wait to see what she does!"

"Oh trust me, there's a lot more..." the Obelisk continued. "Not only did I empty my hand to get away from your Air Hummingbird's effect, but to save my other cards for my most powerful monster!"

"But there are no other spirit monsters..."

"Right, but who said it was another Spirit monster?" Allyson asked as one of her facedown cards. It was a spell card, depicting a giant, wooden ark with a sliver sail that had ancient markings on it. "I play the Ritual Spell, Shinato's Ark! The spectators were in awe as a giant ark from the spell card appeared in the sky. "I send the Level 8 Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi from my hand to the graveyard and summon Shinato, King of a Higher Plane!" The flame-headed spirit appeared briefly before the ark opened and absorbed him into it. Then, a column of light surrounded the floating ark as it exploded outwards and brought out a very tall, blue-skinned man wearing a white and golden royal gown and a golden celestial crown on his blue hair. From his back, four golden wings waved out and kept him aloft. (8/3300/3000)

"She has Shinato!?" Alister, Erika and Matthias shouted.

"You have been saving your best for last!" Jaden exclaimed. "This is going to be so cool!"

"Well hang on, Jay," Allyson interrupted as her final facedown card flipped up. It depicted Shinato flying over a vast, perfect afterlife with healthy green grass, trees and about two of nearly every animal known to man. "With Shinato on the field, I activate my other facedown card, the continuous spell card called the Higher Plane! And you're about to witness its effect first hand as Amateratsu attacks Stratos with Solar Flare!"

The goddess raised her hands to the sky and sun above, chanting in her heavenly voice. The Sun reacted to her words, intensifying its rays towards Stratos and turned him completely red. Despite the Elemental Sword activating when it also turned red... (4/1800-2600/400) It wasn't enough as he exploded into pixels all over Jaden.

"Stratos..." Jaden groaned.

Allyson: 3500

Jaden: 4600

"Now, the Higher Plane activates!" the Spirit duelist continued as the named Continuous Spell shined. "Whenever my Fairy monster sinflicts damage to you, by battle damage or through their effects, I gain the same amount to my life points!" Allyson started to illuminate with glowing light as her life points rose.

Allyson: 4100

Jaden: 4600

"Whoa..." Jaden whispered as the light around Allyson died out.

"Now it's time for Shinato to show his stuff! Attack directly with Divine Ring!" the Spirit duelist commanded as the Higher Plain King raised his hands to the sky and created six purple orbs with different kanji on them. Suddenly, they spun around his hands and formed a light energy ring, quickly surrounded Jaden and zapped him with its power. As he was losing his points, Allyson was quickly regaining them.

Allyson: 7400

Jaden: 1300

Jaden breathed heavily as it was all over, "This is getting tough..." He then smiled to Allyson. "You really are something, you know that?"

"Thank you and I already know you're great as well. So, I know you're gonna have something to play against my monsters." The Obelisk girl stated as she inserted another spell card from her hand. "I end my turn by playing Dimensionhole on Amateratsu!" Soon, a dimensional vortex appeared on the ground as the spirit willingly dropped in.

"Jaden needs a miracle move now, if he wants to stay alive." Alister stated.

"But with about to be seven cards in his hand, he may something already," Matthias deduced. "But whether he can take out Shinato now or defend himself is only his guess alone."

'Let's see...' Jaden thought as he drew his next card. 'I got Neos back, but I don't have anything to combine him with to beat 3300 ATK points... so I just got to play defense for now.'

He then took of the cards from his hands and placed them facedown. "I set one monster and throwdown two facedowns to end my turn."

"I hope that facedown card is something to protect you, because ready or not, here I come!" Allyson exclaimed as she drew her next card, while Amateratsu jumped out of the Dimensionhole and floated above her spot. (9/3200/2700) "Shinato, take down Jaden's facedown monster with Divine Ring!" Shinato quickly created his energy ring again and had it surround Jaden's monster card, revealing to be Neo-Spacian Dark Panther. (2/1000/600) The energy quickly zapped it into pixels. "Now Shinato's effect activates; when he destroys a monster in defense mode, you take damage equal to your monster's ATK! And only his effect damage can set off Higher Plain's effect as well!"

A red aura surrounded Jaden as a blue one surrounded Allyson when Higher Plain activated.

Allyson: 8400

Jaden: 300

"Now Amateratsu, attack Jaden directly!"

"I don't think so," Jaden interrupted as his facedown cards revealed themselves, "I activate A Hero Emerges and Emergency Provisions!"

Allyson smiled. "Good, I was hoping this wasn't going to end this soon!"

"And you'll get your wish," the Slifer smirked. "First, Emergency Provisions will send my trap card and Branch! to the graveyard, letting me regain 1000 life points for each!" The trap card and the continuous spell card both transformed into motes of light, restoring Jaden's life points.

Allyson: 8400

Jaden: 2300

"Sorry, I had to give up your card, but we can still continue the duel."

"I understand, just keep going..." Allyson smiled. "Now, I already know what your trap does. I have to pick a card from your hand, and if it's a monster, you summon it." Jaden nodded and held out his hand. "I pick the far right!"

"Cool, you just brought back Neos in defense mode!" Jaden exclaimed as his white clad E-Hero returned and crossed his arms for defense. (7/2500/2000)

"Now that I think on it, the Contact Fusion does benefit by having its monsters go back into the deck." Erika mused.

"Still, Amateratsu can destroy him!" Allyson stated as her spirit monster fried the hero with her Solar Flare attack, turning him dark red and shattered him into pixels. "I end my turn by setting one card facedown."

"Let's try this again." Jaden said as he drew, "I set another monster in defense mode and then another facedown card." He stated as a reversed card and a set monster appeared. "And that's all..."

"Jaden's really in a tough spot now, if that's all he can do." Erika stated. "My guess is that facedown card is Hero Signal, to block the second attack."

"He's still gotta worry about that third monster," Alister pointed out. "It could be a monster she really needed, probably another non-Spirit monster."

"Right, because on the turn they're flipped face-up, Spirit monsters are returned to the hand." Matthias added.

"My turn," Allyson announced drawing her next card. "All I need to do is let one monster take down your monster, and have the other take out the rest of your life points!"

"That's true," the Slifer replied. "But can you do it?"

Allyson then eyed Jaden's facedown. _'I'm not letting that facedown card scare me. It's all or nothing...'_ "Shinato, attack Jaden's facedown monster!" She commanded as her ritual monster used the Divine Ring to rip apart the facedown monster, revealing to be Elemental Hero Knospe... (3/600/1000) ... before she was destroyed. Higher Plane quickly activated, taking life points from Jaden, and giving them to Allyson.

Allyson: 9000

Jaden: 1700

"Now, let's end this..." She continued. "It's been real..."

"Hold on, I activate Hero Counterattack!" Jaden interrupted, activating his facedown card. A trap depicting Elemental Hero Sparkman in front of a pile of destroyed cars of a junkyard and prepared to counterstrike. "It's time to play another guessing game." He then held out his two-card hand. "If one of the cards you choose is an Elemental Hero, I can destroy one of your cards plus summon that monster!"

"That means he can take out Amateratsu if this works out." Alister stated. "He either has one or two Elemental Hero cards in his hand. In that case, he won't lose."

Allyson smirked, 'It won't matter... he'll just try to beat Amateratsu! But he doesn't know that I can save her from being destroyed up to three times, because she's a Spirit Monster. So it's all good for me...' "I picked the card on the right!"

Jaden smiled as he turned over the said card. "You picked Elemental Hero Bubbleman! And you know what else, I get to destroy one of your cards!"

"Take your best shot!"

"Okay... say goodbye... to Shinato!"

"WHAT?" Allyson shouted as the water-themed hero appeared and posed for a bit. (4/800/1200) He then flew into the skies with his right arm out, and then fired his water blaster to surround himself with the pressured power. And with one mighty charge, he drove through Shinato's stomach and destroyed him in a massive explosion, triggering the Higher Plain's spell card to self-destruct as well. "No way..."

"I gotta say, I didn't expect him to destroy Shinato." Alister smiled. "If she attacked with Amateratsu first, that's when I'd have to destroy him."

"I agree since it would stop the next attack." Erika nodded. "It even surprised Allyson."

"And since Bubbleman was alone when summoned, I can draw two cards from my deck." Jaden continued as he drew his two cards.

"You're not out of this yet," Allyson countered. "Amateratsu, attack Bubbleman!" the Sun Goddess spirit intensified the sun rays, heating up the water-themed hero until he blew up into pixels. "I do wonder why you didn't destroy my Spirit monster."

"I didn't want to." Jaden shrugged. "Like I said, I want to enjoy this duel. If I went after Amateratsu, it would end too soon. But then destroying Shinato could shorten it... Hmm, guess I really didn't think that through... Oh well, at least I get a chance to fight back."

The Obelisk girl smiled as she inserted her facedown card, "Then go ahead; I end my turn."

"Here goes." Jaden said as drew his next card. "I activate Graceful Charity! Now I get to draw three new cards and discard two!" He announced as he drew out his cards, and then sent his Charge Fusion and another card into the graveyard. "Now, I set a monster in defense and end my turn!" He concluded as a reversed monster appeared in front of him.

"Lucky!" Allyson smirked as she drew her next card. "First, I reveal my facedown card Star Blast! By paying multiples of 500 points, I can reduce a monster's level in my hand by 1. And I pick this one... My Level 6 Dark Dusk Spirit! And I'll pay 1000 life points to reduce its level by 2!" A red aura surrounded the Obelisk girl.

Allyson: 8000

Jaden: 1700

"Now I summon the Dark Dust Spirit to the field!" She announced as a dust tornado kicked up, making everyone around the duel cover up their faces. Emerging from the tornado was a red skinned zombie with long white hair and black spikes on its shoulders and arms. Its yellow eyes shined brightly on its foe. (6-4/2200/1800) "And when he's summoned, I can destroy every other monster on the field!"

Jaden gasped. "But what about Amateratsu?"

"She'll be fine," Allyson replied. "Up to three times per turn, I can prevent Spirit monsters from being destroyed up to three times in a Duel. But I can't say the same for your monster!" The spirit blew up another dust storm, blowing Jaden's facedown monster, letting Amateratsu defend herself, and then left the field due to Future Visions. "Looks like I win..."

"Not yet..." Jaden smiled. "The facedown card you destroyed was Dandylion! And when it's sent to the graveyard, I get two fluff tokens and place them into defense mode!" He announced as two flashes of light brought out two small dandelion seeds with angry faces at them. (1/0/0) x2

"You save yourself again," the Spirit duelist said, shaking her head. "But it won't stop me from taking one of those tokens out!" On cue, Amateratsu launched flames from her hand and incinerated one of the tokens. "On my next turn, Dark Dust Spirit comes back and I get to finally take you down! But then again, you always say a duel's not over until the last card is played. So let's see your last cards!"

"She's right," Erika pointed out. "Jaden needs to come up with a miracle draw and quick."

"But he needs to get Amateratsu off the field." Matthias added. "And that's tough seeing as she can protect herself two more times before being destroyed."

"Here goes... something!" Jaden shouted as he drew his next card. "Alright, I activate Cocoon Party!"

Allyson was puzzled as a spell card image of baby animals in white bubbles appeared in Neo Space. "Cocoon Party?"

"This card works with my Neo Spacians and helps me summon out some of their Chrysalis forms." The Slifer explained. "With Neo-Spacians Dark Panther and Aqua Dolphin that I sent to the graveyard with Graceful Charity, I can special summon two of them. Meet Chrysalis Chicky and Chrysalis Mole!" In two flashes of light, two bubbles appeared in front of Jaden. Inside were a small, red feathered hummingbird chick and a small brown, baby mole." (2/600/400), (2/700/100)

"Aww... they're so cute!" Allyson squealed.

"Yeah, but you know kids these days... they grow up so fast!" Jaden continued, playing another spell card. "I activate the spell card Contact which evolves my Chrysalis Monsters into their Neo-Spacian forms!"

Soon, the bubbles popped around the baby animals and then started to shine and change shape until they evolved into Neo-Spacians Air Hummingbird and Grand Mole! (3/800/600), (3/900/300)

"But I'm not done," He continued. "I activate O-Oversoul, letting me special summon an Elemental Hero Normal Monster. So let's welcome back Neos!" He announced as the giant purple O flashed out of the card image and revived Elemental Hero Neos back on the field. (7/2500/2000)

Allyson gasped. 'Oh no, I lost!'

"Air Hummingbird and Neos, Contact Fusion fusion again," Jaden announced as both mentioned monsters vanished into bright galaxy again and fused once again into Elemental Hero Air Neos. (7/2500/2000) "And with our life points the way they are, you know what that means!" Everyone watched as a bright green aura surrounded Air Neos, giving him more power. (7/2500-8800/2000) "This is it, Allyson!"

The Spirit duelist got over her shock and nodded. "Looks like it, give me your best shot!"

"And here it is! Grand Mole, attack Amateratsu!" the Slifer announced as Grand Mole closed his head within its drill halves and then dug underground towards the Spirit monster. "Now, I activate its effect. Instead of damage, Grand Mole forces himself and the monster he's attacking back to the player's hands!" Grand Mole dug out of the ground and created a black hole that absorbed it and Amateratsu, forcing them back into their hands. "Air Neos, end this duel now!"

Allyson smiled as she watched the Elemental Hero take flight and then used its wings to unleash its multicolored winds, blowing past her and dropping her life points to zero.

Allyson: 0

Jaden: 1700, Winner.

"Awesome job, you guys." Alister cheered.

"Best I've seen from the both of you," Erika applauded.

"Impressive match," Matthias added.

The spirit duelist hardly paid any attention to the praise she received, despite losing. Instead, she put her deck into her pocket, took off her disk and walked towards Jaden. She then let her duel disk fall to the ground and grabbed the back of his head with both hands.

"Ally-?" the Slifer spoke up, but was cut off when she pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. His eyes widened, shocked by the unexpectedness of her action for the moment. But then he overcame his surprise and slowly wrapped his arms around her back and returned the kiss. In that moment, they were in their own world, just the two of them. They separated from each other after a brief yet intense moment, both a little short of breath.

There was silence around them you could possibly hear a small drop of water splash. It was soon broken by Erika's next words.

"About time it happened." She smiled.

"And it could've have happened at a better time." Alister added. "We got another bridesmaid and groomsman for our wedding."

"Wait until Mai hears that when she comes back with Joey." Matthias smirked.

"So... that's what you were trying to tell me back when the GX tournament started?" Jaden wondered.

"Yeah..." Allyson nodded shyly. "I never met someone who had so much in common and when I tried to tell you..."

"I kept getting distracted..." the Slifer finished. "Sorry 'bout that..."

"It's no problem, now that you understand." The spirit duelist smiled. "I just thought to do that on the whim."

"It got my attention." Jaden exclaimed.

"Hey, lovebirds..." Alister called out. "Headmaster's got dinner for us; we should head on out!"

Allyson picked up her disk and smiled happily to the brown-haired boy, who smiled back in the same manner. They followed the others, walking hand in hand.

* * *

I finally did it! Not only have I created my longest chapter yet, but I got Jaden hooked up with someone! Sorry to all the JadenXAlexis fans, but in this version, I got to make a better match. And thanks to patattack for the final scene, had trouble wording it the right way...

Snow Fairy

Level 4

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

1100/700

Your opponent cannot activate Spell Cards from their hand, nor activate Spell Cards the turn they are Set.

Cold Sleeper

Level 4

LIGHT

Machine/Effect

When a monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can select 1 of your unused Monster Card Zones. If you do, Special Summon the destroyed monster at the end of the Battle Phase. That monster cannot change its battle position. The selected Monster Card Zone cannot be used during this Duel.

Icicle Sacrifice

Normal Spell Card

When this card is activated, select 1 of your unoccupied Monster Card Zones. The designated Monster Card Zone cannot be used during this Duel. Special Summon 1 "Icicle Token" (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0). If you Tribute Summon a monster, you can treat the "Icicle Token" as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon.

White Night Fort

Continuous Spell Card

Neither player can activate Trap Cards during their opponent's turn.

White Blizzard

Continuous Spell Card

Each time a monster your opponent controls is destroyed by battle, inflict 600 points damage to your opponent. When this card is destroyed, select and destroy 1 card you control.

(The top 5 cards were used by Alexis Rhodes in the two-part GX episode, Heart of Ice. All rights go to the creators of those episodes.)

Higher Plain

Continuous Spell Card

Image: Shinato flying over a vast, perfect afterlife with healthy green grass, trees and about two of nearly every animal known to man.

If you don't control a face-up "Shinato, King of a Higher Plain", destroy this card. When a monster you control inflicts battle damage or if "Shinato, King of a Higher Plain" deals damage, via its effect, to your opponent's Life Points, increase your Life Point by that amount.

(This card was created, using the Deck Master of Ability shown in the second series anime episode trilogy, Noah's Final Threat. Effect rights go to the creators of the episodes.)

Next time: It's another round of Pros as Zane takes on the European Champion of the KC Grand Prix and his Valkyries, while Masaki gets his hands dirty facing the self-proclaimed Godfather of Games.

Please read and review! Later!


	64. Pro Search

To answer one of the guest reviews, I have no problems with Jaden/Alexis shipping, I just had this in mind from when I first uploaded the story years back.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 64: Pro Search

* * *

At a crossroad, Masaki Oda found himself in a duel against a duelist, like Yugi, started unknown until a great accolade set him on high as one of the greatest to most followers of 11 years ago. A man with dirty blond hair in the sporadic hairstyle and dark brown eyes, wearing a blue denim coat over a white T-shirt and blue jeans...

"Finally, a change from the guys in white clothes..." the person said activating his duel disk. "Nice to meet ya!"

Masaki grinned, activating his as well, "Joey Wheeler!? I'm ecstatic! One of the best duelists in the world, challenging me..."

Joey shared the grin, "Come on, I'm just like everyone else... but I can say, I'm a pretty strong duelist in my own right..."

"By the way, those guys in white... been on everyone's case lately; and its headed by my old mentor who was also Aster's manager," the Slifer stated, as he looked down to the satellite key around his neck.

"Yeah, Sartorius right?"

"You know him?"

"I got friends that go to this school that tipped me off about this... Society of Light or whatever..." Joey pondered. "Mai's been dealing with them, too..."

"Wow, not even the Pros are safe..." Masaki muttered to himself. "Then again, they are after Aster..." He then shook off his thoughts. "Anyway, let's just get to our duel and forget about the Society for once. In fact, let's just play without worrying about medals."

"Sounds like a plan to me..." Joey said. "Been awhile since I dueled with no strings attached... and without my life on the line..."

"DUEL!" Both players drew their opening hands.

"Finally, we didn't miss anything!"

Joey looked behind them to see Alister, Erika, Matthias and Mai running up to them.

"Hey guys!" Joey waved them over, "Just in time to see a duel that doesn't involve one of those white blazer knuckleheads."

"I thought I told you they were brainwashed students," Alister shouted. "No need to jab them..."

Mai sighed, "I knew it didn't get into that think skull of his..."

"That's your husband..." Erika shrugged with a smile.

Joey: 8000

Masaki: 8000

"I'll kick off this duel!" Joey announced, drawing his sixth card. "First off, I play Graceful Charity! I draw three cards and discard two!" He said as he drew out his three cards and sent two of his cards into his discard slot.

"That's a first; he's drawing on the first turn." Mai stated.

"I don't think he's ever got something that causes him to draw cards in his history of dueling." Alister noted.

"What are you guys talking about over there?" the Warrior-type duelist asked.

"Nothing, Joey," his wife waved off. "Just keep going, hun..."

"Okay then," Joey said, turning back to his opponent. "Sorry 'bout that, let's get back to the duel. Panther Warrior in attack mode's a good start for a monster on my field!" He announced as a dark purple panther appeared, standing upright clad in dark purple armor with a green cape holding shield in its left and a curved blade in its right. (4/2000/1600) "That'll do for now!"

"Starting big already? Nice!" Masaki praised as he drew his sixth card, "But I'll go bigger by summoning Shonen Hero Shinigami in attack mode as well!" He called out, placing his card on the disk. It brought a tall, spiky, orange-haired man wearing a black battle robe with a white strap across it. The man drew out his sword and pointed it at the panther. (4/1500/1500)

"So, he's the one with the Shonen Hero monsters?" the Harpie duelist wondered.

"And they are good, don't underestimate them." Erika warned.

"I activate his special ability!" The Shonen Hero duelist announced. "By paying up to 1000 life points, I can increase his attack points for the rest of the duel. And I'll go ahead and pay the full grand!" A red aura surrounded Masaki, draining his life points...

Joey: 8000

Masaki: 7000

At the same time, Shinigami gained them as a blue aura surrounded him. (4/1500-2500/1500) "Now attack Panther Warrior!" He commanded as the black-robed S-Hero charged across the field and disarmed Panther Warrior of its shield and sword before cutting him down to pixels.

Joey: 7500

Masaki: 7000

"Nice move, but he cost himself a grand to damage Joey's monster." The Guardian duelist stated. "I can only hope he has something to restore life points."

"Now I place one card facedown to end my turn." Masaki concluded as a reversed appeared at his feet.

"That's good, kid," Joey said as he drew, bringing his hand to six again. "Now that I see what you're all about, I can kick things up a notch!"

The S-Hero duelist groaned _, 'I was afraid of that...'_

"Oh right, he's using those cards Pegasus wanted to test out since the beginning of the year." Mai pondered.

"He contacted Joey, too?" Alister asked.

"Since Joey's more of a Warrior-type duelist, he decided to try out a new way of showing off Warrior monsters in a new archetype." The Harpie duelist informed them.

"I summon Blue Flame Swordsman in attack mode!" Joey announced, playing his monster card. In an aura of flame, a fiery Warrior appeared. It looked like the original Flame Swordsman, but its helmet, armor, and sword were, true to its name, blue. (4/1800/1600) "And he won't be alone as I activate the spell card Double Summon and bring out the new Speed Warrior!" He continued as a glowing blue portal opened in mid-air beside him and a man clad in grey plastic armor skated out, wearing a brown bodysuit under the armor and a gas mask over his face. (2/900/400)

"Whoa..." Masaki said in awe, "Cool monster. Pegasus is really getting out there with variety. Makes me almost jealous..."

"Almost?"

"I like my cards; they're close to me."

"Check it out; another player with respect for his cards," the Godfather of Games declared, looking back to his wife and friends before turning back to his opponent. "And now, I activate my Blue Flame Swordsman's ability: During either one of our turns, I can transfer any number of his ATK to another monster on the field... and I choose to give up 800 of his ATK to my Speed Warrior!" The Blue Flame Swordsman let out a faint blue energy wave that left his body and flowed right into the transformable warrior. (4/1800-1000/1600), (2/900-1700/400)

 _'Here it comes...'_ Masaki thought, bracing himself.

"I move to the Battle Phase and activate Speed Warrior's effect," Joey stated. "During the turn that Speed Warrior is Normal Summoned, its original ATK double during the Battle Phase!" The skating warrior reacted with a blue wind surrounding him. (2/900-1800-2600/400) "Now let Shinigami have it with Sonic Edge!" With the wind guiding him, Speed Warrior dashed across the field and delivered a vicious roundhouse kick that broke the S-Hero's sword and shattered him into pixels at the same time.

Joey: 7500

Masaki: 6900

"And then, I'll have Blue Flame Swordsman attack your life points directly!" He continued as the swordsman ignited his sword with blue flames and then launched them at Masaki, engulfing his body.

Joey: 7500

Masaki: 5900

"I end my turn here, letting Speed Warrior's power go back to 1700." Joey concluded as Speed Warrior's power decreased. (2/2600-1700/400)

"Joey's got the upper hand," Matthias noted. "But it's really because he took advantage of Masaki paying life points to take out Panther Warrior."

"Then again, Joey surprised me strategizing by having a high-powered monster as bait." Alister noted.

"Let's just say, I inspired him." Mai smirked. "He may have the gift of luck, but I finally got Joey to think about multiple ways of using other cards and his skill."

"It's my move," Masaki announced, drawing his next card. "I reveal my facedown card, Call of the Haunted and bring back my Shinigami!" He declared, letting his trap card flip face-up and unleashed his orange-haired S-Hero. (4/1500/1500) "I knew about Blue Flame Swordsman's effect... I'm willing to take a grand to activate my cards at the right time."

"Ah, so that's why he didn't activate it when Blue Flame Swordsman attacked." Erika mused. "He would've lost his monster again to Flame Swordsman... good judgment."

"And I don't plan to use him to attack Blue Flame Swordsman, instead he'll go right back into the graveyard in favor of Summoning my Shonen Hero Shirosaki!"

Suddenly, Shinigami erupted into a black flame as he yelled out in agony. Once it was extinguished, the result caused his color scheme to change dramatically: his skin tone and hair were now white as a ghost, his eyes now consisted of black pupils, yellow irises and black sclera, and black nails adorned his fingers. His attire now changed into a white Shihakusho with a black cloth belt and his blade became a sliver blade with a black edge and black wrapping cloths. He stared straight at the two warriors with a sadistic grin on his face. (8/2600/2600)

"Wow, that hero did a 180 on personality!" Alister gasped.

"Forget the personality; it's everything he was!" Matthias noted.

"And with this transformation, comes new powers." The S-Hero duelist stated, discarding one of his cards. "Once per turn, by discarding one of the cards in my hand, I can destroy any monster with original ATK that are less than his own! And I pick Speed Warrior!"

Shirosaki let out a maniacal laugh as he raised his sword up, causing a red aura to surround it before he slashed it downwards and cut down the skating warrior without touching him with his blade.

"That's rough!" Joey said in shock.

"Shirosaki, attack Blue Flame Swordsman!" Masaki commanded as his ghost white hero, disappeared in the blink of an eye, striking down the swordsman in a white flare.

Joey: 5900

Masaki: 5900

"All tied up." He grinned.

"Not for long," the Warrior duelist countered, holding up a purple card for Fusion Monsters, "When Blue Flame Swordsman's destroyed, I can special summon the original Flame Swordsman from my Fusion Deck!" Once he slapped it down, the original Fusion Monster appeared and took his blade. (5/1800/1600)

"I place one card facedown, and end my turn." Masaki concluded as he inserted the card into his disk, leaving only one in his hand.

"This kid's good," Mai nodded. "Tied at 5900, in a few turns and he's got Joey backed into a corner. If he doesn't get rid of that dark hero, Masaki will keep dominating."

"Now, it's my turn!" Joey announced, drawing his next card. With his overall hand, he nodded, 'Let's see if I can make this work...' He then inserted two of his cards into disk, and moving his fusion monster card sideways, causing the monster on the field to kneel and block with his sword. "I place two cards facedown and switch Flame Swordsman to defense mode!"

"He has to have a plan," Matthias noted, "Once Shirosaki destroys Flame Swordsman, those facedown cards better do something..."

'Okay, I can take out the monster with Shirosaki's effect _,' Masaki thought as he eyed Joey's field, 'but can I run the risk of those facedown cards coming down on me? More importantly, can I risk discarding to destroy them? Guess there's one way to find out...'_ He drew his next card _. 'I'll play it safe...'_ "Shirosaki, attack Flame Swordsman!" The white hero drew his blade again, and cleaved the defending swordsman down in two. "It's your turn now."

"I guess you had a dead draw," Joey proclaimed as he drew his next card. "But it looks like I just struck out as well, so I'll pass!"

"A dead draw this early?" Erika wondered to her friends, low enough out of Joey's and Masaki's ears. "That's weird, even for Joey..."

"You think he's waiting for something?" Alister asked. "Last time I played against him, as soon as he got a strong monster, he wasted no time in taking advantage of it."

Mai smirked with acknowledgement _, 'All he needs are those facedown cards to turn the tide of the duel, and the cards in his hand will take advantage of that move even further...'_

"I draw," Masaki announced as he drew, bringing his hand to three. 'Good, this should definitely get a good gap in our life points, just in case those facedown cards are actually something that can dish out problems,' He then played another monster card, "I summon Shonen Hero D Note!" A light pillar erupted from the middle, bringing out the young Shonen Hero with his dark notebook in hand. (4/900/900) "And once he's brought out to the field, he inflicts both of us with 1000 points of damage!"

D Note raised his notebook high over his head and opened it up. Two pulses of light shot from the pages and blasted the duelists straight in their chests, leaving them grunting in pain.

Joey: 4900

Masaki: 4900

"Now, let's go for a direct attack!" Masaki announced, as Shirosaki charged in with his blade over his head...

"Hang on there," Joey interrupted as one of his facedown cards, "Scapegoat will block one of your attacks!" He announced as the four small goat tokens appeared and took their place on the field. (1/0/0) x4 Shirosaki cleaved one of them in half, letting it fade away into pixels.

"Alright, I'll take down another!" the S-Hero duelist continued, letting D Note open his notebook...

"And here's card number two!" the Warrior duelist countered, revealing the second facedown card, revealing a set of stretch cranks "I activate the trap, Double Magical Arm Bind! My Scapegoat tokens can't be used as a sacrificed for Tribute Summoning, but I can use them for everything else! By sacrificing two, I can take control of two of your monsters!"

Masaki gasped as two of the Scapegoats vanished, letting the trap unleash two stretch cranks, grabbing Shirosaki and D Note to place on Joey's field. "Aw man..."

"No worries, bro." Joey waved off, "I can't attack with them or change their battle positions... but you can still worry about how I use them..."

"I know..." Masaki muttered, "I end my turn."

"I draw!" Joey shouted, drawing his next card. "Time to end this duel by sacrificing your Shirosaki to special summon my Turret Warrior!" He announced as the pitch-white monster vanished into a blast of light and reformed itself into a large humanoid made from bricks and mortar with its shoulders each strapped with two small turrets. (5/1200/2000)

"Oh great, there's an upside with your Turret Warrior," the Slifer groaned, "And I bet it's not good for me..."

"Sad to say," The Warrior duelist replied, "By sacrificing a Warrior type monster for him, he gains the points of the sacrificed monster!" Soon, everyone gasped as the summoned warrior glowed with energy. (5/1200-3800/2000) "Next, I sacrifice D Note and summon to the field, Jinzo!" D Note vanished into dark light motes and electricity, unleashing a tall android in a dark green suit, a metal mask and red goggles on his face, only showing his vein-bulging, bald head. (6/2400/1500) "And with on the field, no trap cards can be activated and the ones already in play are negated."

"He's covering his bases," Alister whistled. "High powered monsters with one of them locking down traps..."

"It's over, Joey's got this in the bag," Matthias noted. "Because I bet that facedown card, Masaki has is a trap card."

"You're good kid, but not good enough!" Joey declared. "Turret Warrior, Jinzo... move in for a direct attack with Revolving Shot and Cybernetic Shock!" Turret Warrior opened fire with its shoulder guns and Jinzo charged up with a magenta electric orb and flung it towards Masaki...

"Don't think so!" Masaki interrupted, revealing his facedown card. "I activate the quick-play spell card, Hero in Training! And that lets me summon a high-level monster from my hand, for the price of draining him of 500 ATK and DEF!"

"And he dodged the killing bullet..." Erika stated as the S-Hero duelist placed a monster in defense mode...

"Go, Shonen Hero Ultimate Vampire in defense mode!" The Slifer announced as a dark portal opened up, letting a tall man jump out and kneel down. He was dressed in a Victorian-era fashion consisting of a charcoal suit, leather riding boots, and a flamboyant, intricately knotted red cravat, covered by a long, red duster. He also wore a red fedora hat with a wide, floppy brim and a pair of circular, heavily tinted, wire-framed red sunglasses with goggle siding. (7/2500-2000/2500-2000)

Turret Warrior's bullets hit home, letting the vampire recoil back in pain, adding with Jinzo's attack shocking him to the bone, knocking him to the ground... but the painful cries turned to sadistic laughter as the wounds sealed back up and he stood on his feet looking better than ever.

"Hold on!" Joey cried out in shock, "He wasn't destroyed?"

"Not by battle!" Masaki smirked. "Glad you got rid of Shirosaki when you did otherwise he would've been a waste to summon..."

"Well that was unexpected..." Mai stated. "A vampire saving the day for the kid..."

"Still, Joey's got him backed into a corner..." Erika pointed out, "Masaki's forced to rely on monsters that he can keep up with and spell cards... one may have saved him from losing this duel, but the rights have to take the lead..."

"And Joey won't give up his spot without a fight..." the Harpie duelist emphasized.

"I end my turn with one card facedown..." Joey declared, "Looks like you get to show me more of your moves..."

"And I plan to make good..." Masaki replied, drawing his next card. 'Okay... I may have a card to stop his power house monsters, but I need to get Jinzo off the field first... too bad I used Hero in Training to bring out my Vampire, but it was the best I can do to save myself. Good thing, I got the card to remedy...' "I activate the Equip Spell card, Heroes Unit! With it, a Shonen Hero gains 500 ATK and DEF for every one of my Shonen Heroes on my field!"

The Vampire grinned as his attack power rose back up to normal. (7/2000-2500/2000)

"Next, I switch Ultimate Vampire into attack mode and attack Jinzo with Sharpshooter!" The Hero grinned as he reached into his coat and pulled out two oversized handguns, the .454 Casull Auto and the Jackal. But as he was ready to fire...

"Reveal facedown card," Joey interrupted, flipping over his face down card, depicting a small fairy carrying a blue die, "The quick-play spell, Graceful Dice! With just a roll of the die, I can have my monster gain ATK equal to 100 times the number rolled!"

"And he's playing smart," Matthias smiled, "All he needs to do is stay above 1, and the probability of that is on his side..."

"Now we gotta hope that it doesn't hit 1," Erika added.

"At least have a little faith in me," Joey shouted, not looking back to the spectators behind him. Soon, the small fairy appeared overhead with the blue die in his hands. "Now, go dice roll!" The fairy let go of the die as it hit the ground and rolled around mid-field. When it stopped, the die landed with the four dots on top. "With a four, that's 400 ATK to fend off your attack!"

Jinzo roared as electricity soared through his head, flashing his eyes red. (6/2400-2800/1500) Then, Jinzo flew towards the Vampire Hero and blasted him back with another shock.

Joey: 4900

Masaki: 4600

"Looks like that gamble didn't pay off..." Masaki groaned as he inserted another card into his disk, "I'll throw a facedown and end my turn..."

Jinzo's power returned to 2400 as Joey drew his next card. "I guess I won't need to do anything but allow my Turret Warrior to attack your Vampire again with another Revolving Shot!" He declared as his warrior fired another round of bullets into the Vampire's body, which shrugged it off and sealed the wounds.

Joey: 4900

Masaki: 3300

"And then I'll end with a facedown, too." Joey added.

"He's really backing Masaki into a wall," Alister stated. "A 3800 ATK monster, Joey can clinch the match with that alone... and Jinzo's a bonus..."

"But he made the mistake of leaving Jinzo in attack mode, because I know Masaki will destroy it soon..." Matthias said.

"He knows..." Mai smiled. "That facedown card's probably a trap card he can use later, so he'll leave it on the field and then spring it sometime after Jinzo's taken down... Pretty smart..."

However, Masaki caught on to the plan as well... _'The facedown's a trap... destroying Jinzo's too easy. Right after I destroy it, he'll have something to counter it... but I got no other choice since I'll need my traps to help me later...'_

"Looks like I'll have to spring your trap any way," He announced as he drew his next card, "First, I play Card of Demise to draw until I carry 5 cards!" The Slifer made four draws and let the spell image vanish, "Now, let's change the background by activating the field spell, World Martial Arts Tournament!" As soon as the field spell was inserted into Masaki's disk, the duelists and spectators were transported to the large battle arena with cheering fans in the bleacher seats.

"He sure livened up the party..." Mai cracked.

Joey whistled, "Nice place, ya got here..."

"Sure is!" Masaki grinned. "And in here, all Shonen Heroes gain 500 ATK to their scores!" Ultimate Vampire looked around the arena, grinning as he felt a worthy opponent will face him this day. (7/2500-3000/2000) The Slifer placed another monster card on his disk. "And joining him will be Shonen Hero Spirit Detective in defense mode; meaning another 500 points for my Ultimate Vampire's Heroes Unit!" The crowd gave another cheer as a teen with short black hair appeared wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt and blue jeans, and crossed his arms for defense. (4/1200-1700/1200), (7/3000-3500/2500-3000) "And I think it's high time my vampire got a bite! Attack Jinzo with Sharpshooter!"

The Vampire was thrilled to hear the attack command as he pulled out his left-handed gun, looked behind to Masaki for a grin and...

*BANG!*

...shot Jinzo straight through his head, before he shattered into pixels.

Joey: 3800

Masaki: 3300

"Ouch..." Joey groaned. "That was painful..."

"I place another card facedown and that's my turn." Masaki concluded as a facedown card appeared at his feet.

"Great comeback for Masaki," Erika nodded. "Now let's see how Joey counters..."

"Let's..." Joey said as he drew, "I activate another spell card, Psychic Cyclone!" He announced, inserted the drawn card to reveal a likeness of himself with his eyes glowing blue as he conjured up a small tornado with his fingertips.

"Wait a second..." Alister interrupted, looking at the card's holo-image. "Is that... you?"

Joey gave a cheeky grin, "Yeah... my kisser ain't too bad looking, huh?"

Everyone sweatdropped at his comment...

"You're oh so modest, honey..." Mai droned.

"Anyway... with Psychic Cyclone, I can destroy any facedown spell or trap card," the Warrior duelist stated, "But first, if I guess the type of card correctly, I can draw a card... if I get it wrong, you draw a card." He then pointed to the facedown card. "And I say your facedown card, is a trap!" Suddenly, a cyclone blasted from his hand and launched Masaki's facedown card in the air while spinning it around to reveal that the card was indeed a trap before shattering. "Oh yeah... now I get to draw a card!" He exclaimed, drawing once. "Now, since your Ultimate Vampire can't be destroyed in battle, and it gets stronger with every monster you have, I'll send Turret Warrior to attack Spirit Detective!"

The warrior shot down the young teen with another volley of bullets, to the dismay of the crowd...

"No worries, I'll just activate Spirit Detective's effect!" Masaki shrugged off. "When he's sent to the graveyard from the field, I can special summon another one from my deck at the end of the battle phase... and this one gains another 500 points for the destroyed one in the graveyard!" A blue flash zoomed from the sky, bringing back the Spirit Detective with more power. (4/1200-2200/1200)

"Aw man..." Joey groaned as he inserted another card, a spell card image of a large machine with six slot reels around it. "I activate Dangerous Machine Type-6 and end my turn!"

"I draw." Masaki announced as he drew. "Alright, I activate Gift of the Martyr!" He inserted the card, depicting Monk Fighter being granted power by the spirit of Dunames Dark Witch. "By sending Spirit Detective off to the graveyard, I can grant his ATK to Ultimate Vampire until the end of the turn!" Spirit Detective vanished into golden motes of lights, and then it was absorbed into the vampire's body, increasing his strength... (7/3500-3000-5200/2000)

"5200?" Joey gasped.

"All aimed at your Turret Warrior!" Masaki shouted as the vampire pulled out both of his handguns and fired into the 'eyes' of Turret Warrior, shattering it to rubble.

Joey: 2200

Masaki: 3300

"And then, I end my turn with a facedown card and that means Spirit Detective comes back with even more power!" He announced as the Spirit Detective made another return, while Vampire's power dropped down... (4/1200-2700/1200), (7/5200-3500/2000)

Joey then drew his next card, while a white die appeared by his feet, "Now I get to activate the effect of Dangerous Machine Type-6! I give this a roll, and then I get an effect depending on the roll! So, let's kick it off!" He shouted as he kicked the die around. It bounced around the middle of the field, until it landed on a 5! "Sorry pal, but a five just cost you one of your monsters... the Ultimate Vampire!"

An unknown force gripped the vampire's body and shattered him into pixels, shocking the crowd.

"Both players lost their strongest monster so far..." Erika said, "All Joey has left is his last Scapegoat that can be taken down by Masaki's Spirit Detective which is now at its limit in terms of his special ability..."

"Now, I summon to the field, the King of the Swamp!" He announced as he played another monster card which revealed a murky puddle, and coming out from it was a monster covered in swamp mud and water. (3/500/1100)

"Okay... that's gross..." Erika muttered. "What's a card like that doing in his deck?"

"You'll see in a minute if his next card is what I think it is..." Mai stated.

"Next, I activate the last card in my hand, Dragon's Mirror!" Joey announced, playing a spell card depicting a golden mirror, in the shape of a dragon's body while a red-scaled dragon peered its head out of the glass. "Thanks to this, I can summon a Dragon Type Fusion Monster! I'll just remove the needed cards from the field and graveyard to bring out this bad boy!"

"The only dragons in your deck are Baby Dragon and Red-Eyed Black Dragon, and I've never seen them at any time during this duel..." the S-Hero duelist pondered.

"That's because when I played Graceful Charity on the first turn, I discarded Red-Eyes." The Warrior duelist stated. "And since King of the Swamp can substitute the other monster I need for the fusion, it's all setup!" The mirror from the spell card appeared from the field and shined brightly as the King of the Swamp was sucked inside along with the spirit of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Soon, a clear dragon spirit flew out from the mirror and landed in front of Joey, until it flashed and morphed into a large, black dragon with a sort of bone armor like the Summoned Skull. Its blood red eyes flashed at Masaki as it roared. (9/3200/2700) "Check it out; the Black Skull Dragon!"

"Oh man..." Masaki groaned. "Big problem..."

"Let's see you get out of this... Black Skull Dragon, attack with Molten Fireball!" Joey commanded as his dragon opened its mouth to launch a magma ball straight at the final Spirit Detective, blasting him into pixels.

"I activate Defense Draw!" The S-Hero duelist replied, activating his trap card that created an emerald barrier that blocked the excess damage, while drawing one card. "With this card, I can block all the damage and draw another card!"

"And then I activate my facedown card, Relentless Attacks!" Joey countered, revealing his trap card that depicted a beast-warrior chopping down two warriors in half, with quick succession. "After one of my monsters destroys one of yours, I can have my monster attack again without any interruptions from your spell and trap cards!"

Masaki cringed as Black Skull Dragon launched another magma ball at his defenseless form, blasting away most of his life points and leaving him sprawled out on the ground

Joey: 2200

Masaki: 100

"Well that was unpleasant..."

"I end my turn here," Joey declared. "I hope you're not planning on giving up..."

"Please!" Masaki grinned as he drew. "Your Turret Warrior had 3800 ATK before I destroyed that thing! What makes you think I can do the same to a 3200 ATK monster; let alone that Black Skull Dragon?"

"Then feel free to try!"

 _'Yeah, but let's see what I'm working with...'_ Masaki thought, looking at his three-card hand, before setting on one and grinned. _'So, I'll beat Joey at his own game of chance!_ ' "I summon Shonen Hero Elfen Berserker!" As he placed the card into his disk, an eerie flash came about and revealed a magenta-haired woman with a blank stare in her eyes. All she had covering her body were white bandages. (4/2000-2500/2000)

"What's he going to do with a monster that can't beat his Black Skull Dragon?" Matthias wondered.

"Oh this monster's powerful enough to take out the rest of Joey's life points!" Masaki grinned. "She can attack directly!"

"Then that is one broken card, kid!" Joey protested. "There needs to be some catch in that effect!"

"There is..." the S-Hero duelist replied as he pulled out a sliver dollar coin. "I have to flip this coin... if heads, I can attack you directly! If tails, I must deal the damage to myself! I could have a strategy with my other two cards, but the result would have me using this monster still... so rather than taking out your monster now, I'll go through him!"

He then flipped the coin high into the air and caught it when it dropped into his hands, and quickly covered it.

"Now the moment of truth..."

When Masaki uncovered his hand, he saw that the silver dollar was facing heads!

"Alright, it's time for a direct attack!"

Suddenly, the life in the S-Hero's eyes became red as she charged forth and dealt Joey a punch to his cheek, causing him to stumble back as his points dropped.

Joey: 0

Masaki: 100, Winner

Once the holograms disappeared, Joey gave a sigh of relief. "Man, I never thought losing a duel can be so... liberating..."

"Duels with so much on the line like reputation and ranking can do that to anybody," Mai said as she wrapped her left arm around her husband's shoulders. "I know that personally..."

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't play for medals this time," the Warrior duelist stated. "The only people deserve to lose their medals are those Society Members..."

"Exactly," Erika stated. "It's why I'm not out either..."

Joey looked to Mai and asked, "You beat Erika?"

"Close match," the girls said.

"And it was nice to see everyone from the good ol days improve," Alister added in.

"Wish I could've seen that..." Masaki interjected. "Oh well, I can't wait to tell Aster I gained a victory against the Godfather of Games!"

An awkward silence came between the group, until Matthias spoke up...

"The Godfather of Games, are you serious?" He asked.

"Yeah... if Yugi has the title of King of Games and Kaiba's known as the guy who creates the best tournaments, so why can't I have a title?" Joey groaned.

The ocean duelist raised an eyebrow, "Again; 'the Godfather of Games'?"

"Whatever, I don't need this..." Joey grumbled as he prepared to walk away.

"Come now, Joseph..." Mai said, trying to calm him down. "He's just teasing you about it..."

"Alright, alright..."

"I just think you could've come up with something better..." She smirked.

"That's it!" Joey snapped as he picked up his wife and hoisted her over his shoulder, letting her flail and protest his actions. "I expect the kids making fun of me, but I'll have to do something about you..."

"Put me down; this is not funny!" Mai shouted as Joey started to walk down a path, while the others laughed at the playful banter between the married couple.

* * *

In another part of the island, another duel was taking place. The location was near the lighthouse and one of the duelists was Zane Truesdale... but he was in a darker mood than normal as he stared his opponent in the face... It was a pink-haired man dressed in a lavender business suit, with a calm and mischievous expression on his face as he stared back at Zane and smelling a single rose. The European Champion and CEO of Schroeder Corporation, Zigfried von Schroeder...

"If isn't my dear and failure-ridden friend, Herr Zane Truesdale..." Zigfried said, with a thick German accent. "How's life been for you?"

"It is better, thanks to finally seeing the true essence of dueling," Zane replied, glaring at his opponent. "And I'm glad that I found you; you're one of the people I wanted to demonstrate this new philosophy on..."

"Oh, are you still sore about that trouncing defeat I handed you after your loss to Herr Phoenix?" the German duelist smirked. "You shouldn't feel bad; I leave all my opponents fluttering through the breeze..."

"I'm not that same duelist anymore... that pathetic shell of myself who respected his opponents," the Hell Kaiser grumbled as he turned on his duel disk. "In fact, I even want you to begin your turn first! After all, it's how we began our last duel."

"Very true," Zigfried stated as he turned on his duel disk. "Are you sure you'd like to be humiliated again?"

"It won't happen..." Zane glared as both players drew their opening hands.

Zigfried: 8000

Zane: 8000

"Since you want me to make the first move, I will!" Zigfried shouted as he drew his sixth card. "I place one card facedown and that's all from me, Herr Truesdale."

"This is too easy," Zane grinned as he drew his sixth card. "I summon Infernal Dragon to the field!" He announced, playing his monster card revealing it to be a dark-green dragon with pitch-black wings, spiked-covered shoulders and a long tail with trident prongs at the end of it. (4/2000/0) "Attack him directly with Infernal Flame!" He commanded as the dragon launched a deadly black flame at the German duelist.

"You know what they say: fight fire with fire!" Zigfried shouted as he revealed his facedown card; a trap depicting a tornado of blue flames inside a canyon crevasse. "Activate the trap, Loge's Flame! This card has the power to stop all attacks from monsters with 2000 points or less. Meaning, your attack is null and void!"

To make his point, the continuous trap unleashed a tower of blue flames and then when the black flames made contact, it fizzled out.

"And at the end of your turn, you must send your monster to the graveyard since you have no monsters other than him." He added. "What a shame, too..."

"You thought wrong," Zane countered, playing a quick-play spell, "I play Quick Summon to bring out Hunter Dragon!" He then played his grey-colored dragon as it roared and took flight. (4/1700/100) "Now I end my turn, forcing Hunter Dragon to be sacrificed by Infernal Dragon's effect." Suddenly, a dark flame surrounded Infernal Dragon and leeched onto Hunter Dragon, absorbing it into the dark dragon's body. "Make your move..."

"With pleasure," Zigfried said calmly as he drew his next card. He then smiled, "Lovely! It's time I play my signature move!" He turned over the card he just drew, a spell card depicting two white marble buildings above the clouds and faint images of fairies flying around. "I activate the spell card, Ride of the Valkyries!"

Zane growled as he heard the famous music, Ride of the Valkyries being played as well.

Zigfried smirked. "Yes, you remember how this works, don't you? This card lets me special summon all Valkyrie monsters from my hand!" Suddenly, rose petals stormed around the field as the European Champion raised his hands to the sky. "Come, my beautiful maidens of destruction! Go Valkyrie Zwei, Valkyrie Erste, and Valkyrie Brunnhilde!"

Three horse neighs were heard as three lights flashed in the sky, revealing three women riding white horses. The first had shoulder length purple hair, the second had a pinkish color, and the third had longer, deep blue hair. They all wore armor, helmets with wings and held a sword in one hand, while the other held their horses' reigns. (5/1600/1600) (6/1600/1800) (7/1800/2000)

"Now, to refresh your memory on their effects!" the Valkyrie duelist continued. "First, Valkyrie Zwei destroys one monster on the field when summoned!" On cue, the purple-haired Valkryie charged with a battle cry, slicing Infernal Dragon in half. "Next, Erste allows me to remove Infernal Dragon from play and gain the equivalent in its ATK for the rest of the turn." Erste shined white as Zane removed his dark dragon from his disk and powered up. (6/1600-2000/1800) "I won't have to tell you Valkryie Brunnhidle's effect just yet, but know that these maidens will attack you directly!

Brunnhidle yelled out another battle cry as she led Zwei and Erste in the attack against Zane

Zigfried: 8000

Zane: 2600

"I place one card facedown and then sacrifice Valkryrie Zwei to summon my Fortune Chariot in defense mode!" Zigfried concluded as Zwei vanished into light particles and in place of her, came a golden chariot drawn in by two dark-mane horses. (6/0/0) "Also, my Valkryies who were summoned by Ride of the Valkryies are sent back into my deck!" Erste and Brunnhidle vanished into a bright red light as the Valkyrie duelist placed their cards into his deck and shuffled it. "Your move, Herr Truesdale, but I wouldn't count on victory..."

"Is that so?" Zane asked as he drew. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" Once he drew the two cards, he gave a vindictive grin to his opponent. "I summon Cyberdark Horn!" He announced, as a dark portal brought out his dark metal machine with the monstrous head. (4/800/800)

"New cards, hm?" Zigfried smiled. "Too bad it's so weak that Loge's Flame would deflect it with a simple flicker of fire."

"Then you haven't heard of its special ability!" Zane grinned. "Once summoned, I can take a level 3 or below Dragon monster in my graveyard and equip it to Cyberdark Horn. Also, it gains its ATK points!" The German duelist gasped as the Hunter Dragon returned, only to be caught in Horn's grip and hooked up to cables, draining its strength. (4/800-2500/800) "And to let you in or something... Cyberdark Horn deals piercing damage, so say goodbye to your worthless Fortune Chariot!"

Horn roared a metallic scream and then fired as spear made from pure darkness, heading straight for the chariot...

"I activate Fricka's Mediation," Zigfried countered, revealing another trap card which depicted a blue-haired maiden preparing to launch a golden blast. "This trap card removes one of my cards in the graveyard from the game, and then ends the battle phase!" He then took out Valkryie Zwei from his graveyard and pocketed as his trap card emitted a golden glow which stopped the spear in its tracks. "You see, I always have a backup plan for when your stronger monsters came into play. It is, how you say, déjà vu?"

Zane narrowed his eyes, inserting a facedown card.

"Silent, eh," The European Champion smirked as he drew his lone card. "Ah, the Goddess of Victory smiles upon me this day! I activate the spell card, Nibelung's Treasure!" He announced as a spell card image of a silver chest filled with treasure emerged. "And you also remember this card... I first activate any spell card from my deck and place it on your side... such as my Nibelung's Ring!" Suddenly, another spell card revealed itself from behind Cyberdark Horn, placing a large, sliver ring around it. "With this equip spell, I can prevent your Cyberdark Horn from making a move, being sacrificed, or have its effect in play. Meaning, its power is reduced to its original value."

Zane growled with frustration as his Cyberdark Horn weakened. (4/2500-800/800)

"Next, Nibelung's Treasure let's me draw five new cards." Zigfried continued as he drew out his new hand. "And it gets even better, as you allowed me to finish the card combo that has won me many victories in the past!"

Zane gasped, "You mean..."

"I activate my three ultimate cards, the continuous spell cards Goddess Urd's Verdict, Goddess Verdandi's Guidance, and Goddess Skuld's Oracle!" Three women wearing long dresses and holding staves appeared in front of Zigfried. One had dark blue hair split into two braids, the second had long pinkish hair and wore blue and the third's was short and blond.

"Now it's time for my ultimate strategy!" Zigfried announced. "First, the effect of Goddess Skuld; Once per turn, I can look at the top three card of your deck and place them in any which order I please." Zane showed him the required cards, revealing Cyberdark Edge, Twin-Headed Behemoth and Monster Reborn. "So, you have another metal monster. Your cards are good as is." The Hell Kaiser did as requested of him, returning his cards the same placement. "Now Verdandi allows me to guess if your top card is a monster, spell or trap card. If I guess correctly, you must play it face-down. Let me see... your top card's a monster."

"Of course..." Zane muttered, placing his dragon facedown.

"Finally, the Goddess Urd permits me to guess the identity of one of your face-down cards. And if I'm right, it's automatically removed from play. I'll guess, Cyberdark Edge." The dragon's spirit appeared from the card and rose until disappearing.

Zane growled, _'I'll make sure you don't walk out of this the victor...'_

"Next, I summon Valkryrie Dritte!" Zigfried announced as another female knight riding a horse appeared. This one had short brown hair. (4/1000/1600) "And for every Monster card removed from the game, she gains 100 ATK!" The Valkryie shined white as she gained power. (4/1000-1200/1600) "Next, I use the effect of my Fortune Chariot. Being a union monster, I equip it onto my Dritte!" Dritte jumped off her horse and took the chariot's reigns. "And by cutting her attack points in half, she can attack you directly." (4/1200-600/1600) The chariot flew over Zane's Cyberdark Horn and Dritte swung her sword at Zane.

Zigfried: 8000

Zane: 2000

"I end my turn." Zigfried concluded. "But remember when you draw your two cards, you must send your monster to the graveyard!"

Zane drew his two cards, sent his Twin-Headed Behemoth to the graveyard. "I do have three other cards to use. I activate the spell card, Future Fusion! Now I can send monsters from my deck into my graveyard and in two turns, I can special summon a fusion monster that meets the requirements." He then searched his deck for his select material monster. "And I pick these!"

Zigfried gasped at his choice of cards: Three Masked Dragons, Kaiser Glider and Tyrant Dragon _. 'Impossible! That means he can use Monster Reborn to summon of those dragons!'_

"In the meantime, I summon Cyberdark Keel in attack mode!" He announced as the snake-like machine appeared, staring down at the Valkryrie. (4/800/800) "And thanks to your move, Twin-Headed Behemoth is in the graveyard, letting me take it and equip it to my monster." He stated as the twin-headed dragon appeared; only to be wrapped around by Keel and hooked up to cables. (4/800-2300/800) "Then, I use Monster Reborn revive Kaiser Glider from my graveyard!"

Light flashed from the sky, unleashing a large dragon with bronze and metallic armor around its form. (6/2400/2200)

"Oh no," Zigfried gasped.

"Now you're the one who's one step behind!" Zane stated. "Now, Kaiser Glider, attack Valkryie Dritte with Flash Glide Thunder!" The dragon flashed with light and then prepared to tackle Dritte on the chariot. But before she was caught in the crossfire, Dritte jumped off and mounted her white horse, leaving the chariot to be demolished by the dragon.

"Sorry, but union monsters are destroyed in place of the monster it was equipped to." The Valkyrie duelist proclaimed.

Zigfried: 6800

Zane: 2000

"But it doesn't mean she's safe from Cyberdark Keel's attack," the Hell Kaiser continued as Keel launched a black laser, blasting the Valkyrie to ash.

Zigfried: 5700

Zane: 2000

But then, Keel fired another laser at the Zigfried, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Also, when Cyberdark Keel destroys a monster in battle, he deals an extra 300 points of damage!" Zane smirked. "Sorry, I forgot to mention it."

Zigfried: 5400

Zane: 2000

Zigfried growled, "You shall pay for that!"

"You're welcome to try," the Hell Kaiser stated as he inserted a facedown card.

"My move," The European Champion announced as he drew his next card. "I activate my three Goddesses! Show me your top three cards!" Skuld brightened her eyes as Zane revealed Spellbook Inside the Pot, Card of Sanctity, and Card of Demise _! 'No, even if I do rearrange them, I won't be able to know what cards he'll use after he draws!'_

"By the expression on your face, I'm looking very good on my next turn." Zane smirked.

"You are still doomed!" Zigfried stated. "Place the middle card on top, then the first, then the third. And then place the spell card, facedown." Zane complied with sending the top card of his deck on the field, facedown. "Now I'll remove it from play, calling out Card of Sanctity!" A faint image of the spell card appeared before it vanished. "Now I activate Magic Planter to destroy Loge's Flame and draw two cards!"

The trap card shattered into pixels, letting Zigfried draw his two cards.

"I hope for your sake, they were good cards." Zane stated.

"Oh, they were, Herr Truesdale," the Valkyrie duelist smiled. "In fact, not only did I get two cards, but thanks to Loge's Flame leaving the field, I get to re-summon my Valkyrie Brunnhilde from my deck!" From the shattered remains of the Loge's Flame trap, the blue haired Valkryrie appeared, riding out on her horse. (7/1800/2000) "While Brunnhilde's in attack mode, she gains 300 ATK for every Dragon-type or Warrior-Type monster on the field." Zigfried commented as the Valkryie drew her sword. (7/1800-2100/2000)

"It's still not enough to facedown Kaiser Glider..." Zane stated.

"Which is why I activated the equip spell card, Enchanted Sword Nothung! This gives my Valkyrie and extra 400." The Valkyrie user continued as he inserted his next card, which caused Brunnhilde's sword to transform into a longer, silver blade with a blue handle and angel wings crafted on it. (7/2100-2500/2000) "But it also destroys and removes all dragons from the game the moment it's equipped!" An electric aura surrounded Brunnhilde's new sword and launched a giant blast that eradicated Kaiser Glider off the field. (7/2500-2200/2000)

Zane kept a straight face even as his monster was removed, _'Go ahead... attack my monster...'_

"I then activate Half Shut!" Zigfried announced, activating a quick-play spell. "This cuts your Cyberdark Horn's attack in half and keeps him in play for the turn. That way, I can keep Nibelung's Ring in play!" A red aura surrounded the dark metal machine, weakening his power even further. (4/800-400/800) "Now Valkyrie Brunnhidle, attack his Cyberdark Horn!" He announced as the Valkyrie charged at the machine and sliced across its face, damaging it.

Zigfried: 5400

Zane: 200

"Let's see you try and come back from that!"

"I will," Zane announced, drawing two cards. "Looks like, I don't have to discard... but you already knew that."

"And I won't have to worry about your Dragon since only one turn has passed." The German duelist replied.

The Hell Kaiser smirked as he flipped over his face-down card. "You have everything to worry about; I activate the trap card, Pyro Clock of Destiny!"

"No!" Zigfried shouted as an ancient clock with a flaming minute hand turned to signal Zane's next turn for Future Fusion.

"This moves the turn count by 1, meaning it's now two turns that have past for Future Fusion to bring out my Five Headed Dragon!" Zane shouted as the Future Fusion shined brightly and then erupted to bring out the five-headed monstrous dragon, staring down Zigfried. (12/5000/5000) "Now, I activate Card of Demise!" He continued as he drew out his hand until he had five cards. "Now, I activate Burial from a Different Dimension to put Cyberdark Horn, Kaiser Glider and Infernal Dragon into my graveyard." He placed his three mentioned monsters into his graveyard. "Next, I play Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy... My Future Fusion card!"

"By destroying that, you'll be destroying..."

"...My Five-Headed Dragon!" Zane finished for his opponent as a harsh wind, destroying the Future Fusion spell card. And after that, the Five-Headed Dragon roared and vanished into thin air. "I know about the other effect of your sword, letting you destroy Dragons in battle. But enough about that monster, because I just setup my perfect one by playing Cyberdark Impact!"

Zigfried raised an eyebrow, at the spell card image of the three Cyberdark machines forming into a larger Cyberdark Dragon.

"What are you devising, Herr Truesdale?" the German duelist yelled.

"This spell card allows me to fuse Cyberdarks Keel, Edge and Horn into my ultimate creature, the Cyberdark Dragon!" the Hell Kaiser shouted.

"But you only have two of them on your field!" Zigfried protested. "If what you say is true, then you're not able to fuse those monsters without the one in your graveyard."

Zane smirked. "I'm able to because I'm allowed to fuse them all together from my field, hand AND graveyard, by placing them back into the deck!" Everyone then watched as a dark fusion vortex appeared in the sky, pulling in the Cyberdarks from the field and the graveyard. "Now welcome, my Cyberdark Dragon!" Emerging from the fusion vortex, the Cyberdarks returned and were connected as it took flight and let out an ear-piercing screech. (8/1000/1000)

Zigfried laughed. "All of that for a monster with 1000 ATK and DEF? You were better off with your old deck!"

"My Cyberdark Dragon retains the same effect as the monster that created it! Only this time, there are no level restrictions!" Zane continued, shutting up the Valkyrie duelist. "Now Cyberdark Dragon, drain the power of Five-Headed Dragon!"

The giant, five-headed dragon returned, only to be subjected to the torture of having its power sapped from the mechanical dragon. (8/1000-6000/1000)

"Not only that, with 7 monsters in my graveyard it gains another 700 points," Zane continued as a black aura surrounded his dragons. (8/6000-6700/1000)

"I won't lose, Herr Truesdale!" Zigfried boasted. "When Valkyrie Brunnhilde's about to be destroyed in battle, I can sacrifice 1000 of her DEF to keep her in play! Once I make my draw, I will defeat you!"

"Unless, I didn't have my Unstable Evolution to equip to my monster and make its original ATK 2400," Zane stated, inserted the card and caused the Cyberdark Dragon to grow as tall as the Five-Headed Dragon, wrapping its entire being around it. (8/1000-2400-8100/1000)

The European Champion was at a loss for words as he backed away in fear. "No wait... s-stop..."

"Attack!"

The dragon unleashed its powerful shockwave that reverberated around the area. Brunhilde held up her shield for her attempt to save herself, but even that could save her as she screamed in agony and was knocked out over her horse... (7/2200/2000-1000) Zigfried on the other hand was launched backwards into the ground, knocked out as well.

Zigfried: 0

Zane: 200, Winner

As the holograms vanished, Zane walked over to his fallen opponent and snatched up the bag of medals from inside his coat.

"Loser..." He muttered before he walked away, in search of more opponents to destroy...

* * *

Another set of duels down, baby!

Blue Flame Swordsman

FIRE

Warrior/Effect

Level 4

1800/1600

During either player's turn, you can have this card lose any amount of ATK to have another face-up monster gain an equal amount of ATK. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon 1 "Flame Swordsman" from your Graveyard or your Extra Deck.

Double Magical Arm Bind

Normal Trap

Tribute 2 monsters and select 2 monsters your opponent controls. Take control of the selected monsters. Those monsters cannot attack or change their battle positions.

(The top two cards were used by Joey Wheeler in the second series anime episode: Fighting for a Friend, Part 4. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Psychic Cyclone

Quick-Play Spell

Select 1 face-down Spell or Trap Card on the field. Declare if it is a Spell or Trap Card, and destroy it. If you were right, draw 1 card. If not, your opponent draws 1 card.

(Used by Armstrong in the two part 5D's episode: The Lockdown Duel. All rights go to the creators of those episodes.)

Relentless Attacks

Normal Trap Card

Activate only when a monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle. Your monster can attack again during this Battle Phase, and your opponent cannot activate any Spell or Trap Cards in response to this second attack.

(Used by Joey Wheeler in the R manga, and all rights go to the creators of that manga.)

Shonen Hero Ultimate Vampire

DARK

Warrior/Effect

Level 7

2500/2500

This monster card cannot be destroyed in battle. While face-up on the field, this card is the only one that can attack on your Battle Phase

(Basis: Alucard of Hellsing)

Shonen Hero Elfen Berserker

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 4

2000/2000

Once per turn, during the Battle Phase, flip a coin. Heads: Attack your opponent directly. Tails: Deal damage equal to the original ATK of this monster.

(Basis: Lucy of Elfen Lied)

(The preceding two cards were created by cooking samurai. Creative card ideas go to him, while the characters used go to their respective creators.)

Valkryie Zwei

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 5

1600/1600

When this card is Summoned, destroy 1 monster your opponent controls.

Valkryie Erste

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 6

1600/1800

Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 monster from your opponent's Graveyard. This card's original ATK becomes equal to the removed monster's original ATK, until the End Phase.

Valkryie Dritte

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 4

1000/1600

This card gains 100 ATK for each removed from play monster card.

Valkyrie Brunnhidle

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 7

1800/2000

While this card is in face-up Attack Position, it gains 300 ATK for each Dragon-Type and Warrior-Type monster on the field. When this card would be destroyed by battle, you can have it lose 1000 DEF instead.

Fortune Chariot

WIND

Fairy/Union

Level 6

0/0

Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can equip this card to a "Valkyrie" monster you control, except "Element Valkyrie", "Cyber Valkyrie", or "Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant", as an Equip Card, OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. If equipped to a monster by this card's effect, once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can halve the equipped monster's original ATK. If you do, it can attack your opponent directly this turn. (A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle, destroy this card instead.)

Ride of the Valkyries

Normal Spell Card

Special Summon as many "Valkyrie" monsters from your hand as possible, except "Element Valkyrie", "Cyber Valkyrie", or "Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant". During the End Phase, return all monsters Special Summoned this way to your Deck.

Nibelung's Treasure

Normal Spell Card

Select 1 Spell Card from your Deck without activation requirements. Activate it to your opponent's side of the field. Afterwards, draw 5 cards.

Nibelung's Ring

Equip Spell Card

During the Draw Phase of the equipped monster's controller, they draw 2 cards instead of conducting their normal draw, and reveal those cards to their opponent. If Monster Cards are drawn this way, 1 of them must be discarded. The equipped monster cannot attack or be Tributed, and its effect(s) is negated.

Loge's Flame

Continuous Trap Card

Your opponent cannot attack with monsters that have 2000 or less ATK. When this card is removed from the field, you can Special Summon 1 "Valkyrie Brunnhilde" from your hand or Deck.

Fricka's Mediation

Normal Trap Card

Activate only during your opponent's Battle Phase. Remove from play 1 card from your Graveyard. End the Battle Phase.

Goddess Urd's Verdict

Continuous Spell Card

Once per turn, you can select 1 face-down card your opponent controls and guess its card name. If you guess correctly, remove from play that card.

Goddess Verdandi's Guidance

Continuous Spell Card

Once per turn, you can guess the card type of the top card of your opponent's Deck (Monster, Spell or Trap). If you guess correctly, apply an appropriate effect: ● Monster Card: Your opponent Special Summons it in face-down Defense Position. ● Spell or Trap Card: Your opponent Sets it.

Goddess Skuld's Oracle

Continuous Spell Card

Once per turn, you can look at the top 3 cards of your opponent's Deck and rearrange them.

Enchanted Sword Nothung

Equip Spell Card

When you equip this card, destroy and remove from play all face-up Dragon-Type monsters on your opponent controls. The equipped monster gains 400 ATK. If the equipped monster battles a Dragon-Type monster, destroy that monster at the start of the Damage Step (without damage calculation.)

(The preceding cards were used by Zigfried von Schroeder during the Grand Championship arc of the second series anime's Season 5. All rights go their respective creators.)

Next time: Chazz and Jachin team up against two Pro Duelists... who were hired by Slade and Jagger... you know where this is going...

Please Read and Review! Later!


	65. Beware the Dark Sanctuary

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 65: Beware the Dark Sanctuary

* * *

Another night came to Duel Academy, but it was still the early evening as duels for the GX tournament were still happening. Two of them in particular were about to turn in for dinner, heading for the Slifer Red Dorm.

"Alright, so what's on today's menu?" Chazz asked his traveling partner. "They better not disappoint with the food choices; the Chazz likes good taste."

"Well, we get to make our own pizzas today," Jachin said, "Means you get to make it your way."

"I have to cook my own food?" the Ojama duelist scoffed.

"It's like they say: if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself," the Persona duelist shrugged.

Soon, the Ojamas started to pop out around Chazz.

 _"I call extra anchovies!" Yellow exclaimed._

 _"We always get anchovies!" Green complained. "I call Pepperoni; everyone loves pepperoni!"_

 _Suddenly, Black bonked him on the head, "Except me, knucklehead! Let's get sausage!"_

 _"Yuck, I hate meat..." Blue groaned, "Why don't we get a plain cheese and settle it?"_

 _"Not unless we get the best topping of all... Jalapenos," Red shouted._

"Shut up!" Chazz shouted at the five floating spirits, "You won't even be eating it, because you're just spirits! Besides, I'm putting shrimp on mine..."

"Huh?" Jachin and the spirits wondered. "Shrimp on pizza?"

"Yeah... shrimp on pizza, got a problem?" the black-coat Slifer retorted.

"No, it's just weird..." the Persona duelist shrugged. "Shrimp is just unheard of for a pizza to have that as a topping."

"Oh, and pineapple slices are weird?"

"Actually, no... it's been common since the 80's."

"Whatever, let's just go and make our food... even though it's menial for the Chazz to make his own."

"I thought you were cleansed of the rich life ever since your North Academy trials," Jachin sighed. "But I guess everything about you can't change for the better."

"Not everything!" Yellow cheered. "Chazz now likes us!"

"I do not..."

"Quite frankly, I'm still holding a grudge against you for trying to pin the whole 'deck stealing' thing," the Persona duelist stated.

"Just wait until the finals, where we will finish this by the way," the black coat Slifer added.

Jachin groaned, "As if this day can get any worse..."

"It just did!"

The Slifers heard two voices behind them and quickly turned around to see two men behind them. Chazz looked at them with indifference, while Jachin looked at them in shock. Both of them were Chinese; one had hair that was three shades of brown and had a black eye with the other one missing as if it was ripped out from the socket. The other man had black hair and eyes, wearing glasses and sat in a wheelchair that he controlled with a lever controller; reason being that the right leg was non-existent.

"Surprised to see us, Jachin..." the tall one stated, "I know I'm still surprised to see out of one eye..."

"And it's hard to stand when you only have one leg..." the shorter one added.

"Where did you scrubs come from?" Chazz scoffed. "The freaks show parade?"

"Chazz..." Jachin said with gritted teeth. "It's JT and Jun Wen..."

"Flattered that you'd remember me," the tall one, JT, replied with a false smile. And then "Then, I can't forget the kid who had a monster ripped my eye out and another to cut my partner's leg off!"

The Ojama duelist gasped, turning to the Persona duelist. "You didn't..."

"You remember that other deck I had? The one your brothers told me to use over and over, even against you?"

* * *

(Flashback- 10 years ago; Domino City)

 _One day, after leaving their company to go home, I met up with these two as teenagers. I heard that they were once part of the disbanded Rare Hunter gang._

 _"What's wrong, junior?" the young JT grinned. "Got lost on the way to mommy's house?"_

 _"Come on, JT," Jun Wen smirked, "It's not his fault he'll be the victim of the soon-to-be revived Neo Ghoul gang!"_

 _"Neo Ghouls...?" I asked, not feeling any fear now. "You used to be in the Rare Hunters?"_

 _"Oh yeah," JT praised, "So, hand over that deck now and we'll spare you the pain!"_

 _Hearing the threats just made me angrier, especially going through your brothers' torment, I just put on my duel disk and activated it. Of course, I really let them have it after they said..._

 _"Pain, it is," Jun Wen stated as he and his partner strapped on their duel disks and activated them. "And just to show you some hard feelings, it'll be the both of us against you!"_

 _Of course, they met with a loss because of my dark deck and resulted into the men you see before you._

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Yes, it is high time we got back our revenge," JT growled, activating his duel disk. "And as a bonus, we'll deal with you too, Chazz Princeton."

"Why me," Chazz grumbled. "From what I gathered, you're only problem is Jachin, and if he can beat you, I wouldn't bother dueling you."

"Yes, but we're paid to deal with both of you..." Jun Wen replied, pressing a button his wheelchair, creating a duel tray over his lap with a deck holder over the left armrest. "It's the only way we can achieve complete world domination..."

The Slifer boys gasped. "Slade and Jagger set you up to this!?" the Persona duelist shouted.

"Oh, after hearing Jachin was a problem, it didn't matter about the money," the one-eyed duelist proclaimed drawing his opening hand. "Let's just say, if beating you kids and forcing you to lay waste to Duel Academy like they were going to do if they bought it a year ago, I would gladly trade cash for destruction as well!"

"You're insane!" Jachin shouted as he and Chazz activated their duel disks.

"You made us that way," the wheelchair bound duelist stated, drawing his opening hand. "Thanks, kid..."

Chazz looked to his partner, "Let's just stomp them down; if my idiot brothers are behind this, I just want to shut them up."

"If there were any times that we were on the same page, I'm glad this is one of them..." Jachin replied as both drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Chazz/Jachin: 8000

JT/Jun Wen: 8000

"I'll start..." TJ announced as he drew his sixth card. "And I'll pass..."

"You're joking, right?" Chazz scoffed as he drew his next card.

"Careful Chazz," Jachin warned. "I think he may be up to something..."

"It won't matter since I can't attack this turn anyway," the Ojama duelist stated as he inserted two cards into his disk. "I'll just set two cards facedown myself."

"Now my move," Jun said as he drew his next card. "I summon the fiend monster, Sangan in attack mode!" He announced as the furry three-eyed fiend appeared. (3/1000/600) "I end my turn."

"Now it's a weak monster?" Jachin wondered as he drew his sixth card. "This is getting weird..."

"Just go ahead and get this guy!" Chazz shouted to his partner. "What's the holdup?"

"Yes, whatever is the matter?" Jun Wen grinned. "Afraid of our plans..."

"He must, seeing how messed up this kid is..." JT smirked.

The Persona duelist sighed as he summoned his monster, "I summon Persona – Penthesilea, the Amazonian Queen!" He announced as a silver light brought forth an iron-masked queen clad in silver armor, feminine from the figure, with a tiara on her head and wielding a dagger and a rapier. (4/1000/1000) "When she's out on the field, all warrior monsters gain 200 ATK!" A white glow enveloped her as her power grew. (4/1000-1200/1000)

 _"Allow me to show you how a strong woman deals with scum," The Persona declared as she wasted no time in running through the fiend with her dagger, before finishing it with the rapier._

Chazz/Jachin: 8000

JT/Jun Wen: 7800

"You could've waited until I said something..." Jachin said to Penthesilea.

 _"It was an obvious choice," She replied. "I rather finish this with haste and precision than with hesitation."_

"Yeah..."

"While you talk to monsters, I'll use Sangan's effect and take a monster from my deck with 1500 ATK or less!" Jun interjected as he took a monster card from his deck and added it to his hand. "And I think Headless Knight will do... Though I must say, I wanted to deal with the monsters that cut my leg off, but dealing with the kid that ordered it will be good enough for me."

"I place two cards facedown." The Persona duelist concluded. "I swear, Slade and Jagger are really messed up on bringing the both of you here..."

"Cry me a river," JT scoffed as he drew his next card, and immediately set one into his disk, "I place one card facedown."

 _'And he's barely doing a thing...' Jachin thought. 'What kind of strategy are they trying to pull?'_

"It's my turn now," Chazz shouted as he drew his next card, and grinned at his find, "Looks like I get to slam you down with the same monsters I beat Slade with; I summon Ojama Red in attack mode!" He announced as the onion-headed red Ojama jumped on to the field. (2/0/1000)

 _"Party time, boss," He shouted. "Now let's bring out the boys!"_

"Shut up, already!" the young Princeton snapped. "You're in this alone!"

 _"WHAT!? Then what am I supposed to do?"_

"You're gonna fight; I activate my trap card, Pride Shout!" He replied, by revealing his facedown card: a trap depicting Ojama Yellow with a series of small cannons strapped to his back. "Now attack directly!"

"If you say so," Red shouted as he launched himself in the sky and gave a feeble punch to TJ's face. He barely flinched at the contact.

"This is the archetype that beat Slade?" JT wondered. "He should feel embarrassed..."

"Oh trust me, there's a lot more to these guys than just zero ATK," Chazz grinned. "With Pride Shout, if a monster with 0 ATK attacks directly, I deal damage equal to that monster's DEF!"

Red smirked as he floated in the air and let out a big shout towards the Pro tag-team that felt like a punch to their stomachs.

Chazz/Jachin: 8000

JT/Jun Wen: 6800

"What the...?" Jun Wen gasped.

"I think I made my point." Chazz smirked as he concluded his turn. "Maybe you shouldn't underestimate me or my skills..."

"Oh, I won't..." Jun Wen glared as he drew his next card, immediately placing it on his disk, "I summon Abaki in attack mode!" In a red flash, a large, hulking demon appeared with a goofy-looking face and holding a metal, spiked bat. (4/1700/1000) "Now, attack Ojama Red with your Spiked Bat!" Abaki wasted no time in raising the club over his head and rushing towards the Ojama.

"Don't think so, I activate the Ojama Flip trap card!" the black coat Slifer countered, revealing Ojama Red giving a massive punch to a Gene-Warped Warwolf, knocking out some teeth. "Whenever you're dumb enough to attack an Ojama monster in attack mode, I can switch the ATK and DEF of both the attack targeted Ojama and the attacking monster!"

Both Ojama Red's and Abaki's holograms shorted out a little as their stats flipped. (2/0-1000/1000-0), (4/1700-1000/1000-1700). They met head on and head-butted each other, exploding into pixels.

"You may have left me wide open, but I still get a little bonus with Abaki's effect!" the fiend duelist replied as a pillar of fire erupted in between the both. "When he's destroyed in battle, both sides take 500 points of damage!"

"Don't think so, I have a trap also!" Jachin countered, revealing his facedown card. "I activate Nature's Reflection which bounces any effect damage away from us and on to the both of you!"

The Pros braced themselves as a pillar of stone erupted from the ground, blocking Chazz and Jachin away from the flaming pillar and pushed it towards TJ and Jun Wen, roasting them both.

Chazz/Jachin: 8000

TJ/Jun Wen: 5800

"Damn, I end my turn." Jun Wen grumbled.

"I may not know what you're truly planning, but Chazz and I are going to shut you out before it happens!" Jachin declared as he drew his next card.

"We got this in the bag," Chazz said, matter-of-factly, "Stop worrying so much!"

"They're Pro Duelists for a reason, Chazz," the Persona duelist warned, "If they make it this easy now, it's only because they'll have a perfect strategy to use later..."

"Jachin, I advise that we finish this duel so that you won't have to deal with that strategy," Penthesilea interjected.

"Even your monster wants to finish this," the Ojama duelist continued, "Just hurry up and attack!"

"Fine, I summon Persona- Lucia the Blind Saint!" Jachin announced as he placed his monster card on the disk, revealing a white-haired woman in a white Saint's robe and her eyes and throat covered in bandages. Oddly, she carried a sliver plate that had two eyes on it. (4/1000/1000) He turned to the summoned monster, "I know you're not big on fighting, but I'll need your help in finishing this before it gets hectic."

 _"As you wish," Lucia replied. "However, I do sense hostility within your opponents."_

"Even more reason I need you and Penthesilea to strike now," the Persona duelist replied."So ladies, give them a double direct attack!"

 _"No need to tell us twice," the Amazonian Queen stated, "Come Lucia!"_

Lucia held up her plate and fired lasers that struck TJ, while Penthesilea rushed across the field and slashed Jun Wen with her rapier.

Chazz/Jachin: 8000

JT/Jun Wen: 3600

"We're more than halfway there, and we can't let up," the Persona duelist declared.

"Good, because soon you'll be dead anyway," TJ stated as he drew his next card, and immediately inserted another one into his disk, "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"With only seven cards in your hand, I know that facedown card is a bluff!" Chazz announced as he drew his next card. "I summon Ojama Blue in attack mode!"

Soon, the flat-faced blue Ojama appeared and crossed his arms. (2/0/1000)

 _"Finally, you have Pride Shout on the field," Blue said, "You're starting to respect us..."_

"Just attack directly," Chazz scoffed as his monster complied with a weak head slap to TJ, triggering Pride Shout's glow as it struck the Pros with a shockwave.

Chazz/Jachin: 8000

JT/Jun Wen: 2600

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." Chazz concluded. "If you want to forfeit, I won't hold it against you... anything my idiot brothers are planning are not going to help you."

"Oh yeah, I think It's about time we stopped playing with you two..." Jun Wen announced as he drew his next card, and placed it on the field, "I summon Archfiend Soldier in attack mode!" From a dark pillar of light, a demonic monster wearing purple upper body armor with bone leg armor, along with a green cape. It drew its longsword and pointed it to the Ojama. (4/1900/1500) "Destroy that blue freak!

In a quick second, Archfiend Soldier sliced across Blue's body and tore him down to pixels, scattering him around Chazz.

Chazz/Jachin: 6100

JT/Jun Wen: 2600

"You know the old saying: 'An eye for an eye'," Chazz smirked as his facedown card revealed itself, depicting a prisoner climbing over a canyon cliff with another man, trying to take him down with him. "Michizure activates when you destroy my monster, so I'll take down yours as well!" On cue, the ground opened under the Archfiend and dropped it inside before it closed up. "Next, I activate the effect of Ojama Blue! When he's destroyed in battle, I can take any two cards in my hand with Ojama in their names." He took out his deck and pulled out two cards before placing the deck back into the disk. "I select Ojamagic and Ojamarking!"

"Oh well," Jun Wen shrugged. "At least I've done my part in having three fiend monsters placed into my graveyard."

"What?" Chazz gasped.

"I knew it!" Jachin shouted.

"Thanks for the help kids!" JT laughed.

"I now remove all three fiends in my graveyard to summon Dark Necrofear in attack mode!" Jun Wen announced as he removed Archfiend Soldier, Abaki and Sangan from his graveyard slot, placed them into his pocket and put his Dark Necrofear card on the duel disk. Suddenly, a purple specter floated around the field before forming into a dark blue-skinned, bald woman wearing a metal chain breast plate, purple leg and armguards and carried a broken baby doll in her hands. (8/2200/2800)

"Now, two cards facedown..." He concluded. "If any of you are dumb enough to destroy this monster by battle or by a monster's card effect, I'll take control of that monster!"

"Then I better make sure I have something that can stop your effects," Jachin announced as he drew his next card. He smiled at the card, "And it'll all pay off as I activate one of my facedown cards, Persona Evolution! This card will evolve my Personas into their Immortal forms and they all have immunity from being controlled." The Pros narrowed their eyes as Jachin inserted the spell card into his disk. "Penthesilea, Lucia... evolve!"

Both female Personas were wrapped with white light, growing out their forms and changing their powers. First, the light around Penthesilea's evolved form started to fade away and showed off wearing Persian Battle Armor and dress combination, wielding a chain whip. (8/2400/2000) Then, Lucia's light faded away to show off her red and blue, ballroom gown with a peacock's ornament feather around her. (8/2400/2000)

 _'Perfect...' JT smirked. 'Once our ultimate strategy begins, those Persona Immortals won't stand a chance!"_

"For Juno's effect, none of your feminine monsters can touch her," Jachin explained, looking to his ballroom gown clad Immortal. "As for the new Artemisia, all warrior monsters gain 1000 ATK!" He stated as a sliver aura surrounded the newly named Immortal who stretched out her whip. (8/2400-3400/2000) "Now Artemisia, attack Dark Necrofear with Empress Whip!

"Feel my true power, whelps!" Artemisia shouted as she extended her whip around Dark Necrofear's waist, hoisted her up and smashed her down on the unforgiving ground below as the fiend shattered.

Chazz/Jachin: 6100

JT/Jun Wen: 1400

Suddenly, the Pros started to give loud laughs as the pixilated remains of their monster faded away into the sky.

"You two are about to lose this duel, and you laugh?" Chazz wondered.

"It's because you just played into our hands the entire time!" JT stated. "Didn't they teach anything about the Battle City Tournament Finals of one Ryo Bakura?"

Jachin gasped as he eyed Jun Wen's facedown card, "That card..."

"Time for you two to feel the power of the field spell, Dark Sanctuary," Jun Wen rejoiced as the facedown card flipped over to reveal a dark cathedral on top of a mountain, with the backdrop of a dark, cloudy sky. Next, the spell card emitted smoke that transformed the surrounding area into the card image's likeness with the dark cathedral, behind the Pros. Not only that, the sky was filled with dark eyes, mouths and even mouths with eyes inside them. "Welcome to the beginning of the end boys... if you think that this duel's open and shut, then you're sadly mistaken."

Chazz and Jachin shared worried looks before they changed into knowing smirks.

"And you must have forgotten that my Personal Immortals can't be touched by your spell or trap cards," the Persona duelist stated. "So, this duel's over once Juno attacks!"

Taking that as a command, Juno's peacock feathers rose and flashed blue...

"And you forgot that we know ya, kid!" JT stated as his facedown card revealed itself. It depicted numerous Persona Immortals being bound by a white wave of fog. "I activate this special trap card, Persona Cancellation! This card negates the effects that makes your Persona Immortals unaffected by spell or trap cards, even ignores those immunity effects upon activation!"

Now Jachin was truly afraid as the trap card emitted a white mist that enveloped the field, while the Persona Immortal women cringed in slight pain.

"Now with that out of the way, I can activate the effect of Dark Sanctuary!" Jun Wen interjected. "Once per turn, I can stop a monster from attacking with a little friend of the field spell... Evil Ghost, Counter Attack!" Juno gasped as she felt a dark presence leave her body, out her back and then tackled Jachin into his chest before it disappeared. "And as you can see, when that possessed monster attacks, I'll have the two of you take damage equal to half of that monster's attack points! While my partner and I gain those on our life points..."

Chazz/Jachin: 4900

JT/Jun Wen: 2600

"You okay, Juno?" Jachin asked the peacock ornament Persona.

 _"I feel like my energy was just drained..." Juno gasped. "I would've been able to sense that spirit coming, but this white fog is binding my strength."_

 _"It's holding me back as well..." Artemisia added, trying to keep a strong stance._

"Now this just went south," Chazz grumbled. "Looks like we'll have to rely on my deck to win..."

"At least their life points are not out of the red," Jachin sighed. "I end my turn."

"Too bad we have a plan to make sure your Ojamas don't touch us either!" JT stated as he drew his next card. "First, I activate the spell card Double Summon and then bring out the Metabo Globster!" He announced as a giant, wingless, brown-furred monster with a flame tip on its head. (3/800/800) "And then, I'll sacrifice him to summon the Legendary Fiend in attack mode!" The fiendish monster vanished into dark motes and reformed itself into dangerous looking monster with a blue, muscular upper body, four arms with sharp claws on the hands, black wings on its back and black fur on its legs. (6/1500/1800)

"There's a big problem..." Chazz stated. "That thing gains 700 ATK during each standby phase of their turn!"

"Also, when Metabo Globster is used as tribute for a DARK monster, I can special summon three tokens to my field!" JT continued as three look-alikes of Metabo Globster appeared, blocking with their arms. (1/0/0) x3 "I now end my turn, forcing me to sacrifice my token to maintain Dark Sanctuary... otherwise, we can't keep it." One of the tokens sunk into the white fog covered ground.

"My draw now!" Chazz announced as he drew his next card, "I play Graceful Charity, drawing three cards from my deck and then dropping two of them, my Ojamagic and Ojamarking!" He announced drawing his cards and then placing the two mentioned cards into his discard slot. "And because Ojamagic was sent to the graveyard, it causes the three normal Ojamas to be placed into my hand!"

"Here we come, boss!" Black, Yellow and Green shouted as they came into his hand.

"Now, I fuse my Ojamas together with Polymerization and form Ojama King in defense mode!"

" _OJAMA!"_ the three normal Ojamas shouted as they jumped into the fusion vortex that arrived above them. But soon, the giant King of their type appeared.

 _"OJAMA, baby,"_ He shouted to sky.(6/0/3000)

"And before I end my turn, Ojama King forces up to three of monster zones to be occupied!" Chazz stated as JT's and Jun Wen's two remaining monster zones were replaced with two Ojama King Statues. (Monster Zones: 5-3)

"Good, now we got a strong offense and defense..." Jachin realized. "Now we just to get those monsters off the field, next..."

"How about we make it a tad tougher on you, kids?" TJ grinned as he flipped over his face down card, depicting an evil ghost hanging on to a ghostly letter "F". "I activate the trap card, Destiny Board!" Suddenly, a giant Ouija Board appeared and floated above and in between the Pro duelists. "Now we have two ways that we can shut you down within a short time; either by Dark Sanctuary draining your points away, or by Destiny Board since it can claim automatic win by spelling out the word with five letters. And here's the first!"

The magnifier hovered over the letter F and it appeared above the Ouija board. "F!"

"And you know the best part? During each of your End Phases, Destiny Board lets me add another letter from my deck or hand! Now witness Spirit Message I!" As soon as the spell card was inserted into his disk, the magnifier moved to the correct letter and let the ghostly message appear next to the "F".

F-I!

"Wait, you both have Spirit Message cards?" Jachin gasped.

"Exactly!" Jun Wen stated as he drew his next card. "Both of us have Destiny Board and the four Spirit Message spell cards in our decks, meaning we won't have to wait one turn at a time before finishing you off! Not only that, but thanks to Dark Sanctuary, we can use our Monster Card Zones as placemats for our upcoming spirit cards! Or we can take you down with our Dark Sanctuary/Legendary Fiend combo, who by the way gains 700 points right now!" The blue skinned monster was surrounded by a purple aura which granted it more power. (6/1500-2200/1800) "But since it's not my monster, I can't attack with it so I'll just activate the Dark Door to force only one monster to attack, and then move on to the end phase to sacrifice a Metabo Token to Dark Sanctuary!"

The second token monster disappeared into the white fog...

"You know we can't relax on this..." Chazz said to his partner during the Draw Phase.

"I know..." Jachin sighed, as he looked at his overall hand. "But with only one monster able to attack, I can't risk Artemisia attacking; it'll result in them gaining more points and us losing more!"

"It won't matter if we lose because of that Destiny Board!" the Ojama duelist retorted. "We might as well risk it!"

"He's right, Jachin," Juno spoke up. "We're already in a tough spot with our immunity powers nullified... we must strike!"

The Persona duelist took a deep breath, and called his attack, "Artemisia, attack Legendary Fiend!"

"Good!" the icy Immortal shouted as she raised her whip to bring it down on the dangerous fiend...

"I activate Dark Sanctuary's effect!" Jun Wen shouted as he kicked the dark die on the ground. When it stopped, it stopped on the number three to the dismay of the Slifers. "Evil Ghost, Counterattack!" The ghostly phantom phased out of the stronger Immortal and struck Jachin in the chest again.

Chazz/Jachin: 3200

JT/Jun Wen: 4300

"Not again," the Persona duelist groaned.

 _"It's bad enough we're being held back with that trap," Artemisia growled, gripping her chest where her heart was._

"Now I can see why Yugi had a hard time with Bakura..." Chazz thought to himself.

"I'll take your silence as the end of your turn," Jun Wen smirked as he inserted another card into his disk. "So now, I'll play Spirit Message N for Destiny Board's effect!" The Ouija Board moved to the letter "N"

F-I-N!

"Two turns to go, boys!" JT announced as he drew his next card. "Now, Legendary Fiend gains another 700 ATK and enough to destroy your weaker Persona Immortal!" Legendary Fiend roared as more power surged through it and brandished its claws. (6/2200-2900/1800) "Legendary Fiend, attack Juno with Shadow Punch!" The fiend rushed towards Juno and transformed its right arm into pure darkness...

"I activate my facedown card, Rush Recklessly on Juno!" Jachin quickly countered, revealing his quick-play spell card. "Now she gains 700 ATK, enough to take down your fiend and because she counterattacked, Dark Sanctuary's effect can't touch it!" He claimed as a green aura surrounded Juno, raising her power. (8/2400-3100/2000)

"Good, but guess what?" JT smirked as he inserted a second card into his disk, "I also activate Rush Recklessly! Meaning your monster's still outta luck!"

Juno gasped as the fiend's dark arm collected green energy as well... (6/2900-3600/1800) In one quick move, the punch connected with Juno's stomach and shattered her into pixels.

"No..." Jachin whispered as he watched the pixels fade away.

Chazz/Jachin: 2700

JT/Jun Wen: 4300

"Aw, your monster went to pieces..." JT grinned, inserting another card into his disk. "I'll end my turn activating Tremendous Fire and add more of your suffering!" Suddenly, an explosion of fire blasted all players and burned through their life points.

Chazz/Jachin: 1700

JT/Jun Wen: 3800

"Now Dark Sanctuary will claim the last Metabo Globster token and Legendary Fiend's points return to 2900," He concluded as the green energy faded away from the fiend while the last token faded away. (6/3600-2900/1800) "And Chazz, maybe you should give up now and start listening to your brothers and become the best under their tutelage."

"Please!" The black coat Slifer smirked. "If they couldn't beat me with weak monsters on my side, what makes you think they can teach me? Just face it; I'll become stronger on my own terms... why don't you tell them that?"

"If only Jachin felt the same way..." Jun Wen added, looking to the stunned Persona duelist. "One monster gets destroyed and he breaks apart... especially by people who can end his career as a duelist! With our strategy, the both of you can't win!"

"That's it!" Chazz had enough as shouted as the top of his lungs, "If you think you can win with this pathetic strategy, you're dead wrong! Dark Sanctuary's great and all, but the fatal flaw lies within one monster... and even Jachin helped me realize it..."

"Huh?" Jachin snapped out of his shock and turned to his partner.

"I activate the card I just drew, Monster Reborn to revive your Dark Necrofear and place it on my field in defense mode!" The black coat Slifer declared as the white fog materialized on Chazz's side and brought back the bald, female fiend who gave an eerie stare to the Pros. (8/2200/2800) "And since you need Dark Necrofear in your graveyard, Dark Sanctuary can't do a thing aside from sacrificing your monsters!"

The Pro duelists growled in frustration as the eye and mouth filled skies evaporated, bringing back the calm, sunset skies.

"Damn, that wasn't supposed to happen!" JT stated.

"Calm down, he can't touch Legendary Fiend with neither his monster nor ours." Jun Wen assured. "And we can still add the letters of the Destiny Board."

"I wouldn't be so sure!" Chazz interrupted as he activated another spell card, depicting holy relics on a church pedestal. "I activate Offerings to the Doomed! It gives up my next Draw Phase to trash one of your monsters! And you only have one!" The Pros screamed in agony as a holy light erupted from the ground and destroyed the monstrous fiend into nothing. "Now, I'll switch Ojama King to attack mode and attack directly!"

"Bow down to the king!" Ojama King shouted as he decked both Pro duelists with a punch.

"And remember, my Pride Shout trap's on the field meaning you get damaged equal to King's DEF!" Chazz continued as the trap emitted giant shockwaves that blew the both men on their backs.

Chazz/Jachin: 1700

JT/ Jun Wen: 800

"Thanks, Chazz..." Jachin nodded.

"Just make sure you finish them off on your turn." He stated, before he turned back to the Pros getting to their feet. "Now my turn's done!"

"And I add the fourth letter of Destiny Board, Spirit Message "A"! JT stated as the Ouija Board moved to the letter in question.

F-I-N-A!

"My draw," Jun Wen announced as he drew the next card. "You got lucky reviving Dark Necrofear from the graveyard, but now it won't even matter if you got it on the field because I have another one to play!"

"But you don't have enough Fiend Monsters in your graveyard to summon it!" Jachin stated.

"Who needs to waste more cards summoning it, when I can just send it off the graveyard by discarding it as a cost to summon my Dark Grepher!" He grinned as he discarded his Dark Necrofear card and then brought out an all over dark skinned, white haired man wearing dark, light armor and carried a longsword. He grinned maliciously at Chazz and Jachin. (4/1700/1600) Suddenly, Dark Sanctuary reactivated and let out the darkened skies again.

"So much for that plan..." Chazz grumbled.

"And I sacrifice him to keep Dark Sanctuary to end my turn!" Jun Wen concluded as the darkness enveloped his monster. "Just remember when you attack with your precious Immortal, you'll damage yourself with 1700 points, and that's all you two have! Or, you can just end your turn and let the final letter of the Destiny Board kill you instead."

 _'I just hope I can draw the right card...'_ Jachin thought as he drew his next card. "I play Graceful Charity and draw out my three cards!" He announced drawing out his three cards, and then looked over his overall hand. 'Yes, I can play Never More! But which Persona...?"

 _"Send me to the graveyard, Jachin,"_ Another female voice called out right next to her. It was a blonde woman with cow-like facial features clad in a priestess robe _. "And with my Immortal Powers, I can stop the torment of your opponents._

 _'Got it...'_ He replied as he sent Io's card and another card into the graveyard. He then inserted his next spell card into the disk, "I activate my final card, Never More! By removing a Persona monster from my graveyard, I can special summon their Immortal form to the field from the deck. And I remove Persona- Io, the Cow Priestess from the graveyard, who I just sent to the graveyard by Graceful Charity!"

"Like it would do any good," JT proclaimed, "I still have my Persona Cancellation trap; whatever you bring out will just be drained of her immunity effect!"

"But not her unique effect," Jachin interrupted as he took out a monster card from his deck and placed it on his disk, "I now summon Persona Immortal Isis!" He called out as Io flew out of the graveyard and started to grow up into an older woman clad in Egyptian Empress gown of white and purple, with her arms now golden eagle feathers. (8/2400/2000) "And her effect causes all spell and trap cards to be destroyed and Chazz and I gain 500 life points with each card!" The Pros gasped in fear.

 _"Begone, evil enchantments!"_ Isis shouted as she raised her golden feathers and summoned a large windstorm that tore apart Pride Shout, Destiny Board with its unfinished message, and finally blowing away the dark fog of Dark Sanctuary and Persona Cancellation. Soon, golden sparkles surrounded the Slifer duo and revitalized their score.

Chazz/Jachin: 5200

JT/ Jun Wen: 800

"Tell Slade and Jagger to stop harassing us, otherwise when I do return, I'll put into play everything they taught me!" Jachin shouted. "Now, Artemisia attack directly!"

"With pleasure!" the Amazonian Immortal praised as she extended her whip and brought it down on both Pros, knocking them out cold...

Chazz/Jachin: 5200, Winners

TJ/Jun Wen: 0

The Slifers' duel disks' deactivated, as Jachin breathed heavily.

"Good riddance," Chazz scoffed. "How many plans are those scrubs are going to mess with us?"

"More likely until we graduate," the Persona duelist stated, controlling his breathing. "I hated when everyone tries to bring out the anger in me... and that Persona Cancellation card, how'd they get something like that?"

"They probably paid someone to have that card made, so what else is new," the Ojama duelist replied. "Nothing but throwing their money around..."

"I'm glad you stop doing that; and using your own limited sources to perfect your skills," Jachin said.

"And I plan on doing that when I get to the Pro League and winning this tournament to beat all of you is just another step in showing I'm the greatest duelist in the world," Chazz proclaimed. "Now let's go; your problems with those losers are over and we're still missing out on our pizzas."

Jachin smiled as he left right after him, "No problem... also, I think we should call the Disciplinary Action Squad and get those guys off the island..."

"Taken care of," the black-clad Slifer smirked, holding up his Duel Pilot. "I recorded the entire time we were with those punks; once they hear about what they've done, good luck in prison."

"Glad you're sticking by me..."

* * *

Later that night, at an entrance to a forest, Alister and Joey were waiting around.

"Those two should've been here by now," Joey stated. "It's already 9:00."

"Calm down, man," Alister stated. "You know they are when talking about old times; especially when they were old friends."

"Yeah, but I'm missing duels to win," the Luck duelist complained. "More importantly, good ones that don't involve those Society weirdoes..."

The Guardian duelist groaned, "Are you ever going to watch what you say about the students? Don't forget, they're still brainwashed students."

"I meant the guy, controlling the weirdoes..." Joey corrected.

Alister sighed, "You did it again… sometimes I think you're not right in the head when you talk about people."

"Watch it, buddy," Joey grumbled. "I'll have you know I plenty intelligent."

"You sure don't show it a lot..."

The men turned to see Mai and Erika walk up to them, giving their significant others a kiss.

"Should I take you down to the beach and drop in the water to cool off... like the last time you messed with me," Joey warned with a grin.

"It would just end up in another splash fight," the Harpie duelist waved off, "Which you lost, if I remember..."

"Only because you dragged me in after I was done winning."

"Wanna go again?"

"At dawn, and get ready to sink!"

Alister and Erika laughed at their friends' antics.

"You think we'll end up in those silly arguments?" Alister asked his fiancée.

"Let's see, we had some real arguments before we dated, during the dating scene and then during our engagement... so, I can see us having some silly arguments after we're married." Erika smirked, pulling her fiancé for a longer kiss. "Just expect me to win all of them..."

"I..." Alister was about to voice a rebuttal, but then dropped it, "Yeah..."

"How sentimental..."

Everyone stopped their arguments when they turned to see another SOL member, Ripley intervening on their rendezvous.

"Four Pro duelists all in one bunch," She stated with a smirk. "My lucky day..."

"Why are you here?" Erika asked.

"I've been hearing that we lost many our members to some of the Pro League members," the cosmic duelist replied. "And I've come to pick up after them... even though we don't need those who lost..."

"Then you have no business messing with us!" Joey proclaimed. "So, just walk away and let us get back to starting our double date already!"

"Only when I take all four of you down in the name of the Society of Light," Ripley announced, as a white aura surrounded her and activated her duel disk. "Now, who's first?"

Alister stepped up, "This Light of yours has no manners whatsoever... and I'll be the one to teach you some respect!" He then activated his duel disk.

"He's fired up now," Mai smirked. "Show this little girl not to mess with grown-up matters..."

"It's the Light that's doing this," Erika corrected.

Both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Ripley: 8000

Alister: 8000

"I'll start!" Ripley announced, drawing her sixth card. "I'll begin with the continuous spell card, Future Fusion!" By sending some Monster cards into my graveyard, I can bring out the Fusion Monster that they form in two standby phases!" She then took two monsters from her deck and placed them into her graveyard. "I send Maryokutai and Zombra the Dark to the graveyard!"

Erika gasped, "That means The Last Warrior from Another Planet will be summoned in two turns!"

"What's that monster?" Mai asked.

"It's a monster that locks down summoning other monsters," the Maverick duelist replied. "If Alister doesn't summon a monster soon, he'll be a sitting duck for as long as that monster is on the field."

"And for someone who needs equip cards to bring out his Guardian monsters, that'll be tough to even do." Joey added.

"But he has a few monsters that don't even need them," Erika assured them.

 _'Unfortunately, I don't have any monsters in my hand now...' Alister stated, looking at his hand of spells and traps. 'Unless I draw the right monster, I'll be a sitting duck without trying...'_

"I hope you're not thinking of planning anything big," Ripley interrupted as she inserted two more cards into her disk, and placed a monster card on the tray, "Next, I place two cards facedown and summon Sangan to defend my life points." She announced as the furry three-eyed fiend appeared and covered itself with its small arms. (3/1000/600) "It's your turn."

"Thanks, my move!" Alister announced, drawing his sixth card. He gasped as he saw that it was a monster card; Guardian Eatos! _'This soon, huh... You know you're in a lot of risk if I summon you to the field now...'_

Eatos' spirit appeared next to him, with a warm, yet sad smile. "I know, but to defeat our enemy, we have to embrace every form of ourselves. It'll be hard to know that I may be destroyed soon, forcing me to accept my other half, but we must..."

Alister nodded, while Erika looked on, _'I know it's tough, Alister... but don't think of her as dying...'_

The Guardian duelist inserted another card into his disk, "I play the spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Future Fusion and your chances of summoning your Fusion Monster!" He announced as a giant windstorm appeared and shattered apart the continuous spell card. "Next, since I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can special summon Guardian Eatos from my hand!"

Light shined from the sky, letting an eagle fly down. As it called, it transformed into a beautiful, blonde woman who looked Native American with the style of dress she wore, particularly the brown skin shirt and ankle length skirt. She also wore an eagle headdress and two large white wings behind her. (8/2500/2000)

"Yes, that should stop her for a while," Mai cheered. "And by then, Alister will have already won!"

"Now to go in for the kill..." Joey added.

"Next, I give her Fairy Meteor Crush!" Alister continued, inserting the next into his disk, forming a red aura around the Guardian. "Now with piercing damage, Sangan won't save you from Eatos' attack!" Eatos spread her wings and stretched out her arms up front and summoned a piercing windstorm that cut apart the three-eyed fiend. The cosmic duelist braced herself as the windstorm blew her back a few feet.

Ripley: 6100

Alister: 8000

She brushed off the attack, and took a card from her deck. "No matter, by destroying Sangan, I can grab a monster card with ATK 1500 or less... another Maryokutai!"

"Another one," Mai wondered.

"I knew it," Erika figured. "She must have at least three copies of that monster and Zombrya the Dark, making sure she brings out that monster."

"Then it's a good thing, Eatos is on the field." Joey stated. "She's stronger than the Last Warrior... I remember it having 2350 ATK at the most..."

"I end my turn with one card facedown." Alister concluded, inserting a set card into his disk. _'Gotta prepare, because if she didn't use those facedown cards for Eatos now... it must be for when her fusion monster comes out.'_

"I've got you now!" Ripley grinned, drawing her next card and revealed one of her facedown cards. "First, I play Prematural Burial! I'll Pay 800 life points and revive Zombrya the Dark from the graveyard!" She began, as a dark monster appeared from the ground. A muscular man in a blue suit appeared. He had bone armor about him, along with a horned helmet and a red cape with its interior purple. (4/2100/800)

Ripley: 5300

Alister: 8000

"Now, it's time for my ultimate fusion monster!" She continued, inserting a familiar spell card. "I activate Polymerization to fuse Zombrya the Dark on the field with Maryokutai and summon from space, The Last Warrior from Another Planet!"

Along with Zombrya, a bionic skull with a massive brain appeared with glowing green eyes and attached himself to the warrior as they were sucked into the fusion vortex. Seconds later, a massive, yellow arm reached out with blue cables connected to it and metal claws on its fingers. Then, the arm pulled out a body with a muscular build and clad in only metal briefs and shoulder guards. Aside from the claws on its right arms, it carried a giant laser on its left forearm. (7/2350/2300)

"At least you were right about the ATK," Mai said to Joey. "But I wouldn't be safe from worrying..."

"Not only will prevent you from summoning your monsters, I'll take out your only one by activating my facedown card, the trap Metalmorph!" Ripley continued, revealing a facedown card that depicting a metal armor with claws. Suddenly, a liquid metal appeared over the upper body of and solidified into armor that strengthened him. (7/2350-2650/2300) "Now my monster gains 300 ATK, enough to wipe out your Guardian! But to add insult to injury, whenever a monster equipped with Metalmorph, it gains half of its ATK target's strength. Meaning I can destroy your monster and devastate your life points further!"

The otherworldly warrior growled as it raised its laser and charged it up for an attack... (7/2650-3900/2300)

"You won't go through Eatos that easily!" Alister shouted, revealing his facedown card, "I activate Self Tribute, paying off 1000 life points to keep Eatos in the game!" A red aura surrounded and drained him of his points as a blue aura surrounded and protected Eatos.

Ripley: 5300

Alister: 7000

The alien's laser finished charging and blasted Eatos' barrier, blocking her from destruction.

Ripley: 5300

Alister: 5600

"That was close," Joey stated. "But why use cards that would drain life points from the user to protect a monster?"

"He doesn't want to lose Eatos," Erika replied. "He's also like another Guardian archetype user who refused to have any of his monsters in the graveyard..."

"Rafael, right?" Mai responded. "Bad memories..."

"I end my turn by playing Mist Body on my warrior." Ripley concluded as a thick fog surrounded the alien as its power returned to 2650. "Now you won't be able to destroy my monster, meaning once your monster dies, I'll have the last one standing."

"Then I'll take advantage of your monster able to still be damaged!" Alister announced, drawing his next card, "I set one card facedown, and then activate Eatos' special ability! I send Fairy Meteor Crush to the graveyard to remove 3 monsters from your graveyard, gaining 500 ATK for each one!"

Ripley found herself raising her duel disk in the air as the images of Sangan, Maryokutai and Zombrya the Dark left her graveyard slot and flowed into Eatos' body, while her aura intensified. (8/2500-4000/2000)

"Eatos, attack that warrior!" He commanded as the Guardian summoned another windstorm and blew back the warrior as it covered its arms while Ripley defended herself as well.

Ripley: 3950

Alister: 5600

Afterwards, the SOL duelist smirked. "Is that all you got? At this rate, I'll win this duel in a couple of turns!"

"That attack didn't even faze her!" Joey gasped. "What is it with these guys?"

"She sure is different from the other white coats," Mai stated.

"It's because she's a high-ranking member of the Society," Erika added. "Meaning she has more skill than the others and can back up her words."

"It's your move!" Alister declared as Eatos' power returned to 2500.

"Good, it's my draw!" Ripley smirked as she drew. "And it looks like it'll be even easier, as I activate White Veil!" She rejoiced as the spell card expended a huge amount of light to the Last Warrior from Another Planet and turned its color completely white!

"And that would be one of Sartorius' key cards," the Maverick duelist pointed out, "And when the equipped monster attacks, it can destroy every one of Alister's spell and trap cards without any interference from them. Luckily, Alexis found out its weakness; if we destroy that monster, the user takes damage equal to that monster's ATK."

"That's good if Alister can destroy it," Mai stated. "He needs to destroy that Mist Body card."

"If only he could," Ripley grinned, "Warrior, attack and end her existence!"

"Too bad, it won't be able to this turn!" Alister countered by activating a card in his hand, showing a spirit of a young woman flying over a graveyard. "I activate Aid to the Doomed from my hand, per its effect! I send the top two cards of my deck to end the battle phase!"

"But White Veil negates that effect!" Ripley protested as the Guardian duelist discarded his top two cards of his deck.

"It activates when the monster attacks! Not when the attack is declared!" Alister pointed out as the spirit of the spell card stopped the alien warrior from making a move. "So, I have another turn to use."

"You better make sure, it counts then..." the cosmic duelist stated, inserting a facedown card into her disk. "I end my turn with a facedown card."

"I plan to..." Alister said as he drew. Once he overlooked his hand, he sighed, _'Guess there is no way around it...'_ He then changed Eatos' card sideways, "I switch Eatos into defense mode!"

The spectators gasped as Eatos, kneeled and covered herself with her wings.

"He's got nothing else?" Mai wondered.

"But it won't be the end, as I activate the equip Spell Prevention Star!" The Guardian duelist continued, as a glowing helix surrounded Eatos. "If Eatos is equipped with this card, your monster can't attack!"

"Then, it's a good thing I set this earlier, Spell-Shattering Arrows!" Ripley countered to the shock of her opponent, as a few arrows shot from the card and shattered Prevention Star!

Ripley: 3950

Alister: 4300

"I know the other effect of that card, being able to destroy the monster that's being bound," She continued. "And seeing the look of shock on your face, I'll start my turn now..."

"Go ahead…" Alister replied in a defeated voice.

"You shouldn't feel bad," Ripley stated as she drew. "You're destined to be one with the Light, so I'll put you out of your misery by activating my own Fairy Meteor Crush to deal piercing damage!" The warrior gained a bright, red aura granting it power. "Now destroy Eatos, once and for all... attack!"

"I activate Forbidden Chalice... negating your monster's effect and granting it 400 ATK!" Alister interrupted, revealing his facedown card. Holy water drenched the alien as it charged its laser. (7/2650-3900-4300/2300) As the laser finished charging, its massive blast caught Eatos point blank. The Guardian duelist and Eatos shared a sad smile as she dissolved into pixels.

Ripley: 3950

Alister: 2300

"She just destroyed his best monster!" Joey gasped. "What's he going to do now?"

"That's not what's going to worry you all in minute," Erika muttered, as the attention turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Mai asked.

"Anyone who has a Guardian Eatos card would be devastated to see it destroyed," The Maverick duelist said. "And for Alister who is close with that card, it's more than devastating... because of what else her death brings out... " She then looked to Alister. "He's just slowly coming to terms with every side of Eatos..."

"Ripley..." Alister began as a dark smoke began to surround the playing field, "Destroying Eatos was the biggest mistake you ever made... I just hope you're ready to accept the consequences..."

"What are you talking about?" Ripley demanded.

"Since I negated your Warrior's effect, I can activate another monster's effect from my deck." He continued. "Since Eatos was destroyed in battle, I can special summon her undead form... a form I really hate to have summoned, unless necessary... from my deck, I summon Guardian Dreadscythe in defense mode!"

Suddenly, a dark portal opened in front of Alister and brought out another female, brown-haired Guardian monster, clad in worn-out dark armor, white bandages and a white mask over her face. (7/2500/2000)

"That's... Eatos?" Joey and Mai gasped.

"It only has 2500 ATK," Ripley waved off. "It's just as weak as your other monster..."

"Keep talking after I activate her special abilities," Alister stated. "I can add any equip card to her from my graveyard or deck, and I pick the Reaper Scythe-Dread Scythe card! It grants her another 500 points for every monster in graveyard." From the dark portal, a large, black scythe appeared in Dreadscythe's hands, charged with dark energy. (7/2500-3000/2000)

Ripley grumbled as she inserted a card, into her disk, "I end my turn with a facedown card! Dark monster or not, I can still take it down on my next turn because of Metalmorph's effect."

"Then, I'll drop your life points down to 0, before that." Alister declared as he drew his next card. "I switch Dreadscythe to attack mode and activate Card of Sanctity to let us draw until we're holding six cards in our hands!"

"Fine with me," the SOL duelist replied as they filled their hands up to 6 cards, while Dreadscythe stood up, poised to attack.

"Next, I activate Double Evolution," Alister continued inserting another spell card into his disk, showing an unnamed monster raising its power level with a large number 2 behind him. "Thanks to this, my Reaper Scythe – Dreadscythe Equip Spell can increase its power by double. So that means, for every monster in my grave, 1000 ATK is added to my monster!" The scythe's dark energy surrounded Dreadscythe, filling her with new power." (7/3000-3500/2000) "Guardian Dreadscythe, attack with Death Slash!" The Guardian duelist commanded, as Dreadscythe raised her weapon and slashed it down...

"I activate Negate Attack!" Ripley interrupted, as a spiraling vortex blocked the scythe's attack. "Now you're ending your turn, right?"

"Sure after I use Spell Shattering Arrows to destroy Mist Body and White Veil," Alister concluded as a flurry of arrows emerged from his spell card and destroyed the equip spells, and extinguished the Light around the warrior.

Ripley: 2950

Alister: 2300

"He's not worried?" Joey wondered.

"It's the reason he played, Card of Sanctity," Erika stated. "And he didn't play much of anything afterwards..."

"It's my turn now," Ripley shouted as she drew her next card. "Warrior, attack Dreadscythe with Universal Laser!" She commanded, as her monster charged up its power with Metalmorph... (7/2650-4400/2300) and loose a giant blast that engulfed the dark Guardian into an explosion.

Ripley: 2950

Alister: 1400

"Aw man, it's gone!" Joey groaned.

"No it's not," Alister stated. "Dreadscythe won't leave unless I send a card to the graveyard from my hand..." He continued, placing Necro Guardna into his graveyard, "And with another monster, that means 1000 ATK to Dreadscythe!" The undead Guardian returned with a more powerful dark aura around her. (7/3500-4500/2000)

"Normally, he would want that monster card gone," Erika stated. "But he's realizing he needs Dreadscythe more than ever..."

"I place two cards facedown and set one monster on the field," Ripley concluded as she placed her cards on her disk _. 'My facedown cards should be more than enough to take out the rest of his life points, without dealing with his monster...'_

"Those cards won't help you out now," Alister claimed as he drew. "Especially since I activate Cold Wave, freezing all spell and trap cards from being played until my next turn!"

"No!" The SOL duelist protested as her cards froze.

"Now that you're defenseless, Dreadscythe will destroy your Warrior once and for all!" Dreadscythe raised her weapon and sliced apart the alien warrior into pixels.

Ripley: 1100

Alister: 1400

"Alright, now he can play more monsters on his field!" Mai cheered.

"I end my turn," Alister concluded as a facedown monster.

"After all he went through, he's not summoning anything else?" Joey wondered.

"I don't think he needs another one," Erika smiled.

 _'So far so good,'_ Alister thought _. 'Erika and Eatos were right all along... I just needed to accept that Eatos and Dreadscythe are one... even in the graveyard, she's still protecting me... one more attack, I can end this...'_

"I won't let you get to me," Ripley shouted as she drew her next card. "I begin, by flip summoning Gravitic Orb to attack mode!" She announced as her set monster flipped over and revealed a pitch black orb, floating in front of her. (3/1100/700) "And don't be mistaking by its low score, because when it's flipped up, I can switch your face up monster's battle mode!"

The orb pulsed out black waves across the field and forced Guardian Dreadscythe to defend herself with her weapon.

"I don't see why she's doing that," Erika stated, "She can't touch Dreadscythe no matter what mode she's in."

"Unless she's summoning a monster that can," Joey figured.

"Next, I play special summon a monster known as Card Breaker, by taking out one of my spell or trap cards to do so!" Ripley continued as one of her frozen facedown card shattered, letting a tall tanned man in brown leather robes appeared, wielding a large staff tipped by an emerald fist. (2/100/900) "Now I can sacrifice them both and summon out my Greed Quasar!

A dark vortex appeared behind Gravitic Orb and Card Breaker, swallowing them both. It then grew bigger to let out a terrifying monster; a giant, skeletal-like alien with large arms, six small purple legs and a huge mouth serving as the body. (7/?/?)

"This is the same monster that almost beat Jeremy!" the Guardian duelist gasped.

"I'm glad you remembered, because this time there's no spell card to save you from it." Ripley smirked. "Also, I'll take full advantage of Guardian Dreadscythe's resurrection capabilities... since for every star it has for its level, it gains 300 ATK and DEF points. And it's already at seven, giving it more than enough to destroy the Guardian!"

Greed Quasar roared as it opened its giant mouth to expend its energy. (7/?-2100/?-2100)

"This isn't good if that thing will keep getting more powerful every time it destroys Dreadscythe," Mai said.

"The beginning of the end," Ripley declared, "Greed Quasar, it's time to attack Dreadscythe!"

The giant alien began to use its mouth to suck in the air and pull Dreadscythe into its mouth. The Guardian tried to use her scythe to keep her grounded, but the force became too much for her and she was lifted into the air.

"That was your final mistake!" Alister shouted as he raised another monster card from his hand. "I activate Stronghold Guardian's effect from my hand! Since a monster in defense mode is being attacked, I can discard this monster to raise Dreadscythe's DEF by 1500!"

"And that means he won!" Erika cheered as another figure appeared in front of Dreadscythe; a muscular, tanned man in loincloth, holding on to a giant castle kingdom on his back, and being taken into the suction. (7/4500-5500/2000-3500) When Greed Quasar tried to take in the Guardian monsters, its mouth was caught by the stone castle structure and couldn't fit. Soon, the alien became exhausted and was crushed under the castle's weight, deflecting the damage back to Ripley, whose Light left her body.

Ripley: 0

Alister: 1400, Winner

Before turning off his duel disk, Alister gave one last look to Dreadscythe _... 'Now I understand you a lot more, Dreadscythe... you're still Eatos, even if reborn a certain way...forgive me for shunning you away the moment I found your card...'_

Dreadscythe turned around in response, peering through her mask and nodded before fading away. He then found himself wrapped in Erika's arms.

"You okay?" She asked.

Alister smiled, "I am now... let's just say I finally got some closure on Eatos and Dreadscythe."

"Good to hear," Erika said, kissing him on the cheek. "But I'm afraid we'll have to cut our date short." Both looked to Ripley's unconscious form. "Another one out of the Society..."

"Still, quite a few to go before we can enact that plan Alex wanted to do." The Guardian duelist stated.

"What plan?" Joey and Mai asked simultaneously.

"Oh right," the Maverick duelist said, turning to her friends. "With still many Society members left, we're trying to rally up any duelists that's not associated with them and take the fight to them and restore the Obelisk Blue dorm."

"What do you think?" Alister added.

Mai smirked, "Sounds like a good time..."

"You know it!" Joey cheered. "It's going to be like old times with Yugi and the gang!"

"Sounds like a 'yes' to me," the Maverick duelist smiled.

"And judging by the number of participants left; a few days should be all that's left." The Guardian duelist added.

* * *

Whew! Another chapter done! Really had to deal with the first one a lot more, though...

Dark Sanctuary

Field Spell

During either player's turn, when a "Dark Necrofear" is sent to your Graveyard, you can activate this face-down card. During each of your End Phases, Tribute 1 monster or destroy this card. While there is no "Dark Necrofear" in your Graveyard, negate these effects: ● When your opponent declares an attack roll a six-sided die once. Treat your opponent's Monster Card Zone as #'s 1-5, counting from your right. If your opponent declares an attack with a monster that is in the same Monster Card Zone as the die result during this turn, negate the attack, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half that monster's ATK, and gain an equal amount of Life Points. If there is no face-up Attack Position monster in that Monster Card Zone or if the die result is 6, roll again. This card effect can only be activated once during your opponent's turn. ● Your Monster Card Zones are also treated as Spell & Trap Card Zones. If your opponent declares an attack while you control no monsters, you must reveal any face-down cards in your Monster Card Zones, after damage calculation

(Used by Yami Bakura in the second series anime episode trilogy, The Dark Spirit Revealed; all rights go to the creators of those episodes.)

Pride Shout

Continuous Trap

Each time a monster with 0 ATK successfully attacks your opponent directly, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's DEF

(Used by Chazz Princeton in GX episode 166; all rights go to the creators of that episode)

Guardian Dreadscythe

EARTH

Zombie/Effect

Level 7

2500/2000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by its own effect or from your hand or deck when Guardian Eatos you control is destroyed. You cannot Summon or Set Monster's. If this card would be Destroyed by battle or removed from the Field by your opponent's Card Effect, you must discard 1 Card instead.

Reaperscythe – Dreadscythe

Equip only to "Guardian Dreadscythe". The equipped monster gains 500 ATK for each monster in your Graveyard. During your Main Phase, you can destroy all monsters you control, except the equipped monster

(The above two cards were used by Rafael in the second series anime episode, Grappling with a Guardian Part 3.)

Aid to the Doomed

Quick-Play Spell

You can activate this card from your hand. Activate when an opponent's monster declares an attack, if a monster you control was destroyed by battle this turn. Send the first 2 cards from your deck to the Graveyard to end the Battle Phase

Self Tribute

Quick-Play Spell

Activate only if one or more of your monsters would be destroyed. Select 1 of those monsters and pay 1000 Life Points. That monster is not destroyed.

(The above two cards were used by Rafael in the Second Series anime episode trilogy, Fate of the Pharaoh; all rights to the creators of the episode.)

Double Evolution

Normal Spell

Select 1 equipped Equip Spell Card on the field. All increases and decreases to ATK and DEF that are caused by the selected card's effect are doubled.

(Used by Klamath Osler in the R manga; All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Persona Cancellation

Continuous Trap Card

Negate the effect of all Persona Immortal Monsters that state "This card cannot be affected by trap or magic cards." (This does not apply to the Persona Immortals' other effects)

Ojama Flip

Normal Trap

Activate when an Ojama monster is targeted in battle. Switch the ATK and DEF of the target Ojama monster and the attacking monster until the End Phase of the turn this card was activated.

(The above two cards were created by me; all card rights go to me)

Persona - Penthesilea, the Amazonian Queen

Attribute: light

Level: 4

Picture: A young woman wearing what seemed to be a royal battle gear and wearing a tiara and holding two swords

type: Warrior/Effect

Effect: While this card is on the field, all warrior monsters gain 200 attack points.

Attack/defense: 1000/1000

Personality: Almost as icy as her user and has a tendency to be sexist.

Persona Immortal Artemisia

Attribute: Light/Divine

Level: 8

type: Divine/warrior/effect

Picture: A young woman that is wearing Parisian battle gear and wearing a crown

Effect: This card cannot be normal summon or set. It can be special summon from your hand by tributing Persona - Penthesilea the Amazonian queen through the effect of Persona Evolution. This card cannot be affected by trap or magic cards. All warrior monsters gain 1000 attack while this card is on the field. This card cannot be switch control.

Attack/Defense: 2400/2000

Persona - Lucia the Blind Saint

Attribute: light

Level: 4

Picture: A young woman wearing a robe and holding a plate with two eyes on it.

type: spellcaster/Effect

Effect: This card cannot be destroyed in battle.

Attack/defense: 1000/1000

Personality: A more calm person and will normally want to stay out of a fight

Persona Immortal Juno

Attribute: Light/Divine

Level: 8

type: Divine/warrior/effect

Picture: An older version of Lucia only with a peacocks next to her and holding a spear

Effect: This card cannot be normal summon or set. It can be special summon from your hand by Tributing Persona Hero Lucia the blind saint through the effect of Persona Evolution. This card cannot be affected by trap or magic cards. Female monsters cannot target this card.

Attack/Defense: 2400/2000

Persona - Io, the Cow Priestess

Attribute: wind

Level: 4

Picture: A half girl half cow wearing a priestess robe.

type: spellcaster/Effect

Effect: When this card is summoned to the field, destroy 1 spell or trap card on the field.

attack/defense: 1000/1000

Personality: She is naturally out spoken and treats Jachin with some respect.

Persona Immortal Isis

Attribute: Light/Divine

Level: 8

type: Divine/Spellcaster/effect

Picture: A young woman that is wearing an Egyptian Empress gown and have eagle wings.

Effect: This card cannot be normal summon or set. It can be special summon from your hand by Tributing Persona - Io, The cow priestess through the effect of Persona Evolution. This card cannot be affected by trap or magic cards. When this card is summoned to the field, destroy all spell and trap cards on the field. You gain 500 life points for each spell and trap destroyed by a card effect.

Attack/Defense: 2400/2000

(The above six cards were created by Trickymander, and all card rights go to him while the characters go to the Atlus)

Next time: Syrus finally confronts Zane, but with the shock collars in mix, will this be a duel the Vehicroid duelist regrets? Later, Lily deals with the man behind Zane's new outlook as he tries to pay back Zane for discarding him.

Please Read and Review! Later!


	66. Defining the Lines

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 66: Defining Lines

* * *

At the Lighthouse, a man in a black cloak stood up and faced the school across the horizon.

"So this is where you were hiding, Mr. Truesdale?" He said in a Southern accent. "I just hope you're prepared to take your medicine after what happened..."

(Flashback)

* * *

 _Leaving the Kaiba Dome in a black limousine, Zane and Shroud were sitting in the back, enjoying the ride..._

 _Shroud smirked as he looked out the window, "Nice work back there, that Weevil fella won't walk for months..." He then turned to Zane, "Didn't I tell ya, stick with me and you'll have it all!"_

 _"That's true," Zane stated, "But now that I have everything that I want, your services are no longer required."_

 _The manager gasped, "What are you saying?"_

 _Suddenly, the limousine skidded to a stop near an alleyway and its rear-right car door opened. Then, Shroud was shoved out of the limo and into some trash!_

 _"You're fired," Zane shouted as he closed the door and the limo went on rolling._

 _Furious, the ex-manager shouted, "You're gonna regret this kid!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Soon, you'll end up seeing things my way..." Shroud stated as he walked towards the Academy building.

* * *

Somewhere along the rocky shores, a Duel was already in progress. Syrus was in a duel against one of the famous Pros from the Battle City days; Espa Roba.

"It is pointless, young student," the famed duelist proclaimed. "With my Eye of Truth card, I can see all your cards with intent to counteract them, and with Convulsion of Nature mixed with Archfiend's Oath, I'm able to add more cards to my hand that will devastate you! Finally, my army of Reflect Bounders can block you since they deal their effect damage first. And for your next card, Vehicroid Connection Zone, I'll deploy my Non-Fusion Area card facedown and end my turn."

"Well, I'm about to disappoint you, Espa!" Syrus interrupted, revealing his facedown card. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Convulsion of Nature!"

The Pro duelist gasped as his spell card was shattered into pixels, forcing him and Syrus to put their decks, right-side up again.

"Now to draw," He continued, drawing while his hand was at two. "And lucky for me, I drew Submarineroid and I'll put him in attack mode!" He announced as the small sub appeared above the water. (4/800/1800)

"Yes, I can see you can attack directly, but my life points are at 900," Espa stated calmly.

"Yeah, but before you sprung your strategy to see my cards, I hid one facedown card and I activate it now," The Vehicroid duelist countered, revealing his facedown card. "Limiter Removal!"

"Oh no," Espa shouted as the submarine's circuits overloaded and boosted its power. (4/800-1600/1800)

"Attack directly with Subterranean Sneak Attack!" Syrus commanded as his monster went underwater and then fired a torpedo, going past the three Reflect Bounders and blasted into the Pro duelist, ending the game.

Syrus: 400, Winner

Espa Roba: 0

"That's game!" the Ra smiled proudly as the holograms disappeared.

The Pro duelist stood up and smiled despite his loss, "So it's true, Duel Academy does have potential students to grace the presence of the Pro League." He then reached into his pocket and held up a bag of medals. "I hope you go far." He threw the medals over to the Ra duelist who caught it.

"Thanks, but I may not..." Syrus stated before walking away.

"What are you talking about?" Roxanne asked, walking from behind a rock pillar. "Since that talk we had from watching Hassleberry and Rex duel, you've been a lot more motivated and even took out three Pro duelists in a row! And your collection of GX medals keeps growing!" She then poked at Syrus' blazer pocket, causing numerous medals to fall to the ground.

"Yeah, but I'm still not ready to face Zane..." the vehicroid duelist replied as he recovered his medals.

"Well, you have to face him sooner or later," the Gaia-themed duelist said. "And there's no right or wrong time about it."

"Still, I'm not planning on beating him with Power Bond yet; I'll take him on with my own cards."

Roxanne patted him on the shoulder, "See, that's all you need to have courage against him."

"Hey guys!"

Both turned to see Jaden and Hassleberry up on the cliffs.

"Zane and Aster just bumped shoulders and staring each other down!" the dino duelist shouted.

"And it does look like it can get uglier at any moment!" the E-Hero Duelist added.

Syrus gasped as he headed up the cliffs with Roxanne following...

* * *

At the front of the Academy building, a huge crowd gathered up as Zane and Aster were staring each other down in silence. The D-Hero duelist decided to break the ice...

"What's with the new outfit, Zane?" Aster asked with a smirk. "Hope you didn't resort to scaring your opponent away. Or are you still unhappy that I handed you your first defeat that caused you to flake out on your duels?" He then held up his duel disk. "Want revenge, here's your chance?"

Zane responded with a passive, "...Whatever."

"Wait a second, stop the duel!"

Aster looked over Zane's shoulder to see Syrus and Roxanne run up to them.

"Aster, you can't go through with this!" Syrus protested. "Zane's not the same as he was! He wants revenge and he'll hurt you to get it!"

"Guess again," Masaki said walking behind his friend. "He doesn't want revenge against Aster; Zane just wants to beat him."

"Yeah, I've been talking trash to this guy for a while and he's not lifting a finger." Aster added. "All he cares about is victory."

"That's right," Zane stated, causing all eyes to be on him. "You people are all the same to me: worthless maggots in my way."

"That settles it," Jaden announced, walking up to the crowd. "Syrus, you have to teach Zane the meaning of respect!"

"Yeah, you guys have to duel now." Allyson added.

"And we all know you're ready to do this," Roxanne concluded.

Soon, the crowd started to spread out a little more to give the brothers room to duel. Syrus then turned to his brother with determination.

"Alright Zane... I challenge you to a duel!" Syrus announced. "And the rules do state you must accept a challenge, plus I don't think you'd back down."

"It's your funeral, little man," Zane stated, looming over his brother. "But if you're serious about challenging me for your defense of respect, then you're playing in my world!" He then turned to a briefcase he had lying next to him and opened it up to reveal metal collars inside. Everyone that was close enough looked at them with a hint of fear, except for Zane, "These make the duel more electrifying... every time life points are lost, you'll feel like they've been ripped out from your body. And thanks to these, meet the new and improved Zane Truesdale!"

"Happy Birthday..." Claudio muttered from the sidelines as he, Melody, Alexis, and Lily joined the crowd and overheard the commotion.

"You don't think Syrus is going through with this?" Melody asked, worried for the little Ra.

"And to think it is duels like this that got him the way he is," Alexis added. Lily was at a loss for words, imagining the pain that would cause to a person's body.

"So Syrus... you going to back down, right?" Zane stated. "Wouldn't blame you..."

"Hey Syrus, maybe you should..." Jaden was interrupted as Syrus picked up one of the collars.

"Not only I'll step into your new world, I'll bring you out!" the Ra proclaimed.

"Atticus said that too..." Lily muttered, remembering how that turned out.

Soon, both brothers were being outfitted with shock collars and wrists; Zane by Aster, Syrus by Jaden

"You could still back out of this," Roxanne warned.

"Hey, it's cool." Jaden stated, finishing the setup. "We're right here!"

"Thanks for worrying, but I gotta do this." Syrus stated as both of his friends back to the sidelines, while he stared down Zane. "I've been waiting a long time for this, Zane... Game on!"

Both players activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

Syrus: 8000

Zane: 8000

"I'll start the duel," Syrus announced, drawing his sixth card. "First, I summon Shuttleroid in defense mode!" He called as his cartoonish space shuttle appeared, blocking with its small arms. (4/1000/1200) "Next, I place one card facedown and end my turn." He concluded as a set spell/trap card appeared at his feet.

"I thought you were going to actually show me a real monster, not more toys that you used to play with," Zane taunted as he drew his sixth card. "But, like always, you're a disappointment as a duelist."

"I might just surprise you, bro." the Vehicroid duelist retorted.

"Famous last words," the Hell Kaiser replied, summoning a monster to the field. "I summon my Lancer Lindwurm in attack mode!" He announced as a green, bipedal dragon descended, clad in bronze armor holding a purple and crystal spear within its hands. (4/1800/1200)

'I knew he'd use dragons in his deck,' Syrus thought.

"A dragon user?" Roxanne wondered. "What happened with his Cyber monsters?"

"He's got new ones," Lily said, "But only for torturing his dragon monsters later..."

"And if you thought, hiding behind your defense position monsters would save you, you're dead wrong!" Zane shouted, "My monster can cause piercing damage to any monster in defense mode, so say goodbye to your Shuttleroid!" Lancer Lindwurm took flight and then prepared to strike down from the skies...

"Sorry Zane, but Shuttleroid's effect activates!" Syrus announced. "When it's targeted for an attack, I can remove him from play until my next Standby Phase!" The roid's engines began to roar and it blasted into the sky, out of range of the spear's attack.

"You saved your monster… but at the cost of your own life points, Lindwurm…Direct Attack!" The dragon continued speeding towards the small Ra duelist.

"This is going to hurt him... literally!" Hassleberry cringed.

"I activate my trap card, Life Force!" Syrus shouted, pressing the button his disk to reveal a continuous trap card of a heart-shaped gift box inside of a glass dome. The spear struck his stomach, but the trap reacted to the attack and surrounded Syrus with a green aura. "Now whenever I take battle damage, I can pay 400 life points to reduce the damage to zero!"

Syrus: 7600

Zane: 8000

"So, I see you have cards that reduce damage." Zane acknowledged.

"Nice one, Syrus!" Jaden cheered.

"And since that damage was reduced, he shouldn't feel any damage!" Claudio added.

"Wrong!" the Hell Kaiser chuckled. "He still paid life points for it, and that counts as a drop from your life points... meaning little Syrus still gets hurt!"

"What…!?" Syrus exclaimed. He felt a twinge on his neck and upper arms, looked down at the red-and-black sparks emanating from them, before howling in pain from a few seconds of current flowing through his limbs. He stepped back in pain from the sudden electric flow, grunting.

"Syrus!" His friends cried.

"Even though you can use other cards and pay to keep yourself in the game, they too also come with a price!" Zane explained while placing a facedown card into his disk. "So tell me Syrus, how long can you last?" Syrus still cringed from the shocks. "By your looks, not much longer..."

"Guess again!" Syrus shouted, drawing his next card. "Now that my standby phase has begun, Shuttleroid returns to the field!" A glint of light twinkled in the sky, as the rockets of the 'roid' monster flared to return it to its controller's field. (4/1000/1200) However, instead of stopping at the Ra's field, it continued past Syrus and headed straight for the Hell Kaiser.

"What…?" Zane wondered.

"When Shuttleroid is Special Summoned by its own effect, it deals 1000 points of damage to my opponent." Syrus explained. "Attack with Sonic Boom!" The engines roared loudly on the space shuttle as it ripped through the Hell Kaiser, who shielded himself with his Duel Disk. The aftereffects from the burst of speed, however, released a fissure in the sound barrier, which attack his Duel Disk's Life Points meter.

Syrus: 7600

Zane: 7000

The shock collars on Zane's body sparked lightly, before igniting with an electrical flow. However, instead of howling in pain, he never even paid it any mind!

"What the...?" Alexis gasped.

"It's funny," Zane smirked as the collars stopped shocking him, "After a while, you get used to the pain... pretty soon, I'll enjoy it! It'll now be the symbol of my upcoming victory!"

"He's lost it!" the J-Hero duelist exclaimed.

"It's still my turn, Zane." Syrus proclaimed, summoning another monster card. "First, I summon Ein Roid in attack mode!" He announced as his small transmitter-like roid appeared on the field. (1/200/1800) "I follow up with the spell card, Shield and Sword!"

"Sweet, that'll definitely boost Syrus' chances of winning!" Jaden stated.

"Yeah, now all monsters' original ATK and DEF will switch!" Roxanne added as an electrical surge rewrote the circuits of Zane's Lancer Lindwurm (4/1800-1200/1200-1800) and Syrus' Shutteroid and Zwei Roid. (4/1000-1200/1200-1000), (1/200-1800/1800-200)

"Zwei Roid, attack Lancer Lindwurm with Electric Ray!" Syrus commanded as the small roid fired a ray of electricity that shocked the bipedal dragon and blew it into pixels. Zane felt the collars react again, but still felt nothing.

Syrus: 7600

Zane: 6400

"Shuttleroid, attack directly!" He continued as the second roids engines ignited and directed towards the Hell Kaiser, tackling him with a powerful thrust. This time, Zane gave a sickening grunt of satisfaction of the shock collars.

Syrus: 7600

Zane: 5200

"Zane..." Syrus muttered as he inserted another card facedown while the effects of Shield and Sword wore off. "Are you alright?"

The Hell Kaiser responded by raising his head up and giving a sick grin, shocking him and Lily. "Never better, especially since it's my move!" He announced, drawing his card. "I activate Future Fusion! By sending monsters from my deck to the graveyard, I can summon their fusion Monster in two of my standby phases. And I'll immediately send three Hunter Dragons, Darkblaze Dragon and Tyrant Dragon into my graveyard!"

"He's going for the Five-Headed Dragon!" Lily gasped as Zane dropped his cards into the graveyard, and then reshuffled his deck.

"He's really going in for the kill, on this one..." Aster added, also surprised at the lengths the Hell Kaiser was going through.

"Next, I summon Cyberdark Keel in attack mode!" Zane announced as the serpentine-like machine appeared. (3/800/800) "And as you know, when it's summoned I can select one level 3 or below Dragon-Type monster from my graveyard and equip him to my machine. And that lets it gain the ATK of the monster!"

Hunter Dragon appeared in front of the Machine-type monster, and looked mildly surprised to be there. The black serpent took its chance to strike, and wrapped itself around the creature. The dragon struggled to free itself, when several wires extended out from the machine and attached themselves to the dragon. The creature twitched a few times, before the color in its eyes faded, and it became limp. (3/800-2500/800)

"No way, it's killing the dragon!" Melody gasped.

"This is what Zane became...?" Claudio added.

"There's more," Zane continued, inserting another spell card into his disk. "I activate the spell, Double Attack! By discarding a monster from my hand, I can have a monster with a level less than the discarded one attack twice in a turn! And I've selected my Tri-Horned Dragon, level 8!" As he discarded, Cyberdark Keel's aura grew darker. "Now, Cyberdark Keel attacks Ein Roid with Dark Laser!" The dark metal serpent opened its mouth and fired a thin laser at the transmitter, easily rendering the metallic cartoon to nothing but slag and debris.

"I activate Life Force!" Syrus countered as the green aura surrounded him. But in return, the shackles flared again, releasing a strong current into the Ra's small frame.

Syrus: 7200

Zane: 5200

"Then... Ein Roid's effect sends two of my roid monsters into the graveyard..." He grunted, placing Shovelroid and Satelliteroid into his graveyard.

"Also, Keel has its own effect," The Hell Kaiser grinned. "When it destroys a monster in battle, it deals 300 Life Points of damage to the opponent. Activate Tail Laser!" The tail of the serpent slowly aimed at Syrus, and fired a thin stream of energy like what the mouth released a moment earlier. Again, the energy on the Ra's shackles electrified the young duelist. Everyone watching cringed at the sight.

Syrus: 6900

Zane: 5200

"And here's more, since Double Attack is in effect! Attack Shuttleroid," He continued, as Keel's Dark Laser attacked the small shuttle.

"Shuttleroid, escape," Syrus commanded as the shuttle ignited its thrusters and zoomed into space again.

"But now, you're wide open!" Zane stated as the laser continued onto Syrus.

"And I'll activate Life Force!" the younger Truesdale announced, activating his trap. But soon, the collars returned a shocking favor.

Syrus: 6500

Zane: 5200

"Now, I set another facedown card and end my turn." Zane concluded, placing another card into his disk, "Besides I think you had enough punishment..."

"Zane's taking this duel too far..." Aster protested.

"And all on his own brother..." Claudio grumbled.

"It's... my turn," Syrus groaned as he drew. "Shuttleroid's effect activates..."

On cue, Syrus' roid returned and prepared to dive bomb Zane...

"I activate my trap card, Barrel Behind the Door!" The Hell Kaiser shouted, revealing his facedown card. "Now you receive the effect damage instead of me! And your Life Force can't block that!"

As Shuttleroid charged into Zane, electrical currents zoomed through the air and shocked Syrus along with the collars.

Syrus: 5500

Zane: 5200

"I'm still... in this..." Syrus declared. "This isn't a duel... it's sick..."

"Just give it some time," Zane assured him with an evil grin. "I once thought that way, until I learned to make the pain my own pleasure! Duels are not all fun games... they're about dealing pain and taking the anguish!"

"That's not true!" the Ra shouted, getting his second wind. "You always respected your opponents!"

"Respect is for losers!"

"It's not, and I'll prove it!" Syrus declared. "First, I use Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" He announced, drawing his two cards. "Now, I play the spell card Monster Reborn and revive a monster I placed there with Zwei Roid's effect, my Satelliteroid!" The spell card's ankh floated in the sky and reformed to create a giant satellite with small solar panel 'arms', camera 'eyes' and small thrusters for its 'feet.' (5/2100/1800)

"Not bad, but he's still short a few hundred if he wants to beat that Cyberdark Keel." Aster stated.

"Next, I activate Satelliteroid's special ability to discard one of my cards and destroy a spell and trap card on your field..." the younger Truesdale explained, discarding one of his cards.

"Take your pick, little man," the elder Truesdale. "But of course, you'll pick the coward's way out and destroy my Future Fusion to protect from my Five-Headed Dragon..."

"Actually, the card I'm picking... is your Hunter Dragon!" Syrus announced as the satellite reflected the sun from its panels and use its energy to fire a laser, freeing Hunter Dragon from the Cyberdark's grasp. (3/2500-800/800) "Now Shuttleroid, attack Cyberdark Keel!" The small shuttle ignited its thrusters and tackled the serpentine machine into pixels, while Zane withstood the shocks again.

Syrus: 5500

Zane: 5000

"Sorry I have to hurt you even further, but I have to keep to teaching you respect!" He proclaimed. "Now Satelliteroid, attack Zane directly!" The cartoonish machine fired another laser from its 'mouth', heading straight for the Hell Kaiser.

"Then let's share in the pain," Zane smirked, revealing his facedown card. It was a trap card depicting Giant Orc taking a glowing lance into its chest. "I activate the trap card, Damage Lance! It drains your monster of 1000 ATK and then damages your life points at the same amount!"

The laser suddenly got thinner, weakening the satellite's power. (5/2100-1100/1800) Then, everyone cringed again as both players felt the bigger shocks with only Zane reveling in the pain.

Syrus: 4500

Zane: 3900

The small Ra duelist put in enough energy to insert another facedown card, "I end my... turn with one card facedown!"

"He's got the lead...," Jaden said, "But at what cost?"

"I hope he can hang on," Allyson added.

"It's my turn," Zane grinned as he drew his next card, "Now that two turns have passed since I played Future Fusion, I can now summon the Fusion Monster that I want. I summon out my Five Headed Dragon!" Everyone gasped as they saw the giant, five-headed dragon appear and roar straight at the Vehicroid duelist. (12/5000/5000)

"He'll most likely destroy it anyway, so he can use Cyberdark Dragon later," Lily muttered. "Zane's not respecting his cards anymore... just like in his duel with Atticus."

"Next, I activate Card of Sanctity, letting us both draw until we have six cards!" the Hell Kaiser continued, drawing out his five cards and Syrus did the same.

"I got a bad feeling about his next move," Claudio stated as Zane inserted another card into his deck.

"I activate Lightning Vortex!" Zane grinned, discarding one his cards into the graveyard, "By throwing away one of my cards, I can destroy every face-up monster you have, Syrus! Say goodbye!" Syrus gasped as a massive lightning storm appeared from the sky, and obliterated both of his monsters to smoking, metal debris. "Now, I'll add the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy that pathetic Life Force card!" Everyone gasped as the card, keeping Syrus in the duel was blown away and shattered into pixels.

"Oh no, he only has 4500 life points," Hassleberry exclaimed. "That Dragon will cause another shock to little guy!"

"And if the damage is translated into how big the shocks are..." Roxanne stopped and couldn't bear to think about the damage it would do to him.

"Zane, stop this!" Lily shouted. "That's your brother; don't you even care?"

"It's been fun, Syrus," Zane smirked, ignoring the dragon duelist's protests, "And here I thought I would waste Cyberdark Dragon on you... Oh well... Five-Headed dragon, attack Syrus directly and end this duel!" All five heads inhaled the air and charged up their attacks. Then all at once, they unleashed a flame, water, sand, fog and spike breaths that collided with the young Ra.

"Syrus!" Everyone cried as the explosion engulfed the entire field, and heard Syrus' cried of pain from within. All of them could only look at Zane in disgust as he gave a sick grin to the explosion.

"I hope you realize where respect gets you..." Zane stated as he turned to leave...

"What's... your rush... bro?" A weak voice called out as the smoke begun to clear. "This duel... is not... over yet!"

Everyone gasped in surprise as the smoke cleared away from Zane's side of the field and found that his Five-Headed Dragon and Future Fusion card... were gone!

"The dragon's gone!" Alexis stated.

"But how," Zane demanded. "That attack hit you dead on, Syrus!"

"It's because... I activated two cards before your attack did its damage..." the Vehicroid duelist stated as the smoke cleared away enough to show a trap card flipped up. "First, my trap Alert allows me to activate a Continuous Spell Card that's been placed facedown as a trap card. And it was a card that stopped the damage from being dealt to me..."

"What was it..." the Hell Kaiser growled. He got his answer when the rest of the smoke cleared to show the continuous spell card in question, depicting a man inside a Cybernetic Armor with electricity surrounding it. Also, he saw Syrus wearing the same armor on the card!

"That's... Transformation..." Roxanne acknowledged.

"What's Transformation?" Hassleberry asked.

"It prevents all battle damage from direct attacks and destroys the monster that attacked." She explained.

"Wow, I wonder why he never used it earlier in the year?" Allyson wondered.

"Because, if it's destroyed at any time, the combined total of direct attacks negated will come out of Syrus' life points." The Gaia duelist replied somberly. "It's a dangerous card to use..."

"The little guy's taking a huge gamble!" Claudio gasped.

Through the armor, Syrus stared at his older brother with the intent to finish his duel despite the damage he sustained.

"I hope you realize the consequences of when I destroy your armor!" Zane stated as he signaled the end of his turn.

"I want you to try!" Syrus proclaimed as he drew his next card, making seven cards in his deck. _'It's not here yet...'_ He thought, summoning a monster from his hand. "I summon Patroid in attack mode!" He declared as a cartoonish car, complete with big eyes and a police hat on its roof, its wheels sticking out like arms and legs appeared. (4/1200/1200) "I activate its special ability! Once per turn, I can look at a facedown spell or trap card you have on the field! Activate Search Light!"

The eyes on the roid lit up and shined on Zane's facedown. Through its facedown cover, it was the trap card, Power Wall.

"That's the card he used to trash most of his cards..." Lily stated.

 _'Yeah, but it's too early to do that..._ ' Syrus thought, "I attack directly! Patroid, attack with Siren Smasher!" Patroid zipped off towards the Hell Kaiser, its siren blaring and beaming out red lights.

"I guess since you spoiled the surprise, there's no point of prolonging it!" Zane stated, revealing his Power Wall trap. "I activate Power Wall to throw out 12 cards and negate Patroid's damage!" He announced as he took the top 12 cards from his deck and then tossed them out like trash as a shield blocked Patroid's attack.

"There it is again..." the dragon duelist sighed.

"I end my turn with a facedown card." Syrus concluded, inserting a facedown card into his disk.

"I draw." Zane announced as he drew. "I only have 9 cards left, but you won't be here for long. I summon Cyberdark Horn!" He announced, as a dark portal brought out his dark metal machine with the monstrous head. (4/800/800) "Now, I bring Hunter Dragon back from the graveyard to absorb its ATK!" The Hunter Dragon returned, only to be caught in Horn's grip and hooked up to cables, draining its strength. (4/800-2500/800)

"Looks like Patroid's out for the count," Aster stated.

"Next, I activate Nitro Unit and equip it to your Patroid!" Zane continued.

Alexis gasped as Patroid was strapped to a black box with a green core and attached to a green canister fueling the box with green, nitrous liquid. "Syrus is about to lose a lot more than battle damage!"

"Attack Patroid with Dark Spear!" the Hell Kaiser commanded. Horn roared a metallic scream and then fired as spear made from pure darkness, destroying the cartoon police vehicroid. "And since Nitro Unit was equipped, you lose life points equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!"

Syrus let out a loud scream of anguish as he felt the shock collars activate and nearly fell to the ground.

Syrus: 2000

Zane: 3900

"Stay strong, Syrus!" Jaden encouraged.

"I end my turn with a facedown card." Zane concluded. "It's getting down to the wire, little man. I don't have to deal direct damage when I can wait for you to play your pathetic weaklings!"

Syrus responded by drawing his next card. Once he looked at it, he looked back to Zane. "Let's see how you think about my weak monsters after I play this: the spell card, Super Machine Union!" He announced, inserting the spell card into his disk that depicted a silhouette of a giant machine monster. "This lets me fuse the 'roid' monsters from my graveyard to fusion summon another one! And instead of fusing specific monsters, I'll use five of them in my graveyard: Patroid, Ein Roid, Shuttleroid, Shovelroid and Satelliteroid!"

"Five monsters!" The audience exclaimed as the roid monsters flew out of Syrus' graveyard and started to spin around in giant tornado. Zane was indifferent as a lightning bolt crashed in the middle of it, fusing the machines into one entity.

"I fusion summon... Barabaroid, the Ultimate Battle Machine!" Syrus shouted as the storm dissipated and left a giant machine in its wake. It was completely red with large cannons charging up all around it with thrusters keeping it airborne, with silver panels on its shoulders. The machine sparked with electricity as it went online. (12/4000/4000)

"Whoa, Syrus' been holding out on us," Claudio stated. "A level 12 monster with four grand in ATK and DEF; go little guy!"

"That should definitely beat Zane!" Melody cheered.

"Go get 'em, Sy!" Jaden exclaimed.

"You heard him Barbaroid!" Syrus commanded, "Attack Cyberdark Horn with Giant Laser Barrage!" On cue, Barabaroid charged up the sliver panels on its shoulder and fired its cannons at the dark machine, blowing Hunter Dragon out of its grip. (4/2500-800/800)

Syrus: 2000

Zane: 2400

"And you forgot that, Cyberdark Horn can give up the monster it's equipped to to survive!" Zane taunted. "Now end your turn, so I can win!"

"Not quite," the Ra stated. "Barbaroid's effect makes it so it can attack twice in a turn! So, that means Cyberdark Horn is gone!" He announced as his giant monster launched another barrage of lasers destroying the Cyberdark monster.

"I activate Defense Draw!" Zane countered, revealing his face down and created an emerald barrier to block the damage while drawing a card. "Better luck next time!"

"Then, let me tell you about its other effect!" Syrus continued. "When Barbaroid destroys a monster in battle, he deals 1000 points of damage!"

Zane growled in frustration as a red aura drained his life points while the collars shocked him.

Syrus: 2000

Zane: 1400

"Now I end my turn, I place one card facedown and my turn." Syrus concluded. "And I suggest not summoning a monster, because I can tell you that Barbaroid is unable to attack directly! For the last time Zane, start respecting your cards and your opponent again!"

Zane laughed as he drew his next card, "I guess I have to shut you down the hard way! And I'll do it by activating Power Bond to fusion summon my Cyberdark Dragon!"

"But you don't have them in your hand or field!" Syrus protested.

"Oh right, which is why I'll activate my Cybernetic Fusion Support!" the Hell Kaiser stated, inserting another spell card. "By paying half my life points, I can remove all cards used for a fusion summon from my field or graveyard and use them to fusion summon!" He explained as all three Cyberdarks removed themselves from the graveyard. Everyone then watched as a dark fusion vortex appeared in the sky, pulling in the Cyberdarks from the field and the graveyard. "Now welcome, my Cyberdark Dragon!" Emerging from the fusion vortex, the Cyberdarks returned and were connected as it took flight and let out an ear-piercing screech. (8/1000-2000/1000)

"Here it comes..." Jaden whispered.

"Now Cyberdark Dragon, drain the power of Five-Headed Dragon!" The giant, five-headed dragon returned, only to be subjected to the torture of having its power sapped from the mechanical dragon. (8/2000-7000/1000) "And to add on more power, I have 15 monsters in my graveyard to grant it 1500 ATK!" He continued as a black aura surrounded the torture machine. (8/7000-8500/1000)

"Oh no..." Roxanne gasped. "If that hits, those shock collars will..."

"Cyberdark Dragon, attack Barabaroid and end this duel!" The dragon unleashed its powerful shockwave that reverberated around the area, everyone looked on helpless as Barbaroid was being pushed back and on the verge of exploding.

"Not yet, Zane!" Syrus shouted, revealing one of his facedown cards. "I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter! This removes my Barbaroid until the end of the turn!" He explained as his Vehicroid vanished into a dimensional rip before the shockwaves reached him. "You can attack directly, but you'll lose your only chance of winning this duel thanks to Transformation and then Barbaroid will come back and end it!"

"Syrus... won?" Hassleberry whispered, but then put on a small smile.

"Yeah, I don't think I can take much more of this either..." Allyson added.

"Then, all of you will watch as little Syrus learns his lesson!" Zane announced, inserting his final card into his disk. "I activate Double Cyclone to destroy Five-Headed Dragon and Transformation! It's over!"

Everyone stood in shock as a red cyclone flew in from behind Syrus and destroyed the giant dragon away from Cyberdark Dragon. (8/8500-3600/1000) Then, a yellow cyclone flew in from behind Zane and destroyed Syrus' armor, ripping it piece by piece.

"Now pay the price of your Transformation spell!" Zane shouted.

"We both will after you destroyed it!" Syrus shouted back, revealing his facedown card. It depicted a large emerald inside of a magic circle, about to detonate. "You triggered the trap card, Magic Charge! Since you destroyed a spell card, we both lose 2000 points of damage! Sorry Zane, but we're losing together since this card's effect activates before Transformation's side effect!"

"NO!" Zane shouted as the emerald appeared in the middle of the field and exploded into a smoke-filled explosion, smashing into both players and activated the shock collars and zapped them both.

Syrus: 0

Zane: 0

DRAW!

Everyone tried to look inside the smoke, all their hearts practically on the verge of stopping completely. They watched as the smoke cleared away, and they could see what had happened to the duelists. Zane was on one knee while Syrus was lying face first on the ground.

"Syrus!" Jaden cried as he rushed to his fallen friend with Allyson, Hassleberry and Roxanne. "Wake up, say something!"

"I'll go get Miss Fontaine!" Hassleberry said as he ran into the building.

"Syrus, are you okay?" Roxanne asked as the Vehicroid duelist once he fluttered his eyes.

"Where's... Zane?" The Ra duelist replied.

"You... cost me... my victory!" Everyone turned to see Zane seething in anger. "That was a cheap trick, Syrus! A coward's way of avoiding the pain, instead of taking it... Now get up; it was a Draw so we have to duel again!"

"Lay off, Zane!" Roxanne shouted. "Can't you see your own brother is hurt?"

"Get up, Syrus!" the Hell Kaiser continued to towards the fallen Ra duelist.

"Zane, stop this!" Jaden and Allyson shouted together.

Enough was enough as the Hell Kaiser pushed away the three duelists, to everyone else's shock and then stared down Syrus who stared weakly back. "I said get up!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH, ZANE!" The Cyberdark duelist turned around to source and saw that Claudio was directly behind him, staring him in the face with anger burning his eyes. "Syrus has had enough! The guy can't stand on his own thanks to those damn shock collars!"

"What do you want, Osbourne?" Zane scoffed. "This is no business of yours."

"Well, I'm making this my business!" The J-Hero duelist shouted back. "This is gone far enough for you to damage your own brother in your sick and twisted game! Your new outlook on dueling is freaking wrong; every time you struck Syrus, you relished those moments!"

"What of it?"

"I don't like it when people disrespect their family... and for all your boasting about your views of dueling leads to ultimate victory, look what happened; Syrus matched you to a draw! That anger of yours will only get you so far until you self-destruct when you don't win!" Claudio stated. "Syrus got to you and you can't stand it!"

Zane suddenly grabbed Claudio by the collar, earning a chorus of gasps from the crowd. "Take. That. Back!"

The Ra kept up his guard and replied, "Only if you beat me in a duel... and if I win, you apologize to everyone you've hurt, especially your little brother and stop these brutalizing duels!"

That comment only served to make the Hell Kaiser laugh. "Why should I duel you? Last year, you couldn't even win your chance against me in the Graduation Duel!"

"That's because I'm facing this Zane and want to take down this persona you built up." Claudio replied. "Also, why living in the past? You're not even using the same monsters that made you the most respected duelist in the school! Also, I'm not the same duelist last year; just like everybody else, I've improved."

"You're still a weakling compared to me!"

"Then prove it! Stop talking and duel! Unless you want to run away from the first loss that WILL be handed to you; I can't blame you for thinking that!"

The Hell Kaiser growled as he looked at Syrus, more specifically the accessories on his arms and neck. "Then you better outfit yourself with those shock collars! You want me to stop using them in my duels? Then endure the pain to achieve your goal!"

Everyone gasped again, waiting on the choice of the J-Hero duelist.

"Name the time and place, Zane."

Zane smirked and shoved his soon-to-be opponent away on his back. "Then, I can think of no better place than the main arena of Duel Academy, later tonight!" He then turned to the spectators. "And I want you all and everyone else to see this; the true essence of dueling will be unleashed!" He turned back to Claudio, being help by a worried Melody. "See you then, worthless scum..." With that, Zane left as Hassleberry came back with Nurse Fontaine and took Syrus to the infirmary.

"Claudio, are you insane!?" Melody cried. "You just saw what happened with those shock collars! And it's pretty clear that Zane won't ever change his views!"

"Zane's questioning them now," Claudio replied. "He realizes that he can't win all the time, and I'm about to drive it home!"

"Claudio, what about Kenji?" Alexis asked, walking up to him.

"Sorry, Alexis," the J-Hero duelist sighed. "Zane needs to re-learn some respect; he wants to threaten everyone with his style of dueling, I'll rock his world with mine. I just need to plan my strategy against those Cyberdarks since I've seen them in action..." He then took his leave towards the Ra Yellow dorm.

"I can't believe he's going through with this," Allyson stated.

"Yeah, normally I'd be psyched to see a duel between him and Zane," Jaden added. "But with those shock collars..."

"He's making a huge mistake!" Melody shouted as she ran after Claudio, leaving the rest to sigh.

"I can't blame her for feeling this way," Lily said softly. "With Zane dueling the way he is, all of his attacks will be like attacking Claudio directly and vice versa. I just hate this; why did he accept those Underground Duels in the first place? He could've called us and gave him a pep talk after his career was failing."

"But that's how Zane is," Alexis replied. "He mainly keeps to himself; he would help others, but not seek help himself."

"Until whoever told him that those Underground Duels would improve his game, messed him up," Roxanne stated. "Those are illegal duels, you know..."

Everyone gasped.

"Then why would Claudio accept those terms?" Alexis asked. "He's risking his health and maybe even his place in Duel Academy if they go through with this publicly."

"That's just it," the Gaia-themed duelist stated. "It's about putting the right motives for dueling back, amid battling within the wrong one. And publicly, he'll get that message into everyone that'll attend the duel. Though Claudio never struck me as the type to get angry after all that..."

"We've seen a time," Jaden stated. "When Zane lost last year to a vampire Shadow Rider and got his soul taken, Claudio was so angry that he volunteered to take her on after he saw how bad Syrus felt for his brother's sacrifice..."

"Shadow Rider?" Roxanne asked. "So, those stories about the Shadow Games are true?"

"Unfortunately, yeah," Alexis replied. "And if there's nothing left, we'll wait until tonight to see Claudio talk some sense into Zane. For now, let's go see how Syrus is doing."

As everyone walked into the main building, Lily stopped as soon as she heard someone talking nearby, though not directed at her...

"So, Zane Truesdale finally was denied victory this day... Good, serves him right for dropping the man who brought him back to greatness in the first place..."

"Huh?" She said to herself quietly as she walked towards where the voice was coming from.

"And then, if that Claudio fella can weaken him even further, I can get Zane to come back with me and with the heir of the Cyber-Style Practitioners on my side, the Psycho-Style dojo will reign supreme!"

Lily gasped seeing a man wearing a pair of glasses with a top hat and a cloak, laughing to himself. Her look of shock turned to complete anger as walked up to him. "Hey you!"

Shroud turned around to see the Obelisk girl walk up to him, interrupting his moments alone, "May I help you, little girl?"

"I remember you; you were Zane's manager when he came back to the Pro League!" She pointed accusingly at the man.

The black-cloaked man smiled as he pulled out a business card, with his name signed on it. "So, you saw what that other promoter couldn't do to Mister Truesdale, which I've done; made a flopping duelist into a world-class skillful one, with all the right tools. The name's Shroud Saruyama, at your service if you want..."

"Save it!" Lily shouted. "I heard you talking about what you're planning to do with Zane; I can't believe you turned him from calm, caring duelist into a ruthless monster!"

"It's exactly what he needed to go back on top," Shroud pointed out. "Besides, he wanted it..."

"That's not true!"

"Oh, it is... Zane wanted the fame and his career back so much, I was kind enough to help him from the ground up... and look what happened, the boy became a winner." He then closed his eyes and smirked. "Of course, dumping me was the worst mistake he made... now he's a duelist who has a blemish on his new record, a bigger one if the one with the guitar beats him... and it's all because he didn't have my help."

"He doesn't need you!" the dragon duelist continued. "Especially since you're trying to use him for your plot against his own dojo!"

That's when Shroud narrowed his eyes at the girl, "I think you've you heard too much..."

"Oh, I have known about Zane's legacy from my Chancellor, his master. I didn't think there were any rivals, but if you're planning to corrupt Zane into more of your ways of dueling," She activated her duel disk. "Then I'll be the one to stop you hear and now... finally, Claudio will wake up Zane to the truth!"

Shroud laughed again, "You really want to face a master duelist of the Psycho-Style?" He then pulled out a dark, silver duel disk with a pre-shuffled deck already inside and activated it. "I can tell you one thing about us... our monsters can take advantage of Cyber-Style and tear them to shreds!"

"Then, this will be easily since your nothing but scum that needs to stay away from my friend!" Lily proclaimed.

Both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Lily: 8000

Shroud: 8000

"I'll begin!" Lily announced as she drew he sixth card. "I start off with this card, Reincarnation Dragon Samsara in defense mode!" She declared as a small, white dragon appeared with red spheres in its body and a red armored head. (1/0/0)

"Well, I never thought I see a dragon that wimpy before..." Shroud chuckled.

"It has a lot of heart," the dragon duelist retorted, before inserting a facedown card. "Now let's see what you got!"

"My pleasure," Shroud smirked as he drew his sixth card. "And it looks like things are in my favor, as I summon Jinzo – Returner in attack mode!" He announced as he placed the card on the field. Lily raised an eyebrow as the light materialized into a gruesome humanoid with yellow goggles. He wore a black jumpsuit and large, spiked, golden shoulder pads. His mouth was even stitched closed. (3/600/1400)

"Oh my God, is that...?"

"Yes, even Jinzo was a little tyke as some special androids are," the Psycho-Style Master stated. "And he's even got a few special tricks of his own, but first I'll use the Psychic Wave spell card!" He declared, showing off a spell card depicting an underground duelist facing against Jinzo and Jinzo – Returner. "With a Jinzo – Returner on the field, I can send a Jinzo from my deck to the graveyard and deal damage equal to Returner's ATK!"

As Shroud set a Jinzo card into his graveyard, the smaller version launched red rays from its eyes and shocked the Obelisk girl.

Lily: 7400

Shroud: 8000

"Next, I'll have Jinzo – Returner attack directly! Go Psychic Bolt!" He commanded as his android jumped into the sky and fired a psychic energy bolt at Lily, who twitched at the feeling.

Lily: 6800

Shroud: 8000

"Okay... he's a lot better than he's letting on..." Lily muttered to herself; before revealing her facedown card, depicting a smaller dragon and a spirit of a much larger dragon above it. "I activate the Dragon Evolution Trap Card, by sacrificing my dragon, I can summon another dragon from my hand that's one level higher! So I'll trade my Level 1 Dragon Samsara and bring out my level 2 Wish Dragon!" She declared as the small dragon was enveloped in light and changed form. Once it was extinguished, it brought out another white dragon but with curved horns and a small blue jewel on its forehead. (2/700/100)

"Now, I place one card facedown and activate my continuous spell card DNA Denial Magic!" Shroud continued as he inserted a set card, along with spell depicting the surgeons of DNA Surgery denying a man from entering the surgeon's room. "Thanks to this, I can select any Monster-Type and those cards will be removed from the game instead of being sent into the graveyard... and I choose Dragons!"

 _'Now I can't use Samsara's effect!'_ The Obelisk thought.

"I think that wraps up my turn," the Psycho-Style Master grinned. "Let's see what else you got, kid!"

"Alright then," Lily announced as she drew her next card, "First, I'll activate Wish Dragon's effect: During my Main Phase, I can sacrifice it and summon two Dragon Tokens to my field!" She declared as Wish Dragon vanished and left two smaller versions of itself on the field. (1/0/0) x2 "Then..."

"And I respond by activating the trap card, Limit Tribute!" Shroud interrupted, revealing his facedown card that depicted two men before a holy altar and two monsters behind them, glowing with white auras. "If this card's in play, we're only required to tribute 1 monster per turn. So, if you were planning any tribute summons this turn, and any future double tribute summons, forget it little missy, you're outta luck."

 _'This is messing up my strategy,_ ' Lily stated as she looked at her hand. 'I was even prepared to double tribute if necessary... but at least I can work on getting Jinzo off the field.' She then placed another monster on the field. "I summon my Guivre in attack mode!" She announced as a small, sliver wyvern appeared with a large wingspan and tail. (4/1300/400) "And then, I'll activate my spell Solidarity in order for all my dragons to gain 800 ATK since I at least have one in the graveyard!" She stated as her token monsters and her wyvern gained power boosts. (1/0-800/0) x2, (4/1300-2100/400) "Guivre, attack Jinzo-Retuner with Burning Silver Blaze!"

The wyvern took flight and then breathed a sliver flame fireball at the small android, blowing it to burning debris.

Lily: 6800

Shroud: 6500

"Then, I have his special ability to use as it summons a Wyvern Token with half of my monster's stats!" She continued as a sliver flame erupted next to Guivre and created a smaller version of it... (2/650-1450/400)

"Thanks for the help," Shroud smirked. "When Jinzo-Returner's destroyed, and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon the Jinzo I sent to the graveyard!" Soon, lightning crashed down from the sky and brought out a tall humanoid in a dark green suit, a bald head and had a pair of optic goggles and a metal mask on his face. (6/2400/1500) "And everyone knows about this card..."

"Yeah, that all trap cards cannot be activated and are negated." Lily waved off. "I'm done."

"At least I got until the end of this turn to keep Jinzo," the black clad duelist stated, drawing his next card. "I play Pot of Greed to draw out two cards." He stated, drawing two cards. "And then, I'll have a lot more fun as a summon Drillago in attack mode!" He announced as a manhole was created, letting a bizarre machine dig out. It was a small yellow torso with a drill for head, as well as shoulders, elbows, knees, hand, feet and especially the tail. (4/1600/1100) "And then, to show you no hard feelings for making Zane the way he is, I activate the spell card Power Connection! Now all monsters gain 500 ATK for every monster of the same type that's with them, so for me that means my monster only gains 500 ATK..."

Jinzo and Drillago sparked with dark electricity as their power rose. (6/2400-2900/1500), (4/1600-2100/1100)

"And your Dragons will gain 1500 since there are three other dragons along with one." He continued as Guivre, Wyvern token and the Dragon tokens gained their boosts. (4/2100-3600/400), (2/1450-2950/400), (1/800-2300/0) x2

That's when Lily gasped and figured it out, "Drillago's effect!"

"That's right! Sounds like there are some girls that earned their place in Obelisk Blue; since you have monsters over 1600 ATK, Drillago can bypass your monsters and attack directly," He smirked, "And I'll make it even worse by playing Mist Body to make sure it doesn't get destroyed!" Drillago was clouded in a shroud of mist. "Now attack directly, with Drill Charge!"

All the drills of the machine spun around as it glided past the dragon army and struck Lily, who let out a loud scream.

Lily: 4700

Shroud: 6500

"Now, I'll destroy one of your tokens with my Jinzo with Cyber Energy Shock!" Jinzo gathered up a pulse of cybernetic energy and threw it at one of the smaller dragons.

Lily: 4600

Shroud: 6500

"Now, I place one card facedown and have Jinzo destroyed and Power Connection's effect cancelled..." He concluded as Jinzo sunk back into the graveyard.

(4/2100-1600/1100)

(4/3600-2100/400), (2/2950-1450/400), (1/2300-800/0)

"It's my turn now!" Lily announced as she drew her next card. "I activate an equip spell card of my own, Dragon's Unite! Now the equipped monster gains 400 ATK and DEF for every Dragon monster I have on my field, and I'll give it to Guivre!" She stated as the bigger wyvern roared in delight. (4/2100-3300/400)

"Before you even think of attacking, I activate the trap Gravity Bind," Shroud countered and activated the face-down card, creating barriers of intersecting green lines around him, "Now all monsters level 4 and over can't attack. Maybe you should've let one of your other dragons have a go with you equip spell..."

Lily grumbled, "I end my turn..."

"You don't even stand much of a chance anymore..." Shroud announced, drawing his lone card. "Here, I'll give you a break and place this card facedown for my turn."

"Don't do me any favors," Lily stated as she drew her next card. Once she looked at her overall hand, she had to think _, 'Okay, I should wait one more turn to make this work, I just hope my life points can take another hit...'_ "I'll pass..."

"Maybe I gave you too much credit," Shroud stated as he drew his next card. "I could help you, you know? If Zane gotten so much better under my wing, I can do the same for you... you'd make top of the Pro League."

"Under the tutelage of someone who filled Zane's head with no respect and disregard for other duelists; I'll take my chances in shutting you up!" the dragon duelist stated. "I don't want any part in damaging my friends as a heartless person!"

"Then, I might as well shut you up, like I promised. Starting with Card of Demise to replenish my hand," the Psycho-Style Master announced, drawing his five cards. "Here comes the final chapter of your defeat, little girl. I activate Dark Room of Nightmare, allowing an extra 300 points of damage when I hit you with any effect damage. Then, I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted to revive Jinzo!" He announced as his star monster appeared again. (6/2400/1500) Gravity Bind and Call of the Haunted fizzled out and turned pitch black on the field in Jinzo's presence.

"Even if you destroy my weaker monsters, I can still take down Jinzo and then free the use of my Trap Cards," the Obelisk Girl stated.

"Well, let me make it easier for you by evolving my Jinzo monster," Shroud stated as the android started to glow bright green.

"Jinzo has another form above the original?" Lily wondered.

"Of course, it's only known to Psycho-Style Practitioners, such as yours truly, and our rivals of the Cyber-Style, such as Zane and Sheppard," He explained. "But now, you'll see firsthand of the mastery of my work. Jinzo, I now sacrifice you and summon Jinzo-Lord!" The android finished glowing and gained a new form of armor with silver plating and four mechanical tendrils attached from its back. Its mask was replaced by a more futuristic kind with a third eye (8/2600/1600)

"Whoa," Lily gasped.

"And like Jinzo, trap cards are useless in his presence... but not entirely..."

"What do you mean?"

"I activate its second special ability," Shroud announced, "I can destroy all face up trap cards on the field and deal 300 points of damage for each one! So with 3 traps that's 900, plus 300 from Dark Room of Nightmare!" as soon as Shroud's traps disappeared, Jinzo-Lord's four tentacles gathered a ball of pink energy and hurled it at Lily as Dark Room of Nightmare caused additional damage.

Lily: 3400

Shroud: 6500

"Next, I play Premature Burial and pay 800 life points to summon my Jinzo!" He continued as the original Jinzo appeared from the ground. (6/2400/1500)

Lily: 3400

Shroud: 5700

"Now it's time to make my move, Jinzo and Jinzo-Lord, attack the token monsters!" Shroud commanded as both Jinzos fired red lasers from their eyes and blasted both small dragons, reducing Guivre's points. (4/3300-2500/400) "Now that your only monster has over 1600 points, attack directly, Drillago!"

Once again, the drill monster ignored the stronger dragon and struck the Obelisk Girl into the ground.

Lily: 1800

Shroud: 5700

"I end my turn by playing one card facedown." Shroud smirked. "I think you should stay down, there's no way you can beat me now..." _'And if you try to anything to destroy me, my facedown card will blow any chances straight to Hell!'_

Lily stood back up, and with renewed vigor, drew her next card. "You won't win... I won't let you..."

"Let me?" Shroud laughed, "I basically led you around with false hope with the only 1500 points of damage you dealt me and that was to bring out Jinzo... just face it, you're not in my league..."

"We'll see as I play Spellbook Inside the Pot! Since you're low on cards, I'll help you out three cards, since I'm getting the same as well." She declared as both players drew their three cards, Shroud having four cards, Lily with six. "Now, I activate Double Summon and then play Totem Dragon!" She announced as another dragon appeared had a small body with a huge neck. It had markings on it that made its namesake of a totem. (2/400/200)

"What are you planning to do with that weakling?" Shroud wondered.

"Use its special ability as a double tribute for my dragon monsters... and it's the first time I've summoned it," Lily smirked as Totem Dragon disappeared into pixels. "And it's one that hasn't been played in years... say 'Hello!' to Gandora, the Dragon Destruction!"

A dark pillar descended from the skies, and unleashed a massive, black dragon covered in red jewels embedded in its skin, four large wings with claws inside, as well as the claws on its hands and feet. It's size easily expanded from Lily's point of the field to Shroud's and roared straight into his face. (8/0-800/0)

Shroud gasped and backed up in shock, "Where'd you get a card that rare?"

"Let's just say, I have a supportive family who wanted to see me rise to the top of the dueling world." Lily stated proudly. "My sister gave me this card, and it's going to help me shut you down thanks to its special ability! I can pay half of my life points to destroy every single card on the field, except itself, and remove them from the game! Not only that, it gains 300 ATK for every card destroyed this way and there's about to be 11 cards going away!"

"No, not that," Shroud protested, but it fell on deaf ears as the jewels on Gandora's body fired giant lasers that obliterated every card on Shroud's and Lily's field and absorbed them into its being. (8/800-0-3300/0)

Lily: 900

Shroud: 4700

"Now attack directly with Destruction Flame," She commanded as the giant dragon turned its head to Shroud and blasted him with a giant flame that left him sprawled out on his back.

Lily: 900

Shroud: 1400

"It ain't over yet, missy," Shroud groaned. "I know that dragon has to destroy itself during your End Phase!"

"That's because he won't stay around, because I play Quick Summon next and sacrifice him to summon my favorite monster, the Ying-Yang Dragon!" A large looking figure uprooted from the ground. Then it began to unwrap its wings revealing its body, the left side is black with a white dot on the left wing while the right side is white with a black dot on the right wing. The dragon shined with light and darkness. (6/2400/2000)

Shroud was speechless as he tried to drag himself off the ground as the dragon stared at him with the same look as Lily did, anger.

"This is for making Zane the way he is! Yin-Yang Dragon, attack with Yin-Yang Wave!" She commanded as the dragon's wings created the Ying-Yang Symbol on the ground and started to shine with darkness and light. It started to spin around and emit electricity that shocked the Psycho-Style Master to the ground.

Lily: 900, Winner

Shroud: 0

As the holograms disappeared, Shroud got up on his hands and knees with his glasses and hat falling from his head. "Damn, how could I lose to a scrawny little girl and her pet dragons?"

*AHEM!*

He suddenly looked up to see Lily looming over him with an aura of fury around her. If he had seen the scariest thing in the world already, meet the next one that towered even that...

"You… lousy… stuck up… pain-developing… manipulating… IDIOT!"

Shroud gulped.

The sounds of commotion could be heard from around the island. Loud screams could be heard as well as certain words nobody should use as blows to human flesh made contact, imagining intense pain.

Sheppard was inside of his office again, doing everything he can with the number of problems already at hand. He was brought out of his paperwork as he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," He said and was soon greeted by Lily with a proud smile on her face. "How may I help you, Miss Lee? And may I add, why do you look so happy with yourself?"

"I just found out why Zane's acting like the way he is," Lily stated. "He's not being controlled by dark forces like you thought, but someone did try to manipulate Zane..."

The Chancellor stood out of his chair in shock, "What is it?"

"Not 'what', but who?" the Dragon duelist corrected as she walked back to the door and then pulled out a beaten and battered Shroud, tied up with thick ropes. "I think you may know this person... from a certain Psycho-Style Clan."

That's when Sheppard narrowed his eyes at the individual in question, "Shroud... we meet again..."

* * *

And that I'll leave you with, the next chapter will explain the relationships and what not...

Life Force

Continuous Trap Card

You can pay 400 Life Points to negate all Battle Damage you would receive from a battle.

(Used by Syrus Truesdale in the GX episode, Tough Love; all rights go to the creators of the episode)

Satelliteroid

LIGHT (My take)

Machine/Effect

Level 5

2100/1800

Once per turn, you can discard 1 card from your hand to select 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls, and destroy it.

Transformation

Continuous Spell Card

While this card is face-up on your side of the field, when you are attacked directly by an opponent's monster, any Battle Damage inflicted to your Life Points from that attack is reduced to 0 and the attacking monster is destroyed. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, inflict damage to your Life Points equal to the total combined ATK of all monsters that were destroyed by this card's effect.

Super Machine Union

Normal Spell

Remove from play 'roid' Machine Monsters listed as Fusion Material Monsters on a Fusion Monster Card from your Graveyard, and Special Summon 1 "roid" Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.)

(The above three cards were used by Syrus Truesdale in the GX manga; all rights go to the creators of the manga)

Damage Lance

Normal Trap

Activate only when an opponent's monster with 2000 or more ATK declares a direct attack. Inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent. The attacking monster loses 1000 ATK during damage calculation only.

(Used by Breo in the 5D's episode, the Edge of Elimination Part 2; all rights go to the creators of the episode)

Magic Charge

Normal Trap

Activate only when a Spell Card you control is destroyed by the effect of an opponent's Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster. Both players take 2000 points of damage.

(Used by Andre in the 5D's episode, the Edge of Elimination Part 1; all rights go to the creators of the episode)

Reincarnation Dragon Samsara

LIGHT (my take)

Dragon/Effect

Level 1

0/0

You can remove from play this card from your Graveyard to select 1 Dragon-Type monster in your Graveyard, and Special Summon it.

Dragon Evolution

Normal Trap

Tribute 1 Dragon-Type monster, Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type monster from your hand that is 1 Level higher than the Tributed monster

Wish Dragon

LIGHT

Dragon/Effect

Level 2

700/100

During your Main Phase, you can Tribute this face-up monster to Special Summon 2 "Dragon Tokens" (Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0).

Guivre

FIRE (my take)

Dragon/Effect

Level 4

1300/400

When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, Special Summon 1 "Wyvern Token" (Dragon-Type/EARTH/Level ?/ATK ?/DEF ?)

Dragon's Unite

Equip Spell

The equipped monster gains 400 ATK and DEF for each Dragon-Type monster you control.

(The above 5 five cards were used by Chazz Princeton in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators.)

Psychic Wave

Quick-Play Spell

Select 1 face-up Attack Position "Jinzo - Returner" you control. Send 1 "Jinzo" from your hand or Deck to the Graveyard and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the selected monster's ATK.

DNA Denial Magic

Continuous Spell Card

When you activate this card, declare 1 monster Type. Any monster of the declared type that is sent to the Graveyard is removed from play instead.

(The above two cards were used by Inotsume Makoto in season 4 of GX; all rights go the creators)

Limit Tribute

Continuous Trap Card

Both players can only Tribute 1 monster per turn.

(Used by Rafael in the second series anime episode, Fate of the Pharaoh, Part 3; all rights go to the creators of the episode)

Yin-Yang Dragon

Level 6

LIGHT

Dragon/Effect

2400/1700

Effect: While this card is face-up on the field, its Attribute is also treated as DARK. By sending 1 Monster Card from your hand to the Graveyard, destroy 1 face-up monster on your opponent's side of the field with an ATK equal to or less than the ATK of the sent monster.

(Made by Lily Truesdale, creative rights go to her.) (Also sorry to Lily Truesdale, I couldn't use your new card because this duel was made long before the creation)

Next time: Claudio duels Zane with the shock collars and in front of the entire island; will this be a duel of hope and triumph or pain and anguish? Also, Kenji finally comes out of hiding... but he doesn't seem like himself... Alexis gets down to the heart of the matter, finally confronting her closest friend... or is it someone else pulling the strings?

Please Rate and Review! Later!


	67. Getting the Darkness Out

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 67: Getting the Darkness Out

* * *

In the woods, several SOL duelists gathered up and combed through like hunters searching for their prized animal to mount on the wall. After sometime, they finally reached where the forest overlooked the sea and one person with his back turned towards them.

"Alright Kenji," one of them said as they activated their duel disks. "Master Sartorius has been looking all over for you; so come quietly, if you don't want to face his wrath!" Kenji didn't say a word or budge an inch. "Didn't you hear me, I said come quietly or we'll force you to be inside a battle royale style match!"

"Aren't those against the rules of the GX tournament," Kenji asked softly, not turning to face his former cohorts.

"The Master is almost ready to control the world," another SOL duelist said. "And you're still needed for his plans, so come quietly or else..."

Suddenly, a large aura of darkness surrounded the ninja duelist, causing the SOL duelists to be on edge. And then, Kenji started to laugh... first softly...

"Hehehehehe... Or else what?"

Hearing that laugh spooked all the duelists, feeling a chill in their bodies...

"You feel that?" a third duelist said.

"Yeah..." a fourth replied. "There's no Light within him..."

"But how's that possible?" a fifth asked. "He never lost a duel with anybody, so how did he extinguish it?"

 _ **"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_ " Kenji's laugh increased to a loud dark one as a dark shadow loomed over him, in the form of a hulking behemoth. **_"Humans... your time amongst the Dark Light is now over!"_**

* * *

Soon, the forest was filled with fearful screams of terror and more evil laughter from the ninja duelist.

* * *

Nearing his time to face Zane, Claudio began to unwind from his anger towards Zane the only way he knew how, playing his guitar with wild solos. Lots of thoughts were running through his mind; why would Zane go so far into the Underground Dueling just to win back glory? Couldn't he have just talked to his friends about what he was feeling? And why did he take out so much on his brother? Through these questions, he found an answer... and even something to face Zane with.

After his session, the J-Hero duelist stopped playing and sat down, breathing hard. "That was exhilarating... now I'm ready..."

"Are you sure?"

Claudio turned around to see Melody calling to him with a sad expression on her face.

"Yeah, I found that music helps you clear your mind," Claudio stated. "I was so angry at Zane, nearly lost my head back there." He then frowned a bit, "I'm still angry though, because I want Zane to pay for hurting his own brother... his own family."

"Claudio, do you really want to risk your life on this?" Melody asked, shaking with her hair covering her eyes. "You saw what happened with Syrus... and Zane... he just took that damage like it was nothing special... Please don't do this..."

"But Mel..."

"But nothing!" She snapped, revealing her eyes with tears flowing through them. "This is going to be worse than the Society taking people from us! It's going to be your own self that's submitting yourself to torture!"

"Then we'll lose Zane to this lifestyle," Claudio replied. "Don't you think Syrus, Atticus, Jeremy, Alex and Lily suffered enough of seeing him do this to himself? Zane's also got friends that hate to see him in this state as well... I'm going in there to save him from killing himself in the end." He then walked over to Melody and hugged her close. "And I'm not going in there to die... because I also had a talk with Syrus about this earlier."

"Hm?"

"When I duel him, it'll be far more different than anyone else..." He whispered. "I maybe in my bed resting after this... but that's it... to rest. I need you to trust me on this."

Melody sighed and hugged him back. "Promise you won't let him get to you... Don't get angry..."

"I promise..."

* * *

An hour later, in the Chancellor's office, Sheppard had finished reprimanding Shroud for his actions against the Cyber-Style dojo and was hauled away by the Disciplinary Action Squad.

"I can't believe the former sensei of the Psycho-Style Dojo would try to turn Zane over to their cause," He said, before turning to Lily, who stuck around. "I guess I was right in seeking help from you, Miss Lee. On behalf of the Cyber-Style dojo, I thank you."

"No problem, I always wanted to break someone's legs," Lily smiled sweetly. "It was worth letting out all my emotions on that freak... and to think he wanted those Cyberdark monsters for himself. But what would they want with those cards?"

"Using the right cards, the Cyber-Style monsters wouldn't stand a chance," the Chancellor stated. "As you know, they get their power from the dragons in the controller's graveyard. The cards have an unquenchable thirst for battle and improvement, forcing its owner to go past his/her limit, slowly damaging the user's body over time. Because of this drawback, only duelists with strong wills and dreams of progression can use this Deck for long periods of time."

Lily gasped, "That's why it's forbidden? Oh my God... does Zane even know?"

Sheppard sighed, "He knows... but because of his new philosophy, he thinks he can handle it. But because of his disrespect, the cards will consume him as well."

"He's just going to kill himself over becoming the best!" the Dragon duelist shouted. "Zane's just being stupid and he knows it! And now he and Claudio are dueling with those shock collars from those Underground Duels at the main arena!"

The Chancellor now feared the worst, "This has gone far enough... I have to stop this duel at all costs; it could traumatize our students and spread a bad reputation if any of this gets out to the press..."

"Well, a good number already saw Zane use them in his duel with Syrus not too long ago... so it goes without saying that people are already questioning themselves... and we shouldn't kick Zane off the island yet; if Claudio can beat him, it may change Zane for the better this time." Lily said sternly. "I hate hearing this as much as you do, but let it happen."

Sheppard stood up with a stern look of his own, "Alright, but if things get out of hand, I'm shutting down the duel and taking Zane off the island; I can't let him harm my students in his acts of spreading his word around."

"Then we better hurry on to the main arena," the Dragon duelist said, escorting the Chancellor on his way out.

* * *

At the infirmary, Jaden, Allyson, Roxanne, Hassleberry and Alexis were checking up on Syrus.

"You feeling better, Syrus?" Jaden asked.

"Not really..." the vehicroid duelist stated. "I'll live, if that's what you mean..."

"You took one heck of beating back there," Hassleberry noted. "And you even forced Zane into a draw..."

"Well, I knew I couldn't beat him because he wasn't falling for my moves." Syrus recalled. "But knowing he could destroy Transformation at any time, I had Magic Charge in my deck and just lowered his life points enough to end it in a draw."

"Still, I can't believe he expected you to duel again after all you've endured..." Roxanne said, narrowing her eyes. "And now your friend Claudio's dueling Zane with those same collars..."

"And he was sure mad about it," Allyson added.

"He shouldn't be..." Syrus stated. "Zane wants him to be angry, because that's how Zane's be acting now: using his anger and lashing it out on his opponents. Claudio would be no better off..."

"Well, Melody's talking to him," Alexis replied. "She'll calm him down." Suddenly, her Duel Pilot went off and saw a message. After spending, a few seconds reading it... "Guys, they're starting..."

"Alright," Roxanne said as everyone headed out of the infirmary. She took one last look at Syrus saying, "We'll be sure to tell Claudio to calm down if Melody hasn't gotten to him."

"Thanks..."

* * *

On the way, Alexis' mind seemed to be elsewhere as she slowed down. On one hand, she wanted to support Claudio in teaching Zane the meaning of dueling with respect, but she was torn with that and getting Kenji to come to his senses. Evading her twice and slipping away without any concern for her nearly broke her heart. And even though Claudio promised he'd help, she knew helping Zane was needed too. She finally stated, "I know what I have to do..."

Her declaration earned the attention of everyone else.

"What's up, Alexis?" Jaden asked.

"You guys go on ahead to see Claudio's match, I have to go get Kenji." The Obelisk girl stated as she started to run towards the exit of the building.

"But hold on a sec!" Hassleberry protested, but Allyson stopped him from advancing further.

"Let her go," She smiled.

"But what was that all about?" the dino duelist wondered.

Roxanne also flashed a knowing smile, "I see what you're talking about, Allyson."

"Is it because she and Kenji like each other or something?" Jaden wondered.

The spirit duelist smiled, knowing her boyfriend was close on the mark. "Close..."

"I give up..." Hassleberry sighed. "Why is Alexis so certain she'll find Kenji and bring him back this time?"

The two girls looked at each other with a knowing smile.

"Because we could see it in her eyes; she wants to reunite with that Kenji fellow and her hope and faith that she will get him back has been rekindled." Roxanne replied, earning confused looks from the dino duelist.

"I'm not sure I follow." He said.

"Simply put… Alexis is in love." Allyson replied as they all watched the Alexis leaving the building.

* * *

As Alexis left, she rushed down the path heading towards the woods. "How can I've been so stupid... he's been right under our noses the entire time! I just hope he hasn't moved away from that spot..."

"Hey Alexis!"

The Obelisk girl turned to see Chazz run up to her.

"Chazz?" She wondered. "I thought you'd be at the match between Claudio and Zane... Jachin said you wanted to see Zane get beat..."

The black coat Silfer scratched the back of his head, "Well... I overheard you and the other guys talking about how Claudio was to help you with Kenji."

"Yeah..." She replied. "But I understand... Zane shouldn't torture people to prove a point about his way of dueling... just sad that both of my closest friends ended up the way they were..."

"Hey, since Claudio can't help, I could help you!" Chazz said, attempting to perk her up. "I even know the place he could be the…"

"...The Abandoned Dorm?" Alexis answered for him.

"How'd you know?"

Alexis turned to the path ahead, "It's where Kenji and I first met... if any part of the real Kenji is in there, he would be there. But for your help, sorry but I'm going in there alone..."

"Come on..." Chazz protested. "I can help out... especially since I'm getting into Tag Team tactics with my Ojamas..."

"Chazz," She interrupted sternly, "This is something I have to do by myself... and I strongly suggest not coming with..."

"But why, I can back you up?" the Slifer continued to ask.

When Alexis turned back around, Chazz was met with stern look from the Obelisk girl. "You really want to know, fine... you're the reason Kenji's like this!"

"What? I never made him filled with darkness."

"It all started when you started to convert everyone into the Society of Light, and when Kenji stood against you, you did the same to him!" She snapped.

"But I wouldn't do that... I don't even remember..."

"Save it, Chazz!" She interrupted. "I gave you the benefit of the doubt when you couldn't remember your duel with Jachin, but don't lie about your past with the Society! Don't bother helping me, because you only in it because of your crush on me. I don't love you, and I never will!"

Chazz felt like he was slapped in the face as soon as Alexis turned back around, leaving him alone. He suddenly came to one revelation, remembering the duel he had with Kenji.

 _'She does love him...'_

* * *

At the main arena, the crowd was filling up the seats with students, Pro Duelists and lesser Society members. They were seeing Zane standing at one side with shock collars and duel disk equipped on his person. He had a fixated stare across the room, waiting for his opponent to show.

"Why doesn't he just get over himself?" Aster groaned. "I mean, he had to run all the way over to the Underground Duels to better himself."

"And what's worse, Claudio's going to risk his health breaking Zane away from the habit." Masaki said, shaking his head. "I don't know about you, but wishing death on my rivals... I dare not tread."

"So I guess what you said about Underground Dueling were true, huh Mai?" Joey asked his wife.

"Yeah..." She sighed. "During my travels, it was the cage that was electrified and the duel disk's safety on the holograms turned off to make the attacks seem realistic enough for the player to back into the fence. Had a nightmare about beating someone through that..." (Check out the Japanese version of My Freaky Valentine, Part 1 for details.)

"It's going to hard dealing with that?" Matthias wondered.

"It's okay, I'll stay..."

Jeremy let out a big sigh. "It's going down, huh?"

"Yup..." Alex replied. "Normally if was like a Graduation Match, I'd be psyched... but hearing about those shock collars..."

"It's more than that..."

The boys turned to see Lily and Chancellor Sheppard sitting right by them.

"... The Cyberdarks Zane has is adding on to the problem." Lily stated.

"You mean those cards are..."

"Yes." Sheppard confirmed Jeremy's unfinished question. "All because of his disrespect to his cards..."

Soon, the Hell Kaiser decided enough was enough...

"Claudio! Where are you?" He shouted, not paying the audience's silence any mind. "I thought we were going to have a duel worth having! Instead, you decided to run away like a frightened little puppy!"

Joey's eye twitched, remembering a certain high-ranked duelist who fed him the same lines, having Mai and Matthias calm him down.

"Oh well... I guess I'll just chalk up this to plain fear of the pain..." Zane stated before he turned around.

"Settle down, tough guy..."

The Hell Kaiser's scowl turned to an evil grin as he looked to see Claudio standing by the other entrance, duel disk and shock collars equipped.

"Speak of the Devil," Zane smirked as he turned back around.

By Jaden, Allyson, Roxanne and Hassleberry, Melody finally showed up and sat next to the latter.

"So, is he alright?" Allyson asked her.

Melody gave a small smile, "Yeah, he's not angry... well too angry that he'll do something he'll regret..."

"What took you so long?" Zane wondered. "Decided to write your will?"

"Ha ha, write your own jokes?" Claudio asked sarcastically. "Ever hear of mentally preparing yourself? Everyone does it..."

"I just care about beating you in this duel and showing our spectators the true essence of dueling."

"Its fine the way it is; just need to make some adjustments... namely you." The J-Hero Duelist replied. "I just need to tell you one more thing before we duel..."

"Is this another lecture?" the Hell Kaiser scoffed. "I'm done learning from this school..."

"Never too old to learn something new... but that's not what I'm talking about. In this duel, we don't surrender and I'll refrain from attack you directly!"

The audience gasped hearing the stipulation set for himself...

"He's nuts!" Jaden gasped. "He's need to duel with everything he's got to beat Zane!"

Zane laughed harshly, "You're delirious, Osbourne! I think playing too much music keeps you from thinking straight! And by the way, the song you sung for me when I graduated... suits me perfectly seeing that every second in this duel, I'll burn brighter while your fire will go cold!"

Claudio chuckled lightly and waved his arms to the crowd, "I would've used the lyrics: 'Feel all the love that's flowing, all just because I'm here', but you're not exactly here for the love." He then activated his duel disk. "But know this; you will apologize to Syrus even if I have to drag down to the infirmary with me on a stretcher..."

Zane turned on his duel disk, "Tough threats... but you don't have the skill to back it up..."

DUEL!

Zane: 8000

Claudio: 8000

"Let's see what you got Zane," Claudio declared. "You make the first move!"

"You're afraid I'll hurt you after you setup your lame defense?" Zane smirked, drawing his sixth card.

"I think you're afraid that you might actually lose this duel after Syrus forced your last one into a draw." The J-Hero duelist countered with a smirk of his own. "Your angry guy tactics are not going to intimidate me."

"Maybe this will," the Hell Kaiser proclaimed as he inserted a lone facedown card, "I place one card facedown and end my turn! Let's see you take the first shot... if you can!"

"I draw," Claudio announced as he drew his next card, "I'll have to fight you sooner or later, so maybe I'll bite because likely that facedown card will require you to summon a monster that will take down mine in minutes."

"You mean he's going to willingly attacking him?" Mai wondered. "But won't those...?"

"He's knows what's coming," Joey added. "But then, if he could beat Panik, Claudio must know about intimidation like Yugi did to him years ago, like you said those years ago, 'Psychology is half the game'."

"I activate the spell card, Double Summon!" Claudio declared, as the named spell card appeared on the field. "With it, I'll summon Ironheade – Rima the Wild in defense mode!" He announced as the spell card shined, bringing out the wild woman of the Ironheade battalion, spear held up for defense. (4/1900/900) "And with her, I summon Jukebox Hero Man in the Box in attack mode!" He continued, as the brown cloaked bass player appeared, ready to rock. (4/1500/1600)

"Go on, Claudio..." Zane goaded. "Make me pay for hurting my own brother! Let your vengeance drive you to victory! Or are you going to save me the pain of dealing massive damage with your two monsters."

"Will he do it?" Allyson wondered.

"He'd be no better than Zane is," Melody stated as she watched intently. "I know Claudio's angry, but I don't want him going down the same road."

"Come on, I'm wide open... coward!" the Hell Kaiser continued to taunt.

Claudio then smiled and placed two facedown cards on the field, "Like I said... make your first move... I got all day. I just said all that for empowerment, really."

"He made the right choice," Spencer nodded. "I don't think it's because of that facedown card... he's showing Zane that he doesn't have to resort to harming his opponent."

"You just made a fatal mistake!" Zane stated as he drew his next card. "I play my facedown card, Extra Fusion!" He announced as he revealed his facedown card, depicting two machine monsters about to fly into a fusion vortex. "Instead of fusing monsters from my hand or my deck, I'm fusing them from my Fusion Deck!"

"The Fusion Deck," The J-Hero duelist shouted, "What the...?"

"And I fuse together, King Dragun, Gaia the Dragon Champion, Kaiser Dragon, Thousand Dragon and Darkfire Dragon to form my Five-Headed Dragon!" The Hell Kaiser proclaimed as he reached for his Fusion Deck and placed nearly all his Fusion Monsters inside the graveyard, before bringing out the five-headed nightmare. (12/5000/5000)

Claudio sighed, "Just how many times are you going to throw away your cards to summon him and power up that Cyberdark Dragon? It's getting old, not to mention boring that you want to beat everyone so quickly."

"If I get my point across, it doesn't matter!" He proclaimed as he inserted another spell card into his disk, "I play Fairy Meteor Crush, meaning you're about to take damage as I attack Rima!" He shouted as the dragon unleashed all five of its breaths and combined them for a single blast...

"Hang on, Zane!" the Ra interrupted, revealing one of his facedown cards. "I activate Shift, so the target of your attack becomes Man in the Box!"

"And I'll stop you right there," Zane stated as he activated a card from his hand, "I activate Trap Booster! First, I'll send Hunter Dragon into my graveyard, to activate my Trap Jammer to negate the effect of Shift!"

"Joke's on you, I activate my other facedown card..." Claudio announced, revealing his other facedown card, "Look familiar, it's Trap Jammer!"

"He used the same move, I did when Zane and I had our first match," Aster realized as Claudio's Trap Jammer negated Zane's Trap Jammer, allowing Shift to redirect the Five Headed Dragon's attack towards Man in the Box, obliterating him from the field before the face was shown.

"And you know about my monster special ability, right?" the Ra asked. "Instead of me taking the damage, it's you!"

The shock collars suddenly activated on Zane, sending a big jolt into his body... but like in his duel with Syrus, he gave a sick sigh as he felt the pain. The spectators cringed at the sight, but none so more as Sheppard and Lily.

 _'Why did this happen to you, Zane?_ ' They thought as the shocks stopped.

Zane: 4500

Claudio: 8000

"Thanks for that, Claudio!" Zane grinned, "Now I feel more powerful than ever! In fact, I'll return the favor by activating Quick Summon from my hand and sacrifice my Five-Headed Dragon!"

Everyone gasped at his proclamation as the Five-Headed Dragon roared in anguish when it faded away,

"What could he be summoning that would cause him to sacrifice a powerful monster like that?" Alex wondered. "Not that I'm complaining since it gives Claudio an opening to do some more damage."

"Meet the Strong Wind Dragon!" The Hell Kaiser announced as a large, muscular dragon descended onto the field with an emerald shine and a monstrous roar. (6/2400/2000)

Lily gasped, "That's why! When a Dragon-Type monster is used for Tribute Summoning Strong Wind Dragon, it'll gain half of its ATK! And that means it's nearly as powerful as the Five-Headed Dragon!"

Strong Wind Dragon roared triumphantly as it gained more power. (6/2400-4900/1000)

"And then, he can still inflict piercing damage," Zane smirked. "So say goodbye to Rima and feel the pain!" He commanded as the dragon thrust its wings forward and let out blades of wind that ripped up the wild woman into pixels. Finally, everyone looked on as Claudio screamed at the top of his lungs when the shock collars translated the damage through his body.

Zane: 4500

Claudio: 4000

Melody felt her heart wrench when Claudio dropped down to his hands and knees, breathing for air.

 _'Okay... that was unexpected for it to come with THAT amount of surprise...'_ He thought, trying to keep himself conscious.

"The duel just started, and already both experienced extreme pain," Sheppard stated.

"I can't bear to watch," Crowler cried.

"You're no better than Syrus was!" Zane stated as he signaled the end of his turn. "Then again, he took his damage and still stood while you're the one groveling to me..."

The J-Hero duelist smirked as he raised his head up slightly, "So, you're praising your brother for hanging in there, huh?"

"Please, the both of you are still worthless," Zane waved off. "Now let's get this duel over with..."

Claudio grunted as he stood up straight and drew his next card. "Whatever you say, darkness... I summon Jukebox Hero Goth Heroine in attack mode!" He announced as he placed the monster card on his disk, bringing out the black dress clad heroine, standing with her microphone in her right hand. (4/1900/1600) "When she's summoned, she can switch one monster on your side of the field to defense mode, so let's have your Strong Wind Dragon take a knee, please!" Goth Heroine started to scream into her microphone, sending a dark mist to cover the dragon, making it kneel and cover itself with its wings.

"Good thing that dragon only had 1000 DEF!" Masaki praised.

"Attack Strong Wind Dragon," Claudio commanded as his heroine launched sound waves from her microphone, shattering the low defense dragon. "Now I end my turn with a facedown card." He concluded, emptying his hand.

"Both are going to topdeck now," Jachin looked on.

"I hope you won't disappoint me," Zane stated as he drew his lone card. "I summon Cyberdark Edge in attack mode!" He announced as the metal winged torture machine appeared from a dark portal. (4/800/800) "And then, I'll pull Hunter Dragon from my graveyard have his ATK drained into my machine for better purpose!" Soon, Hunter Dragon was pulled out of nowhere before being wrapped around by the machine and drained by the cables in its body. (4/800-2500/800)

"I thought Marik's torture cards were rough on the opponents," Mai muttered.

"How low can a guy get for his own cards?" Matthias added.

'Bring it on, Zane...' Claudio thought. 'Now that you're not protected from my traps, I can strengthen my monster and keep it in place for a counter attack!'

"And if you think I'll go for your monster, think again," the Hell Kaiser stated, shaking his opponent from his thoughts. "Instead, I'll attack you directly by cutting his ATK in half!" Edge flexed out its blade wings, reducing its power for a bit. (3/2500-1250/800) Then, the Cyberdark flapped them down and unleashed a razor-sharp windstorm onto Claudio, who endured the hit, but soon the damage from the shock collars activated again and left him screaming and writhing in pain as the electricity coursed through his body, to the dismay of the audience.

Zane: 4500

Claudio: 2750

"You know, I'm glad we decided not to quit until there's a winner by life point reduction or deck reduction..." Zane smirked. "I wouldn't want to redo my winning streak over a quitter..."

Claudio steadied his breathing... "What makes you sure you won't quit... oh wait, you quit when you decided to stoop this low..."

"Hm?"

"You remember that Panik spoon-fed me the same story about having pain define his dueling," the Ra stated. "So, please stop talking about how dueling is about inflicting harm... it's the reason why you're going to lose with a philosophy like that, even if it is one."

"Panik was small trash..."

"I couldn't agree more..." Claudio interrupted. "And you just put yourself in the same category... instead of taking your loss from Aster and learning from it you let some two-bit underground nutcase lead you around and jammed things into your head that ain't about dueling like a lost little puppy. Those fools are serving to entertain sick pleasures... and I'm breaking you from the habit!"

The crowd cheered for the J-Hero duelist's words, but Zane looked indifferently.

"You better make sure your next move counts, kid..." The Hell Kaiser declared, "If you don't put me down, like you should have during the first turn, I won't hesitate to do it to you."

"So scared..." Claudio scoffed as he drew his lone card. "Seeing as you didn't take my bait during your turn, I'll have to bring the fight to you on my own... first, I use Pot of Greed and draw two cards from my deck!" He announced as the grinning pot appeared above his head, letting him draw the cards allotted before shattering. "I summon Ironheade – Lita the Strong!"

In a bright flash, the muscled, spear-wielding woman appeared, poised to strike. (3/1500/400)

"Now, I activate my facedown card, Rush Recklessly to increase Goth Heroine's ATK by 700 until the end of the turn!" He continued as a green aura surrounded the dark J-Hero. (4/1900-2600/1600)

"He's got it all set to take down that stupid torture machine!" Lily cheered.

"Goth Heroine, attack Cyberdark Edge and free Hunter Dragon!" Claudio commanded as the singer shouted into her mic, sending in a massive shockwave that blasted Hunter Dragon into pixels. (4/2500-800/800) A minor shock went through Zane, but he shrugged it off as usual.

Zane: 4400

Claudio: 2750

"Lita, take down Cyberdark Edge with Power Halberd!" He continued as the Ironheade warrior closed the gap between her and her opponent, stabbing it through the neck and destroyed it. A bigger shock translated through the Hell Kaiser's collars, giving out a grunt of satisfaction.

Zane: 3700

Claudio: 2750

"I still can't believe he actually likes being shocked." Jaden stated.

"He thinks he actually gets stronger from that, and he keeps goading Claudio to attack directly." Allyson added.

"Because then, he'll feel more of the same way," Spencer said, "But Claudio doesn't want to give him the satisfaction or want to hurt him..."

"Is that all?" Zane asked. "Or have you forgotten what I've told you?"

"I didn't," Claudio replied, placing his last facedown card into his disk. "Let's go..." He concluded as Goth Heroine's power returned to 1900.

Zane drew his next card and immediately played it, "I activate Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we're holding six cards! You should curse your luck for letting me get this card!"

"Noted, but it will be a blessing in disguise as I survive this next turn," The Ra stated as both players drew the full six. He even smiled as his find. However, Zane grinned at his...

"You may be right about that now, but I'll make sure you don't survive later," Zane declared, placing another monster on the field. "I summon Cyberdark Keel in attack mode and use it to take back Hunter Dragon in its grip!"

Claudio smirked as he revealed his facedown card, depicting two Duel Academy duel disk and five Duel Monster Cards being shot out from one of them. "You would, if I didn't activate the trap card, Hero's Rule 1: Five Freedoms! Now I get to choose five cards in your graveyard and make them leave!"

"Alright, he's got 'em!" Melody cheered.

"I remove five monsters: Hunter Dragon, Five-Headed Dragon, Gaia the Dragon Champion, Strong Wind Dragon and Thousand Dragon!" Claudio announced as the named cards flew out of Zane's graveyard, letting him grudgingly pocketed them as the serpentine torture machine appeared without any power up. (4/800/800) "I never thought you would go into this without anything to block this card."

"What makes you think I don't?" The Hell Kaiser retorted as he placed two cards facedown.

"That can't be good," Masaki gasped.

"That facedown card's an obvious trap," Aster stated. "Claudio won't be dumb enough to attack a weak monster..."

"It's my turn now," Claudio announced as he drew his next card, bringing his hand to seven.

"I activate Battle Mania," Zane roared as his trap card, revealed itself. "Now you have to fight me with everything you have!"

"Oh man, he wants a direct attack?" Hassleberry gasped. "What's he thinking?"

"He's trying to break Claudio's resolve of never attacking directly." Roxanne stated. "That way he can get at him mentally, and break."

"You want me to bite," Claudio asked, "I will by sacrificing both of my monsters and summon Jukebox Hero Wild Ford!" He declared as both of his warriors left the field, bringing out a tall woman with blond hair wearing a black halter-top and tight black leather pants. She carried an electric guitar in her hands, which surprisingly had no strings. (7/2600/1800)

"He can still follow through on his word," Melody nodded. "Good for him..."

"Now attack Cyberdark Keel with Runaway Knockout!" He commanded as the female hero swung her string-less guitar at the weakened machine, crushing it into pixels. "Not only that, but instead of going to the graveyard, Keel will become an equip card for my Hero, gaining 200 ATK!"

On cue, the remains of Keel became a guitar string on Ford's guitar. (7/2600-2800/1800)

"It's not over yet," Zane declared as his facedown card flipped over and revealed... "I activate Power Wall and toss out 18 cards to negate every single point of damage!" Everyone then watched in horror as the Hell Kaiser picked up the top 18 cards of his deck and threw them into air, creating an energy wall that blocked the damage debris.

"Not again..." Jeremy sighed.

"Enough with the disrespect, Zane," Alex shouted.

"You all shouldn't talk!" The Hell Kaiser roared at the audience. "I bet every one of you has cards that do the same thing as mine... all for your chances at victory!"

"At least they honor them when they do play them," Claudio shouted, grabbing his opponent's attention. "And you only have seven cards in your deck after that. You think it'll be worth it?"

"I've won with zero cards in my deck," Zane retorted. "Now finish your turn and let me finish you off!"

"Whatever..." the Ra stated as he inserted two of his cards into his disk. "Let's see your strategy!"

"Be careful what you wish for!" Zane declared, drawing his next card. "First, I play Pot of Greed to draw another two cards!" He announced, drawing another two cards, bringing his hand to five and his deck to four. "Next, I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Cyberdark Keel!"

A sudden windstorm kicked in and cut apart the single string of Wild Ford's guitar. (7/2800-2600/1800)

"So much for his plan on keeping all the Cyberdarks away from Zane," Melody muttered.

"Now, I play Junk Dealer to revive Edge and Keel from the graveyard with half of their strength!" From two dark portals, the Cyberdark Machines returned and took a defensive stance. (3/800-400/800) x2 "Finally, I play Power Bond to fuse them and Cyberdark Edge in my hand to form my Cyberdark Dragon with double its original strength!" He announced as the three Cyberdark monsters melded together within a bright fusion vortex and created the large dragon torture machine. (8/1000-2000/1000)

"And even though you took out my Five-Headed Dragon, I still have other Dragons to choose from, like using the Kaiser Dragon as its pawn!" He continued as a large, golden, serpentine dragon appeared overlooking its new surroundings, before being gripped by its captor, and drained of its strength. (8/2000-4300/1000)

"4300 ATK is not so bad." Jachin stated.

"And then with 20 monsters in my graveyard, I can raise its power by another 2000!" Zane grinned as a dark aura surrounded the torture machine. (8/4300-6300/1000)

"On the other hand, 6300 ATK is worse." Jeremy pointed out. "And if it attacks, Claudio's gonna lose."

"Not to mention, a giant shock afterwards," Alex added.

"You see where respect gets you?" Zane said to Claudio. "It'll get you beat! Cyberdark Dragon, attack Wild Ford and end this duel!" He commanded as the monster let out an ear-splitting shockwave across the field that shattered Wild Ford into pixels.

"You got my monster, but my life points are a different story!" the Ra shouted as he revealed one of his facedown cards, "I play Defense Draw!" He then drew a card, while an emerald barrier protected him the shockwave. "Then, I activate my other Trap card, the Anvil of Burden!" He announced as a continuous trap card revealed itself, depicting Roadie Riggs summoning a large anvil on a demonic monster crew. "After you destroyed one of my monsters with one over level 5, I can drop the anvil on your monster and cause it to lose 1000 ATK!"

Suddenly, a huge anvil dropped from the sky and landed on the metal dragon's back, forcing it to lean on Kaiser Dragon. (8/6300-5300/1000)

"Prolong your defeat however you please, but you'll still lose," Zane stated. "I end my turn, causing Power Bond's side effect to activate. It's a good thing that it's not a lot, unlike my worthless former monster, Cyber End Dragon!" Soon, the collars shocked him, relishing his pain as Cyberdark Dragon groaned from Power Bond's damage. "And with more damage, I'll just keep on winning."

Zane: 2700

Claudio: 2750

"Tough talk for someone who can't take losing," Claudio stated as he drew his next card, bringing his hand to six again. 'But on my end, I can't keep playing defense all day... I need to take down his monster and end this duel... not to mention I can't stand getting shocked again... Syrus is stronger than I thought... all I can do now is weaken it and hope to continue fighting...'

"I place a monster in defense mode and another two cards facedown." He concluded.

"He's got to think of something to stop the Dragon," Melody stated. "This duel needs to stop..."

"In more ways than one..." Allyson added. "The more they get shocked, the more they take the internal damage..."

"I thought I told you to fight!" Zane snapped as he drew his next card, with his deck at three. "I play Dark Eruption, reviving Cyberdark Horn from my graveyard and placed into my hand. Sure, it cost my Dragon, 100 points but it's a small price." He stated as he collected his monster card. (8/5300-5200/1000)

"Oh man, now he's got another chance of ending this duel, and it won't cost his Cyberdark Dragon much attack points," Matthias realized.

"And then from Cyberdark Horn's ability, he can deal piercing damage meaning even more pain to inflict on Claudio," Jeremy added.

"Next, I summon Cyberdark Horn and equip it with Hunter Dragon!" Zane announced as the duplicate of Cyberdark Dragon's head appeared and pulled Hunter Dragon into its claws to drain its power. (4/800-2500/800), (8/5200-5100/1000) "Attack his facedown monster!"

"I activate Waboku!" Claudio quickly announced, revealing his trap card that depicted three maidens in blue robes. Soon, the three maidens appeared in front of appearing monster, Ironheade- The Baron and blocked with an invisible barrier. (4/1900/1000) "And old trap, but a good one! It blocks battle damage and prevents my monsters from being destroyed in battle."

"Fine, I guess you live a little longer," Zane stated as he inserted his next facedown card. "Now go."

"Happy to," Claudio smiled sarcastically as he drew his next card, "I activate the field spell card, Live Stage – Age of Metal!" He announced as the field transformed into the barren wasteland of rock n' roll.

"Alright, now he's got a game going on!" Jaden cheered. "He's gonna bring out the best of his Ironheade monsters!"

"And with this field spell, he can keep them on the field if he can!" Allyson added.

"What kind of Field Spell is this?" the Hell Kaiser said, eyeing his surroundings. "As a matter of fact, don't tell me... it bores me how you relate music to dueling."

"Better than talking about pain, 24-7," The J-Hero duelist stated as he inserted another card into his disk. "But for now, I'll introduce you to a new friend of mine, by playing Ancient Rules spell card and use it to summon Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs!" Appearing onto the field was the black clad roadie who crossed his arms and spat out a cigarette which he put out. (7/2500/2000)

"And these new monsters..."

"... Are gonna help me knock you down!" Claudio smirked, "Now, I Union Equip the Baron to him, and while Roadie Riggs is equipped with an Ironheade Union Monster, he gains 500 ATK thanks to this field spell." He announced as Roadie Riggs hopped on to the back on Baron's motorcycle, with his axe covered in flames. (7/2500-3000/2000) "And finally, I activate my Equip Spell, Nevan with raises a Jukebox Hero's ATK by 500 for the other J-Heroes in my graveyard, while draining his DEF by the same amount!"

Then, the Roadie took the dark guitar and let the dark electricity course through his veins as his power changed. (7/3000-4500/2000-500)

"Nice try, but that monster is still weaker than Zane's Dragon," Mai stated.

Zane even had a laugh. "All that hard work and you can't touch my Cyberdark Dragon..."

"Not aiming at him," Claudio interrupted, wagging his finger, "Roadie Riggs, attack Cyberdark Horn!" Using the power of his guitar, the Roadie played a wild solo creating a lightning bolt that zapped the smaller machine and broke Hunter Dragon free from its imprisonment, but increased the power of the larger dragon. (4/2500-800/800), (8/5200-5300/1000)

"And you fell for my trap; my Dimension Wall!" the Hell Kaiser countered, revealing the named trap card. "And you know what that means!"

Claudio gasped as his shock collars activated, sending a giant shock into his body, causing him to scream as loud as he could before it stopped.

Zane: 2700

Claudio: 750

"I can't watch this anymore," Melody cried, covering her face as tears escaped from her eyes. "Just stop, Claudio... he won't understand..."

As Claudio breathed shakily, Zane took in the sight of his battered opponent. "So, how does it feel to take my pain? Did it send you a message that this is the real me?"

The Ra looked up and said, "Nah... It just told... me... that the Baron's special ability activates when Roadie Riggs dealt the damage..." He laughed weakly, "It destroys a spell or trap card... and that Kaiser Dragon's fair game!"

Zane growled in frustration as the Baron launched a massive flame from his fingers, roasting the large dragon and freeing it from its torture. (8/5300-3100/2000)

"Smart move... but he still took all the damage," Joey sighed. "That kid's in way over his head now... I don't think he can take another hit..."

'What was I thinking letting this take place?' Sheppard thought as he looked towards the numerous student spectators, seeing the horrified looks on their faces. 'It may mentally break these children for life, seeing a duel play out of this magnitude...'

"I place one card facedown..." Claudio concluded, inserting his last facedown card. "Back to you, sunshine..."

"Still making jokes..." Zane stated, drawing his next card, deck at two cards to spare. "That's all you are now... thanks to a real dueling challenge for you... reduced to the weakling you are. Even with your feeble move, I still have 3100 ATK on my monster on my side, but I'm about to make it even better!"

"Yap... yap..." the Ra mocked. "You're the one that's weak... hiding behind words... Zane, you faker... I refuse to acknowledge you as the best..."

"Then, let me show you by playing Advance Draw!" the Hell Kaiser shouted, activating his spell card, depicting Archlord Zerato vanishing into a deck of cards. "I sacrifice a level 8 monster to draw out the last two cards from my deck! And there's no other choice than my Cyberdark Dragon!" The metallic dragon roared as it vanished into thin air, while its master drew his final cards.

"If Claudio can last this turn, he can just end his upcoming one to force an automatic win." Allyson realized. "It all comes down to what Claudio's facedown card can do..." She then looked over to the distraught Magician duelist. "It'll be over soon, Melody..."

"Now, I play Burial from Different Dimension!" Zane continued, inserting his next card, "I now put my Five-Headed Dragon, Gaia the Dragon Champion, Strong Wind Dragon back into my graveyard."

Everyone was confused as he removed the named cards from his pocket and placed them into his graveyard.

"I don't get why he's putting them back in there." Jeremy wondered. "Five-Headed Dragon's a Nomi monster, meaning he can't revive it from the graveyard unless he's fusing monsters."

Lily gasped, "He's bringing back that Cyberdark Dragon!"

"But how, he got rid of it!" Alex stated.

"I activate the card that will shut you up, Claudio!" Zane smirked, "It's called Cyberdark Impact! It lets me fuse all three of my Cyberdark monsters from my hand, field and graveyard and place them back into my deck and create my second Cyberdark Dragon!" Everyone then watched as a dark fusion vortex appeared in the sky, pulling in the Cyberdarks from the field and the graveyard. "Arise, my second Cyberdark Dragon!" Emerging from the fusion vortex, the Cyberdarks returned and were connected together as it took flight and let out an ear-piercing screech, increasing its power from the monsters in the graveyard. (8/1000-3100/1000)

"Oh no, not again," Sheppard cried.

"And now, I bring back the Five-Headed Dragon and let its power be used for my ultimate monster," Zane continued as the giant dragon once again brought back to the field, and gripped by the giant torture machine. (8/3100-7000/1000)

Claudio stood back up with enough energy, pressing the button on his disk to reveal his facedown card, "Not this time... I activate Urgent Fusion, and I fuse Roadie Riggs on the field with LP Angel and Voodoo Child from my hand to create my own fusion monster, Jukebox Hero Apollo, the Deity of Sound!" He declared as a bright fusion vortex sucked in Roadie Riggs along with LP Angel and Voodoo Child, and then brought out the giant man in Roman armor, taking a knee and crossing his arms. (10/3500/2500)

"Good, without any more cards to stop Zane's attack, Claudio would've lost." Melody breathed a big sigh of relief.

"Now, all monsters in my graveyard and removed from play return to my deck. And from those, Apollo gains 400 ATK for every Jukebox Hero Monster returned!" The graveyard shined as the monster cards flew out and surrounded both Claudio and Apollo, empowering them both and then slid inside the deck. (10/3500-5900/2500)

"At least I have another turn to throw you down," Zane smirked, "Cyberdark Dragon, attack Apollo!" The machine dragon fired its dark shockwave and obliterated the Deity into thousands of pixels.

"I still have Apollo's final effect," Claudio shrugged as he took out his deck and pulled out a card, "When's he removed from the field, I can bring any Jukebox Hero from my deck to my hand! And I take LP Angel from the deck!"

"So that's all you got?" Zane stated. "I end my turn... you came close, but close never counts in duels with these stakes!"

"He's right," Allyson nodded, "If Claudio can't draw the right card, he's done... Zane can draw one of those Cyberdark monsters on his next turn and then take down whatever monster Claudio will summon."

"No way!" Jaden waved off. "He'll make it through... he's down, but not out."

"How come?"

"Trust me, he almost beat me in a triangle duel last year and nearly got his chance to duel Zane then," the E-Hero duelist replied. "And if he's going to show Zane what true dueling's all about, he'll draw the right card."

"You're right..." Everyone turned to see Melody. "We have to believe he can win this... I'm tired of seeing all these duels where someone gets hurt, the Society of Light's bad enough! Besides... Claudio wouldn't dare lose to someone like how Zane is..." She then stood up and shouted, "You hear me, Claudio? Don't lose to this duel, it'll make dueling bad for the rest of us... it's supposed to be fun!"

Soon, the entire audience was on the Ras side and cheered.

"Hear that, Zane," Claudio smirked as he drew his next card.

"Please, once you fall... they'll see what it means to be a real duelist," the Hell Kaiser smirked back. "You have no chance... so just take the pain of losing!"

The J-Hero duelist looked to the card he just drew, and frowned at its description. _'Why is it that when the future of dueling's on the line, this card pops up! I hope I got enough energy for this...'_

"Why the long face?" Zane taunted. "A bad draw..."

"We'll see in a minute," Claudio stated, activating the card he just drew. "I activate Pts. of Authority, and pay 600 life points to draw out my three cards!" _'Here comes the pain...'_ As Claudio drew, he had to endure the shocks of his collars while drawing the three cards.

Zane: 2700

Claudio: 150

"He's lost his mind," Mai stated.

"It better be worth it..." Joey added.

Recovering from the shocks, he saw the cards he drew with a blurry vision and smiled, _'I got him...'_

"Well..." Zane pried.

"First, LP Angel, I summon you in attack mode!" Claudio shouted with enough vigor as the winged, singing J-Hero appeared on his field. (4/2100/0) "Next, I play Clementine, letting my LP Angel gain 600 ATK and immunity from your spell cards!" He continued, as the flying V guitar appeared in LP Angel's hands, letting him tune it up. (4/2100-2700/0) "After that, I activate Star Power which allows my Jukebox Hero to deal double the damage this turn!"

"All of that, and he's not getting any closer to my Dragon's power!" Zane laughed. "So stop prolonging your defeat!"

"Yours or mine?" the Ra asked, confusing the Hell Kaiser. He then revealed his final card, "I activate Cleansing Water! This allows me to negate all point changes to one face-up monster on the field, plus destroy any equip cards on it! And trust me, the both of you needs cleansing!"

The Hell Kaiser gasped as crystal clear water rained down on the torture machine, causing it to spark and short out, letting the Five-Headed Dragon sink into the graveyard. (8/7000-1000/1000)

"He's got 'em!" Jaden cheered. "Thanks to the power boost he's got and with Star Power, he'll do enough damage!"

"You know something, Zane... I can see right through you..." Claudio stated, breathing hard after his card playing. "You may be showing... what you went through to become a... rising competitor in the league... but I also see... a warning..."

"A warning," Melody wondered.

"A warning... to not let the fame... get you... or any other people to force... the Underground dueling on ya... it takes away... who you really are..." the J-Hero duelist smiled weakly. "Thank you... Zane... but now, I should... give you something in return... this song... my warning for you... if you continue this..."

(Points of Authority – Linkin Park) (AN: the Original or the Reanimation Remix... you can take a listen to either of them!)

The lights started to dim and flicker as the music played. Claudio mustered up some energy to play his guitar and sing... staring straight at Zane with the same eyes he stared at Lola with during his song to her... Soon, the music kicked up as LP Angel took flight and descended behind Claudio, back to back letting them sing their opening verses.

Suddenly, LP Angel looked from beyond Claudio's right shoulder and shouted the hook, then he flew into the sky and loomed over Cyberdark Dragon

Soundwaves from Clementine wailed and created energy rings that surrounded the torture dragon and tightened the grip before LP Angel descended right in front of it.

More energy rings encircled around Cyberdark Dragon and tightened it around each of its parts.

Through the echoes of the singers' voices, the rings gripped around Cyberdark Dragon again and finally broke it down to pieces of scrap metal, raining down around a shocked Zane Truesdale... suffering his first loss, after taking on his new lifestyle...

Zane: 0

Claudio: 150, Winner

The holograms disappeared as Claudio got down on both knees, getting some control on his breathing. With the singing, guitar playing and trying to reach through to his opponent... he temporarily forgot the physical pain he went through. Now that it was over, it all came crashing down on him, ready to make him see the darkness for the while. But before it took hold, Claudio uttered one more sentence...

"Change your ways, Zane..."

...With that, he collapsed to the ground... with a smile on his face.

* * *

Claudio's eyes opened to a new environment as bright lights hit his eyes. He strained a little before his eyes readjusted themselves to the environment. He found himself in his Coheed and Cambria shirt and black jeans and lying on a medical bed, finding that his internal pain from his shock collar duel was mostly gone. He realized that he was at the infirmary.

"Man... I feel beat up..." He groaned, rubbing his eyes and suddenly remembered the duel he had sometime before being here and smiled because of it. "Good victory..."

"You're awake..."

Claudio turned to his left to see Syrus, sitting up in his bed and looking better than ever.

"Syrus... you recovered?" He asked.

"Not enough to get out of bed, but well enough to hear Zane talk to me..." the vehicroid duelist replied, smiling.

Claudio bugged his eyes out, "He actually apologized?"

"Well... not in the way you'd expect..." Syrus sighed. "He apologized for the shock collars, but he's still dueling aggressively. He says that out in the real world, no one's going to be nice or respectful when you take it easy for respecting others."

"That's nice..." Claudio grumbled. "I just showed him that his new style of dueling has limits as well."

"I wasn't expecting him to be nice..." Syrus shrugged. "But at least he decided to tell me a big truth..."

"Of course the world can be cruel, but it's not above shunning everyone that you made the grade with."

"Still, thanks for sticking up for me and helping Zane out..." Syrus smiled. "He's stopping the use of those shock collars..."

"Hey, I helped with Camula, you didn't think I'd do it again?"

Syrus chuckled. "Yeah, I remember..."

Claudio then looked worriedly and asked, "Did... uh... Melody... came in here earlier?"

"First one in," He replied. "Said that once you get better, to go see her."

"Was she mad?" the J-Hero duelist cringed.

"No, she said she did regret letting you go through with it though..."

"Mel..." Claudio sighed, "Oh and Alexis, what's up with her?"

"She's tracking Kenji now... she found out where he is... after a message from her Duel Pilot."

Claudio laid back on his bed, "Hated to bail after that promise we made... but it does make sense for her to confront him alone... she was hurt the most when Kenji defected to the Society and then just going off on his own after beating Obelisk...

"You think she can beat it?"

"That's not what I'm worried about..." the J-Hero duelist replied with a worried look. "It's that other monster Kenji had that killed Obelisk with White Veil attached that's the real problem."

"Yeah, I remember... it seemed like a forbidden card..."

"Probably is... just hope Alexis can hold on long enough..."

* * *

At the entrance to the woods, Alexis was staring down the dark path, remembering her past...

(Flashback)

 _"Well, me neither, since there's been students missing at this dorm." Alexis explained. "One of them happened to be my brother."_

 _"Sorry to hear that... but if you keep at it, you'll find him." The boy said. "Maybe he and the others escaped somehow and lying low but having trouble contacting people."_

 _Alexis smiled slightly. "He probably is hiding somewhere; but I'll keep my search going so that I know he's okay." She turned to the new guy. "Thanks..."_

 _"Oh, wait a minute..." He jumped down from the branch he was standing again. "Better to introduce myself right-side up than upside down." Alexis laughed a bit at that comment. "Name's Kenji Yuuyami."_

 _"Alexis Rhodes, nice to meet you."_

 _They shook each other's hands after the introduction._

* * *

 _"Kenji?"_

 _He turned to Alexis. "Yeah?"_

 _"You know I go to the Abandoned Dorm every night to pray for my brother's return, right?"_

 _"Yeah, you told me the first day." He replied. "Something wrong with going again?"_

 _"Well..." Kenji noticed Alexis was kind of hesitating on her words. "I was hoping... you'd come with me, this time."_

 _"Sure, but any particular reason?" Kenji asked. "You've gone by yourself plenty of times."_

 _"Yeah, and one of those times a guy kidnapped me." She pointed out. "Ever since then, I've been looking behind my back just so I could pray in peace."_

 _"That explains the more frequent visits you pay me and Zane, not that I mind. I enjoy hanging out with you."_

 _"Then that means you'll come?"_

 _"Of course, with me scouting out, no one will think twice of getting you." Kenji said, giving her a thumbs up._

 _Alexis smiled and hugged him. "Thank you."_

 _"No problem." He replied, slightly surprised at the hug before she let go._

* * *

 _Alexis turned to Atticus and held his hand. 'Glad to you back with us, big brother...' She smiled. 'After hearing about how you disappeared, I thought you were gone for good. I won't forgive the people who made you into Shadow Rider... but the thing is you're safe now...' She then turned to Kenji, who was still out due to the Shadow Game's pain. 'I have you to thank for that Kenji, even if you didn't know it was him at the time...' She then slightly touched the top of his hand. 'Thanks for helping me get my brother back...'_

* * *

 _Everyone turned to see a figure in samurai armor, with his helmet hiding his face._

 _"And who are you?" Zane asked._

 _"Not really your concern," The samurai walked up to the three Obelisks. "But at least one of you knows me..." He raised his head looking at Kenji with his black eyes. "Right, Kenji?"_

 _Alexis and Zane looked at both boys, while Kenji narrowed his eyes. "Kenshin..."_

 _"You know this guy?" Alexis asked._

 _"We come from two families that have a rivalry dating back generations." Kenji said. "Kenshin comes from a family of samurai."_

 _"I'm happy you remember our destined battle, ninja." Kenshin said. "At first I thought you came to Duel Academy to run away from me."_

 _Kenji growled at that statement._

 _"He came here for the same reason everyone does," Alexis stepped in. "To become a better duelist, possibly becoming the top duelist."_

* * *

 _"Lucky..." Chazz grumbled._

 _"Quit getting angry, Chazz..."_

 _"AAH!"_

 _Chazz was startled by the sudden appearance of Kenji right next to him._

 _"You're just mad since you haven't been in the match." The ninja duelist stated._

 _"Well, you're the one that lost early!" The black coat Slifer snapped._

 _"Hey, win some, lose some..." Kenji shrugged. "Besides, what was surprising is that Claudio outsmarted me!"_

 _"Too bad you couldn't have your rematch," Alexis said._

 _"No worries, when I graduate I'll probably grab a shot at him. I'll just have to be patient..."_

* * *

 _"She's really putting it together, and without using the Cyber Girls this early!" Bastion praised._

 _"Maybe it's a good thing that I helped her out with her deck." Kenji said._

 _Everyone looked to the ninja duelist._

 _"When was this?" Jethro asked._

 _"After first day of class, we were going over each other's decks and talked about upgrading them with all the new cards coming out." Kenji explained. "I talked about how she needed to include more monsters that are non-ritual related and pretty soon she found these monsters."_

 _"You two are getting a lot helpful of each other." Allyson smiled._

 _"Along with Zane, we were a pretty close-knit group of friends." The ninja duelist said. "We all are rivals, so that what makes us strive to make our decks better."_

 _"I know that feeling..." Melody said._

* * *

 _"I knew you'd be here..."_

 _The ninja duelist turned to see Alexis walking up to him._

 _"I knew you'd be here, eventually..." Kenji smiled. "Kinda feels weird without Zane being around..."_

 _"Yeah..." She said. "By the way, thanks for those deck ideas; I remember how tough Atticus was."_

* * *

 _"I think it's good that Professor Sojourner allowed us to stick around the new dorm until the next year." Alexis said._

 _"He truly is great for allowing all of us to stay in," Kenji added. "It's going to be hard for me to adjust living the 'fancy' Obelisk life again. I was starting to like being in the red dorm with all its new features."_

 _"Well, think about it," The Cyber Girl duelist stated. "You always said that around the Obelisk Blue Dorm was great for you to train at speed and jumping. Once you go back, you can run around the rooftops all you like."_

 _The ninja duelist thought about it for a minute before getting a grin on his face. "I totally forgot about the rooftops! Thank you, Lex!"_

 _"No problem!" She chuckled at her friend's happiness._

(End Flashback)

* * *

"You helped me so much, Kenji... now it's my turn to do the same for you..." She declared walking into the woods. About minutes in, Alexis stared at a horrible sight in front of her... the woods were littered with fallen duelists, Society, Academy and Pro duelists...

"My God..." She gasped. "Did Kenji... do this...?"

"Alexis..."

She then found an even more horrible sight... she found Atticus, Jethro, Lyra, Vincent and Allen amongst the beaten duelists.

"Guys!" She cried and ran over near her brother and held him up. "What happened here?"

"Kenji... that's what..." Atticus groaned. "He... completely destroyed... us with that... Obelisk card..."

"Is everyone else alright?"

"No, they're unconscious..." He replied. "It was like... Kenji was... possessed..."

"But he's out of the Society!"

"Just do yourself... a favor... stay away from him..." Atticus pleaded before he fell asleep once more.

Alexis stared down at the next sight, the Abandoned Dorm...

"Sorry, but I can't..." She declared heading down the path, but what greeted her next was a handful of cards near a tree. She picked them up and saw a message on a tree carved into it. It was in Kanji and it said: "HELP". Once Alexis saw the types of cards, she nodded and shuffled them into her deck before walking down the path. "Don't worry Kenji, I'm coming..."

* * *

When Alexis finally made it, she saw a lone figure in all black with his back turned to her. One overlook and she knew who it was...

"Kenji! It's me, Alexis!"

Without turning to her, Kenji finally spoke...

"Take a look at the human before you, girl. To the heart seeking freedom, his was a prison surrounded by Dark Light. And so, this boy sought to escape from his prison. He sought a way to use the dark power of an Egyptian God card. And he fully opened his heart to darkness."

Then a blue light surrounded Kenji as he turned around and gave an evil grin... except his skin tone was dark blue and his eyes were blood red.

"Kenji!" Alexis cried out.

"Don't bother. Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness. It's what he always wanted... to be free of the Dark Light! But my price was high... and he paid for it; mind, body and soul!" the possessed duelist grinned. "And to think, he fought against the Dark Light well, given his own Darkness was fighting it within him..."

"Huh?" Alexis wondered. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when the Dark Light invaded his body, the battle began and he was not completely under its influence." The spirit stated. "He defied the Dark Light and battled bravely..."

She gasped, "So the whole time..."

"He had to play the part to protect his friends..." He then smirked, "To protect you, however, was his true intention... and he did so out of his own affections. But because of the part he played in trying to usurp my power, I punished him by taking his entire being!" Obelisk stated. "You see, darkness is his heart's true essence."

"That's not true!" Alexis shouted. "If he wanted your card, it was only to keep it away from the Society of Light... he would never want to hurt others! You're the one doing this, not Kenji! So, give him back!"

Obelisk laughed, "Oh, I can feel it... all those cold words he told you earlier during his time in the Society and when he took my card spoke little of his true feelings. Ha ha ha, he loves you! I can feel it shining in his heart! Though even that tiny spark of light will be destroyed once you lay defeated at my feet..."

Hearing the possessed duelist's words stunned the Obelisk Queen into silence hearing that Kenji had feelings for her.

"Now the game is over," Obelisk stated. "Now that I've told you the truth of this mortal's intentions inside the Society... I suggest you leave him be..."

Then, for the second time tonight, she snapped shouting, "You think I'll let you keep him after all of you done? I saw what you did to my friends back in the woods! Not only I will avenge their losses, I'm getting Kenji back!"

The spirit grinned as darkness spread around him, blowing wind across the trees and pushed Alexis back. "Fine, I knew I would have to fight you, along the way. But I must admit... I will be a little sad, when I leave you trembling behind like all the others I've defeated!" He then activated his duel disk. "Maybe this mortal's love for you is getting in the way... but that will pass..."

"Don't bet on it!" Alexis shouted as she activated hers.

Both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Kenji (Obelisk): 8000

Alexis: 8000

"I'll start!" Alexis announced, drawing her sixth card. "I set one monster in defense mode and place one card facedown!" She announced as she placed one card on her disk and inserted another, causing two holographic cards to appear perpendicular on her field. "And that's all."

"And so begins the descent," Obelisk shouted as he drew his sixth card and smirked as his overall hand. "This deck works wonders for me! With it, I can appear and wreak havoc on this world for abusing me so..."

Alexis gasped, "You have it already?"

"But, I'll enjoy seeing you squirm fighting your friend's monsters... and I'll begin with the White Ninja in attack mode!" He announced as the white armored ninja appeared in the blink of an eye. (4/1500/800)

Alexis quickly became angered, seeing Kenji's cards being used in another person's hands. "You don't have the right to use Kenji's deck!"

"And he never had the right in using myself," Obelisk retorted back. "And look where we are... White Ninja, attack her facedown card with Snow White Kunai!" The ninja quickly pulled out a white kunai from his pouch and stabbed it through the facedown card, revealing to be the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland being run through and shattered into pixels. (4/1100/1200)

"I use Warrior Lady of the Wasteland's effect!" the Obelisk Queen announced, retrieving her deck and pulled out one card. "This allows me to special summon, in ATK, an EARTH-Warrior monster with up to 1500 ATK! And I pick Cyber Tutu!" She announced as the young, pink-haired, ballerina appeared and stared straight into the ninja's face. (3/1000/800)

"And I'll answer your summoning with another one of mine," the possessed duelist countered, inserting a card into his disk. "I play Quick Summon and sacrifice White Ninja to Tribute Summon Ninja Master Shogun!" Soon, White Ninja vanished into red sparkles and release the colorful robe and red mask wearing ninja to the field. (5/1600/1600) "Now to summon two low level ninjas to the field..."

"Not so fast!" Alexis announced, revealing her facedown card. It was a trap depicting a white alien with pink eyes inside a psychedelic energy field. "I activate the Counter Trap, Pure Pupil! When you activate an Effect Monster's ability, while I control a monster with up to 1000 ATK, I can negate it and destroy the monster!" Obelisk growled as Cyber Tutu let out the same psychedelic energy from her body and vaporized the colorful masked ninja. "I was prepared to take on Kenji, and I have cards to counter his moves. I didn't count on an Egyptian God taking over, but you won't for long!"

"Impressive..." the possessed duelist replied, while inserting a card facedown. "Just don't let that mistake you for getting ahead."

"It just means I have an upper hand in getting Kenji back!" the Cyber Girl duelist shouted while drawing her next card. "I summon Etolie Cyber in attack mode!" She announced as the red headed dancer appeared in a dazzling sparkle. (4/1200/1600) "And since you're out of monsters, I can have them attack directly... but with Etolie Cyber, she's 500 ATK stronger!"

The dancer took point first as she glided across the field with a blue aura (4/1200-1700/1600), with the young ballerina following behind and dealt a pirouetting kick to possessed duelist's chest.

Kenji (Obelisk): 5300

Alexis: 8000

Even seeing the pain, Alexis flinched, _'Sorry Kenji, but I have to do this to free you from him...'_ She then placed two cards facedown.

Soon, Obelisk laughed darkly. "Was that it? I thought you were serious about saving your loved one..."

"I wouldn't be here dueling to save him, if I was lying about that." She stated.

"Then let's see about what I'll do next!" Obelisk shouted as he drew his next card and then his facedown card revealed itself, "I begin with Gachi Battle! Now we are both are forced to Special Summon 1 low-level monster from our decks during the Main Phase 1 of our turns and they are destroyed during the end of those turns!"

'This just gotten harder...' Alexis thought, 'He can easily swarm the field now!'

"I summon Ninja Commando Kabuki in attack mode!" He interrupted as the white armored ninja appeared in a puff of smoke. (3/700/700) "And when summoned, Ninja Commander Ikusa appears by his side!" On cue, the dark green armored ninja jumped out from the trees. (3/700/700) "And when he's summoned, Ninja Soldier Katana appears as well!" the Possessed duelist continued as the ninja performed hands signs, bringing out the dark clad ninja to the field as well. (3/400/400)

'He does have it!' the Cyber Girl duelist thought in fright as she placed her monster on the field. "I summon Cyber Petit Angel!" She stated as the small, mechanical angel appeared. (2/300/200) "And when it's summoned, I can take Machine Angel Ritual from my deck and add to my hand!"

"Not good enough, little girl!" Obelisk laughed. "It's time... I sacrifice the Katana, Ikusa and Kabuki to play..."

(Play the Egyptian Gods Theme from Yu-Gi-Oh! Unreleased Scores)

The three ninjas burst into three pillars of darkness and combined into one giant pillar behind the possessed duelist.

"Myself... Obelisk the Tormentor, arise!" Soon, the dark pillar exploded and brought out the giant Egyptian God. The darkness surrounding Kenji grew stronger and stronger as he moved his arms along with the powerful monster. (10/4000/4000)

Alexis stared it down with shock and awe, but quickly turned it into determination, "I'm ready..."

"Let's test that shall we!" Obelisk shouted as his monster persona reeled his fist back. "Your Cyber Petit Angel will feel my Fist of Fate attack!" It then unleashed its punch, heading straight for the small machine.

"I activate my facedown cards, Doble Passé and Spirit Barrier!" the Cyber Girl duelist announced, bringing out her facedown cards. "Now your attack on my monster becomes direct attacks from both Obelisk and my Cyber Tutu. But the best part is that I don't lose life points because of Spirit Barrier!"

Cyber Petit Angel quickly flew away from the massive punch, which hit the Spirit Barrier with a thunderous force and to no avail, and then struck the possessed duelist with a feeble tackle.

Kenji (Obelisk): 5000

Alexis: 8000

"You will run out of cards eventually," the Egyptian God hissed, playing a facedown card. "And I will destroy you like all the others!" On cue, Cyber Petit Angel vanished.

"While Kenji's in your control, you won't!" Alexis shouted as she drew her next card, "First, I use Gachi Battle to bring out my Street Fighter Ninja to the field!" Jumping out of the trees, the young female ninja jumped out, poised to fight. (3/1450/1650) "And when she's special summoned, you have to discard two cards in your hand, and you have only one!"

He then discarded his last card, "And then, I summon another Ninja Commando Kabuki!" Obelisk countered as another white armored ninja appeared. (3/700/700) "With him, I special summon Ninja Soldier Katana in defense mode!" He continued bringing out another dark garbed ninja. (3/400/400)

"I now summon Command Knight!" She announced as two flashes of light brought out the red armored female knight. (4/1200/1600) "And with Command Knight, she gains immunity with another monster, plus allow all warrior monsters on my side to gain 400 ATK!" A white aura gathered around the four female monsters, boosting their power. (4/1200-1600/1600) x2, (3/1000-1400/800), (3/1450-1850/1650) "Street Fighter Ninja, attacks Kabuki!"

The kunoichi jumped into the air and threw several kunai at white armored ninja, piercing through body and shattered into pixels.

Kenji (Obelisk): 3850

Alexis: 8000

"Etolie Cyber, attack Katana!" The dancer spun around furiously in a red tornado and dealt a roundhouse kick to the weaker ninja. "And since Cyber Tutu has less ATK than your Egyptian God, she can attack directly!"

"If not for my facedown card," Obelisk interrupted, "Reveal Scapegoat! Now four more monsters appear in the form of these sheep tokens!" He announced as the four, multicolored sheep appeared... two on each side of the monsters. (1/0/0) x4 "Now you can't attack directly because I carry weak monsters! Plus, I can use my special abilities that require two sacrifices!"

"Then, I'll take out two of the tokens with my two remaining monsters!" She announced as Command Knight charged and sliced one goat in half, while Cyber Tutu spun around and stomped on the second. "Next, I place one card facedown and equip Command Knight with Raregold Armor, making her your only attack target." She concluded as Street Fighter Ninja vanished. 'Looks like, I'll take some damage after all... I'm lucky to have done so much... my facedown card can help me setup a strategy for beating Obelisk next turn, depending on what I draw next...'

"It's time I dealt you that punishment now," Obelisk declared, drawing his next card. "And I do it by activating my special ability; sacrificing two of my monsters to destroy all of your monsters and deal 4000 points of damage at the same time!"

Alexis gasped as Obelisk reached down and grabbed the two sheep tokens into his hands. It was like a flashback of her last duel against Obelisk as both started to glow bright yellow and transformed into energy and transferred straight to Obelisk's head crest, turning it blood red.

"Soul Energy Max!"

The Egyptian God pulled back both of his mighty fists and then proceeded to strike down Alexis' monster in a massive collision of flames. It wasn't enough for damage as the flames surrounded her as she braced herself. Alexis cried out in pain, feeling the power coalesce around her before she dropped to the ground, barely conscious.

Kenji (Obelisk): 3850

Alexis: 4000

Obelisk laughed at the destruction he caused, "My Godly powers know no equal! Either my opponents lose their life points, or they drop like insects after one mighty fist! Why don't you stay down and bow to my power like all the rest?"

* * *

Alexis strained to get herself up, but all she could manage was an angry glare with an empty threat behind it. 'Why can't I move...? Did that attack... feel real? I have to... get up... save... Kenji...' She then closed her eyes... but when she opened her eyes again, all she saw was darkness. 'Wait... where's Obelisk? And the forest...where did everything go? What happened to me?'

 _ **"You are defeated... there is no point in going on any further..."**_

'Obelisk! What did you do to me?'

 _ **"I did nothing... you are the one who is keeping yourself down... I cannot blame you for cowering at my feet..."**_

'As soon as I get up, I'll defeat you!'

"Can you? Here's a revelation for you, little girl... I let you hit me all those times... it never mattered to me whether you've done little to massive damage... I could have destroyed you during the beginning of the duel if I wanted..."

Alexis gasped, 'You were toying with me the entire time?'

 _ **"You're forgetting that I am a God! With one word, I can make your attacks and defenses crumble within the blink of an eye... despite your knowledge of this boy's deck, you done remotely nothing to get him back. And once I finish you off, I finish off the Society of Light, this island, and then the entire world! None shall defy and abuse the power of the Egyptian Gods ever again!"**_

The Cyber Girl duelist looked soundly defeated. 'This whole time... I was never any close to getting Kenji back?' She started to shed tears. 'I'm sorry...'

 _"Giving up already? Come on, Alexis... I know you're stronger than that..."_

'Huh? Who's there?'

 _"And you forgot who I am? Now, I'm sad..."_

'Wait... Kenji?'

Suddenly, Kenji walked out from the dark void and stood in front of Alexis' fallen form. "I know you're not letting Obelisk talk you down like that... he's been doing the same to me in my mind, and I haven't cracked yet."

Alexis smiled weakly, 'You're okay...'

 _"Enough to come out and talk you out of your funk... listen; you gotta get back up and take it to that God monster. He just got one lucky shot in, while you practically dominated him with a lot more."_

'But...'

 _"It's just intimidation... he's just like every other card in the world... his only weaknesses are cards that can affect him without destroying or removing him from the field or taking him head on... and even though you can do the former, I know you have the power to do the latter as well... especially with the help I gave you..."_

'You mean...'

 _"Yeah... before Obelisk took over, I dropped a few cards on the ground and marked a tree where they landed... hoping you would see them and add them to your deck. Did you do it?"_

'I did, but I haven't drawn them yet...'

 _"Here's your chance, because since I'm briefly in your mind right now, I know your facedown card is capable of doing so..."_

'But I can't get up!'

 _"Then why are you standing before me?"_

Alexis gasped as she looked down and saw herself off the ground on her own two feet.

 _"I guess a motivational speaker was all you needed… and you got it from me..." Kenji smiled as he turned around. "Well, I haven't got long... so hurry with the rescuing, okay?"_

'Alright,' Alexis stated with a more determined smile as the darkness was overcome by the light.

 _"And by the way..." the ninja duelist said as he turned his head to give a heartwarming smile, "What Obelisk said about my feelings, it's all true..."_

* * *

The light blinded the darkness as Alexis found herself standing in the forest and in front of Obelisk. "Hey, I'm back!"

Obelisk gasped, "Impossible! You're supposed to be broken down! How did you get up!?"

Alexis smirked, "I guess you're not as almighty as you say, if you can't keep a 'little girl' down after one of your attacks..."

Obelisk growled. "You won't be so cocky, once my next turn starts!"

"Yeah, but my turn will look a lot better!" the Cyber Girl duelist stated, revealing her facedown card. "As I recall, when you used your effect to destroy my monsters, my Card of Last Will trap card was set off and allows me to draw five new cards!" She declared, drawing her desired number. She looked at her choices and smiled, 'These are the cards!'

"No matter what you draw, you shall fall!" Obelisk declared, concluding his.

"Wanna bet?" Alexis asked as she drew her next card. "First, I use the Shallow Grave to have both of us revive a monster from our graveyard and set them on the field! And I pick my Etolie Cyber!"

"And I choose White Ninja!" Obelisk countered as both players set their respective monsters on their duel disks.

"Finally, I play Polymerization to fuse her along with Blade Skater to form my Cyber Blader!" The two female dancing monsters appeared on the field and vanished into a fusion vortex. From it, the futuristic skater appeared and stared at Obelisk's towering form. (7/2100/800)

"So, after all that you're planning to destroy the ninja I have facedown?" Obelisk wondered.

"No, I plan on taking you down, Obelisk!" Alexis declared, "And with Cyber Blader's special ability, it's possible! Since you control two monsters on the field, her attack points double! And if I'm right, 4200 ATK are higher than your own attack!" She announced as Cyber Blader gained a bright blue aura, filling her with frightening power. (7/2100-4200/800)

"No, you can't!" the Egyptian God shouted.

"I can, and I will! Cyber Blader, attack and destroy Obelisk the Tormentor with Whirlwind Rage!" the Cyber Girl duelist commanded as the fusion monster went into a quick spin, creating a red tornado around her and heading towards God monster. The more the tornado crossed, the bigger it got and once it reached Obelisk, it engulfed him with the eye of the storm and left the God's head visible. Finally, the whirlwind let out a series of slashes that made the God monster scream in pain with pixels flying out from the winds making him shorter and shorter, until he sunk inside and was promptly dealt with.

Kenji (Obelisk): 3650

Alexis: 4000

"No... My card... defeated..." the possessed duelist screamed in fury.

"All cards are not unbeatable!" Alexis stated as the whirlwind died out and brought Cyber Blader back to her side of the field. (7/4200-2100/800) "Otherwise, Slifer and Ra wouldn't have lost to my friends!"

"They were fools! Always," Obelisk shouted. "They rely on so much for power, while I have nothing to rely on... I take! And I will stop of you humans from abusing us!"

"Your card is gone, so release Kenji now!" She demanded.

"Not if I have points left and monsters from this deck to use!"

"It's not even yours!" Alexis continued as she inserted two facedown cards.

"Per this body, it is!" Obelisk stated as he drew. "I set one card facedown and activate Card of Demise to draw until I have five cards from my hand!" He announced, drawing out the full five into his hand. "Next, I place another two cards facedown and play the Warrior Returning Alive Spell Card and activate Serial Spell along with it!" He continued as he played two of his cards into the disk. "Instead of bringing back one Warrior-Type Monster from the graveyard, I can bring back two with the cost of my hand, My Kabukis!"

The possessed duelist discarded the last card in his hand and retrieved two monsters.

"Now, I use my facedown Double Summon and bring out one of those Kabuki ninjas!" He announced as the first white armored ninja appeared. (3/700/700) "And then, I'll bring out another ninja, the Ninja of Dawn!" The young adult ninja in his red clothing and pulled out his long knives appeared with a grim look. (7/2500/2250)

"Since you have three monsters, Cyber Blader negates all card effects on your side of the field!" Alexis announced. _'But he'll soon have an army loose...'_

"Then, I'll use the second Kabuki summoning to make it four and soon five!" Obelisk countered, bringing back the second white armored ninja. (3/700/700) "Now come forth, Ninja of Twilight!" He announced as the childlike ninja in his orange jumpsuit appeared in a defensive stance. (3/1300/800)

"Before you make any moves, I activate my facedown cards, the spell Half Shut and the trap Panic Wave!" Alexis interrupted, revealing her facedown cards. "First, Panic Wave destroys one card on the field like my Half Shut card and negates the effect of every continuous spell and trap, and Effect monsters on the field!" Suddenly, a red and white wave of energy blanketed the field and caused all monsters to hunch over in pain. "Then, Half Shut will drain Ninja of Dawn of half his strength!" Then, a crimson aura surrounded the Ninja in question, leaving him more in pain. (7/2500-1250/2250) "Now you can't attack or unleash any of your monsters' effects."

Obelisk growled as Ninja of Dawn regained his strength. (7/1250-2500/2250) "I end my turn. You're really becoming a nuisance!"

"Whatever it takes," Alexis drew. "I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and dropping two!" She declared drawing her three cards and sending Machine Angel Ritual and another card from her hand into the graveyard. "Now I special summon Street Fighter Purna to the field since you control at least 2 monsters more than I do!" In a blue flash, the Arabian Street Fighter appeared and got into a fighting pose. (6/2300/1400) "Next, I activate the Crown of Command and equip it to Cyber Blader!" She announced as the crown from the spell card emerged and outfitted itself on the Cyber Blader's head. "Now when she battles another monster, this crown drains it of 500 ATK and DEF! Meaning, Ninja of Dawn will be defeated!"

Cyber Blader prepared to spin rapidly and create the giant tornado, heading for the Ninja of Dawn.

"Not so fast, reveal Ninja Smoke Ball!" Obelisk announced, revealing his facedown card. Ninja of Dawn threw a smoke ball into the tornado, making it explode into black smoke. It served to disorient Cyber Blader enough to stop her spinning.

"I attack with Street Fighter Purna! Destroy Kabuki!" Alexis continued as the dancing fighter spun in a dazzling pirouette and smashed the ninja's face with a hard kick, breaking him into pixels.

Kenji (Obelisk): 2050

Alexis: 4000

"I end my turn!" She concluded. _'I've done all I can to hold my ground... he's still able to use effects, meaning he can drain my monsters power...'_

"All of that for nothing!" Obelisk shouted as he drew his next card. He then grinned. "Now suffer the true terror of this boy's inner demons! I sacrifice my Kabuki and facedown White Ninja to summon Ninja of Dusk!"

Alexis gasped as the facedown card and the second Kabuki ninja shattered, creating the familiar orb of blue fire. It hit the ground, letting the blue flames erupted outwards and bringing out the tall, blue-haired young man clad in his dark orange jumpsuit and unsheathing his two sharp, triple-edged blades as it fanned out and dissipated the flames. (9/3000/2700)

She quickly regained her composure, "You know you have three monsters; meaning all of your monsters' abilities are negated before you can activate them..."

Obelisk laughed harshly, causing lightning to crash around him and kick up the ground. "I think you forgotten about the monster that defeated me in my last duel! Its powers were so great, I decided to usurp its power and continue to thrive..."

Alexis looked on horribly at the three monsters, finally remembering the last duel, "Oh no..."

"You thought by destroying my card, you'd free your friend..." the Egyptian God grinned. "You were dead wrong... meet the new improved Obelisk the Tormentor!" He turned to his three monsters. "Now merge! Ninjas of Dawn, Dusk and Twilight, become the ultimate Ninja God of the Azure Flames!"

Ninja of Dusk jumped in to the middle of Twilight and Dawn, grabbing them by their collars and then using his 2128 Drain technique to digitize them. But it caused a side effect: Dawn and Twilight erupted into flames and surrounded the Ninja of Dusk causing him to scream out in a raspy sound. Soon, his skin started to shock with electricity and turned it pitch black. Alexis started to shiver as Dusk's form went bright and then held his arms up, carrying two, black wing-like objects and then shot different colors around the playing field and digitizing it. He then took the energy within himself and his eyes went bright blue. Soon, the body and the joints of all of Dusk's limbs erupted into blue flames and then created a soft of lower armor. His lower were now magenta leg armor with a black belt. The arms were now three long sword and claw-like weapons with a black spinning wheel attached. The head was now floating above the flames, yet right behind the body a large crest-like structure appeared behind it with a large pinwheel inside it. The new monster floated ominously above Kenji as blue flames surrounded its form. (12/4000/3700)

"Not this monster..." The Cyber Girl duelist breathed.

"Last time this monster was here, it shorted out your duel disk forcing you to drop out..." Obelisk smirked. "But I hope that this time... it doesn't happen... for you're the first I had to use this monster on... and since we have time, the effects can be told..."

"What effects?" Alexis asked.

"First of which, my Ninja God is unaffected by all of your card effects if Ninja of Dawn stays in the graveyard." He informed. "When Ninja of Dusk is in the graveyard, it gains 200 ATK for every monster in your graveyard!" The Ninja God's power grew as the blue flames grew higher. (12/4000-5200/3700) "And before I tell you about it's finally ability, I activate the continuous trap card, Skull Invitation!" The trap card revealed itself, summoning a horned, blue-skinned demon in a black robe holding out his hand. "Along with this trap card, and my monster's next effect, you are doomed! For with Ninja of Twilight in the graveyard, I can destroy every card on your field!"

Alexis gasped, _'Along with Skull Invitation, I'll lose 300 points for every card... that's 1500!"_

The God gathered his hands together and unleashed a small orb of flames that floated towards Alexis' side of the field. Once it reached the middle...

*KABOOM!*

Alexis was left on the ground behind her scorched field.

Kenji (Obelisk): 2050

Alexis: 2500

The Obelisk Blue girl groaned as she sat up on her knees, "What was... Kenji thinking... to have this kind of monster..." She mused to herself as the Ninja God grew more power with two more monsters in her graveyard. (12/5200-5600/3700)

"But since I used that, I can't enter my battle phase..." Obelisk smirked, "Fight back... if you can..."

 _'Alright... the only way I can beat this thing is to take out the cards in his graveyard,'_ she thought, remembering how the God's monster effects work. _'As broken as this card is, it still has a weakness... I just hope I can get the right cards out before it takes out the rest of my points... not to mention I must get everyone involved in Obelisk's wake back to the school..._ ' She then drew next card. 'But this isn't it... It can buy me time...' She inserted into her disk, it's hologram near her feet. "I place one card facedown!"

"One turn in, and my God has already left you defenseless enough to just finish you off," Obelisk grinned, drawing his next card. "And with only one card defending you, I can just destroy you now! Ninja God, attack!"

"Not so fast," Alexis interrupted, revealing her facedown card. "I activate Scapegoat to cancel out your attack by blocking with four sheep tokens!" She announced as the multicolored sheep appeared in four puffs of smoke... (1/0/0) x4 yet, one of them ended up caught in a giant blue flame that burned it into ashes.

"Still, since the Scapegoat card was sent to the graveyard, you lose another 300 points!" Obelisk pointed out as a red aura stung Alexis again.

Kenji (Obelisk): 2050

Alexis: 2200

"It doesn't matter whether you set cards to delay me or wait, your destruction is inevitable!"

"From where I'm standing, even if you decide to use your ability to destroy my monsters, tokens don't go to the graveyard." Alexis stated as she drew her next card. "But with what I'm planning, I'll place another card facedown." She said, inserting a new card into her disk.

"You don't have a plan! My God card is unstoppable and I doubt you have anything to use that can withstand almost 6000 ATK!" Obelisk snapped as he drew his next card. He smirked at his find. "And to make sure you're left wide open, I activate Heat Wave!" He announced as spell emerged, depicting several dinosaurs receiving a massive heat wave. "It stops us both from summoning any effect monsters until my next turn! So resign yourself to you defeat!" A red aura took away some of his life points with Skull Invitation.

Kenji: (Obelisk): 1750

Alexis: 2200

"Not gonna happen!" Alexis retorted.

"Then, I'll just deal what little damage I can before you're done... Now Ninja God, destroy all cards!"

"Before you do, I activate a gift from a friend, Trap of Darkness!" She announced, revealing her facedown card depicting a large, orange orb inside of a cracked ground brimming with darkness. "Since I have less than 3000 life points, I can pay 1000 to use a Normal Trap card from my graveyard by removing it from play!" Before she could announce the name, another large wave of blue flames crashed into her side of the field and burning away all the cards.

Kenji (Obelisk): 1750

Alexis: 900

"That should make you scarce for a while..." Obelisk smirked.

"It's not nice to interrupt someone during her move!" Alexis shouted as the flames dissipated. "The card I removed with Trap of Darkness was my Card of Last Will, giving me an extra five cards into my hand."

Obelisk growled, thinking that his plan to scare his opponent into submission failed. "I end my turn! But don't bother summoning any monsters to save you!"

Alexis drew out her next card. "I place three cards face down on the field!" She announced, inserting three of her cards into her disk. "And that's all I need to defeat you!"

The Egyptian God laughed loudly once more, "You've just sealed your own doom! Once I use my God's effect, those cards will drain your remaining life points! This only serves my purpose to punish the world for abusing the God Cards! This is the end for you!"

"Then, I would stop talking and make your move," Alexis said, keeping a strong stance. "Who knows, my facedown cards my put an end to your plans and free Kenji..."

"If the young lady wishes it..." Obelisk grinned, drawing his next card. "Farewell... I attack and activate..." As he raises his right hand, he suddenly started to move uncontrollably and shake furiously... "Impossible... what's going on?"

Alexis was about to activate the facedown card that could save her, but when she saw Obelisk struggling with Kenji's body, she stopped. "Huh, what's happening?"

Obelisk roared in anguish as he tried to regain control of the limbs, "You pathetic human! Let go, you have no more control of this body... I'll finish off your worthless female!"

Then suddenly, a spirit image of Kenji appeared behind Obelisk and held him in a submission technique that bound his own body.

 _"No. You won't use me for this!"_ Kenji shouted, applying more pressure to the hold.

Alexis gasped at what she was seeing, "Kenji!"

Sparing a glance at the Cyber Girl duelist, the ninja duelist quickly told her, _"Alexis, what you have facedown, use them now! I won't be able to hold him for long!"_

Alexis nodded, as she quickly revealed one of her facedown cards, "I activate my facedown card, Disappear! And thanks to revealing that monster's weakness, I can use this trap to remove Ninja of Dawn from your graveyard!"

"WHAT!" Obelisk shouted as Ninja of Dawn's card slipped out of his graveyard, causing some of the blue flames around the God to fade. "Release me, now!"

"No... chance..." Kenji grunted, feeling himself lose the grip.

"Hang on Kenji," Alexis cried, revealing her second card. "With Ninja God of the Azure Flames now vulnerable to card effects, I use the effect of De-Fusion to place it back into the Fusion Deck!"

Obelisk shouted in anguish as a portal opened and started to suck in everything insight like a vacuum. "NO!" The flames of the God were sucked in first, seemingly draining the monster of its power and started to slump over. Then, it released its weapons and let them be sucked into the vortex along with the Ninja God itself and then finally, the spirit of Obelisk was sucked inside, along with the darkness that took a hold of Kenji, closing the portal. A red aura surrounded Alexis, due to her use of Disappear and De-Fusion, draining her down to her last points.

Kenji (Obelisk): 1750

Alexis: 300

Kenji then fell to his knees, with tiring eyes that were threatening to close with a hint of darkness surrounding him.

"Kenji, are you alright?" Alexis started to walk over to the weakened duelist.

"Stop... Alexis..." Kenji whispered. "The duel's... still on..."

"But..."

"Besides... there's one more person... I need to apologize to... it's in your graveyard, I know..."

"Are you sure?" the Obelisk girl wondered as she drew her next card.

"Positive," the ninja duelist replied. "I deserve a good smack... after what I've done..."

"Okay..." Alexis nodded, activating her facedown card, "I use the trap, Call of the Haunted to revive Star Ninja Kaabii that I sent to the graveyard with Graceful Charity!" She announced as flash of light, brought out the small, round, pink ninja emerging from the graveyard, staring straight at Kenji. (6/2050/1800)

 _"Poyo!"_ Kaabii shouted to his partner across the field with angry stare.

Kenji gave up a weak smile, "Yeah, I know... I'd be angry at me too with what I done. I know I can't take back what I've done to you and everybody during my time in the Society, but I'll do whatever it takes earn back the trust. For starters, you can attack me directly..."

" _Poyo!"_ the spirit smirked as he punched his tiny fists together and inflated himself.

"Kaabii, attack directly!" Alexis commanded, prompting the ninja monster to fly at blinding speed and tackled Kenji right in the gut, dispelling any excess darkness away and leaving him staggering on his knees.

Kenji (Obelisk): 0

Alexis: 300, Winner

Kenji managed a weak smile to Alexis before he started to collapse, but before he felt the cold ground on his face, he felt someone catch him. As he tilted his head up, he found Alexis staring down at him with a hopeful look in your eyes. "Nice catch..."

"Kenji... is that really you...?" She asked.

"Well... I'm not with Society... I'm not going deep into darkness... so yeah, I feel like my old self again..." He replied. "Especially since I not trying to run away again... Sorry for all the grief I put you through..."

Tears started to flow through as Alexis started to hug the ninja duelist closer to her.

"Whoa..." Kenji grunted. "Little out of breath here..."

"Sorry..." She muttered as she loosened her hold on him. "Then I'll do something else... unless..."

"Unless..."

"Is what you said true?" Alexis wondered. "What Obelisk said?"

Kenji smiled, "Of course... just not sure you felt the same way with you and I being frie... mmph!"

Kenji's eyes widened as he realized that Alexis was kissing him, passionately I might add! Kenji was completely overwhelmed by it that once it was over, he fainted! Alexis giggled at the sight.

"I better call everyone to help me move everyone..." She said, still smiling about her kiss. "It's going to be awhile... but I wouldn't have any other way..." She sat back close to a tree, enjoy her moment with the now unconscious Kenji, with the spirit of Kaabii looked over them with a big smile!

Finally got Kenji and Alexis together! If you don't like it, sorry but this is what I'm trying to do with my version of the story.

* * *

Extra Fusion

Normal Spell

Send, from your Extra Deck to the Graveyard, Fusion Monsters that are listed as Fusion Material Monsters on a Fusion Monster Card, and Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon).

(Used by Grieger in the 5D's manga, all rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Hero's Rule 1: Five Freedoms

Normal Trap

Select a total of 5 cards in your opponent's Graveyard and remove them from play.

(Used by Jaden Yuki in the GX episode Rise of the Sacred Beasts, all rights go to the creators.)

Pure Pupil

Counter Trap

Activate only when your opponent activates the effect of an Effect Monster while you control a monster with an ATK of 1000 or less. Negate the activation and effect(s) of that Effect Monster, and destroy it.

(This card was first played by Alexis Rhode in the GX episode: Obelisk White! All rights go to the creators)

Panic Wave

Normal Trap

Select 1 card you control, and destroy it. During this turn, negate the effects of all face-up Continuous Spell Cards, Continuous Trap Cards, and Effect Monsters on the field.

(Used by Yusei in the 5D's episode, Get with the Program, Part 2. All rights go to the creators)

Anvil of Burden

Continuous Trap

Activate when a Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls destroys a monster on your side of the field in battle. That monster cannot switch its position and loses 1000 ATK.

(Created by me; creative card rights go to me while the name belongs to Double Fine)

Ninja God of the Azure Flames

Level 12

FIRE

Warrior/Fusion/Effect

ATK: 4000

DEF: 3700

Effect: "Ninja Of Dawn" + "Ninja Of Twilight" + "Ninja Of Dusk". This card cannot be Special-Summoned, except by Fusion-Summon. This card can only be Fusion-Summoned by sending the above material from the field to the Graveyard (you do not need a Polymerization). This card is also treated as a LIGHT-Attribute monster. This card is also treated as a Pyro-type monster. You cannot control any other monsters. When this card is destroyed by battle, Special Summon 1 "Ninja Of Dusk" from your Graveyard, ignoring summoning conditions (if possible).This card gains the following effects when the Fusion material monsters are in the Graveyard:

("Ninja Of Dawn": This card is unaffected by your opponent's card effects)

("Ninja Of Twilight": Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1, you can destroy all cards your opponent controls. If you use this effect, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn. This effect cannot be negated.)

("Ninja Of Dusk": This card gains 200 ATK for each monster in your opponent's Graveyard.)

Artwork: Azure Kite's Azure Flame God form from .hack/G.U.

(Revised by Master of Death and Darkness, all rights go to him.)

Next time: Melody deals with Bastion once and for all, and gets a surprise in store. Finally, Jaden gets a surprise exam from a leading dueling professor, who believes luck has nothing to do with dueling.

Please rate and review! Later!


	68. Playing it Smart

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 68: Playing it Smart!

* * *

At the docks, Isaac found himself face to face against a familiar SOL duelist with a big agenda. The Toon duelist found himself up against the wall and yet able to win against that said SOL duelist...

"Alright... I got my Toon Dark Magician Girl and Toon Blue Eyes White Dragon in position to take out your life points next turn..." Isaac stated. "Any last words... Bastion?"

The intellectual duelist gave an evil smirk as he drew his next card. "Yes... prepare to lose! I sacrifice my facedown monster and summon a monster that's very familiar to you and then equip it with White Veil!"

Isaac gasped as the monster took form, like he saw a horrifying monster in a sinister Light, "How'd you get that... monster!?"

"Attack!"

Bastion's monster let out a giant blast that obliterated Toon World and all of Isaac's monsters, finally engulfing him a giant blast.

"AAAAHHHHH!"

* * *

At the Ra Yellow Dorm, Melody gasped as she saw a picture of her brother fall off her shelf and cracked the glass. She picked it up and quickly cleaned up the glass before she headed out for a duel and then visit Claudio in the Infirmary. Now she saw the cracked picture of her brother and started feeling bad...

 _'Why would Isaac's picture fall so suddenly?_ ' She thought worriedly. _'I hope this isn't something bad... gotta find Isaac and make sure he's okay...'_

As she grabbed her duel disk, she finally got a call from her Duel Pilot. It showed Bastion's face with an evil smile.

 _ **[Hello, Melody]**_ He greeted _**[I suppose you're having fun with dueling in the GX tournament.]**_

The Magician duelist groaned, "What do you want, Bastion?"

 _ **[Such hostility... is that any way to treat your friends?]**_

"You stopped being my friend when you sold yourself to the Society!" Melody snapped. "When you get the sense knocked into you, maybe we could talk like old times... now get off my Duel Pilot, I'm going to see my brother!"

 _ **[Funny you should say that...]**_ Bastion then turned his Duel Pilot to face a sight that horrified the Magician duelist. The fallen form of her brother, turned stark white with a weakened stare back at the picture...

"Isaac!" She shouted and then growled. "Bastion, it wasn't enough that you threw a match but now you took my brother from me!? How could you!?"

 _ **[Simple... I wanted to prove I was better, so I dueled your brother and defeated him]**_ the SOL duelist scoffed _ **. [Especially since he had to accept the first challenge given to him... and now it's your turn... I extend an invitation to duel you for the fate of your brother!]**_

"What?"

 _ **[I haven't brainwashed him, but I have immobilized Isaac to keep him from serving a true purpose later...]**_ Bastion stated _ **. [And I'd like to bring a family in together… and then, once I finish you off, Claudio's next.]**_

Melody narrowed her eyes. "You make it so sure you'll win?"

 _ **[A matter of common sense with the deck I prepared to defeat yours... after analyzing your tactics of the Magician deck you hold, mine will win!]**_

"The last time you analyzed a person's deck, Jaden beat you without resorting to fusion!" The magician duelist retorted back. "And I'll do the same for whatever you're planning... so where are you?"

 _ **[Just outside the White Dorm... now, come face me!]**_ Bastion challenged as he cut off the transmission.

'Just when I thought he made the stupidest mistake ever... he proves me wrong...' Melody thought, taking out her duel disk and shuffling her deck. Suddenly, her duel spirit, Dark Magician Girl, appeared right next to her.

"You're going through with it, right?" Mana asked.

"I really don't have a choice..." Melody replied, placing her deck into her disk holder and walked out of her dorm room with her spirit following, "I was going to duel Bastion later after checking on Claudio, but Isaac needs my help."

 _"Just don't let him get to you..."_ Her duel spirit warned before vanishing.

 _'I know...'_ the Ra thought. _'I won't go back on the same words I warned Claudio for...'_

She then opened the door to the Ra Yellow Dorm and exited the building...

* * *

About 20 minutes later, she made her way to the moat across from the White Dorm, where he saw Bastion waiting on her with Isaac on the ground next to him. Melody immediately ran over to her brother while Bastion backed away for some distance.

"Are you...?" Melody didn't want to think about if her brother was a part of the Society.

"I'm still me..." He replied weakly. "I can't believe he caught me off-guard so badly. He's got this..."

"Don't tell me his strategy..." She stated, facing the SOL duelist. "I want to beat him in a fair game."

"All done?" Bastion smirked, activating his duel disk. "Good, now it's time I bring you to see the Light!"

"Just shut up and duel..." Melody retorted, activating her own. "That line is getting old..."

Both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Bastion: 8000

Melody: 8000

"I'll begin," Bastion announced, drawing his sixth card. "I set one card facedown and summon a monster you might remember!" A bright flash of light appeared in front of the SOL duelist and brought a familiar sight to Melody as she gasped. It was a young woman wearing an outfit, like the Dark Magician Girl appeared, except the skirt was purple and the scepter was large and looked like giant hook with magic jewels. (4/1600/1800)

"Magician's Valkyria!"

"Yes, I figure we should have a duel of magicians," the SOL duelist smirked. "After all, it is how your brother failed to defeat you at Domino city and it is how he lost to me."

"And I'll make you pay for that," Melody announced, drawing her sixth card. "I summon my Maiden of Macabre!" A dark fog emerged and brought out the scythe-wielding geisha, gave off the menacing stare towards Bastion. (4/1700/0) "Now, attack Magician's Valkyria! I won't let you disrespect the Magicians!" the Maiden shrieked and dashed across the field, raising her scythe in the air.

"I activate the Magician's Circle trap card!" Bastion countered, revealing another familiar trap card and brought out the Spellbinding Circle to the middle of the field. "And we both know the effects, so let's just get down to summoning the monsters then... I choose another Magician's Valkyria!"

The Ra Magician duelist grumbled as a second Valkyria appeared right next to the first. (4/1600/1800) "Fine, I'll bring out my Dark Magician Girl!" She announced as her ace monster appeared and stood by Melody with an angry expression upon her cute face. (6/2000/1700)

 _'That's one...'_ Bastion thought, concealing an evil smile.

"And since I can't attack both of your monsters, I'll end my turn with the Arcane Barrier continuous spell card," Melody concluded as a star-shaped seal appeared around her feet.

 _'At least she kept a strong offense..._ ' Isaac thought. _'She just needs to watch out for the monster that beat me down...'_

"A shame that's all you can do," Bastion smirked as he drew his next card. He chuckled at his find, "I think your brother will remember this monster... Come forth, Silent Magician LV4 in attack mode!" A young, short girl appeared in front of the Light possessed duelist. She had red eyes, short silvery hair, wore a white pointed wizarding hat with a blue gem at the front and held a short staff in her hands with a half crescent tip also containing a blue gem. Apart from that, she wore blue clothes, covered by an elegant white tunic. (4/1000/1000)

Isaac gasped, "Melody, watch out for that monster! It's how he beat me!"

"There isn't a thing she can do if my Valkyria's bar her from attacks," the SOL duelist proclaimed, inserting two more cards into his disk, letting the reversed holograms appear on the field.

"I still have spells and traps to deal with that problem," Melody stated, "Or have you forgotten I how can use every Spellcaster monster to my advantage?"

"On the contrary, I know how you play... and that's how I'm going to win... I end my turn." Bastion concluded.

"Think again," Melody drew her next card.

"Hold on!" Bastion interrupted, "By drawing a card, it activates Silent Magician's effect! She gains a Spell Counter each time you draw cards, which adds up to 500 extra ATK!" A blue Spell Counter appeared from the sky and disappeared into young Magician's scepter. (4/1000-1500/1000)

 _'Too bad she'll be all alone in a minute...'_ Melody thought, looking at a certain card in her hand. It was a monster with a living potted plant whose roots were holding several items such as magnifying glasses, a beaker filled with water and a yellow, injection needle. _'I decided that Puppet Plant should be in my deck with most players using Warrior monsters... and lucky for me, it's used for Spellcasters too... so I'll take Magician's Valkryia and launch a suicide attack against the other, while my other monsters strike. That also fills up my Arcane Barrier for more cards... and then I have Cold Wave to stop him from using those facedown cards... I'm set!'_ "I play..."

"I activate Disturbance Strategy!" Bastion interrupted, putting the focus back on him as one of his facedown cards revealed it, depicting a fire spreading over a campsite with the residents panicking. "This trap card forces you to place your hand back into your deck and draw out a new one! So whatever your current hand held, will now be ruined!"

 _'No...'_ the Hikariis thought as Melody shuffled her 5-card hand back into her deck and redrew another five cards.

"And since you drew, another spell counter is placed into Silent Magician!" Bastion continued as a second counter fused itself into the magician's wand. (4/1500-2000/1000)

"From this new hand, you gave me something to work with," Melody countered, inserting a new card. "I activate the Sage's Stone spell card!"

"And I counter that with Dark Bribe, a counter trap card!" Bastion interrupted, revealing the second card for a man in blue robe, with the badge for evil, slipping some money into another man's red robe. "This stops your spell card from activating, but allows you to draw a card... meaning my Magician gets more powerful!"

The Ra girl sighed as she drew another card, while another spell counter entered Silent Magician's wand. (4/2000-2500/1000)

 _'This is how he got me...'_ Isaac growled, _'Destroyed Toon World, and stopped everything I could to bring it back...'_

"I end my turn by switching both of my monsters to defense mode and a facedown card." Melody announced as her female monsters kneeled and blocked with their weapons, while inserting a reversed card.

"Falling apart are we dear friend," Bastion laughed as he drew another card. "And it continues to get worse for you... first, I summon the Rapid Fire Magician!" He announced as a male magician in a purple suit, wizard hat and cape appeared, carrying two silver scepters with white orbs in them. (4/1600/1200)

"Oh no..." the Magician duelist gasped.

"Next, I play a normal spell card, Heaven's Lost Property!" Bastion announced, revealing a spell depicting people gathering angel feathers from the sky. "Think of this card as the Spellbook Inside the Pot version of Graceful Charity; letting us both draw three cards and discard two afterwards."

"Yeah, I got it..." Melody groaned as both players drew out their three cards and discarded two of them.

"And you do realize that not only my Silent Magician gains another spell counter, but Rapid-Fire Magician deals 400 points for using a normal spell in his presence!" The SOL duelist added on as the orbs on Rapid-Fire Magician's scepters grew red. He launched them at the Ra, who quickly shielded herself with her duel disk. Plus, another spell counter entered Silent Magician's wand. (4/2500-3000/1000)

Bastion: 8000

Melody: 7600

Also, Bastion caught on to Dark Magician Girl's sudden change in points. (6/2000-2300/1700) "I see, since you couldn't summon him to the field to damage me, you had to resort to leaving him in the graveyard to serve his true purpose..."

"I wouldn't talk about my cards like that..." Melody warned with a hard stare, with her spirit partner glaring along with her.

"Then let me shed some light on the situation by activating another Normal Spell Stop Defense! Forcing Maiden of Macabre to attack mode!" The SOL duelist continued as the geisha stood up and ready to fight. Then, another red orb shot towards Melody's duel disk.

Bastion: 8000

Melody: 7200

"Silent Magician, attack Maiden of Macabre!" Bastion commanded as the small magician raised her scepter and launched large orb of light at the maiden, blasting her to starry bits around Melody.

Bastion: 8000

Melody: 5900

"By destroying a Spellcaster monster, Arcane Barrier receives a Spell Counter!" She replied as the Spell Counter activated behind her. (AB: 1SPC)

"I think that about does it for me," the intellectual duelist replied. "After all, I can disrupt your moves at will while attacking your weak monsters... offer yourself to the Light now, and I can spare you the brainwashing."

"Don't count on it," Melody stated as she drew her next card.

"You can count on my Silent Magician gaining her fifth Spell Counter," Bastion replied as a fifth Spell Counter entered Silent Magician's scepter, finally making her glow with bright light. (4/3000-3500/1000)

 _'Yeah, but I got the perfect way to take her down and bring out more of my best,'_ Melody thought, looking at her current six card hand. She took two cards into her disk, inserting one while placing another one face-up on the field. "I place one card facedown and then summon Apprentice Magician in defense mode!" She announced as the young, tomboyish appeared and blocked with her thin scepter. (2/400/800) "And then, she'll give my Arcane Barrier another Spell Counter, thanks to her special ability!"

A second counter on the continuous spell card's seal activated by Melody's left foot, connecting with the first. (AB: 2SPC)

"Hope you got something good coming, sis," Isaac said. "Because..."

"I know what's coming," She interrupted softly as she turned Dark Magician Girl's card vertically, making her turn to attack mode, "Just watch what happens next... "

"It's a feeble attempt to create an obvious trap, leaving your monsters in such a manner," Bastion announced as he drew. "But then again, I have finally surpassed everyone's expectations; for too long, I've been ignored my right for the duels to recognize me as a top ranked duelist aside from a scholar. Now I can take down one of the foes who are in my way!"

"Just play the card, Bastion," Melody groaned, "Nobody's in the mood for your monologues!"

"If you wish your defeat, I will grant it," the intellectual duelist smirked. "With Silent Magician having five Spell Counters, she can now ascend in her evolution! I can now sacrifice her to Special Summon Silent Magician Level 8!" The small magician was enveloped by the bright light that surrounded it. When it died down after a moment, the Spellcaster in question had changed. She was much taller, had longer hair, was more matured and carried herself in an adult manner. Her clothes and scepter were still the same, but fitted to her size. (8/3500/1000)

"Be careful, Mel," Isaac said, staring at the monster. "He held me off with this card before defeating me with another!"

"Yes, one of the instruments of your destruction is here to annihilate your former existence and bring you into..."

"What did I say about the monologues?" Melody interrupted. "Then again, I'll let my next card do the talking by taking out the monster that beat my brother! I use the trap, Dark Renewal!" She announced as a purple and bronze coffin with a pentagram over a sword cross marking on it. Bastion gasped. "Oh, you didn't think I would use this? Too bad, you have to lose a monster you just summoned along with one of mine for a Spellcaster to comeback from my Graveyard!"

The coffin opened, expending two red energy tendrils that turned both Silent Magician and Apprentice Magician into orbs and sucked them inside before closing.

"Dark Magician, come out!" She announced as the coffin reopened to unleash Melody's version of the famous Dark Magician, which his apprentice cheerfully hugged, causing him to smile right back. (7/2500/2100), (6/2300-2000/1700) "And it doesn't matter about your two Valkryias on the field; I have a lot of faith in my monsters and with any card, I can beat your Spellcaster Lockdown!"

Bastion's shock turned to silent laughter, "Of course you can, Melody... which is why I wanted you to have both of your prized monsters on the field."

"Huh?" the Hikariis wondered.

"I can't wait any longer to see the look on your face when I prepare to end this duel."

"Just cut to the chase," Isaac shouted.

"Very well, but there's one card I'd like to play," the SOL duelist proclaimed as he inserted another card into the disk. The hologram's card depicting an ancient sanctuary in the middle of a desert and a magic circle above... Melody realized the card's name...

"Spell Sanctuary," She cried.

"Yes, first we take any spell card from our decks and add them to our hands." Bastion declared as he and Melody took their choice spell cards from their decks. "Finally, as long as this card's on the field..."

"... all Spell Cards can be played as Quick-Play Spell cards." Melody finished.

"Now, I place two cards to facedown and end my turn," Bastion concluded, emptying his hand.

"Then, I draw!" Melody announced, drawing her next card.

"And I activate the trap card, Power Balance!" the SOL duelist announced, revealing a normal trap card depicting a set of scales with three Duel Monster Cards on each stand. "When I have no cards in my hand, this trap forces you to drop half of your hand into the graveyard and I get to draw an equal amount."

The Ra girl took three of her six card hand and sent them into the graveyard, while Bastion drew out his own three.

"Well, now I get to activate a spell card of my own, from my hand I play Forbidden Chalice to one of your Magician's Valkyrias to negate the effects while giving them 400 ATK!" the Magician duelist countered as one of the Valkyria was drenched in holy water, draining her inner power. (4/1600-2000/1800) "And thanks to that, your other Valkryia is wide open for my Dark Magician Girl's attack!" Her spirit partner took flight and stretched her scepter towards the effect drained spellcaster...

"The time is now; I activate a new spell card, a request from me to Master Sartorius!" the SOL duelist announced inserting a spell card into the disk. The hologram of the card showed a picture of the original Dark Magician staring into a mirror and shocked to see an evil version of his own self inside the mirror's reflection. "This is the newly made, Mirror Match!"

"Another card from Sartorius," Melody gasped.

"Correct," the SOL duelist stated as he and the spell card started to glow bright white. "This lets me send the monsters on my field to the graveyard and Special summon monsters from my deck with the same names as yours! And they also must equal the number of monster you currently control, but it's all perfect!" He turned to the monsters he currently had as a giant three-glass mirror appeared behind them. "Magician's Valkyrias, you have served my purpose, so begone!"

Afterwards, it was if as an unknown force knocked the two Valkyrias into the mirror but instead of cracking it, they went through it! Next, it showed the mirror's reflection of Melody's two Spellcasters... except the reflection carried evil smiles and then zoomed out of the mirror to present them in front of the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. Bastion's versions of both had dark skin, white hair and red and dark gold clothes. (7/2500/2100), (6/2000/1700)

Melody was in shock of the entire thing; she knew another version of the Dark Magician, other than the ones she and Yugi Moto owned, existed... owned by Arkana, a former duelist of the Rare Hunter Gang... she noticed when she watched the Battle City duels as a little girl, noticing a magician dueling on the streets before vanishing without a trace, but a darker version of the Dark Magician Girl, she was at a loss for words.

"This is what he beat me with..." Isaac muttered.

"Fitting for the soon-to-be rightful top ranked duelist to carry the legendary cards of the King of Games," Bastion smirked. "I hope you're not too shocked in seeing the new face of Duel Academy and the Society of Light rise to glory."

Shaking herself out of the shock, Melody replied with, "I hope you're not planning for me to completely break my focus... you want a true match of Magicians, then you got it!"

"We'll have to wait," the SOL duelist raised a hand to prevent further interruption. "Due to using Mirror Match, the Battle Phase must be skipped the same number of turns as the monsters on the field. Since there are four, four turns must pass."

"Fine, then I place one card facedown." Melody concluded.

'Of course, the common duelist would use one of the Dark Magicians to destroy the apprentice... but I have a better idea...' Bastion thought as he drew his next card. "I place two cards facedown to conclude turn number two."

"Okay," Melody sighed, drawing her next card. "I place one card facedown for turn three."

"And for me," Bastion said he drew again. "One card facedown as well..."

"So it's three facedowns with the Dark Magicians and Dark Magician Girls," Isaac said to himself. "Let's hope its Melody's that comes out after the crossfire... with her life points behind by 2100, she needs the right cards."

"I draw," Melody announced. "I'll place my last facedown card."

"Very well," Bastion announced as he drew. He then inserted a spell card depicting a dark and red striped hand emerging from the dark skies. "Let's start the festivities with my Beckon to Darkness spell from my hand! With it, I can destroy your Dark Magician Girl!"

Melody's DMG gasped as the giant hand emerged from the sky and reached out towards her.

"I activate Spell Shield Type-8!" the Ra duelist countered, revealing her facedown card. It showed an elaborate machine-shield with magic symbols around it. "Since you're using a spell card that targets, I can use this Counter Trap to nullify its effects!" Sure enough, the same shield from the trap card emerged and zapped the dark hand back into its portal, much to her DMG's relief.

"Impressive, but let's see you defend yourself from a high-powered Dark Magician when I activate my Gift of the Martyr Spell to tribute my Rapid-Fire Magician to Dark Magician!" Bastion countered as spell's power prepared to extract the soul from the Rapid-Fire Magician...

"Not until I destroy him with my Thousand Knives spell card!" Melody shouted, revealing her named spell card. "Dark Magician, take out Rapid-Fire Magician!" Suddenly, exactly 1000 floating knives appeared behind and around Melody's field. With one command from her powerful spellcaster, Melody's magician forced the daggers to pierce through the double-scepter magician.

"You may have stopped another set of card combos, but Rapid-Fire Magician still deals damage because of the Normal Spell Cards being played in his presence!"

Bastion: 8000

Melody: 5300

"And Arcane Barrier gains a Spell Counter because a spellcaster was destroyed!" Melody retorted as another part of barrier lit up. (AB: 2 SPC)

"I'll still attack Dark Magician Girl with my Dark Magician!" Bastion announced as the evil DM charged at Melody's DMG, preparing to launch a Dark Magic Attack at close range.

"Hold on, I activate a trap card!" the Ra girl interrupted, revealing her next facedown card. It depicted four large black hats with ? marks on them. "I activate the trap, Magical Hats! Forget the old days of when it was a magic card, this takes Dark Magician Girl, along with two non-Monster cards from my deck and then replaces them as set cards and swaps them around!" Soon, Bastion's DM was pushed back as a giant hat covered Dark Magician Girl and soon multiplied to make three of them on the field.

"It won't matter if I hit Dark Magician Girl on those facedown cards," Bastion smirked as one of his facedown cards revealed itself. "I activate the Equip Spell, Dark Spear onto my Dark Magician so I can go after those tokens... on the right!" He stated as the top of his Dark Magician's scepter became a large spearhead with a skull engraved on it. He then flew across the field again, chopping down a hat... with no monster inside... but a shield and sword with demonic symbols on them. (1/0/0)

Melody grinned as she revealed her facedown card, "Not only you destroyed Cursed Armaments to activate its effect, but I activate Dimension Wall to make sure you take all the damage!"

The SOL duelist gasped as a vortex took in all the damage away from his opponent and then smashed straight into his face.

Bastion: 5500

Melody: 5300

"And then Cursed Armaments equips to your Dark Magician Girl and drains her of 600 ATK!" She continued as the demonic weapons latched on to Bastion's DMG and drained her of her strength. (6/2000-1400/1700)

"I won't stand for that!" Bastion countered, revealing another facedown card depicting a stereotypical witch with a censor sign above it, "I activate Last Day of the Witch to destroy all face-up Spellcaster monsters!" Melody gasped as green smoke enveloped the field, causing all the monsters on the field to choke and shatter into pixels. It also created another spell counter in her Arcane Barrier. (AB: 3SPC) "Now, I activate Monster Reborn to revive Dark Magician Girl!" He continued as the dark-skinned female magician reappeared with an evil smirk. (6/2000-2600/1700)

"He just did that for the sole purpose of powering up his Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac growled.

"What's your problem?" Melody shouted.

"Not allowing our history as old pals get in the way of our battle," the SOL duelist smirked, "Dark Magician Girl, attack the middle hat with Dark Burning Spell!" The evil mage smirked as she pointed her scepter at the hat in question, revealing a golden coffin that appeared to be empty.

"Wrong again, Bastion!" Melody cheered, "That was my Dark Coffin; now make a choice, you either discard that card in your hand or give up that ugly excuse for a Dark Magician Girl!" The evil DMG scowled hearing that remark.

"I discard the last card from my hand." Bastion announced, "And that will end my turn... nice try in killing off my monster, but it won't be easy."

"I know," the Ra girl stated as her Dark Magician Girl jumped out of the remaining hat and faced off against her dark doppelganger. (6/2000-2600/1700) "You're still has smart as they come, but dumb when making decisions outside of dueling."

"Bite your tongue!" the SOL duelist snarled.

"No thank you," Melody stated as she drew her next card. "First, I activate my final facedown card, Spellbinding Illusion!" She started, revealing a trap card depicting a sealing circle that was a little different from the Spellbinding Circle. "If you remember Spellbinding Circle, meet its one turn activate cousin! It negates one monster's effects and drains her of 500 ATK! Guess who?"

Bastion gasped as the Spellbinding seal appeared under his spellcaster and then rose to her waist to bind her powers. (6/2600-1500/1700)

"Nice one, sis!" Isaac cheered. "She lost 1100 without her effect!"

"Now she's going off to the graveyard," Melody smirked as her DMG charged in to strike down her evil counterpart.

"And you forgot about my last facedown card as well!" Bastion laughed, revealing a trap card depicting a cross with torturous devices surrounding. "I activate Nightmare Chains!" Suddenly, the cross appeared behind Melody's Dark Magician Girl and chains grabbed her wrists and bound her to the cross.

"No!" Melody cried.

"Yes!" Bastion smirked. "Now your Dark Magician Girl is helpless to defend you while I can attack you directly! And if you thought you could play something else, you're wrong!" He then removed a spell card from his graveyard, depicting the evil Dark Magician casting a spell at Endymion, trapping him in a glacier. "This is the trap, Spellbound! This stops your turn automatically whenever two or more traps have been played."

"What?" The Hikarii sibling gasped.

"It's my turn." The SOL duelist smiled evilly as he drew and immediately played the card, "I play Magic Formula, giving my mage an extra 700 ATK!" The spell card let out a brown formula book that appeared in the mage's hands. She opened it up and read through a few pages, letting her gain new magic. (6/2600-3300/1700) "Now give my old friend a taste of her own medicine, compliments of the Society!" His DMG replied by storming up to Ra girl and then blasting her with a powerful spell, causing Melody to scream out. Her Dark Magician Girl struggled to get free of the chains, seeing her friend getting struck down.

Bastion: 5500

Melody: 2000

"Melody," Isaac shouted.

"Ah, the sweet feeling of justice," Bastion sighed as his DMG returned to his side. "One more attack, and you are done! And that will bring me one step closer to achieving my glory!" He then smirked, watching Melody recover and her DMG looking at him with a hateful glare. "Tell me, how did it feel as your monster watched helplessly as you were struck down?"

Melody returned an angry glare to her former friend, "You're going to wish you haven't done that..." She then drew her next card. "I summon Defender, the Magical Knight in defense mode!" In a blue flash, a robed knight appeared with giant blue shield with a red ruby in the center and a crystal sword appeared. (4/1600/2000) (1SPC)

"That's all," Bastion mocked as he drew his next card, "I just need another monster to destroy him and you'll be alone again. I activate Card of Demise to draw out my five cards!" He announced, drawing out his needed number. "Now, I use Premature Burial and pay 800 life points to revive my Dark Magician!" A dark smoke erupted from the ground, letting the red-robed Spellcaster reappear. (7/2500/2100), (6/2600-2300/2000)

"Just what I need, both are back..." Melody muttered.

"Don't feel bad," the SOL duelist smirked, "In fact, my Dark Magician won't be back for long because I'm sacrificing him for a better version... that way, I can keep Dark Magician Girl's ATK high and I'll gain a new powerful monster!" The same dark smoke that brought back the Dark Magician surrounded it again. "I now summon the Dark Eradicator Warlock!" When the smoke dissipated, the Dark Magician became older wearing red and black robes with a purple cape and broad shoulder plates. The staff was also purple and supported a purple orb with some strange liquid inside it. (7/2500/2100), (6/2300-2600/2000)

 _'Now I see what he's doing...'_ the Magician duelist thought, _'He has Two Normal spell cards in his hand, ready to use and activate the Warlock's effect. But I don't have anything to counter it...'_

"I activate the spell card Abyssal Designator!" Bastion announced, inserting a card that depicted King of the Abyss igniting a white flame into his hands. "With this, I can pay 1000 life points to send one monster in your hand to the graveyard with a Type and Attribute that fits my description. And since this is a normal Spell card, you also lose 1000 life points due to Warlock's effect!"

The Warlock laughed darkly as he called forth dark lightning with his staff, absorbing it into the orb. Then, he thrust it forward and struck Melody with Dark Beam that sent her to her knees.

Bastion: 4500

Melody: 1000

Isaac was tempted to go over to his little sister to help her up, but that would count as interference and grounds for forfeit.

"Now for the effects of my spell... send a Dark-Attribute Spellcaster to your graveyard," Bastion commanded as Melody looked over her hand, and reluctantly sent her Illusion Magician into the graveyard, powering up Bastion's DMG. (6/3300-3600/2000)

"Very thoughtful of you," He smirked as he inserted another card into his disk, "Now to take you down by activating another Normal Spell, Gather Your Mind! It's very simple as it takes another Gather Your Mind card from my deck and adds it to my hand. But it also activated Warlock's effect, spelling out the end of the duel! Take this!"

The Warlock conjured another dark lightning bolt from the sky and fired another dark beam at the Magician Duelist. Melody covered herself with the duel disk to defend.

"Melody!"

"Goodb... huh?"

Bastion stopped his remark when he saw a bright pink shine erupted from behind his opponent and saw that it was Melody's Dark Magician Girl doing something he never seen before. Once the dark beam closed in, Melody's monster slumped over like a puppet whose strings had been cut and her body shot forth her soul to block the impending blast from hitting Melody. Once she uncovered her eyes, the sight before her made her sad once she saw the soul of her favorite monster protect her without any command and shattered.

"What's going on?" Bastion shouted. "How could that move have failed?"

That's when Melody realized it, "It's Nightmare Chains' side effect, although it keeps the monster out of the action, when effect damage is about to be dealt, the owner of that monster can sacrifice it to negate the damage!"

"But you never called the effect!"

Melody closed her eyes as a couple of tears got loose down her cheeks, "That's because my Dark Magician Girl have a bond that makes us close, so she didn't have to wait on my command, she made her choice to defend me. Just like your choice landed you into the biggest mistake of your life! You can't win this duel Bastion, surrender!"

Bastion growled, "You don't have anything to defend yourself! Magicians, attack Defender together with Double Dark Cross Magic!" He commanded as both his evil magicians crossed their staffs together and unleashed a black cross that shot straight at Melody's last defense and obliterated him from the field. The last counter of the Arcane Barrier lit up with his death. (AB: 4SPC) "I end my turn with facedown card." He concluded. "All it takes is one attack and you're through!"

"Whatever," Melody scoffed as she drew. "First, I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" She announced, summoning the red armored and enchanted swordsman that raised his blade to accept the Spell Counter. (4/1600-1900/1000) (SPC: 1) "Now, I remove the counter to destroy Spell Sanctuary with his special ability!"

As Breaker was about to unleash the Spell Counter on his blade, Bastion thought fast on the card he just set, "Before that, I activate my White Veil Spell Card and equip it to my Dark Magician Girl!" He announced, as the bright light enveloped the female spellcaster, turning her hair, eye color and scepter to stark white. On cue, Spell Sanctuary shattered by Breaker's blader. (4/1900-1600/1000)

"I should've known you'd wait on me to use that card," Melody stated. "It's the reason why Isaac's not brainwashed..."

"He's not worth the Society's time with those weak Toon Monsters of his," Bastion waved off. "But with you on the Society's side, Claudio will turn himself over in no time and give up the key my Master needs. Perfect bait!"

"Then you really don't know me very well these past two years," Melody sighed. "It's because of Claudio I'm not a timid wallflower that freezes up once people wanted to get to know me... I'm a lot stronger since that year, and a whole lot smarter... even smarter than you! And just as Claudio once protected me, I'll make sure you won't lay one finger on him!"

Isaac smiled as how his little sister grown, while Bastion wanted to challenge it. "Let's see you match my wits then!"

"I won't need to; I'm already ahead of the game!" the Magician duelist smirked, "Now, I use the effect of Arcane Barrier; I send Breaker to the graveyard and the spell card to draw four cards." She announced as the barrier vanished and let her draw out her four cards. "Finally, I place three cards facedown and end my turn." Three reversed cards appeared in front her feet.

"That's all?" Bastion mocked as he drew his next card.

"I activate Thunder of Ruler!" Melody interrupted, activating one of her facedown cards. "Now there will be no attacking me this turn!"

Bastion looked at the card he drew and grumbled at his dead draw. "Fine, but I doubt you'll have what you need!"

Melody just drew her next card without reply. But when she saw that card, she smiled. "I beg to differ; I just got everything I need to teach you a lesson!"

"Hmph, surely you jest..."

"Okay, I'll just have to show you... by activating my final facedown cards, Gift of the Mystical Elf to grant me 300 points for every monster on the field and Call of the Haunted to revive Dark Magician Girl!" Melody stated as her Dark Magician Girl returned with a triumphant smirk to her doppelganger. (6/2000-2900/1700) Then, the spirit of the Mystical Elf appeared behind Melody and showered her with sparkling magic.

Bastion: 4500

Melody: 1900

"Now Bastion, tell me everything you know about the Dark Magician Girl!" Melody challenged.

"She's the apprentice of the Dark Magician of course," Bastion shrugged. "They even had people based off their characters in Ancient Egypt; that's why she gains 300 ATK for every Dark Magician and Magician of Black Chaos in the graveyard because of the tragic end of her master and vowing to become a better Magician than he ever was."

"Right, now you're about to see that better Magician!" the Magician duelist cheered as she raised a spell card up high. It depicted the spirits of Dark Magician and Magician of Black Chaos granting the Dark Magician Girl a new scepter, a more powerful one. "Time for you to see the magic of Magician Graduation!"

"But first, you must pay the 1000 points that my Warlock will inflict to you!" Bastion smirked as his monster launched another blast at Melody, only to be deflected by her Dark Magician Girl.

Bastion: 4500

Melody: 900

"Thanks," She said to her monster who winked back. "Now time for you to earn your new place in the world... GO!"

Dark Magician Girl flew up into the sky and raised her scepter up high and began to be surrounded by bright pink energy that left only her silhouette inside. First, her scepter grew longer and into a staff as large as the Dark Magician's and with a pink orb inside the top. Next, her body began to grow into a more mature woman as multiple strands of blue began to surround and wrap around her and came together to form an elaborate robe to accent her grown form. Finally, the pink energy faded away to show the Dark Magician Girl a fully-grown woman with her blonde hair down to mid back and wearing dark blue robes that covered her from the chest down, while her scepter now a longer staff which brimmed with powerful magic. (7/2500/2100)

"Boys, let me introduce to you... the Dark Sorceress!" Melody announced as her new monster floated back down in front of her.

"Wow..." Isaac gasped.

"With only 2500 ATK, she's no match for either of my monsters now!" Bastion snapped. "You had a better chance destroying my Warlock with her initial form."

"True, but my Sorceress has a special ability!" Melody smiled. "Like her initial form gained only the power of her masters in the graveyard, she gains 200 ATK for every Spellcaster on the field and graveyard! What do you say about that?" Bastion let out a horrified gasp as the Sorceress raised her staff up high and absorbed energy from every Spellcaster monster in her graveyard, Bastion's graveyard and even drained some power over his Dark Eradicator Warlock and Dark Magician Girl, leaving them helpless. (7/2500-5100/2100)

"I still have a turn to finish you!" Bastion protested. But his comeback went stale when Melody turned over another card, showing a dark shadow draining the strength of Marauding Captain.

"Finally, I activate the Pestilence spell card on your Dark Magician Girl!" She announced as the Dark Sorceress focused her power on the evil Magician girl and brought a dark presence to overshadow her and drain her completely of her strength. (6/2900-0/1700)

Bastion fell to his knees, "This... this is impossible... why... are you... better than me!? Why!? WHY!?"

"Because... I never thought care about who saw me as the best... I just play the game..." She stated with a firm look, and then turned to her monster. "Dark Sorceress, attack with Dark Searing Magic Attack!"

The Sorceress raised her staff and then pointed at the weakened evil apprentice. With a mighty shout of her own, Dark Sorceress swung the staff, unleashing a gigantic dome of darkness around Bastion's side of the field. And then with a snap of her fingers, the dome made the inside look like a photo negative flashing making everyone scream in agony and shatter into pixels, while Bastion fell to his knees, unable to stomach the realization of the duel. He didn't even notice the Light leaving his body.

Bastion: 0

Melody: 900, Winner

Once the holograms disappeared, Melody did notice a Light leaving not only Bastion's body, but her brother's color returned to normal.

 _'Wait a second..._ ' She thought. _'Bastion WAS controlled? Then again, I did notice his hair color changed and his eyes were like Lorenzo's...'_ She put that aside as Isaac stood up, feeling better than ever. "Isaac, are you okay?"

"Yeah, better than ever..." He replied, with an unnerving tone. "When Bastion beat me, it was like my own body shut down... must have been that White Veil card he used."

"Still..." Melody hugged him. "I'm glad you're alright..."

Isaac smiled and hugged her back, "No problem, little sis..." He then turned to Bastion, still looking at the ground near the water. "But what about him; he has nothing to do with the Society anymore, right?"

"Yeah, but... he should think about what he's done before he makes a good apology." Melody stated as she headed from the Main Building. "I'm going to see Claudio..."

"Alright, I'll go and give Mom and Dad a call..." the Toon duelist replied, walking down a different road, taking one more look at Bastion as he did...

* * *

(Hours later...)

Bastion was still sitting near the moat across the White Dorm, throwing rocks in the water. He kept replaying what happened in his duel against Melody and kept feeling worse about the things he done during his time in the Society. But he mainly focused on how he blamed others for the 'downfall' of his dueling career.

"Look at yourself, Bastion," He said to himself. "You used to be at the top of your game... and now being a part of the Society couldn't help you from losing to Melody. But then there's also Claudio... he defeated Zane, one of the best out in the Pro League... I can't surpass him either." He threw another rock into the pond. "And then there's Jaden... he wins everything... with nothing but luck! Maybe dueling was never about logic like I thought..."

"Not about logic, bite your tongue!" A voice protested lightly with a German accent. Bastion turned around to see an elderly man with graying hair and mustache dressed in a white lab coat, tan shirt, khaki pants and small glasses over his eyes. "If dueling weren't about logic and reason, I wouldn't be where I am today, young man."

Bastion looked bewildered at the old man, telling him his theory was wrong, "Pardon?"

"Oh, excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself," the old man chuckled a bit. "My name is Dr. Albert Eisenstein!"

The former SOL duelist gasped and looked at the old man in awe. "You're... Dr. Albert Eisenstein! The world-renowned dueling physicist and ten-time Nobel award-winning doctor... you've been my hero ever since I held a duel disk!"

"I am flattered," Eisenstein smiled. "I was called in by your Chancellor and seeing your impressive grades and the comments from some other students, I've decided to make you my apprentice in dueling physics. What do you say, my boy?"

Bastion let out a big smile, looking down for a moment _. 'Eisenstein... wants to make me his pupil? This is... the greatest thing to ever happen! This has got to be a dream... a vision...'_ Once he looked up, he saw that the dueling physicist was gone. "He's gone... then that means he wasn't real and... I had a vision..." He broke into a run, screaming. "I HAD A VISION!"

But little did he know that, it was all real... and Dr. Eisenstein just made a false step backwards and fell off a small ledge...,

"A little help... someone?" He groaned, lying sprawled on his back.

* * *

Inside the White Dorm, Sartorius was feeling perturbed learning that another one of his servants fell from his power...

"How do all of my servants keep losing?" He growled, trying to divine his cards once again, seeing the inverse Wheel of Fortune and saw that the Moon card fell off the table. "It's only a matter of time before I step in and take those Satellite Keys myself!"

"Which is why you have me on standby... Master..." Another voice called in from the other room.

Sartorius smiled evilly, "Of course, my new servant... or should I say..."

The new servant walked in with a blank look in his eyes.

"... Prince Ojin!" Sartorius finished with an evil laugh.

* * *

Later at the infirmary, Jaden, Allyson, Alexis and Melody visited Syrus, Claudio and now the reformed Kenji as they were continuing to recover.

"How are you guys feeling?" the E-Hero duelist asked.

"Much better," Syrus smiled, sitting up.

"Yeah, though I'm a little stiff." Claudio stated, slowly sitting up.

"And I'm just happy that the whole Light-Dark power struggle within me is finally over." Kenji added, still lying down.

"Must have been tough," Alexis said, sitting near Kenji's bed and holding his hand.

"So..." Melody smiled, "You and Kenji, huh?"

"Yup," Kenji smiled back at Alexis. "Couldn't believe I fainted after that..." The J-Hero duelist laughed at that comment. "Shut up!"

"No way, man... I remember last year when you laughed at me when I fainted after Melody and I kissed after the Shadow Rider mess..." Claudio smirked. "So, I'm enjoying the fact that karma came back to you!"

The ninja duelist grumbled, feeling the sense of déjà vu reversed. "I was in pain and possessed..."

"Still, we're happy for you..." Allyson continued, hugging Jaden.

"What's more surprising is that Jaden actually noticed a girl..." Syrus stated.

Everyone soon busted out laughing with the E-Hero duelist protesting, "Hey!"

Kenji suddenly stopped laughing and sighed, "Guys, I'm sorry..." Soon everyone stopped laughing. "The whole time I was in the Society of Light... I was trying to fight against them... but to do that, I had to play the part."

"You mean every time you stood in our way, you were just helping us?" Jaden wondered.

"I knew it!" Allyson stated. "I remember when I had to face Juli... she wanted Jaden to turn him over to the Society, so I decided to step in."

"When was that?" Jaden asked.

"It was sometime after Bastion joined the Society," She replied. "Kenji and Juli were arguing about something when I came up to them... and when Juli got upset that I found them, she blamed Kenji for it."

"Wow..." Melody gasped.

"Yeah... it was all a ruse to make sure I could see from both sides and come up with a plan to free myself." The ninja duelist confessed. "Despite me fighting the Light within, anytime I dueled I could've turned you into Society fanatics too. And when I saw through Juli that Sartorius planned to get Obelisk the Tormentor..."

"...You thought that could help you free yourself from the Society..." Alexis finished.

"Dumb idea since I nearly killed all of you trying to get out of the Light," Kenji sighed. "And using those Forbidden Ninja cards really put me in desperation..."

"At least you're alright now," The Obelisk Queen continued, hugging her new boyfriend and laying her head on his shoulder. "I really missed you."

Hearing that put Kenji in a good mood again, "I missed you, too." He then noticed what was on Alexis' forehead, "By the way, nice headband..."

Alexis gasped and felt on her forehead, "Oh right, you can have it back..."

"Keep it... I got three others at home..." Kenji waved off and smirked. "Besides, looks good on you... had to fight myself from saying it back in Domino City."

The statement caused Alexis to blush and lean in closer to his embrace. Everyone started to feel grateful that Alexis and Kenji were together, after everything that happened to the both of them. And things were looking up as the Society of Light was losing their strongest players. But of course, something always breaks the good mood...

"Hey Sarge!" Hassleberry shouted, bursting through the Infirmary doors with Jeremy following. "You got a message on your door."

"Yeah, some unknown guy placed it on there." Jeremy added.

"Well, let's see what it says..." Jaden said as he opened the message and read its contents. Once he finished it, he started to freeze up and shake in fear.

"What's wrong?" Kenji asked.

Allyson took the message from her boyfriend's hands, and read it out loud. "Attention, Jaden Yuki... please report to the Physics classroom for a pop quiz... Signed, Chancellor Sheppard." She then looked to Jaden. "What's wrong with a simple test?"

Jaden got out of his shock and pleaded to his girlfriend, "Tests are the enemy, Allyson! Aw, I thought he said that this tournament counted as a test!"

"Well... you may have to face someone who's knowledgeable with Physics in a duel..." Syrus figured. "That doesn't sound too bad for you..."

"No way!" Jaden shouted to his best friend. "Last time, Crowler lured me into a 4000-word essay on Ancient Gear Monsters with a message like that! I gotta hide!" But before he could run, Hassleberry and Jeremy grabbed him by his arms. "Hey!"

"Sorry Jaden, but if you flake out on this test, you could be expelled..." Allyson stated as she walked out on the infirmary. "Let's go, guys!"

"Wait a minute... Stop!" the Slifer shouted in desperation. "Someone help!"

"Oh yeah, Jaden's getting whipped into shape," Claudio chuckled.

"Just wait until you get out of that bed," Melody grinned. "Which I hear is the same time Syrus is getting out... in two days!"

Claudio gulped as Alexis, Kenji and Syrus laughed at his expense.

* * *

Further down the classroom halls, Allyson led the trio of boys to the classroom in question for Jaden's test.

"Here's the place," the Spirit duelist smiled. Jeremy and Hassleberry dropped Jaden right in front of the classroom. Before the Slifer knew what hit him, Allyson snuck a quick kiss on his lips and said, "Good luck!" And then she pushed him inside the classroom and closed it up.

Inside, Jaden nearly tripped on the steps as he fell into the classroom and landed on his butt.

"Betrayed by my own girlfriend," He sulked. "She knows how much I hate tests!"

Suddenly, the lights dimmed down and a spotlight appeared at the front of the room.

"Welcome, young student!" An old man exclaimed. When Jaden turned to the direction in question, he saw it was the same person Bastion saw near the White Dorm. "I am your substitute teacher, Dr. Eisenstein!"

"Uh, okay..." Jaden muttered. "Just so you know, I don't have any idea why I'm taking a test during this tournament."

Eisenstein chuckled as he opened his bag and pulled out a duel disk with a pre-shuffled deck. "You have been misinformed, my boy; we are dueling!"

The E-Hero duelist perked up. "Alright! Now this is my kind of test! Name's Jaden Yuki, doc!"

Unknown to both players, Bastion was sitting on the far-left side of the classroom, hidden... he wanted to see his idol duel, and there was no perfect opponent than Jaden because their styles and philosophies in dueling contrasted greatly...

"Please, once Eisenstein starts to duel, you'll be finished in no time, Jaden..." Bastion muttered.

As the scientist put away his lab coat and strapped on his duel disk, he caught sight of Bastion in the corner of his right eye. _'Ah... it's the student I met before... and he's also the one Sheppard told me about... with a victory, I may restore his faith in science!'_ He thought.

"I'm ready when you are!" Jaden announced.

"As am I!"

Both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Jaden: 8000

Eisenstein: 8000

"Prepare to feel the power of science!" Eisenstein announced, drawing his sixth card and opened the side slot on his disk, placing a card inside. "I activate the field spell card, Relativity Field!" Once the side slot closed, a bright flash enveloped the lecture room and replaced it within the confines of space. The duelists were still standing in their places, as was Bastion sitting in his.

"Great Scott," Bastion gasped, overlooking the field.

* * *

Just outside the classroom, Allyson, Hassleberry and Jeremy were sitting with small stacks of books right beside them.

"From the sounds of Jaden before he went in there, that must be one heck of a quiz he's taking," Jeremy stated.

"Have a little faith, Jeremy..." Allyson scolded. "We gave him a crash course on Physics before we shoved him in there."

"Jaden and a Physics quiz?" the dino duelist wondered, writing a few notes on his wrists. "That boy may have to cheat!"

"No loitering in the halls, children!" The trio gasped seeing Dr. Crowler walk up to them with a stern look on his face. "And what was this about cheating, hmm?"

"Uh..." the boys droned with a loss for words.

"We didn't say 'cheating'," the Spirit duelist jumped in, "We were cheering Jaden on for good luck on the Physics Test you set up for him! Right guys?"

"Yeah, what she said!" Jeremy and Hassleberry chimed in.

The Ancient Gear duelist put on a puzzled look, "What are you talking about? We're in the middle of a tournament; there's no time for tests!"

"Hang on," the Alien duelist interrupted. "We saw Sheppard's note on Jaden's room talking about."

"He did no such thing!" Crowler said as everyone turned around to the classroom door. "Well, let see who's making a patsy out of me!" But once they opened the doors...

"AAAAH!"

The shouts of Allyson, Crowler and Hassleberry were heard as they saw classroom was gone and Jaden standing in space.

"Hurry and close the door!" Crowler shouted.

"Don't do that, we could be seeing some aliens running around!" Jeremy protested, his eyes glittering with fascination.

"I end my turn." Eisenstein concluded, ignoring the new spectators.

"Huh?" Jaden wondered. "That's all you're going to do? You can play more?"

 _'That field spell is all needs, Jaden...'_ Bastion thought, watching with attentive eyes. _'Once it starts, your luck will run out!'_

"If that's all you're going with..." E-Hero duelist stated, drawing his sixth card. "I'll go with this, Branch! And then follow up with, I play Charge Fusion!" He announced, as the continuous spell card, along with his special Fusion Card. Here's a formula for you; take Ocean plus Woodsman, and that equals Elemental Hero Terra Firma!"

He continued as a blue, fishlike warrior with a white lance appeared and fused together with the warrior made from wood and earth. As the two other heroes vanished, a towering figure crashed onto the field, rising up to well more than ten feet tall. It had skin made of sheer white stone, with purple gemstones on its shoulders and head, and a red one on its chest. It also possessed spikes on its hips and shoulders. (8/2500/2000)

"Impressive," Eisenstein praised as he held up two cards from his hand, one was a spell card, A Feather of the Phoenix, and the other was a Level 1 monster card depicting a large, red, intimidating gargoyle with 0 ATK and DEF points. "I activate the effect of the monster in my hand, Singularity Fiend! By discarding this card and a spell card from my hand, I can negate the special summon of a monster and destroy it!"

Suddenly, a green aura sparked around the E-Hero and shattered him in seconds.

"Good move, but with Branch!, I can bring back one of the monsters used to fuse Terra Firma. And I pick Ocean!" He announced as the fish warrior reappeared on the field. (4/1500/1200) "And since you're still alone on the field, about a direct attack?" On cue, Ocean pointed his trident at the scientist and blasted a wave of water across his chest.

Jaden: 8000

Eisenstein: 6500

"I throwdown a facedown and end my turn!" Jaden concluded.

"Well played, my boy!" Eisenstein praised as he drew his next card. "But don't think science is counted out just yet... First, I place two cards facedown. Next, I activate the spell Schrödinger's Cat, along with another spell, Card of Demise and draw a new five card hand!" He stated as two reversed cards appeared along with a continuous spell that had a cat standing upright, wearing a white suit, top hat and a cane, and the Card of Demise spell, allowing him to draw the five cards. "Then, Schrodinger's Cat activates its effect: whenever I draw a few extra cards, this allows me to put the cards drawn by my other spell back into my deck, reshuffle and redraw!"

Bastion gasped in fascination as his idol, shuffled his five-card hand into his deck, and then redrew with a triumphant look on his face. _'It's true! Eisenstein just took the luck out of dueling, and created it into science and bringing it away from random chance!'_

"Now, I activate Field Barrier to protect my Relativity Field and summon Laplace, the Fiend Mathematician!" the doctor announced as a green barrier formed around the field, while a demonic, bearded fiend appeared wearing scholarly, dark blue robes, red cape and held a large textbook in its tentacle-like hands. (3/1000/1000) "Next, I activate the spell Dimensionhole to remove him from play!"

Jaden raised an eyebrow as he saw a large dimensional rip and sucked the fiend inside, "You're removing your monster?"

"It's all a part of his special ability, lad," Eisenstein explained. "Whenever Laplace leaves the field, we must subtract 300 of your life points for all cards on the field!"

The spectators gasped.

 _'Including the field spell, that's eight cards!_ ' Bastion thought in surprise, _'So that means Jaden loses 2400 life points!'_

The dimensional rip launched a white thunderbolt at the Slifer, draining him of his life points.

Jaden: 5600

Eisenstein: 6500

"Next, Relativity Field subtracts the damage you've taken from your monsters' ATK!" Eisenstein continued as the field suddenly drained the energy out of Ocean, leaving him leaning on his trident. (4/1500-0/1200) "Then, whenever my opponent's monster loses ATK from my card's effects, I can special summon the Physics Bison from my deck in attack mode!" The spectators continued to watch in awe as a large, brown, bipedal bison wearing red, scholar robes and a mortarboard on its head. It let out a loud bellow and stared at Jaden. (3/1000/1000) "Attack Ocean with Science Blaster!"

Jaden gasped as the bison charged across the field and tackled his weakened hero in the gut.

Jaden: 4600

Eisenstein: 6500

"I hope you know realize that science defeats luck every time Jaden," the scientist stated. "If I must defeat you to teach this lesson, then you will lose my boy..."

"This is insane!" Hassleberry gasped.

"I know..." Jeremy groaned. "Where are the aliens in this part of space?"

"Forget that!" Allyson shouted. "Jaden's in big trouble and all Eisenstein did is use one monster to drain Ocean and used another to take Jaden's monster out and nearly half his life points!"

"I just wonder why this guy chose to battle Jaden out of the blue..." the dino duelist mused.

"Who cares, he used my own tactics in bringing about Jaden's downfall!" Crowler snapped. "The whole luring him in with duels to take a test was my idea!"

"We'll see about that!" Jaden shouted in return to his opponent's remark. "If you're teaching a lesson, then here's one from me... A duel's not over 'til the last card is played! Now watch me make a comeback!" He then prepared to draw his next card.

"Hold on there," the Physicist interrupted, revealing a continuous trap card that depicted an Obelisk Blue's duel disk, but someone else was drawing from their deck. "I reveal Draw Paradox!"

"What does that do?" Jaden wondered.

"On your Draw Phase, I draw a card. And on mine, you draw a card!" Eisenstein smiled as he drew his next card.

The spectators gasped, but none so more than Bastion. 'First he took Jaden's monster... and then he took Jaden's draw! Brilliant! And if he can't play the single card in his hand, there's only one thing Jaden can do..."

"That's my turn." Jaden sighed.

"And before my turn, I destroy Draw Paradox with Mystical Space Typhoon!" the Duel Physicist announced, revealing his other facedown card that conjured up a windstorm to shatter the Draw Paradox trap card. "And now, I draw again!" He stated, drawing his next card.

"This is bad," Jeremy stated. "If Jaden can't get any more cards in time, he'll lose..."

"Don't say that," Allyson retorted. "Jaden can get out of this! He's probably waiting for the time to use that facedown card of his..."

"If you say so..." Crowler muttered.

"Now, Laplace returns to the field due to Dimensionhole's effect!" the scientist announced as the scholarly fiend rose from the portal it left through and stood next to the Physics Bison. (3/1000/1000) "And you are still defenseless my boy, so I'll let Laplace attack you directly... Number Zapper!"

The returning fiend shot a dark blast with negative numbers and blasted Jaden in the chest.

Jaden: 3600

Eisenstein: 6500

"Come on, Jaden…" Allyson whispered.

"I activate Damage Interest!" Jaden shouted, revealing his trap card. It depicted a Ra Yellow duelist damaging an Obelisk Blue's life points with a trap card. "Since you decided to attack me directly, I can deal damage to you equal to double the damage I took!"

Bastion gasped, _'That's 2000!'_

The trap emitted an electric shock that stunned the physicist to the bone.

Jaden: 3600

Eisenstein: 4500

"And now you suffer the effects of your own Field Spell!" the Slifer grinned as space around Eisenstein's monsters drained them of their strength. (3/1000-0/1000) x2

"Nice tactics, Sarge!" Hassleberry cheered.

"Keep it going, sweetie!" Allyson exclaimed.

"I switch Physics Bison to defense mode and end my turn with a facedown card..." Eisenstein concluded as the bison kneeled and a reversed card appeared behind it.

"Finally, it's my draw!" Jaden cheered as he drew his next card. "First, Charge Fusion comes back to my hand after two standby phases!" He begun, retrieving the fusion spell from his graveyard. "Next, Pot of Greed to get some new cards!" He drew out two more cards and immediately played one, "Now, I use Charge Fusion to fuse Stratos and Flare Scarab to form Elemental Hero Nova Master!" He announced as the space created another fusion portal and fused together winged hero and Neo-Spacian together and formed the red armored and caped warrior, flexing his arms with lava. (8/2600/2100) "Now, attack Laplace with Magma Strike!"

"Not so fast!" Eisenstein interrupted, revealing one of his facedown card, "I activate Gravity Bind, and it prevents all monsters of level 4 and above from attacking!"

Nova Master suddenly felt a gravitational pull from the trap card, bringing him back down towards Jaden's field.

"And he almost had it..." Jeremy grumbled.

'He had nothing...' Bastion smirked.

"I end my turn by summoning Card Blocker in defense mode!" A small warrior appeared in purple armor. From the look of its face, it was like a little doll carrying a purple shield and small sword in its scabbard. But in that face was determination that it could take any attack. (3/400/400)

"Good, now it's my turn!" Eisenstein announced as he drew his next card. When he looked at it, he nodded. "Now Jaden, it's time for a lesson... so get ready to pick up a pencil!"

"In the middle of a duel?" Jaden whined.

'Great... a once in a lifetime lecture, and I forgot a pencil...' Bastion thought sourly.

"What are the three elements of dueling?" the scientist asked.

"Uh... I give up..."

"Monsters... Spells... and Traps!" Eisenstein announced, as he inserted another spell depicting a large dragon flying among a current. "I activate Battle Constant! This allows me to remove from play 1 Monster Card, 1 Continuous Spell Card and 1 Continuous Trap Card to summon a monster. And I choose Laplace, Schrödinger's Cat, and Gravity Bind!" Another dimensional rip appeared on the field, pulling in Laplace along with Schrödinger's Cat and Gravity Bind. "And before this monster comes out, Laplace needs to activate his effect... when he left the field there were 7 cards before him... so that means you lose 2100 life points!"

Suddenly, another lightning bolt flashed from the spell and shocked Jaden.

Jaden: 1500

Eisenstein: 4500

That in turn, caused Relativity Field to drain Nova Master of his points (8/2600-500/2100) and another Physics Bison to stand by the scientist's side. (3/1000/1000)

"To become a master duelist, you must embrace science and its relationship to the universe," Eisenstein stated to the Slifer. "Now back to my spell card; when the three elements, Monsters, Spells, and Traps are combined, they created a mathematical base in which power is built... and unleashes the Brain Dragon from his slumber!" He announced as another dimensional gateway opened and release a long, dark green serpentine dragon with a white underbelly, purple wings and horns. (8/2800/2300) "Now I can prove my theory by having my Brain Dragon to destroy your Nova Master... but I'll first take down your Card Blocker since it's in essence to block my attack. So go and attack it, my Physics Bison!"

The bison let out a loud snort and charged at the small warrior.

"Looks like I got you this time!" Jaden smirked, "I activate Card Blocker's second effect! I can send the top three cards from my deck into the graveyard and he gains 500 DEF for each one!"

As Jaden slipped in three cards to the grave, the little soldier's shield started to spark with energy and grow bigger. (3/400/400-1900) And when the Bison tackled into it, it broke its own horns!

Jaden: 1500

Eisenstein: 3600

Then, Relativity Field started to drain power from it and the newly summoned Brain Dragon. (3/1000-100/1000), (8/2800-1900/2300)

"Yes, now Brain Dragon can't attack because it has the same points as Card Blocker!" Allyson cheered.

Eisenstein chuckled lightly, "So I've been outsmarted this time... no matter, I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"And he's taking it calmly," Crowler stated as Card Blocker's DEF returned to 400.

"It's my move," Jaden announced and drew his next card, "I'll have the Nova Master attack Physics Bison with Magma Strike!" Nova Master charged across the field and struck down the weakened bison with a fist surrounded by hot lava.

Jaden: 1500

Eisenstein: 3200

Relativity Field kicked in and drained Brain Dragon of more strength. (8/1900-1500/2300)

"And when he does battle damage, I can draw another card." The Slifer stated, drawing another card. "And I'll throwdown that card and another facedown." Jaden concluded as he emptied his hand again.

"My move," Eisenstein announced and drew his next card. "First, the effect of my Brain Dragon activates, letting me draw two more cards, but puts two back from my overall hand!" He drew out another two cards, and after careful deliberation, he put two of his cards back. "Now I show another theory... Newton's Law! I remove two Physics Bison and summon the Newton, the Motion Machine in defense mode!" As he removed the two bison, a large, sliver machine appeared from space. (7/2400/2000)

"I wonder what that does..." Jeremy wondered.

"Before I attack, I switch Brain Dragon to defense mode," the scientist announced, as his dragon curled up. "But then, I activate Zero Gravity which forces all monsters to bend to the gravitational pull and switch battle modes!" Jaden gasped as his Nova Master kneeled and covered with his arms, Card Blocker stood up and put his shield, along with Brain Dragon and Newton uncovering themselves from their bodies. "Now to take care of that Card Blocker; Brain Dragon attacks with Big Bang Blast!" The dragon roared and unleashed a massive white blast from its mouth, obliterating the small soldier.

Jaden: 400

Eisenstein: 3200

And that caused Relativity Field to drain the last of Nova Master's strength. (8/500-0/2100)

"Go, my last Physics Bison in defense mode!" Eisenstein announced as the final scholarly bison appeared. (3/1000/1000) "Now watch as science prevails and Newton attacks, forcing all monsters on the field to switch battle modes, except him!"

Everyone gasped as the large machine charged, causing the weakened hero to stand up in an attempt to battle back. "Jaden!"

"I activate Defense Draw!" the Slifer quickly announced, revealing his trap that protected him from the damage as Nova Master was blown to pieces, letting him draw another card. "And then Branch activates and brings back Stratos to the field!" He announced as the turbine-winged hero appeared. (4/1800/300) "And he lets me gain an Elemental Hero to my hand, like Elemental Hero Neos!"

"I end my turn with another facedown card." Eisenstein concluded, with another reversed card at his feet. 'With Non-Fusion Area, he won't be able to withstand the power of all three of my monsters... weakened or not!'

"Jaden need a powerful move to bring down all three of those monsters." Jeremy stated.

"With the three cards in his hand, and that final facedown card... I know he can..." Allyson proclaimed.

"Here goes... something!" Jaden shouted, drawing his next card. He grinned when he looked at it, "Now, Charge Fusion returns to my hand!" He announced, retrieving the spell from his graveyard again.

"I activate Non-Fusion Area!" the scientist interrupted, revealing a trap card that caused a distortion in space. "Now, all Fusion Monsters are excluded from being Summoned!"

"Oh no!" the spectators cried.

 _'Oh yes!'_ Bastion thought. _'Jaden is done for! Thanks to this duel, my faith in science has been restored!'_

"It's okay..." Jaden waved off, puzzling everyone. "If you've seen me last year, I'm not all about fusion monsters with my Elemental Heroes..." He then revealed his facedown card. "I activate Common Sacrifice! With this trap, since you control 3 monsters, I can summon my Elemental Hero Neos by sacrificing your weaker monsters! So say goodbye to Physics Bison and Brain Dragon!" Eisenstein and Bastion were astonished as the two mentioned monsters exploded into pixels and reformed on Jaden's side to create the Hero from Neo Space. (7/2500/2000) "Now, it's time to see how luck can win duels!"

"With what?" Eisenstein and Bastion asked.

"With my Hero Dice!" Jaden grinned as he inserted his spell card, bringing out a small, pink dice that had a little robot inside. "With it, I can roll this die and then depending on what number it lands, I can activate an effect!" The little robot ignited its thrusters and flew up high in the middle before pulling itself inside the die and dropping to the field and rolled around. When it stopped, the die landed near Newton with the four dots on top. "Yes! When it lands on a four, Hero Dice destroys one of your monsters!"

"No!" the scientist shouted as the die self-destructed and took out the giant machine in a smoking explosion, blanketing the field. All he could hear was Jaden announce...

"Neos, Stratos! End this!"

From the smoke, Eisenstein was taken by surprise as the two E-Heroes flew out of the smoke and then decked him with a single punch each, ending the game.

Jaden: 400, Winner

Eisenstien: 0

The field spell and Jaden's monsters faded away, bringing it back to the dim-lighted classroom. Eisenstein fell to his knees in despair.

"How could it be that science failed me?" He wondered. "How could I be wrong?"

"At least your Physics is better than mine," Jaden consoled, giving his two-finger salute. "And that's game!"

The scientist smiled to himself, "I guess there is room for faith in dueling..." He then looked up to Jaden, "How would you like to teach an old man some new tricks?"

"Sure Einstein!"

"Eisenstein..."

* * *

As they left the classroom, along with Allyson and the others, Bastion thought about the duel he seen and Eisenstein's revelation and suddenly he got in mind in what he wanted to do...

"That's it!" He exclaimed. "My choice is clear... I want to study under Eisenstein's tutelage... and I'll do it of my own volition!" With that he threw away the white blazer and walked out of the classroom. _'There's just one thing, I have to do first...'_

* * *

At the Infirmary, Melody was telling everything that happened during the day to Claudio, Alexis, and Kenji.

"You beat Bastion?" Claudio asked.

"And he used an evil Dark Magician Card?" Kenji stated.

"With an evil Dark Magician Girl, too," Alexis added.

"Bingo," Melody winked. "I don't know when it happened, but Bastion became possessed by Sartorius and his Dark Light as well."

"Ouch..." the J-Hero duelist muttered. "And your brother..."

"He's fine," the Magician replied. "It's funny how fast he recovered since he wasn't possessed, just held down, so to speak..."

"At least Bastion's out, too." The ninja duelist stated. "I don't think anyone thought too highly of him in the Society..."

"That was the point..." the Cyber girl duelist figured. "Bastion could've easily defeated anyone in the Society, but Sartorius' mind games got to him before he could do anything about it..."

"And now we wait..." Melody added. "Any moment, Bastion will see the error of his ways and come apologize, especially after the Chancellor called about Dr. Eisenstein coming to make him his apprentice..."

"The expert Dueling Physicist?" Alexis wondered. "And Bastion's going with him?"

"Bastion once to me and Melody that Eisenstein was his idol when it came to both dueling and science combined." Claudio replied. "Everyone deserves to work or at least meet their idol..."

On cue, the Infirmary duelist opened the door to the reformed Bastion Misawa with a serious look on his face and stared down Claudio and Melody.

"Glad you lost the white colors, Bastion." Melody smiled. "What's up?"

Bastion just stood there, without making a sound.

"You alright, dude?" Claudio asked. "I know that stupid Light didn't take your voice when you lost..."

Suddenly, the intellectual duelist broke down into tears and got his knees and begged, "Please forgive me for all that I've said and done when I joined the Society! I just couldn't stand being ignored time and again... Being alone with no one to acknowledge the person I can become! I know the both of you said that I should have walked away, but not being able to prove I'm duelist enough at this school and against my opponents was tearing at me..."

As he continued to sob, Melody and Claudio looked to each other and nodded, letting the former crouch down to Bastion and lift his head up.

"Apology accepted," She smiled. "At least you understood how bad you've affected us..."

"If there's anything I could do to make it up to you all..."

"Just go along with your idol..." Claudio interrupted. "Melody said he was on the island."

Bastion gasped. "That's right... but how did he know about me?"

"Chancellor Sheppard called him in told him about your grades," the magician duelist stated. "And he even called me in to find you and get you to talk about joining up with Eisenstein."

"So, you're..."

"Part of the reason why he's here," she answered for him. "Now, I think you should go find him and talk to your idol."

More tears leaked from Bastion's eyes as he said, "Thank you!" He then bolted up to his feet and ran back out of the Infirmary yelling, "Dr. Eisenstein! Take me with you as your pupil!"

Everyone smiled at his retreating form, all thinking the same thing:

 _'Good luck, Bastion...'_

* * *

Bastion rushed outside the building, the sun setting on another day, and headed for the docks where Dr. Eisenstein was waiting for him with a boat docked. The scientist turned to see the rushing duelist and smiled as he stopped to pant.

"Are you ready, my boy?" Eisenstein asked, extending a hand.

Once Bastion caught his breath, he stood up straight and extended his hand. "I'm ready!"

Both men shook hands and then went aboard the boat to continue the study of scientific dueling... with luck on their side.

* * *

Heaven's Lost Property

Normal Spell

Both players draw three cards, and then discard two from their hand.

(Used by Reggie Mackenzie in the GX manga chapter 42; all rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Spell Sanctuary

Continuous Spell

When you activate this card, each player can select 1 Spell Card in their Deck and add it to their hand. While this card is face-up on the field, all Spell Cards can be activated as Quick-Play Spell Cards.

Power Balance

Normal Trap

Activate while you have no cards in your hand and your opponent has an even number of cards in their hand. Your opponent discards half the cards in their hand. Then, draw cards equal to the number of cards your opponent discarded.

(The top two cards were used by Seto Kaiba during the six part episode, Clash in the Coliseum; all rights go to the creators of the episodes.)

Mirror Match

Normal Spell

Send all monsters from your side of the field to the graveyard and then special summon Monsters that have the same names as your opponent's monsters (if possible). After activation, skip the same number of turns as the number of monsters on the field.

Magical Graduation

Normal Spell

Send 1 face-up "Dark Magician Girl" you control to the graveyard and special summon 1 "Dark Sorceress" from your hand or deck.

Dark Sorceress

DARK

Level 7

Spellcaster/Effect

2500/2100

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of "Magical Graduation". This card gains 200 ATK for every Spellcaster that's face-up on the field and in the graveyard.

Physics Bison

DARK

Level 3

Beast/Effect

1000/1000

Whenever your opponent's monster loses ATK due to a card effect, you can Special Summon this card from your deck.

Newton, the Motion Machine

DARK

Level 7

Machine/Effect

2400/2000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing two monsters with the same name from your graveyard. When this card attacks or is attacked, switch all monsters' battle positions except this monster.

Spellbound

Normal Trap

Activate this card from your graveyard when two or more traps cards have been played. End the current turn.

(The top six cards are my own creations, and creative rights go to me.)

Beckon to Darkness

Normal Spell

Send one face-up monster to the graveyard.

Nightmare Chains

Continuous Trap

Activate only when your opponent activates a Trap Card. Negate the activation of that card, and destroy it. Then, select 1 face-up monster on the field. That monster cannot change its battle position or declare an attack. If that monster is the only monster its controller controls, the opposing player can attack that player directly. Also, you or your opponent can Tribute that card and destroy this card to negate any damage by a card effect and reduce it to 0.

(The top two cards were used by Arkana in the second series anime episode, Master of Magicians, Part 2. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Dark Spear

Equip Spell

Equip only to "Dark Magician". During battle between the equipped monster and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the equipped monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

(Used by Atem in the second series anime episode, The Final Duel – Part 4. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Spellbinding Illusion

Normal Trap

Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. While that monster is face-up on the field, it loses 500 ATK and its effects are negated.

(Used by Atem in the R manga; all rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Relativity Field

Field Spell

Each time a player loses Life Points all face-up monsters they control lose an equal amount of ATK while face-up on the field.

Singularity Fiend

Level 1

DARK

0/0

Fiend/Effect

During either player's turn, you can send this card and 1 Spell Card from your hand to the Graveyard to negate the Special Summon of an opponent's monster, and destroy it.

Schrödinger's Cat

Continuous Spell

If you draw a card(s) outside of your Draw Phase, except by the effect of "Schrödinger's Cat", you can return them to your Deck. Then, draw cards equal to the number of returned cards.

Laplace, the Fiend Mathematician

DARK

Level 4

Fiend/Effect

1000/1000

When this card is removed from the field, inflict 300 points of damage to your opponent for each card on the field.

Draw Paradox

Continuous Trap

Neither player can conduct their normal draw during their Draw Phase. During each player's Draw Phase, their opponent draws 1 card.

Battle Constant

Normal Spell

Remove from Play 1 Monster Card, Continuous Spell Card, and Continuous Trap Card you control. Select and Special Summon 1 "Brain Dragon" from your hand or Deck.

Brain Dragon

LIGHT

Dragon/Effect

Level 8

2800/2300

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with "Battle Constant". During your Draw Phase, in addition to your normal draw, you can draw 2 more cards. Then, select and place 2 cards from your hand on the top of your Deck in any order.

(The top 7 cards were used by Eisenstein in the GX episode, It's all Relative. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Hero Dice

Normal Spell

Select 1 "Elemental Hero" monster you control, roll 1 six-sided die and activate the appropriate effect:

● 1: Take damage equal to the selected monster's ATK. ● 2: Destroy 1 Spell Card you control. ● 3: Destroy 1 monster you control. ● 4: Destroy 1 monster your opponent controls. ● 5: Destroy 1 Spell Card your opponent controls. ● 6: The selected monster can attack your opponent directly this turn.

(Used by Jaden Yuki in the GX episode, It's all Relative. All rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Damage Interest

Normal Trap

Activate only when you take Battle Damage from a direct attack. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to double the damage you took.

(Used by Jaden Yuki in the GX episode 175; all rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Next time: Juli finally gets her match against the one that eluded her. Will Kuribohs save Shion from a fate blanketed in Dark Light? Also, Matthias faces off against water's worst enemy... electricity...

Please Read and Review! Later!


	69. Elite Downfall

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 69: Elite Downfall

* * *

"It's getting down to the wire..." An ominous voice said, from behind one of the statues in front of the main building. "The more duelists duel, the more they all fall down... and more a fighting chance to get at the person I want to take down..."

Soon, the person talking came out from behind the statue and revealed to be Juli...

"With more Society members than Pro Duelists and Academy Duelist combined left in this tournament, I can finally get what I want..." She stated as she started to glow with Light and started to spark with energy and went into a maniacal laughter. "Now's the time to strike..."

* * *

Inside the main building, Shion, Jasmine and Mindy were listening to Lily talking about her past events of defeating Shroud, but conveniently left out the Cyber Style – Psycho Style Clan Rivalry business because of her vow of secrecy to the Chancellor.

"You mean that's the reason Zane was dueling aggressively and with those shock collars?" Jasmine gasped.

"He's still dueling aggressively because of the lack of respect amongst most of the Pro League competitors and outside Duel Academy." Lily stated as she felt indifferent to the situation. But soon, she made a smirk. "But I sure was glad to put the person who fed his mine with all that nonsense in his place."

"I wouldn't feel sorry for him at all," Mindy added. "After hearing what Zane put Syrus and Claudio through in his last two duels, I don't blame you at all for being that violent."

The conversation continued while Shion was in her own world, thinking of current events, _'Zane must have felt alone and that's why he turned to anyone that could help him gain his confidence in dueling back... It probably happened to Jason after Juli beat him and now Sartorius fed him with promise I know he won't keep.'_

* * *

(Flashback)

 _The holograms disappeared from the field leaving Jason shocked as he fell to his knees as Juli turned around and walked over to the girls._

 _"You see that, Shion?" She told her new accomplice. "Slifers are weak, and hanging around them will make you the same way."_

 _Shion reluctantly nodded as she left with the group of girls, leaving the defeated Slifer by himself_

(End Flashback)

* * *

 _'I was so stupid back then... all because of my parents expected the best of me...'_ She thought, feeling anger and guilt. _'And Juli keeps on sending all of those Society Girls after me... I lost track of the duels I had to endure... it's lucky that they underestimate my Kuribohs as nothing but cards to prevent damage for a short time. But that's just it... it's luck that I keep winning. If I'm going to get Juli off my back, I must face her head on... only then, I can figure out a way to reach Jason and tell him I'm sorry...'_

"Earth to Shion!" The Kuriboh duelist was snapped of out her thoughts at the sound of Jasmine's shout. "What's wrong, you've been a little spacey lately?"

She decided to suck it up and just tell them what's on her mind...

"I'm going to find Juli and settle this once and for all." She stated.

"WHAT?" Jasmine and Mindy shouted. "Are you crazy!"

"No... it's time I'm stopped running from her," Shion replied. "Think about it; ever since Missy was snapped out of her trance, the Society's girls have been after me... all because of Juli who thinks I belong with her gang. It's because of her and me that Jason fell into this mess, all because I let what's best for me get in the way!"

"Still, have you seen Juli lately?" Mindy asked. "She's crazy! I heard she's been relentless ever since Zane left the island!"

"Makes me glad we were beaten before we got the chance to duel her," Jasmine added. "I saw her duel eariler this morning... it was horrible! Not to mention that weird hairstyle she's sporting? She's really gone overboard since Alexis beat her back when this whole thing started."

"Which makes more reason to beat her now," the Kuriboh duelist said firmly as she pulled out her Duel Pilot and began to send a message to her tormentor.

Lily smiled, "I'm glad to see you're coming out of your own shell... reminds me of Syrus last year. At least we're going to see you shut her up!"

"Lily! Facing Juli right would be suicide!" Jasmine pleaded.

"Well, if we don't do something now... she'll keep taking out everybody that's not involved." the Dragon duelist retorted. "Not to mention that everybody isn't supposed to anyway..." She turned back to Shion, "Where are you planning to duel her?"

"In the main arena..." the Kuriboh duelist stated as she finished her messages and then sent it. "Even though she won't have anyone to be around anymore..."

* * *

Speaking of Juli, she was heading down to the Slifer Dorm to get her prey to come out of hiding when she heard her Duel Pilot going off, causing her to retrieve it from her pocket and answered her mail.

 _ **"Juli,**_

 _ **I'm tired of all your threats and sending those girls after me,**_

 _ **if you really want to settle this grudge of me leaving your group,**_

 _ **I'll be at the main arena waiting...**_

 _ **Shion."**_

After reading the message, Juli's mouth broke into a crazy smile.

"Finally! She decided to face me!" She cackled. "I knew with sending enough flunkies after her, she'd come for me! Now to make her regret leaving what could have been the best thing for her career as a duelist! I'm so glad that the White Veil card's side effect hit me, otherwise I couldn't be matched by anyone!"

 _ **'And I'm glad there's someone to take control of to instill fear before my rebirth! Feel the power of the Light of Destruction!'**_

But before Juli could take another step, her hair started to flare up in a white flame and grin became wicked. She then started to walk in a trance-like state, heading to the meeting spot for the duel.

* * *

Meanwhile, at a large white bridge, Matthias led the married and soon-to-be-married couples across and telling them what he found...

"A hot spring," Joey and Mai exclaimed.

"Yeah, across this bridge is a hot spring." The water duelist explained. "Feels like something that could help everyone unwind after all the dueling we had."

"I'll say," Erika smiled. "And from the looks of things, it's about ready to end with mostly everyone eliminated."

"Still, there's many Society members left..." Alister stated. "Even as flunkies, we still can't take them lightly and they might get desperate enough to go battle royale like Kenji explained."

"Which means that free-for-all plan that your friend Alex said to us, is feeling real tempting," Joey grinned. "Never thought I would have to get into one of those..."

"Nor has it ever existed," Mai added. "But worry about that later, I'm ready to relax before the bachelor and bachelorette parties."

"Thanks to Melody, we already have to festivities for my party." The Maverick duelist smiled. "It's going to funny for the main entertainment..."

"How funny?" the Guardian duelist asked curiously.

"Melody got Claudio to play music with the girls," Erika smirked. "When I asked her about it, she did it to mess him about Jaden being led around by Allyson when had to take a test, which was later to be false."

Alister laughed, "Just when I thought he wouldn't put his foot in his mouth..."

"Claudio and Melody... those two are going to be your Best Man and Maid of Honor?" Matthias asked.

"The same," the Guardian duelist replied. "Guess we got to do something about my Bachelor Party then, I guess a big dinner is in order..."

"Too bad all of you won't be present!"

The five of them looked further across the bridge and found someone who hasn't been seen in a while...

"Hey, look its Scar," Joey exclaimed.

"Yeah, and what's with the all-white look?" Mai asked sarcastically.

Alister and Erika narrowed their eyes at the opposing Pro duelists, "Looks like the Society got to him..." Alister stated.

"Master Sartorius sends his wedding wishes to the two of you," Scar smirked as he activated his duel disk, "And he would like to join you together in Holy Matrimony... your friends are welcome to watch the ceremony... given that I help you change your loyalties..."

"Not on your life, pal," Joey stepped up, but was quickly stopped by Matthias. "What's up, kid?"

"Come on, Joey, I haven't had a duel all day and he needs to be taught a lesson from an up and coming Pro duelist, not an already legendary one," the Water duelist said, turning on his duel disk.

Joey shrugged and backed off, "Okay, I won't stop ya..."

"It's only because he said you're a legendary duelist," Mai smirked, causing her husband to grin nervously.

Scar drew his five-card hand, "You have no idea who you're messing with..."

"A brainwashed pawn..." Matthias replied, drawing his own hand.

DUEL!

Matthias: 8000

Scar: 8000

"I'll start," Matthias announced, drawing his sixth card and inserted a card into his Field Slot. "I activate A Legendary Ocean to submerge the field!" The whole terrain transformed into a vast ocean, with both players knee-deep inside it. Suddenly, a stone, undersea city rose to the surface making its appearance behind the Water duelist. "Now, to use its advantages by summoning Shark Cruiser in attack mode," A rush of water surged from the surface and let out a monster that looked less like a shark and more like a big PT boat shaped like a shark. It was armed with two torpedoes that were also shaped like sharks (5-4/1800-2000/2200-2400) "I'll end my turn with this facedown card." He concluded.

"Let's give you a taste of what I've got," Scar grinned, drawing his sixth card and immediately put two into his disk while placing another face down on the tray. "And I'll think a facedown monster along with two facedown cards will do nicely!"

"That's it?" Mai wondered. "He must be planning to destroy Matthias' monster with one of his facedown cards then..."

"With 2000 ATK staring him down, it would be his only shot," Joey added. "Of course, Matthias wouldn't be stupid to attack head on..."

The Water duelist drew another card for his turn, and immediately announced, "I attack your facedown monster... fire Torpedoes!"

The spectators were startled as the cruiser fired its two torpedoes and headed straight for the facedown monster...

"I use Threatening Roar!" Scar countered, revealing his trap card which let out a monstrous roar to knock the torpedoes off course and explode.

"I get it," Erika noted, "He's protecting that monster for something and it probably can't let it get destroyed."

"And we'll see it in a moment..." Alister added, staring down the facedown monster.

"I end my turn by playing Field Barrier and setting one monster," Matthias concluded as large energy dome appeared around the city while a facedown monster appeared next to the Shark Cruiser.

"Then, it's my turn," Scar announced, drawing his next card and then flipped over his other facedown card to create a small, multicolored cannon-like weapon that surged electricity all around it. "I reveal Wattcannon! And before you see what it does, I reveal my facedown monster, the Batteryman Micro-Cell!" Next, the facedown card flipped over and revealed a small, pink button cell battery with small arms and legs, two yellow eyes and magenta blush marks. (1/100/100)

The water duelist narrowed his eyes, 'Thunder monsters... of course...'

"He protected that little twerp?" the warrior duelist questioned.

"And more importantly, what happened to the Storm Commandos he used?" Mai added.

"This little twerp can special summon 1 low-level Batteryman from my deck when flipped over, like the Batteryman AA!" the SOL duelist interrupted as a thunderbolt crashed into the water, right in front of him. Emerging from the cloud of smoke, a small, red battery with the number 3 on it appeared with orange limbs and head with green eyes. (3/0/0) "And now my Wattcannon reveals its effect: once per turn when a low-level Thunder-Type monster is Normal or Special Summoned, I can deal 600 points of damage to you!" The electric cannon charged and launched a ball of static energy into Matthias' body... and thanks to the water, it was real shock!

Matthias: 7400

Scar: 8000

"Ow..." the water duelist groaned.

"And then, I chain the Special Summoning with Inferno Reckless Summon!" Zap continued, inserting his quick-play spell card in. "Now, I get two more Batterymen AA for my field and ready to destroy you!" Soon, two more thunderbolts crashed into the ground, bringing out two more AA Batterymen. (3/0/0) x2

"I summon another Shark Cruiser!" Matthias countered as another shark boat appeared next to the first. (5-4/1800-2000/2200-2400)

"It won't matter, because with three AA's, they all gain 3000 ATK which is enough to destroy and the rest of your life points!" the thunder duelist rejoiced as the Batterymen charged up with massive amounts of electricity. (3/0-3000/0-3000) x3 "It's over already!"

"Go ahead, and attack if you dare!" the Water duelist challenged. "No matter what course of action you take, you won't win..."

"Please..." Scar stated as he activated another spell card, depicting a large, mechanical monster creating a short circuit as it broke a red cable. "I activate Short Circuit! This card can only activate when I have at least 3 Batterymen on the field. By having them, it destroys all cards that you own on the field besides your Field Spell... but like it matters..."

"No!" The spectators cried out as the three Batterymen AAs shot up into the skies and then combined into a massive white thunderbolt, storming the Pro duelist's field. It was a massive destruction as Matthais' monsters and Field Barrier were wiped out from the field, blinding the field in white light.

"Now all I have to do is destroy you and we'll call it a day for the Society!"

"I wouldn't say that!" Matthias shouted from within the light, before it faded away. Scar gasped he was now facing four new monsters in place of the Shark Cruisers were three Spined Gillman, wielding their trident weapons. (3-2/1300-1500/0-200) x3, and a red, grinning starfish with one blue eye and tentacles extended from its appendages called Star Boy (2-1/550-750/500-700).

"Fine, I'll just destroy them all..."

"I wouldn't recommend it," the Water Pro duelist continued, "Because each of my Spined Gillman gives all Fish-Type, Sea Serpent-Type, and Aqua-Type monsters I have 400 ATK, and then Star Boy gives WATER attribute monsters 500 more ATK. So now, all of my monsters gain 1700 ATK!" Scar cringed as a surging blue aura flowed through his opponent's monsters. (3/1500-3200/200) x3, (1/750-2450/700) "Also, the facedown monster you destroyed was Deepsea Macrotrema, giving another 500 points to my WATER monsters!" The blue aura got brighter, strengthening his monsters more. (3/3200-3700/200) x3, (1/2450-2950/700)

"Sweet, those Battery monsters have nothing on the little guy now," Mai smiled. "He quickly refilled his monster field and then made sure they have the power to back it up."

Scar growled, "Okay kid... sure you gotten far stronger strategies than I thought, but one of them is about to lose out... Destroy Star Boy, first Batteryman AA!" The middle batteryman fired a white lightning bolt at the red starfish, and wiped it off the water.

Matthias: 7350

Scar: 8000

With Star Boy's death, the Spined Gillmans got a little weaker. (3/3700-3200/200) x3

"I end my turn with a facedown card, causing you to lose another 500 ATK and then next, I'll come for them!" Scar concluded as the boost from Macrotrema faded away as well. (3/3200-2700/200) x3

"Then I best destroy them before it happens," Matthias announced as he drew his next card, and then held it up to show an orange and silver gadget with two turbine engines attached to it, "And it's all possible with the spell card Aqua Jet, letting one of my monsters gain 1000 ATK!" He announced as the gadget strapped on to one of the Spined Gillman. (3/2700-3700/200)

 _'Crap...'_ the possessed Pro thought.

"I'll used my powered up Spined Gillman to attack one of your Batterymen AAs," the Water duelist shouted as the strongest Gillman used its newly acquired Aqua Jet and charged through one of the triplets were run through and broken into pixels, causing the other two to lose power. (3/3000-2000/0) x2

Matthais: 7350

Scar: 7300

"Next, I'll have my second Gillman attack the Batteryman Micro-Cell!" The second Gillman used his trident to create a whirlpool underneath the small cell and sucked within the water to short out.

Matthais: 7350

Scar: 4700

"With Micro Cell destroyed in battle, after being flipped up, I can draw another card!" the possessed Pro noted before drawing another card.

"Now another Batteryman with the final attack from my third Gillman," The final Gillman threw its trident into the second Batteryman AA and caused it to explode into pixels, making the lone Batteryman lose more power. (3/2000-1000/0)

Matthais: 7350

Scar: 4000

"Wow, what a comeback..." Erika said, amazed at how the possessed Pro's score dropped. "And here I thought there was something to worry about..."

"Of course," Alister shrugged, "The Batterymen Archetype is best suited for the OTK, and if you can stop that... they are done..."

"I activate my Shock Draw," Scar interrupted, revealing his trap card. "Since I lost four grand, I draw four cards!"

"I end my turn." Matthias announced. "It's hopeless for you to continue, if you think being around Sartorius will help your career."

"Well, you had your fun," Scar grinned, drawing his next card. "There are lots of other thunder cards to play other than my Batteryman monsters... and I'll even show it off, after switching my last Batteryman AA to defense mode..." The orange batteryman took a knee and crossed his arms. (3/1000-0/0-1000) "And then activate Electromagnetic Shield which protects any Level 3 or below Thunder monsters from being destroyed in battle." Soon, a barrier of electricity surrounded Batteryman AA being emitted from it.

"Now he can have a wall of monsters until he can strike." Alister stated, "If they are face-up on the field..."

"I end with a set monster," the SOL duelist concluded as a facedown monster appeared next to the Batteryman.

"Then, it's my turn!" Matthias stated as he drew his next card, "I'll let one of my weaker Gillman destroy your facedown monster!" He declared as the second Gillman swam across the field and stabbed the monster card. But what he didn't expect was a small dragonfly with a black and yellow torso, red and blue gossamer wings, and a golden head before it shattered. (2/900/100)

"That was Wattdragonfly you just took out," Scar noted to his opponent, "and when destroyed I can take out another Watt monster from my deck and summon it to the field!"

"So these Watts are another one these set of cards your boss had made?" Mai asked.

"That's correct, so meet the Wattwoodpecker in defense mode!" He announced, as the next Monster summoned was a woodpecker, with red, black, and yellow feathers, and circuitry on its chest. (3/1000/100) Reacting to the new monster, Wattcannon fired another electro-ball at Matthias, stunning his torso.

Matthais: 6750

Scar: 4000

"It still doesn't mean you'll make a good enough comeback with all my monsters on the line," the Water Pro duelist stated as he concluded his turn.

Scar grinned as he drew another card and revealed one from his overall hand, "I can just use this, my Makiu, the Magical Mist card!"

Mai gasped, "I've seen Yugi use this card with his Summoned Skull, and its bad news! With it, he can destroy all monsters with a DEF lower than the ATK of a Summoned Skull or Thunder-Type monster!"

"And my Wattwoodpecker's stronger than any of your monsters, so I would say my farewells!" the possessed Pro laughed as a strange mist surrounded Matthias' side of the field. Then, Wattwoodpecker fired a bolt of lightning into it and destroyed all three of Spined Gillman.

Matthias growled, _'This is bad...'_

"Lucky for you, I can't attack this turn, so I'll leave this facedown and my Wattpheasant in defense mode!" Scar concluded as a facedown card appeared and with it, a large fowl with blue feathers and striped tail feathers, surrounded by an aura of electricity. (4/1000/800) Its arrival set off the Wattcannon...

Matthias: 6150

Scar: 4000

"My move then," Matthias drew, trying to regain his composure. 'Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth can help me out... but I need something to keep on the field first...' "I summon Barrier Statue of Torrent in defense mode and end my turn!" He announced as a small statue appeared in the shape of a bipedal, armored frog holding a coral shield and a trident. (4-3/1000-1200/1000-1200) "Now you can't get at my monsters, especially by Special Summoning! Unless you have any WATER attributes, which I highly doubt..."

"I don't need to special summon..." Scar grinned, drawing another card. "First, I'll switch all my monsters into attack mode, destroying my Electromagnetic Shield!" He stated, as all his monsters stoop upright, causing the shield to give out.

"What's the deal, he just gave up a good defense?" Joey wondered.

"I don't need any defense as well..." the Pro continued inserting another card into his disk, a continuous spell card that showed a large electric orb and a smaller one, "I activate Wattcine! And you'll see it in action because my Wattpheasant can attack directly! So prepare for another good shock!" He announced as the electric pheasant flew past the statue and stabbed Matthias with its beak.

Matthias: 5150

Scar: 4000

"And since I've done Battle Damage with a Thunder-Type monster, I can heal my life points equal to the damage I've dealt!" He continued as another electrical current surged through him, but healed his wounds.

Matthias: 5150

Scar: 5000

Then suddenly, the Barrier Statue vanished!

"What?" Matthias gasped, along with the spectators.

"Don't worry, you'll get him back during the End Phase, but that leaves you open for my monsters to deal some damage..." Scar stated, "And my Wattwoodpecker can attack twice, and combined with my Batteryman AA... sucks to be you..."

At the end of the statement, the woodpecker flew straight at the Water duelist dealt a flurry of sharp pecks while the Batteryman sent an electrical surge across the water which had the water pro crying out in pain.

Matthias: 2150

Scar: 8000

"And then, I use the Messenger of Peace to block your attacks with 1500 ATK or less, so you don't try anything!" Scar concluded, inserting his spell card inside his disk depicting an old man in a holy, white robe emitting a calming light. "You see, back where we started yet you're in the red... all I have to do his a few more attacks..."

Barrier Statue of the Torrent returned to the field as Matthias took some time to get himself together. (4-3/1000-1200/1000-1200)

"I hope the little man can draw a card that can save him from those direct attacks," Mai said worriedly. "I have never seen a move that can turn the tables so quickly."

"He won't lose to this joker," Joey shrugged. "Scar may have been a high rank in the Pro League, but if several low ranked duelist and students can beat him, he should be losing it."

"My move," Matthias announced and drew his next card, "I set two cards facedown and end my turn." He concluded as the reversed card appeared on the water.

"Ha! The end is here!" Scar announced as he drew his next card. "But since I'm not dumb, I'll pay of a measly 100 to keep Messenger of Peace in play just in case you find some way to attack me with your stronger monsters.

Matthias: 2150

Scar: 7900

"Now, my monsters... Finish him!" Wattwoodpecker and Wattpheasant flew into a rush and prepared to stab their beaks into their opponent again...

"I activate the Tornado Wall trap!" the Water Pro duelist quickly announced, revealing one of his facedown cards. Suddenly, the waters of the Legendary Ocean erupted into four waterspouts formed from the ocean, drying it up the waters, and blocked the monsters from advancing. "With this trap in play, no battle damage can be inflicted to me. The only way you hurt me now is effect damage or getting rid of my Field Spell or this trap."

"He'd better protect his spell and trap zone then," Alister stated, "He'll need all the help he can..."

"I summon Wattlemur in attack mode to end my turn!" Scar concluded as a small lemur with black and silver fur appeared, sparking electricity with each flick of its long tail. (2/800/100) It caused the Wattcannon to activate once more and hit Matthias with another shot.

Matthias: 1650

Scar: 7900

"Okay, he really needs to get that Wattcannon off the field..." Erika winced at the shocks her friend's been receiving.

"No need," Matthias interrupted as he drew his next card, "If I can get what I need out of this Pot of Greed, that card won't be a threat to me!" He stated as he inserted the named spell card and drew two more cards. He nodded as he turned to Scar, "Since it's highly unlikely you'll special summon, I'll sacrifice my Barrier Statue and summon the Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth!"

The statue cracked wide open and unleashed a blue portal that unleashed the massive, ancient coelacanth from the depths. (7-6/2800-3000/2200-2400)

"Now, I discard one card to special summon 4 low-level Fish monsters to the field," the water duelist continued, as placed one of his hand card into his graveyard. "Abyssal Kingshark and my three Ocean's Keepers will do just fine!" Soon, four pillars of water uprooted from the ocean and brought out the Abyssal Kingshark (4-3/1700-1900/600-1800), and three monsters, looking like overgrown goldfish carrying tridents, known as the Ocean's Keepers. (4-3/1500-1700/800-1000) x3

"No use in having all those monsters since they all can't attack me," Scar mocked and laughed. But it soon died in his throat when Matthias revealed Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Messenger of Peace. "Damn...

"Deepseaking, destroy Wattpheasant!" The massive fish bellowed as it opened its jaws and stared down the pheasant...

"I activate the trap, Shift and use it to switch the attack to my Wattmur!" the possessed Pro quickly revealed his facedown, causing the coelacanth to switch its meal and swallow the electric lemur whole.

Matthias: 1650

Scar: 5700

Suddenly sparks coursed throughout Coelacanth's body, and made it scream in pain.

"Whoa, that was a big jolt!" Joey exclaimed.

Scar laughed, "Destroying Wattmur makes it so that you can't attack me next battle phase, so you'll have to sit tight!"

"I end my turn with another two facedown cards." Matthias concluded. "I have a lot of patience and despite the large gap in scores, I will beat you!"

"Then I guess it's time to end this," Scar grinned and drew his next card, "And it doesn't come any better than the spell card, Wattkey! It lets my Watt monsters attack directly! So, I can just finish you..."

"I activate Book of Eclipse!" Matthias interrupted, revealing his quick-play spell card, "Looks like you won't be doing any of that direct attacking, eh?" The spectators cheered as the monsters flipped facedown.

"At least I'll be able to draw three cards after this mess is done," Scar stated as he inserted a card into his disk, and a reversed card appeared in front of him. "Now I end..."

"Watch my combination with Book of Eclipse!" the water duelist interrupted again, revealing his next facedown card, "I activate Ceasefire, making every set monster, flip face-up!"

Scar growled as Wattpheasant, Wattwoodpecker and his Batteryman revealed themselves to defend.

Matthias smirked as his Coelacanth, Abyssal Kingshark, and his three Ocean's Keepers took to the field as well. "And that's not all, because every single monster is an effect monster and causing 500 points of damage for each one!"

Soon, a burning red aura shot through the SOL duelist and made him scream.

Matthias: 1650

Scar: 1700

"He closed the gap!" Joey grinned.

"And all he needs is to clear the field and deliver a direct attack," Erika smiled.

Matthias drew his next card, as he stared down his opponent, "So, we're at a stalemate then... I can't end this duel now because of your Wattmur monster's destruction, and you can't end this duel because of my Tornado Wall. But know this: your monsters can't damage me because of Tornado Wall, yet I can come my next turn. Unless you can summon two monsters to delay my monsters of the deep, you're through." He then inserted his final card into his disk.

"Smug, aren't ya?" Scar stated as he drew. And when he saw his new card, he chuckled. "But with what I'm about to set up, it's all going to pieces!"

"Well let's see it..."

Scar turned over the card he just drew, showing a large, steel power plant at night. It unleashed an overload of electrical energy with Batterymen, AA, AAA, C, and D. "Now, I use the Power Plant Transfer spell... I can trade in any number Thunder Type monsters for a Batteryman monster... the reason I kept my Batteryman AA on the field, despite the new Watts... so I send Wattpheasant and Wattwoodpecker and summon out Batteryman D and Batteryman C!"

The two Watt monsters started to drain themselves of their electricity and then fizzled out like the holograms they were. Then, the electrical surge created two more monsters. Batteryman D was of course a giant D battery colored lime green and yellow with a small head and limbs attached (4/0/1900), and the Batteryman C was colored silver and light blue. (2/0/0) Wattcannon activated once more and fired a blast at Matthias.

Matthias: 1050

Scar: 1700

"And now, I can activate a special facedown card that I've been saving for this moment; the trap, Power to the Voltech!" He announced, revealing his neglected facedown card that showed a scientist working in a lab where Batterymen AA, C, and D were hooked to an electrical mainframe, giving life to a giant machine that activated with red eyes. "With this, I can sacrifice all three of my Batterymen and unleash mechanical nightmare known as the Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon!"

"The what?" Everyone asked as the Batterymen started to transform into pillars of thunder and lightning and surged into the trap card. Afterwards, and mechanical roar was unleashed from the trap card and made it explode into a smoke that spread across the field, prompting everyone to cover their nose and mouth to prevent smoke from getting into them. When it cleared, there was a giant, sliver dinosaur with its head seemingly floating above its body. Inside the torso, the three Batterymen were hooked up to its systems as a power source. (5/2400/1000)

"You know, this monster could've been a single tribute from one of the Batteryman monsters," Scar stated, "But I would've missed out on Power to the Voltech's benefits."

"Like what?" Matthias asked.

"By having Batteryman D used, you can't use any spell and trap effects that target him, Batteryman C allows Piercing Damage, and finally Batteryman AA gives it an additional 1000 ATK!" The Voltech monsters erupted with electricity and roared at the five fish monsters across the field. (5/2400-3400/1000)

"It won't matter, since I'm protected by my Tornado Wall!" the ocean duelist retorted.

"Then we'll see about that as I let my monster attack, while I use the Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy A Legendary Ocean!" Scar grinned as he inserted his spell card. While a fierce windstorm erupted, Voltech Dragon fired a huge thunderbolt from its mouth and combined it to deadly hurricane that hovered over the field. "Destroy!" The Hurricane built up and started to cause a massive tidal storm which toppled over the Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth and destroyed it. Then, it went to turn on Matthias who was soon swallowed up by the wave.

"Matthias!" His friends cried as Scar laughed.

"Looks like sea turns on its master, eh kid?" the possessed Pro continued to laugh.

"That's what you think!"

Everyone then gasped as the wave suddenly turned into numerous waterspouts that surrounded Matthias who was unharmed. While his friends cheered, Scar growled in frustration.

"Glad that the kid's alright, but what happened?" Joey asked.

Alister then took another look at the field, and he saw that next to the Tornado Wall trap, was another trap depicting ancient marble ruins underwater. "Oh, he used Forgotten Temple of the Deep!"

"How did that save him?" Erika wondered.

"It's another card to serve as 'Umi', so that means Tornado Wall stays on the field." The Harpie duelist replied. "That was a smart move."

"Damn... I end my turn..." Scar concluded. "But don't think this over.

Matthias drew his next card, "Well, if Card of Demise gives me what I need, then it will be over," He stated as he drew five more cards. "And what do you know it is, starting with Codarus!" Rising out from the depths, a 7' blue sea serpent appeared with red tip claws, white fins on its cheeks. (4/1400/1200) "I could use its effect to send two cards to the graveyard along with an Umi card, but it targets. But here's the real reason I did this, watch closely... I use Double Summon and sacrifice it and Abyssal Kingshark for Levia Dragon – Daedalus!"

When the card was placed on the duel tray, only Abyssal Kingshark sunk into the depths, while a water pillar surrounded Codarus and left only its silhouette. Everyone watched as the silhouette grew longer and longer until the pillar gave way to a huge sea serpent with blue scales, red spikes on its body, and a gaping jaw of spiked teeth emerged from the watery depths with an almighty roar. (7/2600/1500)

"So?" Scar muttered.

"You don't see the resemblance?" the Ocean duelist asked, raising an eyebrow. "Think of this as the evolved version of Codarus; and it's ability says it all because when Umi is sent to the graveyard, all cards except itself will leave the field."

"Now I see it," Joey realized.

"But just so anything else doesn't go down, I'll further the evolution by playing Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo Daedalus!" Matthias continued as the monstrous sea serpent turned bright blue and then evolved once more. It became taller plus it grew two heads and the red spikes on its body now spread out into large fins. (8/2900/1600)

"Whatever, you just did all that for the dramatics!" Scar stated. "None of your monsters can stand up to my Dragon!"

"First, it's not even a real dragon," the ocean duelist sighed, "It doesn't even look like one... it's more of a dinosaur, which is about to be extinct because my Ocean Dragon Lord retains the same effect as my Levia Dragon, only it also takes the cards in both players' hands as well! And after all that, you're done! I use its effect to send Forgotten Temple of the Deep to the graveyard and send everything from our hands and field away!"

Soon, the entire ocean surrounded the Ocean Dragon Lord and gave it a sort of second armor. The last thing Scar saw was the sea serpent charging straight through his Voltech Dragon in a static explosion and then charged through him, knocking him out.

Matthias: 1050, Winner

Scar: 0

The holograms died out as Scar fell to the ground, the Light leaving his body and into the skies.

"Whew..." Matthias sighed, "I always hated electricity, and now I have more of a reason why."

"Cheer up, pal," Joey said, slapping the young Tsunami on the back. "At least ya won."

"Yeah..."

"Alright, are we done now," Mai said, wrapping both of her arms around the boys, "We beat the obstacle in our way, so can we check out the hot springs already? It's what we came here for..."

"She's right, you know," Alister shrugged. "And we're burning daylight."

"So let's go," Erika smiled as she walked past everyone and continued on to the hot springs.

"That's my girl," the Guardian duelist smiled as he walked after his fiancée.

"Wait a minute, what about this guy?" Matthias asked, pointed to Scar's unconscious form.

"Leave him, at any rate he owes us time for interrupting us," Joey shrugged as he walked after his friends.

"It's true," the ocean duelist nodded.

"There you go," Mai smiled as she led him after their companions, "Now let's go."

* * *

At the main arena, the girls were seated at the bottom of the audience seats with Shion ready to go on the field.

"You nervous, Shion?" Lily asked the duel-prepped Obelisk.

"I'm always nervous before a duel," the Kuriboh duelist replied. "Doesn't mean I'll back out now... this needs to be done."

"I get it," the Dragon duelist nodded. "I just hope you can take on Juli with a leveled head."

'I hope so, too...' Shion thought. Next thing everyone knew, the lights were suddenly cut off causing screams to break out from every girl's mouths. "What happened to the lights!"

"This is getting too creepy," Mindy whined. "We're the only ones in here and now anything could pop out do who knows what to us?"

"Why did you have to say that?" Jasmine gasped. "I don't even WANT anything bad to happen to us!"

"Nothing's going to happen to us?" Lily snapped. "If anybody comes and they try anything funny, I'll do to them what I did to the last guy who ticked me off..."

"You finally come out of hiding from me, Shion?" An eerie voice whispered from around the darkened room. "Today is a good day for me..."

Hearing it coming from the room, put the girls on edge as they cringed in fear, ready to jump at any moment.

"Juli!" Shion shouted. "Come out of hiding! I know it's you!"

"Oh... why should I appear when you did all the hiding?" the voice whispered again. "I actually made an effort of fighting my own battles, but you wouldn't come out to play. But when the other girls came for you, you didn't have a choice. I knew you'd finally break..."

"Enough games!" The Kuriboh duelist snapped, "I want to duel you, so you can get out of my life!"

"Well, that's a challenge..."

Soon a light came on, but not the arena lights...

"AAAHHHH!"

The girls screamed as the light stemmed from the middle of the arena, and the cause of it was Juli herself! She stood there with her hair flaring the light and her wicked grin shining.

"J-J-Juli?" Shion gasped, giving her all-white opponent a scared look. "What happened to you?"

The Ritual Duelist looked over herself, still grinning that wicked grin. "Like it? Sometime after Alexis dealt me the side effect to White Veil, I woke up with this new look and power! Of course, not everyone could be compatible and they went plain insane before I had to absorb it out of them. I guess you can say I'm as powerful as Sartorius!"

Jasmine gasped, "You tried to make others like how you are?"

"It's a great plan, but it needs... proper catalysts..." Juli replied, eyeing every Obelisk girl in attendance. "And I see potential ones in you four... but I doubt Jasmine and Mindy will be like me... Lily however, I could use... after I, she's been possessed once."

It was Lily's turn to be surprised, "Who told you that?"

"I've seen your records of when you went missing and when you came back. Your school doesn't have good security on its files." Juli said and then turned to Shion, "But to more pressing matters... I finally get at the girl who defied me in a previous life before the Society, and I intend to return the favor."

"I'm not going back." Shion grumbled. "I regret ever going with you at opening week; it's because of you, Jason ran to Sartorius..."

"Don't you mean 'because of us'?" Juli smirked.

"At least I'll do something about it, after I beat you!" the Obelisk girl declared, turning on her duel disk and drawing her opening hand.

Juli cackled once again, before copying her opponent's moves.

DUEL!

Juli: 8000

Shion: 8000

"Let the games begin!" Juli grinned as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Ritua Chain!" She announced as she brought out a large, green-scaled amphibian monster with big fins along the top of his head, down his back and on both sides of his arms. In his hands, he carried a large chain with a crystal spearhead on top. (4/1800/1000)

"Ritua?" Shion wondered.

"When summoned, I can look at the top 3 cards of my deck and take any Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell Card from it and at it to my hand, while the rest goes back on top and in any order I wish!" the Ritual Duelist explained as she took the three cards from the top and looked at them. She smirked as she saw Eviritua Gustkrake, Ceremonial Water Mirror of Ritua, and Torrential Tribute. "Ooh, I can take my Ritual Spell card and then place the other two in this order!"

'This is bad; I've seen her Ritual Monsters before the change,' the Kuriboh duelist thought as her opponent took her spell card while placing the other two cards back in the deck. 'I wonder what she has in store now...'

"I end my turn," Juli concluded, "Let's see if you can hurt me, little mouse."

"It would be for your own good," Shion said as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Kuribon in attack mode!" A cute brown-furred creature with a rat-like tail wrapped with a red ribbon appeared, and stared out across the field with its beautiful emerald eyes, somehow more feminine than the other Kuribohs. (1/300/200)

Juli laughed, "I thought I told you to ditch those puny monsters in favor of something tough. But I guess you never changed."

Shion narrowed her eyes as she inserted another spell card, depicting Asura Priest in an underground shrine to erect an ancient seal, "I activate Spirit Burner and equip it to Kuribon!" The female Kuriboh squeaked cutely as a faint blue aura surrounded her. "With it, I can switch her to defense mode." Kuribon backed away from her initial spot on the field, floating near Shion. "Finally, I place two cards facedown." She concluded.

"I wonder what this Kuriboh does?" Mindy wondered. "So far, we seen more and more of them humanly possible."

"Let's just hope this one can protect Shion from a loss," Jasmine repiled

"So, you just did all that to switch your furball into defense mode," Juli scoffed as she drew her next card. "You could've just placed it that way, but I guess I'll have to teach you the hard way… by activating the Ceremonial Water Mirror of Ritua!" The large, jellyfish-shaped mirror appeared in the middle of the ring. "Now, I use its powers to sacrifice the level 4 Ritua Chain and level 2 Ritua Abyss in my hand to Ritual Summon Eviritua Gustkrake!"

Shion watched as Ritua Chain and a blue shark humanoid monster were sucked inside the mirror which shined like a sapphire jewel before shattering to reveal a feminine, red-haired sea-monster with a golden and blue armor covering the upper body and let her lower body consisting of eight, long octopus' tentacles that flailed around. (6/2400/1000) "This looks bad..."

"It'll be even worse," the Ritual duelist smirked. "When Gustkrake is Ritual Summoned, I can select up to 2 random cards in your hand and choose one to go back to your deck! So let's see 'em!"

Shion gasped as Gustkrake's tentacles pierced through her final two cards, revealing them to Juli.

"Winged Kuriboh and Five-Star Twilight, eh?" She smirked. "Knowing everything that the Kuriboh's deal with negating damage, I'll send Winged Kuriboh back to your deck!" She then watched her opponent shuffle the monster back into her deck, with only Five-Star Twilight left to play. "Now to get rid of the little furball on the field; Gustkrake destroy it!"

"I activate Bad Reaction to Simochi!" Shion interrupted, revealing the familiar Continuous Trap card.

"It won't help you!" the SOL duelist shouted as her monster lashed her tentacles at Kuribon, who squeaked in fear.

"Yes it will, I activate Kuribon's effect: I can block all battle damage by sending her back to my hand. And as a bonus, you get life points equal to your monster's ATK." Kuribon vanished in a flash of light and Juli glowed with green energy.

"You're too kind..." Then, Juli gasped, "Wait a minute!"

"That's why my trap is out, now you get damaged instead!" Shion pointed out as the green energy quickly turned to poison purple and gripped the SOL duelist with its force.

Juli: 5600

Shion: 8000

"Wow, a helpful effect turned bad!" Lily cheered.

Juli growled at the Kuriboh duelist, but before she could say anything, Shion continued with, "Also, thanks to Spirit Burner, since my monster went back to my hand, you lose another 600 points!" Suddenly, a blue wave of energy appeared from the graveyard and struck Juli's duel disk.

Juli: 5000

Shion: 8000

The Obelisk Girls cheered for their friend's swift damage.

 _'Okay, 3000 down,'_ Shion thought happily, _'I just need to keep up with the swift combinations, and I can with this in a few turns...'_

"It's still not enough to strike me down," Juli said, snapping the Kuriboh duelist out of her thoughts, "and I'll play Quick Summon to bring out my next Ritua, Ritua Beast!" A large column of water shot up and unleashed another sea monster that was a cross between a large dog and something found in a swamp. It wore an amulet that was a smaller version of the Ceremonial Mirror. (4/1500/1300) "And when it's summoned, I can bring back another Level 4 or below Ritua monster from my grave in defense mode, so welcome back Ritua Abyss!"

The shark humanoid monster appeared from a smaller column, created by the beast and curled up in defense. (2/800/500)

"And with it out on the field, I can bring out a Ritua monster from my deck with up to 1000 DEF and add it to my hand, and I choose Ritua Emila!" Juli continued as took out her desired card and then reshuffled her deck.

 _'She can take out monsters from her deck at a quick pace,_ ' Shion thought in fear. _'She could never do that with her old cards some of the time...'_

"I'd keep myself awake, if I were you!" Juli shouted again, "Ritua Beast, strike!" The Water Beast howled, and then spit a blast of blue energy from its jaws, hitting Shion in the stomach.

Juli: 5000

Shion: 6500

"And then I place one card facedown and its back to you." The Ritual Duelist concluded. "And that one attack is just the first of many for you to suffer at my hand!"

"It's okay, Shion!" Lily stated. "It's only 1500; she's still too far off from your score!"

Shion took a minute to compose her wellbeing before she drew her next card, "I use Pot of Greed to draw two new cards!" She began, drawing out her desired number, "And then I use Instant Fusion to pay 1000 life points and summon the Level 5 Fusion monster Flame Swordsman from the Fusion Deck!" She announced as a burst of flames summoned the fire-blade wielder from it. (5/1800/1600)

Juli: 5000

Shion: 5500

"And what's he going to do, clutter up your field?" Juli taunted.

The Kuriboh duelist ignored her comment, activating the Spell card she was forced to reveal earlier, "I activate Five Star Twilight to sacrifice the Level 5 Flame Swordsman and bring out Kuriboh, Kuribi, Kuribe, Kuriba and Kuribu: the Five Kuriboh Brothers!" She announced as her monster split apart into five colors and brought out the five furry brothers who floated in front of her mistress to protect her. (1/300/200) x 5

"Not even wall of Kuribohs will stand a chance against my monsters!"

"Then, how about I merge them together and bring forth Kuribabylon to deal with one of them!" Shion countered as all five monsters gathered up together and disappeared in a giant puff of smoke, unleashing the giant feral Kuriboh, pointing its horn at the Ritua monsters. (5/?-1500/1000) "Now attack Ritua Abyss!" The giant Kuriboh lowered its head and pierced the mutant dog monster through the torso, shattering it to pixels.

"So what?" Juli yawned, "My weakest monster trashed by an overgrown furball... what next?"

"Next, I bring back the five Kuriboh Brothers by removing Kuribabylon from play!" the Obelisk girl announced as another puff of smoke surrounded the large monster and from it, the furry brothers reappeared and took their places in line. (1/300/200) x5 "But before you say anything, they will take on a new form!" Kuribe, the blue-green brother, started to push the others around until they were facing each other in a wide circle. "I merge them again to form Kuribandit!" All five of them rushed at each other and exploded in another puff of smoke. Once it cleared, it revealed another large Kuriboh, only this one had a yellow bandana over its head and a eye patch over its left eye. (3/1000/700)

"That's weird..." Jasmine and Mindy muttered.

Seeing the new Kuriboh, made Juli burst out in laughter, "He's even more pathetic than the other furballs in your deck! The only worth looking at is Kuribabylon, but that card's a wimp, too!"

"Since I haven't Normal Summoned, I play Kuribon in attack mode again!" Shion announced, emptying her hand to bring back the feminine Kuriboh back the field. (1/300/200) "That ends my turn!"

"About time," Juli said, stopping her laughter and drawing a new card. "Now, since your Kuribon will block the hit and cause that trap card to kick in, I'll just smash your strategy by summoning the Ritua Emilia; my own Spirit Monster!" A blue wisp of energy appeared from the holographic card, bringing out a transparent, red-haired woman dressed in pirate clothing and wielding a staff with the symbol of the Ritua's on top. (4/1600/800)

"A Spirit Monster?" Shion wondered.

"Yeah, looks like that the girl I fought over a week ago had some good ideas," the Ritual Duelist stated, "Especially with this monster, when its summoned while another Ritua Monster like my Gustkrake, all trap cards on the field are negated until the End Phase!" Shion gasped as Emilia pointed her staff at Bad Reaction to Simochi and made it pitch black for the moment. "Now, I can unleash havoc on your life points; Emilia, go and destroy that stupid pirate furball!" Emilia prepared to point her staff at Kuribandit, but before the spell could be cast, the furry monster exploded into pixels. "What the-?"

"I activated Kuribandit's effect before the attack hit, by sacrificing it at any moment, I can draw five new cards," the Kuriboh duelist announced, drawing her cards and discarding one of them, "But I need to discard any monsters drawn from this effect, and there was only one..."

"No doubt because you brought out most of them," Juli pointed out, "But since the number of monsters on your side of the field changed, I can start a replay and have Emilia destroy Kuribon!" The Spirit Monster quickly pointed her staff at Kuribon and fired a blue energy arrow at the small creature...

"I activate Kuribon's effect!" Shion countered as Kuribon vanished once more, but this time the green energy surrounding Juli, stayed green.

Juli: 6500

Shion: 5500

"Thanks for giving back some of my points, and now watch as Gustkrake takes some of yours!" Juli announced as her Eviritua lashed out her tentacles at the helpless Obelisk...

"I activate my facedown card, Flute of Summoning Kuriboh and summon Winged Kuriboh from my deck!" Shion interrupted, bringing out the winged counterpart to the field. (1/300/200) The tentacles soon smashed into the small monster, destroying it into pixels.

"Lucky," Juli grumbled as she set down the last card in her hand, "I end my turn, meaning Emilia comes back to my hand." The Ritua monster vanished in back into her card, letting Juli place it back into her hand.

"Now, it's my turn!" Shion announced, drawing her next card. "I activate Junk Dealer to revive Kuriboh and Winged Kuriboh from my graveyard!" She stated as both the original and the winged version of Kuribohs appeared, near her. (1/300-150/200) x2 "Now here's something you never thought you know about Kuribohs..." Shion then turned over another card in her hand. "I fuse to them together with Polymerization!"

"Fuse?" Juli gasped as a fusion vortex appeared above her opponent and sucked in the furry monsters.

"That's right, so meet Angel Kuriboh!" Shion shouted as some clouds in the sky parted and a bright light shone through. From the sky descended a Kuriboh with white fur and a golden ring over its head, it had a pair of feathered wings and it was holding a golden lyre. (4/1100/900)

"It's still not strong enough to deal with my monsters," Juli stated. "Even with their power beyond a normal Kuribohs..."

"Well first, my Angel Kuriboh has a very handy effect. He gains 400 attack points for every Kuriboh monster in my Graveyard, and thanks to his summoning he automatically gains 800 attack points!" Angel Kuriboh began to strum its lyre and a golden aura surrounded it. (4/1100-1900/900) "Next, since his level is low enough, I use Fusion Weapon to increase both of his scores by 1500!"

Juli growled as the white furred Kuriboh sung happily, with a golden aura surrounding him. (4/1900-3400/900-2400)

"But since I know you're facedown cards are something that could stop me, I summon Winged Kuriboh Chanter that I just drew!" She stated as another Winged Kuriboh appeared, this time holding a staff topped with a large red gem. (4/1500/600) "Now when I attack with any Kuriboh monsters, you can't activate your spell or trap cards!"

"If only they worked during the Battle Phase!" Juli grinned as she revealed one of her facedown cards, "I activate Torrential Tribute! All monsters go to the graveyard!"

Shion gasped as a deadly tidal wave surged from the trap's image and sunk every monster under its depths. "No!"

"Oh man, she shouldn't have done that!" Jasmine exclaimed, slapping her forehead.

"And I'll take that as the end of your turn!" The Ritua duelist smirked, drawing a new card. "First, I activate Card of Demise to draw until I hold five new cards!" She began, drawing her new hand. "Next, I activated the effect of my Ceremonial Mirror Ritual Spell! By returning it to the deck, I can bring back Eviritua Gustkrake to my hand!" The Kuriboh duelist sighed as her opponent shuffled her Ritual Spell into the deck and retrieved the Ritual Monster into her hand. "Now, I discard Ritua Shadow to retrieve my Ceremonial Mirror!" She then discarded her monster to bring out her ritual spell from her deck and immediately inserted it into her disk. "I use it again, this time to use only Eviritua Gustkrake as the sacrifice to bring out Eviritua Mind Ogress!"

The Ritua's Mirror appeared again, this time absorbing the form of Gustkrake, holding a scepter similar to hers. The mirror shattered and unleashed a tall, blue haired woman in bronze helmet and black robes, carrying another Ritua scepter. But the big surprise is that her lower body was a giant, vicious angler fish roaring out at Shion. (6/2500/2000)

"And when she's Ritual summoned to field, I can return up to five cards from the graveyards and back to the decks," Juli informed her as she took three cards from her graveyard, "I'll send Rituas Shadow and Beast to my deck, and you send Winged Kuriboh and Kuriboh back to your deck!" Shion took out the two mentioned Kuribohs from her graveyard and shuffled them back into her deck. "I then summon Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands!" The next monster she summoned looked even stranger than Senju's appearance as this one's body was made up of liquid silver arms and hands! And at the very top, was a weird looking head with red eyes and even more arms and hands growing out of it! (4/1400/1000)

"And that lets you gain a Ritual Spell or Monster Card," Shion stated.

"Right," the SOL duelist grinned, taking out her card and putting it in her hand. "And a Ritual Spell will do, it's my Ritua's Inherited Forbidden Secret Arts! As for you, deal with this double direct attack!"

Shion was then slapped repeatedly by Manju and then subjected to a large hydro pump of water, pushing her down on her side.

Juli: 6500

Shion: 1600

"Without drawing all of those Kuribohs, you can't do a thing!" Juli smirked, as she revealed her facedown card. "I activate my Dust Tornado trap card to destroy your Bad Reaction to Simochi and then set another card!" Then a large tornado appeared and blew away Shion's trap and setting a new one. "It's almost over... so I'd be a good girl and call it quits now..."

Shion then drew out her next card with a loud, "No!"

"I activate Minor Goblin Official," Juli countered revealing her facedown card, depicting a goblin in royal official armor and writing on a tax notice. "Now that you're at your breaking point, I plan on finishing you off slowly... as long as you have your life points at 3000 or less, 500 life points will be taken from you..." She then smirked evilly, "Until there's nothing left except a willing servant for me to boss around..."

A red aura surrounded and stung the Kuriboh duelist.

Juli: 6500

Shion: 1100

"There's still some time," Shion stated as she inserted two cards into her disk, "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"That's right, cling on to your pathetic hope of winning," Juli sneered, drawing a new card, opting to place a monster card on the duel tray, "I set one monster in defense mode and just wait to kill you slowly..."

"That is a dumb move," Lily muttered. "But I'm glad she's that stupid..."

"It'll be a big mistake not to underestimate me," Shion warned as she drew her next card, letting Minor Goblin Official damage her.

Juli: 6500

Shion: 600

"And I'll pass," She concluded.

"What a shame..." the ritual duelist sighed as she drew, flipping over the card on the duel tray face-up, "I reveal Ritua Erial!" The overcoat wearing Ritua girl revealed herself to the field and raised her scepter up high. (4/1000/1800) "And with her effect, I take Ritua Abyss from my deck and into my hand, but I rather summon it!" She continued, taking the monster from her deck and then placing on the field to bring out the small shark-humanoid. (2/800/500) "And then, I bring back Ritua Chain from my graveyard and place it into my hand!" And then she took out another monster from her graveyard and placed it into her hand. "Now after this turn, all I have to do is finish my next turn again and then snuff your life points out..."

The Kuriboh duelist grumbled as she drew out her next card, taking the pain from her opponent's trap.

Juli: 6500

Shion: 100

But once she saw the next card, Shion smiled. "I got it! I summon Kuriboh!" She cheered as the brown-furred fiend reappeared. (1/300/200)

"What do you expect to do that thing?" Juli scoffed.

"First, I activate a spell card from my hand called Multiply," the Kuriboh duelist announced, showing off a card with a picture of a yellow monster that was beginning to split off from itself. "With this card, I can take Kuriboh and summon Kuriboh tokens for every empty space I have!" Soon, the one Kuriboh became five and spread out across Shion's side of the field. (1/300/200) x 5 "And then, I'll give one of them my facedown cards, Kuriboh Soul Shard!" One of the Kuriboh tokens then carried a green gem necklace, letting it shine. (1/300-800/200-700)

"You're boring me, Shion," the ritual duelist droned, "These monsters of yours are not fit to duel... if Missy lost to you, and then bugs are not fit to duel! Why cling on to worthless monsters that can't deal any much as a real scratch?"

"Now, Detonate!" Shion shouted, revealing her other facedown card that depicted a swarm of Kuribohs glowing with white auras and soon Shion's Kuriboh tokens were giving off those same glowing auras. "With this card, I can destroy all Kuriboh or Kuriboh Tokens on my side of the field. In exchange, I can destroy the same number of cards on your side of the field equal to the number of Kuriboh and Kuriboh Tokens destroyed!"

"WHAT?" Juli shouted.

"Kuriboh Tokens, go!" With loud shouts, the Kuriboh Tokens swarmed the battlefield, flying across the field with four of them attaching themselves to a monster and the final one attaching to the trap card image of Minor Goblin Official.

"COO!"

A second later, the tokens self-destructed and resulted in a massive explosion that obliterated every single monster and card Juli had, making the Ritual Duelist scream and duck from the blast.

"Yes, that should totally shut her down!" Mindy cheered. "Maybe I should put some of those cuties in my deck; they're more of a powerhouse than I thought!"

When it was over, Juli's field was void of anything and left speechless.

"Finally, you're not in a talkative mod," Shion stated as she took a card from her deck, "And since Kuriboh Soul Shard was sent to the graveyard, I can summon Professor Kuriboh to the field!" She continued as the lab coat wearing Kuriboh took to the field, glass beaker in hand. (3/1200/700) "Should have taken me out when you had the chance! Direct Attack," The Kuriboh threw its beaker at Juli's feet and unleashed a cloud of red smoke, causing her to cough when accidently inhaling the substance.

Juli: 5300

Shion: 100

Not wanting to lose the pace she had, Shion kept going by inserting a spell card into her disk, "I use Graceful Charity to draw three cards and then place two in my graveyard." She announced, as she complied with the effects, taking one of those and inserting that into her disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn." (Shion: 1 card in hand)

'How can those puny Kuribohs have anything on me?' Juli growled as she started to breathe in clean air and stared at Shion with malice, 'She's trying to mock me... I'm the one who taught her to become a better duelist by ditching everyone in the Red Dorm... plus, I'm tired of being equal to that hack Jason! Once I'm done with Shion, Jason's next and I plan shutting his mouth like I did at the beginning of the year!'

"I may have 100 points left, but it's no good if you can't touch me," Shion stated.

"You'll pay for this!" Juli snapped and drew her next card, inserting one of the cards into her disk, (Juli: 4 cards) "First, I activate Preparation of Rites, letting me retrieve a Ritual Spell card from my graveyard, like my Ceremonial Mirror and a Ritual Monster up to level 7, like my Eviritua Tetraogre from my deck!" The Ritual Spell slipped out of her discard slot, and her Ritual Monster slipped out of her deck, and she took both into her hands. "Then, I summon Ritua Diviner in attack mode!" Soon, another Ritua that looked like a small red sea monster, clothed in black and golden robes appeared. (3/1200/800)

"There's still the effect of my Professor Kuriboh to take effect," the Kuriboh duelist countered, "And with all five Kuriboh Brothers, Angel Kuriboh, Winged Kuriboh Chanter, and Kuribandit in the graveyard, Professor Kuriboh drains your monsters of 1600 ATK and DEF!" The Diviner groaned as a red smoke surrounded him, draining him of its strength. (3/1200-0/800-0)

Juli scoffed, "I won't even bother with its effect, because I activate the other Ritua Spell Card, Ritua's Inherited Forbidden Secret Arts!" She continued as she raised her second Ritual Spell in the air, depicting one of the Ritua monsters performing a forbidden ritual art. "And even though whatever I summon with this loses half its points and I lose my Battle Phase for this turn, it makes no difference to me..."

"What do you mean?" Shion asked. She then gasped as she saw that a blue smoke enveloped not only Juli's Ritua Diviner, but her own Professor Kuriboh, too! "My Kuriboh!"

The Obelisk girls gasped, "The ritual spell can take from Shion's side?"

"That's right! Therefore, it's so forbidden!" Juli grinned. "Both my side and your side are fair game for the Ritual! So with their deaths, comes Eviritua Tetraogre's life in defense mode!" She announced as the blue smoke faded away and brought out a reptilian sea monster, with gills and fins, a pebbly hide, and golden armor. (6/2600-1300/2100) "Now, I'm activating its effect; I choose one type of card, and each player sends a card of that type from her deck to the Graveyard... However, you can negate that effect by simply discarding a card from your hand."

"I'll pass," Shion stated.

"You sure?" the Ritual duelist smirked. "I don't think those two cards will help you much..."

"I'll take my chances..."

"Then, I choose Monster to discard like my Ritua Killer..." She took a card from her deck, and tossed it in her discard slot. Shion took another monster called Commander Kuriboh from her deck and quickly did the same. "I end my turn," Juli concluded.

"My move," Shion announced, drawing her next card. 'I just hope I don't give her anything good after I do this...' "First, I activate Monster Reborn and revive a monster you may want to steer clear of... the monster that was sent to the graveyard by your monster... Commander Kuriboh, come on out!" She announced as the ankh of Monster Reborn appeared and shined brightly to bring out another Kuriboh, but sporting a military helmet. (5/2100/1000) "And with the Kuribohs in my graveyard, he'll get a giant power boost of 1600!" Commander Kuriboh howled as a surging white aura surrounded it. (5/2100-3700/1000)

"Wow!" the Obelisk Girls exclaimed.

'Crap, I wanted Soul Ogre out enough to stall her...' Juli grumbled.

"And then, I summon Explosive Kuriboh!" Shion continued as another Kuriboh, this time whose fur was black and in its hands was a bomb with a lit fuse (3/1100/800). "Followed, by Card of Sanctity to have us both draw until we have six cards..." Soon, both players drew from their decks until they reached six cards. "Now, I activate another spell card, Pump Up to double my Explosive Kuriboh's ATK!" The bomb-wielding Kuriboh suddenly grew twice his size and let out a monstrous growl to fit its new form. (3/1100-2200/800) "Explosive Kuriboh, attack with Kuri-Bomb!" the newly grown monster nodded and threw the bomb at Soul Ogre causing a massive explosion, destroying the Ritual Monster. "And then, Commander Kuriboh will deal a direct attack!" From his helmet Commander Kuriboh produced a small hand grenade shaped not surprisingly like a Kuriboh. The Fiend lobed it at the SOL duelist and it exploded with a loud bang that sent her flying a few feet back.

Juli: 1600

Shion: 100

"Finally, I place two cards facedown." Shion concluded as two reversed card appeared at her feet. "Juli this has to stop... I don't need you or the Society... just tell me where Jason is so that I can apologize to him!"

All it did was make the Ritual Duelist jump back to her feet and yell, "You just made the biggest mistake!" Juli shouted as she drew her seventh card. When she looked at her overall hand, she trembled it in her hand with a shaking fury, the White Aura around her getting more malevolent, "Forget making you join; I have everything in place to destroy you! First, I play Ritual Cage to prevent any effects or battle damage from harming my Ritual Monsters!" She shouted, causing a large, golden cage to surround her. She then activated her Ceremonial Mirror Spell and absorbed the monster Ritua Shadow, "Next, I use my Ceremonial Mirror and sacrifice my Ritua Shadow for the full Sacrifice of Eviritua Soul Ogre!"

Then, the mirror's glass took on a sapphire look as it shined and let a huge, fish-like monster out, standing over 10 ft. tall. It was humanoid-like as it stood on two, fully grown legs and raised its two, massive arms all with webbed toes and fingers. Blue scales lined its body and magenta fins lined its knees, elbows and extended from the top of its head and down its back, all the way to the tail as it lashed out with a roar. (8/2800/2800)

The more cards Juli played, the more her White Aura grew, causing Lily to take notice of something, 'That light... it can't be...'

"Then, I use Fulfillment of the Contract to bring back my Eviritua Tetraogre!" Juli shouted as she inserted the Equip Spell card in, reviving the Evirtua Monster back from its slumber. (6/2600/2100)

Juli: 800

Shion: 100

"Next, I summon Ritua Emilia!" She continued, bringing back the Spirit Monster to seal any trap cards from activating. (4/1600/800) Soon, the white aura around Juli blew a strange wind across the field, causing the Obelisk Girls to hold their ground.

"What's going on?" Jasmine screamed.

"That Light around her is going crazy!" Mindy shouted.

"You'll all see in a minute!" Juli shouted, in what was now a double voice. "I now activate Tetraogre's effect to send spell cards to the graveyard, like my White Veil!"

"I discard my Rainbow Blessing spell card to negate your effect," Shion quickly announced, discarding her mentioned spell card. "I won't let you play your White Cloak Spell Card!"

"Oh, you won't have to!" the Ritua duelist laughed, "Because I have a card to rectify all that! Introducing a new card just for me... White Storm, it lets me play my White Cloak without a making any cost or sacrifices!" The spell card depicted a nearly all-white card on the picture with a vindictive face on it.

"WHAT?" the Obelisk Girls shouted as the white wind shined and forced the White Cloak Spell Card to be equipped on to Soul Orgre, causing it's color to be stark white. (8/2800-3500/2000)

"Now, nothing you do will be able stand in the way of my glorious plot in ridding the world of its impurities!" Juli rejoiced and again let out a laugh that came more from the second voice.

"What is she talking about?" Jasmine and Mindy asked at the same time. But when they turned to Lily, they saw that the Dragon Duelist was shaking from head to toe. "Lily?"

"You won't have a chance," Shion quickly announced, revealing her facedown cards. "I activate Mystic Wok and Half Shut! But now, since I have a Chain Link of 2, I can summon another strong Kuriboh Monster that will destroy your monsters and knock some sense into you!"

"Like what?"

"Like my Winged Kuriboh LV9!"

Everyone gasped as a Winged Kuriboh took the field. But instead of looking what it'd be after Transcendent Wings, it had wings that weren't as big as the Level 10 version and had red armor covering its body and punched its armored fists together. (9/?/?)

"What good will that monster do you?" Juli shouted.

"And you still underestimate Kuribohs," Shion sighed. "Thanks to this monster, not only do all Spell Cards played are removed after use, but with all the Spell Cards in your graveyard, it gains 500 ATK and DEF! And there're six at last count!" The Kuriboh hooted loudly as it was surrounded by a huge green aura. (9/3000/3000) "And because of White Cloak's effect, the power boost will go away since my Spell cards still need to resolve and it weakens your powerful monster!" She continued as Mystic Wok used Explosive Kuriboh and transformed it into white stars that refilled her points, while weakening Soul Ogre. (8/3300-2800-1400/2000)

Juli: 800

Shion: 1200

Some reason, Juli laughed as the end of her turn came and sent Ritua Emilia back to her hand and Soul Ogre's power returned to 2800. "So, my return was premature... but no matter, soon I'll have my own body and wipe the world completely with Light! I'll achieve Perfect Balance!"

Lily screamed a bit, before covering her mouth. 'It is HER! How did she come back?'

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shion stated as she drew, "But you're done, Juli! I activate the effect of Parallel Fusion from my graveyard that I discarded on your turn! By removing this spell and some fusion material monsters from the game, I can Fusion Summon what they create!" Soon, a vortex appeared behind the Kuriboh duelist and the spirits of Winged Kuriboh and Kuriboh were sucked in.

The vortex began to spark and crackled with energy and then something flew out. It was obviously another Kuriboh. Its fur was jet black and it had two tuffs that seemed to form horn like shapes, it had bat like wings and a thin tail. (6/1900/1000)

"Meet my Devil Kuriboh, the brother of Angel Kuriboh," Shion explained. "His effect is powerful, not surprisingly considering he's a level six monster, you see for every Kuriboh monster in my Graveyard all your monsters lose 500 attack points times the number which currently stands at 8."

A red aura surrounded both Evirituas who cried out in pain as Devil Kuriboh seemed to chuckle. (6/2600-0/2100), (8/2800-0/2800)

"Now Juli, take the power of a Kuriboh army!" She cried as the LV9 Kuriboh charged across the field with the Devil Kuriboh riding on its back and then dealt a vicious tackle to both Evirituas into the sky and made them explode into a rainstorm of pixels that pelted Juli. The SOL duelist soon started to scream as tremendous amounts of Light left her body and circled around the ceiling, and Juli herself went into a deep sleep.

Juli: 0

Shion: 1200, Winner

But even though the threat of Juli in the Society was gone, the Obelisk Girls were too focused on the Light that usually left after a possessed duelist was defeated.

"Okay, why's that Light still here?" Mindy asked.

"It should've left by now..." Jasmine whispered.

"I hope it's not going to try something," Shion stated, slowly moving away from the arena.

But Lily was scared stiff as she focused on the sinister Light that hovered over the top of the arena. 'Oh no...!'

 _ **"So, another pawn has fallen..."**_ A monotonous, feminine voice spoke from the Light. _**"Pity... I thought she would be perfect for my next vessel..."**_

"Who are you?" Shion shouted. "And what did you do to Juli?"

 _ **"The one you call Juli has outlived her usefulness..."**_ The Light replied. _**"She will be in a deep sleep with the amount of Dark Light that has been in her system... but soon, the age of darkness shall come to an end…"**_

"What's that supposed to me?" the Kuriboh duelist asked. "Are you something that Sartorius put into Juli with that White Veil card?"

 _ **"What I am, is of no importance to inferior beings... all will be revealed when the time comes... now, leave this place!"**_

Soon, that bright white light burst and swept across the arena, drowning everything in a blinding light. The Obelisk Girls closed their eyes, unable to watch, and shielded them with their hands.

The light grew brighter and brighter, until everything vanished from their sight...

* * *

When Lily came to, she was found outside the main building and saw that the sun was setting on this day.

"Ow..." She groaned, rubbing the back of her head. She then saw that Shion, Jasmine and Mindy were waking up as well. "You all okay?"

"Yeah, but... what happened to us in that light?" Jasmine wondered.

"And why was it talking?" Mindy added.

When it all came back to her, Lily cringed. 'This isn't... possible... I get Nightshroud because its darkness was inside the cards Atticus used... but her... how? Unless...'

"Hey, where's Juli?" Shion asked, looking around the area.

"Huh?" the Dragon Duelist gasped, finding no trace of the Ritual Duelist. "You don't think...?"

"Wait, here she is!" Mindy shouted as she went behind a stone pillar with Jasmine and pulled out the unconscious Juli, who was still an all white color despite her defeat. "But why is she still like this?"

"Don't know, but whatever that thing said she'll be out of it because she had the most of that Light in her when she lost to Alexis." Jasmine remembered. "Still, it is scary how something like that came out of her."

"Let's just get her to Headmistress Fontaine at the infirmary." Shion stated. "As much as we had problems with Juli, she's still a victim of the Society."

Soon, Jasmine and Mindy carried her back into the main building with Shion trailing behind and leaving Lily by herself.

 _'I gotta tell everyone about this; it's serious!_ ' She thought as she ran to dorms.

* * *

Aqua Jet

Normal Spell

Select 1 face-up Fish-Type, Sea Serpent-Type, or Aqua-Type monster you control. It gains 1000 ATK.

(Used by Ryoga Kamishiro in the first episode of ZEXAL, all rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Kuribandit

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 3

1000/700

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by Tributing 1 each of "Kuriboh", "Kuriba", "Kuribe", "Kuribi" and "Kuribu". During either player's turn, you can Tribute this card to draw 5 cards and reveal them. Send all Monster Cards drawn by this effect to the Graveyard.

(Used by Atem in the second series anime episode, Grappling with a Guardian Part 2; all rights go to the creators of that episode.)

Power Plant Transfer

Normal Spell

Send any number of Thunder-Type Monsters from your field to the graveyard and special summon from your deck the same number of Batteryman monsters to your side of the field.

Power to the Voltech

Continuous Trap

Activate when you have 1 of each "Batteryman AA", "Batteryman C", and "Batteryman D" face-up on your field. Send them to the graveyard and Special Summon 1 "Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon from your hand or deck. As long as this card stays on the field, "Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon" has all of its effects active.

White Storm

Quick-Play Spell

Activate any Equip Spell Card from your hand with "White" in its name without any restrictions.

(The top three cards were created by me; all creative rights go to me.)

Explosive Kuriboh

Dark | Level 3 | Fiend/Effect | 1100/800 | When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard destroy the monster the monster that destroyed it. When this card is attacking battle damage you receive from a battle involving this card is reduced to zero.

Winged Kuriboh Chanter

Light | Level 4 | Fiend/Effect | 1500/600 | When a 'Kuriboh' monster you control attacks your opponent may not activate any Spell or Trap cards until the end of the Damage Step.

Parallel Fusion

| Spell | Remove this card and the Fusion Materials listed on a Fusion monster in your Extra Deck from play to Special Summon the selected Fusion monster. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.)

Commander Kuriboh

Dark | Level 5 | Fiend/Effect | 2100/1000 | This card gains 200 attack points for every 'Kuriboh' and 'Winged Kuriboh' monster in your Graveyard.

Angel Kuriboh

Light | Level 4 | Fairy/Fusion/Effect | 1100/900 | Kuriboh + Winged Kuriboh. This card gains 400 attack points for every 'Kuriboh' and 'Winged Kuriboh' monster in your Graveyard

Devil Kuriboh

Dark | Level 6 | Fiend/Fusion/Effect | 1900/1000 | Kuriboh + Winged Kuriboh. This monster cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. As long as this card remains face up on the field decrease the attack points of all of your opponent's monsters by 500 times the number of 'Kuriboh' monsters in your Graveyard.

(The top six cards were created by ShapesnatchFMP (Formerly BringerofPeace2) for his fanfic, A Black Rose by Any Other Name. All creative rights go to him.)

Next Time: Aster's search of his father's murderer is still coming up a cold trail as Pegasus meets with Chancellor Sheppard for their meeting. Also, we see the current Pro League Champion, who's also Aster's guardian, and his skills... but something will seem off about him...

Please Read and Review! Later!


	70. Destiny

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 70: Destiny

* * *

As the sun was setting on Duel Academy Island, a duel was beginning to reach the climax as Aster Phoenix faced a random duelist with a Blade Knight.

"Looks like destiny's never on your side, bro," the D-Hero duelist smirked as he looked towards his lone monster. "Dogma, destroy his monster and the rest of his life points!"

The powerful Destiny Hero unleashed a massive amount of dark power around his body and tackled the knight in a giant explosion, knocking out the opponent for the count. Aster used that chance to take and search through the person's deck. But once he searched every card, he threw them to the ground in anger.

 _'It's not here!'_ He thought.

"Aster, any luck?" Masaki said, walking up to the Pro duelist.

"Nothing," Aster grumbled. "That missing Destiny Hero card's out there somewhere and I'm going to find it, no matter what."

"Calm down, man..."

"No!" the D-Hero snapped. "You know whoever took that card is the guy who killed my father; and I will make him pay!"

"I haven't forgotten, but if you keep this up, you'll end up hurting someone that's not involved!" The S-Hero duelist shouted back. "And I'm not letting you go down like that! We can't get to Sartorius because of those flunkies, but I got a feeling that the card's not on this island."

"Why not?"

"I asked the Chancellor for a database of cards played throughout this whole tournament, and nothing came up with a Destiny Hero monster card other than the ones played by you." Masaki stated. "So, no matter what, we're chasing scraps."

Aster sighed, "It could be anywhere by now..."

"We'll find it, let's just cool it for now... I've been having no luck from my set of duels either." Masaki stated, patting Aster on the shoulder. "And your guardian's dueling later tonight, and I know you don't want to miss that..."

The D-Hero duelist nodded, "Right... but I'm not giving this up..."

"Nor do I expect you to..."

* * *

(Meanwhile...)

The scene changed to a large building in San Francisco, California where the company, Industrial Illusions was stationed at. Inside a meeting room, Sheppard and Maximillion Pegasus were about to begin their discussions.

"Sorry we had to have a change of venue for our meeting, but I couldn't risk anyone trying to walk in on our conversation." Pegasus stated, shaking hands with the Duel Academy Chancellor.

"It's quite alright," Sheppard nodded. "The GX tournament is still in good hands, and soon we'll be having our finalists."

"That's good, and you'll be having special guests coming, but let's get down to business," the Toon duelist declared and got serious. "But has the Ultimate Destiny Hero card surfaced?"

"No, in fact Masaki Oda came by my office days ago ask about the cards played over the course of the tournament."

"I was sure it would show up, but I guess the ones remaining around the world and in the Pro League must have it then, and it hasn't surfaced then." Pegasus mused.

"But may I ask, what is special about this single card?"

"10 years ago, the Destiny Heroes series was created by one of my late employees," the I2 president explained. "Before the card was released, it was stolen and never seen again."

"Who would steal a card?"

"Not sure, but thanks to your students, my research team has discovered when they handed me those White Veil and White Cloak cards." Pegasus hit a switch from his remote, which closed the blinds on the window to darken the room. He then stood up and continued his explanation while a video of a white spiral force in space. "When the card was created, my scientists discovered a strange, astronomical phenomenon. This white hole seemed to emitting light energy waves across the universe." Sheppard stared at it in awe while Pegasus continued. "Think of it as the opposite of a black hole which absorbs energy, while this white hole gives off energy like eruptions in a volcano... which is greatly dangerous."

The video of the white hole got brighter.

"The balance between Light and Darkness suddenly began to shift unevenly, and it soon began to hunger for more power."

"Wait, you mean this Light developed a mind of his own?" Sheppard gasped while the video turned off.

"It would appear to be the case," Pegasus nodded. "And when it reached Earth, it began to search for a host. We believe it chose that Ultimate Destiny Card. Of course, it gets worse... this isn't the first time that this Light inhabited Earth."

Soon, another video played showing scenes of war and natural disasters, letting Sheppard put it all together.

"It triggers destruction..."

"Precisely," Pegasus nodded as the video continued. "Every major war that has taken place, and every ruler or tyrant that rose to power, all surfaced when the time these Light energy pulses clashed with the Earth."

"But what does this have to do with this card?"

"I asked myself the same question," Pegasus stated as the video stopped and the blinds reopened. "As you know, Duel Monsters is no ordinary game as the ancient Egyptians played a real-life version that has ties to ancient magic. And this Light is using that card to destroy the world... and the White Veil and White Cloak cards both unleash the same properties as the Light. Also, before the Ultimate Destiny Card was finalized, it was hit with a pulse of Light. So whoever holds it is also possessed."

Sheppard gasped, "Does your team have any other information? What about that employee? Where is he now?"

Pegasus sighed, "When the card was taken, that same person took his life along with it..."

"Was it Aster Phoenix's father?"

"It was."

"So that explains Aster's behavior and Masaki's questions... when they win a duel, they look over the loser's cards..." Sheppard mused. "But they don't know, the person holding it is possessed. Aster's blinded by vengeance because if finds the card..."

"He finds his father's murderer..." Pegasus finished.

* * *

At the classrooms, everyone left in the GX tournament was taking time off to watch the Pro League and it was a real treat hearing that the Champion of the Pro League was going to defend his title.

"This is going to be sweet!" Jaden exclaimed. "A championship title match!"

"Yeah, and this guy hasn't been seen in 4 years, so we're in for a really rare match!" Allyson grinned. "Oh, hurry up and get to the action!"

Claudio and Melody watched them in amusement.

"It's like I'm seeing twin personalities here," the J-Hero duelist smiled.

"But we're just like they are; ready to see this great match in the making." The Magician duelist added. "But of course, if Yugi was in this match, it would be even better."

"You mean he's not?" Hassleberry chimed in.

"No, he's the World Champion..." Melody explained. "The Pro League champion is kinda like a step behind it. But I don't know about this champion..."

"His stage name's the D," Crowler said, sitting next to Bonaparte and behind the students.

"Are you serious?" Claudio smirked, "What's his real name, if you got it?"

"Kyle Jables, but we have him listed as Aster's legal guardian." Bonaparte replied.

"Oh right," Jaden added, "Aster's real father's gone..."

* * *

At the docks, Aster and Masaki were watching the duel via an internet video player...

"Alright duel fans it's the moment you've all been waiting for!" One of the commentators, Tristan announced. "We finally get to see the Pro League Champion, the D in action after 4 years behind the scenes!"

"And who knows, the title could change hands this very day!" Ronald, the other commentator, added.

"Yeah, right..." Aster muttered.

"Hey, you think you could tell me about the Champ?" Masaki asked.

"All I can tell you is that he's my legal Guardian, ever since my dad died and a friend of the family." The D-Hero duelist replied. "While my father was the inspiration in becoming a duelist and using the Destiny Heroes, the D was the only person willing to help me back on my feet after Dad was murdered."

"Sounds like a great guy," Masaki smiled.

"He is, and I know he won't lose his title to another person, because I plan on dueling him when I get that opportunity. He promised me that chance."

* * *

At the Kaiba Dome, in the locker room, a black-haired man in a gray tux and glasses was sitting alone when felt himself struggle and gripped his right hand aggressively as it reached for the briefcase.

 _'Why do I feel I need that card so badly?_ ' He said to himself. _'Ever since I risen to the top of the Pro League, I had it locked up so I couldn't...'_

 _ **"Couldn't what, D?"**_

The man known as the D looked to his left and saw a demented, aggressive version of himself in the mirror talk.

 _ **"That card gave you everything, and now you're afraid to use it?"**_ The reflection mocked. _**"Don't try to fight it; this could be your last duel?"**_

"My last duel?" The D gasped.

 _ **"That's right, after 10 long years your body is starting to feel the strain of my power,"**_ the reflection continued. _**"Those times you used me to satisfy your power and mine in the Underground by consuming countless souls of the defeated, it's all coming back to you. So, I would say you should go out with a bang before you soon face the one who would oppose us!"**_

Suddenly, the D lost his control and smashed his fist against the briefcase with so much force; it smashed the glass table underneath. The briefcase opened to show a single card from the back as the D erupted into evil laughter.

"It's time to finish what I've started 10 years ago!" He shouted as he took the card, placed into his deck and walked out of the room.

* * *

At the duel arena, the arena was more packed than ever as the audience was cheering for their champion. The attention was now turned to the center as the spotlight flashed on the announcer, Andrew Buffer.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Andrew announced, "This match is scheduled for 8000 points and it is for... the Pro League Championship!" The crowd went wild with cheers. "Introducing first, the challenger... coming to us from Death Valley Prison and with an IQ of 202, it's Doctor Collector!"

The audience was quick to boo the challenger, before the spotlight shined on him. He was a tan-skinned, bald man with a black beard and purple eyes, dressed in a orange jumpsuit and a white straightjacket with chains around it. His response was to grunt furiously until he tore open the straightjacket and chains to flex out his muscles, causing the audience to scream in fear.

"Don't worry folks," Ronald announced, "With security and law enforcement on the scene, nothing will happen to anyone attending the Kaiba Dome!"

That seemed to ease their fears a bit.

* * *

"I heard about this guy," Hassleberry stated, watching the screen. "He's so smart that the FBI's using him to help with crime solving."

* * *

"His opponent this evening," Andrew continued, "A duelist with a decade of destruction and your Pro League Champion, give it up for the D!"

The right-side platform rose, revealing the Pro League Champion with a roar of cheers from the audience. He looked a little calm after his outburst in the locker room.

"I hope you're enjoying the spotlights on your face, D," Collector spoke out with a gruff voice. "But after today, they'll be on yours truly. This is the end of your reign!"

The D chuckled lightly and put on a serious face, "That's right it is the end... of everything... including you!"

"Why's that?"

"I'll show you soon!"

"Alright, gentlemen," Andrew said, as he took out a coin. "D as the current champion, you choose the outcome."

"Tails," The D grinned.

Andrew flipped the coin and caught it. "And it is Tails, so who's going first?"

"I'll have the honor." The champion duelist replied.

"Then gentlemen, start your duel disks and draw your cards!"

The audience cheered as the players drew out their opening hands and Andrew ran off the dueling arena.

"DUEL!"

Dr. Collector: 8000

The D: 8000

"I shall begin," the D declared, drawing his sixth card. "I'll start with Enigma the Creator!" He announced as a tall, grim warrior clad in gold and silver under white robes appeared and stood at attention. (4/1200/1200) "But that's not all; next I use Double Summon and play Chthonian Soldier in attack mode." Soon, a dark-skinned warrior with black and silver armor, wielding a large curved sword appeared next to Creator. (4/1200/1200) "I end my turn with one card facedown." He concluded, as a reversed card appeared by his feet.

"Then, it's my draw," Dr. Collector announced, drawing his sixth card. He smirked at his overall hand, "This will be over in manner of turns... I can't wait to see the looks on everyone's face as I take the title away. I activate Dimensional Fissure!" He started as a dimensional rip opened above him. "Now any monsters that would be sent to the graveyard will be removed from play instead."

"This is not looking good for the champ," Tristan exclaimed. "Both of those monster's effects activate when they are sent to the graveyard."

"I guess that's why Collector's got such a high IQ." Ronald stated.

The D narrowed his eyes.

"Don't feel bad," Collector smirked, "But let me finish up my turn... I activate Graceful Charity! This lets me draw three new cards and then discard two of them." He drew out his three cards, but held up two Monster Cards to the Fissure above and let it suck them inside. "Next, I use Magical Stone Excavation and discard another two cards like my Magician's Valkryia and Monster Reincarnation to return Graceful Charity to my hand!" After discarding his spell card and sent his Monster card into the Fissure, Collector brought back his Graceful Charity card.

* * *

"This is looking bad for the champ," Melody stated. "I know what Dr. Collector's going for..."

* * *

"Then, I use Graceful Charity again!" Collector announced, drawing out another three cards and sending another two Monster cards into the Fissure. "And I know most of you are thinking why did I send five monster cards away just to draw some cards?" He smirked and held up another spell card. "It's because, I activate Dimension Fusion! For the low cost of two grand in Life Points, I can special summon as many removed from play monsters as I can! Would you like to meet them, D?"

Everyone in the audience was in shock as the Dimensional Fissure released the five monsters it took and let them all out on the field. The first three turned about to be Magician's Valkryias who all created a magical barrier around Dr. Collector's side of the field. (4/1600/1800) x3

Next, a tall, dark woman appeared and was dressed in a red and black striped cloak and its skin was an eerie purple. Living up to the card's name, atop the monster's head was a gigantic gold crown; its style and configuration appeared almost alien in nature. The creature looked frightening, with its dark presence amplified by its height and the fact that it eyes were shrouded in shadow. (8/2900/2450)

Finally, a little, brunette girl in a black dress, a black bunny hat appeared with a whip in her hand and a mean disposition. (3/1200/0)

Dr. Collector: 6000

The D: 8000

* * *

"No way," Masaki gasped. "With those cards, the D will be up the creek without a paddle!"

"Doesn't mean he'll lose," Aster stated, focusing his attention on the screen.

* * *

"Time for the new champion to rise up," Collector grinned, "Two of my Magician's Valkyrias will attack Enigma and Chthonian Soldier!"

"Not before I activate this trap," The D shouted with his facedown card, revealing his trap card. "I activate Ceasefire! With 6 effect monsters on the field, you lose 3000 points!"

The trap emitted black lightning that made Dr. Collector scream in surprise, yet he felt minor pain from the shocks and glared at his opponent.

Dr. Collector: 3000

The D: 8000

"And just like that, Dr. Collector's down to 3000!" Ronald exclaimed.

"But it doesn't mean the D's out of the wringer yet!" Tristan added as two of the Magician's Valkryia launched two black orbs that smashed into Enigma and Chthonian Soldier and hurled them into the Fissure with their powers.

Dr. Collector: 3000

The D: 7200

"Now it's time for the D to get a beating fit for a former champion!" Collector shouted as Cosmo Queen, Curran, and the final Magician's Valkryia all gathered their energies together and blasted the D with a massive black orb that sent him skidding away from the playing field.

Dr. Collector: 3000

The D: 1500

"Finally, I activate Magical Blast which deals 200 points of damage for every Spellcaster I own... and since there are 5, you get the full treatment!" He continued as Cosmo Queen launched a red and golden energy spell that blasted her foe once again.

Dr. Collector: 3000

The D: 500

"In just one turn, the D's down to 500 points!" Tristan shouted as the entire audience, including the viewers at Duel Academy, gasped at how fast the championship round was going on. "This has got to be the quickest Championship round ever seen."

"You can say that again," Ronald stated, "It's looking so that the D must win on his next turn before its lights out, but with the Spellcaster Lockdown in play, it's not going to be easy..."

"Next, I'll set my last card facedown!" Collector concluded as a reversed card appeared. 'All I need is my Nightmare Wheel to finish the job!' "I'm about to take everything you have soon, but at least I didn't drag out your suffering... but when dealing with a man with an IQ higher than many... you shouldn't feel bad..."

But he got from his opponent was a wicked laughter and grin on his face. Soon, a white aura surrounded him and his eyes became blood red.

 _ **"It's time I... ENLIGHTEN YOU!"**_ The D shouted, _**"He's going to be in for quite a shock!"**_

"Who are you talking to?" Collector asked.

 _ **"Where are my manners? An old friend of mine just showed up and I've been rude."**_ The D then looked straight into his opponent's eyes. _**"Collector, meet the Destructive Force of the Universe and it's come a long way to be here."**_

"And they say I'm a madman..." the challenger muttered.

 _ **"His eyes are blind like all the rest!"**_ the D continued as the aura around him became stronger. _**"LET'S OPEN THEM!"**_

Suddenly, the aura erupted into the ceiling and created a giant monster with red eyes and mouth, scaring the audience and Doctor Collector into submission.

 _ **"I can't wait a while longer!"**_ The D shouted as he drew once more. Once he looked at his hand, he grinned, _**"It's time; I activate Scapegoat to summon 4 Sheep Tokens to the field!"**_ He announced as he inserted the spell and created the four, sleeping Sheep Tokens to the field. (1/0/0) x4 _ **"Now, I play this spell card called D Force! Get ready to see my power!"**_

What caught everyone who could see with the blinding light in their face was that instead of playing inside his disk, the D placed it face-up on the top of his deck! But when he did that, the aura got stronger.

* * *

Lily busted through the doors and ran into the classroom where everyone was watching the duels, after finding out no one was at the Slifer Dorm.

"Hey what's going on?" She asked.

"The D's about to make a big move that's what," Jaden replied, pointing to the screen.

Once the Dragon Duelist looked, she gasped when she saw that vindictive white aura around the D.

 _'NO! He has it, too!_ ' She shouted in her mind.

* * *

 _ **"And then sacrifice three of my Scapegoats to summon my Ultimate Monster!"**_ The D shouted as three of the tokens scattered into white dust, letting the aura get brighter and brighter until...

* * *

"AWWW!"

The transmission at the Academy suddenly cut off!

"Hey, what happened?" Claudio asked.

"The cable went out at the good part," Melody pouted.

Soon the whole room went angry as Crowler and Bonaparte went into a frantic and ran up to the screen to fix it.

"Guess we missed out," Allyson sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll soon have the best matches," Jaden smiled. "Hey Lily, what took you so...?" He stopped when he saw Lily shiver with fright, her eyes not leaving the static filled screen. "Lily, what's wrong?"

* * *

At the docks, Aster was on the cell phone frantically calling while Masaki was trying to see what happened with the internet connection on the laptop.

"Hey D," Aster said into the phone, the sound of relief in his voice. "I'm so glad you're alright! I was watching the duel and the broadcast suddenly went off! Are you okay?"

The scene shifted to inside of the Kaiba Dome, which was now on fire, smoking and abandoned. The D was talking to Aster on his cell phone with a very calm tone in his voice.

"Aster, so good to hear from you," He said, smiling at the destruction. "How about you come on my boat, east of Duel Academy?"

"What's wrong?" Aster asked, but he soon heard a dial tone signaling the hang up.

"What's up?" Masaki asked. "I can't get a signal."

"I got to go check on the D," the D-Hero duelist explained, "He's sounded weird over the phone..."

"Then let's go check on him, did he leave you a location?"

"Just east of Duel Academy," Aster replied as he went to start his yacht and head into the direction.

* * *

Nightfall came by the time Aster and Masaki pulled next to a large, white cruise liner in the middle of the ocean. Once close enough, they both climbed on the gangplank and boarded the large ship.

Inside, all the lights were and the boys were walking in the dark. They reached a giant room showing off an elaborate ballroom, extending long enough to be a Duel Arena.

"Hello!" Masaki called out. "Anybody out here?"

"D, are you in here?" Aster asked out.

"Aster, you finally came... and with a guest as well." The Hero duelists looked across the room to see the D stepping out of the shadows. "Who's your friend?"

"Masaki Oda, a student at Duel Academy." Aster replied.

"Nice to finally meet you," Masaki smiled, to which the D nodded back.

"So what happened in that duel?" Aster smiled.

"You missed the ending, ah..." the D said. "You sure you want to know the details?"

"Of course," Masaki added. "A once in a lifetime chance to see you duel, and it gets cut off by some stupid transmission."

"How bad did he lose?" Aster asked.

"After using my secret weapon... very badly..." The D smirked as he started to recall the events of his duel.

* * *

(Flashback)

 _(Sometime after I summoned my ultimate monster, a fire broke out and it soon spread throughout the Kaiba Dome. The commentators and audience ran out, but I was able to convince Doctor Collector to finish... and that was his big mistake... I then used my monster's effect to take down his best monster and then used Energy Drain to weaken one of his monsters...)_

 _Dr. Collector looked on in horror as the D's strongest monster did something to his Cosmo Queen and then prepared to get at his weakened Curran while the other two put up their barrier to block the monstrous claw._

 _"Stop trying to attack," Collector shouted in fear, "My Valkryia's make it so you can't touch my Spellcasters!"_

 _The D laughed evilly as the monster finally cracked the barrier, "But your Monster effects don't apply to my Ultimate Monster Card!"_

 _"Then it looks like I'll have to bust out my own secret card," Collector retaliated, activating his facedown card, "I use the effect of my Nightmare Wheel to stop your monster's attack, and then when you End your turn, you'll lose your last 500 points! It's all over!"_

 _ **"Couldn't agree more!"**_

 _Suddenly, Nightmare Wheel shattered without affecting the monster and then it crushed the smallest spellcaster with its claws, ending the game._

 _Dr. Collector: 0_

 _The D: 500, Winner_

 _Finally, that same monster turned on Dr. Collector..._

 _"No, wait... STOP!"_

(End Flashback)

* * *

Aster and Masaki gasped after the D finished his tale. Then, they heard a loud slam from behind them and saw that the doors were closed.

"What's going on?" Aster asked.

The D grinned, "Only one way out and it's the door behind me... the other exits are sealed."

"Alright, what do you want?" Masaki shouted. "You called Aster over here for this?"

"Oh, it's not what I want... it's what the Light wants..." The D stated. "And it wants you, Aster. And it's a lucky day that I got your friend as well! Once you see the Light, you two will be free!"

The S-Hero duelist gasped, 'That's what Chazz was saying back when he was possessed!'

"Free from what?" Aster shouted.

"The despair of your father's death of course," the reply was made when the D held up a single card. "And I think you were looking for this card... meaning the person who took your father from this world... WAS ME!"

Aster and Masaki gasped in horror knowing that the man who took care of the Destiny Hero duelist was also the murderer of Aster's father.

"So now you know the truth, my boy." The D grinned evilly.

"But why..." Aster asked, struggling with despair and anger with the murderer across from him.

"Why?" the D scoffed. "A foolish question... I wanted that card to become the best and someone was in my way... so I dealt with him..."

"Just who do you think you are?" Masaki growled angrily.

"Someone who wanted to be a great man... So I set my sights on Pro Duelist with the most glory and honor in the world." The champion frowned, "But things didn't turn out so well in the Professional World... and I came to a standstill..." He smirked. "But that's when a gift descended to me from the heavens. And it was you who carried it to me, Aster..."

"Me?" the D-Hero duelist gasped.

"You should've recognized me when you dropped that drawing of a Duel Monster right in to my lap..."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _At Domino City, a younger D was in his slump after losing another duel when he saw a drawing of something landed in front of his feet, prompting him to pick it up. When he looked at the drawing, he saw a Duel Monster never been seen..._

 _"This is from... Duel Monsters..."_

 _"Sorry!"_

 _He was broken by his train of thought when he saw a younger Aster wearing a light pink jacket over a black, long sleeve shirt and shorts._

 _"Could I have that back... it's really important." The younger Aster said._

 _"Oh, sure..." the D said, handing it back. "What is it, if you don't mind me asking?"_

 _"A Duel Monster, my dad drew." Aster replied._

 _"Wow, he must be a great designer to have it looks so real..."_

 _"He's the best!" Aster smiled as he ran back to a large building across the street. When the D looked up at the top of the building, he smirked as he saw it where the little boy's father lived._

 _(It was then that I had a chance. I found out that your father was a designer for Industrial Illusions was making a top secret card.) The D explained. (So I made up my mind, I would get that card at any cost.)_

* * *

 _After much planning and eavesdropping, the D, who was dressed in an all black spy suit, found the room Aster's father worked in and snuck in through the window. Once inside, he found a jumble of Duel Monster cards on a nearby table and started to going through them, until he found the best one of the bunch and picked it up with a smile. Unfortunately, he got some unwanted attention when a flashlight flashed in his face. He saw a man with the same silver hair as Aster, wearing a red collared shirt and khaki pants. He knew it was Aster's father._

 _"What are you doing?" He demanded._

 _The D smirked as he looked over the card he had, "So this is the new card you've made? Why, with this I could..."_

 _"Drop it! That isn't any ordinary card!" Mr. Phoenix demanded._

 _"I know... it's the most powerful Duel Monster card in history!"_

 _"No, you're wrong! That's not what I meant. Get your hands off that!"_

 _"No way... I'm going to take the world with this card!" the D retorted. Suddenly, he heard a demonic laughter that spooked him._

 _ **"I see... I'll give that power."**_ _It came from the card!_ _ **"I've been waiting for a heart as wicked as yours to come..."**_

 _Then, the card shot out a demonic hand and gripped the D's head, making him flail around. Mr. Phoenix rushed to his aid, but was pushed back by another hand from the card. He could only watch helplessly as the card completely possessed the thief until a demonic white aura surround him and his eyes went blood red._

(End Flashback)

* * *

"With that card, it was a joke that victory came to me," the D smirked. "I became the Pro League champion and held that reign for 10 years!"

Aster growled.

"Then why did you adopt Aster?" Masaki demanded.

"Think about it... the police would never suspect a kind-hearted man willing to take a boy who lost his family," the Pro League Champion replied without shame. "So thank you for helping me, Aster. Thank you for keeping the cops off my back, so you could have a good life." Then, the floor opened and revealed a full table of Academy-issued Duel disks. "But don't worry; I'll bring you to your old man pretty soon. And I'll do it with the card that made me all-powerful!" He then strapped on a duel disk and inserted his deck, turning it on. "So Aster, I hope you and your friend are ready to die... starting with you..."

"I'll make you pay..." Aster demanded. "I'll make sure you face justice for murdering my father!"

"Correction..." Masaki interrupted. "We'll make you pay..." He turned to Aster. "I know you can take this madman by yourself, but if you think I'm gonna let this guy have any fun with your life... he's got another thing coming..."

"He's my enemy..."

"Yeah, but from what we heard about the way he killed your father, it's that Light that's making everyone go crazy back at Duel Academy." The S-Hero duelist reasoned. "If anything, you can finish him off, but I want to help you get back him. Remember, you told me about this back when we met through Sartorius and I promised to help. Not only that, the D wants us both dead."

Letting it sink in, Aster nodded, "Okay..."

"Fine!" the D shouted as he threw two duel disks at the boys. "You want to die that badly, I'll grant it! This will be a one-sided tag duel. You'll share a set of 8000 life points against my own and you'll each have separate fields, but you'll share a graveyard and have the use of each other's' monsters for Tributes. If you have a fusion created from both sides, you both can command it. However, you cannot share strategies. Are we clear?"

The Hero duelist nodded as they strapped on the duel disks and inserted their decks, to turn them on.

Aster/Masaki: 8000

The D: 8000

"So which of you will start?" The D asked smugly.

"That will be me," Masaki announced, drawing his opening hand plus one. "I activate Polymerization to fuse together my Shonen Heroes Afro Samurai, Lone Samurai, and my Wild Samurai together to form the Shonen Hero Demon Eyed Samurai!" He commanded as a fusion vortex sucked in his three Samurais, before pulling out a larger samurai wearing black armor from the feudal Japan era and holding a black sword appeared. His eyes had a demonic look to them and stared down the D. (7/2700/2700) "And that's not all, I'm adding the Quick-Play Spell Hero in Training to special summon Shonen Hero Monster King with 500 points less from its scores!" He continued as the large dinosaur from his duel with Frost appeared with a large roar. (8/2500-2000/2500-2000)

"Not bad kid," The D smirked as he drew his sixth card. "But instead of using so many cards like you, I'll just set these cards facedown and end my turn." He concluded, inserting two reversed cards into his disk.

"Now, it's my turn!" Aster shouted, practically yanking the six cards from his deck. "First, I activate my De-Fusion card to separate my partner's fusion monster into the three monsters that originated it!"

Masaki watched as his fusion monster glowed blue and separated back into the three samurai that kneeled in defense. (4/1500/1500) x2, (4/1600/1600) "I hope you got something if you did that..."

"Oh, I do..." the D-Hero duelist nodded as he continued playing his cards. "I summon Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude!" He announced as the diamond shard covered hero appeared. "Next, I use his ability to turn over the top card of my deck... if it's a normal Spell, I can use its effects without any restrictions!" He then turned over the card and it revealed to be Card of Demise. "Looks like I got covered, and next I'll sacrifice him, Afro Samurai and Wild Samurai to special summon my Destiny Hero – Dogma!"

The three mentioned monsters erupted into a dark mist and created the dark armored and winged Destiny Hero, brandishing his daggers. (8/3400/2400)

"Now, I attack with Destiny Dark Dagger!" Dogma rushed into the fray, ready to drive his daggers into his Master's enemy.

"I activate the quick-play spell, Shield Wall!" The D countered, revealing a spell card from his field, depicting a stone warrior holding up a shield made of the same material. Soon, four of those warriors appeared in front of the D, and held their shields up. (1/0/1000) x4. One of them took the fall for their master, much to Aster's dislike. "Try again, if you can..."

"Alright, I will..." Aster continued, inserting two of his own cards into his disk, "I set two cards facedown and activate Clock Tower Prison to end my turn." He concluded as the dark prison surrounded them with the giant Clock Tower behind him and Masaki.

"Now, my turn," The D announced, drawing his next card.

"Hang on, D!" Aster smirked, "Since Dogma was special summoned, during this standby phase you lose half your life points!" He smirked as the dark purple light erupted from under Pro League Champion and then zapped into Dogma's body.

Aster/Masaki: 8000

The D: 4000

"Is that all you got?" The D asked, grunting from the damage.

"Yeah, I activate Battle Mania!" Aster continued, revealing his facedown card. "Now you have to attack and all of your monsters are switched into attack mode! But there's a problem that you must already know..." When the Shield Tokens stood up, they immediately broke apart into rubble. "Your Shield Tokens can't survive in attack mode! Not only that, but my Clock Tower Prisons ticking away!" The clock tower's hands started to move rapidly until it stopped at 3 o'clock. (CTP: 1 CT)

"Which pretty much says you're done, bud," Masaki added. "After I soften you up some more, Aster's got you down..."

"But can you do that, before I destroy you both?" the D asked with a dark grin on his face, before revealing his facedown card. "I activate Spell Card, Claret Note. This adds up all the monster Levels on your field, and for every four, I can Special Summon a Plasma Token. Together your two monsters equal Level 20, so I get the full five Tokens." Five vaguely humanoid shapes formed from thick blood rose before him (1/0/0) x5. "Now with three monsters in play, I can Release all three to Special Summon…!"

The three Tokens transformed to crimson mist, which swirled together before a pillar of crimson blood erupted, consuming the mist. A mighty roar sounded as the gore broke, unveiling the terrifying monster The D had unleashed. It was a towering, gaunt figure, clad in bloody red armor, with a helm shaped like a dragon's head over its pale, demonic features. A draconic head formed its right forearm, maw filled with serrated fangs, a black bodysuit coating its form under the armor. The monster gave a demonic roar as its blood-red wings spread behind it, hanging before The D like a gruesome puppet (8/1900/600).

"Destiny Hero – Plasma!" The D shouted, naming the monster as a dark smirk grew on his face.

"Whoa!" Masaki gasped.

"This is... the card?" Aster shuddered.

"That's right; thanks to your father I have to ultimate card in play!" the Champion roared. "Now, watch it in action as his ability spreads upon the field, Firstly, while it remains in play, all your monsters have their effects negated!"

Plasma roared and bloody aura appeared around Aster's Dogma and Masaki's Lone Samurai and Monster King. "Then I'll activate Plasma's next effect, equipping one of your monsters to it as an Equip Card to boost its attack points by half that of the equipped monster!" Plasma's wings spread wide and a powerful suction roared from them, tearing Dogma into bloody dust before he could even scream, the dust soaking into Plasma's form before its wings bubbled and writhed (8/1900-3600/600).

"No!" Aster cried.

"This is bad!" Masaki added.

"Destiny Hero – Plasma, attack Masaki's pathetic Monster King with your Vengeful Rain!" Plasma roared and a shower of gory blades ripped from its wings, a stinging hail of blood that ripped apart the monstrous Shonen Hero before stabbing into the Shonen Hero duelist, pushing him down.

Aster/Masaki: 6400

The D: 4000

"This is the price you pay for butting in, kid!" The D chuckled as he then held up another card. "But for the both of you, I've got something very special... also another present from dear old dad... the spell card, D-Force! "This Spell Card goes on top of my Deck, and while it stays there, I can't draw during my Draw Phase!" He placed the card face-up on his Deck and soon both he and Plasma shone with the same aura that possessed him for 10 years. "Meet the Light of Destruction, boys!"

 _ **"There is no need to fear death since everything will end soon!"**_ A destructive, feminine voice shouted from the aura to the Hero Duelists.

"I then end my turn with a facedown card." The D concluded as the white aura dimmed down a bit. "Let's see if you can pull something out, Aster!"

"Just watch me!" Aster shouted, drawing his lone card. "Now, I use the effect of Card of Demise to draw out four more cards to have my five-card hand!" He announced, drawing four cards. "I place one card facedown and summon Destiny Hero – Defender in defense mode!" The giant brick warrior appeared and guarded with his massive arms as a facedown appeared behind it. (4/100/2700)

"My turn," the D grinned. "Thanks to D – Force, I can't draw... but I use my facedown card, D – Surge I can draw cards underneath D – Force!" He stated revealing a continuous trap card depicting Destiny Hero – Plasma standing before a fiery D. He drew once, bringing his hand to three cards.

"Yeah, and my Clock Tower Prison moves ahead!" the D-Hero duelist continued, as the Clock moved forward to six o' clock. (CTP: 2CT)

"If you thought hiding behind defense position monsters and your prison would save you, think again!" He held up an equip spell showing Plasma roaring around blood red flames. "I equip my monster with Plasma Flare, letting him deal piercing damage! It must be painful know that your dad created cards compatible with him!"

"He what?" the D-Hero duelist gasped as blood red energy surrounded Plasma.

"Now, let's give that Samurai another Vengeful Rain!" Plasma roared and the hail of blood ripped from its wings, ripping through the last Shonen Hero as he screamed and shattered, before hitting Masaki once more and sent him flying into a wall.

Aster/Masaki: 4300

The D: 4000

"Back off, D," Aster retorted.

"He's just getting in the way of our time together," the possessed Champion smirked. "And besides, with you and that Clock Tower, you don't seem to understand the predicament you're in. You haven't changed at all since I killed your dad and trying for your pathetic future controlling combo is proof!"

Aster gasped.

"Now, I activate Drain Time!" the D continued activating another Spell card showing a pocket watch with a bloody D symbol on the inside and the numbers on the clock were tore off. "This lets me freeze one Phase, like the Standby!" Suddenly, the Clock Tower froze over! "Now you can't prevent damage, because you can't reach it! And with one more card facedown, I leave things to your friend if he can get up..."

Masaki groaned as he lifted himself up against the wall, "Of course, you think I'm gonna let you kill us..."

"Hey, just rest and let me take care of this," Aster protested.

"NO!" the S-Hero duelist shouted as he stumbled towards his original spot next to Aster, "If it comes right down to it, I'm not letting you go out like that... I said I'll help and that's what I'm doing..." He drew his next card and immediately activated it. "I activate Legacy of a Hero to draw three cards since we got at least two Hero cards over level 3!" He drew three more cards from his deck. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"And I activate another trap, D-Boost, allowing me to draw two cards underneath D-Force!" the D announced, revealing a trap card with a fiery red D shooting through the sky. He then drew two cards underneath his D-Force cards. "All that talk and all you can manage is a bluff?" He then drew another card thanks to D-Surge. "Now, I finally get to your side Aster... I attack Destiny Hero – Defender!"

"Hang on; I activate Sakuretsu Armor to destroy your monster!" Aster countered and created a spiky-edged armor around the defending hero, but it still was subjected to the blood piercing arrows from Plasma's wings, breaking it apart.

Aster/Masaki: 3400

The D: 4000

"Sorry, but thanks to D-Force, all card effects that target 1 monster are useless!" The D smirked, and placed a reversed card on the field. "And now, I'll place a facedown card of my own. I hope you can put up a better defense for me to tear down, Aster."

Aster looked to Masaki, who looked back with a wink. He nodded and drew another card, and immediately set three of them down. "I place three cards facedown and end my turn."

The D laughed as he drew his next card from D-Surge. "Looks like it's all downhill from here boys, it's been nice dueling with you both. Now it's time to die and meet your father, Aster. And Masaki, I hope you've enjoyed the torment as well…" He then turned to Plasma. "Finish them off!" With another Vengeful Rain, the boys covered themselves the best they could as the blood created a massive explosion. The D gave off a sick grin seeing the boys destroyed. But when the smoke cleared he saw that they were fine and their life points untouched! And even three monsters on the field!

"WHAT? That attack should've finished you both! I even activate Dust Tornado just in case you'd still try something with it!"

"And we're glad you did!" Masaki grinned, "Aster, why don't you tell him your hand in this?"

"Be glad to," Aster smirked. "I used my Greed Pact and Eternal Dread traps to allow us all to draw a card from our decks and my Clock Tower Prison to gain two more counters, meaning my Tower could activate his ability to special summon Dreadmaster along with Diamond Dude and Defender!" He stated as the Iron Masked Hero, the Diamond Shard covered Hero and the Stone Brick Hero appeared and defended Aster. (8/?-1500/?-1500), (4/1400/1600), (4/100/2700) "And because of that, D-Force isn't your top card, my Dreadmaster could block your attack and damage!"

"But my Plasma could block your Monster Effects!" the D shouted.

"Yeah, that would be my fault!" the S-Hero duelist smirked, showing one of his facedown cards, the quick-play spell Forbidden Chalice. "You see, before Aster activated Greed Pact, I activated Forbidden Chalice to negate your monster's effects." The possessed champion snarled. "Oh don't worry he's got 400 more attack points... just not along with the power stolen from Dogma..." He pointed out, seeing Plasma drenched with holy water. (8/3600-2300/600) "And if I read the hologram on your D-Surge right..." The D-Surge trap card shattered. "I thought so..."

Shaking off the shock, the D reactivated D-Force and placed another couple of facedown cards, "It still won't save you, because the turn's over and everything goes back to normal!"

Plasma's power returned to him. (8/2300-3600/600) while the Destiny Heroes lost theirs. (8/1500-0/1500-0)

"It's my turn," Masaki announced with renewed vigor. "Luck's been good to me; I activate the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy Destiny Hero – Plasma!" A harsh windstorm kicked in and blew straight into the wings, freeing Dogma out of Plasma's clutches. (8/3600-1900/600) "Next, I summon Shonen Hero Elfen Berserker to the field!" He continued, and brought out the bandage covered, magenta-haired woman. (4/2000/2000) "And it's a good thing her effect is negated, otherwise I'd wouldn't be able to destroy your monster!" The Hero's eyes became red and suddenly charged at the hero.

"Masaki, wait!" Aster protested.

"Too late, I activate my Trap, Plasma Counter!" The D retorted as the trap depicted Plasma roaring with rays of energy shooting out of him. "This halves your monster's points and raises Plasma's by 1500 until the End Phase!"

Masaki gasped as the Shonen Hero glowed with a red aura (4/2000-1000/2000) as a fiery energy surrounded Plasma (8/1900-3400/600) "Counterattack with Vengeful Rain!" Plasma's wings unleashed the bloody rain once more, ripping apart the force of Elfen Berserker's attack before shattering her.

Masaki screamed in agony as the attack tore into him painfully.

Aster/Masaki: 1000

The D: 4000

"This is the end kid," The D grinned, "All you served was to let Aster down..."

The Shonen Hero duelist grinned as he raised his head, "Got ya... my trap card activated just as I took the damage," He held up a card showing Shonen Hero Cyber Officer broken apart, showing that she was an android. "I activate Shonen Cyber Life-Line! This makes it so, when I take damage involving my Shonen Heroes, you take it as well!"

The D then felt a sharp pain course through his body, causing him to kneel.

Aster/Masaki: 1000

The D: 2600

"And then, I place my last card facedown and end my turn." He concluded as Plasma's power returned to 1900.

"Slick, aren't you," Aster smirked.

"I do what I can..." Masaki shrugged.

The D roared in anger as he stood up and let out a large flare of his white aura, "Don't forget that I still have Plasma Flare is still in play, and Dreadmaster's defenseless because his effect is negated! So say your prayers and I'll see you both in Hell!" Plasma launched its Vengeful Rain attack, heading straight for Dreadmaster...

"I activate Taunt!" the Shonen Hero duelist countered, revealing his facedown card. "With this, the target of your attack's been changed to Defender... guess we're sticking around!" The D was enraged as Defender blocked successfully.

Aster/Masaki: 1000

The D: 1600

"I end my turn by taking control of Diamond Dude and absorbing its power!" the D concluded as Plasma tore apart Diamond Dude into bloody dust and absorb it into his wings. (8/1900-2600/600)

 _'This is it,'_ Aster thought _, 'If I don't get the right card, I can't avenge my father... even with Masaki's help I... no I can't think negative thoughts, I know I can win this for all of us! The Destiny Heroes are all I have left of my father, and I won't let one of them be in the hands of this murderer any longer!_ ' He then drew his next card and gasped as he saw the card he drew _. 'This is the last card my dad gave to me...'_

* * *

(Flashback)

 _At a police station, Young Aster was given a case by an officer. When he opened it, he saw it was a card with a blonde-haired angel wearing a grey skin-tight suit with the Destiny Heroes symbol on the chest and two white wings growing from his back. It was called Destiny Hero – Dark Angel and it was a level 1 monster with 0 ATK and DEF. He thought nothing of it because he didn't understand it..._

(End Flashback)

* * *

 _'But now, I know how to use this card now!'_ Aster smiled as he faced the D, "I'm sending the card I just drew, Destiny Hero – Dark Angel to the graveyard to activate its special ability: to resurrect it!"

The D scoffed, "Going around in circles?"

"Aster..." Masaki wondered.

"Guess where he resurrects?" Aster pointed to the top of the D's deck, and he saw the Destiny Hero card now face up instead of D-Force!

"No!"

"Alright!" Masaki cheered.

"Next, I activate my facedown card, Fiendish Chain!" Aster continued, revealing his trap card. "Now your monster's effects are negated as long as this card's on the field!" Chains burst from the air and wrapped around Plasma tightly, the Destiny Hero screaming in outrage. (8/2600-1900/600) "Now, I summon Destiny Hero Celestial and play Extra Boost to add its DEF to its ATK, if I destroy him at the end!" In a bright flash, another hero wearing a skintight black and dark red suit appeared with a large, sliver wheel on his back. (4/1600/1400) Then, Extra Boost placed a blue aura around him and gave him extra strength. (4/1600-3000/1400) "Celestial, attack and activate your special ability! When he attacks, he destroys one Equip Spell on the field and you lose 500 life points, D!"

Celestial fired a dark ray that shattered the Plasma Flare Equip Spell and blasted the D of a chuck of life points.

Aster/Masaki: 1000

The D: 1100

"You can't!" the D shouted as Celestial closed in and prepared to strike Plasma.

"Prepare yourself, D! This is revenge for my father!" Aster finished.

The D got another laugh from the outbursts of his opponents. "Revenge for your dad? You couldn't hear the groans?" Suddenly, many faces appeared inside Plasma's wings and tried to escape. Celestial suddenly stopped in his tracks...

"Oh man..." Masaki whispered in fright of the poor souls trapped.

"It's true I never used Plasma in an official Duel," the possessed Champion admitted, "But in many behind the scenes, this card absorbed countless numbers of Duelists' souls into his being who opposed the Light of Destruction. And the first person he absorbed... WAS YOUR FATHER!"

Soon, one face stood out above the rest, "Aster... Is that you?... You've grown so much..."

The D-Hero duelist was stunned scared as he knew the identity, "Dad!?"

"That's your dad?" Masaki gasped.

"Yup, that's him alright so what are you going to do now? Are you still going to attack my Plasma monster?" D asked, a grin on his face.

'That creep... Destroying Plasma will allow Aster to finish the duel but the human souls trapped within the card will be going with it. There's only one thing that can be done. Masaki frowned, watching his friend struggle with his decision, "Aster, you have to destroy Plasma! It's the only way to stop him!"

Snapping out of his trance, Aster turned back to gaze at Masaki. "Are you crazy? But my father…"

"Aster... I created this horrible card..." Aster's father interrupted, "When I finished it, I heard it... the Light of Destruction!"

"Light of Destruction?" the Hero duelists asked.

"I couldn't fight it... it had an allure that was like when Pegasus created the Egyptian God Cards... but that was a mistake on my judgment. Now a powerful force has run free because of me..." Mr. Phoenix explained, he then looked serious, "Listen well, boys! The Light of Destruction inside Plasma is only a husk!"

"What do you mean?" Aster asked.

"The true form of the Light of Destruction... exists within Sartorius! Like the D, he's possessed! Now destroy Plasma, go to Sartorius and destroy the Light of Destruction!"

"But..."

"I proud of you, son..." His father smiled sadly, "Please... destroy the Light of Destruction..."

Not being able to hold it, Aster started crying as he commanded, Celestial, end this duel!" The D frowned as Aster's monster smashed into his, shattering it into dust. The white aura flared around the D as he screamed in anguish.

Aster/Masaki: 1000, Winners

The D: 0

 _'I'm proud of you son.'_ Mr. Phoenix' echoed as the holograms faded.

"But this is impossible!" The D exclaimed, falling to his knees. The Plasma cards landed near Aster's feet as an explosion rocked the ship. Picking up the cards, Aster placed it in his pocket along with his deck. The Dark Light from the D's body left and then exploded, taking him with it and causing a massive fire.

"Sayonara, champ..." Masaki said, with disgust. "Aster, let's get out of here!"

* * *

The Hero Duelists ran out to the deck and saw a helicopter from Industrial Illusions come forward. A ladder dropped and they saw Pegasus and Chancellor Sheppard peer out.

"Aster! Masaki! Get aboard quick!" Sheppard exclaimed as they did what they were told before the ship exploded. And on the ladder...

"Now there's only thing left..." Masaki stated, looking up to Aster.

Aster looked back down and nodded. "Let's go get Sartorius..."

* * *

Whoo! I cut it close!

Enigma the Creator

DARK/ Warrior/Effect /Level 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1200

When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon 1 "Enigma Token" (Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1200/DEF 1200).

(Enigma the Creator was first used by The D in the GX episode 'The Dark Light'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of GX.)

Claret Note

Normal Spell Card

Image: A battered old book lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Add up the total number of Levels of each monster your opponent controls. Special Summon 1 "Plasma Token" (Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) for every 4 Levels determined by this effect.

(Claret Note was first used by The D in the GX episode 'Ultimate Destiny'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of GX.)

D – Force

Normal Spell Card

Image: A dark blue D on a fiery background.

Place this card face-up on top of your Deck. While this card is face-up at the top of your Deck, you cannot conduct your normal draw during your Draw Phase. Also, while you control a face-up "Destiny Hero - Plasma", negate the effects of Spells, Traps and Effect Monsters your opponent controls that target 1 card you control.

(D – Force was first used by The D in the GX episode 'The Dark Light'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of GX.)

Plasma Flare

Equip Spell Card

Image: Destiny Hero – Plasma roaring, surrounded by blood-red flames.

Equip only to 'Destiny Hero – Plasma'. The equipped monster inflicts Piercing Damage. If the equipped monster would be destroyed, destroy this card instead.

D-Surge

Continuous Trap Card

Image: Destiny Hero – Plasma standing before the fiery D from D – Boost.

Activate only while you control a face-up 'Destiny Hero – Plasma' and 'D – Force' is face-up on top of your Deck. During your Standby Phases, you can draw 1 card from under 'D – Force'. If 'D – Force' is not on top of your Deck, destroy this card.

(D – Surge and Plasma Flare were created by Digidramon for Chapter 9 of his fic Spiritual Shadows and creative credit for it goes to him.)

Plasma Counter

Normal Trap Card

Image: Destiny Hero – Plasma roaring as rays of energy shoot from its form.

Activate only during the Damage Step when a face-up "Destiny Hero - Plasma" you control is attacked by an opponent's monster and "D - Force" is face-up on top of your Deck. The attacking monster's ATK is halved and "Destiny Hero - Plasma" gains 1500 ATK until the End Phase.

(Plasma Counter was first used by Aster in the GX episode 'What Lies Beneath Part 3'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of GX.)

D – Boost

Normal Trap Card

Image: A fiery red D shooting through the sky.

Activate only while "D - Force" is face-up on top of your Deck. Draw 2 cards from under "D - Force".

(D – Boost was first used by The D in the GX episode 'Ultimate Destiny'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of GX.)

Shonen Cyber Life-Line

Normal Trap Card

Activate when you take deflected battle damage involving a Shonen Hero monster. Your opponent takes the same amount of damage as you.

(This card is my own invention and creative credit for it goes to him.)

Shonen Hero Demon Eyed Samurai

warrior/fusion/effect

dark

7 stars

atk:2700

def:2700

Effect: Afro samurai + Lone Samurai + Wild samurai. When this card destroys a monster in battle, inflict damage to your opponent equal to 100 times the level of the destroyed monster.

(Created by Cooking Samurai, creative rights go to him.)

Destiny Hero - Celestial

DARK

Level 4

Warrior/Effect

This card cannot be Special Summoned. If this card attacks, you can destroy 1 Equip Card on the field. If you destroy a card by this effect, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

(Used by Aster Phoenix in the GX episode, Ultimate Destiny. All rights go to the writers of GX.)

Drain Time

Normal Spell

Activate only if you control a face-up "Destiny Hero - Plasma". Select 1 of the following Phases: Draw Phase, Standby Phase, Main Phase 1, Battle Phase, Main Phase 2 or End Phase. Both players must skip the selected phase of their next turns.

(Drain Time was first used by The D in the GX episode 'Ultimate Destiny'. Creative credit for it goes to the writers of GX.)

Next Time: Linda and Solaris enlist the help of Jaden and Claudio to help Prince Ojin. But can one of them succeed against the destructive power of the Satellite Cannons?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	71. Royal Decree

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 71: Royal Decree

* * *

At night, the Slifer Red Dorm was still lively and party central as the recreational room was hosting a bachelor party in honor of Alister Gates' 'last night of freedom' before getting into his marriage with Erika. Of course, being at a school of the highest reputation, there wasn't any of the more 'adult' things like most parties and was basically a gathering of male friends. In addition to the Slifer Residents, Alex, Jeremy, Joey (which everyone had the pleasure of getting autographs, to his delight), Matthias, even Atticus, Jethro, Vincent and Allen were present after recovering from Kenji's attacks while he was possessed, plus Syrus and Kenji showed up after receiving their leave from Miss Fontaine making a bigger celebration.

"Alright," the Headmaster, Spencer stood up and held his glass up, "I propose a toast to Alister..." the guys gave their affirmative comments as they held up their own glasses. "May you and Erika have nothing but the best in your lives together, and watch out for each other along the proverbial speed bumps on your journey of marriage. To Alister!"

"To Alister!" Everyone said, clinking their glasses together and taking a drink.

"And you know," Alister spoke up, "There's more we should be having a toast to."

"Like?" Jaden wondered.

"For Syrus and Kenji getting out of the Infirmary," the Guardian duelist stated, looking to the two guys in question. "Especially Syrus standing up to Zane, not to mention him having the biggest record in the GX tournament after stepping up his game towards the Pro Duelists."

Everyone cheered and clinked their glasses again.

"Well, I'm disqualified because of missing a duel the next day," the Vehicroid duelist admitted, "But still, it felt nice knowing that I made it as far as I did."

"Because you're a great duelist," Jaden exclaimed. "You proved it when you made it to Ra Yellow."

"And it would've been great to face you in the finals," Alex stated, patting the little Ra on the back. "Of course, you would have no chance against me."

"I hope you haven't forgotten about Matthias and me," Alister smiled.

"Yeah, we're a lot more professional than others," the ocean duelist stated.

"And I thought I got a big head about it..." Joey smirked, looking to his two friends.

"Don't flatter yourselves," Chazz interjected. "If anyone's going to win, it's going to be the Chazz!"

Jachin shook his head, "You seem a little bit more focused on winning your duels, by the way."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're dueling a lot quicker than normal..." the Persona duelist replied. "Instead of your normal insults, you just... duel."

"What's your point?"

"Did something happen that caused you to seem... out of place...?"

"No..."

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Okay, boys," Atticus jumped in, "Let's not get into the tournament today..."

"Because you were axed like us," Jethro, Vincent and Allen said, and kept reminding him whenever the elder Rhodes made a comment about it.

"Like I was saying," he grumbled, before breaking into another small, "There's also another thing to be celebrating the fact that Alexis finally got herself a boyfriend!"

Kenji sighed, "And that's exactly why she wasn't looking every time you talking about it. She didn't like that you kept pestering her about it."

"Still, we're happy for ya, on that note." Allen stated.

"By the way, where's Claudio?" Vincent asked.

"Oh right," Alister smiled, "Melody suckered him into being the entertainment section for Erika's bachelorette party... despite being the best man for mine."

"'Suckered'?" Spencer asked.

"Claudio made the mistake of laughing at Jaden being carted off by Allyson, when they thought he had a pop quiz to take," Kenji stated.

"Oh right," Hassleberry smiled. "I wonder what else he's got to do..."

* * *

(At the Ra Dorm)

Since the guys had the Slifer Dorm, Erika requested Headmaster Sartyr to use the Ra Yellow Dorm for her bachelorette party... He accepted on the condition he'd cater it, to which the girls accepted then. Aside from Melody and Lyra, Mai, Roxanne, Alexis, Allyson, Lily, Shion, Jasmine, Mindy, Missy and Miss Fontaine showed up. Right now, they were talking amongst themselves while Claudio had to setup his makeshift stage, hearing about various stories.

"Then, after I used Gandora and Yin-Yang Dragon on him... I stormed up to him and started breaking every bone in his body," Lily spoke out, recalling her encounter with Shroud. "First his legs, then his arms, some punches to the face, kicks to his chest... pretty soon I left him a broken man." She finished with a proud smile on her face.

"And here I thought I heard everything on brutality," Lyra muttered.

"I can see that you're happy about this," Roxanne stated.

"You know it!" the Dragon duelist smirked.

"Sounds like you kids are having some fun at your school," Mai noted, taking a sip of her drink. "In my day, we had the Rare Hunters to deal with and they too, would do anything to make money and build powerful decks. And what this Shroud guy's plan of using Zane for his own personal vendetta, I'm glad you took it to him."

"Now all that's left is to kick out the rest of the Society, before we can end this tournament the right way," Shion stated. "And we'll have to make sure that everyone who's left from the tournament can rally up."

"Unfortunately, most of the Pros were defeated and already left the island..." Alexis stated. "And I don't think we can allow those who were already kicked out to help us."

"Still, with our skill it should be easy even if they decide to gang up on us," Erika replied. "If we do have the defeated help us, at least they are beating the Light out of Society members."

"I guess we need to keep moving," Fonda smiled. "But for now, we're here to celebrate the final night of Erika being a bride-to-be, and going into being a bride!"

"To Erika," Melody raised her drink. "May you knock any sense into your husband-to-be, like what I just did to Claudio today...!"

"Hey!" Claudio turned around for a bit before returning to finish the stage.

"To Erika!" the girls cheered, clinking their glasses together.

"And I'm all done," the J-Hero duelist announced afterwards, and jumped on it. "Now, we have to..."

Before he could finish, a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Who could it be?" Melody wondered as she stood up from her seat and answered the door and was greeted by Linda and Solaris.

"We are sorry to interrupt your party, but I have to speak with Claudio Osbourne, if he is here," Linda said softly.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" the Magician duelist asked.

"Hey, I seen you guys at the beginning of the GX tournament," Allyson stepped in, next to Melody. "You came in with Prince Ojin."

"Yes, and we need to talk to Claudio of something important," Solaris stated. "I am Prince Ojin's bodyguard."

"And I am his secretary," Linda added.

Suddenly, everyone started to feel serious as Claudio, Solaris and Linda joined the rest of the girls at the table.

"Well, if you're going to be here... have some drinks and something to eat," Erika offered to the guests, which they accepted with light smiles.

"Much obliged," Solaris nodded.

"Thank you," Linda added, "If Prince Ojin had such kind friends like you all, he wouldn't have turned out the way he did."

"Has something happened to him?" Claudio asked.

Linda had a sad look for a bit, before pleading, "We have a favor to ask of you. We need you to save the prince... no, the world."

Everyone suddenly looked surprised as Claudio continued with, "Why me?"

"We have seen your duel with one of the Society members, ending in your victory and ending her brainwashing," Solaris replied. "Plus, you hold one of the keys to his Satellite Laser."

Now everyone turned to the key around the J-Hero's neck.

"So that's what that thing goes to?" Alexis asked. "But how do you know that Claudio held it?"

Solaris nodded to Linda, as she began to talk, "I overheard the Prince and Sartorius talking, a few days ago..."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _In the Misgarth private plane, Sartorius and Jason were invited by the Prince and told him of the situation..._

 _"All of the keys were given up?" Ojin gasped._

 _"But of course," Sartorius calmly stated, lounging on the couch inside the plane, "It seems fate decided to play games with me, and allowed my other self to give the keys to four children."_

 _"Which means we have a problem," Jason added. "None of the duelists we've dispatched were able to take them down, and we're left with the followers who can't even wield the White Cards."_

 _"This is impossible!" the Satellite duelist growled._

 _"Fear not, my friends," the Arcana Force Duelist smiled as he stood up. "This is just Destiny at work... Prince Ojin, you must decide whether you or one of the two students here is capable of holding on to one of their keys. So now, you must go and fight!"_

 _"Why me?" Ojin asked. His answer came in the form of Sartorius and Jason eyes glowing._

 _Then, they spoke at the same time with another voice with theirs', demanding, "Bring back the keys for the Light!"_

 _Suddenly, Prince Ojin's eyes turned dim and he replied with, "As you have ordered..."_

 _They failed to catch Linda eavesdropping, watching in horror..._

(End Flashback)

* * *

After the story, Linda asked once again, "Therefore we need your help."

Claudio held his key, "Man, I understand now if this Satellite is anything like the card. But I do wonder why Sartorius gave me the key..."

"Sartorius did say his other self did it," Erika noted.

"Just like what Makoto told me..." the J-Hero duelist realized. "And If I beat Prince Ojin in a duel..."

"Then, he may regain his normal self," Solaris finished. "The Prince would never wage destruction on a world-wide scale..."

"And he used to be so nice," Linda added. "He just had a lack of friends, that's all. He used to cry himself to sleep every night."

"Well, hearing all this... I think I can help you," Claudio said, "But I know Jaden can help you as well, and trust me he would have a better chance at this."

"Are you certain?" Solaris asked.

"Positive."

"By why turn down this chance?" Mai asked.

"Jaden would love to duel the Prince, especially since he told me how Sartorius lied about the Destiny Hero cards to get the chance to duel him." Claudio replied. "So, I think he would want to duel a lot more. Also..." He turned to Solaris, "Why pass up an opportunity to beat the guy who showed up Jason?"

Shion gasped, "You've seen Jason?"

"An unworthy opponent," Solaris stated, "I was supposed to duel Jaden after him being turned down by the Prince, but that boy stepped in. I could tell right away that duel would end in my favor. But I foolish to let him live in the tournament, now that I know of the Society's work." He then turned to Claudio. "But for your request, I shall grant it... may we step outside?"

"Let's," Claudio smiled.

* * *

Soon, everyone stepped outside and prepared to watch the two guys go at it.

"Hey, in addition to a private rock concert, we get a duel with a handsome knight!" Mindy gushed.

"Down, Mindy," Jasmine muttered.

"Ready when you are, Sir Knight," Claudio smirked. "Let's give these ladies a show!"

"I would also like to see if you are able to defeat the Society's leader," Solaris added as both players activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Claudio: 8000

Solaris: 8000

"Let's see what you're made of, so you'll have the honor of the first move," Solaris offered.

"Thank you kindly," Claudio smiled, drawing his sixth card. "I'll bust out Polymerization to fuse together Jukebox Heroes JB and KG to form Jukebox Hero Tenacious D!" He announced as two mentioned members in everyday normal attire and acoustic guitars jumped into the fusion vortex and jumped back out in more hardcore metal and leather styled clothing and wielding electric guitars. (8/2600/2600) "Next, a facedown card to end my turn," He concluded inserting a card into his disk.

"A high-ranking monster on your first turn," Solaris mused, drawing his sixth card. "Not too surprising...

"Huh?"

"Now I can launch an effective countermeasure," the knight continued. "I start with Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and then discarding two from my hand." He announced, drawing out his three cards and sending two of the into his discard slot. "And then I set this monster in defense mode, plus two cards facedown." He concluded as a set monster and two reversed cards were laid out on the field. "Make your move."

"Let's see this effective countermeasure of yours," Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "I activate Rock of Ages, letting my warriors gain 200 ATK for every Jukebox Hero I own." A giant rock appeared behind Claudio and surrounded Tenacious D with green mist, giving him a slight boost. (8/2600-2800/2600) "Now, attack his facedown monster!"

The fusion heroes started rocking out on their guitars, summoning lightning to fry the facedown monster card revealing a toga-clad, four-winged angel, (4/1400/800) only to be shocked by the lightning, shattering into pixels.

"When Shining Angel is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Light-Attribute monster with fifteen-hundred or fewer attack points from my Deck," Solaris said calmly. "I summon Gawain, Knight of Camelot." In a prominence of light, a noble, sleek white-armored knight formed, with a leopard-themed helm, shoulder-plates adorned with wing-like coating, the white trimmed in black. He drew a long, slender rapier which reflected the moonlight as he raised it aloft, before lowering it to his side (4/1500/700).

"I'll end my turn here," Claudio concluded, "Let's see what you've got."

"As you wish," the knight complied, drawing a card, "I activate the field spell card, Camelot, Court of King Arthur!" He announced, inserting the named spell card into his disk. Once closed, the area transformed into a pleasant forest with a large, imposing, yet elegant castle of white stone. "Next, I summon Dagonet, Knight of Camelot!" He placed the card on the field, prompting the tall, kite shield wielding knight to be summoned, and kneeled. (3/100/1800-2000) "Now for the effect of my Field Spell; when a Knight of Camelot is Summoned, I can place a Camelot Counter on it and for each one, my Knights gain 100 extra points!"

A banner was placed over the wall of the castle. (CCoKA: 1CC) (4/1500-1600/700), (3/100-200/2000)

"But then, I send Dagonet to rest in the graves so that I may summon Cador, Knight of Camelot!" Solaris continued as the shield-wielding knight vanished into sparkling motes and then a tall, noble knight wielding a long lance and a shield bearing the image of a crimson dragon, his white armor trimmed in black and crimson appeared as another banner was placed over the castle walls. (CCoKA: 2CC) (5/2300-2500/1300), (4/1600-1700/700)

"I guess you're still coming up short by 300 points of Tenacious D," the J-Hero duelist shrugged.

"But watch as the effect of Cador activates," the Knight stated, "He allows one himself to gain the ATK of one other Camelot monster at the cost of their attack this turn. Rallying Flare!" At the moment's call, Cador was surrounded by a firey red aura, boosting his ATK through the roof. (5/2500-4200/700)

"4200, already?" Melody gasped.

"Cador, attack Tenacious D with Pendragon's Glory!"

"And I'll activate the continuous trap card, Written in the Stars," Claudio countered as he revealed his continuous trap card, and had the ground underfoot fade away, showing the rooftops of a great city andthe stars in the skies grew brightly. Cador shouted a battle cry as he charged with his lance and used it to run through both members of Tenacious D and damage Claudio's life points.

Claudio: 6600

Solaris: 8000

"I'm not sunk yet," Claudio retaliated, recovering two cards from his graveyard. "By destroying Tenacious D, you brought back the band in double monster form!" He smirked as he put JB in attack mode and KG in defense mode, powered up by Rock of Ages. (4/1400-1800/1200), (4/1200-1600/1400) "Also, because of Written in the Stars' effect when you destroyed Tenacious D, you put two Message Counters on it and with each one on it, my monsters gain 100 ATK!"

As Written in the Stars shined, four stars in the skies lit up brightly for Written in the Stars. (WitS: 2MC) (4/1800-2000/1200), (4/1600-1800/1400)

"Ah, no wonder you were so optimistic for your monster," Solaris acknowledged as he inserted another facedown card, "Impressive, but can you get through my defense? Let's see as I end my turn." The fiery aura vanished from Cador. (5/4200-2500/700)

"Time for me to get rockin'," the Ra stated as he drew his next card, "And I got one to rock the stage, I sacrifice KG and special summon Jukebox Hero – Black Angus!" He announced as KG vanished into light motes and jumping out of a portal and power sliding on to the field was a man in a school uniform with shorts and a hat playing on a black guitar. (6/2400-3000/1500), (4/2000-2200/1200) "And I hope you're ready big concert, because I activate his second ability to revive a Jukebox Hero monster from the graveyard, and I pick my Tenacious D!" He announced, taking the named fusion monster from his discard slot and placed it back on the field, powering them up with Rock of Ages and Written in the Stars. (8/2600-3400/2600), (6/3000-3200/1500), (4/2200-2400/1200)

"Good, now Claudio's monsters can overpower Solaris," Allyson cheered.

"JB, take down Gawain and kick him off the stage," Claudio commanded as JB ran across the courtyard, guitar raised over his head...

"I activate the trap, Courage of the Round!" Solaris interrupted, revealing a trap card depicting another knight, Percival, bravely charging into battle against Meteor Black Dragon. "Now, I won't take battle damage involving my knights when they do battle against a stronger monster!" Soon as it happened, JB smacked his guitar over Gawain's face, shattering him into pixels but leaving an image of a shield to block the damage.

"Alright Tenacious D, take down Cador!" the hardcore band strummed their guitars to call down lightning once more...

"Now, for my Camelot Alliance trap card!" the Misgarth Knight countered, once more with a trap depicting Constantine standing firm against the attack of Phoenix Gearfried as the spirit of Pelleas stands beside him. "I remove any one of my Camelot monsters from the graveyard and have this trap act as an Equip Card to Cador, and he'll gain ATK equal to the removed monster's own ATK!"

The spectators gasped.

"He wanted Gawain to be destroyed!" Lily realized.

"True, but I never said which Camelot monster would be removed," Solaris stated. "And I hope you remembered my Graceful Charity card..."

"He could've sent other monsters in there by that spell card," Mai realized.

"Okay, so which one?" Claudio groaned.

"I remove Constantine, Knight of Camelot with 2400 ATK!" the Knight announced, removing the named monster and placing it within his scabbard and allowing Cador to receive another power boost. (5/2500-4900/700) "Now counterattack with Pendragon's Glory!" Once the lightning reached Cador, he swung his lance at the bolt away from him and struck Tenacious D back into ashes, and two more stars added to Claudio's trap. (WitS: 4MS)

Claudio: 5100

Solaris: 8000

However, KG returned and blocked with his acoustic. (4/1200-2200/1400), (6/3200-3400/1500), (4/2200-2400/1200)

"Alright, you got my setup," the Ra stated, as he inserted a spell card into his disk, "But let's you do something about this; I activate Hammer Shot, giving up a battle phase to destroy your Knight!" He announced as both JB and KG played a dual guitar solo that summon a giant mallet to smash Cador and the Camelot Alliance card.

"I counter with Court of the Round!" Yet another trap card was activated by the knight, depicting a group of armored knights seated around a white Round Table, with a king and queen sitting side-by-side commanding their attention. "Since you destroyed my monster with a card effect, I get to special summon another one of my Knights up to level 4!"

Claudio slapped his forehead as his opponent took a monster card from his deck and placed on the field in attack mode.

"Percival, Knight of Camelot... to the field!" Solaris announced, bringing out a somewhat grimy white-armored knight with gold-trimmed armor, wielding a simple, rusty sword. And because of his appearance, the castle put down another banner. (CCoKA: 3CC) (4/1700-2000/100) "So far, you're looking to be a more mediocre opponent than my first one coming to this island."

"What?" the J-Hero duelist growled, while Allyson got the message.

"He must mean Jason," She replied.

"Yes, but if you truly wish to defeat the people who brainwashed Prince Ojin, then you'll have to put up a better fight." The Knight of Misgarth warned.

"Well, I end my turn and see what's coming." Claudio declared.

"And I'll activate the second ability of my Courage of the Round!" Solaris countered, removing said trap from play. "Now I get to summon back a Knight of Camelot that was destroyed this turn, and that means Gawain returns to the field adds another counter to my field spell!" Then, Gawain appeared in a flash of light with another banner along the castle walls. (CCoKA: 4CC) (4/1500-1900/700), (4/2000-2100/100)

"It's a deck that won't quit," Alexis stated. "No wonder Jason had a tough time against him."

"At least Claudio's monsters are now stronger than his despite the Field Spell's power," Erika assured. "And it's all because of his two cards together."

"It's my draw," the knight announced, drawing a card. He looked to Claudio as he inserted it into his disk. "I activate Glory Shield and equip it to my Percival!" He announced as a crystalline shield appeared and latched on to left arm of Percival. "Now I can forgo his first effect of and able to use his second... and I'll demonstrate by attacking Black Angus with Magna Blade!" Percival charged towards the schoolboy gimmicked guitar player, who was ready to retaliate.

 _'Great, what does he do?_ ' Claudio groaned.

"Now, I can pay Life Points equal to the difference to have the ATK of Percival become equal to the Black Angus's ATK and add 300!" Solaris stated. "Now, activate Golden Miracle!"

Suddenly, Percival started shine as he continued to charge and made his armor cleaner and his sword golden... fitting for a true knight." (4/2100-3700/100)

Claudio: 5100

Solaris: 6700

Then, Percival slashed downward, cutting Black Angus' down and his guitar in half to shatter both into pixels and made it turn into two more stars. (WitS: 6MC)

Claudio: 4800

Solaris: 6700

"But now, the effect of Glory Shield will destroy your Written in the Stars trap card!" The shield flashed and Written in the Stars shattered and with it, every star in the sky disappeared. (4/2200-1600/1400), (4/2400-1800/1200)

"And with it goes my chance to summon Roadie Riggs..." Claudio muttered.

"Now Gawain, attack KG with Sword of the Right!" the named knight charged into the fray, and then sliced down KG into pixels. (4/1800-1600/1200)

"I can look into your eyes, and see that your will to fight is broken," Solaris stated. "You don't have what it takes to defeat Sartorius."

"Really," the J-Hero asked, "Because my eyes maybe telling you lies. I've taken a lot worse and I've still come out on top. It's the reason I'm still here."

"You won't be able to prove me wrong, with the way you're playing..." the Misgarth knight boasted. "You might want to hand me the Satellite Key around your neck now."

"How about no," the Ra countered as he drew. "I'm supposed to protect it, and that's what I'm going to do. So step off... and Duel!" 'But I hope what I drew backs up my mouth...' He thought as he looked at the drawn card. "I set one card facedown and then activate Card of Sanctity, letting us both draw until we have six cards in our hands."

"A desperate move since it replenishes my hand as well," Solaris stated as both players drew out their cards, reaching six in hand.

"Yeah, but it's necessary to send JB to the graveyard and summon Soul Guitar!" Claudio announced as JB was engulfed into flames and was transformed into a golden guitar that floated in front of the J-Hero Duelist. (5/1000/300)

"This is going to seem like Turret Warrior's effect," Mai stated.

"It is," Melody noted as the Soul Guitar started to glow with fire. (5/1000-2400/300)

"And now, I play Fusion Recovery," Claudio noted, inserting the next spell card into his disk, "I use it to bring back Polymerization and Jukebox Hero JB!" He announced, retrieving his monster and fusion spell card. "And then, I'll bring him back to the field!" In a flash, JB returned to the field, custom acoustic guitar in hand. (4/1400-1600/1200) "And then with his effect, brings back KG!" JB strummed his guitar to his right, and a trap opened from the ground and launched his partner right next to him. (4/1200-1600/1400), (4/1600-1800/1200)

"I don't know what are you accomplishing by bringing those two back," Solaris sighed, "They will be defeated again."

"Yeah, what is his plan?" Roxanne wondered.

"I'll show everyone by activating Polymerization to fuse Soul Guitar on the field with the Soul Drums and Soul Mic in my hand!" the Ra stated, reactivating his fusion spell card.

Melody, Erika, Alexis, and Lily shared knowing smiles, "Of course..." And that brought about the confusion with the other women.

Once Soul Mic and Soul Drums appeared on the field, Claudio proceeded to take the microphone in his hands and easily snap it half, releasing a white, flaming aura into his body. Next, went to sit down behind his Soul Drums and started to play a random drum solo for ten seconds with metal drumsticks. Suddenly, he went aggressive and started smashing the drum set and cracking the cymbals to release the next aura into body. After that, he walked over to the Soul Guitar and played a fast-paced solo until he smashed into the ground to release the next aura into himself. Finally, the broken pieces of metal reacted to Claudio's aura-filled body and melded together and formed a silver armor with spiked shoulder pads and a helmet with two longhorns. (10/3600/3000)

"What in the...?" Linda gasped.

"He's wearing a similar armor like War Machine," Allyson pointed out.

Claudio turned to spectators, "Actually, this is the first armored fusion... simply title 'The Metal'!" He then grinned and turned to Solaris. "And all that metal breaking does a guy's state of mind good when he's been pummeled from the beginning of the duel! But now, let's strike a beat to Percival!" Claudio's armored fists suddenly transformed into small speakers. "LET'S HIT IT!" He then smashed the speakers together and unleashed a massive distorted sound wave that shattered Percival into pixels once they hit, while Solaris tried to cover his ears.

Claudio: 4800

Solaris: 5200

"That had to hurt," Lyra muttered.

"And while you're trying to make sure your eardrums are cool, I'll activate Rush Recklessly on KG to boost his power by 700 for the turn and attack Gawain," the J-Hero duelist continued as he inserted his quick-play spell, placing a green aura around KG as he charged at Gawain, boosting his speed. (4/1600-2300/1400) In a second, the guitarist smashed his instrument into the knight's face, bursting him into pixels.

Claudio: 4800

Solaris: 5000

"Sweet, now JB attacks you directly... long overdue, I might add!" Claudio continued to cheer as JB strummed his guitar to emit more sound waves, smacking into the Misgarth knight who kept his hands over his ears.

Claudio: 4800

Solaris: 3200

The Ra signaled the end of his turn as he said, "Rock can heal good Sir Knight, but it can also hurt."

"He's taken the lead!" Melody cheered, "About time!"

"I was almost starting to feel sorry for him..." Lily added.

Solaris started to compose himself and laughed a little, "So was I... now you're showing me a duel worth displaying my true skills!"

"I hoped you would stop holding back," Claudio smirked. "It's not fun using only some of those knights and not bringing out the big guys."

"You shall get your wish," Solaris announced as he drew his next card, having seven in hand. "First, I use this spell card, Junk Dealer to resurrect Gawain and Percival from my graveyard!" He announced as the two previously defeated Camelot Knights, looking beaten and worn out. (4/1500-750-1150/700), (4/1700-850-1250/100) Two more banners ran down the walls, boosting their morale a bit. (CCoKA: 6CC) (4/1150-1350/700), (4/1250-1450/100)

"I hope you're not planning to use Percival's effect to drain out your points to get a shot at me or my boys," Claudio warned, "It'll do your more harm no matter what you play."

"Your counsel is much appreciated, but hardly necessary," the knight smiled as he inserted three cards facedown and then held up another spell card. It was a spell depicting three knights raising their swords against the rising sun. "It looks like things keeping getting worse for you, because I activate the spell card, Swords of Peace! With it, one of my knights will be sacrificed to summon another from my Fusion Deck that is two stars greater and with my Serial Spell card the rest of my hand and my second knight will be sacrificed to use his effects!"

Everyone gasped as both of Solaris' knights crossed swords, vanishing into a giant light pillar when he discarded the rest of his hand.

"This is looking bad," Melody noted.

"Now come to arms, first Percival makes way for Guinier, Shield-maiden of Camelot!" Solaris called out as now a slender, female knight clad in white, pale-blue-trimmed leather armor, wielding twin short swords appeared from the pillar and stared down Claudio and his band, while another banner ran down the castle. (CCoKA: 7CC) (6/2100-2800/1200) "Next, Gawain shall fall back for Caradoc, Noble of Camelot to take arms against my opponent!" The pillar disappeared as a white-armored knight wielding a longbow, his chest bearing the insignia of a noble hawk, his helm fashioned after the head of such a predator bird. Yet another banner rolled down the castle wall. (CCoKA: 8CC) (6/2400-3200/1000), (6/2800-2900/1200)

"Well, this is a bad night..." Claudio sighed.

"There's more to come," the Misgarth Knight continued. "I activate Caradoc's effect... I can halve the attack points of one monster you control, and I use it on your armor! Divine Aurora," Caradoc raised a hand and a dark aurora formed around Claudio, who groaned when he felt his armor rust up from head to toe. (10/3600-1800/3000) "And when I attack, Guinier may attack all monsters on the field once per turn!"

"Claudio's life points will be all gone if both Camelot Monsters use their attacks!" Miss Fontaine gasped, doing the math of the attacks.

"Guinier, strike with now with Storm Blade!" the Shield-maiden charged with quick-moving speed, swords brandished and poised to strike everyone in her way...

"I use my facedown card, After Party to switch my Jukebox Heroes into defense mode and draw a card for my troubles." Claudio countered as he drew a card while KG and JB took a knee and blocked with their guitars, to the relief of the girls. However, they had to cringe when Claudio took a slash to the stomach when Guiner struck with her blades, moving like a violent storm, also taking out the members of Tenacious D in her wake.

Claudio: 3700

Solaris: 3200

"And next, Caradoc will attack your armor with Aurora Arrow." An arrow of shimmering Aurora Borealis formed at Caradoc's bow, the knight quickly drawing back the bowstring before loosening the arrow in a flash of shimmering, mystical light that struck Claudio and left it stuck in the left shoulder and made him stagger back a few feet.

Claudio: 2300

Solaris: 3200

"It's your move, and with it the effects of Caradoc are at its end." Solaris concluded, as The Metal restored its normal outlook and destroyed the arrow that was stuck inside. (10/1800-3600/3000)

"That was brutal with that arrow, man." Claudio grinned, ignoring the pain he felt. He then drew his next card. "I place two facedown cards and then attack Caradoc!" He then morphed his hands into two microphones and put them together to make another loud distorted sound, which smashed against Noble and shattered him into pixels.

Claudio: 2300

Solaris: 2800

"I end my turn." He concluded.

"Seems we've reached an impasse," Solaris stated as he drew his next card, "I think you might have been holding back in the beginning..."

"Not really," Claudio shrugged. "Sometimes when I see a move, I take the chance if I know it'll defend well... playing Tenacious D gives me offense and defense, and I had to work on whatever the outcome from that.

"I see, we'll I'll have a moment to choose my best course of action..." the Knight stated as he looked over his disk, specifically his facedown cards _. 'My best course of action is to bring back Caradoc and drain his armor of its strength once more. Then, I can use my facedown card, a second Sword of Peace to send one of my monsters off the graves and summon Bedivere, Preserver of Camelot. With him, I can summon more Camelot monsters to overpower him and win...'_ He thought, playing the move in his mind and saw himself in victory. But then he saw the card he just drew, a Ritual Monster _. 'But in order to see if Claudio is destined to defeat the force controlling Prince Ojin, he'll have to face a knight that all but lost his honor...'_

"Looks like the knight's ready to strike," Lyra noted.

"And, it might end badly if he can end it this move," Missy added.

"I use the second effect of my Field spell," Solaris announced, as the Castle and its banners vanished into a light pillar, "By sending it to the graveyard, I can special summon a Camelot monster to the field from my graveyard equal to or less than the number of Camelot Counters on the field! Meaning, I can summon up to a level 8 Camelot monster and I pick Caradoc!"

As Guinier powered down, from the disappearance of her country (6/2900-2100/1200), Caradoc jumped out of the pillar and retook his place on the field. (6/2400/1000)

"Oh boy..." Claudio muttered, "But at least I'll live..."

"I'll be the judge of that," the Camelot duelist smirked, "I activate Caradoc's ability! Divine Aurora," the Noble created his dark aurora around Claudio again, weakening his armor again. (10/3600-1800/3000) "Now, I'll activate one of my facedown cards, the Ritual Spell, Commandment of Chaos!" He announced as his first facedown card, flipped over to show off a spell depicting a tall rising before Guinier, Shield-maiden of Chaos, drawing his sword as she stares up at him in horror. "With this, I sacrifice Caradoc and Guiner so that I may Ritual Summon, Mordred, Traitor of Camelot!"

Everyone then watched as both Camelot Warriors were surrounded in painful light that swallowed them until there was nothing left. And then, another warrior appeared from the pillar with an evil grin: a towering, white armored knight, armor trimmed with black, wielding a black sword and spear as an aura of shadow burned around him. (8/2600/2000)

"You sure you wanna summon him?" Claudio asked, scratching his head. "I get he's powerful, but having a traitor amongst your deck... kinda tells me something bad about ya..."

"I see what you mean," Solaris replied, "But simply put: if you wish to defeat a person without honor, then I'll show you one without honor and have you to devise a way to win."

"I get it now, so tell me what does he got for abilities?"

"First of which, I'm not allow to Summon or Set any monsters, and if I had any, destroy any Camelot Monsters when Ritual Summoned." The Camelot duelist explained. "And then for every Camelot Monster resting in the graveyard, he gains 200 ATK for each one and I count five!" Mordred let out a dark laugh as he felt his power rise from the defeated. (8/2600-3600/2000) "And now, I shall defeat you by using Half Shut on your armor!"

"As if it can get any weaker," Claudio mumbled, as the Metal rusted even more. (10/1800-900/3000) "And seeing as your attack could kill my life points, I activate Emergency Provisions on my Rock of Ages and one of my facedowns cards to increase my life points by 2000!" He announced as his green mist rock and one facedown card vanished into motes of light, refilling his life points.

Claudio: 4300

Solaris: 2800

"That won't save you from Mordred," Solaris stated, "Tyrant's Command!" He shouted as Mordred stormed across the field and then proceeded to hack and slash away at Claudio's armor, inflicting as much damage as he possibly could and knocked him down as an insult.

Claudio: 1800

Solaris: 2800

"It's a good thing that he'll match, Mordred soon and be able to take him out," Erika noted. "And if he can summon another monster and power it up to at least 2800, he could win.

"It's your turn," Solaris concluded, "Now, let's see if you have what it takes to defeat my monster."

Claudio launched back on to his feet and drew his next card, "My pleasure... you sure don't seem afraid that I can beat your monster easily. Despite the same ATK, the Metal can't be destroyed in battle."

"I have a feeling you will see in a moment," the Camelot duelist stated calmly.

 _'A little too calm, if you ask me,'_ the J-Hero duelist thought _. 'Unless... I can't beat him in battle! It must have an effect that prevents it happening that way. Meaning, I have to do it by pummeling this guy to the brink.' He then looked to the card he just drew. 'Okay, Monster Reborn I can revive a monster either player's graveyard... and then, my facedown card... that's it!'_ "I activate Monster Reborn!"

"Are you planning to revive your monsters?" Solaris wondered.

"Actually, I'm planning on one of yours!" Claudio grinned, as the ankh shined brightly and brought forth Cador, Knight of Camelot from the graveyard, weakening Mordred. (5/2300/1300), (8/3600-3400/2000)

"So, you plan to use one of my own monsters to defeat me," the knight realized, "But unless you were to bring back another one of my knights, you wouldn't be able to use his effects."

The Ra's grin widened, "Couldn't agree more!" He announced, as his facedown card reveal to depict Jukebox Hero Prince of Darkness rallying a group of young people to march and fight. "I activate the continuous trap card called Children of the Grave! I use it to pay 1000 life points to special summon another monster from your graveyard, and your Caradoc, Noble of Camelot has what I need!" Now it was Solaris' turn to gasp as the trap card shined deep purple and caused Caradoc to rise up from his grave and walk towards Claudio to stand next to Cador. (6/2400/1000), (8/3400-3200/2000)

Claudio: 800

Solaris: 2800

"I figure, with your guy being a traitor to Camelot Kingdom, these guys should rise up and kick his butt don't you think?"

Solaris chuckled slightly, "I agree... and with the battle damage you're about to deal, I concede defeat..."

"And I think it's time for song, since I had to do a concert for the bachelorette party!" Claudio added as the metal armor slid off and was back into his regular clothes as it morphed into the Soul Guitar, Soul Drums and Soul Mic. "And I'll even compromise with the monsters I know on my field!"

(Play Drink the Blood of the Priest by Brochas Helm)

Soul Guitar started to play a rising solo, followed by Soul Drums and Claudio adding in the bass and started to kicking up the music. But once the lyrics hit, the girls and Solaris were surprised that it wasn't Claudio started singing, it was Caradoc and Cador!

Together, the knights raised their swords wall swinging and clashing their swords in unison. At one point, they pointed their swords at Mordred accusing him of the lost souls of their own knights. The Black Knight growled as he started to charge towards them and Claudio.

However, during the hook, Caradoc used his ability, Divine Aurora and drained Mordred of half his power. (8/3200-1600/2000)

During the solo, Cador used his power of Rallying Flare and boosted his ATK by the Caradoc's power. (6/2300-4700/1300)

Cador then attacked with his Pendragon's Glory attack, piercing his lance through Mordred's armor and forcing him to the ground. Although he wasn't destroyed, the damage was so great that it reached Solaris, making him kneel. But it wasn't over, as during the outro, he was carried into the graveyard by the fallen knights as he started flailing weakly.

(End Music)

Claudio: 800, Winner

Solaris: 0

The holograms disappeared when both players' duel disks shut off, all to the cheers of the girls. Solaris stood up and wiped the dust off his armor.

"Impressive," He praised, "Not only you defeated me, but you've opened up my eyes."

"Thanks," Claudio smiled. "And you weren't so bad yourself; I can tell a lot of people had a lot of trouble against you."

"That they did," the Camelot duelist nodded as he held up a bag of GX medals. "And since we're still during this tournament, I bequeath to you my medals... make it far in this tournament, should have to face Sartorius in the tournament."

"Sartorius bailed out," Allyson spoke up. "I heard the only duel he had been against Prince Ojin, so it was safe to say he was only out for your kingdom's Satellite Laser."

"Yes, it would explain how he got an invitation to the tournament with so little time prior," Solaris nodded.

"What will you do now?" Alexis asked.

"I go see to it that His Highness is recovered from Sartorius' malice," He replied. "I noticed Linda leaving off to tell your friends at the other dorm to explain the situation. So, good evening and... it was someone getting ready to be married, yes?"

"That would be me," Erika raised her hand.

Solaris smiled, "Then, I hope your wedding day is a perfect one." He then turned away, heading towards the direction of the main arena.

"I hope he can help out with Ojin," Claudio nodded. He then turned to the ladies, "Well, shall I continue the entertainment?"

"As if you had a choice," Melody smirked. "Especially since you can make other peoples' monster's sing and dance..."

The J-Hero duelist sighed, "I know..."

(At the Obelisk Arena)

* * *

After hearing the situation from Linda, the boys at the Slifer Dorm headed over to the arena to watch Jaden's match, who stood at one of the sides after he posed the challenge via Duel Pilot. In the audience, Kenji sits down next to Chazz and Jachin, "Everything in arena is up and running, guys."

"Good, we can see what's up with the One Turn Kill strategy of Prince Ojin," Professor Sojourner nodded.

"By the way, what's so special about this One Turn Kill?" Jethro asked.

"Prince Ojin can immediately Summon and attack with one or more Satellite Cannons that have enough power to win the duel in one turn," the Slifer Headmaster replied. "And because of Satellite Cannon's effect, not being able to be destroyed in battle by monsters lower than level 7, even one were to hang on after the first turn, it's not easy to break his monster lineup."

"He could play a waiting all he likes until his Cannons charge up to high numbers." Jachin realized.

"One thing's for sure, Jaden can't lose this duel after what Linda told us," Syrus added.

"Yeah, Misgarth's Satellite laser powerful enough to destroy the world and we can't defend from it," Hassleberry stated, "That is not something I'm a fan of..."

"I've seen Kaiba face a monster like that," Joey spoke up, "Although, I never seen the monster itself but the blast was big enough to know it was tough to beat."

"Trust me, Jaden will pull through on this one," Alister told his longtime friend, "He may have the capacity to face you, Mai, Kaiba, and Yugi."

Matthias smiled, "I would love to see that."

"Though, I was wondering something myself..." the ninja duelist thought out loud.

"What?" Jeremy asked.

"Before I came here to check the arena, Lily warned me about a massive Light energy circling the arena ceiling." Kenji stated. "But when I came here, I didn't see a thing."

"Come to think of it, Lily called me and Jeremy about the same thing," Alex added. "She thinks Brightveil's coming back..."

Kenji, Syrus and Jethro gasped.

"You mean one of those Shadow Riders?" the cowboy asked. "I thought she was beat when Jaden did!"

"It may be possible," Syrus added. "Remember Nightshroud came back to possess Atticus?"

"But that was only because his cards were still tainted with his power," Jeremy stated.

"All we know is, we need to keep Lily away from this place..." the Gemini duelist realized as he looked towards the ceiling, "If it's still there, it's maybe because it only reacts when Lily's around..."

On the Duel Stage, Prince Ojin finally arrived with a cold look in his eye. "Did you bring the Satellite Key?"

The E-Hero duelist held up the key in question from around his neck, "It is right here, but I won't give it to you."

The Satellite duelist chuckled, "Pretending to be strong will get you nowhere... because you will lose to me."

"Why hang around Sartorius?" Jaden wondered. "He's only in it to destroy people with your own Satellite."

"So what, I owe him everything!" Ojin snapped. "Sartorius understands me, and has been a real friend!"

"I remember that Linda told us you didn't have any friends growing up," the Slifer stated.

"Every human tends to be lonely," Ojin smirked, "Just like you..."

"Well, I got friends," Jaden interrupted, looking to the guys behind him whom acknowledged his words, "These guys behind me," He then turned back to Ojin and held up his deck, "And the cards in my deck!" He concluded, inserting his deck into his disk, activating it. Winged Kuriboh's spirit suddenly appeared on his shoulder, giving him an assuring smile. 'And I got your support as well,' Jaden told the spirit partner.

"I myself don't need companions like that," Ojin growled. "They're for the weak and they are useless!"

"Useless," Jeremy frowned.

"What's he talking about?" Alex growled.

"It's just the Light affecting his mind," Vincent waved off. "He doesn't know what he's saying."

"I hope not, because he's ticking everyone off here," Allen stated.

"In the name of the Society, I will defeat you and take back the key!" the Prince declared as he inserted his deck into his disk, and activated it. Both players then drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Jaden: 8000

Ojin: 8000

"Get your game on!" Jaden shouted as he drew his sixth card. "I start off by summoning Elemental Hero Prisma in attack mode!" He announced as he brought out the crystallized Hero to the field, standing at attention. (4/1700/1000) "And then, I'll use his special ability and show off the Fusion Monster Necroid Shaman from the Fusion Deck, and send Necroshade from my deck into my graveyard." He continued, showing off his Purple Fusion Card and then took out one of its Fusion Materials and placed it into his graveyard. "I'll also throwdown a facedown and end my turn." He concluded.

"This is too easy," Ojin smirked as he drew his sixth card. "First, I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards." He began, drawing two extra cards to make his hand of seven, before playing another spell card. "Then, I activate the Trap Booster spell card!" He placed one of his Satellite Cannons into his graveyard, "This allows me to discard the Satellite Cannon in my hand in order to play a Trap Card, like my Call of the Haunted..." Then, his continuous trap card appeared on the field instantly. "And I'll use its effect to bring back my Satellite Cannon!"

A bright light flashed from the holographic version of the monster card and shot through roof of the arena. Suddenly, one of the monitors above and behind Ojin turned on, showing off the Satellite Cannon that's been played in deep space. (5/0/0)

All the while, Ojin activated another Spell, "Next, I use Machine Duplication to bring my other two Satellite Cannons out!" He laughed as his remaining two Satellite Cannons shot out from his deck and placed them onto the disk, emitting the same light to the ceiling and the two monitors showing them off in space. (5/0/0) x2

"Whoa, this is bad," Joey stated. "Three of them altogether..."

"Meaning his remaining cards could be the ones that finish the duel," Matthias added.

"Now, I activate two copies of the spell Charge!" Ojin continued, holding up two of the named Spell. "Since one can charge my machines to have 2000 points, two will have them gain 4000 ATK instantly!"

Everyone gasped as they saw the three Satellite Cannons use their solar panels charge up their lasers from the sunlight and turn to target the exact point on Planet Earth where the duel was located. (5/0-4000/0) x3

Ojin laughed, "Prepare Jaden, for my One Turn Kill! Satellite Cannon one, attack Prisma!" The middle Satellite fired off its laser, shown on the monitor, and it soon came to Duel Academy as everyone turned their attention to the ceiling where the blast phased through the ceiling and hit Plasma, obliterating it from the field and leaving nothing left.

Jaden: 5700

Ojin: 8000

The Cannon powered down. (5/4000-0/0) But Ojin never paid it any mind, "Number two, attack Jaden directly!" The right side cannon fired its laser next, phasing through, to everyone's surprise, the floor and then blasting Jaden, making Jaden scream out and the spectators to cringe.

Jaden: 1700

Ojin: 8000

"Jaden!" Syrus and Hassleberry cried out.

"They're orbiting around the Earth!" Alister realized. "There's no telling where the third one will come from!"

The second cannon powered down. (5/4000-0/0) Ojin was still relishing his prepared win, and announced. "Number three, end this duel!" Finally, the left side cannon fired its laser, and phased through the ceiling… from behind Jaden!"

"Behind you," Allen shouted just in time, as Jaden turned his head and quickly pressed a button on his disk.

"I activate Hero Spirit!" the E-Hero duelist announced, and quickly rolled out of the way as the spirit of Prisma blocked the shot and reflected it back into the ceiling, while the third Satellite Cannon powered down. (5/4000-0/0) "That was close," He sighed, catching his breath and stood up. "Thanks for the save, Allen."

"No problem," The Fairy duelist replied.

Jaden turned to Ojin with a stern look on his face, "See how friendship can help?"

"The so-called bond that saved you was only a fluke," Ojin declared as he inserted a facedown card. "I place one card facedown to end my turn, and that also activates the Satellite Cannon's effects of charging up their ATK by 1000!" He concluded as the machines powered up. (5/0-1000/0) x3

"My move," Jaden announced as he drew his next card, "I activate Polymerization!" He announced, playing the normal fusion card and caused a fusion vortex to open above him, "I'll take Sparkman and Bladedge from my hand and fuse them together!"

"He's never done a fusion of those two before, unless he's looking to summon Gaia," Jeremy realized as the two heroes jumped into the fusion vortex.

"Well, it's not that," the E-Hero duelist announced, as the vortex flashed and brought out a taller, muscular version of Sparkman to the field. He was outfitted in bronze armor like Bladedge, but only around his body and his hands and that was in large gloves and boots, all sparking with electricity. (8/2600/2300) "Meet Elemental Hero Plasma Vice!"

"Sweet and it's a level 8!" Joey exclaimed. "It'll be able to destroy Satellite Cannon in battle!"

"That's not all I'm going to do," Jaden smiled as he discarded one of his cards into the graveyard, "With Plasma Vice's effect, I can discard one card from my hand and destroy an Attack Position monster you control! Guess who?"

Ojin gasped as the Fusion E-Hero created an orb of electricity and threw it hard into the ceiling above. The second monitor then showed the electric orb, was now bigger than before, absorbed the Satellite Cannon into it and imploded on the spot. Call of the Haunted also shattered with its destruction, showing more proof.

"And I would use this last card of mine to take out another Satellite," Jaden continued, holding up another fusion card. "But using Miracle Fusion, I can bring out another monster to finish the job! And I'll do it by using Sparkman and Prisma from the graveyard and fusing them to form Elemental Hero the Shining!"

This time, a blue fusion vortex opened and pulled in the spirits of Sparkman and Prisma into it, creating another flash. Soon, a 7' tall man dressed in white with a sun-like ornament on his back, red jewels were plastered over his body appeared. He glowed with a brilliant shining aura (8/2600/2100)

"I remember this guy," Syrus spoke up. "He gains 300 ATK for every Elemental Hero removed from play!" He informed the guys as the spirits of Sparkman and Prisma were infused into the Shining. (8/2600-3200/2100)

"And since they're both level 8, both Satellite Cannons are going to be nothing more than smoking metal debris!" Alex grinned.

"Plasma Vice, attack Satellite Cannon 2!" Jaden commanded, as Plasma Vice few a little into the air before disappearing. Before anyone could question it, he appeared on the right-side monitor and grabbed the Satellite Cannon, overloading its systems with electricity and caused it to blow up.

Jaden: 1700

Ojin: 6600

As Plasma Vice returned to the field, Jaden turned to his other fusion monster, "Shining, attack Satellite Cannon 3!" He announced as the bright Fusion Hero disappeared in a flash and then reappeared on the left monitor, in front of the third Cannon. With his bright radiance, the E-Hero of Light engulfed the cannon in light, removing it from space.

Jaden: 1700

Ojin: 4400

The boys cheered as the Shining returned to the field. "At least Jaden's taking care of business," Spencer smiled. "The boy may not take his studies seriously, but his dueling grades are almost unparalleled."

"Leave it to Jaden to take his testing on duels," Kenji added.

"If only the Slacker could be smart outside the duels," Chazz muttered.

"Before you make your move, I activate A Hopeful Future!" Ojin announced in anger, revealing a trap card. "With my hand empty, I can reshuffle my graveyard back into my deck and draw two cards!"

"Aw man, he can bring back his Satellite monsters again," Syrus moaned as Ojin reshuffled the cards his grave into his deck and then drew two from it.

"Now my turn begins," the Prince continued as he drew once more, "I activate set one monster in defense mode and one card facedown." He announced as a facedown monster and a reversed card appeared on his field. "Next, I use Card of Demise to draw out five cards!" He continued as he drew out five cards. "Finally, I set another two cards facedown and activate the continuous Spell Terminal World to end my turn!" He concluded as another two reversed facedown cards appeared on the field as the floor changed to a digital orange grid.

"This guy's almost done," Alex smirked. "Finish him off, Jaden!"

"Well, we don't know his facedown cards," Jeremy assured him. "It's hard to think about winning with that weighing you down..."

"But it could be a bluff," Hassleberry noted.

"That's what I'm saying," the Gemini duelist exclaimed.

"My turn then," Jaden announced as he drew his next card, "I activate my own Pot of Greed," He stated, drawing two extra cards. "I then place two cards facedown and have Plasma Vice attack your facedown monster!" He commanded as his armored monster created a blade of electricity and used it to chop down the facedown monster, which turned out to be a Shining Angel before he shattered into pixels. (4/1400/800) "And just like Bladedge, he deals piercing damage!"

Ojin felt a shock on his duel disk, translating from the piercing damage.

Jaden: 1700

Ojin: 2600

"But thanks to Shining Angel, I can special summon my Satellite Cannon in attack mode!" the Prince announced as the middle screen turned on again, showing off the Satellite Cannon. (5/0/0) "Next, I activate my facedown card, Inferno Reckless Summon to special summon the others to the field, once again!" He continued as the other two Cannons appeared on their respective screens. (5/0/0) x3 "Back where we started..."

"Accept you're about to lose, whether or not you had a monster!" the E-Hero declared as the Shining teleported towards the middle Satellite and blew it up with another light flare. "That's game!"

"No it isn't," Ojin shouted, revealing a facedown card depicting a knight using a stone wall to evade a dragon's fire breath, "I activate Bombardment Evasion, negating the Battle Damage of this attack!"

"Still, my friends and I are ready to take you down next turn," Jaden stated.

Suddenly, everyone heard an evil laughter coming from the middle screen. Everyone looked to see Sartorius' face.

"My Prince, put your faith into the Light and you can overcome any obstacle!" He preached to the Misgarth Prince. "Remember, that key is destined to be with us!"

"I won't let you down, sir," Ojin smirked.

"Finish him off so we can take over this world!" Sartorius encouraged.

"Of course..."

"Hey, what's going on?" Syrus wondered.

"Yeah, how'd he get on the screen?" Kenji also wondered. "He's not a hacker from the best of my knowledge."

"Maybe he learned when you left," Chazz figured.

"And you all thought I was alone," Ojin smirked, turning back to the boys. "I do have a friend, and you're about to see how dangerous I truly can get!" He then revealed another facedown card, depicting a space station collecting floating metal debris. "I activate Debris Station!"

As the trap flashed, the other two Satellite Cannons self-destructed!

"Why'd he destroy his cards?" Joey wondered.

"To create something better," Ojin rejoiced as the middle screen showed the remains of the two Satellite Cannons floating in space as the Debris Station came in out of nowhere. "Debris Station gathers the remains of the other Satellite Cannons and uses them to create a stronger one. A Fusion Summon, if you will..." A hatch opened from the bottom of the Debris Station and gathered up the metal remains. "Now I Fusion Summon Satellite Laser Balsam in defense mode!"

Debris Station also self-destructed but was quickly replaced with a large Satellite Cannon with a bulkier body of three canisters, an extra set of solar panels and a larger laser. (8/0/2000)

"And then because of being Fusion Summoned by Debris Station, it automatically gains 3000 ATK!" Ojin continued as the new laser powered up. (8/0-3000/2000) "And since you don't have any more monsters to attack with, and Terminal World blocking Main Phase 2, there's only one move to make..."

"I end my turn," Jaden concluded.

"It's my turn," Ojin announced, drawing his next card. Suddenly, he felt a powerful entity enter his body and started glowing white! _**"Finally, the Light of Destruction has chosen me to end your existence!"**_ He spoke in a double voice.

"Okay, is anyone feeling strange vibes?" Jeremy asked.

Alex then gasped as he looked towards the ceiling, "Guys look!"

Everyone turned their attention to the ceiling and gasped seeing the massive Light energy circling around.

"Is that...?" Jeremy wondered.

"Yeah, this is what Lily was talking about," Alex finished. "I think it's controlling Ojin!"

Jaden also noticed the Light above, "What is that?"

 _ **"Your executioner,"**_ Ojin stated in a more sinister tone as he inserted one of his card into his disk, _**"I activate Card Rotator to discard one card from my hand to make all of your monsters switch their battle positions, meaning both of your fusion heroes must bow to me!"**_ Instead of the holographic card, the Light Above extended white tendrils that dug into the backs of the Fusion Heroes, forcing them to their hands and knees. And then, insult to injury, electricity stunned the E-Heroes in place, causing them unimaginable pain.

"That's not part of the card's effect!" the E-Hero duelist shouted as he turned to Ojin, "Stop it!"

 _ **"It will stop, when I end it,"**_ Ojin replied as he activated the final card from his hand. _**"I activate the spell card, Limiter Removal to charge Satellite Laser Balsam by doubling its ATK!"**_ The circuits inside the satellite started to overload as it started to smoke and turn red a little... (8/3000-6000/2000) _**"And this monster can deal piercing damage to the opponent's monster... so perish and hand over the key!"**_

While charging, Balsam let lose a few small rockets about 20 feet away from it and grew into small satellite reflectors.

 _ **"Reflectors are standing by, energy charge is complete!"**_ Ojin shouted. _**"Now fire!"**_

Balsam fired its laser at the reflectors, which in turn charged up and created a larger blast that headed straight for Planet Earth. But not wanting to see his monsters in the pain that they were in, Jaden revealed a facedown card depicting left half of Elemental Hero Gaia and the right half of Great Tornado in a split screen. "I'll save my monsters with this, the Quick-Play Spell Constrec Element! With it, I return Plasma Vice and The Shining back to Fusion Deck!" On cue, the energy tendrils snapped off the Heroes' backs and then vanished into thin air.

"You cheat!" Ojin snarled.

"Listen to the rest of the card's effect and decided," Jaden smiled. _**"Now, I can special summon the same number of Elemental Hero Fusion Monsters, if they have the same Levels. So that means, I can special summon Elemental Heroes Great Tornado and Tempest!"**_ From a large tornado, the tattered caped Hero of the Wind appeared along with the visored and armored Wind Hero. (8/2800/2100), (8/2800/2800 _ **) "And then, since its counts as a Fusion Summon, I can activate Great Tornado's effect to cut the ATK of Satellite Laser Balsam in half!"**_ Once the blast reached the inside of Duel Academy, Great Tornado stepped in front of the blast and created a vortex of wind to weaken the strike. (8/6000-3000/2000)

" _ **I still have enough to destroy one of your monsters,"**_ Ojin shouted as the laser blast kept pushed Great Tornado to the ground and on his knees. _**"Look at him, begging not to end his life!"**_

"Time for a little teamwork effort," the E-Hero duelist shouted, revealing his facedown card. "I activate the trap, Covering Fire! Now the ATK of my two monsters combine, letting Tempest help out Great Tornado... and that spells out the end of this game!"

Great Tornado was still struggling with the massive blast, even after thinning the blast... but he felt himself about to give in. Suddenly, another blue cannon blast came in and pushed away the Satellite Laser's attack. Great Tornado turned to his left and saw that the helpful blast came from Tempest, giving him enough room to stand on his two feet. (8/2800-5600/2000) The two Wind E-Heroes shared a nod before flying against the blast while still firing theirs and pushed back with all their might. Finally, they reached deep space and right in front of the reflectors, destroying them all and then continued onto the Laser itself pushed back its own energy into it, obliterating into smoking metal debris. Then, a red aura surrounded Ojin's possessed stated, translating the damage and dropping him to his hands and knees.

Jaden: 1700, Winner

Ojin: 0

The Light energy left him and went back up to the ceiling, as the screen came back on to show Sartorius saying, "How foolish!" Before cutting transmission again...

"He won!" Syrus and Hassleberry cheered.

"This kid is the real deal!" Joey praised. "You guys from the Academy are something else!"

"Told ya," Alister smiled.

"Sartorius..." Ojin said to himself, "Are you abandoning me? I guess I'll always be alone..."

"Of course, you're not alone!" Jaden shouted, walking up to him.

Ojin stood up on his knees, "What?"

"Prince Ojin..."

He then turned to see Linda approach him, seeing a relieved look on her face. "Linda... how long have you been here?" he asked.

She kneeled down to his level, "I've always been by your side... even when you weren't yourself. And I'll continue to do so..."

Ojin then figured it out and smiled at his advisor's devotion.

Jaden smiled at the reunion, but then thought about the Light above the ceiling, _'Is this the thing, Lily was talking about?_ '

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Outside of the classroom when the transmission to the Pro League Championships was cut off, Lily pulled Jaden away to talk alone, saying it was very urgent... After Lily explained what happened after Shion defeated Juli..._

 _Jaden gasped, "Are you serious?"_

 _"I wouldn't joke about this," Lily replied frantically, "Brightveil's back! I think she's been the mastermind of this whole thing! Think about it, the way she introduced herself when she possessed me... the Light and Darkness Dragon symbolizes Dark Light... it can't get any more obvious!"_

 _"So that's who's possessing Sartorius..." the E-Hero duelist realized._

 _"Also, now that I think about it... those cards White Veil and White Cloak... it reminds me of her... in fact, I think that's her! She was trying to control this world before and even if Nightshroud and Gemini weren't there..."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

 _'And if that's the case, I should go and end this now!'_ Jaden thought as he decided to run out of the Arena. Seeing this, the boys turned their attention to him.

"Jaden, where are you going?" Syrus shouted.

"We'll come with you!" Hassleberry added as he and the Vehicroid Duelist left out.

"Not without me," Jethro added, jumping out of the stairs and landed outside the exit to run off.

"As for the rest of us," Kenji stated, "We'll finish off the remaining Society members, and leave Sartorius to Jaden and Claudio."

"Right!" the boys cheered.

* * *

(Somewhere near the White Dorm...)

"AAAHHH!"

Solaris fell to the ground, with his skin, hair, eyes and his armor now stark white. Looming over him was Jason with an evil, triumphant grin on his face.

"Sweet payback," Jason laughed. "Now you'll be subjected to a great experiment of mine, and I will have a more powerful deck than ever!" He then turned to the six Society members behind him. "Take him to the special room... we have until dawn!"

"Yes sir..." the members replied, picking up the fallen knight and took him into the White Dorm.

'The Light of Destruction shall rule all!' Jason screamed his mind as he followed.

It's going to be one helluva time!

* * *

Gawain, Knight of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Effect /Level 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 700

Once per turn, if another 'Camelot' monster you control attacks an opponent's monster, and the attack target is not destroyed by battle, you can destroy the attack target monster. If you activate this effect, this card cannot attack during that turn.

Cador, Knight of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Effect /Level 5/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1300

You can Tribute 1 'Camelot' monster to Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can select 1 other 'Camelot' monster you control and have this card gain ATK equal to the selected monster's ATK until the End Phase. If you do, the selected monster cannot attack this turn.

Court of the Round

Normal Trap Card

Image: A group of armored knights seated around a white Round Table, with a king and queen sat side-by-side commanding their attention.

Activate only when a 'Camelot' monster you control is destroyed by an opponent's card effect. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Camelot' monster from your Deck in face-up attack position.

Camelot, Court of King Arthur

Field Spell Card

Image: A large, imposing, yet elegant castle of white stone.

Each time a 'Camelot' monster is Summoned, place 1 'Camelot Counter' on this card. All 'Camelot' monsters gain 100 ATK and DEF for each 'Camelot Counter' on this card. You can send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 'Camelot' monster from your Graveyard whose Level is equal to or lower than the number of 'Camelot Counters' on this card.

Swords of Peace

Normal Spell Card

Image: Three knights raising their swords against the rising sun.

Tribute 1 'Camelot' monster you control. Special Summon from your Fusion Deck 1 'Camelot' Fusion Monster whose Level is 2 higher than the Tributed monster's.

Guinier, Shield-maiden of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Fusion/Effect /Level 6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1200

This card can only be Special Summoned with 'Swords of Peace'. This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. If you control another 'Camelot' monster, negate the effects this card destroys in battle.

Caradoc, Noble of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Fusion/Effect /Level 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1000

This card can only be Special Summoned with 'Swords of Peace'. Once per turn, while you control another 'Camelot' monster, you can halve the ATK of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls until the End Phase.

Bedivere, Preserver of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Fusion/Effect /Level 8/ATK: 2700/DEF: 1300

This card can only be Special Summoned with 'Swords of Peace'. When this card is Fusion Summoned, you can add 1 'Camelot' monster from your Deck to your hand. Once per turn, if you control another 'Camelot' monster, you can select and Special Summon 1 'Camelot' monster from your Graveyard. That monster's effect(s) are negated, and it is removed from play when it is removed from the field.

Mordred, Traitor of Camelot

LIGHT/ Warrior/Ritual/Effect /Level 8/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2000

This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card 'Commandment of Chaos'. When this card is Ritual Summoned, destroy all other 'Camelot' monsters you control. While you control this card, you cannot Summon or Set other monsters. This card gains 200 ATK for each 'Camelot' monster in your Graveyard. If this card would be destroyed, you can remove 3 'Camelot' monsters in your Graveyard from play instead.

Commandment of Chaos

Ritual Spell Card

Image: Mordred rising up before Guinier, Shield-maiden of Chaos, drawing his sword as she stares up at him in horror.

This card is used to Ritual Summon 'Mordred, Traitor of Camelot'. You must also Tribute 'Camelot' monsters from your side of the field or your hand whose Levels equal 8 or more. You can remove this card in your Graveyard from play to select 3 'Camelot' monsters from your Deck and send them to the Graveyard

Courage of the Round

Normal Trap Card

Image: Percival bravely charging into battle against Meteor Black Dragon.

Activate only when a 'Camelot' monster battles a monster with higher ATK. You take no Battle Damage from that battle. During the End Phase, you can remove this card in your Graveyard from play to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Camelot' monster which was destroyed this turn from your Graveyard.

Camelot Alliance

Normal Trap Card

Image: Constantine standing firm against the attack of Phoenix Gearfried as the spirit of Pelleas stands beside him.

Activate only when a 'Camelot' monster you control is selected as an attack target. Remove from play 1 'Camelot' monster in your Graveyard and equip this card to the attack target monster. That monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the removed monster while equipped with this card.

(The Camelot Archetype is property of Digidramon and all creative ideas go to him).

A Hopeful Future

Normal Trap

Activate only while you have no cards in your hand. Return all cards in your Graveyard to your Deck to draw 2 cards.

(Used by Jaden Yuki, but owned by Chazz Princeton in chapters 63 and 64 of the GX manga; all rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Debris Station

Normal Trap

Activate only when a "Satellite Cannon" you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. Send 2 "Satellite Cannons" from your side of the field or your hand to the Graveyard, and Special Summon 1 "Satellite Laser Balsam" from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) That "Satellite Laser Balsam" gains 3000 ATK.

Satellite Laser Balsam

LIGHT

Machine/Fusion/Effect

Level 8

0/2000

"Satellite Cannon" + "Satellite Cannon" + "Satellite Cannon"

This monster cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. This card cannot be destroyed by battle with a Level 10 or lower monster. During each of your End Phases, this card gains 3000 ATK. If this card attacks, its ATK is reduced to 0, after damage calculation. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

(The above two cards were used by Prince Ojin in the GX episode: The Key Factor. All rights go to the creators of the GX anime.)

Constrec Element

Quick-Play Spell

Return any number of "Elemental Hero" Fusion Monsters you control to the Extra Deck and Special Summon that many "Elemental Hero" Fusion Monsters from your Extra Deck with the same Level as the returned monsters. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.)

(Used by Jaden Yuki in chapter 63 of the GX manga, and all rights go to the creators.)

Next time: We weed out the rest of the weak in the final day of the GX tournament, and then get on to the first match. Who will the eight be? Who will be victorious?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	72. We are the Finalists! Part 1

Hello again, readers! It's time to head on to the finals of the GX tournament and begin to finish off the series... with my little twists of course! First thing, I'm doing a little time altering so that the finals are happening during the duels with Sartorius and Jason. Also, I thank Animaman for the use of his character Will Walker from his story: Serenity's First Big Date... I think you know where this is going... hope you all enjoy...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 72 We are the Finalists! Part 1

* * *

A Industrial Illusion helicopter flew back across the ocean, making its way back to Duel Academy after picking up a couple of passengers along the way, Aster and Masaki. They, Pegasus and Sheppard were silent for about five minutes until Sheppard spoke first...

"What were you two doing on that cruise liner?" He asked the boys.

Clenching his hands tightly, Aster spoke up, "We dueled the murderer who killed my father." Sheppard and Pegasus were shocked that Aster and Masaki dealt with that person.

"Who was it?" Pegasus asked.

"The D," Masaki replied, shocking the Duel Monster creator. "Turns out he was possessed by the Light of Destruction, though he was willing to go so far as to steal the Ultimate Destiny card without it."

"And he's... dead?" Sheppard asked.

"Yeah, the Light probably thought he lived out his usefulness... and by the explosion we would have all been dead, even if Aster and I lost." The Shonen Hero duelist continued. "But it's not over yet..."

"I thought so," Pegasus sighed. "It won't be over until the Light of Destruction is over... which means Sartorius has to be stopped. Thanks to the White Veil and White Cloak cards, we know whoever created them was also in possession of Destiny Hero – Plasma."

"And that would be Sartorius," Aster stated, pulling out his Destiny Hero – Plasma card, "It all makes sense when Sarina said that a rare Hero Monster was the cause... good thing this card's now free of the Light."

"Still, we need to take him down and finish this..." Masaki added.

"And I won't let down my father... and we will save Sartorius..."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _Back when they were kids 10 years ago, Sartorius was divining his cards until he came over the Hierophant card..._

 _"What's that card?" the young Aster asked._

 _"The Hierophant card, the fifth card in the Major Arcana..." the young Sartorius replied, "It symbolizes salvation... and in the future, it may represent you in saving someone..."_

 _"But who will I save?" Aster wondered._

 _Sartorius now had a sad look as he turned over the next card, showing a red devil sitting on a throne made of chains. "It will be me... My future will be filled with temptation and evil... and you'll be the one to save me."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

By the time Aster was out of his thoughts, the helicopter had nearly reached Academy Island. But one thing was on his sights... the White Dorm. He immediately placed a hand on the shoulder of the pilot and said, "You have to land near the White Dorm!"

"But we can't... there's no clear spot to land," the pilot stated.

"We can just storm in from the front," Masaki offered.

"It's too dangerous to land there..." Sheppard warned.

"But he needs help now," the D-Hero duelist stated as he quickly took control of the helicopter and steered it closer to the dorm's top window. Once succeeded, he opened the door and prepared to jump. "Masaki, you better come with... I'm not gonna wait..."

The S-Hero duelist sighed, "Oh, all right... but I'm not exactly as athletic as you, Mr. Overachiever..."

"Just follow my lead!" Aster shouted, jumping out of the helicopter. Once he got close enough to the window, he curled up into a ball and smashed through. He then quickly rolled after landing, to break his fall. After standing up, he saw Masaki jumping in, tucking and rolling himself next to him.

"We'll head back to the Academy," Pegasus stated as he motioned the helicopter to head towards the main building, leaving the Hero duelists to their thing.

"Whew," Masaki sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow, "That was fun..."

"Shh," Aster said silently, and motioned for him to go into the next door. They quickly pulled back the curtains, to see Sartorius' room completely empty. All they could see was his tarot cards with the Devil Arcana card on top. "I thought he would be here..."

"Yeah, I remember that he dropped out of the tournament after he beat Prince Ojin," the Slifer nodded. "And hearing from Sheppard that he has the Misgarth Satellite Cannon, I can see why..."

"No brainer... hmm," Suddenly, the D-Hero duelist saw something in the corner of his eye. "Masaki, look..."

Responding, Masaki look in Aster's line of direction and saw a faint light coming from behind a wall panel. "What the...?" He walked over to the panel and pushed against, causing it to slide open and reveal a staircase with bright lights marking the halls. "A secret passage... what a surprise..." He then turned to Aster, "Aster?"

"Let's go..." the D-Hero duelist said as both Hero duelists walked down.

* * *

(Later that day...)

Across Duel Academy, duels we're being fought and people were either winning or losing. Anybody that lost was quickly being sent back to the main building, as the final building would be held at the main arena. It was there, Sheppard, Pegasus (who had quickly the landed near the building) Spencer, Fonda, Sartyr, and the rest of the faculty stood at the roof of the building. Sheppard had a microphone, so he'd be broadcast around the island.

"Attention GX tournament participants," He announced, "Soon, the tournament will end and that the eight finalists will report to the main arena for the finals. I wish you all good luck!" After the transmission was cut, he added in his head, _'I just hope Sartorius can be stopped... or else this will be the last tournament ever... Hopefully, changing it to a final tournament will keep everyone away from the real threat...'_

* * *

In the woods, Society Members ran out from their dorms with victory in their minds and being led by Jason...

"Listen up, fellow Society duelists!" The Lightsworn duelist announced, "The GX tournament must be won by us... the Society of Light must be remembered as the ones who conquered the last tournament on Earth!" But before he could take another step, he felt his master enter his mind... _'Master Sartorius? Is there something wrong?'_

[Yes... my young prodigy...] the Arcana Force Duelist replied. [I'm about to be visited by two of the Chosen Duelists... I would like for you to drop out of the Tournament and come help me greet them.]

 _'But what about the others,'_ Jason wondered.

[Let them have their dreams...] Sartorius stated. [I've seen their future and the Light will be extinguished from them soon... however, we have a chance to keep out power... by taking the Satellite Keys from our young friends, destroying this world, and creating a perfect world under the rule of Light! Now, come back!]

 _'As you wish... Master,'_ Jason nodded as he turned back around. _'I was hoping to show those fools who would have really won this tournament with my new monster, but I guess I'll have to wait for our guests...'_

"Finally, another duelist..."

The Lightsworn duelist snapped out of his thoughts and saw a young person coming out of the bushes. This person was wearing a white mask over the face, an orange shirt under a dark blue overcoat and light blue jeans.

"And you are?" Jason asked.

"The duelist that will win the tournament, after I beat you for your medals," the unknown duelist declared, turning on the duel disk. "So, let's go..."

The Society's second-in-command scoffed and reached into his pocket, dropping all the GX medals he had won.

"Uh, you dropped something..." the masked duelist stated.

"Yeah, help yourself..." Jason stated, walking back to the White Dorm. "This tournament's not my concern anymore..."

The unknown duelist just shrugged and picked up the medals, before running off...

* * *

With the other members of the Society, they were soon stopped by Chazz, Jachin, and a small army of reformed Obelisk duelists, free from the Light.

"Chazz, eh?" One of the Society members stated. "Never thought you would show your face around here just to get beaten by the Light... and with so little Obelisks helping you out..."

The black coat Slifer chuckled a bit, "Do you really think this is all you have to face? I would reconsider the number of enemies made because of Sartorius' cult."

"I only see a small number..." the Society member stated.

"Then, count again!"

"What?" The Society members shouted as they looked to their right and saw Alexis, Kenji, Lily, Allyson, Shion, and another small band of Obelisks.

"And over here!"

The Society Members turned to the left and saw Melody, Jeremy, Alex, Lyra, Roxanne, and a small band of Ras.

"And right behind you!"

Finally, the Society Members looked behind them and saw Alister, Erika, Joey, Mai, Matthias and a small band of Slifers. Seeing that they were surrounded, the SOL members could only think of one thing... they were done for...

"GET 'EM!"

All Academy and Pro duelists activated their duel disks and ran towards the surrounded band of SOL duelist, ready to stop them once and for all.

* * *

At the White Dorm, Jason walked in the front door to go meet with Sartorius. But if he turned around, the Lightsworn duelist would have seen Jaden, Claudio, Syrus, Hassleberry, and Jethro waiting for the right time to go in after him. Earlier, as morning came, Jaden, Syrus, Hassleberry, and Jethro made it to the White Dorm. They had to hide out when the Society members stormed out to finish up the tournament... and that was right around the time Claudio showed himself. After finishing playing songs for the girls at Erika's bachelorette party, he got a call from Kenji saying that Jaden was going to stop Sartorius... with the girls wishing him good luck, he went to go meet up Jaden...

"Okay, I think about five more minutes," Jaden whispered. "And then let's go get him..."

"I don't see why we can't attack him from behind..." Hassleberry wondered.

"We need to take out both Sartorius and Jason at once," Claudio stated. "They both are majorly possessed by the Light in them... not only that, but we also saw Aster and Masaki jump in from the roof and they are going after Sartorius as well."

"But you'll be bringing the Satellite Keys to Sartorius... and he has the controls," Syrus protested.

"They're not going to lose them, Sy," Jethro stated, "That's why we're here... in case he tries to activate the satellite, you, me, and Hassleberry jump and hogtie the guy."

"And since the Society Members are falling into the trap set up by the rest of the gang, he has no way of stopping us," the dino duelist smirked.

"Bingo," the J-Hero duelist smiled. "And I think we've waited long enough..."

"Yeah, let's go after them!" Jaden exclaimed as he led the four boys into the White Dorm.

* * *

Back at the Main Building...

The eliminated GX participants, Pegasus and the Academy faculty still awaited the final duelists to start finals. But soon, they were getting their answers...

"Someone's coming!" One student announced.

"CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP! CHAZZ IT UP!"

Everyone started to see a large group of Obelisks walking along, screaming the cheer of the black coated Slifer who was sitting in a makeshift throne carried by those same duelists. Once they set the throne down, Chazz stepped on it, held his giant medal stash in the air and yelled, "It's good to be the Chazz!"

"You're so full of yourself, Chazz..."

"You and I both know why he did what he did and tried to take us out next..."

The Obelisk crowd stood back to see Alexis and Kenji walking together closely, which caught several eyes.

"Hey Chazz, thanks for working together with the rest of us..." Alexis berated, showing off her medal stash to confirm her status in the finals.

"Yeah, waiting for the opportune moment and then strike us when we least expected..." Kenji glared, dropping his medal stash in front of him. "Luckily, we're and the other five were trying to come back here before getting blindsided."

"Hey, there was supposed to be eight finalists and they we're clearly more than that after finishing off the Society!" the Ojama duelist protested. "I just helped it along..."

"If we didn't know better, you were just lashing out!"

Melody finally came after the other three Academy finalists and dropped her medals off.

"It's like you were angry at the whole world when you put those attacks together," the magician duelist stated. "Was there something going on in your head?"

"Uh..."

While he was stammering, Roxanne finally caught up and showed off her medal stash.

"I never thought using war tactics like Hannibal's Double Envelopment would work in dueling," She smiled. "Alex was right on the mark doing this plan."

"I told ya," Melody smiled back.

Hearing the footsteps of the other duelists behind them, everyone saw that it mainly consisted of the Society members, now transformed back into the Obelisk and Ra students, Shion, Jachin, Alex, Jeremy, Lily, Erika, Joey, and Mai (who were all looking tired), and up front were Alister and Matthias who carried their medals.

"So, it looks like we have seven finalists?" Sheppard wondered.

"No, you have eight!" Everyone then looked their right and saw a masked duelist run up to them and held up a smaller stack of GX medals than the ones everyone else had. "I'm not too late, right?"

"On the contrary, you just filled the final spot..." Pegasus announced happily. "Welcome GX tournament finalists!" The crowd cheered. "I'm happy to see such new and old faces taking part of the greatest tournament every created. And such a joyous moment should involve not only spectators of this school, but spectators of the highest grade!"

Before anyone could question what the creator of Duel Monsters could say, another large helicopter zoomed over the building and landed in a spot nearest the roof. It had the Industrial Illusions logo on it.

Alister, Erika, Joey, Mai, and Matthias were started to get big smiles on their faces and thinking the same thoughts: _'They're here!'_

The helicopter door opened revealed four new people inside to join Pegasus and the faculty. The first couple consisted of a young man with short, light brown hair and blue eyes, wearing short-sleeved and collared red shirt, light blue jeans and a pair of white tennis shoes, and a young woman with dark brown hair down mid-back and brown eyes, wearing an orange dress and white heels.

But when the second couple walked out, almost everyone there went crazy with excitement as a tall, young woman walked out with brown hair down to her shoulders wearing a yellow blouse, blue skirt, and brown boots being helped out of the helicopter by a man that was a few inches shorter than her, if you didn't count his extremely extravagant hair having multiple layers including long blond crooked, pointy locks for his fringe, the rest features a set of five large spikes and two smaller spikes colored black with a magenta sheen along the edges. He wore a black linen shirt and several pieces of wrist-chains, along with a pair of leather pants and shoes.

"It's Yugi Moto!" Someone exclaimed, getting the rest of the students all fired up.

"No way, he's actually here!" Melody exclaimed.

"We're all star stuck," Alexis smiled. "Dueling in front of the King of Games... and his wife, Téa Gardner-Moto..."

"But who are the other two with them?" Kenji wondered.

"I can answer that," Matthias stepped in to reply, "The woman next to Tea is Joey's younger sister, Serenity. If anything, Mai probably said something about her during the bachelorette party last night."

"Oh yeah," Roxanne remembered, "She really is as beautiful as Mai says... if the guy next to her is her boyfriend, he's a lucky man."

"That would be her husband, Will Walker," Matthias continued, shocking the girls, "And trust me, he's as good a duelist as Yugi, if not better... instead of using one deck he likes to change decks to keep his opponent's guessing... and he's the leader of a frontier called the Deck Masters."

"Deck Masters?" the girls asked.

"It's a guild housing veteran duelists, and during their everyday lives they check out potential duelist to challenge them." The Ocean duelist explained. "My dad, Mako Tsunami is one of them..."

"I wonder why we've never heard of them," Kenji wondered, getting into the conversation.

"They've been vacationing for some time..." Matthias smiled.

Hearing the various cheers, Yugi smiled seeing so many of his fans. Feeling a hand on his right shoulder, he turned to see his wife smile back at him.

"I remember when you used to fear big crowds whenever you were a guest in tournaments," She chuckled a bit.

"What can I say Téa, I've grown during the past 10 years," Yugi replied in a deep voice.

"Still a little on the short side, but I know that's not what you're talking about," Will chuckled, "But then, we've all grown since the good old days..."

"And like those good old days, we've had memorable moments," Serenity smiled, holding her husband's arm.

"Why don't we go mingle with the crowd since I feel the first duel coming on," the Deck Master leader offered.

"Why don't we?" Yugi smiled. "Besides, I think Joey, Mai, Alister, and Erika will be happy to see us..."

"And we figured why don't we come to you?" The two married couples turned to see Joey, Mai, and Erika joining them. "I knew Will and Serenity would come, but the King of Games and his Queen actually came?" Mai gave off a mock gasp, "I'm so humbled..."

"Excuse us for having other arrangements..." Téa smirked, "Besides, you seen us before you left for the tournament..."

"Alright, alright," Erika stepped in. "We're all friends here..."

While the three women were chatting away, Joey and Serenity shared a family embrace.

"How are things, sis?" Joey asked his little sister.

"Great as ever," Serenity replied with a smile. "I guess Mai, Erika, and you couldn't make it to the finals."

"Guess not, besides..." the Warrior duelist turned to the eight finalists who were now selecting numbers out of a box held by Crowler. "It's their time to shine... and at least Alister going to represent us from the grand days."

"At least you didn't have to face me," Will jumped in, "You know this tournament would have had a lot more competition if I was in?"

"How could I forget?" Joey said sarcastically.

"But I assumed you stayed until the near end?" Yugi asked.

"Of course, thought it would've been a lot more fun in the Society of Light hadn't come in..."

"I remember those phone calls you and Alister made about them... I can safely assume they have been dealt with..."

"In a big way..."

"I thought those kinds of days were over," Serenity sighed. "I guess there's always someone trying to take over the world."

"And we'll deal with them the same way we've dealt with the other bad guys," Her husband stated. "Let's just hope it's all over for good..." He then turned to Joey. "By the way, is there any reason why we're not going inside the arena?"

"Well..." Joey began.

After Crowler was done giving out the numbers, he signaled Sheppard to take the microphone. "Now, we've had some technical difficulties with our main Dueling Arena out of commission we will hold the finals right outside the building... and in front our special guests, Will and Serenity Walker along with Yugi and Téa Moto!" More cheers came for the four guests as they waved. "Let us select our first participants! Crowler has already assigned the numbers to our finalists."

Each of the eight duelists saw their number: Chazz was 1, Kenji was 2, Alexis was 3, Melody was 4, Matthias was 5, Roxanne was 6, Alister was 7, and the masked duelist was 8.

Bonaparte walked up to the Chancellor with another box of randomized numbers inside and begun to pull out the first number. Once seen, he gave the number to Pegasus to read out loud...

"Duelist number 6... Please step forward!" Pegasus announced. Roxanne walked a few steps away from the line. "Our first competitor, the Pro League duelist and Knight and Swordsman specialist, Roxanne Terrador Jones," The crowd cheered as the Pro duelist smiled and waved to the spectators. "And the duelist facing her...," Sheppard pulled out another number and held it out to Pegasus. "Duelist number 5!" Matthias smiled as he stepped up near Roxanne. "Looks like the first match will be with our Pro Duelists... Roxanne Terrador Jones versus the Ocean Duelist, Matthias Tsunami... Duelists, please shuffle your decks!" The crowd started cheering as both Pro Duelists shuffled their decks. "Now exchange decks and shuffle again!"

As both Pros shuffled each other's decks...

"After all this time in the Pro Circuit, we finally meet in a duel..." Matthias smirked. "Sad that the only Pro Duelists left have to knock each other out..."

"I know it's about time we see who's the better duelist between the two of us..." Roxanne smirked back. "And I will be that only Pro Duelist left to win this tournament..."

Both players returned to each other's decks and Roxanne walked down the path towards the main building until she was at a good enough distance to Duel and turned around.

"Are the competitors ready?" Sheppard announced. Both players activated their duel disks and nodded with determined looks on their faces. "Roxanne gets the first move... Let the GX Tournament Finals begin!"

The crowd cheered as both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

(Play Fight the Knight – Sonic and the Black Knight)

Matthias: 8000

Roxanne: 8000

"Let's see what I've got in store," Roxanne declared, drawing her sixth card. "I set one monster facedown and that will be all." She concluded as a set monster appeared on her field.

"Just one monster," Allen wondered.

"One monster that could help set up her stage to win the rest of this duel," Lyra stated.

"I can do way better than that," Matthias announced, drawing his sixth card. "I start with the spell Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards and then send two of them to the grave." Drawing out the three cards from his deck, he sent one monster and one trap into his graveyard. "Next, I bring out Drill Barnacle!" After activate his spell card, the monster appeared and it fit the name perfectly; a large barnacle with mechanized drills for its ridges. (3/300/0)

"He's going in for the sneak attack," Will smiled,

"What makes you think that?" Téa asked.

"I been considering the new cards lately," the veteran duelist stated. "And from its effect, Matthias has got an upper hand..."

"Finally, I activate A Legendary Ocean to boost its ATK and DEF by 200 and lower its level by one!" the Ocean duelist continued, inserting another spell card into the field slot, submerging the arena floor in water. (3-2/300-500/0-200) "Now, I have Drill Barnacle attack directly!"

"What?" the teen Pro gasped as Drill Barnacle's drills spun rapidly, and struck. The blow took her by surprise… as she defended with her disk at the last second.

Matthias: 8000

Roxanne: 7500

"Alright, that's unexpected," Roxanne breathed, "But it's only 500 points..."

"And soon to be even greater, since every time Drill Barnacle successfully attacks directly, he gains 1000 ATK," Matthias smiled as Drill Barnacle glowed with blue energy. (2/500-1500/200)

"She'd better get rid of that thing..." Alex warned. "He could end this now with that monster alone..."

"Alright, I end my turn," the Ocean duelist concluded.

"Too bad you couldn't power it up enough to stand up to what I have next," Roxanne stated as she drew her next card, "I flip over my facedown monster, Queen's Knight!" She announced, as her facedown monster cared revealed to be a lady knight dressed in crimson armor, with playing card symbols decorating her armor and shield, her flowing blonde hair reaching to her waist. (4/1500/1600)

"I thought you did only Earth based monsters," Matthias stated.

"Surprise, surprise," the warrior duelist smirked, as she played another monster card. "And here's her partner, King's Knight!" A new knight appeared, this one in golden armor, again with playing card symbols covering it. He had a full beard, and wore a helmet shaped like a crown. (4/1600/1400) "Now, when King's Knight is summoned while Queen's Knight is on the field, I get to bring out the final card… Come out, Jack's Knight!" Finally, a third knight appeared in the middle of the other two. This one was a young man with long, blonde locks, dressed in sapphire-blue armor, again with playing card symbols adorning his raiment. (5/1900/1000)

"The Royal Flush Knights altogether," Kenji stated, "Looks like Matthias is in trouble."

"Jack's Knight, attack Drill Barnacle with Triple Majestic Slash!"

"Don't think so," Matthias announced, as a card from his graveyard slipped out, "I activate the effect of a Monster card in my graveyard!"

"Huh?" the earth duelist gasped.

"Say 'hello' to the Killer Frilled Shark!" Soon, a transparent shark with a long tan body and sharp, silver fins appeared in front of the Sea Barnacle. "I can remove this monster from the game whenever a face-up monster of the deep is attacked. Now I can negate the attack made and cause the attacker to lose 500 ATK until the End Phase of my next turn!" the shark charged through the air and chomped down on tall knight's sword arm. (5/1900-1400/1600)

"Whoa, the trap was in his graveyard!" Jeremy gasped. "That was good thinking..."

"I still have my King's Knight, and he'll take down your Barnacle in Freed's stead!" Roxanne stated, as her elder knight charged with his sword, poised to attack.

"I still have another card in my graveyard to throw on the field," the Ocean duelist smirked as the trap removed itself from his graveyard. It depicted Poseidon, the Greek God of Water appearing from a whirlpool and shooting out the remains of sunken ships from it, "This time I use the effect of Sea God's Spirit from my graveyard to block your next attack... not only that, but you also have to contend with Killer Frilled Shark which special summons from my removed from play zone without his effect!"

"No way, another card that activates from the graveyard?" Roxanne shouted as another tidal wave smashed into Marauding Captain and pushed him back next to Freed. As the wave subsided, the Killer Frilled Shark came back to life. (3/700/1500)

"Matthias is getting serious, and it's just the beginning of this duel," Joey pointed out. "And then Roxanne's also stepping up her game with cards I never thought to see her use."

"Can you blame them," Mai asked. "They're the only Pro Duelists left in the finals, makes sense to keep up the pressure..."

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Roxanne concluded as reversed card appeared by her feet. "Traps from your graveyard... nice tactics..."

"Thanks; but get ready for another attack," Matthias announced as he drew his next card. "I send my Killer Frilled Shark back to the graveyard and bring out my Cranium Fish to do some damage!" the tan shark disappeared in light motes and brought out a large orange fish with blue fins and clear tentacles around its body. The namesake came from the large, yellow brain on its head. (6-5/2400-2600/1000-1200) "And then, I'll use him to attack the Jack's Knight!" the large fish used its tentacles to wrap around the target and fired yellow stingers from its brain, destroying him.

Matthias: 8000

Roxanne: 6500

"Now, I use Drill Barnacle for another direct attack!"

"I wouldn't let you do that," Roxanne countered, revealing her facedown card. "Go Kunai with Chain!" Freed quickly pulled out a large sliver hooked kunai with a chain attached and wrapped it around the fish, forcing it into defense mode and powering up the King's Knight. (4/1600-2100/1400) "Not only, I tripped up your monster but I equipped my Trap to King's Knight and give him 500 ATK."

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Matthias concluded.

"It's my turn," the knight duelist announced, drawing her next card. "Now, it's time for a change of scenery... I activate the Field Spell card, the Great Plains! With this, I can lower the level of all Knight and Swordsman monsters in my hand and field by 1 and increase their power by 200!" Soon, the dueling arena was drained of its ocean water and then transformed into a grassy plain, with clear blue skies, slight breeze blowing and rich in life. (2-3/1500-1300/200-0), (4-3/1500-1700/1600-1800), (4-3/2100-2300/1400-1600)

"Is this about all those I played A Legendary Ocean in the past?" Matthias smirked. "I never played a single duel against you, and you always got on me about that!"

"Maybe you needed a change of pace," Roxanne smirked back. "Queen's Knight, attack with Single Majestic Slash!" the female knight charged across the field and then cut across the barnacle, splitting its drills apart and destroying the body. "And then, I'll place another card facedown and a set monster." She concluded as she placed a reversed card and a set monster into her disk, and their holograms appeared on her feet.

"We reached an impasse," the Ocean duelist stated as he drew his next card, "You can hardly do anything because I have a 2400 ATK monster on the field and my Killer Frilled Shark in the graveyard to block your next attack. On the other hand, I got monsters that would've been easy to summon but now I can't take advantage of it. Yet, I can still use the special ability of my Cranium Fish and discard Mobius the Frost Monarch from my hand to destroy a facedown card you control... and I pick your monster!" Once Matthias discarded the Monarch, Cranium Fish's 'brain' shined and launched the tentacles to crush down Roxanne's set monster. "Now, I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back Mobius!"

The trap card revealed itself, releasing the Frost Monarch from his grave, cape blowing in the air. (6/2400/1000)

"After this, Roxanne won't have a monster left to defend herself," Mai pointed out. "Even with the new Field Spell..."

"Mobius, attack!" Matthias commanded as the Frost Monarch created a lance from the moisture in the air, and then solidified it into ice.

"Hang on," the Warrior duelist announced, revealing her facedown card. It depicted a war with two factions of blue armored and red armored samurai. "I activate the continuous trap, Rivalry of Warlords!"

"So will I," Matthias countered, with a continuous trap card, showing of an underwater mine field, with two of them being detonated, "I activate Explosive Urchin! For the next three turns, if you have a trap card face-up on the field, you get hit for 1000 points during each of my standby phases!"

"Wow, it'll be 3000 altogether if Roxanne doesn't take it out," Alexis stated.

"Matthias is really keeping the pace going without taking damage," Kenji added.

"Too bad it's not gonna psyche me out," Roxanne smiled. "Especially when Rivalry of Warlords is in play; it makes sure we only control 1 type of Monster face-up... and that's a problem for you, isn't it?"

The Ocean duelist started to sweat a bit.

"He has Aqua, Sea Serpent, and Fish Type monsters in his deck," Yugi stated. "And he currently has an Aqua and a Fish Type... he'll have to make sure he keeps the one type he has more of a quantity of."

"But he seems so sure with his own trap card," Serenity added.

"Darn," Matthias growled, "I'll send Mobius to the graveyard..." He announced, placing the Frost Monarch's card in his graveyard. "I still have my Cranium Fish, and I'll have it attack King's Knight!" Once again, the fish's brain launched more stingers, piercing through the Knight's shield and shattering him into pixels.

Matthias: 8000

Roxanne: 6400

"And that's all from me," Matthias concluded... _'As if I had anything else to play with that trap... but as long as Explosive Urchin stays on, I'll let it slide for now...'_

"My move," Roxanne announced as she drew her next card. She smiled at her find, "Now, I can really use this field spell's level decrease... I summon Masked Knight LV5!" In a flash, a tall, thin grey-armored knight appeared, ornamented with gold, steel wings attached to the armor and a sword in his hands. (5-4/2300-2500/1300-1500)

"Uh oh, Roxanne's gonna make a comeback," Melody stated. "If she can summon the higher LV monsters easier with that Field Spell, it's going to be tough for Matthias."

"I activate his special ability!" Roxanne announced, "By giving up his right to attack, Masked Knight deals 1000 points of damage!" The crest on the knight's helmet shined and unleashed flash of light that blasted Matthias in the chest.

Matthias: 7000

Roxanne: 6400

"Next, I activate Level Up!" the Knight duelist continued, inserting the named spell card. "Now, I transform Masked Knight LV5 into his LV7 form!" The knight was surrounded in light energy and then flexed his muscles, growing taller and more powerful. All of this, made him more intimidating. (7-6/2900-3100/1800-2000)

"And it gets worse," the Magician duelist stated.

"What makes you think that?" Isaac asked who joined his sister in the crowd after the first match was decided.

"It can attack AND deal its effect damage!" Melody warned.

"Activate Special Ability! Masked Knight LV7 deals 1500 points of damage!" Roxanne announced, as her knight unleashed a massive beam from his helmet crest and nearly engulfed the Ocean duelist with it.

Matthias: 5500

Roxanne: 6400

"See what I mean?" Melody asked.

"Uh-huh..." Isaac replied.

"This is really getting exciting for both sides now," Alex nodded.

"Now Masked Knight, go attack Cranium Fish with Persona Big Slash!" She commanded as her giant knight rushed across the plains, slashing across the fish.

"I remove Killer Frilled Shark from play to negate the attack and cause Masked Knight to lose out on 500 ATK!" the transparent shark returned from the grave and chomped down the Masked Knight's sword arm, stunning him in his tracks. (6/3100-2600/2000)

"I'll guess I have to get you next time, since there will be one..." Roxanne stated as she turned the Queen's Knight Monster card sideways, making the monster kneel down and block with her shield. "I switch Queen's Knight to defense mode and end my turn."

"I draw," Matthias announced as he drew, "Now, Explosive Urchin activates! Since you have an active trap out on the field, you take 1000 points!" Soon, an explosive mine dug itself from the ground near Roxanne's feet and then detonated, hitting her with an explosion.

Matthias: 5500

Roxanne: 5400

"He closed in the score, but it won't be for long," Serenity noted.

"Yeah, but it may be a good thing he'll lose it," Will told her. "Because of Rivalry of Warlords, he's restricted to using only one type of monster. But, if he loses the Fish-Type he has now, he may have a couple of monsters of the same type so he can have an offense and defensive line coming up.

'Now, I can't switch Cranium Fish into the defense mode, otherwise Masked Knight will destroy me. I'll have to move on to the next best thing,' Matthias thought as he inserted a facedown card into his disk, "I place one card facedown and attack Queen's Knight with Cranium Fish!" the Fish snarled as it fired spikes from its brain again, piercing through the female knight and shattering her into pixels.

"My move again," Roxanne announced and drew her next card. Her Masked Knight LV7 returned to 3100, with Killer Frilled Shark's effect worn off. "Masked Knight LV7, activate your Special ability once more!" Once again, the knight fired its massive blast and made Matthias cover with his duel disk.

Matthias: 4000

Roxanne: 5400

"Now, attack Cranium Fish!" She continued as her knight charged the field once more and cleaved the giant fish in two. The Ocean duelist stayed on his game face, but inwardly smiling as he stared at his hand.

Matthias: 3300

Roxanne: 5400

"He's ready to make a comeback," Mako smiled, knowing what his son was thinking.

"Your turn now," Roxanne stated, inserting a reversed card. "Now that your field's empty, you can use new types. Better make them count."

"Oh, it will," Matthias grinned as he drew his next card, and let Explosive Urchin take effect once more.

Matthias: 3300

Roxanne: 4400

"I switch to Sea Serpent monsters and summon Codarus!" He began, bringing out the smaller version of Daedalus as it floated over the field. (4/1400/1200) "Now, I don't have another Field Spell to waste, but I have the next best thing... I activate the trap, Forgotten Temple of the Deep!" He announced, making his side of the field an ocean with the marble temple ruins underneath it.

"There's that other Umi card," Joey noted.

"Now, I send it to the graveyard and send Masked Knight LV7 and your Field Spell along with it!" The sea serpent glowed dark blue as it absorbed the ocean, making the city crumble, and fired two beams from its eyes and blasted the Knight and the Field Spell, sinking it into the depths. "Now, I activate Double Summon and bring out my Spined Gillman, granting 400 ATK to all my monsters!" He continued, bringing out the trident-wielding sea serpent. (3/1300-1700/0), (4/1400-1800/1200)

"This puts him in a position to take Roxanne's points down at 500," Mai stated. "Afterwards, it'll be an easier time dealing damage after that one..."

"Codarus, Spined Gillman... treat Roxanne to a double direct attack!" The Ocean duelist commanded as the sea serpents charged in, opening their jaws and raising the trident...

"I activate Knight's Call!" Roxanne countered, activating her facedown card, showing a room full of knights getting ready to put on their armor. "When a direct attack is made on me, I get to summon a monster with Knight or Swordsman in its name from my deck. They have to be level 4 or below!" She announced, taking out her desired card from her deck and placing it on the duel tray. "I pick Mystic Swordsman LV4 in attack mode!" Soon, a warrior who was dressed as an Italian assassin in white and dark purple robes, with a hood that covered most of his face and left a long blond ponytail out the back and wielded a double-bladed sword. (4/1900/1600)

"The fight's off and I end my turn." Matthias sighed as both his monsters stopped their attacks and retreated back to his side.

"Once again, stopped by Roxanne's determination," Crowler stated. "Then again, we are seeing a match with the two youngest Pro League duelists..."

"Matthias, the son of Mako Tsunami and improved on his father's style of dueling against Roxanne, a genius of warrior-style dueling as she uses anyone of those cards and use them to the fullest," Bonaparte added. "And from that Field Spell she had earlier, it became more impressive using Knights and Swordsmen."

"It's my turn," Roxanne announced as she drew her next card. "Mystic Swordsman, attack Codarus!" the swordsman charged towards the larger sea serpent and cut it down into pieces.

Matthias: 3200

Roxanne: 4400

"I then end my turn with a facedown card, and because my Swordsman destroyed a monster in battle, he evolves to Level 6!" She announced as a bright purple light enveloped the swordsman, making him grow even taller. He still dressed in the same clothing, which adjust to the new height, but then his blades came apart and grew into larger, curved blades that no doubt could cut anything it his path. (6/2300/1700)

"Wow, think of the damage that monster could do," Will noted. "Matthias better not play any facedown monsters, otherwise it'll keep getting bounced to the top of his deck and that's the same as losing if the right cards are not in your hand at the time.

"Okay, I gotta stop this now," Matthias stated as he drew, "First, the effect Explosive Urchin still is in effect for the last time!" Another mine dug itself out of the ground and blasted Roxanne out of another grand in points.

Matthias: 3200

Roxanne: 3400

"That's more like it, now I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot!" He continued as both players drew out their three extra cards, and both liking what they see...

 _'Good, I have something to use for my facedown card, Martyr's Flag!_ ' Roxanne thought, seeing a monster in her hand _. 'Even if he summons a monster that could defeat Mystic Swordsman, I can use the trap to double its ATK...'_

 _'Now, I can summon a monster that will win me the Duel no matter what she tries!'_ Matthias smirked as he stared back at his opponent.

"Something tells me, he's got his card..." Crowler noted.

"I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to blow away Rivalry of Warlords!" The Ocean duelist continued, inserting his spell card and created a windstorm that shattered the Warrior duelist's trap card. "Now, I can summon all the different types of monster I want! And there's one specific creature, I want you to meet and requires for me to remove four WATER monsters from the game!"

"That many," Lily wondered as the audience saw Drill Barnacle, Mobius the Frost Monarch, Codarus, and Cranium Fish removed from Matthias' graveyard.

"Now, say 'hello' to the God among 7 seas!" Matthias announced, slapping a monster card on his disk. "Come forward, Poseidon, Ruler of the Sea!"

Everyone gasped as they saw a huge geyser rise up from the ground and flooded the arena floor in water. Emerging from it, came a tall figure seemingly made from the water and in the form of a brown-haired man wearing only a white tunic and ocean blue sigils adorning his arms. He let out a roar, making more geysers rise up around him. (10/3400-3800/3000)

"A God?" Yugi, Joey, Will, and Roxanne gasped.

"Not like the Egyptian Gods, but a legal and powerful one..." The Ocean duelist explained to his opponent. "I never had the pleasure of using this card, despite winning a tournament overseas to obtain it... but making it this far, I thought let him come out to play."

Roxanne stared at the God monster before Matthias continued on, explaining his monster card. "While Poseidon is in play, the entire field becomes Umi which means any cards that take advantage of it can do so! Next, I activate his cost effect; by discarding a WATER monster to the depths, I can take half of its ATK and transfer it to him!"

"And which one are you sending?" She asked, feeling nervous about her strategy.

"I send Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth to increase Poseidon's power!" Matthias announced, discarding the named monster. Soon, the water erupted once more and Poseidon jumped out and landed on the emerging coelacanth, roaring at the Mystic Swordsman. (10/3800-5200/3000)

 _'Oh no...'_ Roxanne thought.

"Attack with Wrath of Atlantis!" the Ocean duelist commanded as Poseidon rode the massive fish monster into a head-on collision.

"I won't lose out on the tournament that easily," the Warrior duelist shouted, revealing her facedown card. "I activate the trap card, Martyr's Flag! Thanks to your move of using Spellbook Inside the Pot, I'm able to discard a monster from my hand, my Curse of Dragon and double the ATK of my Warrior monster this turn!" After discarding the dragon monster, Mystic Swordsman put himself in a counterattacking stance for Poseidon's attack. (6/2300-4600/1700) However, it wasn't enough as the massive coelacanth swallowed him whole and then turned back around to deal a splash of water in Roxanne's face.

Matthias: 3200

Roxanne: 2800

"That's rough," Joey noted.

"And I hope you haven't forgotten that Spined Gillman's on the field!" Matthias stated, "I'll have him attack directly!" the small sea serpent surfed across the water and struck the opponent with its trident.

Matthias: 3200

Roxanne: 1100

Spined Gillman returned to Matthias side as he said, "I end my turn, ending the effects of Explosive Urchin and Poseidon!" The continuous trap card in question shattered upon the End Phase, while Coelacanth sunk back into its watery grave, leaving the God of the Sea feet deep in the water. (10/5200-3800/3000)

"That monster's going to tough to beat," Alister stated. "A monster that can get stronger by any WATER monster discarded, not to mention the strength it already possesses, Roxanne's in real deep."

"Matthias has really grown up, makes me wish I could've stayed in the tournament longer," Erika smiled.

"Nice little power up effect," Roxanne shouted as she drew her next card. "But it doesn't win you the duel... I summon Marauding Captain in attack mode!" She announced as the blond, twin sword wielding soldier appeared on the watery field. (3/1200/400) "And his effect, let's me bring out another!" Soon, another Marauding Captain appeared next to him, drawing his swords. (3/1200/400) "I end my turn."

"She must be out of options, resorting to a Captain Lock," Alexis noted. "I don't know if even her Gaia Knight tactics will get her out of it..."

"It might, just don't know how she'll use it," Kenji said.

"From how it looks, it's just a matter of time before she's out..." Chazz scoffed. "One less person to compete with..."

"Hey, be nice..." Jachin scolded. "Not everyone can have their moves work out all the time..."

"It's my turn," Matthias announced as he drew, "That Captain Lock's not going to stop me; I end my turn with a face down and activate another effect of Poseidon..."

"It's got another effect?" Roxanne wondered.

"Yup, by removing a WATER monster from my graveyard he can deal 800 points of damage when he doesn't attack or use its second effect during the End Phase!" Matthias announced, removing Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth from his graveyard. Afterwards, the monster in question jumped out of the water and smashed into pixels against Roxanne, putting her points in the red zone.

Matthias: 3200

Roxanne: 300

"It's your move," Matthias concluded.

"Guess it's time to sink or swim," Roxanne told herself as she drew. "I play Pot of Greed!" She then drew two cards from her deck. "Then, I use Hidden Armory to send the top card of my deck and retrieve an Equip Spell..." Picking up the top card, she smiled as she slid it into the graveyard and took out her choice card. "And this is my Lightning Blade, equipping it to Marauding Captain gives him 800 ATK and also weakens your WATER monsters of 500 ATK!"

"Aw man..." the Ocean duelist groaned as one of the Captains' swords were replaced with a sword filled with electricity. (3/1200-2000/400) When the electricity hit the ocean, Poseidon and Spined Gillman started getting shocked and stunned. (10/3800-3300/3000), (3/1700-1200/0)

"Finally, I use Dragon's Mirror and fuse together the Swift Gaia and Curse of Dragon from the graveyard!"

"They can fuse together?" Matthias gasped as the mirror appeared on the field, sucking in Swift Gaia and the spirit of Curse of Dragon inside. "But it's not the original..."

"You're right, but it creates the retrained version of that fusion monster... Swift Gaia the Dragon Champion!" She continued, while the mirror shattered and unleashed Swift Gaia riding on Curse of Dragon which had the same color scheme as Gaia. (7/2600/2100)

"Yup, it's retrained alright," Will stated, "I haven't seen this one, though..."

"Neither have I," Yugi added.

"But I wonder what makes it so different than the original?" Téa wondered.

"With Swift Gaia, I'm able to attack you directly with it, but the damage dealt is cut in half... not that I'm complaining..." Roxanne announced as her Dragon Champion soared over Matthias' monster and blasted him with a breath of flame, leaving him crying out in pain.

Matthias: 1900

Roxanne: 300

"Then, the Marauding Captain with the Lightning Blade attacks Spined Gillman!" She continued as the Captain in question threw his blade straight at the trident wielding serpent, impaling him and making Poseidon weaker with its death. (10/3300-2800/3000)

Matthias: 1100

Roxanne: 300

"Wait, but doing that will let Poseidon using his effect again!" Melody pointed out.

"She'd better have something to keep her alive," Alexis added.

"I place two cards facedown," Roxanne announced, inserting her reversed card.

"It's my turn and game over," Matthias announced as he drew.

"I activate Battle Mania!" Roxanne interrupted. "Now you're forced to wage battle, meaning you have to give up on your effect damage and attack!"

The Ocean duelist groaned, "Fine, Poseidon attack Swift Gaia with Wrath of Atlantis!" No sooner than those words left the ocean duelist's mouth, the water from under the Dragon Champion splashed into a geyser...

"Now, here's my other card," the knight duelist continued, "I activate the Quick Play Spell, Counter Sword! It cuts your monster's ATK in half and grants Swift Gaia 500 ATK!"

"No..." Matthias sighed as one of Swift Gaia's lances was replaced with a large curved blade, boosting his power. (7/2600-3100/2100) It unleashed an arc of energy that cut through the water, parting it like Moses did the Red Sea, weakening Poseidon. (10/2800-1400/3000) It was over as the dragon unleashed another flame breath, ending his existence.

Matthias: 0

Roxanne: 300, Winner

"The winner, Roxanne Terrador Jones," Pegasus announced as the holograms disappeared and the crowd cheered.

"Too bad for Matthias," Joey sighed. "But I'm happy for the kid making it as far as he did..."

"Mako would be proud as well," Yugi nodded. "All in all, I think Matthias has surpassed him..."

As Roxanne and Matthias returned to the crowd, they were being applauded for a well fought duel.

"Great match, you two," Melody smiled.

"Thanks," the Pro duelists said together.

"It was nice seeing a Pro League duel up close and personal," Kenji added. "Maybe you can convince some other Pros to come down and treat us to a duel."

"We can ask the nicer ones..." Roxanne stated. "Because you know Matthias and I have our fair share of the mean ones..."

"So many stories," Matthias sighed, causing some people to laugh.

"That will still be great," Alister stated. "I know Erika and I would come back someday..."

"Alright, it's time for the next match to be determined!" Sheppard announced, drawing the attention back to him. He drew another number out of the box and held it out to Pegasus.

"Duelist number 1... It's your turn to duel!" the Duel Monster creator announced.

Chazz grinned, realizing that was his number being called and step up with a smug look on his face. "Bring on my next opponent; Chazz Princeton's ready to win the GX tournament!"

"There he goes again," Jachin sighed. "Running his mouth off..."

 _"Yet he's the one you look upon as a brother..."_ Konohana stated as she appeared next to him in spirit form.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way..." the Persona duelist replied with a smile.

"So it's Chazz Princeton versus..." Sheppard hung on to that sentence as he pulled out another number and handed it to Pegasus.

"Duelist Number 3," Pegasus continued, to which Alexis stepped forward next to Chazz.

"Looks like we finally have ourselves a rematch," Alexis stated with a smile. "Can't wait to see how you use those Ojamas..."

Chazz on the other hand was stunned silent... he had duel and stare in the face with the girl that rejected him, someone he never thought she would do... in fact, he kept replaying that scene in his head every time he spared a passing glance at her or when someone tried to confront him about his outbursts.

(Flashback)

 _Chazz was met with stern look from the Obelisk girl. "You really want to know, fine... you're the reason Kenji's like this!"_

 _"What? I never made him filled with darkness."_

 _"It all started when you started to convert everyone into the Society of Light, and when Kenji stood against you, you did the same to him!" She snapped._

 _"But I wouldn't do that... I don't even remember..."_

 _"Save it, Chazz!" She interrupted. "I gave you the benefit of the doubt when you couldn't remember your duel with Jachin, but don't lie about your past with the Society! Don't bother helping me, because you only in it because of your crush on me. I don't love you, and I never will!"_

 _Chazz felt like he was slapped in the face as soon as Alexis turned back around, leaving him alone..._

(End Flashback)

Now he was struggling to keep his composure in front of everyone, not wanting them to see him broken down like he was...

Alexis was already shuffling her deck, thinking about her match. 'Just hope this deck is good enough to take on Chazz... knowing how to keep his Ojama with several strategies on hand, I know he's tough opponent...'

"Both players now shuffle each other's decks!"

Chazz and Alexis exchanged decks and shuffled.

"Good luck to you," Alexis said to him.

"Yeah..." Chazz muttered as they gave their decks back, leaving the Obelisk girl with a confused look.

"What's with Chazz?" Kenji asked the Persona duelist.

"Don't know, but he's been acting this way ever since the duel between Claudio and Zane..." Jachin stated. "Every time I confront him about it, he snaps..."

"Well, he'd better snap out of it..." the ninja duelist stated. "Alexis duels strong opponents and if Chazz lets his emotions rule him, he'll lose badly."

"The second match will consist of Slifer Red's Chazz Princeton and Obelisk Blue's Alexis Rhodes. Are the competitors ready?" Sheppard announced.

Both players activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"Alexis will have the opening move... now begin the second match!"

DUEL!

The crowd cheered as the match began.

Alexis: 8000

Chazz: 8000

"I'll start..." Alexis announced, drawing her sixth card. "I summon Etolie Cyber in attack mode!" She announced as the red headed dancer appeared in a dazzling sparkle. (4/1200/1600) "I also place two one cards facedown and end my turn." The Obelisk girl inserted two cards into her disk, as two holographic reversed cards appeared by her feet.

"It's an obvious trap," Serenity noted. "I mean, a monster in attack mode and then facedown cards."

"Yeah, but sometimes... they can be a trap within a trap," Will replied, his wife giving him a questionable look. "If Chazz were to destroy those facedown cards or the monsters, the traps could be sprung that way."

"I see now..."

"It's my turn..." Chazz said, unenthusiastically and drew his sixth card. "I activate Polymerization and fuse Ojama Black, Green, and Yellow to form Ojama King in defense mode..."

 _'He already has his Ojamas in his hand?'_ Alexis gasped as Ojamas appeared on the field and cheered while being sucked into the fusion vortex. A bright flashed erupted from it, and unleashed the grey-skinned King of the Ojamas. (6/0/3000)

"And when Fusion Summoned, he stops three of your monster zones from being used..." the Ojama duelist announced, still not in his normal voice as three of Alexis' monster zones were stamped with big red X's. (Alexis' Monster Zones: 5-2) "I place one card facedown and end my turn." He concluded.

"I think he may be trying to lock down Alexis' field, limiting her ability to swarm," Kenji noted. "If she is using the Doble Passe strategy, he's got the right idea of defending..."

"No, it's more than that..." Jachin stated.

"That big wall you've got is not going to stop me," Alexis declared, drawing her next card. "And neither is restricting my field; I summon Blade Skater!" She announced, placing her next monster card on the field and brought out grey-attired female skater. (4/1400/1500) She then inserted a spell card, depicting a purple envelope with the skull and cross-bone symbol inside a computer circuit. "Next, I activate the continuous spell, Infected Mail! This card let's one level 4 or below monster attack directly at the cost of it being sent to the graveyard at the end of the Battle Phase, and I choose Etoile Cyber!"

Chazz cringed as a purple aura surrounded Etoile Cyber, _'I thought for sure Ojama King would stop her...'_

"Etolie Cyber, attack Chazz directly," the Cyber Girl duelist commanded as Etolie Cyber glided over the Ojama King, increasing her power over the air. (4/1200-1700/1600) Then, she spun into a red tornado that slammed into Chazz, sending him skidding back.

Alexis: 8000

Chazz: 6300

"It still means she's about to leave the field," the black coat Slifer stated.

"You're right, but not by this spell card," Alexis countered, inserting a new card into her disk, "Now, I activate Urgent Fusion to fuse her and Blade Skater together and form Cyber Blader!" She announced as both Cyber Girl monsters were sucked into a fusion vortex. A flash burst from it and brought out the futuristic skater, staring down the Ojama King. (7/2100/800) "Whether in offense or defense, it'll take more than that to stop me... if I didn't know better, you're holding back..."

"Yeah, maybe…" Chazz sighed as he drew his next card.

"Huh?" the Obelisk girl asked. "What's wrong with you, Chazz? Normally, you'd be fired up if you take a direct attack..."

"It's just..." the Ojama duelist just shook his head to escape the answer and just took the next card he took and placed on the field in defense mode... Ojama Blue.

" _Uh, Chazz? I'm not exactly the best choice for you to take in this case..."_ Blue noted, as he stood defensively on the field. (2/0/1000)

"What's his problem?" Alex wondered as Cyber Blader gained a bright blue aura, filling her with frightening power. (7/2100-4200/800) "He knows Cyber Blader will get stronger with two monsters on his field."

"He'd better start planning to use a card to summon another monster or two to avoid the third effect," Jeremy stated.

"I end my turn..." Chazz concluded, shocking the spectators.

"What's wrong with this kid?" Joey wondered. "He's just playing defense and it cost him the advantage..."

"Unless that facedown card does something," Tea pointed out.

"I don't think it does in this situation," Yugi stated. "He's troubled and I think Alexis is the cause..."

"What for," His wife asked.

"The fact that Alexis are a couple," Kenji realized, asking himself the same question.

"Oh yeah, I heard about that," Jachin stated. "But what does... oh..."

"Before we began to fight against the Society, I saw that Chazz became more aggressive when it came to me," the ninja duelist stated. "And it's also the reason he knocked over some of you..."

"That explains a lot," the Persona duelist nodded, "I thought he was just making good on his word to finish me for 'stealing' the Ojamas... but now, he's wasting his time on this?"

"And if Alexis and I being a couple's the real reason he is playing poorly, then he really needs a big wake-up call..." Kenji stated.

"You're really off your game," Alexis stated as she drew her next card, "Because of Ojama Blue, your Ojama King is a goner!" She turned to her fusion monster, "Cyber Blader, attack Ojama King with Skate Blade Slash!" the Cyber Girl duelist commanded as the fusion monster went into a quick spin, creating a red tornado around her and surrounded the king, leaving a flurry of pixels shooting out. (7/4200-2100/800) (Alexis' Monster Zones: 2-5)

Chazz only shook in frustration... but not because of his monster, it was because of himself not willing to pull the trigger on his strategy that could have had her on the ropes.

"Now, I activate De-Fusion and split them apart!" Alexis continued as the tornado split apart and Etolie Cyber along with Blade Skater jumped out and landed in front of Ojama Blue, who was clearly freaked out. (4/1200/1600), (4/1400/1500)

 _"Um... can't we just talk?"_ The Ojama cringed.

"Blade Skater, attack Ojama Blue with Accel Slicer!" Ojama Blue screamed as the skating warrior cut him apart to pixels in the blink of an eye.

"I still get two Ojama cards," Chazz announced as he searched through his deck and took out two cards. "And they are Ojamagic and Ojamuscle!"

"Bad choices since you've lost nearly all of your Ojama monsters," the Cyber Girl duelist stated. "Or have you forgotten that you sent everyone but Ojama Red to the graveyard?" Chazz gasped. "Etolie Cyber, attack directly!" Once again, the red-haired dancer gracefully crossed the battle field and dealt another pirouetting kick to the black coat Slifer. (4/1200-1700/1600)

Alexis: 8000

Chazz: 4600

Soon, most of the classmates were starting to get angry at Chazz for not playing to his best. Even he was starting face the ground, not looking up at all the people jeering at him.

"Chazz better step up now," Allyson sighed.

"I'm a little peeved myself," Lyra added. "He may be a jerk sometimes, but I respect him as a duelist. Whatever's going through his head, he'd better get over it and fast."

"It is insulting that he blindsided us during that massive Battle Royale we all had, and then he does this," Lily stated. "It's like a cold slap in the face..."

"Chazz!" the black coat Slifer slowly lifted his head to see Alexis angry with him. "What's your problem? I didn't notice it much in your first move, but now I know you're just playing sloppy!"

"It's uh..."

"Paired against you, I knew you'd be tough to beat even with resorting to only Ojama support cards," Alexis continued. "You're a better duelist in this, so I would get over what's bothering you and play this game! All duelists deserved to be respected and by not fighting back, you're showing your opponent a major disrespect!"

"That's not why I'm... doing this?"

"Then what? Even when you had that crazy infatuation with me, you still..." the Obelisk girl gasped as she finally realized something, "That's it... you're still hurting because I rejected you?" Hearing Chazz sigh, answered the question. "You have to move on..."

"It's not that simple!" Chazz protested.

"I get it..." Alexis continued. "It's the way I came at you... a lot of things were on my mind; it was something I had to do and face, not wanting anyone to get caught in the crossfire of Obelisk's attack, and how you kept your affections of me when you know I don't feel the same way..." Seeing Chazz cringed, she quickly followed up with, "But I am sorry I snapped at you that night, I blame myself for just wanting to save Kenji that night. And that is no excuse for what I've said to you... seeing you duel against the remaining Society members, I thought you'd move on, but I was wrong. So I'm saying this now... I'm sorry for hurting you, Chazz."

Seeing the sincerity in his opponent's eyes, Chazz nodded, "Thanks... and I'm sorry for chasing you when you clearly didn't want that kind of attention... so, we're cool."

"Yeah," Alexis nodded back and smiled.

Suddenly, Chazz's expression went back into that triumphant and cocky grin he always while he was in a duel, "Good, then you won't mind me taking over this duel!" He shouted as he drew his next card. The crowd was now cheering hearing that the old Chazz Princeton was back.

"Sounds like we're going to see the real duel start now," Yugi smiled.

"You know it!" Joey cheered.

"I play Pot of Greed!" Chazz announced as the grinning pot appeared, letting him draw his two cards before shattering. "Next I activate my facedown card, Ojama Trio! With this, I can summon Ojama tokens to take up three spaces on your side of the field! Hope you're ready to host some new guests!"

Alexis watched as Ojama Green, Yellow, and Black emerged next to Etolie Cyber.

 _"Hey look guys, it's Alexis!"_ Yellow exclaimed. (2/0/1000)

 _"We've seen her before, I want to know who these dames are..."_ Black grinned with hearts in his eyes, staring at Etolie Cyber and Blade Skater who looked back with disgust. (2/0/1000)

 _"They wouldn't waste their time with you,"_ Green waved off, trying to keep his mind on the battle. (2/0/1000)

"Next, I play Monster Reborn to resurrect a monster from my graveyard... guess who?" Chazz asked sarcastically when a bright flash brought out the large king of the Ojamas, to delight of the Ojama tokens. (6/0/3000) "And next, I summon Ojama Red into ATK mode!" He continued as the onion-headed red Ojama jumped on to the field. (2/0/1000)

 _"Alright, time to burn some muscle!"_ Red cheered, trying to flex his own.

"And I'll do it with this spell card, Ojamuscle!" the Ojama duelist shouted, inserting the named spell into his disk. It showed a human arm flexing its muscles, knocking around the three original Ojamas. "Ojamuscle destroys all Ojama monsters out, and for each one destroyed, King gains 1000 attack points, and since three of those are Ojama Tokens, you lose 300 Life Points for each one."

The Ojama King looked down at his token brethren, _"Ojama Red and Tokens, come to Daddy!"_ After that, a huge, fat tongue rolled out of Ojama King's mouth and wrapped itself around the Tokens before pulling them into its mouth. Then, he grabbed Ojama Red and stuffed him into his mouth, despite the protests of the little red monster. Ojama King's fat body suddenly turned into a muscular one; from a large six-pack to arms of huge muscles. (6/0-4000/3000) Finally, three puffs of smoke struck Alexis' disk.

Alexis: 7100

Chazz: 4600

"Now, I activate Heavy Storm to destroy all of your Spells and Traps!" He continued as a violent windstorm kicked in, blowing away Alexis' Infected Mail and her facedown cards Doble Passe and Spirit Barrier. "Now that the field is clear, Ojama King attacks Etolie Cyber with Ojamapunch!"

"You got it, boss!" Ojama King shouted as he flexed his huge arms and slugged the red-haired Cyber Girl with a right hand.

Alexis: 4300

Chazz: 4600

"Those Ojamas do not know how to treat a lady," Mai said, glaring at the grinning Ojama.

"That's Duel Monsters for ya," Joey shrugged.

"Of course you'd say that... When you and your male monsters beat her female monsters in a couple of duels," Will stated causing Joey grumble and Serenity and Mai to giggle.

"And that's all from the Chazz," the black coat Slifer smirked.

"In one move, Chazz closed the gap and took the lead," Jachin smiled. "Finally, he's acting like himself."

"Yeah, no one wants a win against one who never tried," Kenji added.

"Now we're in a duel," Alexis praised as she drew her next card, setting one reversed card while activating the other, "And I think you deserve this, Card of Sanctity! Now both of us draw until we hold six cards," She announced as she and Chazz kept drawing until they reached the desired number of cards. "I summon Cyber Valkyrie!" She continued, bringing out another woman wearing snow white armor and a visor over her eyes that kneeled down and blocked with her arms. (4/1300/1500) "Next, I place one card facedown and equip her with the Crown of Command to end my turn." The crown from the spell card emerged and outfitted itself on the Valkyrie's head.

"That won't save you," Chazz stated, drawing out his seventh card. "I activate Ojama Resurrection Project, paying 1000 life points as the cost." He announced, inserting the named spell card.

Alexis: 4300

Chazz: 3600

"And with it on the field, I can summon Ojama Aqua in defense mode!" He announced as the light green Ojama appeared, wearing only a loincloth. (4/0/1000)

 _'This is going to be funny,"_ Aqua chuckled.

"I place two cards facedown and then let Ojama King attack your Valkyrie!" He announced as the King jumped into the air, about to belly flop to Valkyrie...

"Hang on Chazz," Alexis stated. "First, the effects of Crown of Command and Cyber Valkyrie activate and drain your King of 800 ATK and DEF points!" She announced as the monster spread an ice storm from her arms and forced it against Ojama King. (6/4000-3200/3000-2200)

"She's still getting pummeled," Chazz protested.

"Not with this, go Negate Attack!" the Cyber Girl duelist countered, revealing her facedown card which deflected the King's attack and sent him back to Chazz's side.

"You saved yourself for now," the black coat Slifer stated, signaling the end of his turn.

"Then, I hope you won't mind me keeping it that way," Alexis declared, drawing her next card. "I summon Cyber Petit Angel!" She announced, bringing out her small, mechanical angel staring blankly at Chazz. (2/300/200) "When summoned, I can take Machine Angel Ritual into my hand." Alexis then took out her Ritual Spell card from her deck. She inserted it into her disk, causing the whole floor to become hardened into metal. "Now I use it and sacrifice Cyber Petit Angel and Warrior Lady of the Wasteland to summon Cyber Angel Idaten!"

Both machine angel and warrior appeared on the field before vanish with the metal floor and transformed into a magenta-haired angel clad in a black body suit with a clear veil on her hips and magenta boots. (6/1600/2000)

"Still doesn't hold a candle to my Ojama King!" Chazz protested.

"That's not the reason she's being summoned," Alexis smirked, as she retrieved a spell card from her graveyard. "When she appears, I can take any Spell card from my graveyard! And I choose De-Fusion!" Chazz gulped. "I use it on Ojama King!" She announced as she inserted the spell card into her disk, causing a white light to envelop the King and vanished.

"And because the monsters that made it up are in Chazz's graveyard, he can't get them back because Alexis used it," Erika smiled. "Nice move..."

"Now, I switch Cyber Valkyrie to attack mode and let her attack Ojama Aqua!" the Cyber Girl duelist announced as ice armored warrior dashed across the field and struck Aqua with a right hand, shattering him into pixels.

"And this activates Ojama Aqua's ability," Chazz announced, taking out a card from his deck. "When he's sent from the field to the graveyard, I can special summon any Ojama monster from my deck. And I choose Ojama Devil in defense mode!"

 _"Mwhahahaha!"_ A grey Ojama beast appeared with two devil horns and the trademark bikini briefs. (5/0/?)

"And then his original DEF because equal to 1000 times the number of Ojamas in my graveyard, and it's basically the entire family!" Chazz smirked as a red aura surrounded his small monster. (5/0/?-7000)

"7000 DEF?" Jeremy gasped. "And I thought Exxod was a pain with only 4000!"

"And it'll get worse if Chazz flips the ATK and DEF around since it's now its original DEF Alexis is dealing with," Alex added.

"I'll place one card facedown to end my turn," Alexis concluded.

"My draw," Chazz announced, drawing his next card. "Time for you to go bye-bye! I activate Ojama Country Field Spell!" As the spell was played, the area transformed into the small town of the Ojamas. "Thanks to this and an Ojama monster out, all monsters have their ATK and DEF swapped!"

"Now I am the ultimate Ojama!" Devil shouted as he started to grow seven times his size, (5/0-7000/7000-0) while Cyber Valkyrie and Idaten were only getting slightly stronger. (4/1300-1500/1500-1300), (6/1600-2000/2000-1600)

"And I activate Waboku!" Alexis countered, revealing her facedown card that created a blue barrier around her. "With this, I can save my monster and also take any battle damage and reduce it to 0 for the remainder of this turn!"

"Time to die!" Devil shouted as he raised his foot over the Cyber Girl, but he couldn't smash the barrier and was repelled by the shining glow of the Crown of Command and Cyber Valkyrie's armor (5/7000-6200/0)

"I end my turn," Chazz stated. "But I wouldn't feel safe..."

 _'I'll say...'_ Alexis thought. _'I'm topdecking and Chazz has two facedown cards and a 7000 ATK monster staring me down...'_

"She's facing the pressure," Serenity stated.

"Not the first time," Erika added. "All she has to do is find that good card."

"It's my move!" Alexis announced, drawing her lone card. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards," She continued, drawing her two cards. "Next, I switch Cyber Valkyrie into defense mode and end my turn." She concluded as her monster kneeled down and blocked with her arms.

"I guess she didn't find that card," Melody stated.

"She had better hope Chazz doesn't," Isaac added.

"Looks like I'm about to win," Chazz grinned as he drew his next card. He revealed one of his facedown cards, depicting a Big-Tusked Mammoth charging through a brick wall, "I activate the spell Piercing Horn letting a Beast Type monster like Ojama Devil do some Piercing damage for this turn!"

"Oh boy, looks like Chazz is going in for the game" Joey said, looking at the black coat Slifer's face.

"She'll still survive thanks to the combo Alexis had setup to weaken the monsters that attack her Cyber Valkyrie..." Yugi reminded him.

"Meaning it's still a good game..." Will added.

"It's time I stomped down on your Valkyrie!" the Ojama duelist announced. "Or better yet, why don't I yet Ojama Devil have that done for me?" Devil chuckled like a mad man as he finally stomped down on the Cyber Girl, not even worrying about the glow of the Crown of Command and Valkryie's armor. (5/6200-5400/0)

Alexis: 400

Chazz: 3600

"Only 400 life points separate Alexis from defeat," Lyra noted. "This may be her last turn..."

"It's your turn, Alexis," Chazz declared.

"Thanks," Alexis replied, drawing her next card. "I activate my own Monster Reborn and revive my Cyber Blader in defense mode!" She announced as her futuristic fusion monster appeared and defended with her arms. (7/2100/800) "Finally, my last card facedown..."

"That's it?" Allyson wondered.

"Maybe," Allen replied. "If the facedown card doesn't do anything, I'd say she's sunk."

"Sorry Alexis, but you're about to go down!" Chazz smirked as he drew his next card. "Now that I'm sure you won't have any more monsters to defend yourself with, I can do this... activate the effect of Ojama Country! I discard Ojamagic to summon Ojama King back to the field!" After discarding the named spell card, a bright portal opened up from the middle of Ojama Country and let out the giant king from the graveyard. (6/0-3000/3000-0), (5/5400-4400/0) "I remember how your Cyber Blader works... its effect is determined by the number of monsters I have... when I only had one, she can't be destroyed in battle..."

"Right, and when you have two, Cyber Blader's ATK is doubled..." Alexis added as her fusion monster powered up. (7/2100-4200/800)

"And you left it in defense mode and vulnerable to destroy," the Ojama duelist pointed out.

The spectators started to gasp.

"She lost?" Melody gasped.

"Man, Chazz really did make a big comeback..." Jachin noted. "I'm impressed..."

Kenji just stared at Alexis' facedown, waiting for it to reveal itself, _'What is that card, Alexis? I know you haven't given up yet..._ '

"I'm glad you remember my monster's effects," Alexis praised her opponent. "But do you remember what happens when there are three monsters on your field?"

"Yeah, all of my card effects are negated..." That's when Chazz gasped and looked at her facedown card, "No... it can't be!"

"It is..." the Cyber Girl smirked as she revealed her facedown card, depicting a grave plot with a skeleton escaping from it. "I activate the trap, Foolish Revival! With this card, I can special summon a monster from your graveyard and place it on the field in defense mode! And I pick Ojama Yellow!"

The Ojama duelist growled helplessly as he saw Yellow appear next to Ojama King. (2/0-1000/1000-0)

 _"Hey boss, what do you need?"_ He asked... but seeing Chazz in a stunned state... _"Did I come at a bad time?"_

"Now Cyber Blader, activate Shining Cyber Light!" Alexis commanded as her Cyber Fusion monster shined with a bright light, causing Ojama Country to disappear and Ojama Devil to shrink back to normal. (5/4400-0/0), (6/3000-0/0-3000)

The spectators were now at a loss for words, seeing the flow of the battle change dramatically.

"I knew it would be too easy to let Cyber Blader be a line of defense," Kenji smiled. "And Alexis knew that Chazz seen her fusion monster too many times... all she had to do was wait for the second monster to appear and setup the third."

"Wow, can't believe Chazz made it that far only to crash and burn..." Jachin sighed.

"You won't get to my life points that easily," Chazz protested, "I switch Ojama Devil to defense mode and end my turn!" He concluded as they grey-skinned Ojama crossed his arms.

"You can run Chazz, but you can't hide!" Alexis announced, drawing her next card. "And it's game over... I activate the Equip Spell card Lightning Saber to Cyber Blader, giving her 300 ATK!" One of Cyber Blader's arms was replaced by a blue and silver samurai sword. (7/2100-2400/800) "Now, attack Ojama King!"

Everyone watched as the fusion monster skated across the field and slashed down the Ojama King into pixels with her skates.

Alexis: 400

Chazz: 1200

"And with two monsters now on the field, Cyber Blader's ATK is doubled once more," Alexis continued as her monster powered up with a clear aura. (7/2400-4800/800) "But it's not over!"

"What do you mean?" Chazz protested.

"Thanks to Lightning Blade's effect, Cyber Blader can cut her ATK in half and attack you directly!"

The black coat Slifer's heart sunk as a red aura drained through Cyber Blader's points. (7/4800-2400/800)

"Thanks for the match, Chazz..." the Cyber girl duelist smiled, "Now Cyber Blader, attack and end this duel!" Cyber Blader continued her skating and used her sword to slash across the Slifer's chest and knocked him down.

Alexis: 400, Winner

Chazz: 0

"The winner, Alexis Rhodes," Pegasus announced as the holograms disappeared and the crowd cheered.

"Wow, two for two on the female finalists," Mai smiled. "I'm starting to like those odds..."

"When you see Melody, the girl in yellow, duel you'll be seeing a three for three..." Erika told her. She then turned to Yugi. "And I can say that you had a big influence on her choice of monsters... namely your biggest one..."

"Really," Yugi wondered with a smile. "I hope to see the reason..."

Alexis walked up to Chazz and helped him up, "You feel better?"

"Not entirely... I did lose after all..." Chazz scoffed. "Just make sure you don't lose to anyone else since you beat me..."

"I'll try to keep that promise..." the Cyber Girl duelist chuckled. "And for what is worth... there are other girls..."

"Not exactly the ones around here like me that much..."

"Maybe next year..." Alexis assured him. "Just have to look..."

"Right..."

"Are we all good here?" Kenji asked.

"Yup, we're good..." Chazz replied, but then grabbed the ninja duelist by the collar of his blazer. "Just don't do anything to upset her... at least I can care about her as a friend."

"Don't worry..." Kenji smiled. "With your incentive as motivation, I'll keep that promise..."

"Good..." the Slifer said as he released him and joined the crowd.

"I feel like I've signed into a contract when we became an item, 'Lex," the ninja duelist joked to his girlfriend.

Alexis just giggled lightly and kissed him on the cheek, "Aren't I worth it?"

"Of course... just making light humor..."

* * *

And I'll stop right here... at 13.5 thousand words! WOW!

Sea God's Wrath

Normal Trap Card

When your opponent attacks you directly, you can banish this card from your graveyard to activate the effect: Negate the attack and Special Summon 1 Fish, Aqua, or Sea-Serpent Type monster from your Remove from Play Zone.

Knight's Call

Normal Trap Card

Activate when your opponent declares a direct attack. Special Summon 1 Level 4 below Warrior type monster with Knight or Swordsman in their name.

Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight

WIND

Level 7

Dragon/Effect

2600/2100

"Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight" + "Curse of Dragon"

This card's name is treated as "Gaia the Fierce Knight". This card can attack your opponent directly. When it does so using this effect, any Battle Damage it inflicts to your opponent is halved.

Poseidon, Ruler of the Sea

WATER

Level 10

Aqua/Effect

3400/3000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing 4 WATER monsters in your Graveyard from play. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, the field it is treated as "Umi" (however there is no increasing or decreasing of ATK/DEF due to "Umi"'s effect). If there is an active Field Spell Card on the field, this effect is not applied. Once per turn, you can discard one WATER monster from your hand and have this card gain ATK equal to half of the discarded monster's effect. Once per turn, you can banish one WATER monster from your graveyard to deal 800 points of damage. If you do, this card cannot declare an attack or activate any other effects this turn.

Piercing Horn

Quick-Play Spell Card

Select 1 Beast Type monster you control. Until the End Phase, the selected monster can inflict piercing damage.

(The top 5 cards are of my creation. Creative rights go to me.)

The Great Plains

Field Spell

Downgrade all monsters with Knight and Swordsman in their names in both players' hands and on the field by 1 Level. Increase the ATK and DEF of all monsters with Knight and Swordsman in their name by 200 points.

(This card was created by me and D.J. Scales. Creative rights go to us.)

Martyr's Flag

Normal Trap Card

During your opponent's Battle Phase: Tribute 1 monster or send 1 monster from your hand to the Graveyard; double the ATK of all face-up Warrior-Type monsters you control until the End Phase.

(Owned by Gill Randsborg in the 5D's episode, Battle with the Black Rose, all rights go to the creators of 5D's anime)

Counter Sword

Quick-Play Spell Card

Activate only when your opponent's monster declares an attack. Halve the attacking monster's ATK. Then, equip this card to a monster you control as an Equip Card. It gains 500 ATK.

(Used by Yusei Fudo in the 5D's manga, all rights go to the creators of the 5D's manga)

Lightning Saber

Equip Spell

The equipped monster gains 300 ATK. When the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle, it can halve its ATK (until the end of the Battle Phase) and attack once again in a row.

(Used by Vivian Wong in the second series anime episode Brawl in Small Town, Part 2, all rights goes to the creators of the anime.)

Next Time: The GX Quarterfinals continues with Kenji, Melody, Alister, and our masked duelist. Who will join Roxanne and Alexis in the Semi-Finals?

Please read and review! Later!


	73. We are the Finalists! Part 2

Alrighty, time for part 2 to the Quarterfinals! 2 more duels! Now let's rock!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 73: We are the Finalists! Part 2

* * *

After Alexis and Kenji joined the crowd, Sheppard cleared the crowd talk and spoke on the microphone again.

"Alright, it's time for the next match to be determined!" He announced, drawing another number out of the box and held it out to Pegasus.

"Duelist number 7... It's your turn to duel and come forward!" the Duel Monster creator announced. Alister smiled as he stepped out of the crowd, with his friends beaming with pride. "And it's an old friend of mine, Alister Gates of the Guardian Monsters! Now on to his opponent..." Sheppard pulled out another number and held it out to Pegasus. "Duelist number 4!" Melody was a little bit surprised, but quickly shook it off and met up with the Guardian duelist.

"And one of our Ra Yellow duelists, Melody Hikarii," the Chancellor announced, "So this means our mystery duelist will be facing Kenji Yuuyami in our final match."

As the crowd cheered, the ninja duelist faced the masked one with thoughtful eyes, 'Why does this kid need to hide behind a mask? Not like anyone knows or remembers her from the short time in the Academy...'

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Thinking about my opponent," Kenji replied. "Out of all the opponents in this tournament, I get the unknown and unpredictable duelist as my first since waking up from my... bad experience."

"It's because you need this," the Cyber Girl duelist assured. "It's why I didn't want to count our last duel... it wasn't you dueling."

"Right, I'll just have to go in and duel according to the mood..." He then turned to Alister and Melody who were now shuffling their decks. "But first, I'll have to see where this is going..."

Up at the roof...

"Those two facing each other now," Erika wondered, surprised at the match up. "This will be a back and forth battle, that's for sure..."

"Then you must know about Melody's strategies well enough..." Yugi stated.

"Yeah and just watch what kinds of cards she uses..." the Maverick duelist smiled. "As I said before, you have a big influence on her choices."

Back down to the field...

Alister and Melody were now shuffling each other's decks after exchanging...

"I'd say I'm surprised to be dueling you, but then I would be lying," Alister smiled. "We both know each other's strategies..."

"So? It doesn't matter if we did know each other's card," Melody replied. "I bet you have new ways of playing your cards... maybe new cards..."

"That's true..." the Guardian duelist nodded. "Push me to the edge, and I'll even show one I naturally wouldn't use until another duel had a big influence on my life..."

"Can't wait to see it," the Magician duelist stated as she returned Alister's deck and he returned hers, going to opposite sides of the field.

"The third match of the finals will be Obelisk Blue's Alister Gates and Ra Yellow's Melody Hikarii! Are the competitors ready?" Sheppard announced.

"Call it!" Both players shouted, activating their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"Melody will have the opening move... now begin the third match!"

DUEL!

The crowd cheered as the match began.

Alister: 8000

Melody: 8000

"Here goes," Melody exclaimed as she drew her sixth card. "I summon Mythical Beast Cerberus in attack mode!" She announced, as she brought out a large, purple and blue furred two-headed monster with the main head of a lion and the second head of a wolf. (4/1400/1400)

"A spellcaster monster," Yugi wondered. "And a good start, Alister needs to use Spell cards in order to summon his strongest Guardians. And for every Spell Counter on it, Cerberus gains 500 ATK."

"You know it won't stop him from playing them," Téa replied.

"I'll end my turn by placing three cards facedown," the Spellcaster duelist concluded as three reversed cards appeared at her feet.

"And begins mine," Alister stated, drawing his sixth card. "Now, that whole thing about your Mythical Beast Cerberus won't stop me..."

"How so," Melody wondered.

"Because I have a couple of cards that decreases the power of a monster and I can equip them to your field," the Guardian duelist smirked as he inserted his spell card, "I activate Shooting Star Bow – Ceal and equip it to Mythical Beast Cerberus! And you remember that this card drains the monster of 1000 ATK!"

"That may be bad... if it weren't for my first facedown card, the Tower of Babel!" She countered as she revealed one of her facedown cards. A rumble in the ground startled everyone, until a stone pillar made up of thick, stone disks appeared in the middle of playing field. "For every spell card played it gains a Spell Counter. And once four counters on are played on it the last person playing a spell card loses 3000 points on the spot!"

Soon, the longbow and two Spell Counters appeared, with the latter merging itself into the Cerberus, (MBC: 1SPC) (4/1400-1900/1400) and the second one merging with the Tower of Babel, making it tilt a little (ToB: 1SPC). But then, the longbow attached itself to Cerberus' back and weakened it. (4/1900-900/1400)

"So much for that plan," Allyson stated.

"And with the bow on the field, I can summon Guardian Ceal in attack mode!" Alister announced as a red flash of light summoned a green bipedal lizard which had its former serpentine body fused with a red rocket-like machine. (4/1700/1000) "Now, I could attack Cerberus since it's weaker, but I'll reintroduce you to his effect... by sending one Equip Card on my side of the field to the graveyard, I can destroy a monster! Even though the bows equipped your monster, it's still on my side!"

"Melody will be wide open," Alexis gasped.

Ceal's red-like weapon glowed and launched a torrent of flames at the weakened Cerberus, melting it and the bow.

"Now Ceal, attack directly," The Guardian duelist commanded as Ceal fired another torrent of flames, surrounding Melody in a burning tornado.

Alister: 8000

Melody: 6300

"A commanding lead," Will said.

"Hope she's okay," Serenity added.

After the tornado died out, Melody pressed a button on her duel disk and revealed a second of her facedown cards, "That hurt... but it was well worth the pain to use my Damager Condenser trap card! By discarding one card I can summon a monster up to 1700 ATK thanks to your attack."

"Great... I knew I should've attacked the monster..." Alister muttered as Melody discarded one card from her hand and took out another from her deck.

"I bring out Magical Exemplar!" She announced as her raven-haired spellcaster in a light green garb appeared with a light smile. (4/1700/1400)

"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Alister concluded.

"My draw again," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "I activate my other facedown card, Birthright!" She stated, revealing the second facedown card. "And it summons a Normal Monster from my graveyard, like my Crusader of Endymion!" She continued, bringing out another spellcaster, decked out in blue, magical enhanced armor over his red robes. (4/1900/1200)

"I thought that was an effect monster," Erika wondered. "And when Alister and I fought Claudio and Melody at the beginning of the year, we destroyed it to make sure it didn't happen."

"You think she'll sacrifice them?" Will asked.

"No, then she wouldn't summon Magical Exemplar..." Yugi stated. "There's something more about that Crusader of Endymion... and since I'm hearing so much of the Field Spell and main monster of Endymion, the Crusader must have a special power."

"Since I haven't Normal Summoned yet, I'll take care of it now by Gemini Summoning my Crusader of Endymion!" Melody announced as the Spell Counters inside the Crusader's armor lit up and circulated the power through his body.

"Sweet, another Gemini monster properly used," Alex grinned.

"By the way, thanks for the Alien Hypno..." Jeremy added, "Helped me a lot in the tournament..."

"No sweat, man," the Gemini duelist said, keeping his grin, "Besides, I couldn't use it in my deck..."

"Now, I activate Crusader's effect..." Melody informed. "Once a turn, I can give another card a Spell Counter as long as they are compatible with it... and I pick Tower of Babel!" She announced as the Crusader created a Spell Counter Orb from his hands and had it circle around the tilting tower. (ToB: 2SPC) "And since he did that, Crusader of Endymion gains 600 ATK until the End Phase!" The armor of the Crusader glowed bright blue. (4/1900-2500/1200)

"Oh boy... she's going big in this tournament..." Alister thought with a smile. 'I guess it's because Yugi's around...'

'A good strategy,' the King of Games thought with a smile, 'She's make sure the Tower of Babel's effect goes off, making sure it'll limit Alister's choice of activating his spell cards... which he needs unless Eatos is in his hands.'

"Crusader, attack Guardian Ceal with Spell Enhanced Punch!" the Ra girl commanded as the Spell Counters on her monster's armor lit up, letting him take off into the skies and reel back his fist...

"I activate my trap card, Guardian Formation!" Alister countered, revealing his facedown trap, depicting a soccer field with silhouettes of Guardian Eatos, Guardian Grarl, and Guardian Kay'est with arrows pointing from one to the next in a clockwise manner. Before Crusader could land the punch, Ceal jumped out of the way and landed in a spot further away from the impact. "Now your attack is negated and my Guardian Ceal moves to a new Monster Zone."

"And since he only had one monster, he had the perfect card to use..." Mai noted.

"Furthermore, I can activate a Spell Card from my deck!" the Guardian duelist continued, shocking his opponent.

"Any Spell?"

"You shouldn't be surprised; I'm giving you more counters for your cards..." Alister smiled as he retrieved his choice Spell Card. "Now to step up my game with the Field Spell, Guardian Cathedral!"

As soon as he inserted the Field Spell, the ground glowed white and another rumble and shook up the ground even more when the Tower of Babel appeared.

"This is enough earthquakes for one day..." Chazz grumbled.

"Yeah, no kidding," Jachin added. "But then since it's a Field Spell, of course it's going to be larger than Melody's Tower card."

Soon, the white light enveloped around the field and the Duel Academy Building... and transported everyone to the inside of a magnificent, marble stone palace. The outside of palace had a vast plain of hills and fresh grass, while the inside's halls were lined with statues of weapons... and not just any weapons...

"Welcome to the shrine that houses the Guardian Weapons," Alister stated. "You'll see its effects soon... but first, since I played another spell card, your Tower of Babel gains another counter!"

"Don't forget Magical Exemplar gaining two," Melody added, as three Spell Counters appeared in the sky, two circling around Exemplar (ME: 2PC) and one inserted into the Tower. (ToB: 3SPC) "I end my turn by placing one card facedown." She concluded.

"It's my turn," Alister stated. "But thanks to my Field Spell's effect, I can forgo my Draw Phase and take an Equip Spell Card from the deck instead!"

Joey gasped, "He's not thinking of activating whatever Spell Card he's taking? Talk about a big risk..."

"You're the last guy who should be talking about risks," Will reprimanded, "About 40% of your deck says it all..."

"He's got you there, Joey," Serenity giggled. "You do take a lot of risks... you're just lucky most of the time."

Alister retrieved his Equip Spell from his deck and held it up for Melody to see, "I pick Butterfly Dagger-Elma and equip it to Ceal!" The spectators gasped as the statue of the small dagger shattered, to reveal the real thing floating up to Ceal's hand. (4/1700-2000/1400) "And because of my Field Spell, he gains additional 300 ATK!" He continued as an ominous aura surrounded Ceal, granting him more power. (4/2000-2300/1400)

"That's four, Alister!" Melody shouted as another Spell Counter inserted into the Tower (ToB: 4SPC) and another two around Exemplar (ME: 4SPC), "Tower of Babel activates and deals 3000 points of damage to you!"

The Guardian duelist braced himself as the tower crumbled and then fell on top of him, pelting him with the debris.

Alister: 5000

Melody: 6300

"Just like the old saying goes: 'no pain, no gain!'" Alister smiled as he summoned another monster, "Guardian Elma, reveal yourself in attack mode!" In a flash, the red-headed Guardian appeared and stood in next to Ceal.(4/1300/1200), (ME: 6SPC) "And I use her special ability to retrieve my Shooting Star Bow-Ceal and equip it to her!" He announced as the bow emerged from the clear fountain, that was blocked by Babel's appearance and floated to Elma, weakening her. (4/1300-300-600/1200)

 _'Uh oh..._ ' Melody thought, knowing what was coming.

"I activate Ceal's effect to send Shooting Star Bow - Ceal to destroy Crusader of Endmyion and Magical Exemplar!" the Guardian duelist announced as the bow in Elma's hands shattered. (4/600-1300/1200)

"Sorry, but Ceal's going away!" the magician duelist countered, revealing her facedown card. It depicted a monster being encased inside a spiked steel cage. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Effect Shut! This negates your monster's effect and then destroys it!" Alister gasped as while Ceal was conjuring the lava, the steel prison cage surrounded him. When he launched the lava, it reflected off the bars and destroyed him instead. (ME: 8SPC)

"Good, that should slow him down a bit..." Roxanne noted. "If Ceal was able to get both Equip Cards, Melody would have been left wide open for two direct attacks."

"Yeah, but it's not over yet..." Matthias warned.

"You stopped that move, but I still have my Butterfly Dagger –Elma!" Alister declared, holding up his retrieved Spell card. "And since this is Elma's card, she should have it back..." He continued, activating the spell that gave the red-haired Guardian her weapon. (4/1300-1600-1900/1200) "Now Elma, attack Magical Exemplar!" He commanded as Elma flew towards Melody's spellcaster and struck her down, shattering the monster and her Spell Counters.

Alister: 5000

Melody: 6100

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Alister concluded.

"Here's my move," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "I place one card facedown and end my turn..." She concluded.

"Just that, huh," Alister replied. "Then, I'll just help myself to Guardian Cathedral's effect to add Gravity Axe – Grarl into my hand!" He announced as another statue of the cathedral shattered, and released the double-breasted axe. "And then, I'll equip it to Elma for a few points added to her!" the axe floated in front of Elma, granting her another power boost from it and the cathedral. (4/1900-2400-2700/1200)

"And this isn't looking good for Melody now," Kenji stated. "Now Elma's got enough to take down her Crusader..."

"I'm not done, because Guardian Grarl's the only card in my hand... I can Special Summon him to the field," the Guardian duelist announced, bringing out his strongman-dinosaur Guardian, letting out a massive roar. (5/2500/1000)

"It got even worse," Jachin added.

"And now it's time to battle..."

"And those are the magic words..." Melody smirked, revealing her facedown card. "For my Magical Hats!"

Everyone gasped as a giant, black top hat with a ? mark and checkered collar pattern around it covered Crusader of Endymion and multiplied into three hats.

"Look familiar, Yuge?" Joey smirked.

"Not entirely..." the King of Games replied. "Remember Magical Hats used to be a spell card and it multiplied into four and I had to set my traps like normally... Now, the games have has changed and the traps are already set."

"Meaning, if he picks the wrong hat, Alister will get a nasty surprise," Tea stated.

"Time to pick a hat, Alister," the Magician duelist said in a sing-song voice.

The Guardian duelist laughed a bit, "Having fun with this... I can respect that... but I can tell you that this trap didn't save your monster!"

"Then, go ahead and choose!"

"I attack the hat on my left! Go Elma!" Alister announced as Elma threw her dagger at the designated hat, piercing right through it. When it shattered, Crusader of Endmyion was inside it and shattered into pixels! (4/1900/1200) "When you shuffled your hand, I can easily follow the card when it's only a short amount of cards."

"Darn..." Melody grumbled. "So, what else..."

"Well, it doesn't matter if I attack your other two hats because of nothing to pierce through, so I end my turn." Alister concluded.

But the Magician duelist smirked, "But since it is, the effect of Magical Hats destroys them! My Wild Tornado and Dark Coffin!"

"What?" Everyone shouted as both hats shattered to reveal the two traps in question: the trap Dark Coffin and another trap depicting a giant tornado collecting sand.

"You should have attacked them when you had the chance," Melody stated, wagging her finger. "Now I can activate their effects... Wild Tornado can take out any card on your field, and since you don't have a hand, Dark Coffin can take a monster from your field and send it to the graveyard!"

"No!" Alister shouted as a forceful tornado blew away Guardian Elma, while an ancient Egyptian Coffin rose up from behind Guardian Grarl, trapped him inside, and dragged him into the ground. Still, Alister took back Butterfly Dagger – Elma.

"That had to be harsh for Alister," Will stated. "Especially since I know he hates having a lot of monsters in his graveyard..."

"Don't worry, he's already come to terms with that," Erika told him. "It's basically why he wanted to make it to the finals so badly..."

"You mean..."

"When the opportunity arises, he will..." the Maverick duelist answered for Yugi.

"It's my move," Melody announced as she drew her next card, "First, I place one card facedown and then activate Card of Sanctity letting us both draw until we have six cards!" Both players drew out their six cards.

"With Alister's field bare of any monsters, Melody needs to have the right cards to finish up," Mai gasped.

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode," the Ra girl announced, bringing out a man in dark robes with three Spell Counter cases adorning them and the staff he held in his hands. (4/1900/1000) "Next, I activate a facedown card... my Pitch-Black Power Stone to have three Spell Counters!" She continued, activating a trap that brought out three Spell Counters inside a black stone, combing to create a bright yellow triangle. (PBPS: 3SPC)

Yugi had a knowing smile on his face, "So she is trying to summon him..."

"Uh oh..." Alister muttered, realizing what was coming for him.

"Once per turn, I can take one of its counters and place it on another that needs it, so I'll transfer one of them to Skilled Dark Magician!" Melody announced as one of the counters disappeared from the stone... (PBPS: 2SPC) and then reappeared on the magician's robe. (SDM: 1SPC) "And then, I activate Double Summon to not only gain another Normal Summon, but to give Skilled Dark Magician his second counter!" As she inserted the next Spell card, another Spell Counter lit up on Skilled Dark Magician's robes. (SDM: 2SPC)

"She needs one more..." Kenji stated as the crowd was getting anxious for the monster's arrival.

"Now, I summon Apprentice Magician in attack mode!" Melody announced and brought out a blonde female spellcaster. It consisted of a cloak, boots and armguards. She also had a red headband and a white belt and a magician's staff that she defended herself with. (2/400/800) "And since she was summoned, I can place another Spell Counter on Skilled Dark Magician!" The final Spell Counter lit up on the named magician's robes. (SDM: 3SPC)

"Here it comes..." Alex stated.

"Now, with Skilled Dark Magician having three counters... I can Tribute him and special summon Dark Magician from the graveyard!" Melody declared as the Spell Counters shined brightly and enveloped the Magician into a dark purple smoke, transforming him into the blonde haired, light blue-skinned magician in a dark violet robe and wielding a scepter of the same color. (7/2500/2100)

"And there it is..." Will added, "Different from the original, but hey I'm not complaining... Alister better brace himself."

"Dark Magician, Apprentice Magician, attack Alister directly with Dark Magic Attack!" Melody commanded as the famous Spellcaster, along with the apprentice, raised their staves as the end of it shined brightly. The magicians let loose a collective orb of powerful energy that washed over the Guardian duelist, making him look like a screaming photo-negative before dropping to his knees.

Alister: 2100

Melody: 6100

"Ouch, half his score gone... if Melody had another way of summoning Dark Magician's other forms, Alister would be done." Joey stated.

"I end my turn with another card facedown." Melody concluded.

"Alright, you had your fun..." Alister smirked as he drew his next card, bringing his hand to seven. "But it's time I took over! Starting with one card facedown..." He began, inserting his reversed card into his disk. "Next, I activate the spell card, Soul Charge and chain it to Emergency Provisions," He announced as he inserted a new spell card, depicting Guardian Eatos enveloped in a white light. "This lets me revive as many monsters as possible from my graveyard, permanently negating their effects and prevents them attacking for this turn! But first, Emergency Provisions takes it and my facedown card to the graveyard and gain 2000 points!" Both Soul Charge and Alister's facedown vanished into bright lights that merged with his body, restoring life points.

Alister: 4100

Melody: 6100

"Now, Soul Charge revives my monsters!" Soon, three pillars of light erupted from Alister's side of the field, bringing back Elma, Ceal, and Grarl back from the dead. (4/1300/1200), (4/1700/1200), (5/2500/1000) "But the cost is 500 points for each monster..." He stated as a red aura translated the cost of his spell.

Alister: 2600

Melody: 6100

"He cleared up his graveyard..." Chazz noted.

"Meaning only one thing..." Jachin added. Melody also braced herself for what was to come.

"Now, I Special Summon Guardian Eatos to the field without any monsters in my graveyard!" Alister announced as the white-feathered eagle appeared in the sky, transforming into his signature monster. (8/2500/2000)

"Melody will definitely know how to stop it, dueling against me and Alister in tag duels," Erika noted. "But I know he won't make it easy for her... even if Eatos gets destroyed."

"I wonder how she'll take it when that happens," Mai wondered.

"Next, I activate the Equip Spell Card, Celestial Sword –Eatos! It gives her 300 ATK, the power to attack multiple monsters along with my field spell's additional 300!" Alister continued, inserting a new Equip Spell into his disk, letting Eatos hold a beautiful diamond long-sword. (8/2500-2800-3100/2000)

"This is going to hurt," Alexis muttered.

"Eatos, destroy both monsters!" On her partner's command, the Guardian swung her sword and unleashed a massive wave of energy that engulfed both Apprentice and Dark Magicians and cut them down, and pushed Melody's life points near Alister's.

Alister: 2600

Melody: 2900

"I don't think Melody should have kept her Apprentice Magician in attack mode," Lily noted. "Her life points would have stayed way higher than Alister's."

"I guess she wanted to deal that extra 400 points of damage," Allyson stated. "Every little bit helps, I suppose... but I see what you mean..."

"By destroying Apprentice Magician, you activate her special ability to Set another Spellcaster monster that's Level 2 or below..." Melody stated, taking another monster from her deck and placing it facedown on the field.

"Hmm..." Alister muttered. "I could attack your facedown monster, but it's going to end up your Apprentice Magician again... so I'll stop here."

"Really?" Melody wondered.

"Well, I'm not the type to get frustrated over something I can't see," he replied. "So, why bother?"

"Alright then, it's my draw," Melody announced as she drew another card. "And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you should have attacked..." She then revealed her facedown monster. "I reveal, Miracle Flipper!" She declared as a kid version of the Dark Magician appeared, carrying a red scepter in his hands. (2/300/500)

"Oh man... I remember that monster..." the Guardian duelist grumbled.

"And you'll remember this, my Magician's Valkyria!" She continued, bringing out the near doppelganger of Dark Magician Girl appear on her side. (4/1600/1800) "With Miracle Flipper on the field, you have to attack him... but with Valkyria on the field, you can't attack Spellcasters! Meaning none of them can be touched!"

"I'll find a way to knock down that wall you got," Alister declared.

"Good luck with that," Melody challenged. "But in the meantime, I'll have Valkyria attack Guardian Elma with Mystic Scepter Blast!" She announced as female mage launched a black, static orb and launched it at the red-haired Guardian, taking her off the field.

Alister: 2300

Melody: 2900

"Catch me if you can," She concluded.

"You bet..." Alister stated, drawing his next card. "I'll end with a facedown card." He concluded.

"And then it's my turn, once more," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "I switch Miracle Flipper and Valkyria to defense mode..." the little mage held his scepter out in front of him, hiding behind it as Valkyria took a knee and held her own scepter in front of her. "There you go."

"My move again," Alister drew his next card. "I'll pass this turn."

"Alright," Melody nodded as she drew. "Sorry, but I have to take down Eatos now..." Alister raised an eyebrow. "I activate Solidarity and then activate my facedown card, Miracle Restoring! By removing the final two counters from my stone, I can bring back Dark Magician!"

Pitch Black Power Stone cracked into pieces as the final counters broke loose. (PBPS: 0SPC) Both counters then combined into a bright portal that brought back Melody's Spellcaster from the graveyard. (7/2500/2100)

"And since she's got Solidarity with all Spellcasters in her graveyard, he gains an extra 800 points!" Alexis exclaimed as a white aura surrounded Melody's monster. (7/2500-3300/2100)

Alister and Eatos both shared one final look of acknowledgement and happiness before hearing: "Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" The revived magician launched another wave of Dark Magic, surrounding Eatos as she willingly took the blast and dissolved into pixels.

Alister: 2100

Melody: 2900

"She beat Eatos?" Crowler shrieked. "This is certainly a rare occurrence..."

"Not as rare as the next monster he'll bring," Yugi warned.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright..." Erika smiled reassuringly.

A dark smoke soon enveloped the field, putting most of the spectators in a scared moment; wondering what was gonna come out.

"Time for me to let loose, Melody," Alister said to his opponent, "Normally, I would at all costs, stop you from destroying Eatos... but in order to win and really see how great a duelist you are, you have one more monster to face."

"What do you mean?" Melody asked, feeling unsure of what happened.

"Since Eatos was destroyed, I can summon her next form... Guardian Dreadscythe!" Suddenly, a dark portal opened up in front of Alister and brought out Eatos' undead form in her worn-out armor, white bandages and white mask over her face. (7/2500/2000)

Everyone except for Alister's friend on the roof (sans Serenity) were shocked to see the undead Guardian.

"Is that... Eatos?" Serenity gasped.

"Yup, Alister rarely brings this monster out." Will told her. "Usually, he's pissed off when somebody does destroy her... and he goes out of his way to finish off the guy responsible."

"This time, he won't," the Maverick duelist stated. "He's just now having fun..."

"This is my strongest monster," Alister explained to Melody. "And I can honestly say, she'll be tough to beat. First, when Dreadscythe appears on the field, I can take an Equip Spell from the graveyard and equip it to her. And naturally, I pick her signature weapon... but there's another card I sent there when I played Emergency Provisions... another Equip Spell card called the Book of Guardian Arts!" Suddenly, the named Equip Spell flashed in front of Dreadscythe and a big, brown worn out leatherback book with ancient writing emerged from it and vanished into the Guardian. "Now she's packed with the knowledge of every Equip Spell in my graveyard, gaining 300 points for each one... and that would be three of them! Not to mention the 300 from the field spell..."

Melody gasped as Dreadscythe's dark aura strengthened with her newfound power. (7/2500-3400-3700/2000) "I end my turn."

"You may be safe with your Monster lock, but it's about to change," Alister stated. "I give up my Draw Phase to activate my Field Spell, and add Axe of Fools to my hand," He announced, taking out his named Equip Spell. "Then, I'll give it to your Magician's Valkyria which negates her effect and gives her 1000 ATK!"

"Great..." the Magician duelist muttered as her Valkyria's scepter was replaced with a large axe with a goofy face on it. (4/2400-3400/1800)

"And since I've got Elma's Butterfly Dagger in my hand still, I'll give it Ceal!" He continued as Ceal held Elma's signature weapon. (4/1700-2000-2300/1200)

"Melody's line of defense will be gone," Mai realized.

"First, Ceal will take down Miracle Flipper!" Alister commanded as the Pyro Guardian launched a searing ray from its body, blowing the young mage into the sky. "Second, Grarl takes down Magician's Valkyria!" the dinosaur guardian ran across the field and shoulder charged Valkyria into pixels. And with Axe of Fools inside Alister's graveyard, his undead Guardian powered up. (7/3700-4000/2000) "Now Dreadscythe, destroy Dark Magician!" The undead guardian raised her hands and launched a dark beam that blasted Melody's magician into pixels. "I end my turn by placing one card facedown and playing Spellbook Inside the Pot." He announced, as both players drew out their three cards, leaving Alister with five and Melody with six.

"Now he has cards to keep Dreadscythe in play," Yugi noted. "And with Book of Guardian Arts, he can power her up if Equip Cards are sent."

"It's my move," Melody announced, drawing her next card to make it seven. _'Now I get a card that draws just for me? Oh well, might as well use it...'_ "I activate Graceful Charity!" She announced, drawing out three more cards and then discarding two of them. "Next, I summon Card Ejector in defense mode!" She announced as a small, green haired girl appeared. She wore a large, purple magician hat and a pink robe and carried a red scepter. (3/400-1200/400) "I use her ability to remove a card from your graveyard... and since Equip Cards are big for your now, I remove Gravity Axe –Grarl!"

Alister watched as the little mage girl waved her wand at his discard slot and Grarl's weapon removed itself from the grave. (7/4000-3700/2000)

"I end my turn with a couple of facedown cards by switching Dark Magician to defense mode." She concluded, inserting her two reversed cards while Dark Magician took a knee.

"Can't let that happen," the Guardian duelist countered, revealing his facedown card. "I activate Final Attack Orders!"

The spectators gasped as both of Melody's monsters were now standing straight on their feet.

"It's not looking good for the kid," Joey stated.

"My turn and I activate my Field Spell's effect to bring United We Stand to my hand," Alister announced, retrieving the named Equip Spell, "Then, I play it!"

"Definitely not good," Will added as Dreadscythe was surrounded by a green aura.

"Now, Dreadscythe gains 800 ATK for every monster on my field," the Guardian duelist announced as his monster's power was growing by the souls of the fallen Guardians. (7/3700-6100/2000)

"Looks like Melody's quest to the top were cut short..." Alexis sighed. "At least she gave it her all..."

"It's not over yet," Kenji assured her. "Melody won't go down that easily... especially to a monster that's way more powerful than hers..."

"Been real Melody," Alister stated. "Dreadscythe, attack Dark Magician and end this duel now!" He announced as the undead Guardian took her scythe and prepared to drive it down Melody's Magicians to the bated breath of the crowd.

"I activate my facedown cards," Melody announced, revealing both of her facedown cards. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Magical Academy and the trap card, Magician's Selection! First, my trap will negate your attack and destroy your weakest monster!" Dark Magician erected a purple rune circle, blocking Dreadscythe's blast and reflected it back to Ceal, destroying the guardian and weakening Alister's stronger monster. (7/6100-5300/2000)

"There's still a long way to go," the Guardian duelist announced.

"And I'll overcome it as Magical Academy discards two of my cards to the graveyard, then send Dark Magician to the graveyard... I can summon Dark Magician Girl!" Melody continued as Dark Magician vanished and brought out his apprentice to the field, a lot more powerful than expected. (6-8/2000-3900/1700) "Since she was summoned with Magical Academy, Dark Magician Girl gains 500 ATK and 2 levels! Along with Solidarity's 800 ATK boost, I have Dark Magician and Illusion Magician, serving as another Dark Magician in the graveyard, so she gains an additional 600 ATK. And that brings her to 3900!"

"It's still no match for my Dreadscythe," Alister stated, "Now Guardian Grarl attacks Miracle Flipper!" the little girl mage didn't stand a chance as Grarl shoulder charged her into the sky. "Now, one card facedown and its back to you..."

"She'll need a lot more power than that..." Chazz noted. "

"What she needs is a strategy," Jachin added. "Right now, the only thing she can do is to destroy Grarl... but that facedown card he just set could be protecting him."

"My move," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "Good! First, I activate Magic Formula and place one card facedown! This lets Dark Magician Girl gain 700 ATK... along with the 300 ATK from your Field Spell!"

"Oh boy... I knew that effect would come back to bite me in the butt," Alister groaned as Dark Magician Girl's power skyrocketed to new heights. (8/3900-4900/1700)

"Now, attack Guardian Grarl and end this duel with Dark Burning Attack!" Melody commanded as her Spirit Partner launched a massive pink orb at Alister's dinosaur Guardian...

"I activate the trap, Dimensional Wall, letting you take the damage I would have," Alister countered, revealing his trap card. As Grarl was destroyed, a dimensional rip appeared in front of Alister and absorbed the damage. Then another rip open behind the spellcaster duelist and flung the damage at her. (7/5300-4500/2000)

Alister: 2100

Melody: 500

"Close call..." Erika muttered. "It's almost nerve-racking... either a new friend or my fiancé will win and I can't choose between them."

"You shouldn't worry too much," Mai waved off. "It's not like your life depends on the duel... relax and see the fun they're both having..."

The Maverick duelist did just that and saw that, despite the damage, Melody was still smiling as was Alister. "Yeah... I can see it..." She smiled.

"It's your turn," Melody declared, "I'm down to the gutter in life points, but I have a feeling my monster won't go down... but yours will..."

"Oh I beg to differ," Alister smirked, drawing a new card. "Dreadscythe's not lying down that easy; her special ability sends a card in my hand to my graveyard... so that combo you've got waiting on me to make my move will not help. In fact, I just drew my monster's ultimate weapon... Reaper Scythe - Dreadscythe!"

Everyone gasped as the dark scythe emerged from the ground and appeared in Dreadscythe's hands.

"It's over..." Joey stated. "Thanks to that, Alister can benefit having monsters in his graveyard... 500 ATK for every monster..." He noticed that the dark mist from the scythe boosted the Guardian's power. (7/4500-6000/2000)

"Thanks for the match, Melody..." Alister smiled. "But now Dreadscythe takes down your Dark Magician Girl!" He announced as the undead Guardian raised her scythe in the air and clashed with Dark Magician Girl's scepter.

"If this facedown card didn't have the power, you would have!" Melody shouted, revealing her facedown card. "Graveyard of Mages activates!"

"Huh, but Dark Magician Girl's a level 6 monster?" Alister protested. "You need a level 8 and... oh no..."

"Yup, remember Dark Magician Girl was summoned with Magical Academy, making her level high enough to use an advanced skill," the Magician duelist smirked. "And there are currently 10 Spellcasters in my graveyard, reducing Dreadscythe's power by 500 for each one!" The spirits of all Spellcasters in Melody's graveyard appeared around Dark Magician Girl, pointed their scepters at the charging Guardian and drained most of its power. (7/6000-1000/2000)

"And even with cards in my hand, my life points aren't protected," the Guardian duelist grumbled. "I'm sunk..."

"Counterattack, Dark Magician Girl!" Melody announced as her signature monster charged up her scepter and flew to meet Dreadscythe's scythe head on. The powers clashed of pink and black energy, but the former overpowered the latter and knocked Dreadscythe on her back, dropping her weapon next to her. She raised her head to look back at Alister, who smiled at her.

 _'Thanks for trying your best out there...'_ He said to her thoughts.

 _'Thank you for accepting me...'_ Dreadscythe replied back, showing a glimmer of happiness in her red eyes.

Alister: 0

Melody: 500, Winner

"The winner, Melody Hikarii," Pegasus announced as the holograms disappeared and the crowd cheered.

"Three for three on female duelists," Tea said to Mai.

"Yeah, I'm finally seeing these girls moving ahead in dueling world," Mai smiled with pride. "And I don't mean in any minor tournaments either..."

"Kinda like living your dream," Joey wondered. "You know you're an inspiration to female duelist as being the main one to make to the finals of any big tournament, right?"

"He's right," Serenity added. "Even though I haven't done much dueling, I still am working on it."

"I'm glad..." the Harpie duelist continued to smile.

Alister and Melody met in the middle of the duel floor and shook hands...

"So, Dreadscythe was what you were talking about from the beginning?" Melody wondered.

"Yeah, I used to go through some really tough times and when Eatos was destroyed, I used Dreadscythe to shut people up," Alister replied. "After lightening up when Erika and I went out for real, I always scared to use it as Dreascythe reminded me of my unresolved anger."

"Then, you must have used it sometime during the tournament..." the magician duelist inquired.

"I did, against Ripley when she was still possessed," the Guardian duelist nodded. "Eatos was the only monster I could use at the time and I got desperate to keep her on the field... when I couldn't, it was time to face my fears. And this duel was to show I could play Dreadscythe without resorting to anger."

"Happy for you," Melody smiled. "And you know, since you and I battled, we have to get Claudio and Erika to battle each other."

"Oh yeah, we really need to get that to happen," Alister laughed. "So, I'll go relay the message to my soon-to-be-wife and you make it as far as you can in the tournament."

"I'll do that..."

Both of them shook hands again, letting Melody join the crowd and Alister go join Erika and his friends.

"Nice work, sis," Isaac grinned. "Beating that monster didn't look easy..."

"It wasn't..." Melody stated. "I just overpowered it enough to take out Alister's life points..." She then turned to Roxanne and Alexis. "So, another girl joins the semifinals... great, right?"

"Yeah, it's time to see who will be the last one to join us," Roxanne smiled.

"I hope for it to be Kenji," Alexis added, "He promised to duel me for real this time..."

"Oh right," the Magician duelist realized.

"Guess that means we have to get the only guy left standing, huh?" the Pro duelist figured. "Let's see how he battles..."

"Will the remaining two duelists please step forward for the fourth quarterfinal duel," Pegasus announced, letting Kenji and the mystery duelist step out of the crowd to face each other, while shuffling their decks and staring down one another. "Looks like the final match will be heating things up; who do we have here?"

"We have Kenji Yuuyami, a second-year Obelisk Blue duelist," Sheppard replied proudly, but then went into a confused look about the masked duelist. "But I don't know about the other one..."

"Nor do I," the Duel Monster creator stated as they watched the two duelists exchange decks.

"You're going down, big guy," the masked duelist said to her opponent. "Soon, all the guys will be axed from this tournament!"

"Lighten up, mystery girl," Kenji smiled as both players returned their cards. "Just duel me with everything you got and have fun."

The both of them spread apart, giving each other room to duel. By that time, Alister caught up to his friends.

"Hey guys, did I miss the first turn?" He asked, out of breath.

"No, just about to start," Tea replied. "Sorry about the loss..."

"Don't worry about, Tea," the Guardian duelist smiled. "Just happy that Melody's improved... heck I'm the third year about to graduate, and a junior bested me. I don't feel bad about that at all..."

"I'm also glad to see you've come out of that shell with Dreadscythe," Yugi added.

"You're welcome," Alister replied, and then turned to Erika. "By the way, Melody and I are gonna find a way for you and Claudio to do battle."

"Really," the Maverick duelist smiled. "Maybe not this year... but if there's a chance we meet up, I'll take a shot at that..."

"Are the competitors ready?" Sheppard announced. Kenji and the masked duelist nodded as they drew their opening hand. "The mystery duelist will have the first turn, now let the last quarterfinal match begin!"

DUEL!

The crowd cheered once more.

Masked Duelist: 8000

Kenji: 8000

"Time to show you what I got," the Masked Duelist boasted as she drew her sixth card. "I start with Mystic Egg in defense mode!" She announced, as placed her card on the duel tray to bring out a grey-colored egg with gold stars around it. (1/0/0) "Bon appétit..."

"Just an egg," Chazz wondered. "Is this guy asking to get clobbered?"

"Yeah," Jachin agreed, "Kenji can easily swarm the field, have his weakest monster attack, and whatever's left will strike her directly."

"This duel will be the shortest one, ending with the ninja kid as the last man standing in the tournament," Joey noted.

"It looks to be that way..." Tea added.

"Alright, let's see your game," Kenji stated as he drew his sixth card. "First, I summon Ninja Scorpion in attack mode!" He began as a portal of fire erupted from the ground, bringing out the black and orange masked ninja, ready to strike. (4/1900/1200) "But it won't stop there as I use Double Summon and bring out Ninja Reptile from my hand!" He continued as the green and black masked ninja suddenly appeared out of thin air. (4/900/2000) "And for the third card... the Quick-Play Spell Shadow Clone to Special Summon Ninja Sub-Zero from my deck!" A sudden blizzard kicked in, letting the blue and black masked ninja advance to the field. (4/1800/1200)

"This kid has nothing on Jean Claude Magnum's tactics..." Mai smirked.

"What do you expect from someone only playing a deck because of his role in movies," Erika chuckled a bit. "Kenji's actually from a family of ninjas..."

"That's cool," Will stated.

"First attack goes to Ninja Reptile..." the Ninja duelist announced. "Take out Mystic Egg with Venom Punch!" Reptile quickly crossed the stone path and shattered the egg with a quick right hand and left its pieces on the ground. "Next, Ninja Sub-Zero attacks directly!" He continued as the ice ninja created a frozen blade and used it to slash across the masked duelist's body, making her cry out.

Masked Duelist: 6200

Kenji: 8000

"Finally, Ninja Scorpion will launch another attack to your life points!" the flame and undead ninja dashed across the field and decked the girl with another right hand.

Masked Duelist: 4300

Kenji: 8000

"Almost down to half her life points..." Roxanne stared in awe of the damage. "If this girl doesn't step up her game, Kenji will advance by next turn."

"Yeah, it won't seem like a hard-fought victory," Matthias added.

Kenji sighed, 'I was thinking that egg did something after I attacked... maybe another monster to Summon... happy that these attacks weren't enough to beat her...' "I end my turn, last chance to impress..."

The masked duelist chuckled a bit. "Those were the magic words!" Once the last word left her mouth, the cracked remains of the egg reformed like it was brand new, shocking everyone.

"He destroyed that egg," Lily protested.

"Which set off Mystic Egg's effect," the masked duelist countered. "During the End Phase, the monster inside gets to come out and play... my Mystic Baby Dragon!" She announced as the egg started to crack once more, but now a new monster hatched out of it, tearing through and leaving only the top and bottom parts. In between was a small, green dragon with small, flightless wings and a small, yellow horn on its nose. All in all, it was adorable. (4/1200/800)

"I knew there was something about the egg," the ninja duelist stated. "It was just the timing..."

"Yeah, and it's about to get worse for you!" she continued, drawing her next card. She then held up a spell card depicting Mystic Baby Dragon roaring as a giant, adult version of itself stood behind. "I play Mystic Revolution! This lets my Mystic Baby Dragon grow up into its adult form!"

"Another form?" Alexis gasped.

"Great... now I remember what these cards are all about," Will realized, prompting everyone near him to lend an ear. "Mystic monsters are like the Level monsters, only they have to be destroyed in certain ways in order to gain their next form. And looking at Mystic Revolution, they'll have cards to speed up the process."

"So that means this masked duelist is a lot better than she's letting on..." Joey finished.

A golden light enveloped the baby dragon, making its body morph and grow into a new form. Once the light faded away, the dragon was shown all grown up with its giant claws, wings that would be able to give it flight, razor sharp teeth, burning red eyes, and a row of spikes going down its back. (8/3600/2400)

"Wow..." the ninja duelist muttered.

"And it gets even better..." the masked duelist stated. "Mystic Dragon, attack Kenji's Scorpion with Mystic Flame Attack!" She commanded as her powerful, adult dragon took flight and let out a massive breath of flame, taking down the undead ninja. Kenji shielded himself with his duel disk to block the burning sight.

Masked Duelist: 4300

Kenji: 6300

"That's rough..." Jeremy muttered.

"What was your first clue?" Alex added.

"And when my dragon destroys a monster in battle, I can draw one new card," The mystery duelist continued as she drew again, and then placed another monster on the field, "Next, I summon Healing Wave Generator in defense mode!" She continued as a small machine that looked like a closed mirror with circuitry all over and flashing lights on top. (4/800/1600) "Once per turn, I can gain 100 life points multiplied by the level of another monster I control... and since Mystic Dragon's my only other, I'll choose him!" The generator then floated over the mystery duelist's head and rained golden particles over her head.

Masked Duelist: 5100

Kenji: 6300

"Much better... I then place two cards facedown and end my turn." She concluded.

"Mystic Dragon being a powerful offence, that Healing Wave Generator restoring life points, and then two facedown cards..." Alexis said, taking in the masked duelist's field layout. "This girl know what's she's doing... unfortunately it's bad for Kenji."

"It's my turn," Kenji announced, drawing another card. "First, I'll activate Sub-Zero's effect... freezing your Mystic Dragon until the end of your next turn!" The ice ninja started to focus his hands into a circular formation and started to gather water from the air. But as it got closer, the water turned to ice; when he gathered enough ice, Sub-Zero shot it at the Mystic Dragon and froze it in place. "That should hold him for a while... Now I'll have him attack Healing Wave Generator!"

"I don't think so," the Masked Duelist announced, revealing her facedown card. "I activate Shift! Despite my monster not being able to do much, I can still have your monster drawn to him!"

"I activate a spell from my hand, my Monster Replace card!" the ninja duelist quickly announced. "Thanks to this, I can switch out my monster for another in my hand... and it doesn't matter about levels!" He stated as Sub-Zero vanished in a blue light that zapped itself into Kenji's hand. "Now, I bring out Ninja Kasumi to replace him!" He continued, as a flurry of sakura petals brought out the red-haired kunoichi to the field. (5/2000/1500)

"Aw man..." the masked duelist muttered.

"When Kasumi's summoned, I can take another Ninja that's level 4 or below from my deck and place it into my hand," Kenji explained, taking Undercover Ninja out from his deck and placed it into his hand. "Now let's try this again... Kasumi, take down Healing Wave Generator!" He commanded as the kunoichi dashed across the field and broke down the machine with a swift karate chop.

"And that activates my Mystic Call trap card," the masked duelist announced, revealing a trap card that showed a flurry of stars among a white mist. On the stars were Mystic Egg, a crystal orb with a yellow star, and a helmet that looked like a golden star. "Since you destroyed a level 4 monster, I can special summon 1 Mystic Egg, 1 Mystic Orb, or 1 Mystic Helmet from my deck! And I pick my Orb!"

Everyone gasped as the Mystic Orb on the trap card's picture appeared on the field. (1/0/0)

"Uh oh..." Tea muttered.

"Yeah, if the Egg can bring out the Dragon, the other two will bring out something just as worse..." Will added. "The question is: is he ready for it?"

"They must be that tough in their final form," Serenity figured.

"Next, I place one card facedown and my turn." Kenji announced, inserting another card into his disk. "Pretty good kid..."

"Thanks, now I'll go," the masked duelist nodded as she drew. "Now, I activate Offerings to the Doomed! At the cost of my next Draw Phase, I can destroy any monster on the field!"

"Which one of mine is it going to be?" the ninja duelist asked.

"Not yours... mine!"

Kenji raised an eyebrow as a golden blast erupted from the holographic card and blasted the Mystic Orb into pieces.

"What the...?" Chazz wondered. "She destroys her own card?"

"I'm wondering what's up with that as well?" Jachin added. "But she must have something to gain from doing that."

"I place one card facedown and then end my turn," the masked duelist concluded. "And because of that..." The pieces of the Mystic Orb reformed itself, just like the egg before it. "My Mystic Orb's effect activates... summoning my Mystic Baby Magician!" She called out as the Mystic Orb expelled a light green smoke, bringing out a young, female magician wearing a sliver robe with yellow stars around it, along with a wizarding hat that had a yellow star at the point of it. She also carried a small, thin wand and pointed it at Kenji's monsters. (4/1100/900) "Also, the effect of your Sub-Zero is over and he gets to move!" the ice around the dragon shattered as it roared and breathed its flames.

 _'I get it now...'_ Kenji realized _, 'her magician will be destroyed by another card effect and bring out a Mystic Magician... considering the name follows... I just got to take it out before she does, which is probably what that facedown card is for... so I'll play the waiting game for now...'_

"Yeah, he's gotta be thinking how to get that Magician destroyed without bringing out the evolved form," Will figured.

"It's my turn," the ninja duelist announced, drawing his next card. "First, I bring out my Ninja Sub-Zero once more!" He declared as the ice ninja reappeared on his field. (4/1800/1200) "Then, I use his special ability to freeze your Mystic Dragon once more!" Sub-Zero froze up the large dragon once more, encasing it within another glacier. "I'll end my turn here..."

"Why?" Isaac wondered.

"I guess Kenji thinks that's a trap intended to set off her next monster..." Melody figured. "If the next Mystic monster is anything like the Dragon in terms of power, he's gotta play smart."

"And the cards on the field aren't enough to take it down..." Alexis added.

"Scared?" the masked duelist taunted. "My Magician's weaker than yours and you won't attack it?"

"Because I know that facedown card is intended to destroy your monster when I attack," the ninja duelist argued. "So excuse me for playing the cautious one... but then again, I feel safe for one turn; because of Offerings to the Doomed you can't draw this turn."

"True," the duelist nodded. "So, I'll just pass this turn and let my monster defrost!" She concluded as Mystic Dragon broke out of its icy prison.

"My move," Kenji announced, drawing a card. "I play Block Attack on your Mystic Dragon, forcing it to be in defense mode!" The Mystic duelist gasped as her powerful monster was forced down on all fours. "Now, I have Sub-Zero attack him!"

Everyone gasped as the ice ninja rushed across the field, creating another ice blade.

"It's not enough!" Alexis protested. "That dragon has 2400 DEF!"

"And it's perfect for a card in my hand," the ninja duelist smirked revealing another spell in his hand. It depicted White Ninja getting ready to assassinate Great Shogun Shien from behind. "My Blind Spot Strike will add the DEF of Mystic Dragon to the ATK of Ninja Sub-Zero until the end of the turn!" He announced as Sub-Zero jumped into the sky and landed on the dragon's back. (4/1800-4200/1200) "Strike now!" With sharp stab of the ice sword, Mystic Dragon cried out in pain and fell to the ground, exploding into pixels.

"No, my dragon!" the Masked Duelist shouted.

"And now, I'll strike down Mystic Baby Magician and take down some more life points!" Kenji announced, as his kunoichi dashed across the field...

"Go Twin Vortex!" she countered, revealing a trap card depicting two yellow blast combing together and destroying something in the distance. "When you declare an attack, I get to destroy a monster on your field and then another on mine... and since Blind Spot Strike's effect will wear off when the end of your turn comes, I'll take out Kasumi along with my Magician!"

Out of the sky, twin yellow blasts appeared and took out Ninja Kasumi along with Mystic Baby Magician once they were close enough, shattering them into pixels.

"He knew it was a trap, but he attacked anyway?" Serenity wondered.

"And for good reason, too..." Tea pointed out as Kenji's facedown card revealed itself. "It showed a young, teen boxer about to strike a taller, stronger, adult boxer.

"I activate my Desperado Battle trap," He announced. "Since my Sub-Zero has battled this turn, I can take 1000 ATK from him and allow him a second attack... should've gone after him in the first place!" The masked duelist gasped in fear as a red aura drained some of Sub-Zero's power... (4/4200-3200/1200) "Sub-Zero, put her on ice!" the ninja gathered up another ice blast and fired it at Kenji's opponent, dealing another massive blast to her points.

Masked Duelist: 1900

Kenji: 6300

"He needs only another couple of attacks and he's won," Alexis cheered.

"But don't forget he's still dealing with a Mystic Magician next..." Lily added. "I think he did that to avoid two strong monsters to contend with..."

"Oh right..." the Cyber girl duelist sighed. "It still doesn't mean he's beaten yet..."

"I end my turn by placing another card facedown," Kenji concluded, while Sub-Zero's ATK returned to normal. (4/3200-1800/1200)

"And now, Mystic Baby Magician's effect activates and Special Summons her next form," the masked duelist announced, as she retrieved another card from her deck. "I summon Mystic Magician!" a bright portal opened up and brought out the female magician now all grown up. She wore new robes, but of the same color scheme as her old clothes, and under her wizarding hat, her golden hair flowed down to her back and held up bigger scepter. (8/3500/2500)

"Will, are all of the Mystic Monsters' ATK over 3000?" Erika wondered.

"Just the ones this girl is trying to bring out by having those cards destroyed," Will replied.

"Kind of reminds me of the Kuriboh monsters," Lily stated, grabbing Shion's attention. "Starts off 'weak' but ends up stronger than most monsters..."

"I do see that..." the Kuriboh duelist nodded.

"Now, it's my turn!" the masked duelist announced, drawing her next card and immediately brought out a monster card, "I summon the Mystic Piper!" She declared, bringing out a clown-like man with long blue hair underneath an orange hat, and wearing a loose, magenta jacket over a pink shirt, white pants, and purple shoes while playing sliver pipe. (1/0/0) "And then I sacrifice it to activate his special ability to draw 1 card, and if that's a level 1 monster I get to draw again!" the piper vanished into sparkles, letting her draw another card. She then revealed it to be Mystic Helmet. "That's a level 1 monster, so I can draw another card!" She then drew another card.

"I wonder what that monster's going to do," Alister wondered, thinking about the Mystic Helmet.

"No clue... but if it's around the strength of Mystic Magician and Mystic Dragon, a lot of damage to Kenji if he doesn't get rid of it," Mai stated.

"Now attack Sub-Zero, Mystic Magician with your Mystic Spell Strike!" the masked duelist announced as the magician raised her scepter to charge up energy, and then unleashed a silver blast that obliterated the ice ninja, leaving no trace left of him and Kenji blocking the smoke caused by the battle.

Masked Duelist: 1900

Kenji: 4600

"Then, I gain life points equal to its ATK!" the Mystic duelist continued as a sparkling, silver aura surrounded her to restore some of her life points.

Masked Duelist: 3700

Kenji: 4600

"And just like that, we're close to matching each other in life points... but I can't say the same for the next turns to come, where I'm gonna win!" She continued. Kenji just chuckled back at her statement. "I don't see what's so funny?"

"Actually, just happy to see someone come a long way from their dueling..." the Obelisk stated. "And with new cards..."

Everyone started wondering what was on the ninja duelist's mind.

"Kenji, you know this girl?" Alexis asked.

"You and Melody know her, too." Kenji replied, looking to both girls.

"Really?" the Magician duelist wondered. "She doesn't... sound like anyone I know?"

"I can tell who she is from her first move," Kenji stated. "It was the same way she bated Jaden into attacking this girl's Maiden in Love last year..." He then turned to masked duelist and smiled, "Right... Blair?"

The masked duelist gasped as she finally removed the masked from her face to show her brown eyes and a yellow bandana covering her purple hair.

"Hey, that is her," Alexis realized.

"She's really changed in a year," Melody added.

"Yup, and even smarter too," Blair grinned, but then she had a thoughtful look on her face when she turned to Kenji. "You can actually tell from my moves it was me?"

"Right, I was there from the beginning of your duel against Jaden..." Kenji nodded.

"Hey wait, Jaden?" the Mystic duelist gasped, and started looking around for the E-Hero duelist. "Where is he?"

"Sorry, he's taking care of something else for now..." Melody replied.

"Aw... I really wanted to see him..." Blair sighed. "Show him how much I've gotten better..."

"Well, you may see him later..." Kenji said, "But for now, we should finish up this duel..."

"Eager to lose," She smirked, putting her game face back on.

Blair: 3700

Kenji: 4600

"No, because after destroying Sub-Zero, you activated my Card of Last Will trap card," the ninja duelist replied, revealing his trap card that was facedown and drew a number of cards. "Now I get to draw 5 cards…"

"Alright then, I activate the spell card The Mystic Portal..." Blair countered, playing a spell that depicted Mystic Magician and Mystic Dragon flying inside of a vortex. "By removing Mystic Baby Dragon from my graveyard, I get to add Mystic Revolution from my deck." She stated, removing her baby dragon card and taking out another Mystic Revolution Spell from her deck.

"That's not good, she just took out a shortcut to her final monster," Serenity stated.

"But for some reason, I want to see what it is," Joey added.

"Don't be surprised," Yugi said. "It is how all duelists feel about their opponent's monsters during a fun match..."

"It's my move," Kenji announced, drawing his next card. He then opened up his Field Spell Slot and "I activate the Field Spell, Hidden Ninja Village!" Soon, the area transformed into a forest area with trees surrounding an open spot. Behind Kenji, was a tall, wooden gate that had a bustling ninja village beyond it, "Next, I summon Ninja Commander Ikusa in defense mode!" He announced, bringing out his dark green armored ninja in a defending stance. (3/700/700) "And then his move summons Ninja Soldier Katana in defense mode as well!" He continued as Ikusa performed several hand signs, having the dark cloaked ninja appear behind him. (3/400/400) "Your move..."

"Looks like I'll step it up," Blair declared as she drew her next card. "I summon Mystic Helmet to the field in attack mode!" She announced, bringing out the star-shaped helmet to the ground. (1/0/0) "And while you think about how the next monster works out, I'll have Mystic Magician attack Ikusa and gain his ATK from the life points!"

"Even though it's not enough, Hidden Ninja Village drains your monsters of 500 ATK whenever they do battle with a Ninja monster," Kenji explained as a red aura surrounded Mystic Magician as she charged her scepter. (8/3500-3000/2500) Still, she was able to fire her attack and obliterate Ikusa and sent a healing aura to Blair.

Blair: 4400

Kenji: 4600

"Now, I activate the other effect of my Ninja Village; bringing in a level 3 or below monster from my deck and into my hand," he continued, retrieving his desired card from the deck. "I bring Ninja Commando Kabuki to my hand!"

"I end my turn," Blair concluded.

"That helmet's the only thing to worry about now," Shion stated. "And we don't even know how it can be set off."

"And she didn't even protect it either, placing it into attack mode..." Lily added.

"My move," Kenji declared, drawing his next card. "Alright, I summon Ninja Commando Kabuki in defense mode!" He announced, bringing out his white armored masked ninja to the field. (3/700/700) "And his ability special summons any Ninja monster from my deck, so meet my Ninja Ayane!" He announced as another female ninja emerged with purple hair tied back by a blue cloth. She wore a kimono with a mix of pink and purple with a design of a bonsai tree on the lower half. She also wore a pair of purple gloves that stopped halfway up her upper arm. (5/2000/1500)

"And when Ninja Ayane is summoned, I can bring back one Spell or Trap card from my Graveyard to my hand!" Kenji announced as his Graveyard slot spit out a card and he added it to his hand. "And I choose my Shadow Clone! But instead of falling for your trap, I'll use the spell card Art of the Raging Mountain God!" He continued, inserting another card depicting Ayane glowing purple with a purple wave being thrown in a circle around her, pushing back opposing monsters. "By playing this when Ayane's on the field during Main Phase 1, I can destroy all monsters except Ayane herself! In exchange, I have to skip my next two Battle Phases!"

Blair gasped as Ayane began a string of handsigns. When she finished, a wave of purple energy was released around her, striking Kabuki, Katana, Mystic Helmet, and Mystic Magician, destroying them in an instant.

"Now, I'll place one card facedown to end my turn." He concluded.

 _'Darn, he stopped me from bringing out the knight easily...'_ Blair thought. _'Now I need to draw for it...'_

"Looks like he stopped the summoning requirements from Mystic Helmet," Yugi stated. "It needed to be destroyed by battle, if not card effects..."

"But from the looks of Blair, it's not going to stop her..." Serenity added.

"It's my turn," Blair announced, drawing her next card. She smiled at her find, and selected another card from her hand, revealing to be a spell card depicting Mystic Magician unleashing a devastating spell at the sky, "I activate the Mystic Blast Spell Card, by removing one Mystic Monster from my graveyard I can deal damage equal to its defense points!"

The Ninja duelist braced himself as Blair removed her Mystic Magician from the graveyard, seeing a dark green beam shoot out of the spell and blasted his duel disk.

Blair: 4400

Kenji: 2100

"Now it's my turn, go Stealth Strike!" Kenji countered, revealing quick-play spell depicting Strike Ninja performing a stealth assassination against Enishi, Shien's Chancellor in his office. "Now that you've hit me with effect damage, this spell card retaliates with the same damage if I have a Ninja monster on my field."

Before the Mystic Duelist knew what hit her, she felt something jab at her duel disk with a great force. When she looked to her left, Blair saw nothing there...

Blair: 1900

Kenji: 2100

She then turned to Kenji, who was smiling along with Ayane and said, "Almost like hitting yourself, eh?"

"That ninja hit me, didn't she?" Blair demanded.

Kenji looked to his kunoichi and smirked, "Did you?" Ayane gave him a devious, knowing smirk. "She did..."

"You're gonna get it now," the Mystic duelist grumbled. "Lucky for me, you can't attack now... so I end my turn."

"Kenji really got under her skin with that spell," Allyson noted. "Matched her damage, keeping him ahead."

"He just needs to wait one more turn for his Art of the Raging Mountain God Spell to wear off," Lily added.

"My draw," Kenji announced as he drew another card, "I switch Ayane to defense mode and set another card facedown." He declared as his kunoichi took a knee and crossed her arms, while a facedown card appeared right behind her to the left. "It's your turn.

"Then I draw," Blair declared, drawing her next card. "Time for my final monster, I summon Mystic Baby Knight!" She announced as a portal emerged, releasing a young boy wearing the stereotypical armor of the modern knight; bronze plate armor with a shield on his left arm and a sword at his belt. His eyes were an innocent blue as he stared curiously at his opponent. (4/1400/100) "Now I get to play my Mystic Revolution to evolve him!"

"Not if Magic Jammer has anything to say about it!" Kenji protested, revealing his trap card. "I discard 1 card to negate your spell!" The spell card turned pitch black before crumbling into nothing. "Now, you can't summon your Mystic Knight!"

"Looks like Kenji's joining up," Alexis smiled. "But still, gotta hand it to Blair... she's really grown as a duelist."

"I'll say," Melody nodded. "I bet if she kept the same deck, Kenji could counteract Maiden in Love the moment placed on the field. So, I'd say this deck shows her growing maturity."

Blair then giggled a bit. "Oh, it's not over yet!"

The Ninja duelist raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

The Mystic duelist turned over another card... Mystic Revolution! The crowd immediately gasped as Blair inserted the spell in, enveloping the knight in its radiant glow, increasing his height and power. Kenji could only think one thing...

 _'Crap...'_

"Now, I Special Summon Mystic Knight," Blair announced, as the glow vanished from her monster and showed off his new appearance. The knight was now in sparkling, sliver armor with his shield and sword marked with the golden stars. The star-shaped helmet he wore only showed off his piercing blue eyes, staring at Kenji with fierce determination. (8/3300/2000)

"Here we go again," Matthias stated. "I'd hate to know what that can do, but unfortunately we will..."

"Mystic Knight, slay that ninja with your Star-Light Slash!" the Mystic duelist commanded as her Knight's sword glowed as he charged across the field and cleaved the defenseless kunoichi into pixels. "Now I get to activate the effect of my Mystic Knight... When he destroys a monster in battle, its ATK comes out of your life points!"

"Oh no," Kenji gasped as the Knight approached him with his still glowing sword, and gave him a big slash across his body and knocked him down.

Blair: 1900

Kenji: 100

"Ouch," Alex flinched. "Sword across the chest... I don't care if it's a hologram it's painful to look at..."

"I agree," Jeremy nodded.

Kenji flipped himself back on his feet and wiped the dust of his blazer, "Well... that's gonna hurt later..."

"I end my turn," Blair concluded. "But I wouldn't get any hopes up on beating me, with only 100 life points left and my monster's effect, I can win with one slash!"

"We'll see about that," The ninja duelist stated, drawing his new card. He nodded at it and set in on the field. "I place a monster in defense mode and end my turn." He concluded, shocking the crowd.

"That's it?" Isaac wondered. "I hope that's a 0 ATK monster he's bringing out."

"Kenji wouldn't have a reason to put it down if he knew it causes him to lose," Alexis stated. "Meaning he's still in the game..."

"It's my turn," Blair announced as she drew. "I was hoping for a card to pierce damage, but I'll settle for the attack on your facedown monster!" The Mystic Knight charged once more and delivered another powerful slash that chopped the card in half. The monster revealed turned out to be a young, black-clad ninja with a spying scope before shattering. (1/50/0) "Huh?"

"My Undercover Ninja only has 50 ATK," Kenji smiled as a burning red aura surrounded him. "Meaning, I only lose half my score..."

Blair: 1900

Kenji: 50

"But I know you don't have any monster to protect your life points," Blair stated. "But just in case, this card's going facedown..." She concluded, setting a reverse card. "Try to save yourself!"

 _'Yeah, and I need the right card to make it all work out...'_ Kenji thought. _'I may want to face Alexis later, but I have to focus on the duel here and now...'_ He took a deep breath and drew his next card. Once he looked at it, he smiled.

"What did you draw?" Blair asked.

The ninja duelist looked up, and inserted the card he just drew, "I play Legacy of the Dragon Clan!"

Alexis gasped, "With that card he can summon..."

"...Ninja Hayabusa, I Special Summon you!" He announced as the spell card image spun rapidly until it brought out his signature ninja who immediately got himself into a battle-ready stance. (7/2700/1900) "It's been awhile..." Hayabusa turned around and bowed to him.

"It's not enough to finish me off," the Mystic Duelist boasted.

"Which is why I'll use my Junk Dealer card next," Kenji continued, "With this, I can special summon two monsters from my grave with half their strength, and I pick my Ninjas Kasumi and Ayane!" He announced as his red-haired and purple-haired kunoichi jumped out from a portal in the ground, standing by Hayabusa's side. (5/2000-1000/1500) x2

"He is going to summon it..." Melody wondered.

"His ultimate monster's coming!" Lily grinned.

Seeing all the surprised looks on the crowd's faces, Blair felt cautious... 'Whatever it is, I can't let him summon it...'

"Now, I end this by activating Ninja Summoning Art!" Kenji announced, revealing another spell card depicting Ninja Hayabusa performing a handsign with the silhouette of a large dragon behind him. "This is like a 'Polymerization' for my Ninjas and I'm planning to fuse my three Ninjas together!" He explained as blue chakra waves spiked out of his Ninjas in a high rate.

"Then, I'll have to derail your plan with my trap card," the Mystic duelist interrupted, revealing her trap card. "I activate Dark Bribe! This negates your spell, but it allows you to draw a card! Sorry, but you lose!" Everyone gasped as the Ninjas stopped their overflowing chakra while Kenji drew another card. "Now, it's time for you to end your turn..."

"Not yet..." Kenji said, having his head down.

"What do you mean?" Blair wondered. "I just stopped your spell, and your monsters are sitting ducks to mine!"

"They would have been..." Kenji then grinned and held up the card he drew. "If it wasn't for this draw you gave me!" It was Ninja Summoning Art!

"Alright," Alexis cheered as the Ninjas sparked their chakras back to high powered.

"It's been a long time for this one..." Kenji did a hand sign causing three ninjas to erupt in a giant puff of smoke that rose up to the ground. "Hayabusa, Ayane, and Kasumi now fuse into my ultimate monster!"

"RRRAAGGGHH!"

"What's that?" Blair looked around for the source. She then gasped at the next monster that came forth...

A large dragon out of the smoke... The inside of its wings was red and the rest of its body was covered in tan scales. It roared proudly as flew over Kenji and stared down the knight. (10/3500/3000)

"Ninja Gaiden, I've missed you," Kenji said with a proud smile. "And now, we'll win this duel with dragon finally standing victorious over the knight!"

"Not yet," Blair protested. "I'll only lose 200 points!"

"Thanks to Gaiden's effect, it's so much more," the Ninja duelist smiled. "He gains 400 ATK for every monster in the graveyard with Ninja its name... and there are nine meaning..."

The Mystic duelist stared helplessly at the large dragon, as its power skyrocketed. (10/3500-7100/3000) "I lost..."

"Thanks for the duel, but all good things must come to an end," Kenji stated. "Ninja Gaiden, attack Mystic Knight with Sacred Age Flames!" Kenji's dragon waved its head around, inhaling air. Once done, the dragon aimed at the opposition and blew out hot, red flames that melted the Mystic Knight into nothing. The flames soon extended to Blair, who let out a scream when they passed her by, ending the duel.

Blair: 0

Kenji: 50, Winner

"The winner, by a small margin, Kenji Yuuyami," Pegasus announced as the holograms disappeared and the crowd cheered.

"And so ends the quarterfinals," Yugi smiled.

"With only one guy left..." Alister added. "Poor Kenji..."

"Huh?" Joey asked.

"He's the last man standing with three girls," Will pointed out. "It's a new era of dueling, these Academy and Pro girls are tough nowadays!"

"And they should be," Mai smirked. "I know the semifinals are going to be intriguing!"

Blair sat up on her knees, sulking about her defeat, "Oh... I can't believe I lost!" She then noticed Kenji walking up to her and held out his hand.

"You really put me against wall today," He smiled. "You shouldn't feel bad about what you did today... I think you were one of the few virtual unknown in this tournament, and the only one making it to the finals. That shows you really improved on your dueling."

The Mystic Duelist started to get starry-eyed, "Really? You thought I was that great?"

"I know you're great as a duelist," the ninja duelist corrected. "Tell me, what was your motive for joining up in the tournament?"

"I wanted to get into this Academy and in Slifer Red," Blair replied.

"Well, with your impressive skills I don't think you need any schooling," Kenji replied honestly. "But, there's always room for improvement... and seeing that the Chancellor and the faculty of the Academy were watching you pushing one of their students to the limit, there shouldn't be any problem for enrolling unless you finish up elementary school."

"Then it's a good thing I was able to pass the sixth grade," the Mystic duelist cheered. "I may be young, but I'm able to come because of my high grades and skipping a few years."

"That is impressive," the Obelisk nodded. "Then I suggest we talk to Sheppard about this, and I'll even back you up."

Suddenly, Blair grabbed Kenji's hands and started shaking them in gratitude, "Oh thank you... thank you! I can't tell you enough how much this means to me!"

"No problem..." the ninja duelist replied, feeling a little dizzy after the handshake.

"Our quarterfinals have now concluded," Sheppard announced. "We'll have a 10-minute intermission for the four semifinalists to prepare."

After the announcement, Melody, Allyson, and Shion were looking towards the white dorm.

"You think they're gonna be alright?" Shion wondered.

"Of course," Melody assured her. "Sartorius and Jason are staring down four of the greatest duelists in this school..."

"And think about it," Allyson added. "It's because of them, this tournament can end on a fun note instead of worrying about the Society winning and brainwashing more contestants."

The Kuriboh duelist nodded, "Then, I can't wait anymore... I need to go apologize to Jason."

"Are you sure?"

"More sure than ever..."

"Then, just watch yourself..." Melody stated. "With Jason being the way he is, he may not listen."

"I'll make sure of it..." the Kuriboh duelist replied as she left the big crowd and headed for the white dorm...

* * *

Guardian Cathedral

Type: Field

Effect: Increase the ATK of each monster on your side of the field that is equipped with an equip spell by 300. As long as Guardian Cathedral is on the field you may add an equip spell to your hand in the draw phase instead of drawing.

Art: Lost Cathedral from Soul Calibur III

Book Of Guardian Arts

Type: Equip

Effect: This card can only be used by a monster in the Guardian Archetype, increase the ATK by 300 for each equip spell in your graveyard.

Art: A big brown worn out leatherback book with ancient writing.

(The above two cards were created by RoyalShowStopperXIII, creative rights and effects go to him.)

Guardian Formation

Normal Trap

Activate only when a face-up "Guardian" monster you control is selected as an attack target. Negate the attack and move the monster to an unoccupied Monster Card Zone. Then, you can select and activate 1 Spell Card from your hand or Deck.

Art: A soccer field with silhouettes of Guardian Eatos, Guardian Grarl, and Guardian Kay'est with arrows pointing from one to the next in a clockwise manner.

(Used by Rafael in the second series anime episode: Grappling with a Guardian, Part 2. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Effect Shut

Quick-Play Spell

Activate only when your opponent activates an Effect Monster's effect. Negate the activation, and destroy that monster.

Art: A burning monster being encased inside a spiked steel cage.

(Used by Jaden Yuki in GX episode 177; all rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Soul Charge

Normal Spell

Select and Special Summon any number of monsters from your Graveyard. Then, take 500 points of damage for each monster Summoned by this effect. Those monsters cannot attack during this turn or activate their effects while face-up on the field.

(Used by Rafael in the second series anime episode: Grappling with a Guardian, Part 3. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Desperado Battle

Normal Trap

Activate only during your Battle Phase. Select 1 monster you control that has attacked this turn. It loses 1000 ATK until the End Phase, and can attack once again this turn.

(Used by Vellian Crowler in GX episode 167, and all rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Mystic Revolution

Normal Spell Card

Select 1 face-up "Mystic Baby Dragon", "Mystic Baby Knight", or "Mystic Baby Magician" you control. Special Summon 1 monster written on the card text of the selected card from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard, Ignoring the Summoning Conditions.

Mystic Egg

LIGHT

Dragon/Effect

Level 1

0/0

During the End Phase of a turn this card was destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon "Mystic Baby Dragon" from your hand or Deck

Mystic Baby Dragon

LIGHT

Dragon/Effect

Level 4

1200/800

During the End Phase of a turn this card was destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon 1 "Mystic Dragon" from your hand or Deck.

Mystic Dragon

LIGHT

Dragon/Effect

Level 8

3600/2400

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card only can be Special Summoned with the effect of "Mystic Baby Dragon". When this card destroys a monster by battle draw a card.

(The above four cards were used by Blair Flannigan in the GX episode, The Hands of Justice, Part 2. All rights go the creators of the anime.)

Mystic Orb

LIGHT

Spellcaster/Effect

Level 1

0/0

During the End Phase of a turn this card was destroyed by a card effect, you can Special Summon "Mystic Baby Magician" from your hand or Deck

Mystic Baby Magician

LIGHT

Spellcaster/Effect

Level 4

1100/900

During the End Phase of a turn this card was destroyed by a card effect you control, you can Special Summon 1 "Mystic Magician" from your hand or Deck.

Mystic Magician

LIGHT

Dragon/Effect

Level 8

3500/2500

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card only can be Special Summoned through the effect of "Mystic Baby Magician". When this card destroys a monster by battle, you gain life points equal to the destroyed monster's ATK.

Mystic Helmet

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

Level 1

0/0

During the End Phase of a turn this card was destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon "Mystic Baby Knight" from your hand or Deck.

Mystic Baby Knight

LIGHT

Warrior/Effect

Level 4

1400/100

During the End Phase of a turn this card was destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon 1 "Mystic Knight" from your hand or Deck.

Mystic Knight

LIGHT

Dragon/Effect

Level 8

3300/2000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card only can be Special Summoned with the effect of "Mystic Baby Knight". When this card destroys a monster by battle, your opponent takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK.

Mystic Call

Normal Trap

Activate when a level 4 monster you control is destroyed. Special 1 "Mystic Egg", "Mystic Orb", "Mystic Helmet" from your deck.

The Mystic Portal

Normal Spell

Banish 1 "Mystic" Monster from your graveyard. Add 1 "Mystic Revolution" from your deck into your hand.

Mystic Blast

Normal Spell

Banish 1 "Mystic" Monster from your graveyard. Deal damage equal to the banished monster's DEF.

Stealth Strike

Quick-Play Spell

Activate only when you control a face-up "Ninja" monster while you've taken effect damage. Deal the same amount of damage to your opponent.

(The above 10 cards are of my own invention, creative rights go to me.)

Next Time: During the Quarterfinals, another battle took place. Can Aster and Masaki get through to Sartorius and Jason to defeat the Light of Destruction?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	74. Fighting Destiny Writ in Stone

Time for the big duel where the fate of the world is at stake! And it takes place during the GX Tournament Quarterfinals... Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 82: Fighting the Destiny Writ in Stone

* * *

Back inside the White Dorm, Aster and Masaki found a secret door inside Sartorius' room and proceeded to head down the stairway...

"So, are we going to take him down together?" Masaki wondered. "I know this all came from your Destiny Hero card, but you know Sartorius is my friend as well..."

"It wouldn't matter..." Aster replied. "You know he's going to have someone with him, so our best chance is a tag duel."

The S-Hero duelist shrugged, "At least we got Plasma in your deck and on our side, and it's free from the Light of Destruction. Snatch up his best monster, along with our combined tactics, we can't be beat."

"I wish it was that simple," the D-Hero duelist replied. "Remember, Sartorius can see the future... so he's got something planned for us. But then again, I've always been in control of my own destiny, and you're in control of your own. Whatever's possessing him is gonna pay for using us for his schemes..."

"Yeah, and dragging Jaden and Claudio into this, too." The Slifer added. "After our first major duel with them, we nearly broke their spirits due to the Dark Light's influence and after saying they were threats to us..."

"You shouldn't feel too bad," the Pro duelist stated. "I was the one looking out for the best of Hero dueling, you just wanted the chance to fight with the Shonen Heroes to fulfill that promise you made to your friend."

* * *

Soon, their talking led to the bottom of the stairway and entered into a startling sight...

The room they entered was now wide and spacious as if was here for years. All around the room was white and stacked with balcony windows, along with a statue of a faceless, marble-stoned woman in a strapless and sleeveless white dress standing in front of a mural of the sun to the right.

"Whoa..." Masaki gasped.

"Welcome, gentlemen!"

They looked straight ahead to see the Society of Light's leader, Sartorius laughing along with Gunter who was now dressed in a white cloak and carried a duel disk on his arm.

"Just the man we were looking," Aster stated. "Surprised to see us?"

"Why would I be?" Sartorius wondered. "Remember, I know everything that's to come... Predicting the future is my specialty."

"Then did you predict I bring THIS?" The D-Hero duelist quickly pulled out a card, Destiny Hero – Plasma. "The card my father designed and stolen... I know you know!"

"You caused all of this to happen, after the D gave you that card," Masaki added. "Possessing everyone with the Light of Destruction and by taking you down this can all end here!"

Sartorius smirked, "What makes you think the Light of Destruction's evil?"

"Because it killed my father," Aster shouted.

"Nonsense..." the SOL leader waved off, "The Light started everything! The Light of Destruction was born from the universe itself! Every so often, that Light escapes in a powerful surge and collides with Earth to look for a host. In the case of your father, the Light chose to inhabit his Destiny Hero card. And then... the tragic death of your father occurred... afterwards, the D came to me, a modest fortune teller at the time. He was afraid of the power inside Plasma and the destruction it could cause, and when I looked at the card... I knew my destiny was set! The Light of Destruction entered into my body and informed me to... rebuild this imperfect world! Aster, Masaki, you must believe me when I say that I will save this planet from destroying self by ridding the world of pain and suffering! I will destroy the world myself... I will save it... thanks to the new Satellite I've acquired!"

"You're talking crazy!" Masaki snapped. "'Rebuilding the world'? You're planning to kill innocent lives!"

"I'm talking perfect sense, Mr. Oda," Sartorius grinned. "But thanks to my other side, I don't know which of the two of you have the correct keys. So, I ask you two to give me those keys to see for myself!"

"Then tell us what was so important about getting me and Masaki in your plan, which you failed to mention when you signed us on as your protégés?" Aster demanded.

"Don't you remember?" the tarot reader laughed.

"How about I remind them, Master?"

The Hero duelists turned around to see Jason appear from the way they came in and jumped right over to Sartorius.

"Then, by all means..." Sartorius offered his right-hand man.

Jason then turned to the Hero duelists and explained, "The Light warned Master Sartorius that two chosen people with power to change destiny. He thought that they were you two, but now the Light tells us differently..."

"So, it's Jaden and Claudio..." Aster realized.

"Precisely," Jason grinned. "So hand over those keys to the Master, if you will..."

"It's not going to happen," Masaki shouted. "You're possessed just as Sartorius is now. I don't even think you know most of what you're saying! So, we're gonna free you from this Light now!"

"And Sartorius... Have you forgotten the promise I made to you?" Aster added, and he then started to tear up. "After you told me that you would fall into temptation and evil, I vowed to save you from it. And by defeating you in a duel, Masaki and I can do it!" He then turned to his partner, who nodded back as they took out their satellite keys.

"And if you want these keys, then face us in a duel..."

"Don't do it!"

They interrupted this time, by Jaden, Claudio, Syrus, Hassleberry, and Jethro.

"If you give up those keys, he'll activate the Satellite laser!" Jaden protested.

"Yeah, we really don't want a shot at losing the world like this," Claudio added.

"But the only way to get rid of the Light is by defeating them," Masaki protested. "I don't like the fact that some freaks from outer space has been walking around in my friend."

"Sorry, but I actually like this body," Sartorius laughed. "And if anything were to befall it, that's what Jason's here for..."

Everyone except Gunter and Jason gasped at that comment.

"That does it," Aster growled. "Masaki, let's end this now and get our friend back!"

"And save this world..." Masaki added. "And the winner gets to keep the keys!"

"Agreed!" Sartorius and Jason shouted.

"You better win this one, guys," Syrus told them.

All players then activated their duel disk.

"GAME ON!"

Everyone drew their opening hands and duel began.

Sartorius: 8000 + Jason: 8000

Aster: 8000 + Masaki: 8000

"The first move is mine," Sartorius grinned as he drew his sixth card. "I start with Arcana Force III- The Empress!" A prominence of somehow dark light erupted before him, creating a slender grey-skinned creature clad in a blue bodysuit that bared its upper legs, a cape of translucent light flowing down its back." (4/1300/1300) Soon, the card image appeared above the Empress and started rotating. "And if you've seen me duel before, you know that my Arcana Force cards' effects depend on what direction it stops."

"Then stop!" Aster shouted, but to his surprise the card didn't stop.

"Foolish boy," the Arcana Force duelist retorted. "Destiny's in control of this duel!" That's when it stopped right-side up... "And since the card is right-side up, every time you or Masaki Normal Summon or Set a monster. I can special summon an Arcana Force monster directly from my hand, including those in need of sacrifices. Afterwards, I set a card to conclude." He finished, as a reversed card appeared behind the Empress."

"With that, Sartorius is going to have his field filled with monsters before Aster and Masaki can," Jethro stated.

"Add in the fact that no one can attack until Sartorius' next turn comes around, it'll be too tough," Hassleberry added.

"It'll be all good," Claudio stated. "It also has to depend on how many monsters Sartorius has in his hand, so it can't be that much."

"My move," Aster announced, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Destiny Hero – Diamond Dude in defense mode!" He declared, bringing out his diamond shard covered hero kneeling and crossing his arms. (4/1400/1600)

"I activate the effect of The Empress, Special Summoning Arcana Force IV – The Emperor from my hand!" the tarot reader shouted. The Empress raised her hand and another of the Arcana Force formed beside her, a large black construct hovering over the ground, its body studded with rubies. Long metal tentacles ending in clawed hands formed its arms, and great black wings expanded out behind it. (4/1400/1400) Once again, the card image hovered above it, rotated and stopped right-side up. "The Emperor's positive effect raises the attack scores of my Arcana Force monsters by 500!" He announced as a white aura surrounded both his Arcana monsters. (4/1300-1800/1300), (4/1400-1900/1400)

"I activate Diamond Dude's effect...," the D-Hero duelist continued, taking the top card from his deck and holding it up to show Destiny Draw. "Since it's a Normal Spell card, I can use it next turn without the costs!" He then inserted it into his graveyard, and placed another one from his hand into it disk. "I place one card facedown."

"Now, it's my turn!" Jason announced as he drew his sixth card, "As much as I enjoy the décor of this private duel arena, it's time I send us to the holy place of my monsters!" He then inserted a spell into his Field Spell slot and closed it, "I activate the Field Spell, Realm of Light!"

Everyone then closed their eyes as the faceless statue emitted a bright light that enveloped the arena. When everyone got their sight back, a massive palace on top of a plateau bathed in pure white arose, with two massive towers billowing over it. Beneath the palace, surrounding the mountain was a city void of people.

"What the heck is this place?" Jaden wondered. "It's so bright..."

"The World of Justice, my foes," the Lightsworn duelist rejoiced. "Be thankful that this is the only sight of our new world will be like after the Misgarth Satellite is done with your world and the universe. It's also the world of the enforcers of the Light of Destruction."

"More like blind followers," Claudio added.

"We'll see about that," Jason stated, inserting another spell into his disk. "I use Foolish Burial, sending a monster like Wulf, Lightsworn Beast into the graveyard from my deck!" He then took his monster from his deck and placed it into his graveyard. "And because of that, the effect of my Field Spell activates and gives it a Shine Counter, and for each one my Lightsworn monsters gain 100 ATK!" Soon, a ball of light lit the beacon inside the towers. (RoL: 1SC) "Also, because it was Wulf being sent into the graveyard, he is Special Summoned!" In another flash of light, the bipedal wolf warrior appeared flexing it claw and lance. (4/2100-2200/300) "I end my turn."

"Now, it's my turn..." Masaki announced, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Shonen Hero Spirit Detective in defense mode!" He declared (4/1200/1200)

"And that brings out my next monster... Arcana Force V – The Hierophant!" Sartorius interrupted, as the Empress opened up another portal to another Arcana Force monster, grey-skinned like the Empress but masculine as his dark blue regal robe suggested, complete with a King's Crown on its head. (4/1500-2000/1500) Its card image emerged, and rotated in one revolution to stop right-side up.

"Okay, I'm tired of this already," the S-Hero duelist stated, opening up his field spell slot. "I'll transport us all to the World Martial Arts Tournament which destroys this Realm of Light..."

"Not so fast, Masaki," Sartorius smirked. "The Right-Side up effect of the Hierophant negates the activation of your Spell cards and destroys them once per turn!"

The Silfer groaned as spell card image appeared, only to be zapped by the Hierophant's crown and shattered into pixels. He then inserted once of his card into the disk, "I place a facedown and end my turn."

"And it's back to me," the tarot reader announced, drawing his next card. "Now let the fun commence... Arcana Force V, destroy Diamond Dude with Crown's Glory Beam!" The Hierophant opened its robe to reveal of grey cannon where the torso would be and unleashed a blast that obliterated Diamond Dude into shards. "Next, Arcana Force IV destroys Spirit Detective with Grappling Strength!" the black Arcana Force stretched out its arms and constricted the Spirit Detective into pixels.

"And the special effect of my Spirit Detective activates, summoning another with 500 more ATK," the S-Hero duelist retaliated, taking another copy of Spirit Detective and placed him on the field with a blue aura spiking around him. (4/1200-1700/1200)

"I'll end my turn." Sartorius concluded.

"My turn again," Aster announced, drawing his next card. "Now, I activate the effect of Destiny Draw to draw two cards, and because the spell card's not coming in play, Hierophant can't negate it!" He then drew out his two cards and nodded at his find. "I'll sacrifice my partner's Spirit Detective and summon my Destiny Hero – Double Dude!" He declared as the second Spirit Detective vanished and brought out the black suited D-Hero twirling his cane. (6/1000/1000)

"And that brings out another Spirit Detective for me with 1000 ATK extra," Masaki added, as the Spirit Detective reappeared with a bigger aura. (4/1200-2200/1200)

"But Double Dude also brought out another Arcana Force monster for the Master," Jason smiled.

"Like Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon!" Sartorius finished for his partner, placing his next card on the disk and bringing out a glowing white star that expanded into a large black metal construct with a silver face. Golden yellow gems were set into the metal, glowing brilliantly, and a mass of metal cables extended out behind it. Its arms were built from the same cable material and a glass dome set in its chest revealed some being with a large round head. (8/2800-3300/2800) The card rotated over its head and landed right side up. "And since its right-side up, I get a gift during my standby phase."

"Well, I activate Solidarity, and since I only have Warriors in my Graveyard, Double Dude gains 800 ATK!" the D-Hero duelist declared as a dark aura surrounded Double Dude. (6/1000-1800/1000) "But then, my Double Dude still need as boost, so I reveal my facedown card, D-Chain to have him gain 500 ATK!" He continued, revealing his facedown card that let a steel chain wrap around the hero and grabbed the sharp spearhead. (6/1800-2300/1000)

"It's still not enough," Syrus protested.

"It's enough for this..." Aster corrected. "Double Dude, attack the Emperor with Chain of Repent!" He commanded as the D-Hero swung the chain around and sliced apart the demonic looking Arcana Force into pixels, also weakening the others. (8/3300-2800/2800), (4/2000-1500/1500), (4/1800-1300/1300)

Sartorius: 7600 + Jason: 8000

Aster: 8000 + Masaki: 8000

"And when a monster with D-Chain destroys a monster in battle, you lose an additional 500 points!" The chain extended into the tarot reader's body and shot straight through him.

Sartorius: 7100 + Jason: 8000

Aster: 8000 + Masaki: 8000

"And remember, Double Dude can attack twice..." Aster continued, "So the Empress is next!" The black suit hero transformed into his angrier, muscular and more powerful alter ego as he used the chain again to destroy Arcana Force III, placing her into the graveyard and then striking Sartorius again with D-Chain's effect.

Sartorius: 5600 + Jason: 8000

Aster: 8000 + Masaki: 8000

"Nice!" Claudio cheered. "He weakened the Arcana Force and then took out the easiest way to summon them!"

"And then he was able to drop 2400 of Sartorius' life points," Hassleberry added. "Those were some nice tactics..."

"Yes they were," the SOL leader nodded, "But they will now benefit me through the trap card, Ace of Wand!" He declared, revealing the trap card of a black wand emitting light and then rotated clockwise. Like all the others, it landed right-side up. "And thanks to this effect, I gain life points equal to the combined ATK of my destroyed monsters!" He laughed as a white light surrounded him and restored his points over the initial.

Sartorius: 8300 + Jason: 8000

Aster: 8000 + Masaki: 8000

"Oh man," Jethro groaned. "All of that, and he's a little bit back where he started."

"I end my turn, by placing one card facedown." Aster concluded, angry that his move failed in the long run.

"Don't feel bad," Jason smirked as he drew his next card, "But allow me to make it worse; I sacrifice Wulf to summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!" He announced as Wulf howled, leaving the field in white stars and combined to form the beautiful, blue-haired angel holding her wand. (5/2300-2400/200) "And since she summoned by sacrificing a Lightsworn, I send the top 4 cards to destroy two cards on the field and add another Shine Counter on my Field Spell!" As he took the four cards into the graveyard, another beacon lit up... (RoL: 2SCs) (5/2400-2500/200) and then Celestia gathered some Light from the sky and used the immense power to smite Masaki's Spirit Detective and Aster's Double Dude from the field.

"Their monsters were totally obliterated!" Jaden gasped.

"And soon, their life points," the Lightsworn duelist sneered, "Celestia, direct attack on Masaki with Justice Wave!" Another orb of Light was gathered into the Angel's wand and fired a blast, making Masaki scream out in pain and on his knees.

Sartorius: 8300 + Jason: 8000

Aster: 8000 + Masaki: 5500

"Masaki, you alright," Aster shouted in concern.

"I activate... Damage Condenser," his partner replied, revealing his trap card and discarding one card from his hand. "Thanks to your 2500 point hit Jason, I can summon forth Shonen Hero Monster King from my deck!" After taking the card from his deck, Masaki placed it on the duel tray and unleashed the dinosaur-like beast onto the field whom, let out a powerful roar. (8/2500/2500) 'With him on the field, I can take out all Level 6 or higher monsters that try to cross Aster and me...'

Jason sighed as he placed two cards face down on his field, "That monster will not declare your victory!"

"We'll see," Masaki replied as he drew his next card, immediately setting it down. "I place one card facedown and end my turn. I won't fall for your little trap to protect your Master."

"Very well," Sartorius announced and drew his next card. "First, I gain that gift from my Moon... a Moon Token!" The Moon's glass dome spread apart and let loose a small, grey, alien-like figure with small hand and six tentacles underneath the torso. (1/0/0) "Next, I play Cup of Ace!" He announced as the spell image appeared, and rotated to right-side up. He then drew two cards. "Now, I sacrifice the token and the Hierophant to Summon Arcana Force XIX – The Sun!" He rejoiced as the new token and Hierophant vanished into golden light, and combined to create another large, grey construct with a silver face. Its body was round and golden, like the sun itself while four metallic arms emerged from it and expanded into solar panels. (8/2900/2900) The card image rotated over its head, and landed right-side up. "Now the both of you must play with your hand revealed... not that it matters since both of you are destined to lose..."

The Sun used its arms to stretch out and around the Hero duelist and raised its solar panels above them to reflect the images of their hands. Aster's hand contained Destiny Heroes - Disk Commander, Defender, Dunker, and Eternal Dread, while Masaki's contained Shonen Hero Black Swordsman.

"Now then, I think I'll attack," Sartorius mused, "But then again your Monster King troubles me, Masaki..."

"Not to worry, Master!" Jason grinned, revealing his facedown card. It was a continuous trap depicting a large, purple crystal that sealed a dragon inside of it. "I activate the continuous trap card, Crystal Seal!" Suddenly, purple glow enveloped the Monster King and soon encased him inside of a crystal prison!

"What did you do to my monster?" Masaki demanded.

"I sealed off your monster," the Lightsworn duelist replied. "As long as it stays inside that crystal prison, Monster King cannot do anything or be used for anything... including defend your life points! Also, the trap itself cannot be destroyed except by increasing its ATK. And from your hand, you can't do that! It's useless!

"They can't catch a break," Claudio growled.

"And since you to have nothing, I'll strike directly with the Moon," Sartorius rejoiced as his monster gathered a large amount of Light with its eyes...

"I activate the trap card, D-Fortune!" Aster interrupted, revealing a trap depicting the ghost of Diamond Dude protecting a duelist. "This allows me to banish my Destiny Hero – Double Dude from my graveyard in order to end the battle phase." He announced, removing his monster card from his discard slot and pocketing it, which stopped the Moon from collecting energy.

"That was close," Hassleberry stated, "They were going to get slammed with some big time direct damage!"

"Oh, I haven't forgotten about damage," the SOL duelist leader, "At the End Phase of my turn, the Sun will deal 500 points of damage to each of the card in the opposing player's hand." Everyone gasped, as the Hero duelists looked at their respective hands. "Aster carries four for 2000 and Masaki carries one for 500..."

The Sun's solar panels flared up and launched a flaming blast at the two Hero duelists, leaving them broken down.

Sartorius: 8300 + Jason: 8000

Aster: 6000 + Masaki: 5000

"It's in your best interest to hand over the keys..." Sartorius offered and then turned to Jaden and Claudio. "That goes for you two as well..."

"Fat chance," Claudio retorted.

"This is nuts," Jaden growled. "Aster and Masaki are taking all the real damage, while Sartorius and Jason haven't been touched!"

"It's futile, boys!" Jason announced. "No one can defeat the Light! It's just a matter of time before the four keys belong to the Master, figure out which two belong, and then free the world of its pain and suffering with the Light by destroying it!"

"You don't know what you're saying, Jason," Masaki panted, getting on his knees. "And Sartorius... you shouldn't be like this..."

"The Sartorius you knew is long gone," the SOL leader announced. "No use in trying to reason with me..."

Aster looked up at the man across from him, distraught over the predicament, 'When we were kids, I promised I would save him... somewhere behind the evil alien possessing that body is my friend!'

Sartorius chuckled seeing the D-Hero duelist's eyes, "Aster... your eyes are filled with despair... you're losing hope and doubting your own convictions! But I could not blame you... I would be insecure if I failed to avenge my father as well..."

Aster then growled and stood up, about to say something... but his partner beat him to the punch...

"You're the one's going to fail!" The S-Hero duelist snapped. "And deep down, you know it... when you saw Aster's eyes, you can also see a reflection of yourself! You know how great a duelist he is... for all your predictions about his victories he knew they were going to happen..." He then smirked. "Makes me wonder why he needed a fortune teller at this day and age."

Sartorius sneered, while Aster looked at his partner in surprise as he stood up for him.

"Back then, when the two of you were kids, all the fortune telling then were of a friend feeling worried for a friend!" Masaki continued. "You're just afraid of his skill and power, so you're putting him down by getting into his past!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Jason cut in. "When I possessed your cards to take control of Claudio I found interesting things about them... about you not being the original owner."

"And that comes as no surprise," the S-Hero duelist replied and shrugged. "I told him and everybody present about how I got them..."

"Yes, but sensing the spirits in them... I found something else..." the Lightsworn duelist grinned. "You carried a vast amount of hatred for him!"

Everyone gasped, especially Aster...

"Every loss you obtained from him burned into your brain," Jason continued. "You couldn't handle it, so you wanted to come back for more and you kept on losing. And then, that day when he collapsed during his last duel with you... you were happy! Happy that he couldn't last against you... but you also were angry that you couldn't deal the finishing move... so you took his deck!"

"That's not true!" Masaki shouted.

"He's not like that," the D-Hero duelist added in protest. "He acknowledges every opponent he every come across, as a winner or a loser!"

"Please..." Jason scoffed. "I remember when you defeated Zane Truesdale and arrogantly called out Jaden about your, how should put this, 'Aster Rip-off Deck'?"

"I wouldn't blame him for being angry at me..." Aster sighed. "Back then, I threw my own philosophy about destiny in everyone's face... and I wasn't being true to myself, much less to my own cards. I became a Pro Duelist, high-ranked, but never used my real cards. And I tried to run away from it by insulting every other duelist using Hero-based Monsters... Jaden for using Elemental Heroes for fun, Claudio for creating his Jukebox Heroes, and Masaki using someone else's Shonen Heroes... talk about being hypocritical..."

"Apology accepted," Masaki smiled.

Aster nodded as he turned to Sartorius, "But there's one thing you should know... Destiny's not set in stone!"

"Spoken like a true fool!" Sartorius cackled.

"Then you can see that these fools are not giving up," Aster continued.

"Fine, then by all means... fail!" Jason added as he and Sartorius laughed.

"Let's hope Aster has a plan during his turn..." Syrus wondered as the Hero duelists shrugged off their damage.

"We need to get something going and quick..." Masaki groaned.

"I bet I'll get something, just need a good card," Aster stated and drew his next card, it revealed to be Lightning Vortex! "Yes! First, on my standby phase I get some Double Dude Tokens!" He announced as two doppelgangers of Double Dude appeared, his gentleman version and his muscular, monster version. (4/1000-1800/1000) x2 He then inserted his spell card, "And then, I'll use the card I just drew my Lightning Vortex! By discarding Eternal Dread, all face-up monsters on my opponent's side are destroyed!"

Sartorius and Jason gasped as massive lightning storm crashed from above them and struck down every monster they had.

"Yeah!" Syrus cheered. "They're wide open!"

"Take it to their life points now," Jaden added.

"Already on it, because I summon Destiny Hero – Dunker," Aster declared, playing his dreadlocked D-Hero who stood at attention near the Double Dude Tokens and powered up by Solidarity. (4/1200-2000/1700) "For its special ability, I discard Disk Commander to do 500 points of damage to Sartorius' Life points!"

Dunker gathered up a glowing, basketball-shaped orb of energy in his right hand before dashing across the field and slamming it up against the SOL leader's chest.

Sartorius: 7800 + Jason: 8000

Aster: 6000 + Masaki: 5000

"Now for some well-deserved damage," the D-Hero duelist smirked. "Dunker, while you're over there, attack Jason directly!" The D-Hero in question leapt from his spot near Sartorius and then smacked Jason with a big right hand.

Sartorius: 7800 + Jason: 6000

Aster: 6000 + Masaki: 5000

"Token 1, attack Sartorius directly!" the gentleman Double Dude token dashed across the field and smacked Sartorius across his stomach.

Sartorius: 6000 + Jason: 6000

Aster: 6000 + Masaki: 5000

"Token 2, attack Sartorius again!" Then, the monster persona token leapt from his spot and then slammed the SOL duelist's back with a double axehandle slam.

Sartorius: 4200 + Jason: 6000

Aster: 6000 + Masaki: 5000

"And that will do it for now," Aster concluded.

"Major comeback," Claudio cheered. "And it's about time he got something to power up his Destiny Heroes!"

"And if Masaki can pick up where he left off, they'll be ahead," Jaden added.

"I beg to differ," Jason snapped as he drew his next card. "First, I summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner to the field!" In a flash of light, a dark-skinned woman with short white hair appeared. She wore sleeveless white dress that went down to her knees and had a scarf around her neck. (3/1000-1200/1000) "Next, I activate her special ability to discard one card from my graveyard and then special summon a Lightsworn Monster from my graveyard that's level 4 or below. So I discard my Light Spiral, and summon Wulf, Lightsworn Beast back to the field!" Lumina conjured up a light orb and then used it to revive the beast-warrior wolf. (4/2100-2300/300)

"Now, I'll activate Monster Reborn to revive my Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior!" A blue-haired monster of a man clothed in white mythril rose up from the center of the circle. He reached out with both hands as a massive Great Axe appeared before him. He snatched the weapon out of the air, and whisked it back towards him, showing his great strength (4/1850-2050/1300) "Now, Wulf destroys a Double Dude Token!"

Wulf howled as it leapt the gap between him and his opponent in no time flat and pierced through the Token with great force, exploding its pixels around Aster.

Sartorius: 4200 + Jason: 6000

Aster: 5500 + Masaki: 5000

"Now, I have Garoth destroy your Dunker!" the warrior raced towards the dreadlocked Hero and cut him down with his powerful axe, sending another flurry of pixels into Aster.

Sartorius: 4200 + Jason: 6000

Aster: 5250 + Masaki: 5000

"Now, I end my turn..." Jason concluded. "During the End Phase, Lumina sends three cards to the graveyard to power my Realm of Light!" He announced as he took the top three cards of his deck and placed them into the graveyard, letting another beacon ignite inside the tower. (RoL: 3SCs) (3/1200-1300/1000), (4/2300-2400/300), (4/2050-2150/1300)

"But it doesn't stop there because the effect of my Garoth activates... when cards are sent from my deck to the graveyard, I can send another two cards into the graveyard!" Another two cards were sent from Jason's deck into his graveyard, lighting another beacon. (RoL: 4SCs) (3/1300-1400/1000), (4/2400-2500/300), (4/2150-2250/1300) "And since I sent Gragonith and Ehren to the graveyard, I can draw another two cards!" the Lightsworn duelist concluded drawing his next two cards. He concealed a grin as he saw the two cards. 'If only you two knew what was coming for you...'

"My go," Masaki announced, drawing his next card. "Even though my Monster King's sealed, he still counts as a monster on the field, so that I can summon Shonen Hero X Avenger!" He announced as the white clad, glasses-wearing Shonen Hero appeared and grinned. (6/2000/2000)

"Nice, he can use his effect to absorb Monster King's ATK!" Claudio cheered as frozen monster was able to emit a blue light to combine with X Avenger's white light to X Avenger's synthetic angel that drew its sword. (6/2000-4500/2000)

"X Avenger, attack Lumina!" Masaki commanded as the Synthetic Angel took the command from X Avenger, letting to rush across the field. With one mighty swing of its knight sword, the angel cut apart the Lightsworn Summoner into light flurries and then unleashed an arc of blinding light that knocked Jason on his back.

Sartorius: 4200 + Jason: 2800

Aster: 5250 + Masaki: 5000

"Awesome, Jason's close to losing his spot in the duel!" Syrus cheered.

"Yeah, if Aster can follow up on his next turn than all they have left is Sartorius!" Jethro smiled. "All they need to do his wrangle up the rest of Jason's life points."

"And then Sartorius won't stand a chance against both of them," Hassleberry added.

"I place one card facedown!" Masaki announced, inserting the last card in his hand while X Avenger's ATK returned to 2500. "Looks like Destiny's not in your boys' favor!"

Sartorius chuckled, "Spoken once again like a true fool! How many times must I tell you Masaki, that I've seen the future... it matters not what you think!"

"Then you should already know that we won't give up until our friend is back and Jason is free," Aster added. "Like we're going to repeat every time that you bring up the 'fool' game..."

"Fine, then you both must learn the hard way!" the tarot reader shouted as he drew his next card, and inserted it in. "I first play my Card of Sanctity Spell, allowing us all to draw until we have six cards in our hands! Of course, I know what I'll draw..."

Aster and Masaki groaned as they, Jason, and Sartorius drew their cards until six rested in their hands.

"Next, I play the Spell Necro Illusion!" Sartorius continued, inserted his spell card. "This lets me summon a high-level monster while I give you monsters from my graveyard to act as sacrifices. So, I'll think I'll let you have my Empress to Masaki while I give the Sun to Aster!" He announced as the feminine alien returned to Masaki's side (4/1300/1300), while the solar paneled construct appeared by Aster's side. (8/2900/2900). "And since I'm nice, you can choose their modes!"

"Defense mode," Both Hero duelists announced as their new monsters curled up and blocked. Then, both of their card images appeared over their heads and rotated. But instead of the repetitive effect they've been getting when Sartorius used them, they fell upside down. "What?"

"It's your destiny to fail, boys!" Sartorius cackled. "When the Empress is upside down, you two must discard a card from your hands whenever Jason and I summon a monster! And then, the Sun is upside down means your hands are revealed again!"

Aster growled as their hands were common knowledge once more: Destiny Mirage, Malicious, Dasher, and 3 D-Cubics

Masaki had these cards: Cost Down, Junk Dealer, Primary Lotus, Hero Unit, Hero In Training, and Shonen Hero Black Swordsman.

"And then on the End Phase they lose 500 life points for all of them," Jason added with a laugh.

"And now, I'll summon to the field my Arcana Force XV!" Sartorius announced, holding up the card.

Aster gasped, remember what it represented... "The Devil..." Soon, a monstrous looking Fairy appeared before him. Its body was dark brown and it had no head instead what looked like three giant blood shot eyes were on the sides and top of its body, instead of regular arms it had four tentacles with hooks at the end. (7/2500/2500) Soon, the image of the card appeared above its head and rotated to right-side up _. 'That's the card that represents Sartorius as he is right now... a person corrupted by an evil entity._

"Now first, the Empress forces you both to discard a card from your hands!" the SOL leader stated as Masaki discarded Primary Lotus and Aster discarded Destiny Mirage. "Now, Arcana Force XV will attack Aster's Double Dude Token!" In a quick motion, Devil launched one of its tentacles and hooked it through the token's body and slammed it into Aster's body, knocking him down.

Sartorius: 4200 + Jason: 2800

Aster: 4550 + Masaki: 5000

"Aster!" Masaki cried.

"You're next, Masaki!" Sartorius continued. "When Arcana Force XV is right side up and destroys a monster in battle, it takes another and then the controller of that monster loses 500 points!" The Devil launched another tentacle, breaking down the Empress and shattering her against Masaki, knocking him facedown.

Sartorius: 4200 + Jason: 2800

Aster: 4550 + Masaki: 4500

"Once a failure, always a failure," the SOL duelist laughed. "Have you learned nothing? Every event in our lives is predetermined, trying to change destiny is pointless!" He then looked to the Satellite Keys around the boys' necks. "Those keys are mine along with this whole planet! Just like Aster's father was meant to create Destiny Hero – Plasma as the Ultimate Destiny Card, and the Light of Destruction was meant to possess it and begin the new era of this world!" He then began to walk over to the boys, "Hand over those keys!"

Aster looked up with helplessness as his possessed friend was coming for the keys. 'Maybe he's right... I can't fight destiny and Masaki and I were meant to lose!'

"He's not getting those keys!" Claudio shouted.

"He sure ain't," Hassleberry added. "Let's stop him!"

But as soon as they took the first step, a white light enveloped them, Jaden, Syrus, and Jethro.

"I can't... move..." Jaden grunted.

"Me... too..." Syrus gasped.

"How's he... doing... that?" Jethro wondered. He got his answer when he saw Jason pointing his right hand at his direction.

"No stopping the Master..." the Lightsworn duelist smirked.

"Aster! Remember your promise!" the E-Hero duelist shouted as Aster gasped.

"Your promise means nothing," Sartorius stated as he closed in on Aster. "Your friend no longer exists; his body is a host for the Light of Destruction!" As he reached for the key... Aster unconsciously gripped the arm, making Sartorius cringed.

"Wrong... he's right here..." An ominous voice called out as Aster pushed away the possessed tarot reader.

"Who's there?" Sartorius demanded as he looked around.

"It's me!"

Everyone gasped seeing that the voice came from Aster as he stood up with renewed vigor.

"It can't be!" the SOL leader shouted. "I got rid of you!"

As Aster drew, he and the other voice shouted. "Guess again!" Because of Arcana Force XIX's effect, it was shown to be Polymerization. "First, I'll sacrifice the Sun in order to summon my Destiny Hero – Dasher!" He announced as the Arcana Force monster vanished into thin air and brought out the dark armored racer to the field, concealing Aster's and Masaki's hands once more. (6/2100/1000) "But he won't stay for long as I use the card I drew, Polymerization, and fuse Destiny Heroes Malicious and Dasher to form a new monster!"

"This is just like when he fused three Elemental Heroes for Vision Hero Trinity," Jaden realized.

Claudio gasped, "That's what he's going for! Another Vision Hero!"

Both Heroes jumped into the fusion vortex and combined with one another as Aster shouted the new name, "Meet Vision Hero Adoration!" He announced as the new Hero jumped out of the vortex to show off his persona. Like the Destiny Heroes, he wore dark clothing that consisted of a dark armor with six steel tentacles sprouting from it. His head was concealed by a helmet that only had a red jewel to view his surroundings. His target: Sartorius. (8/2800-3600/2100)

"Nice monster," Jethro whistled. "It has enough power to take down the Devil! Good thing he's been using that Solidarity card to boost his monsters' ATK!"

"And that's not all, cowboy!" Aster continued, removing one Malicious' card from his graveyard, "I now banish Malicious from my graveyard to summon another one from my deck!" Soon, the demon-like warrior appeared on the field with dark look on his face. (6/800-1600/800)

"Is that all," Sartorius wondered.

"No, I use the effect of my Adoration!" the D-Hero duelist announced. "Once per turn, I can select a Hero Monster like Malicious and one of your monsters, like the Devil! Adoration will zap the ATK and DEF of your monster by the value of Malicious! So your monster's about to look a lot weaker..."

Adoration used his steel tentacles to wrap around the Devil, draining it of most of its strength. (7/2500-900/2500-900)

"Malicious, take down the Devil!" Following the voice's command, the demonic warrior flew up to the weakened Arcana Force Monster and tackled it through the gut, making it explode.

Sartorius: 3500 + Jason: 2800

Aster: 4550 + Masaki: 4500

"Now Adoration, attack him directly!" the Possessed Sartorius gasped as Adoration's helmet shined and fired a red beam...

"I discard Arcana Force XIV – Temperance to negate the battle damage to 0!" Sartorius shouted, discarding his monster and blocked off the attack.

"Almost had him!" Hassleberry snapped.

"I end my turn," the voice inside Aster concluded. Then, Aster gasped as if he saw a vision...

* * *

He saw himself in a forest on a rainy day, under a tree.

"Where am I?" Aster wondered.

"Aster!"

He then turned around to see someone holding a black umbrella for him to get shelter from the rain... it was Sartorius... the real Sartorius...

"Sartorius, is that you?" Aster asked. "I thought I felt you inside my mind, helping me through that last turn..."

"I was," the tarot reader stated. "When you first entered into the room, I place whatever little power I had into your mind before the Light could fully take over."

"So, where is this place?" the D-Hero wondered.

"It's a lost memory of yours..." Sartorius replied. "Of the day you and I first met... deep inside your subconscious, the Light of Destruction is unable to harm us. You've saved me more times than I can remember..."

* * *

(Flashback)

 _A scene was shown to the both of them... a young Sartorius, a young Sarina, and a young Makoto; along with a frail and pregnant woman around 30 years of age were sitting in an abandoned construction site, wearing tattered clothes in the snow while sitting by a canister full of fire._

 _"My family and I were outcasts among the city we lived in because of our powers, and run out of town by our father and his hatred for us," Sartorius told. "My mother was due anytime to give birth to Hanabi, but she was suffering from the cold and the heartbreak of her husband leaving her."_

 _Soon, flashlights from security guards blinded them and forced them to move on their ways._

 _"All we need was a home and someone who could help our Mother in her time of need. And thanks to my predictions, we were saved by you..."_

 _Sartorius' mother soon went to labor as she fell to her knees, clutching her pregnant stomach and screamed out in pain. While Sarina and Makoto were trying to calm her down, Sartorius went to call for help. By stroke of good fortune, Aster and his dad showed up in their card and heard Sartorius' pleas for help. Being the good people they were, they were able to take the pregnant woman to the hospital. The good news was that Hanabi was born a healthy baby... but at the cost of the mother who suffered so much. Aster's father offered to take them in after the funeral and provide a home_.

(End Flashback)

* * *

"Although we lost our mother, Sarina, Makoto, and I were grateful that you and your father shown us kindness despite our abilities," Sartorius stated. "And later... my dark future..."

"It's alright..." Aster replied with an assuring smile. "You were also there when my father died and attended his funeral. And then later in the years, we met Masaki after he suffered the loss of his friend with the Shonen Heroes."

"I'm sorry for dragging you both into this..." the tarot reader sighed.

"Don't feel guilty," the D-Hero duelist continued. "You've helped me many times after that! Managing my dueling, giving me the courage to rise within the Pro League! Even when Masaki was trying to hone his skills with the new deck, you helped him by learning to believe his cards in his own way, not by others... You rescued us from our own despair."

"I did?"

"We wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for you," Aster nodded. "With you backing us up, no way the Light of Destruction can win!"

"But what if it's too strong?"

"You once thought I could beat destiny! I can't by myself, so I need your help and Masaki's!"

"Right!"

 _ **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

Both of them gasped as the destructive light aura that possessed the D came in.

 _ **"The both of you have taken the first step towards the Light!"**_ A destructive, feminine voice shouted from the aura.

* * *

Soon, Aster found himself back in the duel and looking around to see Masaki still unconscious...

"Hey Masaki, wake up!" He shouted.

"Forget it, he's done," Jason replied as he drew his next card. "It's time I obliterated everything in my path now!" He held up one card that Jaden gasped in shock.

"Oh man, he's summoning that Dragon!" He shouted in alarm.

"Judgment Dragon, with at least 4 different Lightsworns in my graveyard, I summon you!" Everyone gasped as a powerful light erupted from the card in question and then created a portal, for the dragon to descend onto the field. (8/3000/2600)

"Your monster has only 3000 ATK," Aster protested. "What's so special about him?"

"I sacrifice 1000 life points to kill everything on the field!" Jason roared as a red aura shaved off some of his life points...

Sartorius: 2800 + Jason: 1800

Aster: 4550 + Masaki: 4500

At Jason's command, the dragon stomped it forelegs down and poured a golden light onto the ground that quickly spread itself on the entire playing field, the castle behind it were also covered. Then it happened... the ground erupted into a storm of burning light. Everyone could not let out a scream as the light engulfed the field, he could only see Jason's and Sartorius' maniacal stares as he too was bathed in its light.

When it was all said and done, nothing remained... except the Judgment Dragon itself and four beacons of the broken down castle.

"Wait..." Aster groaned. "How did the field spell survive?"

"Hmph," Jason scoffed. "Whenever the Realm of Light is in danger of being destroyed, I can give up two Shine Counters to save it!" Suddenly, two of the beacons blew itself out and cause time itself to reverse as all the broken down and battered field reformed itself, good as new! (RoL: 4-2SCs) "Now, since I won't kick a man when's lying down... I'll see you suffer the direct attack, Aster! I now pass... Radiant Judgment!"

Judgment Dragon roared, blasting a focused jet of blazing light from its maw. Aster dived in the direction of his fallen friend, to dodge the attack and saw the attack blast and shatter several windows around them.

Sartorius: 2800 + Jason: 1800

Aster: 1550 + Masaki: 4500

"No way..." Claudio gasped, seeing what the Judgment Dragon was capable of in effects and attack.

"Oh man, I think we should get out of here..." Syrus cringed, "If he can use that dragon to destroy an entire field, image what he could've done to Aster if he didn't move out of the way!"

"We're not budging, little man," Hassleberry stated, despite feeling some worry. "We knew it would get this crazy when signing up to take down Sartorius."

"Especially since Hassleberry and I can block out his mind control, along with Jaden and Claudio," Jethro added.

"What about me?" the Vehicroid duelist started shuddering.

"He won't..." Jaden stated.

"Next, I place three cards facedown to end my turn and send 4 cards from my deck to the graveyard thanks to my Dragon's effect!" Jason concluded, and sent the top four cards of his deck into his graveyard, powering another beacon. (RoL: 3SCs) "If Masaki can get up, it's his turn... otherwise, let the Master have his turn."

The D-Hero duelist frantically pushed the S-Hero duelist up, "Masaki, you need to get up..."

Masaki stirred awake, "What...?" He then saw who was pushing him awake. "Aster?"

"It's your turn, man... I need your help if we're going to finish this duel!"

"Right..." Masaki then stood up with Aster's help and drew his next card. "Alright, I'll activate my Junk Dealer to revive two monsters from my graveyard, so I call two of my Shonen Hero Spirit Detectives to the field!" He announced as the twin Heroes reappeared on the field. (4/1200-600-1100/1200) x2 "Next, I use Heroes Unit to finally increase my Monster King's ATK by 500 for every Shonen Hero on the field in order to free him!" The black jewelry suddenly appeared on the Monster King's neck. (6/2500-4000/2500) And in a destructive force, it broke through the crystal.

"So you freed your monster," the Lightsworn duelist grinned. "At last... or maybe he'll be victim to my trap card, the Fiendish Chain!" He announced, as he revealed his first facedown card, wrapping its power around Monster King to bind it. "Now you can't use it to attack or for the effect!"

Masaki smirked, "That's all right because he'll be free again as I sacrifice him along with my two Spirit Detectives to summon someone who will end your time in the duel!" Soon, his three monsters erupted into black pillars of darkness and combined. "Come on out, Shonen Hero Black Swordsman!" The pillar erupted and unleashed a massive man with a black flattop haircut, a gray cloak with a hood, black medieval armor, a massive sword, a mechanical left arm with a hidden rapid fire mini crossbow and a hand cannon, his right eye gouged out, and a demonic mark of sacrifice seared into the back of his neck. (9/2900/2900)

"All that for a monster whose 100 points shy of my Dragon," Jason laughed. "Don't insult me!"

"Then, you should watch what you say about my own monster!" the S-Hero duelist continued. "By Special Summoning him this way, I can destroy all opponents' monsters on the field and deal 600 points for each one! Them's the breaks!"

Using his hand cannon, Black Swordsman unleashed a devastating blast that obliterated the Judgment Dragon, blowing its pixels towards Jason.

Sartorius: 2800 + Jason: 1200

Aster: 1750 + Masaki: 4500

"Now, you're wide open... both of you," Masaki grinned as he turned to the possessed tarot reader. "But let's take you down, seeing that the turn will automatically go to Aster who can finish off Jason!"

"Good plan," Aster praised.

"Black Swordsman, take out Sartorius and free him from the Light!" the S-Hero duelist commanded as his monster raced across the field, ready to drive the massive sword across his enemy...

"I activate a card from my graveyard," Jason interrupted. "I normally would oppose using a card of darkness, but for this deck I made an exception! Necro Guardna, block the attack!" He stated as a card slipped out of his grave and the slash was blocked by a transparent image of a warrior dressed in grey, maroon, and black armor with long white hair that fell to his knees. He vanished after the attack.

Masaki growled, "I end my turn."

"Good," Sartorius announced, as he drew his next card, "I place three cards facedown and end my turn."

"They got nothing left," Syrus cheered.

"I wouldn't be too sure," Jethro warned.

"My move," Aster announced, drawing his next card. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He then drew his two cards and smiled at his find. "Alright, I summon D-Cubic!" He announced he brought out, a small black mechanical panther with a purple visor over its eyes. (1/0/0) "Next, I'll activate its special ability! Since I have two more D-Cubics in my hand, I can send them to the graveyard to have the one on the field count as three sacrifices!"

"What?" Sartorius and Jason shouted as D-Cubic vanished along with Aster discarding the other two.

"With their sacrifice, I summon Destiny Hero – Plasma!" Aster announced as the purified and reformed Ultimate Destiny Card appeared on the field, and flew proudly in the air. (8/1900/600)

"Impossible!" Sartorius shouted.

"I'm afraid not!" the D-Hero duelist smirked. "The card that brought you here is the same card that will end it! And even though you don't have any monsters to use, I can activate D-Force to make sure none of your cards can harm Plasma!" He continued, placing the spell card on top of his deck.

"Now, I attack Jason directly with Vengeful Rain!" He announced as Plasma released it crimson wind of blood heading right for the startled Lightsworn duelist.

"I activate my trap card, Martyr!" Sartorius shouted, revealing a trap card depicting a noble knight about to take a sword for a princess. "This forces the direct attack towards me!" Suddenly, Plasma's attack veered away from the Lightsworn duelist and cut straight into his Master as he laughed.

Sartorius: 900 + Jason: 1200

Aster: 1750 + Masaki: 4500

"Almost..." Claudio groaned.

"Still, with Plasma and D-Force he can't lose..." Jaden smiled.

As Sartorius reeled from the attack, "Jason... use that card now!"

"My pleasure," Jason announced as he drew his next card, but then went to his facedown cards. "I start by activating Iblis, the Flame of Destruction... And then, I'll follow up with Mephiles, the Conscious Mind!"

Aster gasped as a red ball of magma and flames erupted from the trap card while a sinister dark mass leaked out of the Spell Card.

 _ **"With these two cards, along with removing Judgment Dragon from the game... your time is over!"**_ Jason roared as he suddenly looked more vindictive than ever with the Dark Light coursing through him _ **. "Time to meet one of the two beings that will end it all... Solaris, the Super-Dimensional Time God!"**_

The destructive flames and the dark matter swirled together in a rapid speed until it started to grow and brighten. Pretty soon, everyone was met with a horrifying sight. A large, transparent beast with three shells of light covering the body which gave it a more complex appearance... He has one shell covering each of his upper arms, and one main shell on his body. The lower part of the main shell covers his "chest" area, as well as his core, and the top part of it has a figure, resembling an eagle head with gloving yellow eyes and antlers. This makes it look like Solaris actually has a head. On his back he has a ring with six triangular pieces "attached", making it resemble a sun. (10/4000/3000) But within the head, Claudio recognized a person fused with the beast.

"Solaris!" He gasped as he saw the Camelot Duelist locked inside the head of the beast. "That knight from Misgarth is in the monster!"

"Oh no!" Jaden cried. "Is that why it's called Solaris?"

 _ **"Even with Plasma negating its effect, it will not matter!"**_ Jason shouted, keeping his mind on the duel. " _ **Destroy Plasma!"**_

"ASTER!" Everyone shouted as Solaris fired a massive laser of Dark Light and melted Plasma with ease and then surrounded the entire field and taking Aster in within its grasp...

Sartorius: 900 + Jason: 1200

Aster: 0 + Masaki: 4500

"NO!" Masaki shouted as he saw his partner, still as a statue and pitch white as a ghost!

 _ **"Now, since Plasma is gone, its effect can activate!"**_ Jason continued. _**"It skips the opponent's next turn!"**_

Masaki gasped, "But that means..."

 _ **"So, that means it's my turn!"**_ Sartorius announced, becoming vindictive as his right-hand man _ **. "I activate my facedown cards! First, I use the Material Road since I have an Arcana Force Monster that's up to level 4 inside my graveyard!"**_ Once the trap was activated, a red pillar erupted from it _ **. "Next, I activate the Spiritual Road since I have a level 5 or 6 Arcana Force Monster in my graveyard!"**_ Now, blue pillar of light erupted from the second trap. _**"Now, I activate the Heaven's Road!"**_ He then inserted a continuous spell card that created a green pillar of light. Soon, the three pillars exploded in a storm of light that steadily forced Masaki back, searing into him with heat and blinding him with the intensity of its light…

 _ **"I call upon the might of the Fates themselves!"**_ Sartorius shouted into the storm. _**"I summon the controller of Destiny! I summon the avatar of the Light of Destruction to crush this foe!"**_

 _ **"I summon the ultimate card... Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler!"**_

The storm exploded outwards, sending Masaki crashing back into the wall of light with a yell of pain as he hit. From the explosion rose Sartorius's monster, a twenty-foot tall construct of black metal, adorned with red sigils and lines. It was primarily composed of a hunched-over humanoid torso studded with pale blue gems, its head featuring only a glowing golden eye. From the waist downwards, its body consisted of a draconic tail ending in a sword-like blade, while from its shoulders rose dragon heads on long serpentine necks, the slit-like eyes of the dragons the same golden as The Light Ruler's main eye, and their foreheads adorned with pale blue gemstones. The Light Ruler gave an almighty roar that shook the earth, shining with incredible power. (10/4000/4000)

"Aw man, another monster with 4000 ATK!" Masaki gasped. "My Swordsman can't destroy it!"

 _ **"Of course it can't..."**_ Sartorius cackled. _**"Now you will join this mortal and your friend into the Light!"**_ He then activated another spell card. _**"I play Megamorph! Since I have fewer life points than yours, I can double the ferocity of my monster's ATK!"**_

Masaki became more scared than ever as the Light Ruler's size grew to forty feet tall. (10/4000-8000/4000)

 _ **"Time to earn my keys back... Light Ruler attack! The End of Ray!"**_

Time stopped for the S-Hero duelist as the Light Ruler blasted the blasts of light energy from its dragon heads, obliterating Black Swordsman and then faded the Hero duelist into the Light.

Sartorius: 900 + Jason: 1200

Aster: 0 + Masaki: 0

Winners: Sartorius and Jason

Soon, the Light around the area faded away and returned everyone back to the inside of the Society's private arena. Jaden, Claudio, Syrus, Jethro, and Hassleberry were horrified at what happened within the Light, seeing Aster and Masaki stark white.

"Oh no..." Claudio whispered.

"Aster, Masaki!" Jaden shouted to the still Hero duelists. "Are you guys okay?"

Sartorius and Jason shared a maniacal and ruthless laughter at their beaten opponents.

* * *

Arcana Force V – The Hierophant

Light | Level 4 | Fairy/Effect | 1500/1500 | When this card is summoned toss a coin: *Heads: Once per turn you may negate the activation of one of your opponent's Spell cards. *Tails: Once per turn your opponent may negate the activation of one of your Spell cards.

(Used by Adam Brinker in SnapesnatchFMP's ZEXAL story, Phase Zero. Creative rights go to him.)

Arcana Force XIX – Sun

LIGHT

Level 8

Fairy/Effect

2900/2900

Toss a coin. ● Heads: Your opponent must play with their hand revealed. During your End Phase, your opponent loses 500 life points for each card in their hand. ● Tails: You must play with their hand revealed. During your opponent's End Phase, you lose 500 life points for every card in your hand.

(This card is based upon the nineteenth Major Arcana. Creative rights of the effects and stats go to me.)

Arcana Force XV – The Devil

Light |Level 7 | Fairy/Effect | 2500/2500 | When this card is Summoned, toss a coin. ● Heads: When this card attacks, select and destroy 1 monster on the field. Then, inflict 500 damage to the controller of the destroyed monster. If that monster is not destroyed, destroy this card. ● Tails: When this card declares an attack, destroy all monsters on the field.

(This card was first used by Sartorius/Takuma Saiou in episode 101 of Yu-gi-oh! GX creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.)

Shonen HERO Black Swordsman

Attack: 2900

Defense: 2900

Attr: Earth

Warrior/effect: This card can only be summoned by tributing 3 monsters on your field with at least one monster being a "Shonen HERO" When summoned, destroy all of your opponent's monsters and deal 600 points of damage for each monster destroyed by this effect. (This can only be done once). This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each.

Image: A massive man with a black flattop haircut, a gray cloak with a hood, black medieval armor, a massive sword, a mechanical left arm with a hidden rapid fire mini crossbow and a hand cannon, his right eye gouged out, and a demonic mark of sacrifice seared into the back of his neck (Guts from Berserk)

(This card was created by airnaruto45. Creative rights go to him.)

D-Cubic

DARK

Level 1

Machine/Effect

Once, while this card is face-up on the field, you can send up to 2 "D - Cubic" from your hand to the Graveyard to have this card gain an appropriate effect: ● 1: This card is treated as 2 Tributes for a Summon. ● 2: This card is treated as 3 Tributes for a Summon.

(First used by Aster Phoenix in the GX episode, The Phoenix Has Landed, Part 2. All rights go to the writers of the episode.)

The Material Road

Continuous Trap Card

Image: Arcana Force I – The Magician, Arcana Force III – The Empress and Arcana Force VII – The Chariot adrift in the sea.

Activate only while you have 1 or more Level 4 or lower "Arcana Force" monsters in your Graveyard. By discarding 1 Level 5 or 6 "Arcana Force" monster from your hand, you can add 1 "The Spiritual Road" from your Deck to your hand.

The Spiritual Road

Continuous Trap Card

Image: Arcana Force VIII – Strength and Arcana Force XII – The Hanged Man buried in the desert.

Activate only while you have 1 or more Level 5 or 6 "Arcana Force" monsters in your Graveyard. By discarding 1 Level 7 or higher "Arcana Force" monster from your hand, you can add 1 "The Heaven's Road" from your Deck to your hand.

The Heaven's Road

Continuous Spell Card

Image: Arcana Force XXI – The World within a gaping chasm.

Activate only while you have 1 or more Level 7 or higher "Arcana Force" monster(s) in your Graveyard. Send this face-up card, along with 1 face-up "The Material Road" and 1 face-up "The Spiritual Road", from your side of the field to the Graveyard. Special Summon 1 "Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard, ignoring the summoning conditions.

(The above three cards were used by Sartorius/Saiou in Season 2 of GX. Creative credit for them goes to the writers of GX. They were known as The Material Lord, The Spiritual Lord, and The Sky Lord respectively in the dub.)

Crystal Seal

Continuous Trap Card

Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. That monster cannot attack, be Tributed, change its Battle Position, activate its effect, or be selected as an attack target. If your opponent controls no other monsters, monsters you control can attack your opponent directly. If that monster's ATK increases, destroy this card. This card cannot be destroyed by other card effects.

(Used by Rafael in the second series anime episode, Fate of the Pharaoh, Part 2. Creative credit goes to the writers of the episode.)

Iblis, the Flames of Destruction

Continuous Trap Card

Image: Iblis in its final form (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 game)

Activate only while you have at least 5 "Lightsworn" Monsters in your graveyard. By discarding 1 Level 5 or 6 "Lightsworn" Monster from your hand, you can add 1 "Mephiles, the Conscious Mind" from your Deck to your hand.

Mephiles, the Conscious Mind

Continuous Spell Card

Image: Mephiles in its Crystalline Form (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 game)

Activate only while you have at least 7 "Lightsworn" Monsters in your graveyard and "Iblis, the Flames of Destruction" is face-up on the field. Send this face-up card, along with 1 "Iblis, the Flames of Destruction" and banish Judgment Dragon from your graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Solaris, the Super-Dimensional Sun God" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard, ignoring the summoning conditions.

Solaris, the Super-Dimensional Time God

LIGHT

Level 10

Fiend/Effect

4000/3000

This card can only be Special Summoned through the effect of "Mephiles, the Conscious Mind". Whenever this card destroys a monster, apply the following effect:

Level 1 through 4: Skip your opponent's Battle Phase

Level 5 through 7: Skip your opponent's Draw Phase

Level 8 or higher: Skip your opponent's next turn

(Top three cards are based off of Iblis, Mephiles, and Solaris from the Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 game. Effect and stats creations go to me, while the character rights go to Sega.)

Martyr

Normal Trap Card

Activate only in a Tag-Duel when your partner's the target of a Direct Attack. Make yourself the new target.

(This card was created by me, all creative rights go to me.)

Next Time: We return back to the GX tournament where the Semi-Finals take place. Who will meet in the finals?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	75. The Final Four

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 75: The Final Four

* * *

The final minutes were winding down for the semifinals to kick off and each of the four remaining finalists checked out their decks, thinking about what would come their way...

 _'Wow, these duelists from the Academy are tough,'_ Roxanne thought, looking through her Side Deck. _'Not only I'm the last Pro standing, but I had to get through another Pro to do so. Feels like genocide... but I can't dwell on it now, time for everyone to see why I'm a high-ranked Pro and can back it up!'_

 _'Competition's heating up,_ ' Alexis thought, changing up a few cards in her Deck and Side Deck. _'And I earned my spot here, and I can show them I'm a great duelist.'_

'This is a big rush,' Melody smiled, shuffling up her deck after changing some cards around. _'Dueling in the biggest tournament ever and right in front of the King of Games himself... just hope me and my magicians tough it out all the way to the finals!'_

 _'The last guy standing,'_ Kenji laughed to himself. _'Oh well, it was never about the gender when it came to dueling anyway. And from that last duel, I feel like I'm back, and that's why I'm dueling in the finals in the first place!'_

"May I have your attention please?" Sheppard announced, earning back everyone's attention. "The ten minutes are up and we're ready to select the two matches of our semifinals!" The crowd cheered for the remaining duelist who stood ready for their name and/or number to be called.

"Time to select our duelists," Pegasus announced, "And all four of you be sure to remember the number you had during the semifinals as they will be called out."

As Crowler randomized the four numbers in a box, everyone else remembered Kenji was 2, Alexis was 3, Melody was 4, and Roxanne was 6. Soon, Sheppard drew the first number. "Duelist number 4, Melody Hikari!"

"Go knock 'em dead, sis," Isaac said, patting his sister on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Melody smiled as she stepped forward.

"And now for her opponent..." Pegasus continued, drawing out the next number. "Duelist number... 6, Roxanne Terrador Jones!" the Pro duelist stepped forwards. "And that means our second finals match will be Alexis Rhodes vs. Kenji Yuuyami."

"Wow, so soon?" Alexis wondered.

"I agree," Kenji added. "But then, I think it is cool that we face each other. Not nervous, are you?"

"Just thought we'd end up in the finals," the Obelisk girl stated.

"I see it as a chance to strengthen on bonds sooner instead of putting it off," the ninja duelist replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "And I can thank you for letting me live in the tournament."

Alexis smiled, leaning into his embrace, "Don't get too comfy; I'm your opponent, as well as your girlfriend."

"Yeah, making it more fun..."

On the duel field, the two girls selected to duel were shuffling one another's decks.

"You had a really great duel against Alister," Roxanne stated. "I haven't seen anyone in the Pro Circuit defeat his Guardian Eatos when he summons it."

"I thought you were great beating Matthias' Poseidon card," Melody added. "It looked like no has seen that card before."

"Well, not all WATER monsters are predictable with ocean duelists like him," the Pro duelist told her. "Poseidon just showed me firsthand... but enough about the past, time for the present. Can't wait to see how you use the Dark Magicians this time."

"Same for your Knights and Swordsman," the Magician duelist replied as the both returned each other's decks, going to opposite sides of the field.

"The first match of the finals will be the Pro Duelist Roxanne Terrador and Ra Yellow's Melody Hikarii! Are the competitors ready?" Sheppard announced.

"Ready!" Both players shouted, activating their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"Roxanne will have the opening move... now begin the third match!"

DUEL!

The crowd cheered as the match began.

Roxanne: 8000

Melody: 8000

"Here we go," Roxanne announced, drawing her sixth card. "I bring out my Silent Swordsman Level 3 to the field in attack mode!" She announced, bringing out small, blue-skinned, and blond haired boy wearing a black metal coat that covered his body and held a massive steel blade. (3/1000/1000) "I then end my turn with a face-down." She concluded, as a facedown card appeared on her field.

"She's stalling for the Level Up effect," Chazz realized.

"And that'll mean spell cards will become a problem for Melody," Jachin added.

"It's my turn now," Melody declared, drawing her sixth card. "I summon my Defender, the Magical Knight in attack mode!" She announced, bringing out her heavily armored knight, equipped with his shield and shined with a Spell Counter. (4/1600/2000) (DtMK: 1SPC) "Now, attack her Silent Swordsman!" Defender let out a battle cry as he charged for the young swordsman...

"And I activate Negate Attack to cancel your attack!" the Knight/Swordsman duelist countered, as the spiral vortex appeared and repelled the Magic Knight from reaching her swordsman. "You knew I would protect my monsters, so why attack?"

"To check out the card," Melody added, setting a facedown card and then opening up her field slot. "And since it's all clear, I'll set one card facedown and activate the Field Spell, Secret Village of the Spellcasters!" the field suddenly starting to shift, the buildings around the field turning into twisted trees with glowing lights inside their trunks. "With this in play, you can't activate your Spell cards so long as I control as Spellcaster-Type Monsters!"

"She just locked down a part of Roxanne's deck," Joey looked on. "If she was planning to use the 'Level Up!' spell card, she'll have to kick Defender off the field."

"And it won't be easy," Yugi noted. "Whenever Defender is in danger of being destroyed, it can give up a Spell Counter to save himself." He then looked at the facedown card. "And that facedown card may end up keeping it that way for a while."

"I end my turn," the Ra girl concluded.

"Things got tougher," Roxanne stated, drawing her next card. "But not tough enough! Since my standby phase is here, I can activate Silent Swordsman LV3's effect and then send him to the graveyard and level him up to 5!" Soon, a bright light enveloped the young swordsman, transforming his size and height. After the light show, everyone saw that the Silent Swordsman was now a teenager and could fit into his clothes. He also carried a heavier steel sword that he carried over his shoulder. (5/2300/1000) "And don't think about using any spells against him, he's immune to all of yours."

'That's okay, I wasn't interested in using any spell cards against that monster,' Melody thought. 'But as long as this combo works out, I can keep Roxanne out of my hair...'

"Next, I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!" The Pro duelist continued, bringing out a knight encased in black and silver iron armor, with his left arm being a shield and his right arm a sword. (4/1800/1600) "Now, it's time I take down Defender!" Gearfried didn't waste any time in charging across the field and then slash downward on the opposing knight.

"I activate Defender's effect," Melody announced as her monster raised his shield to block the attack, only shattering the Spell Counter inside. (DtMK: 0SPC) "By giving up Spell Counter, a Spellcaster can't be destroyed."

Roxanne: 8000

Melody: 7800

"But it won't save you from Silent Swordsman's attack!" As Gearfried retreated, Silent Swordsman charged and raised his sword against the Magical Knight...

"I reveal my trap card next, my Pitch-Black Power Stone!" the magician duelist countered once more, revealing her stone with the three Spell Counters inside. (PBPS: 3SPC) "Now, I can remove another one from this trap to prevent Defender from being destroyed!" She announced as Defender used another Spell Counter and blocked the downward slash, being pushed back. (PBPS: 2SPC)

Roxanne: 8000

Melody: 7100

"Alright then, I end my turn for now... but I'll tell you that restriction of Spells won't help you here..." Roxanne concluded.

"Wow, even with only monster's out, Roxanne's staying tough," Lily noted.

"Best thing she could do," Lyra added. "Melody won't be able to use any Equip Spells unless it's for her own monsters."

"It's my turn," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "I summon the Maiden of Macabre in attack mode!" She declared, bringing out her scythe-wielding geisha giving a wicked smile. (4/1700/0) "Next, I use my trap to give her one Spell Counter and increase her ATK by 200!" The second Spell Counter flew from the stone. (PBPS: 1SPC) It then flew into the Maiden, enhancing her power. (MoM: 1SPC) (4/1700-1900/0) "Now, attack Gearfried with Macabre Slash!" The Maiden smirked as she slashed downward with her scythe to create a black wave, shattering the warrior within the armor and reducing it to dust.

Roxanne: 7900

Melody: 7100

"And when she destroys a monster in battle, she gains a Spell Counter meaning more power for her." The dust recollected itself and formed into a Spell Counter which was then absorbed by the Maiden's scythe, giving her power. (MoM: 2PC) (4/1900-2100/0) "I end by placing another card facedown and switching Defender to defense mode!" Melody concluded as Defender knelt down and covered with his shield, while a reversed card was placed behind him.

"It's good, but I still have an advantage when it comes to highest ATK reigning monster," Roxanne stated as she drew her next card. After a quick overview, she inserted two of them into her disk, "I'll place these two cards facedown and allow my Swordsman to attack your Maiden! Go Silent Mega Slash!" In blinding speed, the swordsman crossed the village grounds to deliver a slash to the Maiden, who struggled back with her weapon.

"I use Defender's effect once more and use the last Spell Counter of my trap to protect her!" the Ra girl announced, as the Power Stone expended its last counter and shattered (PBPS: 0SPC) in order for Maiden of Macabre to push the swordsman away. Still, the battle damage translated to Melody through a red aura around, making her cringe.

Roxanne: 7900

Melody: 6500

'I'm going to need my monsters to survive in order to keep up with Roxanne...' Melody thought. 'If I can get a decent spell card to power up Maiden of Macabre or a monster to overpower it, I can gain the upper hand.'

"Roxanne's keeping up the pressure on her, alright," Alister noted.

"No kidding," Erika nodded. "She's shown that she can bring out a myriad of Warriors from out of the blue, even the stronger ones."

"And then, she can also achieve any kind of strategy with them as well," Will added. "Swarm, beat-down, lockdown... Melody gets caught, and it's over..."

"It's your turn, Melody," Roxanne announced, signaling the End Phase.

"Right, I draw!" The Magician duelist declared, making her draw.

"Now, I trigger one of my cards, the Level Force Trap Card!" the Knight/Swordsman duelist interrupted, revealing a trap card that depicted Silent Magician LV4 floating sideways into a cut picture, where it showed her evolution into Silent Magician LV8, "By removing my LV5 Swordsman, this functions as a trap version of Level Up!"

"Uh oh," Melody gasped as the Swordsman glowed white once more and changed form.

"Now, I summon my Silent Swordsman LV7!" The white glow vanished, showing the swordsman becoming seven feet tall with another dark metal coat that went down to his shins and a larger sword that was the same height. (7/2800/1000) "And as long as he's on the field, all Spells are off limits!"

The audience gasped as they saw the field around fade away into the light, bringing them back to the front of the Academy.

"Now Melody's the one in trouble," Serenity stated. "It's like Roxanne didn't need any spell cards."

"You're right," Mai replied. "Melody thought by using the field spell to block off Spell cards to Roxanne, she would stop the use of Equip Spells that can really make the Warrior-Type a big problem."

"But now, Roxanne turned the tables on Melody, the one who really needs Spell Cards for her monster," Tea added. "I think she may have stacked her deck with mostly Monsters and Traps this time, almost like she knew she would face this kind of problem against Melody."

"Now, let's see you function without Spells," Roxanne challenged. "It's clearly I can do fine without them!"

Melody sighed in frustration, and set a monster card on her duel tray. "Just one monster facedown and that's all for now." She concluded.

"My move," Roxanne announced, drawing her next card. "First step was to stop your Spells... now on to Step Two... I summon Familiar Knight in attack mode!" She declared, placing another monster card on her tray to summon a dark-skinned knight in sliver plated armor with a standard shield and sword. (3/1200/1400) "Next, I'll let him attack Maiden of Macabre!" The knight let out a roar and charged at the much stronger Spellcaster. Miffed at the weak knight trying to strike her, the Maiden used her scythe to knock his sword out his hands and then chop him down to pixels. (MoM: 3SPC) (4/2100-2300/0)

Roxanne: 7000

Melody: 6500

"Thanks for destroying my knight because now we can both summon a monster up to Level 4 from our hands," the Knight/Swordsman duelist announced, holding up a card and placing it on the field. "And I summon Mystic Swordsman LV4!" In a flash, the assassin swordsman appeared with his double-bladed sword. (4/1900/1600) "So, what will it be?"

"My Illusion Magician," Melody announced, bringing out her doppelganger Dark Magician. (4/1100/1900)

"At least that Mystic Swordsman can't touch the Magician without a draw," Allen stated.

"But that's not her plan..." Lyra said as she pointed at Roxanne activating her facedown card.

"Since you Special Summoned a monster, I can activate my Triggered Summon trap card," the Pro duelist announced, as she placed another monster card on her field. "Now I summon Command Knight to boost my Warriors' ATK by 400!" She continued as her red armored, female knight appeared to boost her comrades' strength. (4/1200-1600/1900), (4/1900-2300/1600), (7/2800-3200/1000)

"Now she's in for it..." Isaac cringed, not liking how it would turn out.

"Mystic Swordsman, attack her facedown monster with your Special Ability!" Roxanne commanded, letting the assassin swordsman cut apart the facedown monster, without revealing the identity. "Silent Swordsman, attack Maiden of Macabre with Silence Massive Slash!" She announced as the tall Swordsman lifted his blade over his head from where he stood and struck...

"I activate Defender's effect, to give up one of Maiden of Macabre's Spell Counters to save herself," Melody countered as her Maiden raised her scythe over her head to block the slash. (MoM: 2SPC) (4/2300-2100/0) but the force of the slash was so great, it knocked her down.

Roxanne: 7000

Melody: 6500

"Ouch..." Kenji said.

"Oh yeah..." Alexis added.

"I end my turn." Roxanne concluded.

"I need something..." Melody stated as she drew her next card, "May not be much, but at least one of your monsters will be gone... I sacrifice Illusion Magician and Defender to summon Dark Magician of Chaos!" Both mentioned monsters disappeared in a dark vortex, which brought out a new spellcaster wearing a tight, black suit, with red rings around his arms and legs. On his head, he wore a wide black headdress that complimented the long black hair and pale blue face. It twirled around is pointed black staff a few times before coming to a complete stop. (8/2800/2600)

"If only it were strong enough," Isaac mused. "Anything Dark Magician of Chaos destroys is removed from play."

"It may not be your strongest monster, but I'm getting rid of him!" Melody announced, "Magician, attack Mystic Swordsman and remove him from play with Chaos Scepter Blast!" the chaos mage slammed the scepter into the ground, causing a dark orb to come charging towards the assassin swordsman, obliterating him from the field.

Roxanne: 6500

Melody: 6500

"All tied up!" She cheered. "I end my turn."

"But not for long," Roxanne announced, drawing her next card. "I attack Dark Magician of Chaos with my Silent Swordsman! Say goodbye!" She commanded as her swordsman got ready to strike again.

"Now I'm ready to activate my trap card," She announced as a she revealed the facedown card. "Go Ready For Intercepting! With this, I can set one Spellcaster or Warrior monster facedown... and I pick Silent Swordsman!" Before the sword could come down, Roxanne gasped as her monster was replaced with a Set monster card. Then, the Secret Village of the Spellcasters came back to the field. "And you know, you can't switch the battle position of a monster that already moved..."

"She held back her trap, until the final stage of the Silent Swordsman..." Yugi smiled, "Very smart..."

"Now that spells are back in her control, Melody has got the advantage." Joey stated.

"Not entirely, if you've seen Roxanne function well without them," Erika added.

"I end my turn with a facedown card and switch Command Knight to defense mode!" Roxanne concluded, inserting her card while Command Knight knelt down and blocked with her shield. "Been holding out on me..."

"Sure did," Melody smirked as she drew her next card, "Now, time for a comeback! Dark Magician of Chaos attacks your facedown Silent Swordsman!" Once again, the Chaos Mage fired off his spell and ripped through the facedown card, revealing the Silent Swordsman (7/2800-3200/1000) before the spell banished him from the field. "And now that he's removed from the game, it would be hard to bring him back with cards like Level Modulation."

"She's right," Alexis pointed out, "So far, there's no card that can retrieve a high-level LV monster that's been removed from play."

"Meaning she made the right idea of kicking the swordsman out with Dark Magician of Chaos," Kenji added.

"Next, Maiden of Macabre attacks Command Knight!" Melody continued, as the Maiden unleashed a dark energy from her scythe to destroy the knight. The pixels then reformed into another Spell Counter which the Maiden absorbed into her scythe. (4/2100-2300/0) (MoM: 3SPC) "With that, I end my turn with a facedown card!" She concluded.

"And on the end phase, I activate the trap card, Dust Tornado!" Roxanne immediately announced, revealing her facedown card. "With it, I'll destroy the field spell, Secret Village of the Spellcasters!" Suddenly, a giant tornado surrounded the playing field, blocking everyone else's view from the outside. Once it was done, the village was no more and a reversed card appeared by Pro duelist's feet. "Now that the spell cards are free on both sides, I can play Card of Demise to draw five more cards!" She continued, drawing her cards. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Freeing the Spell cards and she could play a facedown monster?" Isaac wondered.

"There's more," Lyra pointed out Roxanne's facedown. "She used Dust Tornado's second effect to place a card facedown. I thought it might be something to use immediately after Melody's End Phase, but she never used it..."

"It's my turn," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "Chaos Magician, attack Roxanne's facedown monster and banish it!" The black clad magician launched another dark orb at the facedown monster, revealing the Warrior Lady of the Wasteland. (4/1100/1200) Once it hit, she was pulled into the vortex and removed from the game. "Now that she's gone, Maiden of Macabre attacks you directly!" the Maiden shouted as she sliced the air with her scythe, creating an energy wave that slammed into Roxanne and had her fall to one knee.

Roxanne: 3700

Melody: 6500

"Good move..." Roxanne stated, stepping up from her attack. "Great enough to play a trap card, Damage Condenser!" She then revealed her facedown card, and discarding one card from her hand. "And since I took 2300 points of damage, I use it to Special Summon the Knight of Twin Swords!" Emerging from the trap card, dark purple-haired knight appeared wearing a dark purple bodysuit with dark purple armor and a helmet over it. He also carried two, thin sliver blades of equal size. (6/2300/1700)

"Isn't that one of the monsters you used when you played Dungeon Dice Monsters?" Tea asked

"Yes, I guess Pegasus is also starting to use more of Duke's Monsters." Yugi replied.

"Looks like I can't do anything else for now," Melody stated. "I end my turn."

"Alright, it's my turn! I draw!" the Pro duelist announced, drawing her card. "I activate Monster Reborn to revive Gearfried the Iron Knight!" She announced, as the ankh flew into the air and brought back the black-iron clad warrior from the dead. (4/1800/1600) "Now to summon one of the most power Warriors in the game... by using the next Spell Card called Release Restraint!"

"Melody's in trouble now..." Joey said, as everyone saw the Spell Card depicting Gearfried starting to pull himself out of his armor.

"What about it?" Serenity asked.

"Gearfried's at his most dangerous when that card is used on him," the Warrior duelist stated. "And out of that armor, Gearfried has the opposite effect when he gets an Equip Spell in his hand."

"By using this Spell Card, I can send Gearfried the Iron Knight to the graveyard to summon the man underneath the armor... Gearfried the Swordmaster!" Roxanne announced as Gearfried leapt into the air and his armor started to crack. Light burst from the armor, breaking it apart to free the true appearance of Gearfried: a man with long, black hair and barbaric-looking wearing tan wristbands and a blue and golden loincloth to show off his muscular physique. He let out a roar as he stretched out. (7/2600/2200)

 _'Oh no, if those two cards are Equip Spells... it's all over!'_ Melody thought as Roxanne proceeded to play one of them.

"I activate Fusion Sword Murasame Blade to give Gearfried 800 ATK!" the Pro Duelist announced, activating her Equip Spell. In Gearfried's right hand, appeared a wicked-curved blade with a handle. (7/2600-3400/2000) "And by giving him an Equip Spell, Gearfried destroys 1 monster on the field!" A sudden shockwave erupted from the Swordmaster and destroyed Melody's Dark Magician of Chaos. "Like his story goes, every time he wielded a sword, destruction followed."

"Whatever that last card is... Melody's in trouble if it's an Equip Spell..." Kenji stated.

"I attack Maiden of Macabre with Gearfried," Roxanne commanded, sending the swordmaster to slice down Melody's last line of defense into pixels.

Roxanne: 3700

Melody: 5900

"And then, I will have Knight of Twin Swords to attack directly... but his ability allows two attacks instead of one!" She continued as her twin blade knight charged across the field and gave Melody a slash for each sword.

Roxanne: 3700

Melody: 1300

"I place one card facedown to end my turn," Roxanne concluded, inserting her last card facedown _. 'Looks like my Covering Fire will bail me out this time... no matter what monster she attacks, Melody will have to get through the both of them...'_

"This is looking rough for Melody," Alister stated. "If I know Roxanne, that facedown card will end up beating Melody if she goes on a head-on attack."

"Meaning, she'll have to find some way to beat one of those monsters outside of battle." Erika replied. "Otherwise, the Pro will continue on in the tournament."

Melody took a deep breath and then declared, "It's my turn!" She drew her next card. "I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot, letting us both draw three cards!" She announced as both player drew out their three cards. The Ra smiled as she played another card, while discarding another. "First, I use my Cost Down Spell Card to discard my Magician of Black Chaos Monster and then downgrade every monster's levels in my hand by 2. Which means, I can summon Dark Magician Girl without a sacrifice," She announced, bringing out her headliner monster, powered up from Illusion Magician and Magician of Black Chaos in the graveyard. (6-4/2000-2600/1700)

"There are still two cards left..." the Maverick duelist noted.

"Next, I play the Sage's Stone Spell Card," Melody continued as the Spell image appeared by Dark Magician Girl. "Since she's on the field, I can summon Dark Magician from the graveyard!" A seal opened up from the ground and released the pale-skinned master magician onto the field. (7/2500/2100)

"Nice work on the mages, but they're no match for my Warriors," Roxanne stated. "Even Magicians won't be able to beat my Swordsmen if their spells are weaker than the strength."

"Which is why I'm fighting on your terms," the Magician duelist announced, activating another spell card. "I activate Knight's Title! With Dark Magician on the field, I can transform him into the Dark Magician Knight, a Warrior monster!" The magician glowed and then reappeared in a purple suit of armor with a black cape. In addition, the scepter became a sword brimming with magic. (7/2500/2100) "Because of another Dark Magician in the graveyard, Dark Magician Girl gains another 300 ATK points." A faint pink aura surrounded the apprentice magician. (4/2600-2900/1700)

"I'm starting to think she has every form of Dark Magician in her deck," Mai noted.

"Maybe..." Joey added.

"With the Knight's effect, I can destroy one card on the field... like Gearfried the Swordmaster!" Melody announced, as the Dark Knight unleashed a black energy slash that cut down the Swordmaster into pixels. "And finally, my facedown card will help me end it. The Equip Spell card, Curse Armaments to drain Knight of Twin Swords of 600 ATK for every monster I own," She stated as Knight of Twin Swords now wielded a demonic sword and shield that drained his power. (6/2300-1100/1700)

Roxanne sighed, _'Oh well... sounds like the Academy Duelists are the real deal... Be seeing them in the Pro Circuit.'_

"Dark Magician Knight, attack Knight of Twin Swords!" the Magic Knight charged, raising his sword up high and slashed the defenseless knight, scattering the pixels over Roxanne's head.

Roxanne: 2300

Melody: 1300

"Dark Magician Girl, direct attack with Dark Burning Magic!" She concluded as the apprentice mage charged her scepter, launching a dark pink orb and blasted the Pro's duel disk, ending the game.

Roxanne: 0

Melody: 1300, Winner.

"The winner, Melody Hikarii," Pegasus announced as the holograms disappeared and the crowd cheered.

"There goes the Pro Duelists," Will stated, "Kaiba had the right idea of this school training the future duelists into the professional levels."

"And it's the second years that are left in the tournament," Alister pointed out.

"You sure?" Mai wondered. "Melody looks ready to go Pro after beating one."

"We got three more people in mind," Erika added. "Especially one that defeated X..."

"Whoa, someone beat that nutcase?" Joey asked. "Nice, I was tired of the way he used Deck Destruction... like he had no love for cards."

"At least when I use Deck Destruction, it's more like limiting my opponent's choices..." the Maverick duelist continued. "That's why I never win by deck out."

"Makes perfect sense," Serenity stated.

On the field, Roxanne and Melody were walking back to the crowd.

"Even with Dark Magicians in your deck, I never thought of you having Dark Magician Knight," Roxanne stated.

"The card was summer gift from my boyfriend," Melody smiled. "He's also the reason I got the Dark Magician in my deck. Before that, I always had to use Illusion Magician to use any of the cards compatible."

"That's sweet of him..." the Pro duelist stated. "You guys need to hurry up and graduate, because I think you're ready for the Pro Circuit."

"Starting to sound good right now," the Magician duelist noted. "I can wait another year for it..."

As the girls continued to be praised...

"Will the remaining two duelists please step forward for the last semifinal duel," Pegasus announced, letting Kenji and Alexis step out of the crowd to face each other, while shuffling their decks. "Superb, two Obelisk Students battling it out in order to face the student of Ra; it sounds like what I've heard in Battle City. Except no Slifer involved..."

"Trust me, despite what the rumors of Slifer were, it's not the lowest man on the Totem Pole," Spencer stepped up to say. "The students themselves saw to that..."

"And I trust you are the Headmaster to do so?" the Duel Monster Creator asked.

"Right, meet Mister Spencer Sojourner," Sheppard introduced. "Our new Silfer Red Headmaster... after the untimely parting with Lyman Banner..."

"Pleasure," Spencer smiled shaking Pegasus' hand.

"Glad to see you've helped change things," Pegasus chuckled a bit. "With the entire setup Kaiba-boy had in mind creating this school, I could see why I heard rumors about the Obelisks'... superiority over the other dorms."

"I can assure you that with the two dueling now," Fonda interjected, pointing out the two duelists on the field. "They never followed that philosophy…"

At the dueling field...

"So, here we are..." Kenji said, offering his deck to Alexis.

"Final match of semis..." She said, offering her own. They both took each other's decks.

"Like when we were just friends, we don't let up," the ninja duelist stated, shuffling Alexis' deck.

"And anything less is an insult to someone who understand the full potential of their opponent," Alexis added, shuffling Kenji's deck. Once done, they returned each other's deck, they couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What's up with them?" Jeremy wondered.

"I don't know," Alex shrugged. "Sounds like it was going to get intense until the laughter..."

After the laughter, the two competitors calmed down.

"Feel all the nervousness and tension get out?" Kenji asked.

"Mostly," Alexis replied. "I mean, we just seen Melody take down a powerful Pro Duelist, meaning she's going to be a tough opponent if I face her."

"Then just focus on me, your current opponent..." the ninja duelist said, pointing to himself. "Besides, who said you were going to face her? I can beat you, you know?"

The Obelisk girl smirked, "Now you're getting overconfident... that will be your downfall..."

"Try and take me down if you can, Lexi-chan!" Kenji grinned, sneaking a quick kiss on her lips and then back-flipping away to his part of the field. Alexis had a blush sneaking up on her before she smiled as walked back to her side of the field.

"This looking to be a great match," Will said, as he was holding Serenity close to him.

"Already know," Alister added, following suit with Erika.

"The second match of the semifinals will be Obelisk Blue's Alexis Rhodes and Kenji Yuuyami! Are the competitors ready?" Sheppard announced.

Alexis responded by activating her duel disk and shouted, "Ready!"

Kenji also responded by slipping his left arm out of the blazer's sleeve and flexed it before strapping the duel disk on, "Ready!"

"Alexis will have the opening move... now begin the second match!"

DUEL!

The crowd cheered as the match began.

Alexis: 8000

Kenji: 8000

"You heard them, ladies first..." Kenji offered.

"Thank you very much," Alexis smiled as she drew her sixth card. "I start with Cyber Valkyrie in defense mode!" She announced playing the monster card that brought out the ice armored female warrior. (4/1300/1500) "Next, I place one card facedown and it's your turn," She concluded, inserting a reversed card into her disk.

"Time for my move," Kenji declared, drawing his sixth card. "First, I set one monster on the field," He began, placing the card on his disk and a facedown monster card came out. "Next, I activate the Spell Card, Graceful Charity allowing me to draw three cards and then I have to discard two!" He announced, drawing three cards from his deck and then sending off two monsters into his graveyard. "And then I remove my Undercover Ninja from the graveyard to Special Summon Raizou, the Ninja Assassin!" Soon, the young assassin from the duel against Chazz, back when he was a Society member, appeared wielding his Kusarigama. (6/2400/1850)

"2400 ATK monster on the first turn, impressive," Alister noted.

"Raizou, attack Cyber Valkyrie!" Kenji commanded as his assassin charged in, swinging the ball and chain of his weapon.

"Cyber Valkyrie's effect activates and reduces your monster's ATK by 300," the Cyber Girl duelist announced as Valkyrie unleashed a blizzard from her armor, hindering Raizou's advancement. (6/2400-2100/1850) But it still wasn't enough as the weighted ball slammed into the Cyber monster, shattering her into pixels.

"I end my turn with two facedown cards," Kenji concluded, inserting two more cards into his disk. "Your turn..."

"They're just feeling each other out now," Matthias stated.

"Well, they do know each other very well in their dueling skills," Melody pointed out, "It would make sense if only minor damage or cautious attacks were made throughout the duel."

"Afterwards, the real duel can begin..." Isaac added.

"Here's my turn," Alexis announced, drawing her next card. She then held up three cards, one spell and two monsters she frequently used, "I'll activate the Spell Card, Polymerization to fuse the Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater in my hand to form Cyber Blader!" Soon, the fusion vortex appeared over her head and sent both Cyber Girl Monsters inside. A flash burst from it and brought out the futuristic skater to fight. (7/2100/800) "And you know when Cyber Blader's facing two monsters her ATK double!" Then, Cyber Blader was surrounded by a blue aura to amplify her power. (7/2100-4200/800)

"Saw that coming," Kenji smirked, revealing his facedown card. "I activate De-Fusion to send your monster back to the Fusion Deck! And after using up three cards to get her here..."

"Yeah, so how about I bring back the two who got her here?" the Obelisk girl smirked back, activating a spell from her hand. It was De-Fusion!

"Her too?" Chazz gasped.

"And her using that will benefit her more, with the monsters needed in her graveyard." Jachin added.

"Cyber Blader, de-fuse!" Alexis announced as her Spell card flashed, enveloping the Fusion monster in a white light and splitting her back up into Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater, making Kenji's spell useless as it faded away. (4/1200/1600), (4/1400/1500) "Didn't expect that, did you?"

"Actually, I did!" the Ninja duelist grinned, revealing his next facedown card. It depicted Dark Grepher giving off a dark flash. "Since you Special Summoned your monsters this turn, I can use the trap card called Dark Flash to destroy them."

The Obelisk girl gasped, "It can't be that easy..."

"You're right," Kenji pointed out, "I have to Tribute a DARK monster with 1500 ATK minimum or higher... and I'll have to give up Raizou since he fits the requirements." Despite being offered up, Raizou smirked as he went through a series of handsigns. Once finished, his body unleashed a dark flash whose rays blasted both of Alexis' monsters and destroyed the assassin in the process. Needless to say, the move caught Alexis and the audience off guard.

"Alexis thought she could make a solid defense after countering Kenji's plans to clear her field, but Kenji still ended up having the upper hand," Allyson gasped.

"It was impressive to say the least," Lyra added, showing her shocked expression. "And it must have been worth it to sacrifice a strong monster."

"That was a good move, and I sure didn't expect that one." Alexis praised, "It's your turn..."

"Alright," Kenji nodded as he drew his next card.

"But then, I'll activate my facedown card Thunder of Ruler which prevents you from attacking this turn!" She interrupted, revealing the trap card and letting it shine.

"Lucky..." the ninja duelist muttered as he set another monster facedown card. "Back to you..."

"My move," Alexis announced, drawing her next card. "Now since you have two monsters on the field, I can Special Summon the monster I just drew. Street Fighter Purna, join the field!" In a blue flash, the Arabian Street Fighter appeared and got into a fighting pose. (6/2300/1400)

"So, you're using the cards I gave to you," Kenji stated, giving a light smile. "I trust they've been helpful since your first duel using them against Atticus..."

"They have, and I'll soon be saying the same against you." She replied, inserting her last card. "I'll have her attack the facedown monster on your right! Attack with Dazzling Pirouette!" The Street Fighter started to flip and cartwheel in a dazzling fashion that put most people in awe, before she stomped down on the card, revealing Ninja Kato. (4/1300/1300) The Ninja quickly back flipped from his position, dodging the attack.

"Sorry, but Kato's unable to be destroyed in battle by one attack." The ninja duelist smiled, wagging his finger.

"You got me this turn, but I have a feeling I'll have my moment next time." Alexis concluded.

"Let's see about that," Kenji announced, drawing his next card. "Now, I sacrifice my facedown monster to invite Ninja Master Shogun to the field!" the set monster card vanished and brought out Kabuki masked ninja in his colorful robes. (5/1600/1600)

"I activate Forced Back!" Alexis countered, revealing her facedown card depicting Nanobreaker being flung back by an explosion. "This will negate the Summoning of Ninja Master Shogun and sent him back to your hand." The Ninja duelist gasped as a light pulse erupted from the ground under Shogun and transporting him back into his hand.

"Wow, fake out..." Alex muttered.

"She's just got rid of two monsters at the same time..." Jeremy noted. "Now if Kenji wants to summon, he'll have to wait next turn and possibly use up his defending monster, Ninja Kato."

"Or how about I bring him back?" the Obelisk boy interrupted.

Alexis raised an eyebrow, "But how can you do that when you've given up your Normal Summon this turn?"

Kenji smirked, "You forget, I'm a master of the swarming tactics... Plus with a ninja deck, there's no telling how fast my monsters will come out and how they strike! But since I'm a good guy to my girlfriend, I'll tell you how Ninja Master Shogun will return!" He then held up another card in his hand, which was also recognizable.

"Double Summon!" Alexis gasped as Kenji inserted the spell card, activating its effect.

"Ninja Master Shogun, return with Kato's sacrifice!" He announced as Kato vanished, bringing back the Kabuki masked ninja whom did a major pose. (5/1600/1600) "And since he was successfully Tribute Summoned, I can summon two more low-level Ninjas from my deck." He continued as he took out two more cards from his deck and then reshuffled it. "I play Ninja Commando Kabuki in attack mode and Ninja Kisaragi in defense mode!"

Two yells came from the crowd, startling several people as two shadows jumped from the audience and revealed themselves; first, the white-clad masked ninja landed to the left of the Shogun. (3/700/700) And then, a young girl in her late teens landed by Shogun's right. She wore a navy-blue tank-top with a white Hawaiian flower design under a dark gray sleeveless vest, both of which stopped just below her ribcage, making her midriff visible. She also wore khaki shorts folded over a blue belted fanny pack, resting across her right hip. A blue and white headband was tied around her forehead as she crouched down, but wasn't in a defensive stance. (3/500/2000)

"And if you remember, Kabuki's effect I can summon any Ninja monster from the deck," Kenji continued, taking out another card from his deck. "Say hello, to Ninja Beast Shu!" Kabuki performed a handsign, creating a blue light which brought out an anthropomorphic Shiba Inu Breed Dog wearing a black ninja garb which had a ninjato strapped to his back. (2/?/?)

"Undetermined scores... not good..." Alexis said, feeling nervous staring down four monsters to her one.

"For good reason; Shu gains 1000 ATK and DEF for every monster on my field except himself!" the ninja dog gave a small grin, unsheathing his weapon. (2/?-3000/?-3000)

"Oh no..." Alexis gasped.

"Her life points will be taken down halfway," Atticus realized.

"Shu, attack!" Kenji commanded as Shu leapt into action and dealt several slashes to Purna, breaking her into pixels.

Alexis: 7300

Kenji: 8000

"Kabuki, Kisaragi, and Shogun, attack her life points directly!" He continued as all three ninjas leapt into the skies and threw several shuriken at the defenseless Obelisk girl who blocked as much as she could with her duel disk.

Alexis: 4500

Kenji: 8000

"Ouch," Mai winced. "I haven't seen that much ninja attacking since I faced Jean-Claude Magnum..."

"And he had fairly weaker Ninja monsters than Kenji did," Joey stated. "But then again there weren't many Ninja monsters back in Battle City..."

"That's it for me, Alexis," Kenji concluded. "Let's see you get out of this one... I know you can."

"Then my next draw should be something that wouldn't surprise you," Alexis smiled, drawing her lone card. "I summon Warrior Lady of the Wasteland!" She announced, bringing out the green clad female warrior, unsheathing her sword. (4/1100/1200) "Now, attack Kabuki!" She commanded as her monster dashed across the field, dealing a quick slash across Kabuki's body and shattering him into pixels, while Shu cringed at the loss of his partner. (2/3000-2000/3000-2000)

Alexis: 4500

Kenji: 7600

"That's all from me," She concluded.

"Top-decking paid off for you," the ninja duelist stated, drawing his next card. "But let's see how your luck will pay off in the long run..."

"You know I don't believe in luck," Alexis pointed out. "I just work hard and play even harder..."

"That you do, so let's see how much your hard work paid off..." Kenji corrected. "First, Ninja Master Shogun will attack your Warrior Lady with Merciless Flame!" The masked Shogun went through a series of hand signs and then blew fire out from his mouth, incinerating the Warrior Lady.

Alexis: 4000

Kenji: 7600

"Wow, Alexis is at the halfway mark already..." Jachin looked on.

"Come on, Alexis," Chazz encouraged, "You know you're better than this!"

"Due to Warrior Lady's effect, I can Special Summon an EARTH Warrior-Type monster with up to 1500 ATK from my deck," Alexis announced, taking another monster card from her deck. "And I Special Summon another Warrior Lady!" She continued, bringing out her second Warrior Lady to the field. (4/1100/1200)

"And then, I'll let Shu attack your second lady!" Kenji continued as his ninja beast dashed towards the Warrior Lady and slashed her across the torso, shattering her into pixels.

Alexis: 3100

Kenji: 7600

"And I'll use her effect to summon Cyber Gymnast!" the Obelisk girl countered, bringing out her white-masked muscular woman, ready to strike. (4/800/1800)

"Good, since Kisaragi can't attack her because of her 500 ATK," Melody stated. "And then Alexis will have Gymnast's effect to use when she draws next turn."

"Or she could use it to help her in the long run," Isaac added.

"It's your turn," Kenji concluded.

"Then let's go," Alexis declared as she drew her next turn, "I play Card of Demise to draw five cards!" She began, drawing her next five cards from her deck. "Alright, I use the Spell card Fusion Recovery to bring back Polymerization and Etolie Cyber!" She continued as the two mentioned cards slid out of her graveyard, letting her retrieve them and place them in her hand.

"Six cards in hand now," Lily looked on.

"Now to take advantage of the cards I have," the Obelisk girl smirked, discarding Polymerization. "I use Cyber Gymnast's effect to destroy an Attack Position monster you control, like Ninja Master Shogun!" Cyber Gymnast jumped up to Shogun and grabbed him by the head. Everyone gasped at the impressive strength of the gymnast as she took lifted the Ninja Master high into the air before body slamming him to the ground into pixels, causing Shu to feel more nervous. (2/2000-1000/2000-1000)

"Wow, I remember when you hit Juli's Manju with that maneuver," Kenji said, still cringing of how his ninja fell.

"I'm not done yet," Alexis continued, placing a monster card on her field, "I summon Command Knight in attack mode which will grant my Warrior monsters an extra 400 ATK!" She announced, bringing out her red armored knight, who came with a clear blue aura that increased her power and Cyber Gymnast's (4/1200-1600/1900), (4/800-1200/1800). "And since he's weak enough, Command Knight will attack Ninja Beast Shu!"

Shu freaked out, frantically throwing ninja stars to cut Command Knight's path... but he didn't count on her using the sword to cut them down, and soon cut him down into pixels.

Alexis: 3100

Kenji: 7000

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Alexis concluded, inserting her facedown card.

"Nice comeback," Kenji praised, as he drew his next card. "But then again, I knew you wouldn't be stopped that easily..."

"Just expect me to come at you with even more force," the Obelisk girl declared.

"Better prepare then..." the ninja duelist stated. _'Right now, Kisaragi's safe in defense mode... and I haven't drawn anything to give her a boost... so, I'll stay defensive for now._ ' He then inserted a facedown card. "I'll just set this card and end my turn."

"There's caution within him now," Yugi stated. "While in life points, he has the upper hand but the field is now in jeopardy of being easily forced through."

"Yeah, but don't count him out..." Mai noted. "I've actually looked into the new ninjas, and they cause more problems."

"It's actually so they can keep a good rivalry going with the Six Samurai," Will told her. "You know Pegasus loves a good story within Archetypes nowadays... and the ancient battle between Ninjas and Samurais are not to be ignored."

"Since you're waiting," Alexis began as she drew her next card. "I'll take this opportunity to reinforce some life points, by activating Supremacy Berry! Thanks to this, if I have fewer life points than my opponent, I gain 2000 life points!" She smiled as a green glow enveloped her.

Alexis: 5100

Kenji: 7000

"Much better," She continued, "But I'll end my turn by switching Cyber Gymnast and Command Knight to defense mode and end my turn." The white-masked Gymnast got down on one knee and blocked with her arms while Command Knight kneeled and put up her shield.

"Alright, so you defend," Kenji stated as he drew his next card. "But you know I can't resist an opening! I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke in attack mode!" He announced, bringing out his silver armored and green garbed ninja wielding his two kunai. (4/1800/1000) "Thanks to him, when I attack a face-up Defense Position monster, I can destroy it without damage troubles! So, say goodbye to Cyber Gymnast!"

"Not yet," Alexis interrupted, revealing her trap card. "I activate the trap, Magical Arm Shield!"

"Oh crap..." the Ninja duelist cringed as Command Knight's shield changed into a bleach white shield. She then thrust it towards the Ninja, and suddenly a stretch crank popped out of it and grabbed Kisaragi who couldn't get away.

"This lets me take one of your monsters and she'll be the one who'll be taken down..." the Obelisk girl explained as the shield reeled in Kenji's defensive ninja. Before Sasuke could strike the Gymnast, he made a tragic mistake as he struck down his partner who screamed in pain and shattered into pixels.

As Sasuke returned to his side, Kenji sighed letting that trap happen to his monster, but then smiled faintly. "Got me good... but don't think I'll take that lying down."

"I know you won't," Alexis smiled. "Like me, you won't quit this easily."

Kenji then inserted his facedown card, "That I won't... let's see you go..."

"With pleasure," the Cyber Girl duelist stated as she drew her next card. "I switch Cyber Gymnast to attack mode and then discard one card in order to activate her effect and destroy your only monster!" She announced, discarding Street Fighter Strongest Woman to the graveyard and then letting the Gymnast grab Sasuke in a surprise rear-naked choke which made him flail before being shutdown with a big slam. "Next, I summon Etolie Cyber back to the field!" She continued, bringing back her red-haired dancer. (4/1200-1600/1600)

"These attacks are about to bring Kenji down to the red because of Etolie Cyber's effect adding on 600 points of damage." Atticus stated.

"Meaning it's Kenji's turn to be way behind," Melody added.

"Alright ladies, show Kenji what you're made of... with a triple direct attack!" Alexis commanded, as Command Knight, Cyber Gymnast and Etoile Cyber, who powered up by her effect (4/1600-2200/1600) rushed towards the Ninja duelist.

"I'll take two direct attacks, while with Etolie Cyber I'll use Dimension Wall," Kenji countered, revealing his facedown card. "Now your monster will deal the battle damage to you!"

The audience gasped as a dimensional rip opened in front of Kenji, causing the red-headed dancer to disappear within it. When it closed, Kenji braced himself for the upcoming attacks. Gymnast was going to deal a right hand, but Kenji deflected it with a quick hand and flung her back to Alexis' side. Then saw the sword of Command Knight coming in... He quickly sidestepped to the left to get room. Once he saw the next slash coming, he stopped it with well-placed hands to catch the sword by the flat end and pushed her back.

Afterwards, Alexis saw the dimensional rip behind her opening up and saw Etoile Cyber coming out with her spinning kick heading straight for her. Instead of trying to jump away, Alexis used her duel disk to flip her monster over her head, landing right in front of her.

Alexis: 3900

Kenji: 4200

The crowd cheered in approval, when they saw the duelists get into the battle as well.

"That was too cool," Alex smiled.

"I could see Kenji doing that, but Alexis... that is a surprise!" Lily added.

"Look at who she's dueling..." Jeremy pointed out. "Friends since the first year, now a couple... they're determined to get the best out of each other. Especially since Melody's the final opponent and you've seen her beat a Pro Duelist."

Kenji started to smile, stretching out his arms, "A little enthusiastic in blocking, wouldn't you agree?"

"You didn't expect me to get hurt, did you?" Alexis playfully scolded.

"Touché," the ninja duelist waved off. "Just didn't think it would get that kind of reaction."

"A lot of people didn't..." the Obelisk girl pointed out.

"Still, I like see you getting fired up," Kenji stated with grin. "Makes this duel all the better to go through with... so you done?"

"After a facedown card, I can spare you the time." Alexis concluded, inserting a facedown.

"Thank you..." the ninja duelist said, drawing his next card. "I'll set this card facedown and then help us out with Card of Sanctity!" He announced, inserting a reversed and played the spell card allowing Alexis to draw five cards and Kenji the full six. 'Good... as they say "All good things must come to an end."'

"They both have six cards," Chazz stated. "But soon Alexis will have seven..."

"But once her turn comes around, she'll have two standby phases to use them before Card of Demise's side effect forces her to discard them all." Jachin added. "She needs the good cards in her hand now..."

"Alright, time for another helpful card..." Kenji continued, inserting another spell card from his hand. "I activate The Shallow Grave! This lets us both Special Summon a monster from our graveyards and place them on the field facedown."

"Fine with me..." Alexis stated, pocketing her hand and then checking the Monster contents in her graveyard. _'Alright, if I can protect her then Street Fighter Strongest Woman's my best bet in beating him... but I have the Warrior Returning Alive in my hand and could set a different monster and then sacrifice the three of them to summon and activate her effect. What should I do?'_

"I'll set this monster from my graveyard," the Obelisk boy announced, as a set monster appeared on his field before putting his graveyard back and taking his hand from his pocket.

 _'Let's do it this way..._ ' the Cyber Girl duelist finally decided, setting a monster from her graveyard and putting the rest back and retrieving her hand. "I'll set this one."

"Alright, now it's time for my swarm to kick in by using the Spell Book of Taiyou!" Kenji continued, inserting it into his disk. "Now, I immediately flip-summon him to the field... meet Silver Ninja!" He announced as the set monster card flipped up and brought out another Ninja with significantly silver armor for his namesake. Also around his neck, he wore a light brown scarf that blew with the wind. (6/2300/2200)

"Never seen a ninja like that one..." Will noted.

"I have and it's not a good thing for Alexis," Alister spoke up. "Kenji's got field advantage now..."

"With my ninja flipped face-up, it's time I stormed the battlefield!" Kenji grinned. "I can now Special Summon and Set Ninjas from hand and Graveyard to my heart's content!" The audience gasped as two monster cards slipped out of Kenji's graveyard while he took two of them from his hand and set them on both side of Silver Ninja.

"At least they're facedown, so I don't have too much to worry about..." Alexis stated.

"Except me taking down your Cyber Gymnast!" the ninja duelist declared, as his ninja jumped into the fray. "Attack with Shining Blade Flash!" Silver Ninja jumped into the sun, using the reflective service of his armor to blind Alexis and her monsters. All she could here was the scream of her Cyber Gymnast being struck down and shattered into pixels.

Alexis: 2800

Kenji: 4200

"And then I'll set two cards facedown to end my turn." Kenji concluded.

"There's no telling what kind of ninjas he summoned from the hand." Erika noted.

"And with all the strong ones he has, it's not going to be easy for Alexis to deal with." Tea added.

"Filling up your field doesn't scare me," Alexis stated, drawing her next card. "Especially since I've got something to take them all down... I set one card facedown and then summon Street Fighter Karate Girll!" After inserting her set card, she brought out the karate uniformed girl ready to strike hard and fast. (4/1350-1750/1800) "And if you remember, she gains an immediate 2000 ATK and DEF bonus when she faces a level 6 or higher monster!"

"I haven't..." Kenji stated, bracing himself for the next attack.

"Karate Girl, attack Silver Ninja with Tanden Renki!" She announced as her fighter gained a burning red aura that increased her power. (4/1750-3750/1800-3800) Next, she jumped up and slammed down on the ninja with a hard-right hand and then a hard uppercut, sending him to the sky with a twinkle.

Alexis: 2800

Kenji: 2750

Joey whistled at the distance the Silver Ninja went as Karate Girl's power reduced itself back to 1750. "Yeah... that happens a lot during battles with overpowered warrior girls."

"And it made the scores closer again," Serenity pointed out the 50-point gap in the Obelisks' scores.

"You're not getting away from me that easily." Alexis smirked, signaling the end of her turn.

"I never planned to..." Kenji added, drawing his next card. "Since you were so nice in clearing up one of my monster zone, I'll fill it back up by flip summoning one of my monsters. Return, Ninja Commando Kabuki!" He announced as one of his facedown cards flipped up and revealed his white armored and masked ninja. (3/700/700) "With his effect, I can summon Star Ninja Kaabii from my deck!"

"Poyo!" Kenji's Spirit Partner shouted as he flew onto the field, slicing the air with his kunai. (6/2050/1800)

"Back together again," Alexis smiled, seeing the happy face on the monster.

"And I do appreciate you returning him to me," Kenji thanked. "Of course, I did take a verbal lashing from the little guy." Kaabii let out a big grin at that, making Alexis laugh a little. "But back to business... it's time we reach the climax of our duel... reveal facedown card!"

One of Kenji's facedown cards, revealed a trap card depicting many scattered fallen warriors among a battle field with three soldiers on each side preparing to fight. Yugi realized the identity of the card, right away... "The Final Days of Battle..."

"What's that?" Mai asked.

"Kaiba used this against me during the Battle City Semi-Finals," the King of Games stated. "Not only does every monster face-up monster stay in attack mode..." As he said that, Alexis' monsters stood their ground. "But now, both players have to choose 3 cards from their decks and send the rest to the graveyard..."

Will whistled, "He really wanted you down back then, huh?"

"But the way Kenji's using it, it's a matter of strategy..." Alister mused. "Which is how this whole battle will turn out..."

"And I know Kenji doesn't want to end this by deck out," Erika added on.

Alexis scanned her deck _, 'Another choice bigger than the last... Kenji really wants to give me a great duel worth remembering... but in my predicament, the second card I draw will cause me to discard it along with my hand... But let's think about his cards...'_ She stared down at his facedown cards _. 'Two of those cards must involve Hayabusa, Ayane, and Kasumi, since by having the rest of his deck in the graveyard he could summon a maxed out ATK Ninja Gaiden... I can't compete with that... I just have to rely on these cards to strike before he does that...'_ She then chose three cards, placed them in her deck slot while sending the rest to her graveyard.

Kenji did the same with his cards, selecting three to keep and then sending the rest to the discard slot.

"I hope you made the right choices, but it's only fair to warn you that I've got more than enough without those three cards!" Kenji declared.

"What?" Alexis gasped in surprise.

"Oh great, he must have prepared for Silver Ninja to be in the graveyard soon..." Allen realized.

"Graceful Charity," Lyra deduced. "Silver Ninja was the other card he put in the graveyard aside from Undercover Ninja which he used to summon Raizou."

"It's not looking good for Alexis then," Allyson stated. "Add in that when she draws her second card, Card of Demise forces her to discard her hand."

"I'll show you what I mean by revealing one of my facedown monsters, Ninja Hayabusa come forth!" Kenji announced, flipping over one of his facedown cards and revealed his ace Ninja card staring down Alexis' monsters. (7/2700/1900) "But as much as he and Kaabii are powerful, I have something far worse in store for you. But it also means Kabuki and my other two facedown monsters will sent to the graveyard for a special monster!"

"Three sacrifices?" Alexis wondered.

"Don't worry, I gave Obelisk back..." the ninja duelist assured her. "But from what this guy does, you won't be out of the path of my monsters."

"Now I wonder what is coming..."

"What people have been introducing this year..." Kabuki and the two facedown monsters erupted into three wind pillars that combined together. "With three sacrifices, I summon the Legendary Planet... The Tripping Mercury!"

Once again, the people were blown away by the declarations as the giant pillar fizzled out to reveal a tall warrior clad in a hooded assassin's uniform of grey. The strangest thing about him was the four arms he had that wielded a ninjato each hand. (8/2000/2000)

"Another Legendary Planet monster," Allyson gasped.

"But it's weak..." Isaac mused.

"Not if it's using 3 Sacrifices," Melody stated. "There are few monsters that could do that..."

Kenji smirked, "Since Mercury was summoned by 3 Sacrifices, your monsters' power go straight to 0 ATK!" Pulling out his twin blades, Mercury sent wave after wave of slash energies that struck down Alexis' Etolie Cyber and Command Knight, completely draining them of their power. (4/1600-0/1600), (4/1600-0/1900)

"This just turned from bad to worse for Alexis," Lyra stated, "Kenji has to destroy all three monsters to drop her points to zero as well."

"It's not going to end here!" Alexis announced, revealing the facedown card she saved. "I activate Pixie Ring! Since I control at least two monsters, I can save the weakest one from being targeted in battle. And since both Command Knight and Etoile Cyber are tied, I have to choose the latter." Soon, a white ring flashed from the trap and surrounded Etoile Cyber. "Now you can't touch either one..."

"Except your facedown monster," Kenji stated. "But if I attacked that, Final Days of Battle would cause it to be forced into attack mode. And I have a feeling it's a powerful card, so I'll end my turn here."

"No getting past you, huh?" Alexis asked, drawing her new card, leaving two in her deck. "But before I reveal the card you could've attacked, I'll sacrifice both Command Knight and Etoile Cyber to summon my Cyber Princess!" The two mentioned monsters vanished into a flurry of diamond sparkles. Among them, came a young, orange-haired girl wearing an elegant white tutu and headdress with pink frills stockings and ballet slippers. She had herself posed in the first position of a ballet stance: feet aligned and touching heel to heel while having her arms crossed in front of her stomach. (8/2600/2200)

"Now you got a new one?" the Ninja duelist stated, looking at the new monster.

"You'll be surprised with what she can do," the Cyber Girl duelist stated, "But my sights are on those two monsters, so I'll flip summon the monster I Set when you played The Shallow Grave! Reveal, Street Fighter Strongest Woman!" The facedown card flipped up, revealing the Chinese Street Fighter ready to rumble. (9/2900/2400)

"Two monsters with 2600 and 2900 ATK will put Kenji on the defensive." Yugi noted.

"I'll attack Tripping Mercury and Star Ninja Kaabii!" Alexis announced as Strongest Woman went for the Tripping Mercury and fired a blue fireball through the chest, obliterating him from the field.

Alexis: 2800

Kenji: 1850

"Now, Cyber Princess will attack Star Ninja Kaabii!" She continued letting her new monster dance gracefully across the field and towards the small ninja, about to pull a pirouette...

"I activate Ninjutsu Art of Decoy," Kenji countered, revealing his facedown card. "This prevents a Ninja monster from being destroyed in battle as long as he's on the field!" Once the attack hit Kaabii, he burst into a puff of smoke and floated away from the ballerina.

Alexis: 2800

Kenji: 1300

"Took a good chunk out of my life points, but I'm still here..." He stated.

"You're just stubborn," Alexis smiled, inserting two facedown cards, "I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Kenji's on the ropes, but then again he sounded confident that he has everything he needs from his trap and on the field." Alister stated.

"You can't put anything past him, that's for sure." Erika added.

"Nearing crunch time, Alexis," Kenji stated, drawing his next card and leaving two in his deck. "But this is where it ends! I activate Energy Drain!" He announced, inserting the named Spell Card. "This not only drains your Strongest Woman's ATK, but it allows me to draw one card!" A green flash enveloped Alexis' best monster, draining her down to nothing as Kenji drew another card, leaving only one in his deck. (9/2900-0/2450) "Now, Kaabii attack Street Fighter Strongest Woman with Absorbing Technique!"

 _"POYO!"_ Kaabii opened his mouth too immense size and inhaled the air like a vacuum. The weakened Street Fighter couldn't hold her ground as she was sucked in and gobbled up by the ninja.

Alexis: 750

Kenji: 1300

"That was a big drop," Joey exclaimed.

"And with Kaabii's ability, I can summon a Copy Token with the same ATK and DEF as your destroyed monster, but with a Level 1 and a LIGHT attribute," the ninja duelist stated as Kaabii spat out another copy of himself, only it wore the qipao as Strongest Woman once wore. (1/2900/2450) "Now to take down your Cyber Princess, Copy Token attack..." The Copy Kaabii charged straight for the ballerina, enveloping itself with a blue aura.

"I activate Rush Recklessly," Alexis countered, revealing her quick-play Spell card. "This adds 700 ATK to Cyber Princess, more than enough to fend off your token's attack and destroy it!" Suddenly, Cyber Princess started spinning around in place until she was a silver tornado. (8/2600-3300/2200) The token got to close, and end up getting sucked in.

Alexis: 750

Kenji: 900

"It's down to this," Melody stated. "150 points separating them and Alexis is about to discard her hand after Kenji declares the end of his turn."

"Then, she better have a card to use when she draws it..." Isaac noted.

"I end my turn with two cards facedown." Kenji announced, inserting the last two cards from his hand. "And now, your hand will be discarded since it's been five turns that Card of Demise has been used."

"Not if a card I draw is used during the Draw Phase," Alexis stated, drawing her next card and quickly placing it into disk, "And I activate it now, Forbidden Lance! This drains Cyber Princess of 800 ATK, but makes her unaffected by your traps or spell cards!" Suddenly, a golden lance dropped from the sky and landed right in front the Cyber Princess, hindering her strength. (8/2600-1800/2200) Then, Alexis discarded the rest of her hand.

"But now she's not even strong enough to battle Kaabii," the ninja duelist stated.

The Cyber Girl duelist then smiled, "And I have another card to use," She stated, pointing at her facedown card. "I reveal Monster Reborn to revive my Street Fighter Strongest Woman!" She announced as her spell card, flipped over and shined to bring out the Chinese Street Fighter once more. (9/2900/2400) "And with her, I can end this duel now!"

Everyone stood there confused, seeing no way that Alexis could win on this turn. She then answered everyone's questions with her next words.

"Now's the time to use Cyber Princess' Special Ability: Pas de Duex! Once per turn, I select another monster on my side of the field, like my Strongest Woman. She won't be unable to attack, but Cyber Princess' ATK goes up by the value of Strongest Woman's!"

Now everyone was at a loss for words as now Strongest Woman and Cyber Princess entered into the starting position of the Pas de Duex, combining their power. (8/1800-4700/2200)

'And since Cyber Princess is protected by Forbidden Lance, my facedown cards can't do anything to stop her...' Kenji thought, but then sucked it up and said, "Take your best shot!"

"I plan to!" Alexis announced, "Cyber Princess, attack Ninja Hayabusa and end this duel!" Both the Cyber Princess and Strongest Woman charged in a graceful yet fierce dance that neither Hayabusa nor Kaabii could predict as they were completely subdued. Before he knew what hit him, Hayabusa was struck with two kicks to the stomach and then doubled kicked once again to the ground, shattering him into pixels and ending the duel.

Alexis: 750, Winner

Kenji: 0

"The winner, Alexis Rhodes!" Pegasus announced as the holograms disappeared and the crowd cheered.

"There goes the last guy of the tournament," Jachin stated.

"At least Alexis is in the finals, like she said she would." Chazz added.

"Now we're going to see a woman duelist win the big prize," Mai stated with a smile.

"And it's also showing that the Academy students like Sheppard said," Yugi noted.

Alexis and Kenji met up in the middle of the duel floor...

"That was a great finish," Kenji stated. "Of all the Quick-Play Spells I figured you'd use, I could've seen something to destroy my cards."

"Yeah, but there's nothing to use to destroy both," Alexis pointed out. "So, I figured if I protected my monster from Spells and Traps was able to keep Cyber Princess on the field, I could take another monster and use it for her effect. And because of Forbidden Lance, I held back on using the effect until the last turn."

"I see..." the ninja duelist said, taking her hand. "Well, all can say is thanks for the match, keeping me in the tournament, and playing to your best. Now all I ask is for one thing in return..."

"Yes?" Alexis asked.

"Show Melody why you're one of the best in Obelisk," He said. "I mean, beating my Ninja God cards and Obelisk this should be easy to do."

"By the way, how did you end up with those cards?" She wondered, while walking with him to the crowd.

"Well these are powerful cards," Kenji replied, "My clan thought it would be safe to keep them with me. I could only use them in a critical moment, and I thought facing Obelisk would call for it. But then look what happened, Obelisk got a hold of it."

"It's over now, just try to be careful from now on..." She stated, kissing him on the cheek.

"Don't have to tell me twice..." He stated.

"Our semifinals have now concluded," Sheppard announced. "We'll have a 15-minute intermission before we move on to the final match... Alexis Rhodes vs. Melody Hikarii! Good luck to both duelists!"

While the crowd cheered, the two girls stared each other, ready for the next duel...

* * *

Cyber Princess

Level 8

2600/2200

Fairy/Effect

Select one other Monster she controls. That Monster cannot attack this turn but Cyber Princess' ATK increases by the ATK of the selected Monster (effect name: Pas de duex).

(Based off of Princess Tutu. Card stats created by Master of Death and Darkness, and the character rights go to the creators of the Princess Tutu anime.)

Level Force

Normal Trap

Image: Silent Magician LV4 floating sideways into a cut picture, where it showed her evolution into Silent Magician LV8

Banish 1 "LV" monster from your side of the field to the Graveyard; Special Summon a monster from your hand or Deck that is written in the card text of the sent monster, ignoring any and all Summoning conditions.

Knight of Twin Swords

Level 6

EARTH

2300/1700

This card can attack twice during the Battle Phase.

(The top two cards are my own creation. Knight of Twin Swords' character goes to the creators of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeon Dice Monsters.)

Dark Flash

Normal Trap Card

Tribute 1 DARK monster you control with 1500 or more ATK; destroy all monsters that were Special Summoned this turn

(Only released in the OCG version of the game; TCG version unknown for now...)

Final Days of Battle

Continuous Trap Card

As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all face-up monsters on the field are changed to Attack Position and cannot change their Battle Position. Upon activation, both players choose 3 cards in their respective Decks. All cards that were not selected are sent to their respective Graveyards and the 3 chosen cards are returned to their respective Deck Zones in any order.

(This is the anime version of the card used by Seto Kaiba during episode 134, Clash in the Coliseum Part 6. All rights go to the respective creator.)

Ninja Beast Shu

Level 2

DARK

Beast-Warrior/Effect

Effect: This card's ATK and DEF are equal to 1000 times the number of monsters on your side of the field (excluding this card).

Artwork: Shu from Dragonball

(Stats creation by Master of Death and Darkness, while character rights go to the creators of Dragonball)

Next time: With Aster and Masaki's defeat, what's to become of the keys that they held along with Jaden's and Claudio's? Find out next time!

Please read and review! Later!


	76. Fight Against Destiny's Call

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 76: The Fight Against Destiny's Call

* * *

Last time on Duel Academy Stories: Sartorius and Jason squared off against Aster and Masaki, while the Semi-Finals of the GX tournament got underway. The Shonen and Destiny Hero Duelists put a powerful fight, to the brink of summoning their strongest monsters, including the recovered Plasma card, but the Light of Destruction fully took over the strongest Society players and Summoned their own powerful beasts that shut them out completely. Two keys are down, only two to go... what happens next?

* * *

After their defeat, Aster and Masaki were left stark white... right down to the skin tone and hair.

 **"I told you boys,"** the possessed Sartorius stated, **"No one is impervious to the Light!"**

 **"Even with your duties to your friends, there's nothing left to fight with,"** the possessed Jason laughed as both Aster and Masaki dropped to their knees.

"Aster! Masaki!" Jaden cried as he and Claudio ran over to the stark white boys.

"They can't be brainwashed," Claudio said, hoping he was right. "Those two are going to pay..."

"We're not brainwashed, and that's not Sartorius and Jason," Aster stated, looking towards the possessed duo. "Their bodies have been taken over by power-hungry Aliens..."

"And you guys have the last two keys," Masaki added, looking to the two other Hero duelists. "If those two get them, they'll control the Satellite and the fate of the world. It's too late for Aster and me." Soon both he and Aster started graying up and then dropped to the floor as dust!

"They're dust!" Syrus exclaimed in fear.

"This ain't right!" Hassleberry growled.

"Alright, what did you do with them?" Claudio snapped at the possessed Society duelists.

 **"Oh, they're resting!"** the Possessed Sartorius stated as his white aura got more malevolent.

 **"But what happens next, are up to you two and your decisions..."** the Possessed Jason added as his aura started to grow more.

Then together, the possessed duelist shouted. **"Behold Arcana! The Goddess of Judgment!"**

Everyone turned their attention to the faceless female statue as it started to glow white as well. As it happened, both Aster's and Masaki's keys floated up in mid-air and started to shake.

 **"If you all didn't know, Prince Ojin made a clever foresight to make additional fake copies of the Satellite keys to throw off any enemies that wanted the Laser for their own selfish purposes."** Jason stated.

 **"However, I'm not any ordinary enemy,"** Sartorius added as one of the keys ended up shattering to pieces!

"He shattered it!" Jaden gasped.

 **"Turns out between the two of them, Aster had the real key all along!"** the possessed tarot reader laughed as the real key floated up to the statue's right hand. **"And the key will sit in Arcana's right hand..."**

"And where's Aster and Masaki?" the J-Hero duelist demanded. He soon got his answer when another white glow alerted everyone to Arcana's right hand, soon the glow formed into the two fallen Hero duelists being inside her fist.

 **"Did that answer your question**?" the right-hand man asked.

 **"Now Arcana's arms form the Scale of Judgment!"** the Arcana Force Duelist rejoiced. **"But thanks to the number of people in her right hand and only one key in her left, it's a bit off balance..."** He then focused on Jaden and Claudio. **"So, this is where you two come in, or basically one of you!"** He then fired a blast of light at Claudio, aiming for his chest!

"AHH!" the Ra shouted as he was knocked on his back and saw his key snap in two before his eyes.

"Claudio!" Jethro shouted.

"His key was a fake, too?" Syrus wondered.

 **"Precisely,"** the Lightsworn Duelist grinned.

" **Now Jaden, you have a decision to make..."** the tarot reader continued, **"If you value Aster and Masaki's lives, you'll throw the key in Arcana's hand to balance the scale. If not, they'll plummet to their doom..."** To add emphasis on the last statement, the floor around the statue opened to reveal molten lava. **"So, who are you going to give up? The Satellite Key or your friends' lives?"**

Jaden ended up taking out his key, staring it down with critical thought.

"He's going kill to them for the Satellite Key?" Hassleberry shouted.

"And then he'll kill everyone on the planet when he gets it..." Jethro stated. "Because I know Jaden will give up that key to save innocent lives..."

"And that alien's counting on it," Syrus added. "Jaden wouldn't let even one person die for something..."

"That's not the worst of it..."

The boys turned to the entrance of the room as saw Ojin being carried in by Linda.

"The Light is stronger than ever," Ojin groaned. "Soon, it will influence everything on the island with its power."

"What are you two doing here?" the vehicroid duelist asked.

"Outside the dorm, we saw Solaris' helmet..." the Prince stated.

"He didn't come back last night to the plane," Linda added. "We figured he was kidnapped by the Society..."

"More than you know..." the Desperado duelist sighed, "We saw Jason play a card that had the same name, and worst of all Solaris was fused within it." He then thought _, 'Which is why I got a plan, but I need Hassleberry's help for it to work...'_ He tapped Hassleberry shoulder, getting his attention. "Hassleberry, I got an idea..." And then he whispered into his ear, making sure no one else could hear.

Ojin and Linda gasped, hearing what happened to the Misgarth bodyguard and it also alerted their presences to Sartorius.

 **"Ah, my Prince,"** He laughed. **"You're about to witness the judgment of Arcana. Let's start!"** He then snapped his fingers, and soon the hand with Aster and Masaki started to tilt downward and the key upward.

"Stop!" Claudio shouted, picking himself up off the floor. "Set them free now!"

"As if we had a real choice..." Jaden groaned, looking at his key. "If I don't give up the key, Aster and Masaki are goners!"

"But if you do, the whole world will be done for!" Linda protested.

After all the deliberation, Jaden took his course of action...

"You win! Here!" He shouted, throwing the key to Arcana's right hand.

"No!" Ojin and Syrus shouted.

"What have you done!?" Linda exclaimed in horror.

"Now!" Jethro shouted, getting Hassleberry to run up an archway that led to the sinking left arm that Aster and Masaki were in.

Sartorius snarled, **"You will not stop our plot!"** He then turned to Gunter. **"Stop them!"**

The possessed card designer began to dash his way towards the Dino duelist, with all intent to stop him by pulling out an electro-rod. "Come here, kid!"

"Hassleberry, look out!" Syrus called out.

"Oh no, you don't!" the Obelisk cowboy shouted, pulling out his duel disk and kept it into its gun function. _'Just hope what I'm about to do will happen...'_

On cue, a golden aura appeared around him and he saw one of his spirits right next to him, Tribal Spirit – Crimson Grizzly and Desperado Red-Tail.

 _'Alright, now I know this will work!'_ He pointed his gun at the gap between Gunter and Hassleberry. "Crimson Grizzly, Red-Tail fire!" He pulled the trigger twice and shot the cards out. In a flash, the Grizzly bear came to life and charged at Gunter while Red-Tail flew towards the keys.

 **"Duel Spirits!?"** Sartorius exclaimed in confusion.

 **"What's going on here!?"** Jason growled. Crimson Grizzly snarled as it smacked Gunter across the chest with its paw, sending him flying across the room. That gave Hassleberry the opening he needed to run up an archway to jump up on Arcana's left arm, grab both Aster and Masaki and jump off to safety.

"Alright, he got them out of the way!" Jaden cheered.

The SOL duelists were livid, especially since they saw Desperado Red-Tail grab the key Jaden threw and caught it and grabbed the other key in Arcana's right hand, preparing to make its way back to Jethro. **"Bring the keys back here!"** Sartorius shouted as he fired another light blast at the bird, destroying it into pixels and causing the key to drop in the middle of the room. **"It's mine!"**

"Not today!" Claudio grinned as he ran for the falling key.

 **"Jason, stop him!"** the SOL leader commanded, as his right-hand man fired a light beam of his own, heading for the key.

"No way!" the J-Hero duelist smirked as he began to power slide on the floor and grabbed his guitar. "Jethro, catch," He then used his guitar as a bat to hit the key away from the light beam, sending it flying across the other side of the room and let it fall in the Obelisk cowboy's hands.

"Got it!" Jethro shouted.

"Now get out of here!" Jaden shouted.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" the Obelisk replied as he turned tail and fled back to the stairs.

 **"I'll destroy you!"** Jason shouted, charging up for another light beam.

"Don't waste your time," Sartorius told him, stopping the Lightsworn duelist from charging any further **. "It won't faze someone who can alter destiny... However, we can influence someone else!"** He then looks to Prince Ojin. " **Awaken again, my servant!"** He shouted. Suddenly, Ojin felt his eyes flashed and turned blank without anyone noticing. Gunter then stood up and groaned after Crimson Grizzly's attack on him, now having a white aura around him and being controlled by Jason. **"Here me now, Servants of the Light of Destruction; chase down the one with the key and lead the world to its Ultimate Purification!"**

"Yes Master!" Gunter and Ojin shouted, surprising everyone else in the room and especially Linda.

"What are you saying?" She gasped, holding her Prince's shoulders. Sartorius then flashed his eyes at her, stunning the secretary and caused her to release Ojin. He and Gunter then ran off.

"Are you okay, Linda?" Syrus asked, worried for her.

"I'm... fine..." She groaned, "Just stop... the Prince before he reaches your friend."

"I got it!" Hassleberry shouted as he carried Aster and Masaki over to Syrus and Linda. "Just take care of these two while I provide Private Cartwright with backup support!" He then runs toward the stairs, giving chase to the possessed men.

* * *

In the tarot reading room, Jethro just ran through to make his way towards the exit of the White Dorm. 'Just need to get far away from the White Dorm as possible...'

Soon, Gunter and Ojin ran inside the room next. As Gunter was going to give chase...

"Wait a minute," Ojin shouted as he looked towards the ground.

"What for?" Gunter asked, impatiently waiting. He then saw the Prince of Misgarth open up a hidden cabinet and took out the suitcase that held the Satellite controls inside. "Oh, I see now..."

"Once we get the keys, we can activate the Satellite as soon as possible!" Ojin stated, "Now, let's chase down that kid!"

* * *

Soon, Jethro ran out of the White Dorm with a good amount of distance as he took refuge into the trees. He took the time to pick a good hiding spot for the keys, burying them at the base of one tree. "There, now to get away from this spot..." He started to run towards the docks, separating the Boys' White Dorm from the Girls' White Dorm.

"He's over there!"

The Obelisk then saw and heard Ojin and Gunter running towards him. Despite that, Jethro smiled... "Hey boys; didn't think you could find me so quick..."

"Enough with the games, kid," Ojin grinned and held out his right hand, "Hand over the keys, now..."

Jethro sighed, "Wish I could... but I tossed those things far off in the water, there's no telling where they ended up!" Ojin and Gunter gasped in horror. "Guess you can't activate that Satellite now even after all that trouble..." He suddenly stopped by the German card designer, holding him up by his neck and choking him.

"I suggest you go swimming, boy!" Gunter sneered. "Or else I'll have to make sure you see it my way!" He increased his grip, making the Obelisk gasp for air. "Well..."

"Let... go..." Jethro grunted in pain, "Or else..."

"Or. Else. What?" the German said, enunciating every word with malice.

"I would do what he says, kid..." Ojin smirked, "Hate to see someone lose so much before Master Sartorius saves this world from all of its imperfections!"

"That what's you think!"

Everyone turned to see, Hassleberry growling and charging towards them and glaring with his dinosaur slit eyes, acting if he was an actual dinosaur running towards its next meal. "Hands off my friend!" Before Ojin knew what hit him, the dino duelist knocked him over with a right hand. Then, Hassleberry continued giving a quick yet strong left hand to Gunter's stomach, making him scream and release Jethro to the ground. The Obelisk rolled towards the Ra and rubbed his sore neck.

"Thanks for the save, partner..." Jethro said, grinning.

"You alright?" Hassleberry asked.

"I've felt worse," the Obelisk replied, "I was once zapped from behind by some dark girl during Domino City... a choke hold's nothing compared to that."

"Good to know," the Ra nodded. He then got serious seeing Ojin and Gunter get up from their attacks. "But I think it's time they woke up from their brainwashing..." He then activated his duel disk and looked to Jethro, "You with me, partner?"

Getting up, Jethro activated his own, setting it from his gun mode to its dueling mode, "I'm with ya, soldier!"

Growing, Gunter activated his duel disk, "I had enough of getting hit by bears and kids, and I'll drown you both into the water until you give us those keys!"

Ojin activated his as well, "But first, let's make them writhe in the agony that is the Light of Destruction!"

"You can try!" Hassleberry and Jethro shouted, as all four players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Gunter/Ojin: 8000

Jethro/Hassleberry: 8000

"I'll make the first move," Gunter declared, drawing his sixth card. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn." He announced placing a facedown monster on the field and letting its hologram show up on the field.

"All talk and you're defending," Jethro taunted, drawing his sixth card. "But how about I re-introduce you to Tribal Spirit – Crimson Grizzly?" He announced, bringing out his giant grizzly Spirit within its crimson aura. (4/0/1900) The sight of it made Gunter's blood boil. "But don't worry, you won't be seeing too much of him after I use Double Summon and sacrifice him to summon Tribal Warrior – Crimson Claw the Hunter!" He announced, inserting the Spell card. Crimson Grizzly vanished into thin air, bringing out the brave, bear-tattooed Native to the field. (5/2100/1700) "And that's all from me..."

"Time for my move then," Ojin smirked, drawing his next card and placed it on the field. "I'll start with Satellite Base in defense mode!" He declared, as the card image flashed on the field, depicting a silver metal space station with solar panels to draw the sun's energy in. (4/0/0) "Next, I place two cards facedown and activate Satellite Base's effect! During the End Phase, it gains 1000 DEF!" He announced as the card's gauge went into the blue zone to show its level of defense. (4/0/0-1000)

"Time to draw," Hassleberry announced, drawing his sixth card. "I play Jurrac Guaiba in attack mode!" In a blast of flame, a small Guaibasaurus with a burning red body, blue limbs and head which all sparked with flames every time it took a step. (4/1700/400) "Attack the enemy's facedown monster!" Immediately, the dino went on the charge as its flaming body charged Gunter's facedown monster, revealing to be a small red bird with yellow markings around its body encased inside an air sphere. (2/400/300) Soon, the sphere dissipated and the bird shattered into pixels. "And since Guaiba destroyed a monster in battle, I can summon a Jurrac monster with up to 1700 ATK!"

"I like the sound of these dinos," the Obelisk smiled, "Let's you summon your dinos quickly!"

"And they also pack a mean offense!" the Ra grinned, taking out his choice card, "Come on out, Jurrac Velo!" Another fiery blaze came, unleashing the multicolored velociraptor snarling at the opposition. (4/1700/1000) "Lucky for you boys, I can't attack with it... but with a facedown card, it's your move."

"So now, everyone has moved and the last person has taken their attack," Ojin said, overlooking the field. "But now, it's time we break the ties!"

"It's my turn now," Gunter stated, drawing his next card, "And now, I activate the Spell Card Rotator!" He announced, inserting the Spell Card. "By discarding one card in my hand, I can switch all of my opponent's monsters into defense position!" Jethro and Hassleberry became on edge seeing their monsters forced to take defensive positions. "Didn't like that did you, but I'll show you a real monster that will strike you with power!" He then placed a monster card on the field, a let it be summoned. It was a small, bronze, griffin-like creature wearing white armor and carried another air sphere in its hands. (3/100/100) "This is a new monster I like to call, Transforming Sphere!"

"Let me guess," Jethro stated. "It becomes a monster in your graveyard..."

"No, Transforming Sphere has an ability that takes a defense position monster from my opponent and equips that monster onto mine, giving it all of its power!" the card designer grinned.

"That explains Card Rotator," Hassleberry gasped.

"Transforming Sphere, take control of CrimsonClaw and add his power to yours!" Gunter commanded as griffin manipulated the air sphere into a vacuum that affected Jethro's and Hassleberry's side of the field. Both were trying to stand their ground, as were their monsters, but the force had a tighter focus on the Tribal Warrior as he was pulled into the air vacuum and encased inside the air sphere. (1/100-2200/100)

"Oh no, a low-level monster with that kind of power?" the Obelisk said, worried in their predicament.

"Well, our monsters are in defense mode," the Ra pointed out. "So, our life points are good."

"Not after my trap takes care of you both," Ojin interjected, revealing his facedown card. "I activate Meteorain! For this round, all of mine or Gunter's monsters can inflict piercing battle damage!" Hearing that put the boys in a frightened state.

"And that's my cue," Gunter grinned, "Transforming Sphere, attack Jurrac Guaiba with Wild Wind Blast!" The griffin flew towards the Jurrac monsters while absorbing CrimsonClaw's energy within the sphere. Then, the beast flapped its wings to unleash a devastating wind gust that forced Guaiba into the skies before a green blast blew it up into pixels, raining down on the Academy students.

Gunter/Ojin: 8000

Jethro/Hassleberry: 6200

"My monsters are tough when they show their true colors, boys," the card designer grinned as the winds died out.

"Yeah, but I know that effect doesn't last forever," Jethro pointed out. "Once CrimsonClaw's freed, he'll deliver some justice to your monster."

"Which is why I'm using Emergency Provisions to cash in on your monster," Gunter stated, inserting the named Spell Card. "Now I'll send your monster to the graveyard, and my team gains 1000 points for it!"

CrimsonClaw's pixels scattered within the winds, increasing Gunter's and Ojin's life points.

Gunter/Ojin: 9000

Jethro/Hassleberry: 6200

"A thousand points over our score," Ojin rejoiced, "Pretty soon we'll get those keys back."

"That we will," Gunter smiled, as he inserted a facedown card, "I end my turn, by playing a facedown card."

"It still doesn't change a thing that you two are clueless," Jethro stated, drawing another card. "That satellite won't be used to kill people around the world. But now I got a gamble for ya... I activate the Spell Card Painful Choice!" He announced, "What this does is choose five cards from my deck and I show them to ya. You pick one of those for me to keep, but I send the rest to the graveyard."

"You're risking a lot just for a failing move, kid," Gunter stated as the Obelisk took out his five cards: Tribal Warriors – Greysting the Silent, Yellowtail the Quick, Blackhorn the Strong, Violentfang the Cunning, and Tribal Shaman – Silver Spirit Warrior. "Five monsters; and I see that four of them are able to be summoned quickly. As a result, I'll choose the one that needs a sacrifice, your Tribal Shaman!"

Jethro shrugged as he sent his Tribal Warriors into the graveyard, while adding Tribal Shaman to his hand. "According to plan... I activate my trap card, Gachi Battle!" He announced, revealing his continuous trap card. "Now for each Main Phase 1, we must Special Summon a Level 4 or below monster from our decks and in attack mode, but at the cost of being destroyed at the End Phase."

"You sure this is wise?" Hassleberry wondered, as he, his partner, and their opponents drew out their monster cards.

"Trust me; it's all going to be great..." Jethro assured him, as he announced his summoning, "I summon Tribal Spirit – Grey Scorpion!" Soon, burrowing out of the ground, a small, grey scorpion snapping its pincers and waving its tail dangerously. (3/0/1000)

"I summon Babycerasaurus," Hassleberry announced, bringing out a green, baby triceratops wearing an eggshell as a diaper. (2/500/500)

"Save your playacting for the nursery," Gunter stated, playing his monster. "Blast Sphere in defense mode!" He stated as a red, spherical mine with four silver claws appeared. (4/1400/1400)

"And I summon Shining Angel!" Ojin concluded, bringing out the blonde, toga-wearing angel to the field. (4/1400/800)

"I also activate Chain Destruction," the dino duelist announced, revealing his facedown card. "I would've used it on Satellite Cannon, but I got a better plan this time! Since my dino was special summoned, I can destroy its other copies in my deck!" A chain erupted from the trap card that went transparent through Babycerasaurus, but dug into Hassleberry's deck and pulled out the other two copies he had and sent them to the graveyard."

"And what was the point of that?" Gunter scoffed.

"Remember, Chain Destruction destroys cards," Hassleberry stated, "Meaning the effects of those Babycerasauruses activate, Special Summoning dinos up to level 4!" He then pulled two more cards from his deck and laid them on the field, "I summon Jurrac Protops and Jurrac Stauriko in attack mode!" He announced, bringing out the flaming dinosaurs to roar down on the battle field. (4/1700/1200), (2/500/400) "And Jurra Protops gains 100 ATK for every monster on the opponent's field, and right now there's four!" Protops roared, amplifying his rage. (4/1700-2100/1200)

"Now that all the monsters are here, I sacrifice my Scorpion to summon Tribal Shaman – Silver Spirit Warrior!" The spirit vanished into pixels, summoning a native monster unlike the Tribal Warriors. He wore silver pants and had a white mask over his face. (6/2150/2050) "Say hello to instrument of your defeat boys! He has a special power that links himself to the Tribal Spirits, but needs to remove the compatible Tribal Warrior from my grave first."

"Meaning," Ojin said in a bored tone.

"I remove CrimsonClaw from the game, to have his namesake," the cowboy began, removing said monster from his disk. "Next, I activate my other trap, Roll Out! And this places a union Monster from my graveyard to a monster and equips it on the spot! And that will be Crimson Grizzly, giving my Shaman 1000 more ATK!" The spirit of the Crimson Grizzly emerged once more, before fusing itself with the Shaman, increasing his power. (6/2100-3100/2050)

"Over 3000 ATK," Hassleberry grinned, "Awesome!"

"Unacceptable!" the possessed Prince announced, revealing his facedown card. "I activate Gravity Bind, preventing monster over level 3 from attacking!" Soon, the trap emitted electronic waves that affected Satellite Base, Shining Angel, Blast Sphere, Jurrac Velo, Jurrac Protops, and Tribal Shaman.

"Then, it's the end of the turn," Jethro stated, meaning every monster summoned by Gachi Battle is destroyed!" On cue, Babycerasaurus, Blast Sphere, and Shining Angel erupted into pixels.

"But my Babycerasaurus can use his special ability!" Hassleberry interjected. "I Special Summon Hyper Hammerhead!" He announced, bringing out his Hammerheaded Dinosaur. (4/1500/1200)

"We're being overrun," Gunter stated.

"I'll soon rectify that," Ojin replied, drawing his next card. "First, I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Gachi Battle on the Draw Phase!" He announced, as a violent windstorm ripped apart the trap card. "I activate Future Fusion, by sending my three Satellite Cannons to the graveyard and Fusion Summon Satellite Laser Balsam in two standby phases."

"Oh man, that's the card he tried to beat Jaden with!" the dino duelist exclaimed.

"And we'll be in big trouble if it stays on the field," Jethro added.

"I end my turn with two facedown cards, and let Satellite Base gain its 1000 DEF!" The card gauge went up another notch, boosting the defense. (4/0/1000-2000)

"My move, boys," Hassleberry announced, drawing his next card, "Jurrac Terra, dig into the trenches in defense mode," He announced as his blazing pterodactyl appeared, covering itself with its wings. (4/800/1500) "And then, one more card facedown." He concluded.

"A waste of time," Gunter stated, drawing his next card, "I use the effect of Transforming Sphere to take Jurrac Velo and use his power for my own! I guess you forgot that your beast was in attack mode!" He smirked as the griffin's orb absorbed the burning velociraptor into it. (3/100-1800/100)

"Sam Hill," the dino duelist groaned.

"But now, I'll attack a monster you were dumb enough to leave in attack mode... that Jurrac Stauriko!" The griffin launched the flames of Velo at the small dino, breaking it apart into pixels.

Gunter/Ojin: 9000

Jethro/Hassleberry: 4900

"Staruiko's effect activates and gives me two Jurrac Tokens on my field," Hassleberry countered, revealing his twin, multicolored eggs. (1/0/0) x2

"I'll activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two of them," Gunter said, paying no mind to the token monsters. "Next, I set two cards to end my turn." He concluded as Jurrac Velo escaped from the air sphere and brought itself back to Hassleberry's field. (4/1700/1000) "Just get in the water and give us those keys... you're only embarrassing yourselves by continuing this duel!"

"Do you see our life points at 0?" Jethro stated. "I sure as heck don't."

"You kids are at a major disadvantage," Ojin declared, "All your monster are either weak or they can't attack because of Gravity Bind. What's the point in continuing against the destiny that Master Sartorius has set for the world? Aster and Masaki failed to defeat the Light, what makes you two any different?"

"Because despite our losses to the Light, we never fell into it," the Obelisk replied, drawing his next card. "Now, I summon Desperado Mustang!" He announced, bringing out the trusty steed of his deck. (2/800/300) "And he's got a low enough level to attack... directly!" The horse ran across the field, leapt over Gunter's monster and delivered a double kick to the chest, knocking him down.

Gunter/Ojin: 8200

Jethro/Hassleberry: 4900

"800 points are nothing," Ojin stated.

"So you say," Jethro stated. "I end my turn."

"Finally, we managed to land a hit..." Hassleberry sighed.

"I have a feeling you'll get yours next time," the cowboy stated, looking at Ojin who failed to hide a game face.

"It's my turn," Ojin declared, drawing his next card. "I'll set one card and let my Satellite Base gain more DEF!" He concluded, inserting one card into his disk and let the card gauge increase to the mid-blue section. (4/0/2000-3000) "And with one turn left, my ultimate laser will emerge and destroy you both."

"Let's go," Hassleberry shouted, drawing his card, "Perfect, first I Special Summon Gilasaurus!" He announced, bringing out his small, brown velociraptor to the field. (3/1400/400) "And since I did, you have to Special Summon a monster to your field, if you like.

"Fine, I summon Satellite Cannon!" the Prince countered, bringing out his signature machine monster and launched it into space. (5/0/0) "But now, I'll use Inferno Reckless Summon to bring out the other two!" He continued, launching two more Cannons into space to join the first. (5/0/0) x2 "Now I'll have four super-powered machines and a super defender all on my field! What do you say about that?"

"I'll sacrifice my Jurrac Tokens to summon Jurrac Titano!" the dino duelist announced, as the eggs shattered into stars and brought out massive, Tyrannotitan dinosaur that defeated Rex Raptor. (9/3000/2800)

"Big deal, my trap still prevents your monster from attacking!" Ojin stated.

"Not unless it's going right back into your hand with my Tail Swipe Spell Card," Hassleberry grinned, inserting the spell card. "And while I'm at it, I'll send Future Fusion back to your hand so that Satellite Laser Balsam doesn't storm the battlefield!" Titano swung its tail around and smacked the trap and spell card images off the field. The electromagnetic waves disappeared along with them.

"That's some sweet moves, partner," Jethro praised.

"This will be even sweeter," the Ra stated, "I remove Jurrac Guaiba from my graveyard and that raises his power to 1000 until the end of the turn!" Titano roared as dark flames surrounded its body. (9/3000-4000/2800) "Attack one of those Satellite Cannons with Titan Dino Firestorm!" the Jurrac monster raised his mouth upward and launched the dark red flame-breath into space.

"You won't do that," Ojin cried, revealing one of his facedown cards. "Go Sakuretsu Armor! This destroys the attacking monster!"

"Sorry, but Titano is unaffected by your trap card!" Hassleberry smirked as the trap shattered, while the flame-breath reached into space. Seconds later, one of the Satellite Cannon card images shattered and raining metal debris fell to the field.

Gunter/Ojin: 4200

Jethro/Hassleberry: 4900

"Finally, we're ahead of the game!" Jethro cheered. "Nice blasting!"

"For my sake, it was perfect!" Ojin announced, revealing his other facedown card. "I think you remember Debris Station!" He laughed as his other two Satellite Cannons shattered into pixels and rose into space. "And thanks to its effect, I can send the other two cannons to the graveyard and Fusion Summon my Satellite Laser Balsam with 3000 ATK!" The card image of the advanced Satellite Cannon appeared on the field, while it was apparent that the real cannon happened to be orbiting the Earth as they dueled. (8/0-3000/2000)

"It won't make a difference for the rest of my guys to attack, so I'll end my turn," The Ra declared, as his Titano returned to 3000 ATK.

"Time to make up for my partner's blunder," Gunter stated, drawing his card. "I use the spell Block Attack to switch Jurrac Titano into defense mode!"

As the giant dino took two steps back towards Hassleberry to show the change in mode, the dino duelist growled.

"Didn't like that?" the card designer smirked, "Now watch as I take Jurrac Titano for my own!" Transforming Sphere started its storm once more trying to absorb the powerful dino. But the surprise came when Titano launched another flame from its mouth and pushed the griffin away. "What?"

"Also, no monster effects can target this dino," Hassleberry grinned. "Sorry, forgot to mention that."

Gunter growled in frustration as he signaled to end of his turn.

"Thank you kindly, stranger," Jethro smiled, drawing his next card. "I summon Tribal Spirit – Black Buffalo," He stated, bringing the black furred buffalo spirit to the field. (4/0/2000) "And then, I'll use Tribal Shaman's effect to remove Blackhorn the Strong from my graveyard, so Black Buffalo can equip on to the Shaman and give it 500 ATK!" As he removed the Tribal Warrior from the game, Black Buffalo fused itself with the Shaman. (6/3100-3600/2050)

"3600..." Ojin gasped.

"Transforming Sphere, time to go," Jethro stated as the Shaman summoned Black Buffalo to charge. "And with Black Buffalo equipped, Shaman gains 300 ATK when he attacks!" The Buffalo gained an increase in speed and power. (6/3600-3900/2050) It then rammed the griffin into the ground, finally silencing monster-stealing beast. "Should have never left him in attack mode!"

"For good reason," the card designer stated, revealing both of his facedown cards. "First, Atmosphere Forever! It sends all damage done to a Sphere Monster and redirects to you!"

The trap then launched a forceful wind that sent the boys flying and landed them near the edge of the lake... hard.

Gunter/Ojin: 4200

Jethro/Hassleberry: 1100

"That... wasn't nice..." Hassleberry groaned as he rubbed his back and Jethro tried to straighten out his own.

"And then, my other trap Atmospheric Revival summons a Sphere monster from my graveyard!" Gunter continued, "And this came from my Graceful Charity Spell, Synthesize Sphere!" A green pillar erupted from the ground and released a small, vulture-like bird but with bronze armor, yellow claws, and green wings. (4/1000/1000) "And then it has a special ability also, to summon Air Sphere from the graveyard!" Another green pillar erupted, bringing back the small, red chick inside its air sphere. (2/400/300) "And thanks to this monster, with another Sphere monster on my field, none of my opponents' monsters can attack! Once again, you two are out of luck!"

"Damn," Jethro cursed, "I end my turn..."

"That's right," Ojin smiled, drawing a new card. "Now, I could use Balsam to destroy that Titano, but I'll wait it out and pass this turn, so that we can end this duel. And that means not only Satellite Base gains 1000 DEF, Balsam gains 3000 ATK!" The card gauges on both Satellite Monsters reached the halfway mark, showing the level of power obtained. (4/0/3000-4000), (8/3000-6000/2000)

"That's not a good sign," Hassleberry stated, "Four grand in defense and six in attack... I need something to keep us alive," He then drew his next card. "Here's something, I sacrifice Gilasaurus and Jurrac Velo to summon Super Conductor Tyranno!" The two dinos shattered into pixels, letting the cybernetic T-Rex take the field. Every roar it let out, electricity shot from its metal armor. (8/3300/1400) "And it won't matter about attacking or not, because I use its effect to sacrifice Jurrac Ptera in order to deal 1000 points of damage!"

Ojin and Gunter braced themselves as Jurrac Ptera's spirit launched into Tyranno and let it fire a big thunderbolt, shocking the possessed duo and pushing them back.

Gunter/Ojin: 3200

Jethro/Hassleberry: 1100

"How's it going over there?" the Ra taunted, inserting a facedown card.

Gunter growled as he immediately shot up, and drew his next card. One look at the card, and he started to get maniacal, "HAHAHAHA! You're doomed, boys! My next monster is an ultimate destroyer! To summon it, I remove my two Sphere monsters on the field and Blast Sphere from my graveyard!" A large tornado emerged from the sky and surrounded Gunter's two monsters along with Blast Sphere that was sucked in. "Meet, the Atmosphere!" He rejoiced as the three monsters were shot into the sky, and inside the tornado emerged a large, bronze eagle with white feathers all underneath. Inside its claws, it carried a green orb that shined as the monster called out and blew away the tornado. (8/1000/800)

"This ain't good," Jethro stated. "A level 8 monster with 1000 points and its summoning requirements... it must have one hell of a special ability!"

"Let me put it to you this way," the card designer continued, "It's like my Transforming Sphere... except it's no limit into the taking the monsters whether in ATK or DEF!" The boys gasped. "I'll take Super Conductor Tyranno and absorb the ATK and DEF!" The green orb shined and launched a laser rope that gripped the dino and pulled it inside, infusing the power within itself. (8/1000-4300/800-2200)

"4300," Hassleberry growled.

"All aimed at Jurrac Titano!" Atmosphere let out a large call, which summoned a large storm that fired numerous bolts around the field, until it shattered Jurrac Titano. "Easy! No other number of monsters you have can defeat this beast!"

"Unless I grab a card that destroys Hasslberry's monster, since it is an equip card," Jethro stated.

"Good luck," the card designer stated.

"I think you forget that luck is always on my side, when it comes to the bad guys," Jethro announced as he drew his next card. He then held up it, shouting, "I activate the power of Native Spirit Calling! By paying off life points down to 100, I can take up to 3 Tribal Spirits from my deck and equip them to my Shaman, in exchange for no Battle Phase this turn!" He stated as a red aura drained him of his strength. The card image was of three Tribal Warriors chanting in a ceremony, with their respective spirits behind them and emerging.

Gunter/Ojin: 3200

Jethro/Hassleberry: 100

"Tribal Spirits, I call upon your power... Yellow Coyote and Violet Snake... grant Tribal Shaman your abilities!" the Obelisk called out, leaving an echo in the sky. Sparkles rained down on the field, and brought out two Spirits that howled and hisses, responding to the call. Immediately, they fused themselves into the Shaman's body, letting him feel the large amount of power.

"And what will that accomplish?" Ojin stated, finally getting to his feet.

"One moment please," Jethro smiled, inserting another card, showing the stereotypical devil facing off against a young man in fiddle playing contest. On the middle of the ground, solid gold fiddle and a contract signed by both fiddle players. "This is where my gambling style takes place, the Devil Went Down to Georgia!"

"A song based card?" Hassleberry wondered. "Shouldn't that be a card Claudio would use?"

"Well this is country, meaning I feel right at home with this card," the cowboy Obelisk stated to his partner.

"So what, now we're playing a fiddle contest?" Gunter scoffed.

"I don't think you the kind of man that sits down to practice an instrument of any kind." Jethro stated. "Now let me explain how this is going to work... we roll two dice each! The winner receives a life point total equal to the highest number of the dice they rolled by 300, while the loser takes damage by 300."

Four dice appeared in the sky, with two of each flying into Jethro's and Gunter's hands.

"Something tells me you're not exactly one to be in a casino..." the card designer stated, shaking the dice in his hands. "What with the all the cowboys and Indians you're playing..."

"The correct term is Native Americans..." Jethro stated with narrow stare, balancing his dice on his fingers. "I take offense to those ignorant of the proper name, thank you."

"Why would you care?" Ojin stated.

"Sure, by appearance I'm a country cowboy," the Obelisk replied, as his chest started to glow gold. "But I got the blood and heart of a Native American, protected by their spirits! So, insulting their name is like insulting me and my Mothers' side of the family."

"Cry me a river, let's get this game going," Gunter declared, rolling his dice across the ground. After a few rolls, it landed at a combined total of 9... The first die 3, the second die 6. "A decent number..."

"But low enough for me to beat!" Jethro shouted, rolling his dice to meet Gunter's. The first die landed on a 6. "Well, either we get hit by 1800 points or get healed by 1800 points... let's see..." Finally, the second die landed on its corner, spinning around, until it landed on a five to count 11. "Eleven! Time for use to reap the benefits, or in your case, punishment for the card!" Suddenly, a gold fiddle appeared in the air and started playing music, extending the golden light. It was soothing to Jethro, resonating with the golden light of his heart while it became poisonous to Gunter, who clutched his own.

Gunter/Ojin: 1400

Jethro/Hassleberry: 1900

"Nice to see we're back on track," Hassleberry stated. "But now we have to deal with Ojin and his supercharged Laser..."

"And you don't have anything to use in order to silence my power!" Ojin laughed, drawing his next card. "But I suspect that you have something that will survive, so I'll have this to attend to... my Transfer Satellite Spell Card! This drains the powers of one of my Satellite Monster, and adds it to the ATK of another... guess what happens next?"

Everyone watched as the power gauge of Satellite Base decreased to 0... (4/0/4000-0) And increased the power of Balsam way past its power... (8/6000-10000/2000)

"Prepare to face the punishment... complements of the Society of Light!"

"What Society?" Hassleberry shouted. "You guys are delusional and out of your minds! Don't you get if that laser fires everyone will die... including you two! And for what, some idiotic fanatic power trip that should have never happened? And you, Ojin... what the hell possessed your mind to create your own Satellite Cannon in the first place?"

"Spare the sentimental nonsense..." the Prince scoffed. "I just wanted one created..."

"So, you wanted to throw your money around?" Jethro deduced. "Now certainly have to get a piece of your mind..."

"And we have the cards to do it!" Hassleberry concluded, changing his eyes to the dinosaur ones.

"Satellite Laser Balsam... time to silence these peons once and for all!" Ojin shouted as a bright flash from the sky. "With 10000 ATK, dealing damage in any battle mode... the two of you will see the Light!" Soon, the cannon blast erupted from space, spiraling down.

"Then you must have forgotten that the Light can't touch us!" Jethro smirked, as the light from his heart started to grow. "Well, your Light of Destruction anyway..."

"And, I have one card to use..." Hassleberry revealed his facedown card. "I activate Spell Textbook!"

"So, you discard your hand and draw one card... if it's a spell you play it..." Gunter stated. "I remember... I made that card... back when Pegasus had made sense..."

"And he was good to make it..." the dino duelist stated, discarding the rest of his hand and then placing his fingertips on the next card... which happened to glow. "I can feel it... the next card will defeat you both, destroy the Light in within, and save the world!" He then shouted, which came out a dinosaur's roar, and drew the card. "I activate the Power of Alternate Fate!"

"That card doesn't exist!" the card designer stated. "You cheat..." He was quickly interrupted as he saw something... fierce around Hassleberry. "What's going on?"

"I fuse together Hyper Hammerhead from the field and Jurrac Titano from my graveyard with Jethro's Tribal Shaman, and Desperado Mustang from his field!" the dino duelist announced.

"There's no such Fusion!" Ojin protested, but a bright Fusion Portal appeared directly above the monsters, sucking them inside.

"Looks like there is one," Jethro added, feeling the power from the spell connecting with his light and Hassleberry's inner dinosaur DNA. "This is the combined power of inner strength that protected us from Sartorius' Mind Control!"

"And you're about to see it in action..." Hassleberry grinned.

Together they shouted, _**"We Fusion Summon the Darkness of Justice!"**_ The bright portal turned into darkness, and launched a pitch-black smoke from it that a spread across Jethro's and Hassleberry's field. The smoke formed into a tall, imposing figure that passed for a stereotypical ghost with the wisp on its tail. It had large hands that seemed to reach out for the sky, sensing the oncoming blast. (11/?/?)

"He has no score," Ojin shouted as the blast got closer, "Finish them off!"

"Actually, it does have a score!" Hassleberry shouted, "When Special Summoned, it's ATK is the same as the strongest one on the field! So now, it matches Satellite Laser Balsam's current ATK!"

Gunter growled in frustration as ghost-like figure grew higher and held off the blast with its hands. (11/?-10000/?-10000)

"No, my monster will be destroyed because of it's over level 10!" the possessed Prince gasped.

"Calm down, that new monster will be destroyed as well!" Gunter stated. "Then the Atmosphere can finish them off!"

"Not only that, you're dealing with another effect…" Jethro called out. "When he's the target of the attack, he can activate one the effects of his fusion components… like Jurrac Titano!"

"Oh no!" the possessed men gasped.

"That's right, Jurrac Velo will be removed from the game to gain 1000 ATK!" the dino duelist shouted, as he removed his Jurrac Monster from the game and the darkness around the new monster erupted. (11/10000-11000/10000) Soon, its darkness overcame the large blast and deflected it with its hands as a pitch-black beam. It shot up back into space and everyone watched a massive explosion engulfed a part of the sky.

Gunter/Ojin: 400

Jethro/Hassleberry: 1900

Ojin and Gunter stepped back in horror, while Balsam's debris fell to Earth and Satellite Base gained more power. (4/0/0-1000) "N-No... it can't end like... this!" The Prince muttered.

"It will..." Hassleberry shouted as he drew his next card. "Darkness of Justice..."

"Attack the Atmosphere with Savior's Justice!" Jethro finished, as the Dark Monster turned into a fog that blanketed Gunter's and Ojin's field, leaving the field clouded and the sounds of shattered monsters were heard along with the double thud of fallen bodies. Once the fog was over, the field cleared to show Gunter and Ojin unconscious.

Gunter/Ojin: 0

Jethro/Hassleberry: 1900, Winner

The boys' inner power simmered down as they turned off their duel disks, breathing hard and sitting down on their backsides.

"Whew... that was some power we unleashed," Jethro said, taking off his hat and wiping his brow. "And to think I had a near-death experience to have it infused within me."

"No kidding... I knew I was different from just a simple dino bone in body," Hassleberry replied, "But now... it's like I happened to find the bone of the strongest monster known to history."

"And yet Ancient and Prehistoric times unite together to stop from firing the satellite." The Obelisk stated.

"Yeah, guess we didn't have to go for a swim in the lake and get those keys," the Ra replied. Jethro laughed a bit, "What's so funny?"

"It's not in the water..." the cowboy laughed. "It's hidden in the woods..."

"But they were choking you to near death, telling you to go in the lake," the dino duelist said.

"Only because, they caught me at the lake and I said it was in the lake," Jethro pointed out, "I knew they would be desperate to get those keys."

"So you thought ahead," Hassleberry asked.

"Yup."

"Jaden throwing his key?"

"It was obvious to save someone in the heat of the moment... I wouldn't want any single person or two people to die anyway..."

"What about the shooting your cards and an actual spirit coming out?"

"I hoped for that... Like I told Melody and Claudio the day Sartorius wanted me in the Society, my Spirit comes out when there's a threat to my life. But I guess this was urgent because the whole world was on the line."

Hassleberry sighed, "Lucky for me, I was able to dive right in for Aster and Masaki when you told me your plan. Sounded farfetched, but any plan's better than no plan."

"Good man," Jethro said, patting his friend on the back. "Now that the duel is over, and no way to activate the Satellite... there's only two people left to..."

"Don't think so..."

The boys looked up to see Ojin, opening the briefcase and type something in the controls.

"Hey wait, he shouldn't be able to use that without the keys!" Jethro said, shocked at the turn of events.

"And the Light should have been knocked out of him!" Hassleberry added, equally shocked.

"Yes, but I have an override system that will activate the moment I type it in..." the possessed Prince laughed. "I had it in the back of my memories and forgot about them. And like I said before, the Light is stronger than ever leaving me with a little bit to do... THIS!" With one more press of the button, the controls beeped. "And done!"

* * *

Elsewhere, in space, the Misgarth Satellite started to activate as the Sun's rays hit it, causing its solar panels and laser to open...

* * *

"Not yet!" Hassleberry shouted, knocking the Prince away and then throwing the controls into the water, shorting out the control system and sank to the bottom of the lake. "There, that should stop it from functioning it!"

"It's too late!" Ojin laughed. "Once it starts, it'll never stop... until the world is destroyed!" He then laughed louder, until a small amount of Dark Light left his body and left him unconscious.

"Oh no..." Jethro gasped, "How can we stop it now?"

"I don't know," Hassleberry sighed, "If some good can come out of Jaden and Claudio beating Sartorius and Jason, just maybe... we have a slim chance..."

* * *

And that's the chapter! Sorry, I didn't want to get into the big battle yet!

Satellite Base

LIGHT

Machine/Effect

Level 4

0/0

This card cannot be destroyed by battle with a Level 5 or lower monster. During each of your End Phases, this card gains 1000 DEF. If an opponent's monster attacks this card, this card's DEF becomes 0 after damage calculation

(Used by Prince Ojin in the GX episode, Generation NeXt. All rights go to the creators of the episode.)

Atmosphere Forever

Normal Trap

When a face-up Attack Position "Sphere" monster you control is targeted for an attack: Your opponent takes any Battle Damage you would take from this battle.

Atmosphere Revival

Normal Trap

When a "Sphere" monster you control is destroyed: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Sphere" monster from your Graveyard

Synthesize Sphere

WIND

Winged-Beast/Effect

Level 4

1000/1000

When this card is Summoned, select 1 Level 4 or lower "Sphere" monster in your Graveyard, and Special Summon it.

Air Sphere

WIND

Winged-Beast/Effect

Level 2

400/300

While you control another face-up "Sphere" monster, monsters your opponent controls cannot declare an attack

(The top four cards were used by Atticus Rhodes in the GX manga. All rights go to the creators of the manga.)

Native Spirit Calling

Normal Spell

Pay life points down to 100 and select 1 "Tribal Shaman – Silver Spirit Warrior" on your side of the field. Equip up to 3 Union Monsters to the select Monster, ignoring any conditions.

Devil Went Down to Georgia

Normal Spell

Both players roll two six-sided dice each. The player with the highest result receives life points equal to the highest die number rolled x300. The player with the lower result takes effect damage equal to the highest die number rolled x300.

Transfer Satellite

Quick-Play Spell

Select 2 "Satellite" Monsters on your side of the field. Lower the ATK and DEF of the first selected monster to 0 and increase the ATK of the second selected monster by the same amount.

Power of Alternate Fate

Normal Spell

Select Fusion Material Monsters from your field and graveyard to Fusion Summon 1 "Darkness of Justice" from your Fusion Deck. This card's effect cannot be negated.

Darkness of Justice

DARK

Divine-Beast/Fusion/Effect

Level 11

?/?

2 Dinosaur monsters + 1 Desperado Monster + 1 Tribal Shaman Monster

This monster cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Power of Alternate Fate". When this Monster is Fusion Summoned successfully, its ATK and DEF become the same amount as the strongest Monster on the field. When this monster is attacked, select one Fusion-Material Monster used to Fusion Summon from your graveyard and activate it as if it was this monster's effect. At the End Phase of your next turn, return this Monster to the Fusion Deck.

(The top five cards are created by me, all rights reserved to me.)

Next time: Alexis and Melody duke it out for the title of GX Tournament Champion!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	77. The Finals

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 77: The Alpha Female: The GX Finals!

* * *

The crowd was cheering and eagerly awaiting the start of the final match as the last minutes of the intermission were winding down. Everyone from the Academy Students and the few Pros who decided to stay below, along with the Academy faculty and dueling legends with their significant others standing on the school roof were very impressed on how this final tournament came to ahead. The first was making sure every Society of Light member was defeated so that there was no chance that they could brainwash any more duelists, the second was to finish it in a fair way and with the best 8 left, and finally everyone enjoying this without the true threat of the Light of Destruction about to put final plan into motion... it's was a matter of forgetting the fear and pain caused by it The select few who did know still had faith that everyone in the White Dorm would stop Sartorius and free him of the Light's possessive and destructive power.

Now the focus was on Alexis and Melody, both standing on different sides of the crowd. Alexis stood near Kenji and Atticus rearranging her deck.

 _'I remember back when I started...'_ the Obelisk girl thought _. 'For myself as a duelist, I wanted to be viewed as that by everyone instead of just being a girl. And all because in the history of dueling, a girl could make it to the finals of big tournaments, but never made it as far as the final match. And then my initial reason was to find Atticus after the Abandoned Dorm claimed him and several others, trapping them into the Shadow Realm. Now everything is all right, and as soon as the Light of Destruction is over, we can all celebrate.'_

 _'It's been a long while..._ ' the Ra girl thought. _'After seeing Yugi and Joey battle all those years ago, and choosing Spellcasters for my choice deck, I always wanted to make them the best. Now it's either down to me or Alexis and, no matter what a girl wins a big tournament. And to see Yugi watching me duel, like I've seen him duel is a really great thing for me. To think I used to be someone who would've froze up when someone approached me and had a somewhat of a clear head in dueling, but now it all doesn't matter... just wish Claudio was here to see me battle, but it's thanks to him that I've got this chance to focus of the tournament and the fun... Claudio, you better get back after I win this...'_

"Who would have guessed out of all the finalists, Alexis and Melody makes the cut?" Jeremy wondered.

"I thought it was possible," Lily smiled. "Speaking as someone who hung out with them, they're good friends and yet play their hardest in every duel."

"Any ideas who would win," Alex grinned and shrugged at the same time. "They're so tough, it's like a 'flip of the coin' choice."

"What's more that they know each other's strategies and it'll be tough to hide any of their 'tells' and spring the traps," the Alien duelist noted.

"Just like when Alexis dueled Kenji, and Kenji stopped everything Alexis did to either save Cyber Blader or the two monsters that made her," the Dragon duelist remembered.

"Or when Roxanne used that trap to keep Silent Swordsman's evolution going," the Gemini duelist added on. "But then, the girls still pulled out all the stops to defeat their opponents..."

"It's a tough duel to call," Allyson mused. "It's still a matter of strategy no matter what the others use..."

"On one hand, Alexis has the Cyber Girls, Cyber Angels, and Street Fighter Women at her disposal," Lyra noted, looking at the Obelisk Girl. She then turned to Ra Girl. "Then Melody has Spellcasters, ones that use Spell Counters at her whim or the Dark Magician Cards that she's found to use effectively every duel..."

"So many different styles, so much to use," Allen stated. "And while they do have signature monsters in their favor, other monsters have won it for them sometimes."

"Kinda wish that I was at the top," Blair sighed. "But oh well, seeing this duel go on is still a great thing!"

Alexis finished checking out her deck. "Done..."

"This is going to be so cool," Atticus grinned. "Think about sis, I become famous in the music biz and you're about to become famous of being the GX champion... not to mention the first big champion that's a girl."

"Atticus, it's not like that..." Alexis corrected. "I came into this school and the world of dueling to be viewed as a duelist, not a duelist that's a girl."

"It's true, man," Kenji stated. "If it would be like that, every guy in the world would see every girl in the world as weak duelists. And last I checked we guys are out of this tournament, and we were as tough as they come. I was lucky enough to make the semi-finals."

"Not mention a heart attack to dudes everywhere," the elder Rhodes added and with a small laugh.

"Well, I'm glad you two aren't seeing this as a bad thing," Alexis smiled.

"I gave it the best I could against you, and now you're staring down Melody for the title." The ninja duelist said. "Besides, it was a case of knowing what we would play next... I happened to not think about that... that's how I lost."

"Don't make mistakes, right?" the Cyber Girl duelist figured.

"Pretty much, but then there are lot of things she could do that you wouldn't know," Kenji replied. "Just play your best, don't let anything like a giant life point loss rattle you, and you'll be okay."

"Can do, thanks," Alexis stated, giving him a small kiss before walking to the dueling arena and leaving Kenji with a smile on his face.

"Alright, it's all done," Melody said, finishing up her deck. "This should give Alexis a run for her money."

"Wish this thing was televised," Isaac stated. "You know Dad would be here cheering you on..."

"Not openly, unless they'll have to edit his voice out," the Spellcaster duelist smirked. "I know how TV-media works, or have you forgotten those 'Take your children to work' days we had when we were younger."

"Yeah, but look at all of this," the Toon duelist continued. "You're in the finals of a tournament, adding on to the other accomplishments you made during first year and some of this year, if Pro League talent bookers were watching this, they'd come and offer you some deals."

"But I'll see to that after I graduate from here," Melody pointed out.

"That I know..." Isaac nodded. "Must be cool to have Yugi watching you with your various skills with the Dark Magician... I still remember how it made your day to see them duel after the Battle City Tournament with Mom."

"I just thought of that while taking my deck into consideration," the Spellcaster duelist smiled. "If I could, I'd duel him before he leaves today."

"I'd go for it."

"I would too," Melody stated as she walked over to where Alexis stood.

"May I have your attention please?" Sheppard announced, earning back everyone's attention. "The fifteen minutes are up and we're ready to end the GX tournament with our final match!" The crowd cheered for the girls that rose above it all. "Before we begin, I like to say that it makes me proud that the students of Duel Academy have really risen to the best of the abilities and shown that they will be ready for the Pro League!" Just about every Academy student cheered at that statement. "Now we move on to the main event... introducing from the Obelisk Blue Dorm, Alexis Rhodes!" The Obelisk accepted the cheers with a light wave and a light smile to everyone around. "And her opponent, from the Ra Yellow Dorm, Melody Hikari!" The Ra was a lot more enthusiastic with her waving, with a big smile on her face. "Now then..."

"One moment," Pegasus interrupted. "What is the prize for the winner?"

"You know... I do wonder that myself," Mai stated. "Not to say that the competition was fierce and rewarding enough, but a girl has to know what were we fighting towards?"

"Inquiring minds want to know," Will added.

"How about..." Sheppard hanged on to that sentence for a while, pondering what should go on. "The winner of this tournament will receive anything that she may desire."

Melody and Alexis looked to each other with questionable looks.

"Well, we both ultimately want the same thing..." Melody stated.

"Yeah, wanting everything that the Society of Light changed back to normal," Alexis agreed. "But that's basically going to happen sooner or later..."

"And wanting riches and fame handed to you is so overrated," the Ra added. "I rather not have it all at once."

"I hear you..." the Obelisk sighed. "Especially since the others aren't here and would have drastically changed the tournament."

Everyone started feel puzzled now; a lot of people would jump at the chances given to them, if being in place of Alexis and Melody. That's until one revered voice spoke up...

"I have an idea, if you don't mind me asking, Chancellor Sheppard," Yugi stepped up and asked for the microphone.

"Oh, by all means, Mister Moto," Sheppard smiled, handing over the mic.

Looking towards the crowd, Yugi spoke out to them, "How about this? The winner of this duel shall face me in one final match! I would like to see how far the students of this Academy firsthand!"

Immediately, all the students went into an uproar of cheers... they would get to see the King of Games duel once again.

 _'A duel against the King of Games?'_ Alexis gasped. _'That's a big honor in itself...'_

 _'I could face Yugi!'_ Melody exclaimed in her mind. _'This could be so awesome!'_

Yugi went back to his wife and friends, all of which had shocked expression on their faces.

"I thought you were retired..." Tea scolded.

"I am..." Yugi noted. "I haven't completely given up the game, you know that."

"But, after winning so much and after you married Tea..." Joey began.

"You said you were stopping dueling professionally," Mai finished.

"Good, then this isn't a professional duel," the King of Games pointed out with a wink.

Will sighed, "Man, you really like to duel so much... I swear that Atem must have come back to possess you or something... Hell, you even look like him..."

"Maybe..." Yugi laughed. "If he were here, he wouldn't pass up another opportunity to duel a worthy opponent."

"I think he should do it," Serenity noted. "After all, he seems so happy to duel again and like Joey said, it's in his blood."

"Oh yeah, we really can't forget that..." the Harpie duelist shook her head. "I mean, after telling me about the Millennium Items and possessed spirits back in Battle City, I felt so sorry for guys like Bakura and Marik who didn't have any choice with theirs."

"Well, at least we're not dealing with evil spirits now..." Tea sighed then smiled. "We had enough of that nonsense 11 years ago."

"The stakes are set," Sheppard announced, "Ladies, please exchange and shuffle your opponent's deck."

As the girls shuffled each others' decks...

"This is going to be a fun match," Melody smiled. "Especially since we beat out all the rest..."

"And after this match, one of us faces off against Yugi," Alexis replied. "I know you're psyched about that."

"Don't you know it," the Spellcaster duelist exclaimed. "But right now, I'm facing one of my friends... if I worried about Yugi, I know I lose."

"Just wanted to make sure I got your attention," the Cyber Girl duelist added. "Now we can have a fair and fun match."

Both players returned to each others' decks and the girls walked behind each other until they were at a good enough distance to Duel and turned around.

"Are the competitors ready?" Sheppard announced. Both players activated their duel disks and nodded with determined looks and happy smiles on their faces. "Alexis gets the first move... Let the GX Tournament Final Match begin!"

The crowd cheered as both players drew their opening hands.

DUEL!

Alexis: 8000

Melody: 8000

"Let's go, Melody," Alexis announced, drawing her sixth card. "And I have another new set of tricks just for you."

"Cool, I wanna see," Melody smiled, anticipating her opponent's next move.

"First, I start with Cyber Angel Terta in defense mode," the Obelisk announced, placing her card on the tray. With a yell, a slender girl materialized. She wore a jet-blue metallic armor, and an orange visor. In both of her hands, she wielded a dagger and crossed them for her defense. (3/1300/1300)

"New Cyber Angels," Chazz wondered.

"Yeah, and not the ritual kind... I knew there had to be something more with those monsters..." Jachin deduced, while Alexis took a card from her deck and slipped it in her graveyard.

"Due to my girl's effect, I can take a second copy of her and send it to the graveyard," She said, stating her monster's effects.

'I wonder what's up with that...' Melody thought.

"Next, I place one card facedown to end my turn." Alexis concluded, inserting a facedown card that appeared behind her monster.

"Alright, time for me to make my strike!" Melody announced, drawing her sixth card. "I summon Skilled White Magician in attack mode!" She declared, bringing out a Spellcaster, similar to Skilled Dark Magician but in white and blue robes and a white scepter in his hand. (4/1700/1900) "Attack her Cyber Angel!" The mage raised his scepter, collecting light energy...

"I activate my facedown, Relieve Monster," Alexis countered, revealing a trap card that depicted a monster's soul being sucked into a card in a player's hand. "When you make an attack, I can send one monster back on my field to the player's hand... and I choose my one and only Cyber Angel Terta!" On cue, the Cyber Angel turned into a flash of energy and zapped back into Alexis' hand.

"But that makes you wide open," the Spellcaster duelist stated as her monster finished charging. "Go Spell of Light!" Skilled White Magician unleashed his spell, heading straight for the Obelisk.

"Sorry, there's a part two to my trap card," the Cyber Girl duelist declared, "I can summon Terta again!" She immediately set the monster card on the field, bringing the new Cyber Angel back on the field. (3/1300/1300) "And then, another Terta goes into the graveyard from my deck." She continued, slipping another card into her discard slot while the Spell of Light blasted the one on the field into pixels.

"So, she sent three of the same monster to the graveyard," Mai stated. "Do they have some sort of ability in the graveyard?"

"No, it seems like that's all that monster can do," Serenity added.

"Whatever it means, Alexis liked what happened," Erika declared, pointing out the Obelisk's smiling face. "So, she has cards that can use them while in the graveyard, and I don't mean cards like Monster Reborn."

"Yeah, if she kept one I would think Phalanx Pike," Alister thought out loud, "But that'll be perfect of Mai's deck seeing as she could actually have three Harpies in the grave and one Harpie Queen counting as a Harpie Lady on the field."

"Great, I did what you wanted, huh?" Melody groaned, inserting two cards into her disk.

"Thank you for your help," Alexis replied, drawing her new card.

"She certainly got devious," Kenji chuckled a bit.

"Next, I summon Cyber Angel Secunda in defense mode," She continued, bringing out an orange haired girl, wearing a metallic sera fuku appeared with a bashful smile (2/600/400). "And then, her effect sends my Cyber Angel Idaten to the graveyard and adds Cyber Angel Bishamoten to join my hand." She discarded one monster from her hand and then took out another monster. "I then add another facedown card to end my turn."

"All she's doing right now is discarding monsters," Joey stated.

"Yes, but it's not throwing away..." Yugi told him. "Alexis has multiple reasons for placing them in her graveyard, just like we all do. She could revive them in some way and use the numbers game to her advantage."

"You were afraid she was going to something like Rebecca did the first time we met her," Tea said to Joey. "I see no way Alexis' deck is like that."

"Guess you're right..." Joey shrugged.

"I don't know what your game is, but I'll see to it that you get some damage for it..." Melody stated, drawing her next card. "Skilled Dark Magician, join your brother!" She announced, bringing out the dark-robed twin of the Skilled White Magician. (4/1900/1700)

"She's calling for Buster Blader and Dark Magician at the same time," Isaac deduced.

"But what's she doing with a Warrior type..." Jeremy wondered, but remembered what will happen with the two corresponding monsters. "Never mind..."

"Yeah, she's getting one of Dark Magician's forms," Alex stated. "If she gets those two monsters, she could do damage separately or combined with a special effect."

"Now, Skilled White Magician attacks Secunda!" Melody announced, "But while I'm at it..." She pressed a button for one of her facedown cards to reveal itself, "I activate Magician's Circle! When a Spellcaster Monster I control attacks, I can Special Summon another one with up to 2000 ATK!"

"I know where this is heading..." Alexis smiled as Melody took out a monster card from her deck.

"I summon Magical Marionette!" the Ra declared, as the spell circle flashed and brought out the dark looking puppeteer with its dagger wielding marionette. (5/2000/1000) "And my Skilled White Magician's attack still goes!" she continued, as the White mage's spell obliterated Secunda from the field, "But now you're wide open for some direct attacks!"

"Wouldn't say that," the Cyber Girl duelist stated, revealing her facedown, "I activate Scapegoat to create four sheep tokens and block your attacks!" Four puffs of smoke later, the multicolored sheep tokens appeared with those same content faces. (1/0/0) x4

"Since you played a spell card, my cards gain Spell Counters! And it also means Magical Marionette gains 200 for his." Melody pointed out, as Spell Counters lit up on all three of her Spellcasters. (SWM: 1SPC) (SDM: 1SPC) (MM: 1 SPC) (5/2000-2200/1000) Also, Skilled Dark Magician launched a dark spell and Magical Marionette rushed across the field, blasting and cutting apart two of the docile tokens. "I'll end my turn right here." She announced.

"Good, we're just testing the air," Alexis stated, drawing her new card. "Now it's time we got serious, I activate the Field Spell Card Ritual Sanctuary!" The field spell slot opened up, letting Alexis insert her card in. The courtyard vanished into the inside of a large church with a big, golden bell ringing loudly.

"You're really helping me out, you know?" Melody smiled as her monsters received more spell counters. (SWM: 2SPC) (SDM: 2SPC) (MM: 2SPC) (5/2200-2400/1000) "And that will set up my Magical Marionette's effect for destroying whatever you're planning to dish out!"

"That's only if you can use it, because I'm using Ritual Sanctuary's effect to discard my Ritual Weapon card to bring a Ritual Spell Card into my hand," the Obelisk announced, discarding her Equip Spell and then retrieving her Ritual Spell.

"Those Cyber Angels are coming," Missy declared.

"I activate the Ritual Spell: Descent of the Mechanical Angel!" Alexis announced, confusing everyone with the card's name.

"What happened to Machine Angel Ritual?" Jachin wondered.

"This card works just like my Machine Angel Ritual, the ability to Ritual Summon any of my Cyber Angel Ritual Monsters," the Cyber girl duelist explained as the church suddenly changed into a metal workshop for the moment. "Only, this has an added bonus... if I use only other Cyber Angels into the Ritual, I can remove them from my graveyard instead!"

Melody gasped, "That's why you were sending those cards away!"

"Exactly," Alexis stated, as two cards slid out of her graveyard. "I remove two Cyber Angel Tetras from my graveyard to Ritual Summon, Cyber Angel Bishamoten!" The twin Tetras appeared in a quick flash and vanished along with the metal workshop to return to the church, bringing out the heavy armored, heavy sword-handed Cyber Angel staring down the opposition. (6/1700/1400)

"That Ritual Spell created more Spell Counters for my monsters," the Ra declared as the final Spell Counters lit up for the twin mages, while Magical Marionette's glowed on the puppeteer. (SWM: 3SPC) (SDM: 3SPC) (MM: 3SPC) (5/2400-2600/1000)

"I'll have another one to play, thanks to Bishamoten's effect!" Alexis continued, retrieving Ritual Weapon from her graveyard. "When Special Summoned, one Equip card is added to my hand from my graveyard. And I just picked my Ritual Weapon, boosting her power by 1500 for each score!" She stated as Bishamonten's heavy blade transformed into lighter, yet stronger blade that gave her more room for quick slashes. (6/1700-3200/1400-2900)

"Uh oh," Melody muttered, even as her Magical Marionette gained another Spell Counter. (MM: 4SPC) (5/2600-2800/1000)

"Bishamoten, attack Magical Marionette!" Alexis commanded, as her Cyber Angel sliced the air, sending a giant, blue wave to destroy the puppet master, along with its marionette.

Alexis: 8000

Melody: 7600

"Alexis struck first blood," Kenji said, smiling. "Still, it went pretty much back and forth. And she made a good choice, taking out something that would've killed Bishamoten without fight."

"This is getting good," Spencer stated. "Despite Melody having everything she needs to summon two powerful monsters, Alexis would still have the best one on the field."

"And it would also mean Bishamoten can deal with Dark Paladin since neither one of them has any Dragon-Type Monsters on the field," Fonda added.

"Also, I have another effect to use," Alexis continued, retrieving Descent of the Machine Angel. "Whenever a Cyber Angel destroys a monster in battle, I can retrieve this card from my graveyard. And after that, I'll end with a facedown card."

"Alright, because it's my move," Melody announced, drawing her next card, "Time to activate the special abilities of my Skilled Magicians," She declared, with both monsters erupting into a light and dark shadow. "Since they both have three Spell Counters, I can sacrifice them both to Special Summon Dark Magician and Buster Blader!" The shadows disappeared, not only bringing out the ultimate wizard, but a tall warrior, clad in purple armor with a buster sword adorned with sapphire jewels. (7/2500/2100), (7/2600/2300) "It doesn't matter if you got a stronger monster than mine it's how you strategize with them... I activate my facedown card, Rebirth Judgment!"

 _'Oh no...'_ Alexis gasped, seeing the familiar trap card.

"And now, all monsters in the graveyard are now Dragons!" the Ra smirked, "And you now have three of them, giving my Buster Blader 1500 ATK!" Buster Blader felt the faint sense of dragons in the area, gripping his sword tightly for battle. (7/2600-4100/2300) "Buster Blader, attack Bishamoten with Destructive Sword Slash!" The warrior roared as he rushed down the aisle and struck the Cyber Angel down into pixels and boosted his power even further. (7/4100-4600/2300)

Alexis: 7100

Melody: 7600

"I activate my facedown card, Card of Last Will!" Alexis announced, revealing her facedown card. "With my monster's destruction, I can draw five new cards!" She stated, drawing her desired number of cards.

"You'll need them, because my Dark Magician's coming in for a direct attack! Dark Magic Attack," Melody called out as she signaled Dark Magician to attack, flashing his Dark Magic Attack at the opponent and pushing her life points down even lower.

Alexis: 4600

Melody: 7600

"Alexis is in danger," Chazz gasped.

"Those five cards in her hand better make up for it in a hurry," Lily added.

"She's been in tight jams before," Kenji stated. "She'll be fine whether or not her life points increase."

"I set one card facedown and end my turn," Melody concluded.

"Nice one Melody," Isaac called out.

"Nice move," Alexis said as she drew her seventh card, "But since I don't like being three grand behind, I'll go ahead and use my Supremacy Berry to boost my life points by 2000 since mine are lower." She stated, inserting the spell card and was surrounded in a white aura to boost her energy.

Alexis: 6600

Melody: 7600

"Now, I use my Descent of the Mechanical Angel once more and use Cyber Angel Secunda and Cyber Angel Bishamonten from my graveyard in order to summon Cyber Angel Dakini!" Once again, the church went metallic once more and sacrificed the two Cyber Angels along with draining Buster Blader of his added strength. (7/4600-3600/2300) Then, in the sky, a brunette, blue skinned, four-armed woman appeared. She wore a bronze helmet, armor that protects her down to her midriff, and slim fitting pants. In two of her hands, she carried katana blades, and in her bottom hands, a naginata. (8/2700/2400) "Now for her effect... you have to choose which monster to send to the graveyard..."

"It's obvious what's she's going to pick," Mai stated.

"My Dark Magician," Melody announced, as Dakini sliced down the wizard into pixels.

"With one threat down, I summon my Cyber Angel Quarta next in defense mode!" Another Cyber Angel appeared, wearing the same armor as Secunda and Tetra. Her visor was transparent, showing off her clear blue eyes and hover over the field by her silver wings. (4/1400/1400) "And while she's on the field, I can increase all Cyber Angels' ATK by 500!" Her silver wings glowed, sending energy within her and Dakini. (4/1400-1900/1400), (7/2700-3200/1400)

"She's got another power boost coming," Kenji stated, seeing his girlfriend insert another card.

"Next, I use Cestus of Dalga and equip it to Dakini to boost her attack by 500." She continued, as the naginata vanished in favor of the twin Egyptian hand-blades held by the lower hands. (7/3200-3700/1400) "And when she does the battle damage, I receive that amount... So Dakini, destroy Buster Blader!" The four-armed Cyber Angel flew across the field, and used the Cestus to slice the warrior inside a blind spot and shattered him into pixels. Some of them turned into a faint, healing sparkle that went to Alexis.

Alexis: 6700

Melody: 7500

"Good, but he will be back," Melody stated, revealing one of her facedown cards. "I use Call of the Haunted to bring back my Buster Blader!" The trap flashed, bringing back the Dragon-destroying warrior back from the dead. (7/2600-3600/2300)

"I end with a facedown card." Alexis concluded, "I knew it wouldn't be that easy to get rid of him..."

"Yeah, but hey, you have ways of making your weakest monsters the most dangerous ones," the Spellcaster duelist stated, drawing her next card. "If I had trouble keeping any of mine on the field to contend with yours, I'd be in trouble."

"You mostly don't have any trouble keeping your monsters on the field," the Cyber Girl duelist stated. "After what I've seen against Roxanne, you're resilient."

"And I'll continue to show that, by destroying your monsters!" Melody announced, bringing out her next monster. "Go Illusion Magician!" She announced, bringing out the Dark Magician Look-Alike. (4/1100/1900) "And since his name counts as Dark Magician, I'll use the spell card Thousand Knives to destroy Dakini!" Suddenly, numerous small knives used for magic tricks appeared and flew at Dakini, striking her down collectively and boosting Buster Blader's power. (7/3600-4100/2300)

 _'I have to save it for now...'_ Alexis thought. _'If she gets Dark Paladin while that trap is still out, I'll be done.'_

"Now, Illusion Magician will take out one of those tokens!" the Ra began, as the small mage launched a spell that shattered one of the sleeping sheep. "Next, Buster Blader attacks Quarta!" The warrior rushed down the aisle and chopped down the Cyber Angel into pixels. "I end my turn with another facedown card."

"Something has to give soon," Lyra stated. "The only big hit made by Melody was quickly buffered, and now it's only destroying defense monsters and minor damages."

"Boring?" Allen asked.

"No, just waiting on a big move..." the Goth replied. "They are the best coming out of this tournament, I expected more..."

"Think about it this way," Allyson pointed out. "It's going to be tough for either one of them to score and keep a massive lead over the other, they know each other well. Even with mostly new cards from Alexis, Melody's been anticipating her moves."

"It's my turn now," Alexis announced, drawing her next card. "I activate Fulfillment of the Contract! By paying 800 life points, I can bring back a Ritual Monster from the graveyard! And I think Dakini should make a comeback!" In a bright flash from the Equip Spell, Dakini returned brandishing her blades and naginata. (8/2700/2400), (7/4100-3600/2300)

Alexis: 5900

Melody: 7600

"She activated her Special Ability again," Allyson stated.

"Yeah, but still Buster Blader is stronger," Lily added. "I think she has another card in mind to use..."

"Which one will it be?" Alexis asked.

Melody sighed, "Fine, Illusion Magician will have to go..." She said as Dakini sliced up the small mage into pixels. "You still have to contend with my Buster Blader, and with Rebirth Judgment making your graveyard monsters Dragons, it's not looking great for you!"

"But what if he were to join my side," the Obelisk countered, inserting another card. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Enemy Controller!" Melody gasped, seeing the large, video game controller in the sky. "It has two effects, and I'll use the second effect to sacrifice my remaining Scapegoat token and take control of your Buster Blader!" the final scapegoat token vanished as controller's cable hooked up to the back of Buster Blader, letting Alexis input the command, "Left, Right, A, B!" The controller followed Alexis' input, sending a jolt into the warrior's back and made him turn on Melody.

"It's not looking good for the Spell girl," Will noted. "Buster Blader's score changes since he now gets power from Melody's graveyard, which is still Dragon-filled."

"And how many monsters does she have?" Joey wondered, trying to recount.

"Five, Joey," Tea interjected. "Meaning Buster Blader gets 2500 ATK." She stated as the dragon slayer's aura grew fiercer. (7/2600-5100/2300)

"Combined with Dakini's 2700, that's 7800 combined!" Alister gasped.

"Melody's finished," Erika added.

"It's all over, Melody," Alexis announced, "Dakini, Buster Blader, attack Melody directly!" Both Cyber Angel and the controller dragon slayer flew across the church walls, ready to strike with their blades.

"Come on, it won't end this way!" Melody smiled, revealing her facedown card, "I'll use Defense Draw on Buster Blader's attack!" Buster Blader struck with his massive sword, but an emerald barrier was erected just in time when Melody drew her card. But once the Dragon Destroyer backed off, the Cyber Angel flew in and attacked with all of her weapons as Melody blocked with her disk and arms.

Alexis: 5900

Melody: 4900

"That was close," Isaac said, letting out a deep breath. "If Buster Blader's hit landed, that would've been the end...

"Alexis, why do you want to ruin a good duel with a swift and strong double attack like that?" the Ra said, smiling.

"Because I knew you'd try to keep it from happening," Alexis replied, "And since you used that card, there's nothing to defend your life points."

"My Buster Blader will be back on my side," Melody pointed out. "Enemy Controller's a one-time use when it comes to controlling others' monsters."

"Not if I use this, my facedown card, the Book of Moon Spell Card!" Alexis announced, revealing her facedown card. "Now your Buster Blader will go facedown, and then the effects of being returned to you will be nullified!" Soon, Buster Blader flashed and was replaced by a set monster card. "I end my turn, so what do you plan to do now?"

"That's rough," Jachin stated, "Buster Blader is gonna come back for more, and it'll be back to 5100 ATK because Melody's trap is still in play. Now it's all turned around on her."

"Alexis is going to be the new champion at this rate," Chazz said. "She's gotten rid of Dark Magician and anything Melody can use with it won't help."

'Don't let up, Melody,' Isaac thought, 'She's got your monster, but only you know how to use it to the fullest potential... and you got other cards to use besides your headliners.'

"Well, that was crazy," Melody stated, drawing her next card. "But now, I'll use your field Spell to take a Spell Card from my hand, discard it and add a Ritual Spell! That's the beauty of a field Spell!"

"Oh yeah, and knowing her deck it's another Dark Magician coming!" Alex cheered as Melody, discarded one her cards to retrieve her Ritual Spell.

"Maybe... but I think there's another one to use..." Jeremy pondered. "Another Spellcaster Ritual, that is..."

"Before I use it though, I activate the Field Spell Card, Magical Citadel of Endymion!" The church vanished from the field and then was replaced with a night time, magical city with the girls standing in front of the Citadel which was in the middle of giant, unlit torches.

"And if Alexis had any cards that use Spell Counters, she could use that Field Spell," Will stated.

"Yeah, a smart move using Alexis' Field Spell and then replacing it for one of her own," Yugi nodded.

"And then, I activate the Ritual Spell I just took…" Melody continued, as she held up the card she took out from Ritual Sanctuary. It depicted a spellcaster emerging from a sea of flames, seeming to be taking it all in, "I play Incandescent Ordeal!"

"I remember that," Erika pointed out.

"Yeah, it's the card that she used against us in the first Tag Duel of the Year," Alister added. "But we were able to stop her from using the effect last time."

"It may be tougher this time," the Maverick duelist noted. "She may have the cards to get the effect off immediately."

Melody then held up another Ritual Monster card, with another familiar face. "Now, I use Magician of Black Chaos for the Ritual Sacrifice to summon Legendary Flame Lord!" After discarding her Chaos Ritual Spellcaster, giant flames shot up in the air to release the next Spellcaster; a brown-haired man in a purple cloak, mage's hat, and a red cape that absorbed the flames, in his hand, carried a purple scepter with a flame insignia on it. (7/2400/2000) "And since a Spell Card was played, my Citadel gains a Spell Counter!" Soon, a black Spell Counter appeared and shot itself straight to one of the torches, igniting it by a black flame. (MCoE: 1SPC)

 _'If she plays three more Spells she can activate that monster's effects,_ ' Alexis thought. _'Luckily, she only has one card left...'_

"I activate Card of Sanctity to draw six new cards, give you some new ones as well, and give my cards on the field more Spell Counters," Melody announced while she and Alexis drawing their new cards while Legendary Flame Lord's scepter absorbed a Spell Counter (LFL: 1SPC) and then another on the Citadel's second torch was set aflame. (MCoE: 2SPC)

"That's bad..." Kenji stated. "Now she has more chances if any two of those six are Spell Cards."

"But then Alexis will have seven cards to use and figure a way out of this jam," Jachin noted. "But then she has to be careful of using Spell Cards to trigger effects."

"All I need is one card to clear the field," Melody continued, playing her next card. "I summon Apprentice Magician in defense mode!" She announced, pulling out her purple clad, female apprentice mage to kneel with her scepter. (2/400/800) "And when she's summoned, I can place another Spell Counter on my Citadel!"

Alexis finally realized it, 'She's using the Field Spell to substitute the Counters for the effect!' She thought as the new magician lit up another torch in the Citadel. (MCoE: 3SPC)

"Now I can activate Legendary Flame Lord's effect!" the Ra declared. "Normally, I would have to give up three Counters on him to destroy every monster on the field except him... but thanks to the Field Spell I can use its Spell Counters to help out! And I'll do so gladly, to destroy Dakini and Buster Blader!"

Everyone then watched in amazement as the torches were extinguished and shot up in the sky. (MCoE: 0SPC) Suddenly, those Counters came down and pierced Dakini and the facedown Buster Blader, while destroying the ground where they once stood.

"Wish I didn't have to destroy Buster Blader, but I don't want him overpowering me," Melody stated. "Now my Legendary Flame Lord, attack directly!" The Flame Lord raised his staff into the air, created a storm cloud and let it rain fire over the Obelisk girl, who did her best to use her duel disk to block.

Alexis: 3500

Melody: 4900

"It's still anyone's game at this point," Missy stated.

"Yeah, Alexis could still have the other Cyber Angels we haven't seen to contend with," Ripley added. "They sure were a surprise when she summoned that first one."

"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Melody concluded, inserting a facedown card. "Be careful of playing those Spell Cards."

"I know what you mean..." Alexis announced, drawing her seventh card. "But I'll set this card facedown to end my turn." She concluded, inserting a lone card.

"Hold on," Chazz said, shocked as everyone around him. "Seven cards in her hand and she is just going to play one?"

"She's won like that before with one card in her favor..." Kenji shrugged. "Didn't you remember against me? She ended up winning with a Quick-Play card... you and I both know that facedown card does something..."

"It's my turn again," Melody stated, drawing her next card. "Let's see what that card is... Legendary Flame Lord, attack her directly!" the flaming spellcaster charged his scepter, and this time, fired a blast of flames that was reminiscent of Salamandra heading straight for the seemingly defenseless Obelisk Girl...

"As and you shall receive," Alexis called out, revealing her facedown card, "I activate Draining Shield! This negates your attack and gain life points equal to the ATK!" A glowing glass dome appeared around the Obelisk, just as the Salamandra flames hit. The embers around the dome soon turned into a healing green aura that went into Alexis' duel disk.

Alexis: 5900

Melody: 4900

"She just regained everything that the Legendary Flame Lord took away last turn," Tea looked on.

"No wonder she was so confident Melody's attack wouldn't matter," Serenity added.

"Yeah, but Melody knew what was coming," Joey pointed. "Why let her activate it?"

"Better right here than another time where Melody could have won it all," Will replied.

"I place another card facedown," Melody concluded, inserting a facedown card. "Now that your shield is out of the way, let's see what you are planning next."

"Let's see what I draw so I can answer you," Alexis said, drawing her next card. She smiled at the card she just drew and then inserted into her disk, depicting D.D. Warrior Lady and D.D. Warrior emerging into the Different Dimension, "I activate Dimension Fusion! By paying 2000 life points, we can Special Summon all monsters that were removed from the game."

Melody gasped as a red aura went around her opponent...

Alexis: 3900

Melody: 4900

Then, a dimensional portal opened and shot out four Cyber Angels that were removed from the game. First, Secunda emerged and kneeled to protect herself with her wings. (2/600/400) Second, Bishamoten dropped down to the ground and stood up proudly in her heavy armor. (6/1700/1400) Finally, two of the Tetra triplets appeared flying in the sky as the portal closed. (3/1300/1300) x2

As it happened, two more Spell Counters appeared, going into the citadel's torch (MCoE: 1SPC) and then inside the Ritual Spellcaster's scepter. (LFL: 2SPC)

"Four monsters, impressive," Kenji said with a smile, "She used the points obtained from Draining Shield and kept using that new Cyber Angel Ritual card to remove her monsters, just so she can swarm the field."

"That's my little sis," Atticus grinned.

"And since Bishamonten was Special Summoned, I can retrieve Ritual Weapon and play it once more." Alexis continued, retrieving her Equip Spell card and inserting it back into her disk. It transformed her weapon and armor once more, increasing her power. (6/1700-3200/1400-2900) While two more Spell Counters shot into the torch and Flame Lord's scepter. (MCoE: 2SPC), (LFL: 3SPC)

"Aw man, even with having the necessary counters to use Legendary Flame Lord's effect, he won't last long," Isaac groaned.

"Next, I play Monster Reborn to revive my last Tetra," She continued, bringing back her third Tetra. (3/1300/1300) "Now Bishamonten, attack the Flame Lord!" the Obelisk commanded as her Ritual Monster raised her sword and cut down Melody's Ritual Monster's scepter, releasing the three Spell Counters and then cut down Spellcaster himself.

Alexis: 3900

Melody: 4100

"So much for clearing the field," Mai stated.

"Hey look," Joey pointed to the three Spell Counters that Legendary Flame Lord left behind after his death. "Why are those Counters still there?"

"The counters are still there?" Alexis also wondered.

"It's all because of my Field Spell," Melody answered. "Whenever a card with Spell Counters is destroyed, instead of fading away, the Field Spell absorbs those counters too!" Suddenly, the three Spell Counters spread towards three more torches, igniting them with three more black flames. (MCoE: 5SPC)

"True, but I also activate the effect of my Descent of the Mechanical Angel," the Cyber girl duelist announced, taking her ritual spell back from the graveyard. "Since a Cyber Angel destroyed your monster, I can take this Ritual Spell and add it to my hand."

"More that I think on it, it's like Jaden's new fusion card, Charge Fusion," Allyson thought out loud.

"Next, I'll have my first Tetra attack!" Alexis announced as the first Cyber Angel Tetra flew feet first into the Apprentice Magician, shattering her into pixels.

"I activate Apprentice Magician's effect," Melody countered, taking out another monster card and setting it on the field. "Now I set a level 2 or below Spellcaster monster from my deck."

"My second Tetra will destroy it," Alexis continued, sending in her monster to strike the set monster, which turned out to be another Apprentice Magician. (2/400/800)

"And I'll just set another one to the field," the Ra replied, placing another monster face down on the field.

"And my final Tetra will dispose of that one!" the Obelisk shouted, giving a swift kick to the final facedown monster, another Apprentice Magician. (2/400/800)

"And then, another mystery monster will appear," Melody stated, setting another monster on the field.

"And I'll end my turn with a facedown card," Alexis announced, inserting a facedown card.

"Melody had to mill her deck to save herself from everything Alexis dealt," Isaac stated.

"She's still got one monster, but can it save her from destruction?" Vincent wondered.

"My turn, my move," Melody announced, drawing her next card, "First, I'll flip summon the monster, Magician of Faith!" She announced, as the card turned horizontal and flipped up to reveal a young, violet-haired woman clad in a violet cloak over a red shirt and pants. In her hand, she carried a crescent moon scepter. (1/300/400) "When she's flipped over, I can retrieve the Spell Card from the graveyard... and it'll be the one Spell I discarded from your field spell..." She announced, taking a spell card from her deck.

 _'Not yet...'_ Alexis thought, looking at her facedown card.

"But... I won't use it just yet, but I will sacrifice my Magician to summon the Disenchanter!" Melody continued, as the Magician of Faith vanished into sparkles as another violet-haired, female magician appeared, wearing robes like the previous mage, with a green sash around her stomach and red sashes down her legs. Her scepter was of the full moon. (5/2000/2300) "Say hello to the elder Magician of Faith!"

"That is something," Alexis smiled, "Too bad she'll be missed..." She then revealed her facedown card. "I use Forced Back to send your monster back to your hand!"

"This is what she did to me!" Kenji gasped, as Disenchanter was caught in a white light that blasted her off the field and back to Melody's hand.

"Don't think you're going to end this soon," Melody stated, inserting two cards into her disk. "Now, I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"And let's call your bluff," the Obelisk declared, drawing her new card. "Bishamonten, attack directly," She called out as the Ritual monster dashed across the city, sword over her head.

"Here's that bluff, Shadow Spell!" Melody announced, revealing her facedown card. Soon, black chains erupted from the card and held down heavy armored angel. "Thanks to this, I stopped your monster from moving and it cost her 700 ATK!" Bishamonten felt some of her power drained as she struggled from her bonds. (6/3200-2500/2900)

"You're safe from her, but not from my triple Tetra attack!" Alexis announced as her Cyber Angel triplets flew into the skies and prepared to strike.

"I'll use this card next, Magic Cylinder to negate the first attack and send it back as effect damage to you!" the Ra countered as the first Tetra flew into the left-side giant, purple cylinders that appeared out of nowhere and then came out of the right-side cylinder and struck Alexis' disk.

Alexis: 2600

Melody: 4100

"Alright, a double attack!" Alexis corrected as the last two Tetras dealt two wing slaps to Melody, knocking her down.

Alexis: 2600

Melody: 1500

"1100 points separating the scores," Pegasus said, enjoying the match. "This shaping up to be an impressive duel between students, it's just as intense as any Pro League bout. Kaiba-boy's motives for having this school are turning to be everything he expected."

"Couldn't agree more," Sheppard smiled. "We do have the teachers to thank as well as the students who put in the effort to learn and improve."

"Alright, I place these two cards facedown and end my turn." Alexis concluded, _'I'm ahead now, but I know Melody's not finished yet...'_

"Here I go," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "I play Monster Reborn to revive..."

"I activate Cyber Angel's Command!" Alexis countered, revealing her facedown card. "Since I have at least one Cyber Angel on the field, your Spell Card's negated!"

"Alright then, I'll have to use this card next, my Nightmare's Steelcage," Melody announced, inserting her next card while her Citadel gained another counter. (MCoE: 6SPC) Then, a spiked dome steel-cage surrounded Melody. "Now, I end my turn and we can't battle for two turns."

"She must be up against the wall to use that move," Lyra mused. "But facing down five monsters and you can't get anything on the field, I can see the dilemma."

"Now, it's all in Alexis' hands if Melody can't get her cards in these next two turns." Allen added.

"Since you're waiting," Alexis began, drawing her new card. "I'll take advantage by setting up for your big move. I set one more card facedown to end my turn." She concluded.

"That's one," Melody stated, drawing her next card and then looking at her cards. "I place one card facedown to end my turn." She stated.

"It's about to be your final turn," Alexis declared, drawing her next card. "But now, I'll sacrifice two of my Tetras to summon my Cyber Princess in attack mode!" She announced as two Tetras vanished, in place of the young, white-dressed ballerina that defeated Kenji. (8/2600/2200) "I then switch my final Tetra to defense mode and activate United We Stand and Raregold Armor to increase Princess' power by 800 for every monster I hold and make her the only target for battle!"

Everyone gasped as Cyber Princess became surrounded by a white tornado, while she was standing in the eye of the storm. (8/2600-5800/2200-5400) (MCoE: 8SPC)

"I now end my turn, meaning the end of the Nightmare's Steelcage!" She concluded as the steel cage around Melody faded away.

"It's now or never..." Will stated. "Melody needs her card, before she gets axed from the finals."

"I can honestly say, you're one of the best duelists I've faced," Melody stated to Alexis. "I mean, everything for me is riding on my draw while you have everything you need to win is on the field now."

"Thank you for saying that, Melody," Alexis smiled. "It really means a lot. And you're no slouch yourself... it wasn't easy to get you up against the wall."

"Yeah, but we've all been there," the Magician duelist shrugged. "But now, I should pull out all the stops... if I can't get a win off this move, I want to at least damage your life points before losing."

"Let's see if you can do that..." the Cyber Girl duelist said.

"It's a long shot though," Chazz stated. "5800 ATK, how can Melody beat that?"

"I draw!" Melody shouted, drawing her next card. "Alright, time to see how I stack... I activate my facedown card, Pitch Black Power Stone to gain 3 Spell Counters for it!" She announced, as her trap created a large-scale Spell Counter with three small ones embedded in it. (PBPS: 3SPC) "Then, I'll use its effect to send one counter to my City!" Soon, one counter flew out of the stone (PBPS: 2SPC) and then shot into another of the Citadel's torches. (MCoE: 9SPC) "But then, I'll send the trap away to play Magic Planter and draw two cards."

"But she won't get the two counters into the Citadel because it needs to be destroyed," Jachin said, confused as the stone faded away with the two counters and let Melody draw her cards. (MCoE: 10SPC)

Alexis gasped, _'I know what's she's doing! If I'm right, I'll be ready for it...'_

"Next, I play this card that allows 10 Spell Counters!" Melody cheered, making everyone gasp as she held up another Spell card. "This is the Mega Ton Magical Cannon!" Soon, on top of the citadel, was a large cannon made of stone but with a black crystal inside it as the power source. "Thanks to us playing cards to create 10 Spell Counters, I now have the power to obliterate everything you have on the field, Alexis!"

"And I bet she has something else to win the duel afterwards," Atticus exclaimed.

"Cannon, power up!" Melody announced as the black flames of the citadel rose high on her command. The flames then turned onward to the cannon, pouring all their energy into the weapon. (MCoE: 0SPC) "Now, destroy everything on Alexis' side... FIRE!" When the power reached its max, the entire cannon shot out a massive blast and recoiled violently. The blast then headed straight for Alexis and her field, hitting it with a massive blast.

"Alexis!" Kenji and Atticus shouted, while everyone else was at a loss for words seeing the Obelisk's field obliterated. Even Melody cringed at the massive assault her spell card unleashed.

 _'Whoa... first time playing it, and it did that?'_ She thought. _'Never thought it would give that much of a blast...'_

"Man, a holographic explosion that big..." Joey whistled. "Rich boy's been going to work upgrading those disks for everything!"

"Just hope Alexis can take being in one so giant," Serenity stated, feeling worried.

But everyone's fears were quelled as they heard a familiar voice...

"I activate Destruction Jammer!"

Melody gasped, as through the blast, as numerous green lights pierced through the explosion and made it disappear in a quick second, revealing Alexis and her cards... safe and sounds

"Sorry Melody, but that whole blast was a big dud..." Alexis smiled as she discarded once.

"Whew..." Kenji sighed. "That was suspenseful... even for me..."

"And I thought Jaden had a flair for the dramatics, like Bastion keeps saying," Jeremy stated.

For Melody, all she could say was... "NO WAY! I finally play that card, and you stop it!?"

"Yup," Alexis stated. "I had to do it..."

Melody blew a loose strand of hair from her face, "I know... but it was years before I worked up to having that card plus enough counters."

"There's always next time..." the Obelisk replied. "But, you have to end your turn now..."

"No can do," Melody smirked, "There's two cards left to play, thanks to Disenchanter being useless now… And they are about to help me win the duel!" She then activated one card, "I activate Junk Dealer! This lets me revive two monsters on the field with half strength... and that would be my Dark Magician and my Buster Blader!" She announced, as her graveyard shined and released her favorite magician and her dragon destroying knight. (7/2500-1250/2100), (7/2600-1300/2300) (MCoE: 1SPC) "But then, I fuse them both together with Polymerization!"

"I knew she was summoning that..." Yugi noted as a fusion vortex appeared in the sky, while Melody's monsters stood back to back as they were sucked inside. Once done, the vortex released Dark Magician now clad in dark blue robes and light armor. He also wielded a blade that doubled as a scepter, flowing with new found magic power. (8/2900/2400) "Dark Paladin, the Ultimate Magical Swordsman..."

"But he doesn't have enough power to attack Cyber Princess," Alexis pointed out as her Princess was still in her protective tornado.

"Actually, yeah he is," Melody smiled. "And it's because of his special ability!"

"It only involves Dragons and..." the Obelisk girl gasped as she turned her attention to a card that was still there. _'Oh no... Rebirth Judgment is still on the field... and she called Dragons! Meaning...'_

"Dark Paladin gains 500 ATK for every Dragon on the field and in the graveyards of both opponents," the Ra pointed out. "And are graveyard is filled with those! Thanks to your tactics with that new Ritual Spell, you only have four inside yours, but with mine... I have twelve to make 16! Multiply that by 500... and that's..." Soon, and extreme amount of power flooded into the Dark Paladin, feeding off the dragons inside the graveyard, and shown its new score. (8/2900-10900/2400)

"10900!" Everyone shouted.

Alexis got out of her shock, and smiled, "Now I know I've faced one of the best... Congratulations, Melody."

"Thank you, Alexis... for a great duel," Melody smiled back. "But now... Dark Paladin, take out the rest of Alexis' life points!" Dark Paladin lashed out all of his power from the sword/scepter in energy waves. The tornado surrounding Cyber Princess was easily pierced as she was knocked out of it and shattered into pixels, blowing them across Alexis who stood and took the blast with a proud smile.

Alexis: 0

Melody: 1500, Winner.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner... and your GX champion, Melody Hikarii!" Sheppard announced as the holograms disappeared and the crowd erupted into the wildest cheer ever and applause from the people on the balcony.

Melody stood there with an amazed expression... She made it all the way to the final tournament, beat her opponents, and won the title. Naturally, she did the only thing any normal person would do in this situation...

"ALRIGHT!" She shouted and jumped happily. "I won! I won!"

"Yeah!" Isaac shouted as well, running up to his little sister and caught her in a hug. "That was the biggest win ever!"

Alexis stared at the celebrating siblings, still with a proud smile on her face. Kenji and Atticus walked up to her.

"Great duel out there, sis," Atticus praised.

"Truly a match of this generation that no one is going to forget," Kenji added.

"Thanks guys," She replied and let out a big breath. "I thought I had her... but I forgot to notice that trap..."

"Happens to the best of us," the ninja duelist stated. "I could see you were having way too much fun trying to outwit Melody every step of the way..."

"It was the best part," the Cyber Girl duelist replied. "But at least, I know I've gotten far this year... just have to surpass that next year..."

"Don't we all..." Atticus added.

"So, there's your opponent," Tea smiled at her husband.

"It would seem so," Yugi smiled back.

"Any plans?" Joey asked. "I mean, you're basically staring down yourself... sort of... I mean, you didn't use all Spellcasters..."

"But you usually finish with them," Mai added.

"All we can say is... have fun," Serenity smiled.

"But I do wonder... how are you going to battle her?" Will asked.

"The only way I know how..." the King of Games replied, looking down at Melody receiving praise from all the students from below. "Through the Heart of the Cards..."

* * *

And… I DID IT! I hope you loved that match, it was tougher than any of my tag duels that's for sure! Special Thanks to demando for his card hookups!

Cyber Angel Secunda

Level 2/LIGHT/Fairy/ATK 600/DEF 400

This card can be normal summoned in face-up defense position. When this card is summoned, you can discard 1 Cyber Angel to add 1 Ritual monster from your deck to your hand.

Cyber Angel Terta

Level 3/LIGHT/Fairy/ATK 1300/DEF 1300

When this card is summoned, you can send 1 Cyber Angel Terta from your deck to the graveyard.

Cyber Angel Quarta

Level 4/LIGHT/Fairy/ATK 1400/DEF 1400

While you control this card, all Cyber Angel monsters you control gain 500 ATK.

Cyber Command

Trap / Counter

Activate while you control a Cyber Angel monster. Negate the activation of a Spell or Trap card and destroy it.

Descend of the Mechanical Angel

Spell/Ritual

This card is used to Ritual Summon any "Cyber Angel" Ritual monster. You must also tribute monsters from the field or your hand whose total Levels equals the Level of the Ritual Monster you are Ritual Summoning. If all the tribute monsters are Cyber Angel monsters, you can remove them from your graveyard instead. During the turn the monster ritual summoned using this card destroys a monster by battle, you can add this card from your graveyard to your hand.

(These added Cyber Angel cards were created by demando. Creative rights go to him.)

Next time: We finally get the match where the fate of the world is on the line! It's Sartorius and Jason, with the power of the Light of Destruction vs. Jaden and Claudio, armed with the benign Darkness to counter it. Who will win? How will they win? What else is coming?

Please Read and Review! Later!


	78. LightDark Struggle Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 78: The Light vs. Dark Struggle Part 1

* * *

Last time on Duel Academy Stories: After Aster and Masaki were defeated by Sartorius and Jason, the latter two were revealed to be possessed by Aliens of the Light of Destruction. To make the situation even crazier, Masaki's key happened to be a fake while Aster's was the real once when theirs were taken. The Destiny Hero and Shonen Hero duelists were held captive and were threatened to be destroyed unless Jaden gave up his key, after finding out Claudio's was a fake as well. Not wanting to put any lives to their deaths, Jaden gave up his key... But no one counted on Jethro having a Master Plan of his own, using his spirits to retrieve the keys and having Hassleberry save the fallen duelists. Then, Gunter and Ojin were possessed once more to battle them. After a grueling battle, Jethro and Hassleberry combined their powers to create the Darkness of Justice to defeat their opponents… but it wasn't enough to stop Ojin from unlocking the fail-safe to the Satellite Cannon... It's all up to Jaden and Claudio now...

* * *

(This part begins when Hassleberry ran out of the secret Society arena to aid Jethro)

"Good luck, guys!" Jaden and Claudio called out to the dino duelist. They turned to each other and nodded before turning around to see the angry looks of Sartorius and Jason.

"Well, it looks like the tables have turned..." Claudio grinned as he stepped back towards the Silfer, "Guess you can't control the world now if Jethro's got your keys..."

"They had some serious sweet moves to foil your plot like that..." Jaden smirked. "Now we got a score to settle for you beating down Aster and Masaki the way you did!"

"And who's going to stop us?" Jason stated.

"The guy with the guitar on his back..." Claudio said, pointing to himself and then pointing to his partner, "And the Hero Boy who loves a good duel!"

"Just hope you're up for another one after we've seen all your moves," Jaden added.

 **"So you think just because your little friends ran off with the keys, the world is saved?"** Sartorius laughed **. "It'll be even quicker once I acquire your strength to help. And I've seen it in the future!"**

"Really?" the J-Hero duelist laughed right back. "I admire no future when the past is so far away. I never believed in fortune telling to check out what's planned for me. It's just saying that you're scared."

"Took the words from my mouth," the E-Hero duelist added. "I already know my future... it's to keep on dueling and having fun with it!"

 **"You should really listen,"** Jason grinned. **"This duel with end with the Light of Destruction's victory!"**

"Let's see who has the real future in store!" Jaden and Claudio shouted as they activated their duel disks, along with Sartorius and Jason activating theirs.

Jaden: 8000 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 8000 + Jason: 8000

"I can say this," Sartorius proclaimed as the Dark Light receded back into him and his partner. "The inhabitants of Earth have long since caused destruction on this rock for many years, so destiny sent me here to stop it! And I shall lead!"

"I'll start things off," Jaden announced, drawing his sixth card. "I start with Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!" He announced, bringing out his water-based E-Hero to the field. (4/800/1200) "Since he's alone when Summoned, I can draw two cards!" He then drew out his two cards, immediately playing one of them, "Next, I set one card facedown," He then inserted another card, "How's that for starters?"

"Good," Sartorius bellowed, drawing his sixth card, "But you must know, I've foreseen you would play something like that on your first turn. It just shows the pathetic attempt in preparing you two for your inevitable defeat."

"Yeah, whatever," Claudio waved off. "We've heard some lines like that before..."

"For now, I shall make my move!" the Arcana Force Duelist announced, drawing his sixth card. "I activate Double Summon, to first play Arcana Force II – The High Priestess!" He announced, as a grey skinned woman wearing a blue and white nun's uniform, with red gems studding it appeared, a severe smile decorating her strict face. (4/1200/1200) Then, the card image appeared over the monster and suddenly did a quick rotation and landed right-side up!

"Aw man, don't tell me that this tarot reading stuff is happening on our duel," Claudio grumbled.

"I think that's what he's going for," Linda mused. "The Light is at its strongest in this place... he can defy chance and make it what he wants it to be."

"Well said," Sartorius smiled, playing another monster card, "Next, I summon Arcana Force VI – The Lovers!" He continued as another, grey-skinned woman appeared wearing a black dress and her body studded with pink gems. (4/1600/1600) As the card image spun, the tarot reader stated, "From what I see, you two have so many people that you've led in your hearts... first family, then friends, and recently ones that returned your love... especially two certain girls... Melody and Allyson, am I right?"

"Why is he involving them?" Syrus wondered.

"The Arcana Force Monsters are based on the real-life tarot cards," Masaki replied. "He's basically doing a tarot reading for two... though, I think he does it for everybody and but doesn't voice it all the time."

"So why now?" Linda asked.

"Mind games," Aster replied next, "He's basically saying that after this duel, the girls are going to be next."

"And, the High Priestess shows that the two girls are your ideal women in life," the tarot reader continued. "Such a shame that their loved ones will be engulfed by the Light... I end my turn with a facedown card and then the High Priestess' effect activates... for every Arcana Force Monster I own, I gain 500 life points for each one!"

Jaden: 8000 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 9000 + Jason: 8000

"Please... when we get out big moves, all this stupid cult stuff will be done," the J-Hero duelist smirked, drawing his new card. "I summon Jukebox Hero Modest Mouse to the field, in defense mode!" He announced, as his banjo playing rat appeared and kneeled to the ground. (4/800/1200) "And like Jaden's Bubbleman, I can draw two cards since he's the only monster on my field when summoned!" He stated, drawing two cards from his deck. "And then, I place two cards facedown to end my turn." He concluded as he inserted two facedown cards. "Alright Jason, it is show time for you!"

"And will be the end for you all," Jason shouted, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress in attack mode!" He announced as a light pillar erupted from the ground and brought out a raven-haired woman wearing a sleeveless, yet collared white dress with golden accents, kimono –like sleeves, and a cape. She held up a golden wand in her hand, absorbing the pillar. (4/1700/200)

"I don't know whether to say 'she's cute' or be scared because of her powers," the Vehicroid duelist muttered.

"You always have to be cautious around monsters in Duel Monsters," Aster groaned.

"I activate Lyla's Special Ability," the Lightsworn duelist shouted, "I switch her to defense mode to destroy Claudio's facedown card!" He announced as Lyla pointed her wand at the Ra's set card and with a quick wave, shattered the card.

"Thanks for that," Claudio smiled, "That card was Dummy Marker! By destroying it, you gave me another card to use!" He then drew another card.

"It matters not," Jason stated as he inserted two facedown cards, "Because soon you'll be a pawn of the Light! And now Lyla sends three cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard during my End Phase!" He concluded, as he took his cards to the discard slot.

"Alright, enough of the Light," Jaden groaned as he drew his next card, and inserting one card inside it. "Alright, I start with E-Emergency Call! This lets me bring Elemental Hero Stratos to my hand!" He declared, taking out his deck and taking his needed E-Hero out from it. After he shuffled the deck and placed it into his disk, he summoned a monster. "Now Stratos, come on out!" He continued, bringing out his turbine-winged hero to the field. (4/1800/300) "And then, I can take another Elemental Hero from my deck, like Avian, and add it to my hand!" He stated, taking out his desired monster from his deck and reshuffled it once more.

"Taking out monsters from your deck to thin it, are we?" the Lightsworn duelist asked. "Pathetic!"

"We'll see about that," Jaden continued, inserting another card into his disk. "I activate Double Fusion, paying 500 life points to use it!" He announced, as a faint red aura surrounded him to translate the payment.

Jaden: 7500 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 9000 + Jason: 8000

"You would drain your life points to Fusion Summon some monsters?" Sartorius cackled. "It'll take more than that to scare us!"

"Let's put that theory to the test!" the Silfer challenged.

"Yes, let's," Jason added. "Prove that you're one of the chosen duelists!"

"Alright, the first fusion will be from Avian and Burstinatrix from my hand to form Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" the E-Hero duelists announced as the Hero of the Wind and one of the Heroines of Fire flew into a fusion vortex, merging the powers into one. Once done, Jaden's signature Fusion monster appeared to strike a heroic pose. (6/2100/1200) "And it doesn't stop there, because I got my other Fusion Materials on the field! I fuse Bubbleman and Stratos to form my Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" He continued as his Hero of Water and his turbine-winged Hero flew into the second fusion vortex to merge. Once done, the E-Hero of Ice appeared next to Flame Wingman. (8/2500/2000) "And guess what, it doesn't stop..."

"Really," Claudio wondered.

"Really," Jaden smiled, revealing his facedown card, "I activate the Equip Spell Card Fusion Weapon! Since Flame Wingman is at level 6, I can equip with this card and give him 1500 ATK and DEF!" He continued as Wingman's dragon arm became energized with golden power. (6/2100-3600/1200-2700)

"Nice work!" Claudio cheered, to the dismay of the possessed duelists.

"Now Flame Wingman, destroy the High Priestess!" Jaden commanded as Flame Wingman charged at the weaker Arcana Force Monster and struck her down into pixels with his new dragon arm, sending a wave of smoke to Sartorius who grunted in pain.

Jaden: 7500 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 6600 + Jason: 8000

"Next, Flame Wingman takes the High Priestess' ATK of out your life points!" He declared as Flame Wingman aimed his dragon arm at Sartorius and blasted a cloud of flames around him.

Jaden: 7500 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 5400 + Jason: 8000

"Nice!" Syrus cheered. "Jaden's never used Fusion Weapon on his Flame Wingman before!"

"About time he changed up on his use of the Elemental Heroes," Aster smiled, "I'm impressed.

Masaki however, was focused on the duel. He saw that when Sartorius was hit by battle damage and by effect damage, Jason also felt it too! _'That's weird...'_

"Did you predict that?" Jaden shouted to the tarot reader. Sartorius composed himself enough to laugh along with Jason.

"And there's a reason you two are laughing?" Claudio wondered.

"Because the Light of Destruction just revealed to me how you two felt when Jason and I were in pain!" Sartorius grinned, "Didn't it feel good to watch us writhe?"

"Dude, I only saw you writhing," Claudio pointed out. "You're the one who was dealt damage... some big damage!"

"That just proves our earlier point," Jason stated. "Humans love and savor destruction... that's why Earth was doomed from the moment you all were given life on this planet! Don't you see that the recklessness of the human race is what brought me here? You two are just more angry humans in need of saving. The more your vindictiveness lets out, the powerful I become!"

"And the World will see the Light when it's purged of its impurities!" Sartorius finished.

"Uh, when you said 'me', you meant 'us', right?" Jaden wondered, to which the possessed duelists laughed again. "Whatever... I send Absolute Zero to destroy Lyla with Instant Freeze!" He announced as his Ice Hero launched a blizzard that froze the Lightsworn Sorceress and shattered her into pieces. "Now, my turn's over!"

"I activate Scapegoat," Jason shouted, revealing his facedown card. "Now four sheep tokens appear!" He announced, as the sleeping, docile sheep appeared in puffs of smoke. (1/0/0) x4

"Even with the Scapegoats, Claudio and Jaden have life point and field control," Masaki noted. "Awesome..."

"That's why they are going to win!" Syrus cheered.

"You both act so confident, but there's uncertainty in your eyes," Jason smirked as Sartorius went to drawing his next card.

"Enough with the head games," Claudio scoffed.

"Then, let me show you how right I am!" Sartorius announced, holding up another Spell Card, "I activate Graceful Charity to draw three new cards and discard two!" He declared, complying with the card's effects. "And now, I play Light Barrier!" He announced as he inserted the card into his Field Spell Slot. Once done, a circle of Light was erected around the dueling field to separate the duelists from the spectators. "In this field, the effects all non-Arcana Force Monsters negated!"

"What?" Everyone shouted as the barrier glowed, causing Jaden's and Claudio's monsters to hunch over in pain. "Oh no..."

"But wait, what about Jason's monsters?" Claudio pointed out.

"I only see the monsters of Light at work..." Jason shrugged. "Besides, my Light Barrier benefits the favor of mankind!"

"Why are you referring yourself as Sartorius?" Linda questioned. "It's not like it's your turn..."

"That's because we just explained ourselves earlier," Sartorius began.

"There is no Sartorius or Jason in these bodies anymore," Jason added.

"Only the will of the Light of Destruction inhabit these vessels!" They shouted together, as their white auras erupted into the ceiling and fueled the Light Barrier, harming every monster except for Arcana Force VI.

"This is getting too real," Masaki gasped. "I knew there was something wrong with this duel, this time around."

"Sartorius and Jason are of one mind now," Aster realized. "Thanks to the Light."

"Yes and the monsters are in pain as well," Linda stated, noting Absolute Zero and Flame Wingman clutching their sides in pain.

"But soon, they too will see the Light!" Sartorius said, holding up another card. "I now sacrifice my Arcana Force VI, which special ability will account for two Tributes for another Arcana Force Monster, like Arcana Force XX – Judgment!" He announced as the Lovers disappeared into the Light Barrier, strengthening it even further, and let out another Alien-like creature that doubled Sartorius' height. It was like a grey angel wearing the angel's gown, as the wings stretched out and its gangly hands carried a brass trumpet to its mouth. (8/3000/3000) "And thanks to the Light Barrier, I can automatically choose its effect: Right-Side Up!" With one rotation, the card image above turned to Sartorius' expectations.

"Like we didn't see that coming," Jaden muttered.

"Since I chose Right-Side Up, Judgment allows me to Special Summon 1 Monster from my graveyard..." the Tarot Reader stated, taking out another monster card. "And thanks to using Graceful Charity, I shall bring out, Arcana Force XXI – The World!" A giant pillar of Light erupted from the ground, causing it to shake up everyone around.

The monster that descended from the light was colossal, jet-black and imposing. It had an armored human torso atop a black spire that pointed downward, its body studded with amber gems that shone with a dark radiance. Its head bore one glowing eye, and sharp blades adorned each side of its cranium, a great arch stretching over the head from shoulder to shoulder. From the sides of its torso emerged giant arms ending in triple-claws that scraped against each other as light shined around its form. (8/3100/3100)

"Right Side-Up!" Sartorius announced, as the card rotation stopped at that declaration.

"Oh crud..." Jaden and Claudio moaned.

"Well, he's still weaker..." Syrus cringed at the sight of the colossal monsters.

"But not that Elemental Hero Absolute Zero," Sartorius pointed out, "Arcana Force XXI shall attack him with Over Catastrophe!" He announced as the gems glowed on both sides from the bottom up, until its lone eye did the same. It let loose a storm of Dark Light energy that blasted Absolute Zero into ice shards.

Jaden: 7000 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 5400 + Jason: 8000

"And thanks to the Light Barrier's power, I gain life points equal to the destroyed monster's attack points!" the Arcana Force Duelist grinned as the Field Spell transferred the soul of Absolute Zero into Sartorius' body, increasing his energy to near max.

Jaden: 7000 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 7900 + Jason: 8000

"Oh yeah, well I got a Special Ability to activate, since it's not one that works while it's on the field!" Jaden countered, pointing to the ice shards still floating around. "When Absolute Zero leaves the field, all of your monsters are destroyed!" Soon, a harsh blizzard was created from the ice shards, blowing across the field.

"That should make 'em start over!" Claudio smirked.

"If not for my trap card, Hierophant's Wand," the possessed Sartorius announced, revealing a trap card depicting a regal man's staff shining golden. "This let's Jaden draws a card, while all monsters on my side of the field are unaffected by card effects." The Slifer sighed as he drew his card, but the blizzard died out.

"Damn, Claudio would've had a perfect opening to go all out," Masaki grumbled.

"If only he had a next turn," the possessed Jason grinned, "Because my turn is next!"

"How so?" Jaden demanded.

"In due time," Sartorius replied. "Next, I send Arcana Force XX to attack Modest Mouse!" He commanded as Judgment blew its trumpet, creating a giant portal that absorbed the banjo-playing mouse into its dark depths, never to be seen again.

Jaden: 7000 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 8700 + Jason: 8000

"Now, I end my turn which activates the effect of the World," the Arcana Force duelist announced, "I'll sacrifice two of Jason's scapegoats and skip my opponent's next turn... meaning your turn is skipped, Claudio like I said!"

"No way!" Claudio gasped as two of Jason's scapegoats vanished into the World's body, letting it create another barrier of Light around the J-Hero duelist's duel disk to prevent him from using it.

"Yes way," the Lightsworn duelist smiled, drawing his next card. He then took out a spell card, showing Ryko running within a veil of light. "I activate the Spell, Charge of the Light Brigade! This lets me send the top three cards from my deck to the graveyard, and then take a Lightsworn Monster from the deck that's level 4 or below!"

"I knew there were other ways he could send his cards from his deck to the graveyard," Aster stated, as Jason took his desired number of cards and placing them into the graveyard while taking another into his hand.

"And then, since I was able to discard Wulf, I'll summon him!" the Lightsworn duelist continued as another Light pillar erupted out of the graveyard, to bring out the beast-warrior wolf, spinning his lance. (4/2100/300) "And then since it was added to the graveyard as well, I can add Lightsworn Sabre to increase his ATK by 700!" Soon, a blade made of pure Light replaced the lance to energize the beast with more power. (4/2100-2800/300) "And then, I add Ehren, Lightsworn Monk to the field!" He continued, summoning up his female fighter who took out her staff in a battle stance. (4/1600/1000)

"Is this guy going to be done yet?" Masaki mumbled.

"After this, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Fusion Weapon!" Jason replied, inserting another card to blow away the energy surrounding Flame Wingman, decreasing his power. (6/3600-2100/2700-1200) "Now Wulf, destroy him!" the Lightsworn Beast howled as it charged across the field and cut down the Fusion Monster to pixels, damaging Jaden while increasing Jason's life points.

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 8000

Sartorius: 8700 + Jason: 10100

"They're getting too powerful!" Jaden cried out.

"Now, Ehren attack Claudio directly!" Jason continued as the monk leapt into the sky and then smacked Claudio against the Light Barrier with her foot to his chest, following with a staff strike to his face which knocked him down.

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 6400

Sartorius: 8700 + Jason: 10100

"Claudio, are you alright?" Syrus called out to the J-Hero duelist.

"No... problem..." Claudio said, rubbing the bruise on his face. "That hurt..."

"That's just one partial pain you'll soon experience," the Lightsworn duelist claimed, inserting a facedown card. "And with hardly any monsters to your name, you boys are in no position to stage a comeback."

"Well, I'm no quitter," Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "And it looks like I'll summon Dandylion in defense mode!" He declared, bringing out his small flower-lion cub defending itself with the leaves. (3/300/300)

"Possibly your last turn, and you summon a flower?" Sartorius laughed, drawing his next card. "I'll see to it later; during each of my Standby Phases, the Light Barrier must spin. If it is Right-side up, the effects stay... if upside down, the effects are negated." Unlike the other cards, the Field Spell spun normally... but like all the rest, it landed right-side up. "Of course, ... Next, I use the Spell Level Award!"

"That changes a monster's level between 0 and 8," Claudio stated, as the card image appeared on the field. "But what for?"

"I change my Judgment's Level to three!" the possessed tarot reader announced, as a white aura surrounded the trumpet player to adjust the level. (8-3/3000/3000) "And then, I use the next Spell Fate's Call!" He continued, revealing a card that depicted a portal opening above Arcana Force III – The Empress and dropping in Arcana Force XII – The Hanged Man. "I select an Arcana Force Monster like Judgment, and then Special Summon another Arcana Force Monster with up to three levels higher than the selected one!"

"That's why he decreased the level!" Aster gasped as Sartorius took out his monster card.

"I Special Summon Arcana Force XIII – Death!" He announced, as another Light pillar erupted and brought out a grey alien, clad in a black, cloak-like armor and wielded a giant scythe. Even its face looked like a human skull. (6/2300/2300) The card image floated about as Sartorius called, "Right-Side Up!" To which, the card landed upright. "And there's more... since I've played two Spell Cards, I can Special Summon the Arcana Force IX – Hermit!" He announced, as the alien swordsman stood up straight like a gentleman and gripped his sword in front of him. (5/1900/1900) Once the card image appeared… "Upside down!"

"Huh?" Everyone said with a confused expression as the card image stood inverted.

"The inverted effect of the Hermit let's one of your monster's take the equivalent of one of my monster's ATK and apply it." Sartorius laughed, "And if only your Dandylion was in attack mode, it would be a threat!" He stated as Dandylion grew more powerful, staring at the Hermit's gaze. (3/300-3100/300) "Hermit, Attack Dandylion!" The Arcana Force Monster dashed and sliced apart the small flower monster into pixels.

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 6400

Sartorius: 9000 + Jason: 10100

"Good thing his effect activates in the graveyard, because now I can summon two Fluff Tokens!" Jaden added as two dandelion seeds appeared, glaring at the Light users. (1/0/0) x2

"It matters not... Death, Judgment, attack the Tokens!" Sartorius continued, as Death slashed the first one down with his scythe while Judgment blew its horn and smacked the second into the wall. "And now, Arcana Force XXI, attack Claudio directly!" The World unleashed another massive Light blast and engulfed the Ra in its force, making him cry out.

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 3300

Sartorius: 9000 + Jason: 10100

"Come on guys, fight back!" Aster shouted.

"Yeah, these things are getting stronger every second," Masaki added.

"But with what?" Syrus moaned.

"How can they stop those two," Linda thought out loud, "Every move Jaden or Claudio makes, easily gets overpowered."

"That's simple..." Jason began.

"...They can't stop us," Sartorius finished. "And besides, I sense that your friends could not stop the Satellite from being activated!"

 **"BEHOLD MY SATELLITE CANNON**!" the Light of Destruction duo shouted as they had everyone looked to the ceiling, where a picture of space was created and it showed the Misgarth Satellite Cannon firing at Earth at various places, making everyone gasp.

"No way..." Jaden and Claudio whispered.

"That means Hassleberry and Jethro couldn't stop Ojin and Gunter from activating them," Syrus shouted in horror.

"Oh no..." Linda gasped.

 **"You see, my plan has already come into fruition**!" Jason started. " **It's only firing off a few minor shots to test drive its destructive power..."**

 **"But once it reaches full power..."** Sartorius added, " **This world's unjust impurities will fall along with its inhabitants and then the Power of Light shall rise and give birth to a new era!"**

"Well, this duel's not over yet!" Jaden shouted as he saw a forest on fire.

"Yeah, as far as we are concerned," Claudio added. "We have life points left to keep us in the game!"

Jason laughed, **"You naïve simpletons... you two were finished the moment I set foot into this world!"**

 **"Especially when we began this duel,"** Sartorius pointed out. **"Your plans to keep the Satellite from activating failed, Aster and Masaki's plans to save their friends have failed... so it's only fate that you two will fail against me!"** He then got a sadistic grin, **"And for your futures, you two will share a devastating fate... everything lost because of you both! Allow me to show you the rebirth of your beloved planet!"**

The Light Barrier's circle started to spin rapidly and every monster disappeared in a split second, while a blinding Light started to envelop the field.

"What's going on?" Jaden asked, alarmed at the sudden light show.

 **"Stare into the face of destiny!"** the Light of Destruction duo shouted as the Light flashed into the eyes of Jaden and Claudio.

* * *

When the boys opened their eyes, they found themselves in a startling sight... the world had grey skies, and the land was sandy, broken crags filling the area, and void of anything living.

"Where are we?" Jaden wondered.

"Man, it's like this whole place got leveled," Claudio stated, looking around. He then got a feeling, "Wait, what if this is Earth?"

The E-Hero duelist gasped as he saw something in the distance and pointed, "I think you may be right... Look!"

Claudio followed the Slifer's finger and saw a broken-down building, with the familiar colors of red, yellow, and blue up front.

"Oh man, is that Duel Academy!?" the Ra gasped.

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, the sand from behind them exploded and revealed two massive monsters cloaked in a shadow, starting to reach for them with their claws as the boys screamed in horror.

* * *

Jaden and Claudio gasped in fright and opened their eyes, finding themselves back in the duel against Sartorius and Jason. The possessed duo laughed at the boys' expression.

" **How did you like your vision of the future?"** Sartorius asked. But to his dismay, they answered with...

"It was alright..." The Hero Duelists shrugged.

 **"Have you two lost your minds?"** Jason shouted. " **We showed you a vision of the future, and you smile about it?"**

"Yeah, why not?" Jaden shrugged.

"Because if the vision was true, we wouldn't be dueling you two guys," Claudio pointed out. "It also means that were going to kick your ass!"

"So, why should we believe you?" the Slifer added.

 **"Destiny!"** the possessed duo replied.

"Oh man, again?" Claudio moaned. "How many times are you two dudes going to use that excuse?"

"Destiny is just a word and a myth," Jaden added. "And we're here to prove it!"

"Ignorant humans!" Sartorius shouted. "It's only matched by your lack of talent!"

"Whatever, dude," Claudio waved off. "We know we got skills... in more ways than one."

"And we'll be showing our skills in our cards," Jaden smiled, holding up his disk. "And they are going to hurt a lot more than your insults!"

"How can you, for once I activate the World's special ability, Claudio will have to just sit and wait as I destroy him and you!" the Arcana Force duelist shouted.

"Don't bet on that," Claudio interrupted, recovering from his last hit, and revealing his facedown card depicting an amateur rock band that just finished playing, leaving the audience passed out. "My trap card Last Song Kills Audience activates! Since my life points are lower than yours by 4000 or more, I can take all monsters on the field and place them facedown in defense mode! So for now, this song is the last your monsters are ever gonna hear!"

(Play We Hate You, Please Die – Crash and the Boys) (A/N: To those not familiar with Scott Pilgrim, this song is really called Last Song Kills Audience)

The trap card started to blare with the music, keeping the sound within the Light Barrier. It then started to kick up with the bass, until the drum, guitar, and Claudio's voice added in, causing soundwaves erupting from his trap card.

The music started to get to Ehren and Wulf as they were holding their ears, trying to escape the sounds of the song. But soon, they were quickly replaced with Set Monster cards, shattering Lightsworn Sabre. Then, the music started to get faster, affecting the four Arcana Force monsters.

Finally, Sartorius' monsters couldn't take it and succumbed to being Set like the Lightsworns, ceasing any effects that they had.

(End Music)

"What did you do!?" Sartorius demanded.

"Didn't like the music?" Claudio smirked. "Since your effects can only happen while they were face-up after summoning, I used my trap after all of your monsters attacked. And that means you can't move them until your next turn."

"That was smart thinking," Masaki nodded. "Now he can't use the World's effect to skip over Claudio's turn."

The Arcana Force duelist snarled and shouted, "I end my turn."

"Finally, I get my shot!" Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "Time for some old school with Jukebox Hero Voodoo Child," He declared as a purple smoke appeared and from it came a black man with a pink bandana wrapped around his afro. He wore a silk green shirt with white pants and carried a white guitar. (4/1600/0) "Next, I add Rock of Ages to boost his ATK by 200 for every Jukebox Hero on the field!" He added, as the large, ancient rock appeared behind him and surrounded Voodoo Child in a green mist to increase his strength. (4/1600-1800/0) "Time for some payback; starting with the facedown Wulf... Voodoo Child, attack with Purple Haze!" As the Jukebox Hero played, the same purple smoke he used to make his entrance was surrounding Wulf as he was revealed. (4/2100/300) The smoke choked the beast, shattering him into pixels.

"About time we got one monster down," Jaden cheered.

"There's more," Claudio pointed out, "According to the tarot reader's Field Spell, it kicks in and helps me regain Life Points by Wulf's ATK! Well needed, I may add!" He announced as the Light Barrier shined a golden aura, restoring his life points.

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 5400

Sartorius: 9000 + Jason: 10100

"Much better," He smiled, and then held up two cards before inserting them into his disk, "I now end with some facedown cards."

"Tight move," Jaden praised. "Saved yourself from taking the fall... matter of fact, saved me from doing all the work."

"Dude, dueling's the only work you'll ever do." The Ra smirked, "But then again, fate of the world and whatnot... heck, I'm missing my girlfriend dominating the tournament, I wanna see her win!"

"Well then, let's get back to business," the Slifer stated. "At least I can show Allyson I'm alright..."

"Enough!" Jason shouted, snatching the next card from his deck. "I'll sacrifice my facedown Ehren, and summon Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!" He announced, as the set monster card vanished and brought out the angel winged, white-scaled dragon, fighting the Light Barrier's power. (6/2000/1800) "And since you gained life points from destroying my last monster, how about I return the favor with your Jukebox Hero... Gragonith, attack!"

Gragonith opened its mouth and unleashed a white flame that headed straight for Voodoo Child...

"Now you're just being greedy," Claudio shouted, revealing his facedown card, "I play Feathers to negate the attack and then drain your monster's power by 800!" He declared as Gragonith was now restricted by a flurry of black feathers bombarding into him, replacing the effects. (6/2000-1200/1800) "Wish you had your effects now?"

Jason growled, "I end my turn."

"And back to me..." Jaden announced, drawing his next card. _'Darn, I don't have anything to make a decent attack on those Arcana Monsters... but I can make sure my next monster is a powerful one...'_ He then took two of his cards to play. "I throwdown a facedown and summon Elemental Hero Flash in defense mode!" He declared, bringing out an electric-based hero that was like Sparkman, except he wore a silver visor and a silver and blue jumpsuit with lightning streaks around, getting a slight power boost from Rock of Ages. (4/1100-1300/1600) "And since Claudio's got his Jukebox Hero on the field, my Warrior gets the perks of Rock of Ages as well!"

"That's it?" Linda and Syrus gasped.

"Oh man, he couldn't gain a strong enough monster to destroy those facedown Arcana Force monsters..." Masaki cringed.

"Meaning, he's dealing with a four-monster onslaught soon..." Aster sighed.

"I knew you fools didn't have what it took," Sartorius announced, drawing his next card. "Now Light Barrier, spin!" the Field Spell image gave a quick revolution, keeping it right-side up. "Now, I flip-Summon my monsters: Hermit, Death, Judgment, the World, rise up and reveal yourselves." He announced as all four of the powerful Arcana Force Monsters rose from their set cards and gave inhuman roars. (5/1900/1900), (6/2300/2300), (8/3000/3000), (8/3100/3100) "For their effects, all of them shall be right Side-Up, except for the Hermit," He announced, as all the card images rotated to stand upright, except for the Hermit's standing upside down. "Now, I'll let Flash take the Hermit's ATK!" He announced, as Flash copied Hermit's strength, strengthening him slightly. (4/1200-1900/1500)

"Aw man, Jaden's monster is stronger but he can't take advantage of it," Syrus stated.

"Because, it's better than the other effect of letting Hermit become weaker," Masaki stated.

"And then, Arcana Force XX's effect let's me summon another monster I discarded with Graceful Charity, my Arcana Force XI – Justice!" He announced, as a portal of Light brought out another grey alien, wearing knight's armor and wielding a zweilhander blade with both hands. (6/2100/2100) "For the effect, right side-up!" He stated, as Justice's card image rotated to stand upright like three other's. "And then, he cuts the ATK of Voodoo Child in half!" Claudio cringed as Justice slammed the ground with his giant blade, summoning Light tendrils to constrict the legend and hoisted him in the air. (4/1800-900/0)

"Now, I'll let Arcana Force XXI destroy it with Over Catastrophe and give me his life energy!" Sartorius continued as the World blasted another Light energy storm into the bound Jukebox Hero, obliterating him, increasing his life points, and nearly knocking down Claudio with the excess force. All the while, Flash suddenly got weaker. (4/1900-1700/1500)

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 3200

Sartorius: 10600 + Jason: 10100

"This is hardly even fun," the possessed Tarot Reader grinned, "You two are practically handing me the planet on a silver platter!"

"No, but you'll be handing me that monster!" Claudio announced, revealing his facedown card which depicted of a white and black silhouette of a man crossing together. "I activate my trap card, Cross Heart! Since I took Battle Damage from Arcana Force-XXI, I now gain control of it!" Sartorius gasped as he saw his powerful monster vanished from his side of the field, and reappear on Claudio's side. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"I'll say," Jaden replied with a smile.

"Yes!" Masaki cheered, "Now they can stop the Alien possessing Sartorius from skipping Claudio's turn!"

"NO!" Sartorius shouted, with his white aura glowing higher to reveal the glowing face once more. **"ARCANA FORCE XIII, DESTROY THE WORLD!"**

"But it has less ATK points!" Linda pointed out, even as the scythe-wielding Arcana charged with a white aura surrounding it and smashed its body against the World's, harming the Arcana Force User and healing the J-Hero User."

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 5500

Sartorius: 9800 + Jason: 10100

 **"NOW THE EFFECT OF DEATH'S UPRIGHT ABILITY ACTIVATES!"** The angry alien shouted, **"LIKE THE GRIM REAPER SOON TO SEND YOUR SOULS TO HELL, DEATH DESTROYS THE MONSTER THAT KILLED IT!"** On cue, with the last of its strength, Arcana Force XIII took its scythe and chopped the World's head off, shattering them both into pixels. Afterwards, the alien receded back into Sartorius' body.

"Darn, if they would have kept that monster, Claudio could skip over Jason's turns," Syrus groaned.

 **"Now Hermit, attack Flash!"** Sartorius continued, dealing a quick slice to Flash's body, cutting him in half and destroyed into pixels. The pixels then went into Sartorius' body, increasing more of his points.

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 5500

Sartorius: 10800 + Jason: 10100

"Big mistake, because Flash's effect activates when its destroyed and sent to the graveyard," Jaden stated, taking out four cards from his graveyard. "You can negate their effects on the field, but the graveyard's a different story! Thanks to Flash, I remove Elemental Heroes Avian, Bubbleman and Burstinatrix from the game to add the Spell, E-Emergency Call to my hand!" He announced, pocketing his Monster Cards and placing his Spell into his hand. He then, revealed his facedown card which flashed a searchlight with the E-Heroes' symbol on it, "And then, I'll add the Hero Signal Trap Card to bring out Elemental Hero Clayman!" He continued, bringing out the stone hero, blocking his huge body. (4/800/2000)

"Still, I'll have Justice attack him!" Sartorius announced, as Arcana Force XI forced his giant sword into the stone hero, breaking him into rubble and using it to restore life points.

Jaden: 6300 + Claudio: 5500

Sartorius: 11600 + Jason: 10100

"And now, Arcana Force XX will attack Jaden directly!" Judgment blew its horn, unleashing another devastating beam of Dark Light that slammed Jaden into the Light Barrier.

Jaden: 3300 + Claudio: 5500

Sartorius: 11600 + Jason: 10100

"Whoa, they must have really pissed off the Light by taking one of the monsters that could've ended the duel in its favor," Aster noted, seeing Jaden groan in pain. "They may not be winning in terms of the field, but they caused a serious psychological blow for having to use another monster to kill it."

"Well, they better take advantage of it..." Masaki stated, "Especially with Claudio freeing up another chance to use a turn."

" **How dare you take my monster!?"** Sartorius and Jason shouted, as the former signaled the end of his turn.

"What's wrong?" Claudio wondered, drawing his next card, "I never thought you guys be the ones to care about their cards, as long as you get to destroy the world. Because then, you wouldn't need them."

"I can see why," Jaden said, getting up from his attack, "They actually care because they can't run the world without them."

"Foolishness!" the possessed duelists shouted.

"Then stop dueling, and let us live," the E-Hero duelist replied.

"And let you poison this world even further, I wouldn't pass up the chance to continue your bring about your defeat," Sartorius stated. "Remember, your defeat is predetermined."

"Trust me when I say this, it's not," Claudio announced, inserting one of his card into the duel disk, "I activate Cost Down to discard one of my cards to reduce the level of all monsters in my hand by two!" He then discarded one other card, and took out another. "And with that done, I summon my Jukebox Hero Kill Master!" He announced, bringing out the cowboy healer and bassist of his heroes. (6-4/2400/1500) Immediately he felt the strain of his powers being sucked out.

" _The Hell is this about..."_ Kill Master grunted, leaning on his bass guitar. _"Why I feel like something got ripped outta me?"_

"This Field Spell's preventing your Special Ability from being used," Claudio said to him. "But, I got something to rectify that… I'll equip you with the Motorhead Bike giving you 700 more ATK!" He continued as a red, chopper-style motorcycle with a large back end for a person to stand on appeared. Kill Master mounted his ride, revving it up and strapping his bass onto the back. (4/2400-3100/1500) "Now, attack the Hermit!"

 _'Got it,'_ the J-Hero nodded as he rode his bike towards the gentlemen-like alien, raising the bike up and crushing him with the wheels before riding back to Claudio, who gained more life points from the Light Barrier.

Jaden: 3300 + Claudio: 7400

Sartorius: 10400 + Jason: 10100

"Now, that feels better," Claudio smiled, "And with that, I end my turn."

"Okay, Claudio's out of the gutter," Aster noted, "Let's hope Jaden can get out next..."

"It's my turn," Jason announced, drawing his card. But when he looked at it, he growled. "I pass this turn..."

"And comes right back to me," Jaden announced, drawing his next card. "First, I play Legacy of the Hero, to draw three cards since I have at least two Hero monsters that's level 4 and higher!" He announced, drawing out his three cards. But then, he held up the same three cards he just drew. "Then, I play Charge Fusion to fuse Elemental Hero Neos and Elemental Hero Necroshade to summon Elemental Hero the Shining!" He shouted, as Neos and Necroshade jumped into a fusion vortex, flashed, and brought out the shining E-Hero floating in mid-air. (8/2600-2800/2100) "Now, since Gragonith's weakened by Feathers, I'll have the Shining attack him!"

Shining disappeared and then reappeared in front of the blacked-winged Lightsworn dragon. The Hero unleashed a massive radiance of light that engulfed the dragon, disintegrating the pixels into energy that Jaden absorbed into his body by the Light Barrier.

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 7400

Sartorius: 10400 + Jason: 8500

"Not as much as what Claudio's at, but hey, I still got something," Jaden shrugged.

"Only to lose something else important," Jason shouted, revealing his facedown card. "I activate Michizure! A life for a life... You take my monster and I'll take your... partner's monster!"

"Oh no," the Slifer gasped, looking towards Claudio's Kill Master who screamed out as he shattered into pixels. (8/2800-2600/2100) "Sorry Claudio... my bad..."

"It's all good," Claudio assured him, "As long as he's paying 700 for Motorhead Bike, it's alright!"

"What?" Jason gasped as he felt a red aura surround him, translating the effect damage taken.

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 7400

Sartorius: 10400 + Jason: 7800

"And just like that he's near the starting score," the J-Hero duelist smiled. "Now, we have to deal with Sartorius' score and then we are in business to make a real comeback!"

"Just hope for the best, after I throwdown a facedown," Jaden replied, inserting a facedown card into his disk.

"There is no hope, only destiny..." Sartorius declared, drawing his next card and let the Light Barrier Field Spell image rotate once more as per its effect, "And it is only for me to control, just like my Light Barrier card that will land upright!" But when the card stopped, and the possessed Arcana Force Duelist looked up, it was... **"UPSIDE DOWN! IMPOSSIBLE!"**

"That means the effects are negated on this turn!" Jason added as the Light energy started to recede into the circle around the players. "And that also means..."

"My Elemental Hero the Shining regains its effect; he gains 300 ATK for every Elemental Hero that's removed from the game," Jaden finished as images of Avian, Bubbleman, Burstinatrix appeared behind the monster to energize the Fusion Monster. (8/2600-3500/2100)

"Sounds like Destiny's not on your side, pal!" Claudio grinned, "Sounds like you should start hoping for yourself!"

 _'So then it's true...'_ Sartorius and Jason thought collectively through the Light _, 'They are the Chosen Duelists who can change the fate of destiny! The ones who can extinguish the Light! But of course they need to win... which they will not!'_

When they heard Jaden chuckling to themselves, they snapped. "Stop that laughing!"

"You shouldn't be too hard on yourself," the Silfer smiled. "A duel's always unpredictable... no matter what you do to change things into your favor. And also, the only reason you two are not at the top of your game is because you're not having any fun!"

"Fun?" Jason growled.

"Yeah," Jaden nodded. "When you're having fun during a duel, it's a lot more than being an alien obsessed with World Domination and brainwashing people."

"Enough!" Sartorius snapped.

"I'm just saying to chill out," Jaden continued. "This world's not so bad that you need to destroy or 'save' it, as you put it."

"Does he realize he's trying to reason with a psychopathic alien?" Aster groaned.

Syrus sighed, "That's Jaden for ya..."

"It must be the reason why he's so calm," Linda noted.

"For good reason, too," Masaki added. "He now has the best monster on the field against Arcana Force XX with 3000 points and Arcana Force XI with 2100 points... he can do this."

"Are you done?" Sartorius snapped as he held up a monster card. "I summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor in attack mode!" He announced, bringing out the black construct that stretched out its six arms. (4/1400/1400) "And when it lands right-side up, my monsters will be more powerful than your Elemental Hero!" But to his surprise, when the card image appeared above the Emperor, the card landed upside down! **"NOT AGAIN!"**

"Ha!" Masaki laughed, "That means all of his Arcana Force Monsters are 500 ATK weaker!" He stated as electricity from the Emperor zoomed from him into Justice and Judgment which suddenly got weaker. (4/1400-900/1400), (6/2100-1600/2100), (8/3000-2500/3000) "Sounds like fate's kicking him in the butt this time."

"Care to try anything else?" Claudio wondered.

"I'll switch Justice and Judgment to defense mode," Sartorius concluded.

"That's my cue," Claudio announced as he drew his next card, "I play my own Legacy of the Hero to draw three cards!" He began, drawing his three cards, "Next, I use Junk Dealer to revive my Jukebox Heroes Kill Master in defense mode and my Jukebox Hero Man in the Box in attack mode, which I sent with Cost Down!" He declared as his cowboy healer and bassist reappeared along with his brown cloaked bassist. (6/2400-1200/1700), (4/1500-750-1150/1600), (8/3500-3900/2000) "Now, Man in the Box will attack Judgment!"

"Does that monster have a special ability?" Linda asked Syrus while Man in the Box charged at the trumpet player.

"Oh yeah, and if you don't want to see anything gruesome... cover your eyes..." the Vehicroid duelist replied, but cringed.

"Yeah, bad choice of words, Sy," Masaki added.

"Fool," Sartorius shouted. "Judgment has more attack points!" Once his monster pushed back the cloaked hero with its trumpet, he saw the man's eyes sewn shut.

"Whoa!" Aster gasped. "You sure that isn't some kind of anti-hero?"

"And here's why I attacked..." Claudio smiled, "When Man in the Box is in a fight, all the battle damage becomes your problem!" Sartorius screamed as another red aura appeared around him.

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 7400

Sartorius: 8550 + Jason: 8000

"Yeah, now we're getting back on track!" Jaden cheered.

"Just wait until you see this," Claudio continued as Kill Master and Man in the Box vanished into sparkles. "Now I sacrifice my Heroes and invite my Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs!" He announced as his Roadie appeared ready to battle. (7/2500-2700/2000), (8/3900-3700/2000), He then turned back to the Ra.

"Claudio, this where we have to destroy the Light..." Riggs explained. "It's at its moment of weakness!"

"Got it," Claudio nodded, inserting another spell card, depicting Roadie Riggs playing Clementine which had an adverse effect in melting the faces off his demon enemies, "I activate Facemelter! When Roadie Riggs is in play, I can destroy all monsters on the field... but he can't attack this turn... time to see the power of Rock at one of its best moments!"

"To do that, I'll need a powerful guitar," Riggs noted, "Mind if I borrow yours, Claudio?"

The Ra grinned, taking off his guitar, "Thought you'd never ask!" He then threw the guitar to Riggs, who caught it by the neck.

"Taste rock, Aliens," Riggs shouted, as he started to play a wild solo that sent a burning aura to Sartorius' Arcana Force Monsters. Once the solo got intense, faces of the monsters started to melt off as they moaned in anguish and then exploded into pixels.

"No!" the possessed duelists shouted again.

"Don't cry now, it's only a game," the Ra stated, signaling the end of his turn. "Of course, when you guys lose, Mother Earth will be saved!"

"I think not," Jason shouted, drawing his next card. "Since the Light Barrier's effects are negated, my Lightsworn Monsters effects won't be either! So, I'll set this monster in defense mode to end my turn!" He stated as a Set monster appeared on his field.

"All of that for a monster facedown," Jaden wondered as he drew his next card. "First, I'll use my O-Oversoul to bring out Elemental Hero Neos from my graveyard summon him to the field!" He announced, taking out his signature monster from his discard slot and placing it onto his disk, letting out his signature Elemental Hero to the field. (7/2500-2700/2000)

"Now, we shall have our chance to strike down the Light of Destruction!" Neos said to Jaden.

"You got it, and I'll have Neo-Spacian Glow Moss to help us out," the Silfer continued as the glowing, female humanoid alien that appeared in the middle of Neos and the Shining. (3/300/900) "Now, it's time for some Contact Fusion!" He called out as his as both his heroes flew up to a galaxy that formed in the sky and combined into a bright light, while Jaden shuffled his two monsters back into his deck. "Elemental Hero Glow Neos, you're on!" He announced, as his glowing armored Neos Fusion Monster appeared staring down at the opposition. (7/2500-2700/2000) "Now, I use his special ability to destroy one card on your field! And the card he destroys will depend on the next action he takes."

"So, you'll take down my monster so that you can attack directly," Jason figured, looking to his facedown monster.

"Nope, I'll take down Sartorius' Light Barrier and let him attack directly!" Jaden smirked as Glow Neos formed an orb of light blue energy and fired it at Sartorius' disk, causing the Light Barrier Field Spell to shoot out. "But before I let him attack directly, I'll play H-Heated Heart to have the Shining gain 500 ATK plus the ability to do some piercing damage!" He continued as a light blue H emerged from the holographic card, powering up the other fusion hero. (8/3900-4300/2000)

"4300?" Jason gasped, _'Despite my monster's effect, that's too much damage!'_

"First, Glow Neos... attack Sartorius directly!" Jaden commanded as Neos flew over the field and then collected another light blue energy orb in both hands, and slammed them into the possessed tarot reader, knocking him on his back.

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 7400

Sartorius: 5850 + Jason: 8000

"Alright, that's some big-time damage," Syrus cheered.

"And from the look on Jason's face, he'll face some too after Jaden played Heated Heart," Aster added.

"Alright Shining, go get Jason's facedown monster..." Jaden continued as his Fusion Monster launched a laser from its back ornament, vaporizing the set card which revealed to be a white wolf cub, with golden markings on its body that was launched into the air. (3/200/100) Jason screamed as he felt every amount of damage the cub felt and collapsed next to Sartorius.

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 7400

Sartorius: 5850 + Jason: 3800

"Jaden really cleaned house with his two attacks," Masaki said, impressed with the battle. "And to think, they were once trailing because of that Light Barrier."

"That had to hurt..." Claudio grinned. "Maybe you two should give up while you still have the chance!"

"And if this keeps up, Prince Ojin and Solaris can be saved!" Linda added, "Also, If Jethro and Hassleberry done their part in keeping the Satellite Keys away from the controls, the world can stay safe!"

While everyone was looking forward to the good future that was to come, Sartorius' and Jason's collective minds were combining their rage after their attacks and listening to their foes...

 _'Never! I've waited for too long to build up my power to create a new world for the Light!'_ the Alien inside the duelists shouted _. 'And to think... I was once stopped because of you, Jaden Yuki... No... it won't happen again! I refuse to be defeated by the same person who stopped me prematurely, and caused me to resort to use my 10-year plan to take over this world…'_ Both Sartorius and Jason grinned, _'Now, I'll have to take matters into my own hands... using the Light still formed from the girl and released into the Obelisk arena… and I'll use her to deliver it to me and combine it with these two! It's time my true form emerges!'_

* * *

Inside the darkened and empty Obelisk arena, the Dark Light that circulated around the top started to shine and then started to slither to the ground, like a snake, or rather a giant anaconda with the amount of Light that was left behind. It left the arena and through the doors, maneuvering itself throughout the hallways searching for the host it once possessed. After combing through many hallways, it found the infirmary and sensed only one occupant... the one it was searching for. It phased through the doors and searched the beds and found the one... a girl with an all-white clothing, hair, and skin tone. It remembered when it first possessed her through her defeat against Jason, and then grew stronger from White Veil's side-effect against Alexis Rhodes.

 _ **'Come and deliver your Light to destroy the Darkness!'**_

With that, the massive Dark Light re-entered Juli's body and surrounded her with its aura. Once done, Juli opened her eyes and her mouth made that long-forgotten and wicked grin as she rose up from her bed like a zombie and shouted:

 _ **"The end is near!"**_

* * *

Part 1 is completed, stay tuned for Part 2! Things are heating up!

Arcana Force XIII – Death

Light | Level 6 | Fairy/Effect | 2300/2300 | When this card is summoned toss a coin: *Heads: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard destroy one of your opponent's face up monsters. *Tails: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard destroy one of your face up monsters

Fate's Call

Image: A portal opening above Arcana Force III – The Empress and dropping in Arcana Force XII – The Hanged Man.

| Spell | Activate when you control a face up 'Arcana Force' monster, Special Summon an Arcana Force monster from your Deck whose level is no more than three higher than the one on the field. (The summoned monster may attack this turn.)

(The top two cards were created by SnapesnatchFMP, used in his ZEXAL story, Phase Zero. Creative rights go to him.)

Arcana Force II – The High Priestess

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 4

1200/1200

When this card is Summoned, flip a coin and apply the appropriate effect. •Heads: During each of your End Phases, gain 500 Life Points for each 'Arcana Force' monster you control. •Tails: During each of your End Phases, lose 500 Life Points for each 'Arcana Force' monster you control.

Arcana Force IX – Hermit

LIGHT

Fairy/Effect

Level 5

1900/1900

When you activate a second spell card during your turn, you can special summon this card from your deck. Toss a coin. ● Heads: Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. This card's original ATK becomes equal to the selected monster's original ATK. ● Tails: Your opponent selects 1 face-up monster you control. That card's original ATK becomes equal to the selected monster's original ATK.

(This card is created by me. Based off the ninth card in the Major Arcana class.)

Arcana Force XI - Justice

LIGHT

Level 6

Fairy/Effect

2100/2100

Toss a coin. ● Heads: Select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. That monster loses half of its ATK ● Tails: Your opponent selects 1 face-up monster you control. That loses half of its ATK.

Arcana Force XX – Judgment

LIGHT

Level 8

Fairy/Effect

3000/3000

Toss a coin. ● Heads: Select 1 monster in your graveyard and Special Summon it to the field. ● Tails: Your opponent selects 1 monster in his/her graveyard and Special Summon it to their side of the field.

(These Arcana Force Monster cards were created by yours truly, and all rights go to me for the creation. Arcana Force IX was changed due to a misreading in the numbered cards, so now that Hermit is IX and Justice is actually XI.)

Light Barrier

Field Spell

During your Standby Phase or when you activate this card, toss a coin. If the result is Tails, the following effects are negated until your next Standby Phase:

● The effect(s) of all non-"Arcana Force" monsters are negated. When an "Arcana Force" monster is summoned, choose which effect to apply without tossing a coin. If a monster destroys another monster by battle, the controller of that monster gains Life Points equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK.

Hierophant's Wand

Normal Trap

Your opponent draws 1 card. This turn, cards you control cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects

(The top two cards were used by Sartorius in the two-part GX episode, The Hands of Justice. All rights go to the creator. The effects of Light Barrier are from the anime.)

Last Song Kills Audience (Based off of Crash and the Boys' song, from the Scott Pilgrim series)

Counter Trap

Activate during the End Phase when your life points are equal to or less than your opponent's life points. Flip all monsters your opponent controls into face down Defense Position.

Facemelter!

Normal Spell

Activate only if there's a "Jukebox Hero Tenacious D" or "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" on the field. Destroy all monsters your opponent controls. "Jukebox Hero Tenacious D" or "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" cannot attack on the same turn you use this card.

(The top two cards were created by me, and all creative rights go to me for the card creation, while the name goes to Double Fine. Based off of one of Eddie Riggs' special attacks from Brutal Legend)

Next Time: The Battle between the Light of Destruction and the Darkness of Justice continues, along with the battle to stop the Satellite, and the return of a not so favorite foe that's putting it all together!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	79. LightDark Struggle Part 2

Here we are dear readers, the conclusion to the Light of Destruction. Only two more chapters left! Let's rock and roll, my peeps!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 79: The Light vs. Dark Struggle Part 2

* * *

Last time on Duel Academy Stories: The battle between Sartorius and Jason, fully possessed with the Light of Destruction, and the Academy students, Jaden and Claudio, were underway. At first, Jaden was able to get the quick upper-hand using Flame Wingman and Absolute Zero, but it all went south once Sartorius activate the Light Barrier which negated the effects of all monsters except for the Arcana Force monsters. It was all the Light of Destruction then as they dominated most of the match, until a stroke of divine fate caused the Light Barrier's power to be negated, allowing Jaden and Claudio to destroy it and go back to dominating the game. But still, they found out that the Satellite Cannon's firing all over the place... can they defeat the Light of Destruction and save the planet! The conclusion... happens right now!

* * *

(Play Succession of Witches from Final Fantasy VIII)

After the Dark Light re-entered her body, Juli started to walk in a hypnotic trance down the hallways of Duel Academy and with the same grin she had when she once pursued Shion. She only had one thing on her mind: get to the site where the fate of the world was to be decided, at the White Dorm.

 _'My rebirth is at hand! I will be the one to remake this world into the Light!' the voice inside Juli's head said. 'And it is also perfect that I get revenge on the one that defeated one part of me, one year ago!'_

* * *

In front of Duel Academy, everyone was still talking about the duel between Alexis and Melody and how awesome it was.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Sheppard called out. "Since we have our Graduation Ceremony in two days, we will take the time to accumulate the graduation scores of every senior student for the Grad Match."

"And it is then, we shall hold the match between Melody Hikarii and Yugi Moto so that both players can prepare," Pegasus added. "Until then, we shall see you all tomorrow for an exciting two matches of the very best of the year!"

Hearing that, the faculty and guests upon the roof decided to head their way down as the crowd was starting to disperse from the courtyard and head back to the dorms, with most of them saying their offer of congratulations to Melody for winning the GX tournament.

"Phew!" Melody sighed, "As psyched as I am about facing Yugi, I didn't think I could take another duel today."

"Well, what's going to be your game plan?" Isaac wondered. "Yugi's the best for a reason."

"To be honest, I don't know..." the Magician duelist replied. "I mean, it's not like it's going to be when I faced Dimitri when he used Yugi's deck last year; it was because of an abundant use of Spell Cards and having Winged Kuriboh LV9 was how I beat him. But I know the real Yugi's much more than that... his deck is basically all-around, no single types, or archetypes, a great Strategy deck."

"Yeah, but it's not like you can come up with a strategy that takes advantage of that," Alexis pointed out. "Remember you used that Field Spell to take advantage of the Spell Cards to increase your Spell Counters and increase your chances to use them in variety of ways to win."

"Not to mention your deadly combination of spells to make sure the opponent aren't taking you lightly," Kenji added. "With that, you know you got what it takes to take on Yugi's strategies."

"Besides, focus too much on how he's going to beat you and he will do that," Roxanne noted. "Any duelist knows that."

"I know, I know," Melody stated, "But still, to go and face the best duelist in the world, I just don't want to disappoint by losing too soon."

"You should just see Yugi as any other duelist," Lily said, "Just like everyone else here."

"Just trust yourself, and relax," Isaac said. "You need a clear head to focus on your strategies to counter and follow through against his."

"And remember, he doesn't have any Egyptian God Cards..." Kenji pointed out. "If you're worried about them, you shouldn't be."

"That's a relief, but I already knew that," the Ra stated. "Even if seeing how a couple of them works, but maybe seeing three Gods on the field at once would scare me. But speaking of Gods, how come we never heard of yours?"

"I can answer that after hearing about them myself."

Everyone turned to see the Industrial Illusions President walk up to them.

"Mr. Pegasus?" Isaac wondered.

"It's good to see some of the school's top students," Pegasus smiled, "Kaiba-boy's plans of this school truly have lived up to the expectations. First, I like to extend a personal congratulation to our new champion."

"Thank you," Melody smiled back. "But you said you knew about the Ninja God Cards?"

"When it comes to powerful cards such as that, I personally oversee its construction," Pegasus stated. "But never thought it would be used in the tournament..." He then looked to Kenji, "And it must be from you."

"Yes..." the ninja duelist nodded. He then remembered something and pulled out a blue card, Obelisk the Tormentor, "By the way, I think you were looking for this?"

"Thank you kindly, dear boy," the Toon duelist smiled, accepting the Egyptian God Card. "And in return, I'll tell you about those cards you have... I would like to see them..."

"Of course," Kenji replied, fishing out the cards from his blazer pocket and fanned out the four cards.

"As I suspected," Pegasus mused. "I..."

Kenji suddenly gasped, interrupting the I2 president and started to look rapidly around the area.

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked him.

The ninja duelist widened his eyes and then looked behind Pegasus and saw a frightening sight, "Guys look!" Everyone else turned around to see Juli walking out of the Academy building, walking in a trance, swaying back and forth and left and right, glowing a white aura with afterimages of her own self following. She was advancing, slowly but steadily.

"Juli!" Alexis, Lily, and Melody gasped.

"But what's wrong with her?" Isaac wondered.

"When this whole Society of Light started, she was subjected to the side of effect of a White Veil card," Kenji replied.

"And it did that to her?" Pegasus gasped as Juli started to walk towards them. "This is worse than I thought with those White cards..."

"Yeah, and then Shion and Allyson were talking about the next time they encountered her," Lily added. "Trying to get to Jaden and then planned on catching Shion, Jasmine, Mindy, and me to make all of us like her!"

"Then we should stop her now," Melody declared, as everyone ran towards her to restrain her.

Seeing the people before her, Juli raised her head and shouted... **"BEGONE!"**

Once Pegasus and the Academy students were close enough to lay a finger on her... they were violently launched backwards at incredible speed that once they hit the ground, it hurt very much!

"Ah..." Isaac groaned.

"What... the...," Roxanne was at a loss for words as she kept on her back.

"Man..." Atticus couldn't say anymore, focusing on the pain he received.

"Ouch..." Melody moaned in pain.

"Ow..." Lily groaned.

"What's... going on?" Alexis gasped. She was able to look up and see another overwhelming sight... Kenji wasn't thrown down! He was able to hold back Juli, pushing against her shoulders, but not enough to stop her from moving and was dragging him backwards. "Kenji...?"

"What's going with you, Juli?" Kenji grunted. "I thought you were unconscious from your duel with Shion!"

Juli laughed, but with another voice along with it. _**"So, it's you... the one who blocked the full power of the Dark Light..."**_

"What?"

 _ **"I must say, I commend you for holding your own against the Light of Destruction and hindering our plans," 'Juli' stated, "But now, even your powers of Darkness are no match for me."**_

"I resisted you once before, I can do it again!" the ninja duelist stated. "Whoever you are, release Juli!"

 _ **"Oh, I have all intentions to release this girl..."**_ the possessed Ritual duelist declared. _**"But not now... my rebirth will not be at this spot... SO OUT OF MY WAY**_!" She then grabbed Kenji and, with superhuman strength, tossed Kenji towards the Academy building.

"Kenji!" Alexis cried, as he was about to hit the building. But hearing her voice, the ninja duelist turned his feet towards the building, using his ninja expertise to bounce of the top of the doorway and landed on the ground. "That was close..." She sighed.

Kenji looked towards the possessed girl, who made a left turn and continued walking. "Alright, looks like I gotta knock you out... though I hate to hit a girl, something inside you is forcing this from you, Juli." With that in mind, the Obelisk ninja made a quick break for the possessed Juli. Once he was close enough, he raised a right hand for a chop. "HA!"

But before he could land the blow, Juli made an instant break of speed away from Kenji, laughing all the way. _**"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_

"No way!" Everyone shouted.

"Is this what the power of the light is?" Pegasus wondered.

"Guys, I'm going after her!" Kenji shouted. "She's heading for the White Dorm; I need to go head her off!"

"Alright then, just go," Pegasus replied with urgency, as the Obelisk nodded and ran off in Juli's direction.

"Be careful, Kenji," Alexis shouted after.

"He better..." Lily stated, "That wasn't just any possessed girl now..." Everyone turned to the Dragon duelist. "She's back..."

"You mean..." Melody wondered, to which Lily nodded. "Oh no... Claudio, guys, I hope you guys get ready for what's coming."

* * *

With her new speed, Juli was already through the woods that led through to the White Dorm.

 _ **'I'm close!'**_ She shouted in her mind and then ran through the doors.

Kenji was right on her tail, using the trees to jump and decrease his distance.

 _'She must be going after Jaden and Claudio,'_ He thought. _'They must be winning, so the Light of Destruction's trying to tip the scale in its favor... but not on my watch!'_

He finally made to the dorm, and ran inside.

* * *

Inside the dorm, another person was already inside, yet lost. It was Shion, who left after the first round of the finals to get to Jason. But, the problem was that she knew the Girls Dorm well and the Boys Dorm was nothing like it.

"Oh no... I can't find where he is!" She whined, looking around the dorm. "I thought it would be somewhat similar to the Girls' side, but it's not!" She then slumped on a nearby couch and sighed, "I wish I could find him..."

 **"Finally!"**

Shion nearly screamed out of her mind as she jumped off the couch, hearing that familiar voice.

 _'Juli? She's back?'_ She gasped. _'And it sounds like she's possessed again!_ ' Knowing what she was capable of, Shion hid in the corner of the stairs and stayed there. Next, footsteps got closer and closer to her, making the Kuriboh duelist cringe in fear. The footsteps were walking up the staircase and headed towards the left, letting Shion look up and gasped as she saw Juli in a worse state than the last time.

 _ **"The Light of Destruction will soon show her true face!"**_ Juli shouted as she walked into a door.

"Does she know where they are?" Shion wondered with a whisper.

"Shion?"

The Kuriboh duelist screamed and looked to see Kenji walking up to her. "K-Kenji?"

"What are you doing here?" the ninja duelist asked.

"I came here to find Jason," Shion replied. "I felt too bad for leaving, and I'm the reason he's the way he is right now. I had to come here to apologize."

"Well, I followed Juli here to this dorm..." Kenji added. "She's probably meeting up with him and Sartorius right now... did you see where she went?"

"Up the stairs and into a room nearby," the Obelisk girl pointed up.

"Okay, stay here and I'll go help Jaden and Claudio..."

"No, I need to come, too!" Shion said, urgently.

"But what you get seriously hurt," Kenji asked. "Jason probably won't recognize you in the state he's in... I can practically feel the increase of Dark Light in this place… he could be just as possessed as Juli is right now!"

"I know, but I still want to go," Shion replied. "I'm not going to walk away like I did last time, and I know he must hate me... but please, I need to go."

The ninja duelist sighed, "Alright, but we got to be cautious... no telling what's happening when Juli reaches Sartorius and Jason."

"Alright, and thank you," the Kuriboh duelist nodded as they walked up the stairs and followed the Ritual Duelist.

* * *

Back inside the White Dorm's secret arena, the duel was coming to a standstill. Sartorius and Jason were still flat on their backs.

"Okay, are you guys going to get up or forfeit?" Claudio wondered. "You wasted enough time already..."

"Yeah guys, it's not going to look good for your Alien race to be lying down on the duel," Jaden shrugged.

"If they can't get up, then the duel automatically goes to Jaden and Claudio," Syrus figured. "We just won!"

"I don't think so," Aster said with a stern expression at the four players.

"Why do you think this?" Linda wondered.

"It's because the Light in here hasn't let up..." the D-Hero duelist replied.

"Yeah, I can feel it too," Masaki added. "They must be waiting to recharge or something similar to that..."

 _ **"You're right... it is something similar!"**_

The spectators turned around to the stairway and saw Juli standing at the entrance, swaying side to side with a light aura.

"Juli?" Syrus wondered.

"What?" Jaden and Claudio gasped as they turned around to see the possessed Ritual Duelist, starting straight at them.

'Juli' laughed loudly, _**"So, we meet again... Jaden Yuki! Are you and your friend having fun with my servants?"**_

"What are you talking about?" Jaden wondered, earning another laughed from the possessed girl who decided to walk towards them.

"What's she doing," Linda gasped.

"I don't know, but I can't move now," Aster grunted, feeling his legs lock in place.

"Yeah, and me," Masaki groaned, keeping on his knees.

 _ **"That's because you still are weakened by my power,"**_ the possessed Ritual Duelist smirked to the stunned Hero duelists, while continuing to stare and advance towards the dueling Hero Duelists. _**"And it's funny that you're still a dimwitted Silfer who didn't know what he was getting into. Or maybe the knowledge of that girl Lily had on Silfers was greatly exaggerated..."**_ She then looked to the Shadow Charm around Jaden's neck. "Even though you had what I once wanted, I still have the means to revive and obtain my true self!"

Jaden gasped, getting the message and remembering a certain conversation he had with Lily after the Pro League Championships, "Oh man, Lily was right! Claudio, its Brightveil!"

"You mean the Shadow Rider that possessed Lily last year?" Claudio replied. "That Brightveil!"

"Yeah..." the Silfer nodded.

"Oh crap..."

Sartorius and Jason started rise up like dead zombies to laugh loudly, along Juli and another feminine laugh in their voices. " _ **So, you do remember me Jaden! Good, now you know why this victory will be savored after I cleansed the World of its darkness!"**_

"So, you aligned yourself with Light of Destruction to achieve your goal?" Claudio stated.

Brightveil's laughter continued from the two possessed men's and the possessed girl's laughter, _**"It is not a matter of joining forces with something... especially when you are that something!"**_

Aster and Masaki gasped, "Don't tell me..."

 _ **"That's right you two**_ ," the voice from the possessed duelists shouted as Juli's body charged towards the downed men and turned around to shout, _ **"I AM THE LIGHT OF DESTRUCTION!"**_ Then, the white auras from Sartorius, Jason, and Juli sparked up to the max to form that vindictive spirit.

 _ **"AND WITH THE AMOUNT OF DARK LIGHT NOW AMASSED FROM THE DEFEAT OF THE PAWNS AND THE GREATEST EXISTING WITHIN THESE THREE HUMANS, MY NEW BODY SHALL BE FORMED!"**_ Once done, all three possessed people collapsed on the ground while the Light of Destruction flashed in front of them, forming into a new, feminine body.

"Oh great, are we finally seeing Brightveil for the first time?" Jaden gasped.

With another flash of light, the color started to form on the body and became more detailed. What everyone saw next was a woman with fair skin, and long, sharp, silver hair. She wore a sleeveless, crimson dress that clung to her figure, white, long gloves up to her arms, and carried a clear and white veil behind her. Then, the hair blew away to show her face with piercing, silver eyes and ruby red lips which curved into a sadistic smirk.

"Hello children," She said with a soft, yet fierce tone in her voice. "I am Brightveil, the Light of Destruction!"

"So this whole time, we've been led around by this woman?" Masaki wondered.

"It would seem that way," Aster replied. "Guess there's no telling what an Alien would look like."

"Yeah, she looks human," Syrus stated.

"Guys!"

Kenji and Shion finally made it to the secret arena, and were stunned by the sight of the new player in the game. "Who is that?" the ninja duelist asked.

"Apparently, an Alien entity named Brightveil," Linda replied. "And she used the Dark Light in your friends to create what you see before you."

"Oh no, Jason," Shion cried out.

"Don't bother, little girl," Brightveil smirked, "You're the one that sent him to his fate... no need for you to feel sorry for him. It's only fitting for you Obelisk Blues to look down on the Silfer Reds... one reason why I'll cleanse the world of the impurities."

"Yeah and how you are going to do that?" Jaden demanded. "You just made your so-called pawns go to sleep!"

"Oh dear me," the Light of Destruction gasped with a mock worry, before grinning. "Then let's wake them up!" She raised her hands to create light tendrils from the fingertips and drove them into the fallen Tarot reader and Silfer Red. "I've always wanted to play puppeteer from the outside!" She cackled, pulling on the tendrils to force Sartorius' and Jason's bodies to rise up, but with blank expressions on their faces.

"Stop it!" Claudio shouted in anger, "They have been your pawns for too long! Stop it now!"

"Well, I don't have a deck right now..." Brightveil waved off, "And you were all in the middle of a duel, so let's not interrupt it... besides, I know what their decks contain. I shall take over as the mind, announcing their moves while these two play my arms to draw and play the cards on their duel disk contraptions... sounds fair, good!"

"Alright, but when we win, you're taking a hike and freeing those three!" Jaden demanded.

"Please, you won't be able to defeat me," Brightveil laughed, "But I shall humor you with that request... let us continue the duel!"

"Yeah, come on!" Claudio shouted.

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 7400

Sartorius: 5850 + Jason: 3800

"Come on guys, you got the upper hand now," Kenji stated. "Don't screw it up..."

Brightveil looked to Jason, "Now I believe Jason had a move to use when you used your Hero to destroy it," She stated as the wolf cub stood up from its attack and snarled, "Because Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter was revealed, I can destroy one card for the cost of three cards being sent to the graveyard, from the top of my deck. And I choose Elemental Hero the Shining!" She declared as the wolf cub charged at the Fusion Monster, biting at his neck and both shattered into pixels. She then made Jason sent the top three cards of his deck into the graveyard.

"Bad choice, Brightveil," Jaden announced, "By destroying the Shining and sending him to the graveyard, I can bring back Elemental Heroes Burstinatrix and Bubbleman from my removed from play zone and place them back into my hand!"

"A minor casualty," the Light of Destruction declared. "I'll soon destroy you both and this world!"

"Lighten up, Brightveil," Jaden smirked, "Get it? Because of her Light and being part of her name..."

"Wasn't funny though, because you explained the joke," Aster stated.

"I'll give him points for staying upbeat in all of this," Masaki added, "I'd do the same..."

"And since my turn's over, Glow Neos returns to my Fusion Deck since I don't have Neo Space on the field," Jaden concluded as Glow Neos zoomed off the field, but instead of going back to the deck, he flew into the skies...

* * *

Back at the lake, Jethro and Hassleberry were looking at a bright light in the sky sending off smaller lights away from it.

"Oh man, that Satellite's firing all over the place!" Hassleberry stated.

"I would be grateful that it's not blasting over here, but I feel bad for anything that cannon hits," Jethro said.

"Yeah," the dino duelist looked towards the fallen Misgarth Prince and the rogue card designer. "We couldn't stop these two as much as we could, but there must be something more we can do."

"You're right," the cowboy Obelisk nodded, "Summoning a special card is all well and good, but having to power to stop that Satellite is another thing!"

"No matter what, we to destroy that Satellite," Hassleberry shouted as his eyes changed into the Dinosaur ones.

"That's right, the world needs us!" Jethro added, as his chest went golden once more.

Both boys' inner energies flared up once more, and then released into larger entities in the form of spirits! For Hassleberry, one would expect a dinosaur; a twenty-foot tall, dark-brown Tyrannosaurus Rex with his black, dreadlocked hair and yellow, dino bandana on his head.

Jethro's spirit became more complex with his four Spirits combing to make a new one. It was Jethro's body mixed with Desperado Red-Tail's wings sprouting from his back, Crimson Grizzly's forearms replacing his own, Silver Spirit Warrior's Tribal Mask, and wearing the Cowboy Hat of Desperado Shot-gunner.

While they emerged, Elemental Hero Glow Neos stopped his ascent into space and caught sight of the two new spirits. Feeling the power within them, he flew to the spirits and decided to gain their help.

"Well, it seems as if the spirits within you two boys have finally awakened," Neos stated.

"I'll be a son of a T-Rex," Hassleberry's spirit exclaimed, "I have a dinosaur spirit living inside of me?"

"I actually had four living in me," Jethro's spirit added, looking himself over, "But I guess they merged with me and became an all new one!"

"Well I know one thing," the dino spirit grinned, "We can go smash some satellite!"

"Let's get it done!" the combination spirit added. "Yeehaw!"

"You have to leave your physical bodies here," Neos declared, extending both of his hands to the spirits and infused them with his energy. The power allowed them to float out of their physical bodies and let them drop to the ground in a deep sleep, while the three spirits flew up into space.

* * *

Orbiting the Earth, the Misgarth Satellite Cannon was continuing its random assault on the planet. The three new spirits flew out of the planet's orbit and stopped in front of the machine.

"There's the satellite!" Neos pointed out. "Until Jaden and Claudio can defeat the threat on Earth, all we can do is keep it at bay and stop it from reaching full power."

"Can do!" Jethro nodded.

"Let's go to work, boys," Hassleberry exclaimed, flying to side of the satellite. However, it decided to follow the dino spirit and charge its power up to blast him.

"Oh no you don't!" Jethro shouted, roaring like the Crimson Grizzly. Using its strength, the quad spirit smacked the side of the satellite so hard, that it fired directly above Hassleberry, missing him and any part of Earth.

"Thanks, partner," the dino spirit smiled and then bared his T-Rex teeth. "Now let me have a whack at 'em!" With a fierce roar, Hassleberry rammed his head against one of the solar panels and denting it into closing.

"That's good," Neos smiled as he got under the Satellite and pushed it upwards to make it miss another shot at the Earth. "If we keep this up, Jaden and Claudio can have enough time to defeat the Light of Destruction!"

* * *

Back in the White Dorm...

"Okay, now we know for sure that you're back and alive, Brightveil," Claudio stated with a smirk, "But I can say you came back too late..."

"Oh, and how's that," the Light of Destruction snarled.

"Because, your types that wait for the last moment always lose," Jaden added with a smirk of his own. "I beat you back when you possessed Lily last year, and with Claudio on my side you'll lose again... despite controlling two bodies at once... or three counting Juli.

"But I'll make sure you won't have much to cheer," She stated, making Sartorius draw his next card to have two in his hand. "I'll place one card facedown and then activate my Card of Demise Spell Card, to draw until I have five new cards!" She declared, with Sartorius drawing the full five. "I place another two cards facedown and summon Arcana Force 0 – The Fool!"

After two more reversed cards, another creature with grey skin wearing, what appeared to be, baggy purple pants and a mask with a mass of tentacles coming out of the back of its head appeared on the field. (1/0/0) The card then spun rapidly, and then landed upside down.

"While upside down, my monster cannot be affected by the effects of my opponent's cards that target him... but he also can't be switched to Defense mode unless a card effect does so."

"But in attack mode," Shion wondered. "Wouldn't it be better to set it?"

"But then the effect of its upright or reversed positions wouldn't be able to work," Kenji pointed out. "It's better to summon, but then for something so weak there's something about it..."

"Still, I'll focus beating up a sitting duck," Claudio smirked, drawing his lone card. "I'll have Roadie Riggs attack him!" He announced, as the Roadie charged, taking his axe to the weak alien.

"Sartorius, activate your facedown card, Spirit Barrier!" the Alien announced, making the tarot reader counter by revealing his Trap Card. Once the axe struck the Fool, its tentacles caught him and threw him back. "With this in play, while a monster is on the field, no battle damage is dealt. Also, the Fool cannot be destroyed in battle... along with the ability to not switch its mode, it wouldn't matter if I Set the monster or not."

"Now she has a perfect combination to hold Sartorius' life points at their current score," Aster groaned, "She does know the game and his cards..."

"Not only that but Claudio and Jaden's card effects can't target," Masaki added. "The only way to do so, is with cards that don't target or if she gets rid of it."

"Well, I'll use a facedown card of my own to seal the deal," Claudio concluded, inserting his lone card. "Once that trap is gone, I'll go to work on the Fool!"

"You shouldn't be so harsh on a card that represents your friend, Jaden," Brightveil announced, letting Jason draw his next card. "But then, in a way, it represents you as well. The Fool represents the search of experience, a wild card. And it's the power I was seeking when I thought Aster and Masaki defeated you two, months ago! But because of both your inner power, I was unable to sway the both of you over to my side. But now, I must destroy you both."

"Fat chance," Jaden pointed out. "A duel's not over until the last card is played!"

Once she looked at the card Jason drew, she laughed, "It may not be the last card, but with it I'll blast some sense into you both!" Brightveil stated, "With at least four different Lightsworn monsters in Jason's graveyard, I can Special Summon his ultimate destructor and servant!" Jason slapped the card on his disk, "Judgment Dragon, come to the field!"

Everyone except Linda and Shion, who didn't know about it, gasped as the light erupted from the Monster card to create a portal from the Realm of Light and let the massive, grey dragon descend from it. Once Judgment Dragon let out a threatening roar, Linda and Shion joined in with the fearful looks. (8/3000/2600)

"Oh great, that's monster that almost took me into the Light... if it wasn't for some twist of fate..." Kenji cringed in fear, remembering the last time Jason and he dueled, knocking him out cold.

"Fear the wrath of my pet of Light!" Brightveil rejoiced. "Jason, pay off 1000 of your life points to activate the special ability of my Dragon!"

A red aura surrounded the zombie Lightsworn duelist, barely making any noise while his life points were drained.

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 7400

Sartorius: 5850 + Jason: 2800

"But I also activate Jason's hidden card," She continued, while Jason pressed another button on his disk to reveal his card. "I'll activate another Hierophant's Wand to protect Sartorius' Arcana Force 0 monster and his spell and trap cards from card effects, meaning he stays another day!" Soon, some Dark Light energy surrounded the Fool as Judgment Dragon stomped its forelegs down and poured a golden light onto the ground that quickly spread itself on the entire playing field...

"You're not the only one with a monster to save," Claudio shouted, revealing the card he set. "I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter on Roadie Riggs, which removes him from the game until the End Phase! I won't let him die!"

The Matter Transporter Machine appeared behind Roadie Riggs and digitized him inside it, blasting off into the skies and into space…

* * *

And back into space, Glow Neos, Hassleberry, and Jethro were still keeping the Satellite Cannon from attacking the Earth, while it was still blasting off frequent shots.

"Does this thing have unlimited power or something?" the dino spirit wondered, as he and Glow Neos were pushing the cannon up from the bottom. "I thought when one of those panels was destroyed it wouldn't soak up more energy."

"Guess, we need to take care of the other panels," the Tribal/Desperado Spirit figured, grunting as he kept pulling up the Cannon from the top. "But we need some help on that."

"I agree," Glow Neos added. "It's too dangerous to strike at the cannon's firing point or the body right now with the Light of Destruction activating it through a servant, but we can destroy the panels that absorb the energy..."

"Lucky, I'm here to help out!"

Everyone saw a tiny sparkle coming at them from the Earth and stopped above the Satellite.

"Is that an Interdimensional Matter Transporter?" Jethro asked.

"But how'd it get here?" Hassleberry wondered.

Soon, the machine let out a digital beam and unleashed the person inside.

"Time to start the revolution," Roadie Riggs shouted, raising his axe up into the stars.

"Hey, that's Claudio's monster!" Jethro pointed out.

Glow Neos smiled, "So you finally joined the battle, my friend."

"Yeah, but only in a quick moment because I'm being called back to the front line any second," the Jukebox Hero stated, "So, anything I can do for you guys?"

"Yeah," Hassleberry shouted, pointing his tail to the closest Satellite solar panel. "You can oblige us by destroying the solar panels, so this thing can stop gathering more juice."

Riggs nodded, grabbing his axe, "Three helpings of decimated metal panels, coming right up! Time to eviscerate!" He then gave a loud yell as he flew at the cannon, dodging the blasts as they fired, and sliced the second panel in half. "Two down, two to go!"

"Keep it comin!" Jethro and Hassleberry cheered as Claudio's spirit continued his assault...

* * *

Back in the White Dorm, Judgment Dragon's effect just obliterated everything on the field, except for itself and Sartorius' cards as Brightveil laughed, "Now there's nothing to protect you from the next attack!"

"Yeah, but you wasted 1000 life points just to destroy my facedown card," Jaden smirked, revealing the Set card. It was a trap card depicting a Superhero with a large H on his chest and a gold medal on his cape button. "The card you destroyed was Hero Medal! And instead of being destroyed for good, it returns to my deck and then I can draw one card." He stated as he took the trap, shuffled it inside his deck and drew another card.

"Still, I did my job in obliterating any chance that you two can defend yourselves," the Light of Destruction pointed out, "So now, I'll wage a direct attack! And since Claudio's a little high on life points, I'll do him the justice of reducing those points. Radiant Judgment!" She shouted as her Dragon started to collect the Light energy from in its mouth.

"Claudio, get out of there!" Aster and Kenji shouted.

The J-Hero duelist was already planning to make his move, waiting for the right moment. Once the dragon was done, Claudio crouched down on his legs to jump...

'Not so fast, Chosen One!' Brightveil thought as her eyes glowed white. Once Claudio was about to jump, a Light tendril rose up from the ground and caused him to trip, making him fall flat on his face.

"Oh no!" Everyone gasped.

"DIE!" Brightveil shouted as Judgment Dragon fired its white, hot flames to incinerate the Ra.

"NO!" Everyone shouted once more, as the flames surrounded Claudio.

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 4400

Sartorius: 5850 + Jason: 2800

"And since Claudio can't duel after his death, I guess we'll have to continue without him!" the Alien erupted in laughter, while everyone stared helplessly at the flaming inferno that Claudio once stood.

"The Hell is the matter with you?" Kenji shouted in deep anger, "Trying to destroy the world you have no business over and brainwashing everyone on the island is worse enough, now you kill one of my friends?" All he got was Brightveil continuing to laugh...

"I'm fine!"

Brightveil stopped her laughter, hearing the voice from the flames, "Who said that?" Soon, the flames were cut down from the inside to reveal Claudio and his Ironheade spirits surrounding him. "WHAT?"

"Yes!" Everyone else cheered.

 _'Your Light Barrier is gone, remember?" Lars said, pointing his sword at the Alien woman._

 _"Meaning anything not of the Light can penetrate through the dimensions to stop you," Opheila stated._

 _"So, I wouldn't think about harming Claudio or anyone else for that matter," Lita said, narrowing her eyes._

 _Brightveil growled, "Accursed Dark Spirits! How dare you prevent me for killing one of the Chosen Ones?"_

 _"Easy, we just can," Mangus shrugged, hiding behind Lars and shaking his wrench at the Light of Destruction._

 _"Don't get any more ideas harming the boss," The Baron warned, igniting and setting his fingertips ablaze._

 _"Or I'll feed you to my hungry beasts back in our world," Rima finished, slicing the air with her spear._

Claudio stood up with a smile, "Thanks guys," He said, as the Spirits nodded back and vanished back into his deck.

"That was a close, bro," Jaden stated.

"Yeah, stop leaving us in suspense," Syrus shouted.

"Wasn't my fault," the J-Hero duelist replied, "Blame the Light chick for trying to trip up my escape." He then turned to Brightveil, "What's the matter; you can't beat me with your own strength?"

The Alien woman snarled, "Don't test me, boy..."

"Hey, I'd be desperate for a cheap shot if I were anything like you," Claudio pointed out, "But I'm not... If you really want you, the Light of Destruction, to truly leave a mark on this world, then start playing out this game and face me and Jaden straight up!"

"Yeah," Jaden added. "It's worse that you're controlling Sartorius and Jason the way you are, but you said you don't have a deck. If we free them in the end, it's still going to be a good day."

"Fine, I will end your miserable existence with my powers," Brightveil shouted, "I'll end my turn, and then Judgment Dragon will send the top four cards of Jason's deck into the graveyard," She announced, as Jason's hand took off the top four cards and sent to the discard slot.

"And since it's the End Phase, my Roadie Riggs will return!" Claudio announced...

* * *

In space, Roadie Riggs was panting as he looked on with the Satellite, heavily crippled with the Solar Panels now destroyed and broken.

"Alright, we stopped the Satellite!" Hassleberry cheered.

"That was some sweet heavy metal breaking you did," Jethro praised to the Jukebox Hero. "Claudio would be proud..."

Riggs laughed as he felt the Matter Transporter re-activating again, "Good timing, too. I'll go help out Claudio and Jaden again and beat down the head threat below."

"We'll clean up here," Glow Neos replied as the machine fully digitized Riggs and sent him back down to Earth, "Thank you, my friend."

"Just one question," the Dino Spirit wondered, "How do we clean up this mess?"

As they wondered though, something was opening on the Misgarth Satellite and rising up...

* * *

Back in the White Dorm, the Matter Transporter landed back down to the field and released Roadie Riggs, letting him return to the field. (7/2500-2700/2000)

"Good news, boys," Riggs smiled, "The Satellite's been relieved of its solar panels, we can stop worrying!"

"Alright!" Jaden and Claudio cheered.

"Then, the world is safe?" Syrus wondered.

"Not entirely," Linda noted, "Brightveil's still here... if she wins, Jaden and Claudio are done for."

"Oh yeah..." the small Ra said.

"But that won't happen, since it's Jaden's turn," Masaki pointed out.

"And with the cards in his hand, I bet he can make a big change during this duel," Aster noted as Jaden drew his next card.

"Alright Brightveil, watch this sweet move," the Silfer smiled, inserting a Spell Card in his disk, "First, I use E – Emergency Call to bring in my Elemental Hero Knopse!" He declared, taking out his plant warrior from his deck, and added her to his hand, "Then, I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" He continued, bringing back the Hero of Water back to the field, (4/800-1000/1200) "I can draw another two cards with him being the only card on my field, and I bet you'll be in trouble," Jaden drew out his next two cards, and looked them over.

"What's up, Jaden?" Kenji called out.

"Is it something good?" Shion asked.

"Better, it's great!" Jaden grinned, inserting another card into his disk, "I activate the R-Righteous Justice Spell Card!" He announced, as the spell image appeared on the field and let out its golden R, "With one Elemental Hero on the field, I can destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field! And I choose to destroy Sartorius' Spirit Barrier!" He declared, as Bubbleman fired the golden R at the trap in question and destroyed it.

"So what," Brightveil scoffed. "I'll lose 1000 points for you attacking my Fool; Sartorius will have nearly 5000 points after the attack is made."

Jaden then turned over another Spell Card, with the multicolored word 'HERO' in a white backdrop, "Not if I have HERO Flash, adding on to your problems. With it, I remove H-Heated Heart, E-Emergency Call, R-Righteous Justice, and O-Oversoul from my graveyard and Special Summon Elemental Hero Neos back from my deck since he's a Normal Monster!"

"Him again?" the Light of Destruction gasped, as Jaden removed his four Spell Cards from his graveyard and inserted the HERO Flash card into his disk. Soon, the word 'HERO' extended out of the White Dorm, similar to the Hero Signal trap...

* * *

In space, the HERO words could be seen, which was by Glow Neos.

"I see..." He nodded, "I'll send down Neos back to Earth and let him fight." With a multicolored aura, a copy of Neos' original form emerged and flew back down to the planet.

"Uh, Neos?" Jethro asked.

"What is it?" the Duel Spirit asked, turning around. But was met with a startling sight... The Misgarth Satellite was back online with new Solar Panels Satellites orbiting around it, packing mini-lasers, "But how?"

"Those things popped out of the big one and caught us by surprise," Hassleberry stated, dodging a shot.

"And we were so close..." Glow Neos sighed, getting ready to fight once more...

* * *

The White Dorm, soon got its new visitor from space, the Elemental Hero Neos as he stood in front of Jaden and next to Bubbleman. (7/2500-2700/2000)

"Time for some attacks," Jaden cheered, "Bubbleman, you go attack the Fool with Bombarding Bubble Barrage and Neos, you go attack Sartorius through Brightveil with Cosmic Crush!" He announced as Neos jumped into the sky, letting all enemies focus on him. But then, Bubbleman saw his chance and fired a sharp stream of water that pierced through the Fool and hit Sartorius who was dragged back, followed by Neos attacking, not the possessed Tarot Reader, but the Light of Destruction mastermind with chop to the head, making her feel pain.

"Attack directly and attack the Fool!"

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 4400

Sartorius: 2150 + Jason: 2800

"Alright, they're close to the wire," Masaki said, pumping his fist.

"And that was a nice touch to attack Brightveil with Neos," Aster added, "Since Neos is packing some of Jaden's darkness, despite being a LIGHT monster himself, that should hit her hard.

As Neos returned to Jaden's side, the Silfer inserted a card into his disk, "I end my turn here with a facedown card. How's that?"

Brightveil seethed with anger, as she turned her sights on Jaden. " _ **I WILL DESTROY YOU!"**_ She turned to Sartorius, _**"DRAW!"**_ Sartorius drew his next card, letting his Mistress stare at it. _**"I ACTIVATE CUP OF ACE!"**_ She shouted, as the card image appeared above her head, spinning until it landed upright to let Sartorius draw two cards. She then made a big grin _ **, "YES! GO MY FACEDOWN CARDS, MATERIAL ROAD AND SPIRITUAL LORD!"**_

"Uh oh," Masaki gasped, seeing the two trap cards rise up and unleash pillars of red and blue erupted from them. "She's calling for Sartorius' best card!"

"That's right, Masaki," Brightveil grinned, "Your friend's about to pay the price for touching and lay harm to me! And for the effect of Spiritual Lord, I discard the Level 7 Arcana Force XV – The Fiend and add the Heaven's Road to my hand and play it!" She continued, as Sartorius discarded the monster and the Spell Card shot out of his deck and then inserted itself to the disk, creating the green pillar.

"Here it comes..." Syrus shook with fear.

"Now, I sacrifice all three pillars to summon out my Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler!" She announced, as the pillars combined into one, giant pillar of Light that erupted outward to release the massive black construct Alien and stared down its potential victims. (10/4000/4000) Soon, the card image appeared over its head and spun in one rotation to stop upright.

"I hate to think what that monster does," Kenji whispered.

"Here we go again," Claudio muttered.

"Although I could end the life of any monster on the field, it wouldn't be enough to win," Brightveil grinned evilly as she forced Sartorius to play another card. It was a Spell Card depicting a human absorbing power from Consecrated Light. "So, I'll use the Spell Card Leeching the Light to finalize this deal! Since Neos is a LIGHT monster, I can have both of my monsters in attack mode gain the ATK of that monster!"

"But that would mean..." Shion gasped as the Spell Card started to absorb energy from the Elemental Hero, who groaned as he felt his power ripped out. Then, the Spell Card flashed a giant Light on the Light Ruler and the Fool, granting them both Neos' copied power. (10/4000-6500/4000), (1/0-2500/0)

"It's the end of Jaden!" the Light of Destruction rejoiced.

"Hope you got a card, Jaden," Claudio shouted, "Otherwise, you're gone in a big way!"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Jaden announced, revealing his facedown card, "I activate Hero Ring! Since Bubbleman's got 1000 ATK, I can equip him with this trap card and he's protected from all attacks from 1900 ATK or higher!"

Everyone gave a sigh of relief, knowing that Jaden was still safe. But it was quickly forgotten when...

"Arcana Force EX, obliterate Claudio's Roadie Riggs!" the Light of Destruction shouted, _**"THE END OF RAY!"**_ The Light Ruler's dragon maws opened and great blasts of light energy ripped from them, destroying the Roadie and leaving no trace of him left, weakening the Elemental Heroes. (4/1000-800/1200), (7/2700-2500/2000)

Jaden: 5300 + Claudio: 500

Sartorius: 2150 + Jason: 2800

"Riggs!" Claudio cried out, and then was knocked down by the blast's explosion.

"Claudio, get up!" Kenji shouted.

"Easier said than done," Aster noted.

"Since I destroyed a monster in battle, I can add any card from Sartorius' graveyard and add it to his hand," Brightveil grinned, as Sartorius retrieved the Light Barrier Field Spell. "And let's not forget the Fool, destroy Neos!" the small Arcana Force monster used its tentacles to grip the evenly matched E-Hero. But then, the Fool emitted a strong Light from its body and with Neos constricted, there was nothing he could do to defend from it and was shattered into pixels.

"Neos!" Jaden cried.

* * *

Back in space, Glow Neos vanished into thin air.

"Hey, where's Neos?" Hassleberry gasped.

"Move away!" Jethro shouted, tackling the Dino and escaping another laser blast.

* * *

"Now, I set one card facedown to end my turn," Brightveil concluded as Sartorius inserted a card into his disk and then the Arcana Force monster's power returned to 4000 and 0, respectively, "Now Claudio, if you can get up, it's your turn! And don't ask for any more time, we're fresh out of that!" She cackled. "Before long, this world and soon the entire Universe will see the Light with me owning all! And if they don't see it my way, I'll destroy them with my Satellite Cannon!"

Hearing that statement, Claudio shot up to his feet and had an angry stare.

"Well, I don't want that!" He shouted, drawing another lone card.

"Alright," Kenji smiled.

"Keep it going, Claudio!" Shion encouraged.

"First up, I'll use Card of Demise to draw out five new cards," The J-Hero duelist announced, drawing out five new cards. "Of course, I'll lose 'em in five standby phases, but from what I got and maybe later, it won't matter. Now, I play Monster Reborn to revive Roadie Riggs!" He announced, as the angelic ankh of the spell card shined and brought back the Roadie Hero, empowering all of his friends with the Rock of Ages. (7/2500-2700/2000 (4/800-1000/1200)

"You still can't defeat me with that weakling!" Brightveil laughed.

"Really, well then let me show you someone who can!" Claudio smirked, confusing the Light of Destruction. "Now, I can sacrifice Roadie Riggs to summon his ultimate form... and it's crazy that a LIGHT Fairy-type monster is evil, and this monster that I'll summon will be a good, DARK, Fiend-Type!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Aster shrugged. "I mean, he is right about Sartorius' monster."

"Yeah, but it's kind of flipping the script," Syrus noted.

Claudio switched out his Roadie Riggs card for his new one, "I Special Summon Jukebox Hero Demon Riggs!"

Suddenly, a dark red aura surrounded the Roadie as he then cried out in excruciating pain. "MY BACK!" He shouted as he fell to his hands and knees.

"What's going on with him?" Shion gasped.

"Why's Claudio hurting him?" Syrus wondered. "Shouldn't he be helping him?"

"No, look!" Masaki pointed out as Roadie Riggs underwent a transformation. First, his skin turned blood red, and then sharpened points rose out of his back, making everyone flinch and saw them stretched out into large, red bat wings, and when Riggs opened his eyes, they were burning with a yellow glow that would make even the bravest warrior shudder in fear. In fact, Bubbleman was doing just that. Afterwards, Riggs stood up and stretched out with a wicked grin on his face. (8/3000/2900), (4/800-1000/1200)

"Whoa, that's cool," Jaden said, still startled by the new appearance of Riggs.

"Like the new look," Riggs said, giving himself a once over. "Guess that demon juice I got injected a while back was helping me out, instead of doing anything wrong."

"Demon juice?" Claudio asked.

"Nothing... never mind," the half-demon shrugged.

"Anyway," Claudio turned to Brightveil. "Here's the new perks... Demon Riggs is still counted as a Warrior-Type Monster, so Rock of Ages still gives him a boost as he's also a Jukebox Hero." He stated as the green mists of the spell reached Riggs, surrounding him with its power. (8/3000-3200/3000) "Next, he automatically let's me Union Equip any Ironheade Monster from my deck to him!"

"Oh yeah," Jaden grinned, as a card shot out of Claudio's deck, letting him catch it.

"It's time for me to unleash Rima the Wild to strike down everything in her path!" He announced, inserting the card in his Spell/Trap Zone, letting the black and white painted, wild girl appeared, wielding her sharp spear. She then climbed on Riggs' back. "And even though the Light Ruler's too strong, I'll aim for the other two... meaning Sartorius' is as good as a free man!"

Brightveil groaned.

"First, Demon Riggs will destroy Judgment Dragon!" Claudio commanded.

"Allow me!" Rima shouted as she hopped off of Riggs and shouted a battle cry, stabbing her spear through the large dragon's head. It then roared out in anguish, glowing deep white before it shattered into many pixels.

Jaden: 1300 + Claudio: 500

Sartorius: 2150 + Jason: 2600

"My Dragon!" Brightveil shouted.

"And the Fool's next!" Claudio continued as Demon Riggs took flight and flew towards Arcana Force 0, holding his axe over his head.

"Not today," the Light of Destruction shouted, as she forced Sartorius to discard a card. "I discard Arcana Force XIV – Temperance to negate the battle damage!" Soon, Temperance appeared in front of the Fool and took the blow, being chopped in half.

"So, close and yet so far," Masaki said, snapping his fingers.

Claudio sighed, as he took two cards from his hand and played them, "I end my turn with a facedown card!" He announced as the facedown appeared on his field, "And then, Riggs' final effect kicks in and keeps him safe from the Ironheade's side effect of being sent back to the deck!"

"Sweet, now he can protect himself," Aster stated.

"Not for long," the Alien claimed as Jason drew his next card, "Now I activate Iblis, the Flames of Destruction!" She announced, as the trap card flipped over to unleash the uncontrollable ball of red magma. "And then, I discard Celestia, Lightsworn Angel to add Mephiles, the Conscious Mind to my hand and play it!" the Spell launched out of Jason's deck and then inserted itself into the disk, unleashing the sinister black mass. "Now, I'll sacrifice them both and remove Judgment Dragon from the graveyard to summon Solaris, the Super-Dimensional Time God!"

"Not this one," Aster gasped, as the magma and dark matter swirled around in a rapid spin until in unleashed a Dark Light. Soon, the portal opened up to release the large, transparent beast and let it ascend to the sky, still holding the Misgarth Knight, Solaris, in its head. (10/4000/3000)

"Solaris!" Linda cried out.

"He can't hear you," Brightveil laughed, "He's now a part of one of the greatest powers ever, and I'm not letting him go because you want him to."

"Oh, you're going to free him, one way or another," Claudio stated.

"And your mouth's been running for too long," the Light of Destruction shouted. "Say goodbye to your monster and the rest of your life points!" She announced as Solaris gathered up its Dark Light energy and fired a laser, heading straight for the demon and wild girl.

"I activate my facedown card, Negate Attack!" Claudio announced, revealing his trap card that emitted a spiral shield that sucked in the laser, saving Riggs and Rima from harm. "Your attack and Battle Phase has just been canceled!"

"I end my turn, but make no mistake that I'll win this day," Brightveil concluded.

"If 'I' means 'me', well then, I can make it happen," Jaden announced, drawing his next card, "I activate Field Spell card, Neo Space!" He announced, as he opened up the side slot, placed his Field Spell inside and let it activate. Instead of the multicolored vastness, the field was transported to outside planet Earth! There was Jethro and Hassleberry struggling to battle the Satellite's defenses.

"Ah, just look how pathetic your friends look fighting the inevitable," the Alien woman laughed. "You see... even if I were to lose the duel, the Satellite will make my mark in destroying your world! And with a little bit of my Dark Light fueling it, I'll manage to survive and rapidly grow until I'm whole again!"

"Then, I'll make sure to end it here," the E-Hero duelist declared, playing his next card, "I activate Silent Doom to revive my Elemental Hero Neos from the graveyard, in defense mode!" He announced as the E-Hero from Neos Space appeared, defending the Silfer. (8/2500-3200/2000) "And joining him, will be my I summon Neo Spacian Grand Mole in attack mode!" He continued, bringing out the small brown mole. (3/900/300)

"You know what that means," Syrus cheered.

"Time for some Contact Fusion with Neos and Mole to form my Elemental Hero Grand Neos," A galaxy opened up near the monsters, letting them combine within its light, until the drill-equipped Grand armored Neo Spacian appeared. (8/2500-3200/2000) "Finally, I'll activate its special ability to send one card back to your hand... like the Light Ruler!" He announced, as Neos used its drill to open up a black hole.

"I activate my trap card, Reversal of Fate!" Brightveil quickly countered, revealing Sartorius' trap card, "Now, I reverse the effect of my Light Ruler from its upright position to the reversed position!" She stated as the Light Ruler's card image turned upside down. "Now, I can have it drain 1000 of its ATK to negate Grand Neos' effect and destroy him!"

Light Ruler roared as a Light aura surrounded him, draining his strength... (10/4000-3000/4000) Then, the Dragon heads collected the power and blasted Grand Neos to oblivion.

"Now, what's going to happen...," Masaki groaned.

"This, my Reverse of Neos Quick-Play Spell card," Jaden announced, "Since a Fusion Monster of Neos was destroyed, I can use this card to Summon Neos back from the deck!"

"Not again," Brightveil shouted as Jaden's deck shined and brought back Neos for one rounder. (8/2500-2700-3200/2000)

"And from the Spell Card, he gains an extra 1000 ATK in exchange of going to the graveyard at the End Phase!" He announced, as Neos sparked with multicolored energy, (8/3200-4200/2000) "Claudio, try to get Solaris and Jason out of there, I'm taking Sartorius out!"

"Go for it, man!" Claudio replied.

"Alright Neos, seal the Light Ruler's fate with Wrath of Neos!" He called out, as Neos charged fists first towards the massive Arcana Force Monster. Once there, the energy he received from the Reverse of Neos Spell took over to extend its power around the Light Ruler. The Light aura was overpowered and cracked down the strongest Arcana Force Monster once and for all.

Jaden: 1300 + Claudio: 500

Sartorius: 950 + Jason: 2600

"I still have his life points..." Brightveil shouted.

"Too bad, it's not going to last long," Jaden smirked, "Bubbleman, time to free Sartorius! Attack the Fool!" He announced as the water E-Hero fired another sharp blast of water, pushing back the Fool into Sartorius' body. Neos then decided to help, extending the energy of Reverse of Neos to surround both the Fool and Sartorius, purging the massive Dark Light energy from his body as he screamed.

Jaden: 1300 + Claudio: 500

Sartorius: 0 + Jason: 2600

"We got Sartorius back!" Aster and Masaki exclaimed as every card from Sartorius' field vanished.

"Now there's Jason and Solaris left..." Shion said, smiling.

But instead of being angry, Brightveil laughed. "Give me the energy!" She shouted as the Dark Light was absorbed into her and Sartorius dropped to the ground. "Yes... more energy, more!"

"Oh great, she's getting something out of it even if she wins!" Claudio grumbled.

"We can still stop her," Jaden declared, inserting his next card. "I end my turn, and that means Neos has to go." He stated, with Neos vanishing into thin air.

"Now, since Sartorius is out, I'll take the next turn," Claudio announced, drawing his next card, "I activate the Field Spell Live Stage – Age of Metal!" He declared, but still the landscape didn't change.

"What the?" Jaden wondered.

"Oh well, my monster still gets a 500-point boost," The Ra stated as Riggs and Rima glowed with energy. (8/3200-3700/2000) "Next, I Un-Equip Rima from Riggs," Rima jumped off Riggs' back staring down large monster. (4/1900-2100/900) "Then, I use Demon Riggs effect to Equip him with Lita the Strong!" He continued, as another portal opened to let Lita out and jump on Riggs' back. "And not only 500 points are added from the field Spell, it's added from Lita!"

Riggs and Lita shared a hi-five as their power increased. (8/3200-4200/2000)

"Yeah, now Solaris is next!" Syrus cheered, "The monster, not the Knight..."

"Alright, Lita, go free the Knight from the monster," Claudio said, to which the halberd-wielding girl nodded and leapt into action. "Riggs, take out the Monster with a little... decapitation!" Riggs grinned as he took flight. Lita was able land on the Dimensional Time God's head, sticking her weapon inside it to make it roar in pain. The demon soon made it across to the monster's neck, surrounded by a dark aura. He then raised his axe and shouted, "DECAPATATION!" And then chopped at the neck, leaving a small cut but let the darkness take over as it made the cut bigger, separating it from the body. Once the head fell, Lita chopped off the bindings holding Solaris the knight and brought him down safely.

Jaden: 1300 + Claudio: 500

Sartorius: 0 + Jason: 2400

"Now we got the Knight back," Jaden exclaimed.

"Lita, bring him over!" Claudio said, as the Ironheade Warrior jumped over to the Spectators and laid the unconscious knight to rest near Linda, who checked his vitals.

"He's alright, but it looks like a lot power was taken from him," She stated.

"But it should be restored after being inside the big thing, right?" Syrus wondered.

"It's best if Jason is freed and Brightveil is taken down," Shion replied.

Brightveil was seething as her second ultimate monster was taken down as well.

"Rima, how about you attack Brightveil directly," Claudio commanded as the wild girl charged with another battle cry, jumped over the possessed Lightsworn Duelist and then stabbed the Alien woman through the stomach, making her shriek.

Jaden: 1300 + Claudio: 800

Sartorius: 0 + Jason: 300

"Oh yeah, you know it's over," Jaden cheered. "Although, it was a little brutal with the stabbing..."

"That's Rima for ya," the J-Hero duelist shrugged as the woman in question jumped back to his side.

"At least the threat is destroyed," Rima stated, "And that Brightveil was starting to piss me off, so I stabbed her..."

"Okay..."

"Give it up, Brightveil! It's over!" Jaden demanded.

The Alien woman breathed harder and harder while doubled over in pain, glaring with livid eyes at her opponents. 'I will not be denied!' She then shouted, "I think not! Because you made the mistake of sending Solaris and the Light Ruler to the graveyard, and you make a direct attack on me..." Jason then held up the card, with a Dark Light aura around it. "I can summon Solaris EX – The Ultimate Dark Light from the graveyard!"

Suddenly, a Light Pillar erupted around Brightveil as everyone stood cautious and afraid as they heard the name.

"That monster's coming back!" Kenji shouted.

But soon, they were met by another monster that was golden and a rather simple, but large and transparent body made of light, with a red orb that is his consciousness/core in the center of its body. It had no head, its upper body only includes the top piece above its core, with a curve behind his "neck", and his lower body resembles a stalactite. It has three fingers on each hand with no visible palms, and its arms are not connected to its body at its shoulders. (12/5000/5000)

"Whoa!" Jaden and Claudio gasped.

"5000 ATK," Shion shouted. "That means no matter which monster receives the attack, Jaden or Claudio could lose!"

Brightveil shrieked in laughter, "By releasing Solaris from his prison, you finally unleashed my ultimate monster's true power!" She shouted. "And it's only a matter of time before this world becomes mine!"

"You gotta win first!" Claudio stated. "We got life points and monsters left on our field!"

"And I will win!" She shouted as she forced Jason to draw his next card, "Time to eradicate you from existence! When Solaris EX attacks, you can't negate it and it cannot be destroyed by any counterattack or card effects!"

"Then, how are they supposed to stop it?" Masaki gasped.

"THEY DON'T!" Solaris EX started to glow bright gold and white, soaking up energy from Brightveil's form.

"But I can do this..." Jaden shouted, revealing his facedown card, showing a trap card with a weakened wrestler struggling to reach his tag team partner for a tag. "I play my trap card, Desperate Tag! Now, Claudio has the chance reduce the battle damage to 0, and then he can Special Summon a Warrior-Type monster that's level 4 or below from his hand."

"As I said, you can't stop my attack!" Brightveil shouted. "Solaris EX unlimited power, along with mine, will be enough to destroy everything in the arena! Soon it will spread, and I'll destroy the whole island singlehandedly!"

Everyone became horrified.

"There's no escape!" Syrus cried.

"Yes there is," Rima shouted as she leapt into the fray once more, heading straight for the monster.

"My first victim, how brave," the Light of Destruction shouted. "Solaris EX, eradicate her and the island!" After finish charging, the being of Dark Light stretched out its wings and fired a million points of Light to rain down on the field, and seemingly in space.

"A meteor shower," Hassleberry wondered.

"That's no meteor shower," Jethro shouted. "And there's no way we can dodge that!"

The Dino spirit sighed, "Oh well, at least it's us and not the world. And at least we went down fighting."

"I hear ya," the Tribal/Desperado spirit nodded, "Pleasure working with ya, Sergeant Hassleberry..."

"Likewise, Private Cartwright," Hassleberry added.

Together, the charged at the Satellite cannon knowing that in their deaths they could still do their part in saving the world. Once the Lights were closing in, they felt the same power that coursed through them during their duel with Gunter and Ojin start to surface within them again. With a simultaneous shout, the Darkness of Justice erupted from their bodies and charged towards the lights.

"Hey, it's our old friend!" Jethro smiled.

"Great, help us out will ya?" Hassleberry asked.

The ghost-like creature nodded and used its large hands to block the ones heading towards the spirits and swat them into the direction of the lights that were threatening to destroy Jaden, Claudio, and the rest of the gang.

"Hey look!" Masaki pointed out the lights from the side.

"Oh no, we're done," Linda cried out.

But then everyone was surprised to see that the lights deflected by the Darkness of Justice collide with the lights intending to the destroy Academy Island, and cancelled them out. Rima then sacrificed herself to destroy the last light.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.

"Alright, I use Jaden's Desperate Tag to negate the battle damage and summon Jukebox Hero Crush 40!" He announced as he brought out the Japanese Guitarist and American singer duo, increasing the Rock of Ages' powers, (3/1300-1700/1300), (8/3700-3900/2500), (4/1000-1200/1200)

"It's still my turn," Brightveil shouted, as Jason inserted another card, "And I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Fruit of the Dead! Since I destroyed a monster, I gain those ATK as Life Points!" She declared as a white apple appeared in front of her, and let her take a bite out of it to restore her health.

Jaden: 1300 + Claudio: 800

Sartorius: 0 + Jason: 2400

"My turn's over, but you are through!" She concluded.

"Jaden, it's on you, buddy!" Claudio stated.

"Got your back," Jaden announced, drawing his next card, and held it up to show Elemental Heroes Avian, Burstinatrix, Bubbleman, Sparkman, and Clayman standing on a cliff in front of the full moon. "I play Fifth Hope! This lets me send Elemental Heroes Absolute Zero, Flame Wingman, the Shining, Neos, and Flash out of my graveyard, shuffle them up in my deck, and then draw two cards!" He stated as he returned the three Fusion Monsters back to the Fusion Deck and his Neos and Flash back to normal Deck, shuffled it up and then drew out two cards, "And if fate was true, then it's yours is sealed, Brightveil because Neos just can't stay away today! And since Necroshade's in the graveyard, I can Normal Summon him to the field!"

Aster whistled as the E-Hero from Neo Space returned to the field. (8/2500-2900/2000) "He's right, he can't stay away."

"But he needs to power it up," Kenji noted. "If he doesn't have one card, then we better hope Claudio does..."

"And I do!" Jaden grinned, revealing a Spell Card showing Elemental Hero Thunder Giant throwing Jukebox Hero Dragonforce to destroy the Five-Headed Dragon. "It's called the Fastball Special!" He announced. "When a Hero monster attacks, all other Hero monsters combine their attack points together in order to take down your monster!"

"That means Neos' 2900, Demon Riggs' 3900, Bubbleman's 1200, and Crush 40's 1700..." Syrus calculated.

"Adds up to the end of Brightveil," Kenji smirked.

"And Jason's freedom," Shion exclaimed.

Brightveil shrieked once again in anger, _**"I MAY BE LOSING THIS DUEL, BUT I STILL HAVE THE SATELLITE TO CONTROL! AND I'LL EVEN INFUSE MORE OF MY POWER FOR GOOD MEASURE!"**_ She then launched a stream of Dark Light heading straight for the Misgarth Satellite Cannon until...

"STOP! I AM IN CONTROL OF THE SATELLITE NOW!"

Syrus, Aster, and Masaki gasped at the sound of the voice. "Wait a second, I know that voice..." Syrus said.

"Yeah, it's familiar," Masaki stated.

"From Kaiba Land," Aster deduced.

"No..." Brightveil grumbled.

"What's going on?" Jaden wondered.

Soon, the aura around the Satellite formed into a transparent entity of the familiar woman... Sarina!

 _ **"SARINA!"**_ Brightveil shouted.

The miko turned to Jaden and Claudio, "You must hurry! My power won't hold the Satellite for long... I've uploaded myself into the Satellite's central computer, so you must destroy it now!"

"Right!" Neos and Riggs shouted as they flew next to Hassleberry and Jethro.

"Hope you boys are ready for a little destruction," Riggs grinned. "Take the first shots!"

"On it," Hassleberry shouted as he charged head first into the laser point, crippling it severely to prevent the cannon from firing.

"My turn," Jethro smirked, pulling a shot gun out of nowhere and fired a round straight into the surrounding mini-laser, destroying them.

"Now it's our turn!" Neos and Riggs shouted, flying straight into the cannon, ripping apart any machinery to cease it from function, letting it explode into debris and smoke.

"Now that the Satellite's gone, Brightveil's the only thing needed to be destroyed," Sarina stated, as she faded away.

"Consider than request granted," Claudio grinned.

"Awesome!" Aster and Masaki exclaimed.

"You didn't see that happening, did you," Jaden said to Brightveil who was now shaking in fear, knowing the scores of the Heroes would add up from Fastball Special. "Neos, Bubbleman, let's go save the universe!"

"Not without my guys!" Claudio added as he raised his guitar up high. "And with a little bit of victory music..."

(Supernova – Dragonland)

With a rising guitar play from the Ra, the four Hero Monsters flew into the sky as Solaris EX flew higher into space to make an escape... However, the four Hero Duelists looked to each other and nodded. They knew they couldn't let that monster who served the Light escape.

First, Bubbleman kneeled for Neos to leap on to the Shield to get a big jump start after the being of Dark Light (7/2900-4100/2000))

Next, during the solo, Crush 40 flew to either side of Neos, grabbing both his arms and launched him further after Solaris EX, gaining more speed. (7/4100-5800/2000)

Finally, Demon Riggs flew up after Neos from the front and then gave him a great toss, increasing his speed with the more distance the Elemental Hero took. (7/5800-9700/2000)

Solaris EX was then pierced by a large fist from the E-Hero, and then he dragged the fist upwards while running until he reached the red jewel, cracking it down and making an explosion... Brightveil screamed as her power over Jason was severed and she exploded into sparkles of light that faded away!

Jaden: 1300 + Claudio: 500

Sartorius: 0 + Jason: 0

Winners: Jaden and Claudio

(End Music)

As the smoke cleared, all there was left was Jason, Juli, and Sartorius' body lying with much needed rest as the spirit of Sarina looked over them.

"We shall see each other again in the real world, my brother," She stated, fading away once more.

"Yeah, the Hero Monsters rocked the universe, baby!" Claudio cheered.

"Neos, you and Riggs totally saved the universe!" Jaden exclaimed.

"No, you and your friends saved the universe," Neos stated. "On behalf of those from Neo Space, I thank you."

"Yeah, we're just the hired help," Demon Riggs stated as Lita jumped off his back. "Besides, I'm a roadie; it's my job to make you look good."

"Anyway, thanks kid," Lita smiled, "Just call us again when you need it." With that, the spirits and holograms faded away.

* * *

Back at the lake, Hassleberry and Jethro shot up from the ground.

"Whoo!" Jethro shouted. "Never thought I'd become a Spirit in outer space!"

"That was a hoot!" Hassleberry added as he looked to their surroundings. "Now we need to find the boys..."

"Actually, we should get these guys to Miss Fontaine in the infirmary," the Obelisk stated, pointing to Ojin and Gunter who were still knocked out.

"Alright, dibs on the royalty," the dino duelist called.

* * *

Minutes later, everyone joined up at the front of the White Dorm.

"Well, from the looks of things nothing happened to Academy Island," Kenji said, after he ran down from the dorm's walls. "But then again, people would have noticed."

"I guess Sheppard and Pegasus did something to keep the focus on the GX tournament," Aster noted.

"And Kenji, if you got here to help us, that must mean you got knocked out or the tournament's over," Masaki figured.

"I did get knocked out in the semi-finals, but it wasn't until Brightveil possessed Juli and ran over here that I came running as well," the ninja duelist replied. "And that was at the ending of the GX tournament."

"Who won?" Jaden asked.

Kenji smiled at Claudio, "It was Melody."

"Oh yeah," the J-Hero duelist cheered. "I knew my girl was always tough enough to win a tournament."

"Although, it would've been harder if you four were in it," Hassleberry stated, pointing to the hero duelists.

"But, we had bigger problems in saving the world," Jethro shrugged. "I'd gladly give up a tournament if I was the one standing in the way of world domination."

"Guess so," the Dino duelist nodded. "We destroyed the Satellite!"

"But with Neos and Riggs helping you two out," Syrus stated, "That would mean that it was all Jaden and Claudio."

"Nah, everybody had a hand it," Jaden stated. "So, we all did it."

Shion then pulled Jason over, to speak with him.

"Jason, I'm sorry that you ended up so alone," She apologized.

"What are you sorry for," Jason replied. "You only did it to save your grades..."

"But it shouldn't have mattered," the Kuriboh duelist sighed, "So what if you're a Slifer Red, you were my friend first and I let Juli fill my head with that nonsense about 'elites'."

"And I ended up saying that because I didn't want to be weak," the Ritual duelist spoke up, shocking the two others. "I got into Obelisk Blue because of money that my family got into, and before I set foot into the entrance exams, I was only viewed as just that. So I thought I showed my worth, had followers to teach, I'd be great too."

"But you still followed the crowd," Jason pointed out.

"Yeah, I know..." Juli sighed. "I'm sorry I'm the reason you ended up in the Society and for trying to vent my anger on Shion. I must be really weak..."

"No, it's my fault," Sartorius spoke up, "I was the weak one for giving into Brightveil's influence..."

"Well, it could've been someone else," Solaris stated. "If were someone with greater power than your mastery of fortune telling, who knows what peril the world would have been in?"

"And it all worked out in the end," Linda added.

"Yes, thanks to the two of you," Sartorius said, smiling to the two Chosen Duelists, "And for Aster and Masaki, too."

"But we couldn't save you when Jaden and Claudiio could," Masaki pointed out.

"Yeah, we didn't do a thing," Aster added. "But at least we're all alright..."

"At least Sarina helped when she could," Jaden stated, "Maybe it was a good thing she stayed in Cyberspace." He then looked to the tarot reader. "Can't you predict the future? She did say you two would be reunited with your sisters..."

"I hope..." Sartorius stated, pulling out his tarot deck of cards, "But then the future could always change..."

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind picked up the tarot deck and blew it all away. Through the cards, another helicopter piloted by the men of Kaiba Corporation and was coming into land.

"What's with the helicopter?" Juli wondered, as the copter landed. The doors opened to reveal...

"Sarina, Makoto, Hanabi!" Sartorius rejoiced as he ran to his younger sisters.

"Sartorius!" the sister cried as the family shared a group hug.

"I always loved happy endings." Hassleberry said, holding in some tears.

"But it ain't over yet," Kenji replied. "We got the Graduation Duel coming up, along with Melody's final duel against the King of Games himself... Yugi Moto."

"SAY WHAT!?" the Academy students shouted with a shocked expression, into the skies.

* * *

And…I DID IT! The end to the Light of Destruction! I'm so happy! But like Kenji said, it's not over yet! Two more chapters to go, baby!

Jukebox Hero Demon Riggs

DARK

Fiend/Effect

Level 8

3000/2500

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Tributing 1 "Jukebox Hero Roadie Riggs" on your side of the field. This card is also treated as a Warrior-Type. Once per turn, you can take one "Ironheade" Monster and Equip him with it and negate the effect that returns this card any Equip cards to the deck.

Solaris EX – The Ultimate Dark Light

LIGHT

Fiend/Effect

Level 12

5000/5000

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned from your hand or graveyard except when you take damage from a direct attack while "Arcana Force EX – The Light Ruler" and "Solaris, the Super-Dimensional Time God" is in the graveyard. When this card attacks, this card is protected from all battle damage and cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. This card cannot be destroyed by battle by Monsters of WATER, FIRE, WIND, or EARTH attributes.

Fastball Special

Quick-Play Spell

Activate only when two or more "Hero" monsters are on your side of the field. The attacking "Hero" monster gains the ATK of every other "Hero" Monsters on the field and is destroyed at the end of Damage Calculation.

(The top three cards were made by me, card effects and stats go to me while character rights go to Sega for Solaris and Double Fine for Demon Riggs)

Next Time: The final matches of the Season are at hand! Erika picks out Claudio, while Melody and Yugi go head-to-head! Generation vs. Generation!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	80. Beginning of the Second End

Here we are guys, the final chapter with some duels in it. Hope you ready to end this season on a good note! Longest chapter, I think as well for the story! Also, for the last chapter RoyalShowstopper XII is going to help me out since it's his characters' last chapter, and it's going to be their wedding day. So, enjoy this one from me!

Disclaimer:I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 80: The Beginning of the Second End

* * *

After the whole GX tournament ended with Melody's victory, the rest of the Third-Year Students were gathered up by Doctor Crowler and Bonaparte. Since the GX tournament was won by a second-year, they went on to the overall dueling and test scores, as well as the GX tournament scores combined to average up the overall scores. With the top ten duelists on the big screen, one stood out at number 1.

"Congratulations to Miss Erika Parks with an impressive score gained this year!" Crowler announced as everyone in the room turned to the duelist in question. Even Erika was surprised, but was quickly praised by Alister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "As such, you will be the in the Grad Match that will be the opening duel to the GX Champion Melody Hikarii's match against the King of Games Yugi Moto!"

"All we need to know is who will your opponent be for tomorrow?" Bonaparte asked.

Erika already had one in mind after remembering Alister's match in the GX tournament.

* * *

(Flashback)

 _It was when Kenji was about to duel Blair, and Alister joined her and their friends on the roof to watch the match._

 _"Hey guys, did I miss the first turn?" He asked, out of breath._

 _"No, just about to start," Tea replied. "Sorry about the loss..."_

 _"Don't worry about, Tea," the Guardian duelist smiled. "Just happy that Melody's improved... heck I'm the third year about to graduate, and a junior bested me. I don't feel bad about that at all..."_

 _"I'm also glad to see you've come out of that shell with Dreadscythe," Yugi added._

 _"You're welcome," Alister replied, and then turned to Erika. "By the way, Melody and I are gonna find a way for you and Claudio to do battle."_

 _"Really," the Maverick duelist smiled. "Maybe not this year... but if there's a chance we meet up, I'll take a shot at that..."_

(End Flashback)

* * *

 _'Looks like we have that chance...'_ She thought before announcing her choice. "I'll pick Claudio Osbourne."

"And that will be settled," Bonaparte stated. "Now everything will be settled for the last dueling day of this year at Duel Academy! We'll contact Mr. Osbourne and..."

"That's fine," Erika interrupted, as she turned around to leave the classroom with Alister following, "But I rather talk to him myself."

As the doors closed, the students and teachers were left without any comments to protest Erika's decision.

* * *

At the Ra Yellow Dorm, Melody and Claudio were in the former's room, going over her deck which was laid out on her floor, along with a box of extras.

"Now this is going to be the hardest duel yet," Melody thought out loud, searching through strategies. "Yugi doesn't focus on one Type or one Attribute and he makes it work."

"That's true," Claudio nodded. "Effective defenses, precise attacking, not to mention being flexible to meet his needs..."

The Magician duelist sighed, "It's getting complicated now; I want to face Yugi, but am I ready to stand against him?"

"Feeling the pre-duel jitters, right?" the J-Hero duelist figured. "It's alright to feel worried, whenever anyone's in a big duel against the best of their peers, anyone would feel that way."

"But how many people in this school can say that they dueled the King of Games?" Melody pointed out. "Last year, I faced Dimitri using the same deck and he was tough to beat. Only reason he lost is because he wasn't adapting to it, despite knowing the right strategies to use against me. Now it's the right person using the right deck."

"Yet when it comes down to it, he's just another duelist," Claudio shrugged.

"Huh?"

"Sure, he's got the title of best in the world in dueling," Claudio pointed out, "Not to mention beating Duke Devlin in his own game, Dungeon Dice Monsters and I bet he's even mastered Capsule Monster Chess. Still, he's just like everyone else in the dueling world. You should know, beating Roxanne who's a top-ranked Pro Duelist, coming into the GX tournament. I know you can hold your own, and if you push hard enough, beat him and probably be called the Queen of Games... fits you to perfection, if I do say so myself."

Melody laughed a little, "You really do see that?"

"Yeah," Claudio nodded. "That way, I can say I battled the best," He then wrapped his left arm around her. "And not to mention the cutest..."

"Flattery won't get you a title shot," Melody giggled, "But it does get you one of these..." She then gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"I'll take some of those anytime," the J-Hero duelist smiled. But before they were starting a make-out, someone was knocking on the door. "To be continued..."

"Who is it?" Melody called.

"It's us," two voices called back from the other side of the door.

"Come on in," the Magician duelist invited, letting to door open to Alister and Erika. "What's going on?"

"Erika wanted to see Claudio," Alister pointed out, "But he wasn't in your room and thought he'd be here, prepping you for the match against Yugi."

"Was there any doubt?" Claudio asked.

"It's a man's duty to stand by his girl," the Guardian duelist stated. "It's why I'm here with my wife..."

"Wait until the actual day, boy," Erika interrupted, before turning to the J-Hero duelist. "Anyway, we just came back from a meeting with the third-year students, and I was selected to be the duelist for the Grad Match."

"Wow, the girls are certainly taking over this year," Melody smiled, "You got the best overall grades in the class."

"And that means you're choosing your opponent for your Grad Match," Claudio added. "Zane pretty much did the same..."

"Then, he must have chosen you like I am," the Maverick duelist told him. "Because that's why I'm really here. You and I are dueling first before Melody and Yugi headline the end."

"For real?" the J-Hero duelist gasped.

"At least we don't have to wait until you graduate to face us again," Erika pointed out. "While you were stopping Sartorius and the Light of Destruction, Melody's first Finals match was against Alister."

"Yeah, and that's when Alister and I thought of getting the two of you together for a match," Melody remembered. "Didn't think it would happen so soon, what with the wedding and all..."

"Thanks to Erika's grades, she got a way," Alister smiled. "But for now, we'll let you guys work on your decks... tomorrow's a big day for you three and Yugi."

"And prepare well, because I will put out all the stops to see how far we've come," Erika warned, "Until then..."

"Alright..." Claudio replied as Alister and Erika left Melody's Dorm. He then turned to Melody, "Well, we're going to end this year with some big-time duels."

"Happy we get to do so," the Magician duelist noted. "Now I get to help you out on your deck."

"True," the J-Hero duelist said and grinned, "But let's finish up yours, we'll make sure that you show Yugi Moto's reign as King of Games is in jeopardy of being dethroned."

"Just go get your deck," Melody replied, pushing him out of her room and leaving a quick kiss on the cheek before shutting the door. She then sighed _, 'I can't wait...I'm facing the duelist who inspired me to have the deck I got now...and thanks to Claudio, now I got a Dark Magician in my deck.'_ She thought while picking up her Dark Magician card and held it to her heart _. 'And you know, it's better it's not the same one Yugi has, the fact that Claudio got it for me makes it the rarest card I have.'_

* * *

At night, inside a room in the Obelisk Blue dorm, which was still white, Yugi Moto was sitting at a table, busy creating a deck from his old stash of cards plus new ones he bought at the Card Shack.

 _'Melody Hikari, the winner of the GX tournament,'_ He said, thinking about his opponent _. 'Interesting that her cards follow the Dark Magician and balanced with the Spell Counters strategy theme...'_ He then leaned back _. 'Been awhile since I dueled in major tournaments, since I decided to settle down and marry Tea. Kaiba was angry but we know we are not giving up the game, and plus he has Kaiba Corp to worry about with Mokuba; at least he'll get his shot at me when he has free time.'_ He then wondered on something else _, 'I never thought I would look forward to having this much fun dueling in public again, and with this new deck I'll be sure to give Melody a duel to remember. And maybe reward her for that chance...'_

Finally, he looked towards the bedroom where Tea was sleeping peacefully.

"I'm also happy how these last 11 years turned out for the best..." He said softly, before returning to work on his deck.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Alister and Erika's Room at the Slifer Dorm, the soon-to-be-married couple was taking time to reflect on the past year.

Erika was looking outside the window, "It's kinda weird huh? Facing our best friend in one of the last duels of the year and then we're gone... I'm sure gonna miss this place."

Alister then walked up next to her, "Yeah, I have to say this year beat some of our past adventures and we get to walk down the aisle here too." He added with a smile.

The Maverick duelist sighed dreamily and nodded, "Indeed, and we get to duel one last time against Claudio..." She then got out of her thought of the day after tomorrow and focused on now, "But how can I beat him, he's beaten us and has seen our decks..."

The Guardian duelist shrugged and patted her shoulder, "So pull out some new and old tricks that got us to the top of the tag division and you to the high-ranked singles," He stated, "Besides, remember what we've been through to get where we are today." He then picked up her deck of cards and spares in a silver tin, "And it's time to show him what we're all about, go all out on him and remember to have fun with it!"

Erika then smiled, "Yeah, you're right!" She then hugged him and a quick peck on the lips, leaving a blush on her face, "I don't think I could have pictured anyone else in your spot right now, whom could make me feel this way."

"Really?" He smiled, returning the hug, "Well thanks for the info, but right now let's give your deck one last rundown before the duel starts tomorrow morning."

Erika nodded as the set to work on the deck before turning in for the night.

* * *

The next day had finally come for everyone, and classes had already past. The arena was stacked to see not only the Graduation Match between Erika and Claudio, but seeing Melody face off against Yugi Moto after years of stopping professional dueling.

"Everyone has turned out for the occasion," Pegasus exclaimed. "I can't understand why anyone would miss it."

"This time we have two duels to watch, instead of one," Sheppard replied. "And with these four duelists, no one should be leaving their seats anytime soon!"

"Couldn't agree more," Pegasus nodded.

"I'll say," Chumley stated. He had returned from Industrial Illusions Headquarters, finishing up a personal request from the boss. "Glad I came just in time to see them and the Light of Destruction business over and done..."

Soon, the audience turned to see Erika and Claudio walking out of the arena together, splitting apart from each other once they reached the arena floor.

"Here comes the first match," Melody exclaimed, "Now we can be even with Alister and Erika in duels before they leave."

"What do you mean?" Isaac asked.

"We had two Tag Duels, one last year, and one at the beginning of this year," the Spellcaster duelist explained. "And then, I had my match with Alister... so we thought it would be fitting if Erika faced Claudio. Thanks to Erika becoming the top student of this year, it's able to happen now."

"Makes sense..." the toon duelist nodded.

* * *

Down below, Erika and Claudio stared each other down...

"I can tell you this, Claudio," Erika announced, "You think you had a hard time with me in a Tag Duel? Watch what happens in a Single Duel, with just me to worry about!"

"Hey, I wouldn't be too relieved with just me taking you on," Claudio replied, "You know how tough I am..."

"I just hope you're ready to see my full potential," the Maverick duelist shouted.

"Bring it on!" Claudio announced.

Soon both players turned on their duel disks, drawing their opening hands as the crowd roared in cheers, shouting, "GAME ON!"

Erika: 8000

Claudio: 8000

"If you don't mind, I'll take the lead in this duel," Erika announced, drawing her sixth card. She then looked over her choices, and chose her cards. "First, I play Card Destruction forcing us both to discard our hand and draw a new hand; meaning five for me and five for you."

"Already discarding," Claudio wondered as he and his opponent discarded their hands and drew out the same amount that they had. "I feel a sense of déjà vu going on..."

"You know I'm not like X," the Maverick duelist said to him, "When I discard, it's for strategy and to see how my opponent adapts as well. And I have respect for other people's cards, despite who they are."

"Still, it's going to be interesting what's going on," Joey wondered.

"If I know her, it'll be something to use for her graveyard." Alister stated.

"Now, it's time for a few of my friends to crash the party," Erika announced, inserting a spell card into her disk. "The first is my Junk Dealer Spell, reviving two monsters from my graveyard with half their ATK! And I sent two of my best in there!" She then took two of her monster cards from her graveyard, and placed into her disk. "I summon Mavericks Trilobyte and Slash to the field in defense mode!" In a flash, the armored trilobite appeared to kneel and then was joined by mechanical, brown and black bear with silver thrusters on its back, its left claw colored red and started growling as it knelt into defense as well. (6/2300-1150/2700), (6/2450-1225/2600)

"Two high defense position monsters, yikes," Jaden muttered. "Good luck getting through that..."

"Still, don't expect Claudio to give up so easily," Allyson stated. "He won't let some high defenses stop him."

"Using Junk Dealer to summon high defense monsters, nice," Claudio acknowledged, "Now I need to break them down..."

"Hang on," Erika interrupted, playing a monster card on her disk, "That was just my defense, meet the offense! I play Maverick Metal Shark in attack mode!" She announced as a blue humanoid machine with a shark's head appeared, wielding a black anchor. (4/1700/1500) "And you won't like his effect; he sends one card from my hand to the graveyard and summons a monster from your graveyard!"

Claudio gasped as the Maverick duelist discard one of her cards into her discard slot, and then a flash from his graveyard erupted onto Erika's side of the field, bringing out Jukebox Hero Kill Master! (6/2400/1700) "Oh no... Not him!"

"She's got his monster," Alex exclaimed.

"Not to mention four monsters in all!" Jeremy pointed out.

"And it doesn't stop with there," the Obelisk woman announced, inserting another card, "I play Double Summon to bring out Maverick Axel to the field!" She announced, as the humanoid, mechanical plant appeared whipping its thorns. (4/1700/1300)

"It just got worse for Claudio," Mai noted, "That card will take a card from his hand!"

"And now that Erika has a Jukebox Hero on the field, it could be one that's compatible with him." Matthias noted.

"Time for another card to join my hand," the Maverick duelist announced as Axel extended his whip and snatched one of Claudio's cards, to which he gasped. "And looks like Clementine will be used to boost Kill Master's ATK by 600!" She continued, as the Kill Master's bass was replaced by the black, flying V guitar. (6/2400-3000/1700) "And with all of that, I end my turn. But thanks to Kill Master, I gain 600 life points."

Erika: 8600

Claudio: 8000

"She just emptied her hand to fill up her field, take control of Claudio's monster, and start off with a higher life point score." Yugi stated. "It's a risky move, but I know she has a plan."

"It has to be hurting Claudio now," Melody noted. "Staring down five monsters, one of them being his, and hardly knowing if he's got anything to fight with."

"Hopefully, he can defend himself well if he can't battle back." Lily stated.

"Alright, you may be a friend and all," Claudio announced, drawing his starting card. "But nobody blocks the rock by taking one of my monsters to play for them! I set one monster in defense mode, and then place one card facedown."

"After a little speech like that, he plays two cards facedown?" Chazz scoffed. "He should just give up the ghost, and realize that Erika's got this in the bag."

"Come on, Chazz," Jachin scolded. "It's the first couple of turns, and it's too soon to declare a winner..."

"And you know that she's won a duel like this before," the Ojama duelist pointed out, "If you watched her duels in the Pro League before these Maverick monsters and when she used the Machine Kings, it's her deadly finishing combo!" And it was safe to say that every person in attendance was starting to recognize it as well.

"She's not going to end this now, is she?" Roxanne wondered, "That's not like her against someone outside the Pro Circuit."

"Whatever it is, people are starting to say that Erika's the winner," Will added.

"Alright Claudio, let's see you protect yourself from this," Erika announced, drawing her lone card. "I switch Trliobyte and Slash to attack mode!" She began, having the armored trilobite and the giant bear switch to an attacking stance. "And the first attack will belong to Slash... destroy that facedown monster!"

"She must be sure that monster has a low DEF," Masaki noted as the mechanical bear charged at Claudio's monster. Once it sunk its claw into the monster, it revealed to be the Jukebox Hero Wayward Son. (3/900/900)

"That's because it was," Aster stated.

"Since Wayward Son was flipped face-up, I can choose a card on the field and the controller loses 500 life points," the Ra duelist announced, "And I think you need to pay for having Kill Master on your side, don't you?" A gold aura surrounded Kill Master and a red aura surrounded Erika to translate the damage.

Erika: 8100

Claudio: 8000

Wayward Son shattered after the damage, letting Claudio continue the move. "And since he was destroyed due to a battle, I get to search my deck for another Wayward Son and Set it on the field!" He then took out his deck, took out the second Wayward Son and placed it face-down on the field.

"But that will only last you two more attacks," Erika pointed out, "Which means I'll let Trilobyte take the next attack!" the second Maverick charged with heavy steps and belly-flopped the next facedown Wayward Son. (3/900/900)

"I'll choose my Clementine Equip Spell," Claudio declared, as the red aura struck the Maverick duelist again.

Erika: 7600

Claudio: 8000

"This next attack is going to be well worth it, since you'll be open to two direct attacks," Erika continued, as she commanded Axel to attack the last Wayward Son, letting its whip stretch out towards the last monster.

"After this Claudio's looking at less than half his life points if that facedown card doesn't do anything after this one," Kenji noted. But despite the predicament, Claudio smirked.

"I think you better look at this facedown card," the J-Hero duelist grinned, pressing a button on his disk and letting his facedown card reveal a trap depicting a room that looked as if an explosion hit it and a man looking over two Duel Monster cards. "I activate the trap, The Transmigration Prophecy! With it, I can take two cards from any player's graveyard and send them back to the deck! And I'll choose both Wayward Sons!"

"That will give him enough monsters to block the other two attacks," Sartorius noted as Claudio took out his two monster cards and shuffled them back into his deck. "Impressive."

"Yes, he saved his life points this turn," Sarina added. Once Axel crushed the facedown Monster card, Claudio selected Axel for Wayward Son's effect, damaging Erika's points once more...

Erika: 7100

Claudio: 8000

Then, he Set another Wayward Son and shuffled his deck again.

"So, are you going to attack and damage yourself more... or are you going to leave my monsters alone?" Claudio smiled. "You and I can go all turn with this!"

'Yeah, if I keep his monster on the field, he can use its special ability to deal more damage and then possibly sacrifice the monster,' Erika thought, 'But then, I got his Kill Master that will buffer my life points by 600, so what's a 1000 points more?'

"Sorry, but I'll opt to take down the Wayward Sons again," She declared, "Metal Shark, your turn to drop the anchor on another Wayward Son!" the metal fish swung its giant anchor that smashed into the facedown Wayward Son, revealing to be hanging on to it. (3/900/900)

"I'll choose Metal Shark for Wayward Son's effect, since he did destroy him," Claudio announced, as Wayward Son threw his guitar, letting it smash against Erika's duel disk before shattering to pixels.

Erika: 6600

Claudio: 8000

"And then, the last one will come back to defend against Kill Master," He continued as he Set the last Wayward Son from his deck, and placed it on the field.

"Only he'll fall like the others," the Maverick duelist replied, as Kill Master started striking chords on Clementine, causing the last Wayward Son to be revealed who was struggling to keep himself alive. (3/900/900)

"For the final effect, I choose Maverick Trilobyte!" Claudio announced as the red aura surrounded Erika.

Erika: 6100

Claudio: 8000

"Well, you lasted against my one turn kill and even damaged my life points for 2500," Erika stated, "Using that trap to reset Wayward Son's effects, you're the first to do that."

"Hey, not all famous strategies work out," Claudio shrugged. "And the thing is, the only reason I was able to counter it was that you played your cards on the first turn."

"Guess it's true," the Maverick duelist stated. "But for now, I'll end my turn and let Kill Master boost my points by another 600." She concluded as Kill Master played another bass solo that restored some of her points.

Erika: 6700

Claudio: 8000

"First few turns and Claudio's in the lead," Pegasus noted. "But then Erika has the field advantage..."

"If I know Mr. Osbourne, he'll find some way to turn things into his favor," Sheppard noted. "And for a fact that he knows his monsters better than Erika..."

"Alright, it's my turn," Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "Let some luck come from this next card, my Pot of Greed!" He announced, drawing his two cards. He then took three cards from his hand, inserting two into the disk and another face down on the tray. "I'll play another two cards facedown and then summon Band Roadie in defense mode!" He declared as a facedown card was set, along with the mullet-hairstyle roadie kneeling on the field. (2/700/500) "And that will do it for me."

"Wow, his hand must be bad for it to end with him defending again." Alexis noted. "And this time, he won't be defending as long as he did last turn."

"It kind of feels like Jaden taking on Zane last year," Atticus figured. "Claudio dealt some damage, but then Erika's still got some powerful monsters."

"It can still be anyone's game..."

"Not looking so good on your side," Erika said, drawing her next card. "I'll have my Trilobyte attack that Band Roadie!" She declared as the armored Maverick did a running head-butt to the Roadie, shattering him into pixels.

"By destroying Band Roadie, his effect activates to summon my Level 3 Jukebox Hero Jovi to the field in defense mode," Claudio countered, bringing out his blonde guitarist wearing a blue vest and jeans, wielding a brown acoustic. (3/1300/800)

"He's still weaker than any monster Erika's got," Allen noted.

"But it has a special ability to destroy the monster that destroys him," Lyra replied. "Better one than nothing, I suppose..."

"Alright Maverick Slash, attack Jukebox Hero Jovi and clear the way for the rest of the monsters to attack!" the Maverick duelist continued as the mechanical bear slashed down the defending J-Hero into pixels.

"And then, I'll just go and use Jovi's special ability," the J-Hero duelist countered. "When he's destroyed by battle, he takes down the monster that did it." Soon, Jovi's spirit flew out of the graveyard and went into Slash and destroyed it from the inside out. "One monster down for the count..."

"Alright, he finally got one," Melody cheered. "Now just four more to go..."

"Sorry, but destroying Slash activated his farewell special ability!" Erika announced, shocking Claudio and Melody. "When destroyed by anything you throw out, I get to take another card from your hand!"

"Not again!" the J-Hero duelist cried.

"Another one of his cards taken," Jaden cringed, "This is bad for him."

"Yeah, his best cards getting taken before he can use them." Allyson added, cringing as well.

"And from the two cards you have left, I'll take control of the one on my right!" Erika announced, as she walked over to the distraught Ra Yellow duelist as he held up the card she had chosen.

"You're really going to regret taking my cards to use," Claudio stated as he handed over the card. "And I'm saying it as a friendly rival here..."

"And as one friendly rival to another, it's my duty to push you to the limits," the Maverick duelist stated, placing the card she received in her hand. "You're a tough duelist, and I want to make sure you get even stronger with that deck... even if it means using your cards against you." She then turned around, walking back to her side of the field.

"Then, I guess I need to step up," the Ra said to himself.

Once Erika turned back around, she announced, "Now, let's see you withstand three direct attacks from my monsters! Metal Shark, Axel, and Kill Master, attack Claudio!" She commanded as both Mavericks launched their whips and anchor straight through the Jukebox Hero duelist, and then Kill Master played a fast bass solo that smashed into Claudio, leaving him kneeling on the ground in shock of the damage.

Erika: 6700

Claudio: 2300

"That was 6400 points of damage he just lost," Syrus gasped. "One more major attack like that and it's over!"

"Come on Claudio, fight back!" Melody called out.

"Man, Erika's been on a roll this entire duel," Alister said, smiling. "She's determined to leave a mark on Claudio, like I've done with Melody."

"Yeah, but hers is a bigger impression," Tea pointed out. "There's not a doubt she may come out the winner."

"I would not count Claudio out just yet," Joey said, pointing to the Ra activating his facedown card.

"With all that damage you dealt me, I activate Shock Draw!" Claudio announced, revealing his trap card. "And by the multiples of 1000, I get to draw six new cards. It may be thinning out my deck, but I'm sure I'll be able to take you on with what I got!" He then drew out the number of cards needed, bringing his hand count to 7, and smiled at what he found.

"Well, I hope you got what you needed because I'm about to do the same..." Erika announced, inserting a spell card into her disk. "Thanks to you, I can use your Spell Card Terraforming to add a Field Spell into my hand from the deck! With your Live Stages, I figured you have one of these..." She stated as she searched through her deck and took out her field spell. "And then, I'll use it... welcome to Clockwork Battlefield!" She declared as she inserted the field spell, and then the floor was transformed into a torn-up battlefield with a clock tower in the background, all under a full moon. "In here, you can't touch my Machines with cards that negates their effects or destroys them outright. Meaning, your only chance is to get into a fight with them. That should diminish your options if you were planning on doing something with some of the cards you've obtained."

"She's covering her bases now," Alister stated. "With that field spell, her cards are nearly impervious to destruction."

"I'll end my turn here," the Maverick duelist declared. "And I gain another 600 from your monster!"

Erika: 7300

Claudio: 2300

"With eight cards now in his hand, Claudio needs to mount a huge comeback," Spencer noted.

"He's up the creek without a paddle," Crowler added.

"Alright, it's my turn!" Claudio announced, drawing his next card with eight in hand, "Now let's get this party started! Because of the cards on the field, all monsters on your side of the field are unaffected by most Spell Cards. But because of having those in my graveyard, I'll make a big strike in my favor."

"Let's see it then," Erika challenged.

"Alright, first I'll summon my Jukebox Hero Li to the field in attack mode!" He announced as his dragon armored guitarist took point on the field. (4/1600/1200) "But now, say goodbye as I sacrifice him and Special Summon my Soul Guitar!" He continued as Li burst into flames and reformed into a silver, metal guitar that landed in his hands. (5/1000/300)

"I know where this is heading," Mai said, "He's going to summon The Metal that he used against Solaris."

"When Soul Guitar has been summoned by sacrificing a Warrior-Type Monster, it gains that monster's ATK!" Claudio announced as Soul Guitar gained a golden, fiery aura. (5/1000-2600/300)

"And then you'll summon the Metal or War Machine to deal with me," Erika wondered. "I hate to tell you this, but even with my Field Spell helping out the Machine monster you're planning to create, I'll still have a lot of firepower to send your way, plus Trilobyte can negate your first and only attack!"

"Thanks for the kind words, but it won't be needed." Claudio added as he played the Polymerization Spell Card. "But it looks like I'll have to rely on some luck in order to beat you this time..."

"Some luck, eh?" Joey wondered, with a smile. "Another reason to like this kid..."

"At least I get the feeling he won't rely as much as you do," Will noted.

"Let's see how does with it," Mai pointed out as Claudio held out two more monsters.

"I fuse the Soul Guitar on my field with the Soul Drums and Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire in my hand!" the J-Hero duelist announced as Bon-Fire and Soul Drums joined the field. Then, a fusion portal opened, melting the guitar and drums to the ground. Next, Bon-Fire stepped and let the liquid metal surround him and then jumped into the vortex. Then, slowly descending from the vortex, Bon-Fire reappeared encased in a bulky, metal armor with missile launchers on his shoulders. (11/3800/3000)

"Well, you only been lucky enough to not land in the one coin flip, but unlucky enough to stay away from the three-coined flip," Erika stated. "But then, your luck may end up failing today."

Claudio then held up a silver dollar, "Why don't we let the coin decided, hmm?"

"By all means..." She offered.

"Okay... War Machine, your effect will activate!" Claudio announced, "I flip this coin three times, and the next effect will be determined by the number of Heads results I get! Here goes nothing!"

Claudio flipped the coin in the air, catching it when it landed on his open hand... "Heads number 1!"

Once again, Claudio flipped the coin into air and caught in his hand... "Alright, Heads number 2!"

Finally, the Ra Yellow flipped the coin for his third try and caught it... but then covered it this time for dramatic effect, before he uncovered it to make... "YES! Heads number 3! I can use his ultimate effect: War Machine is now unaffected by the effects of Spell and Trap cards my opponent plays, and then he can attack every single monster on the field!"

Erika gasped, "Oh no!"

"Erika can only block one attack with Maverick Trilobyte," Alister stated, in the same shock as his fiancée.

"Claudio's showing that he means business," Isaac said, impressed with the outcome of the move.

"Now time for him to take out her army and most of her life points," Melody added, cheering her boyfriend on.

"War Machine, let's go after all of her monsters!" Claudio announced as missile compartments opened around the armored Jukebox Hero Monster as missiles peered out, ready to be launched. "Rockets Away!" The missiles fired out and soared up in the ceiling before raining down on Erika's monster lineup.

"You won't get them all!" Erika shouted, "I activate Maverick Trilobyte's special ability to cut his defense points in half to negate the attack made on him!" The armored Maverick created a dome of glowing, tan crystal around its body. Once the missiles reached him, the dome shattered and lowered the Maverick's defense. (7/1150/2700-1350) But the same couldn't be said for Axel, Metal Shark and Kill Master as the missiles around them hit and detonated into a massive explosion, creating a large drop in Erika's points.

Erika: 2300

Claudio: 2300

"Welcome to the 2300 life point line," Claudio smiled, "Population, you and me!"

The audience gasped at the damage caused by one monster.

"Claudio damaged Erika's life points to match hers," Pegasus exclaimed in shock.

"We're watching the same as you," Joey said, not taking his eyes off the action. "That kid sure got lucky with the coin toss effects."

"Yeah, and now Erika's only left with one monster..." Serenity added. "If Claudio manages to get another monster to attack, she won't be able to defend herself."

"About time Claudio got some advantage," Jaden exclaimed. "Now he's got this duel right where he wants it!"

"Yeah, if he can get a monster to take down Trilobyte with its points as it is now, Claudio can win the duel," Alexis added. "He also needs to keep the monster advantage he's got now, with nothing but monster exceeding 3800 that can beat him, he controls the field."

"But we shouldn't count Erika out," Lyra stated. "She didn't get to the Pros with someone getting the better of her in just one turn."

"And not to mention, she was plenty powerful before the Maverick monsters," Allen noted.

"I place one card facedown to end my turn," Claudio concluding, inserting a facedown card. "I told you would pay for using my cards against me... the past comes back to haunt you!"

"Good job," Erika praised, "I thought you would let your anger of having your monsters turn against you, but I can see that you overcame it. Probably how you got the last coin flip to be the Heads!"

"Maybe, but I know you're not ready to give up," the Ra pointed out.

"And you would be correct," the Maverick duelist smiled, drawing her next card. "Now, I'll play this card that will boost both of our life points and at the same time test our abilities of surpassing the limits." She then held up a spell card that showed a woman creating a purple light with magic. "I activate the Continuous Spell card, Magical Alms! Usually, this would be used by someone of the German countries because of its background, but let's just say I got lucky with a rare card. But I digress; the first thing this card does will give me 1000 life points for just activating the card..." She was then enveloped in a purple aura, restoring some of her health.

Erika: 3300

Claudio: 2300

"Now as long as this card's on the field, we have to predict the number of Spell Cards we use this term and we gain 500 times that number." She continued, explaining the effects of her spell. "But, if you get the number wrong the player who made the declaration will lose 1000 life points for every card they activated. So, you have to guess wisely."

"Yup, getting Claudio on his brain now," Alister stated. "Now they have to make sure they don't give the other player as much points while trying to damage the other enough to win."

"Test of playing cards," Yugi deduced.

"Now, I'll predict I'll use only two cards for now..." Erika began as she and Claudio were enveloped in a purple aura.

Erika: 4300

Claudio: 3300

"The first Spell Card will be my Card of Sanctity to have us both draw until we're holding six cards," She announced, causing both players to draw out their cards and to have their six-card hand.

"With that, Claudio's deck would be low," Melody said, "He's been drawing most of his cards because of Erika's Card of Destruction and Card of Sanctity, adding with his Shock Draw and Pot of Greed, meaning he's drawn a total of 17 cards."

"Meaning, he's got 15 left to use... if you count the initial hand drawn and then those cards for Draw Phase and the Wayward Sons and Band Roadie to search for cards." Isaac said, "It's not a bad number if he can take advantage of what he's got."

"Most people would see the Deck Destruction technique as a coward's way of winning," Alister said, "But they forget that Erika's never won that way and she's never reduced her opponent's deck to 0. The way she uses Deck Destruction is to limit her opponent's use of effect strategies."

"Add in the fact that's hasn't used it in a while, aside from my duel against her," Mai added.

"Next, I activate the second Spell, the Old Model to the Frontline," She announced, inserting her next spell card. "Now I get to take one Machine Type Monster from the graveyard and Special Summon it to the field! And I pick a monster I sent with Card Destruction... the Perfect Machine King!"

"Uh oh," Claudio muttered as a white portal opened from the ground to unleash a giant machine monster with white and red metal limbs, shoulder missile launchers, and a set of jet booster on its back. It slammed its fists together, letting the sparks fly. (8/2700/1500)

"That just became bad news for the kid," Will stated, "Especially since every monster on the field is a Machine-Type, giving her 500 more points for every other one." He stated as the giant machine gained a silver aura. (8/2700-3700/1500)

"Finally, I'll place one card facedown and switch Maverick Trilobyte to defense mode and end my turn." Erika concluded as she inserted a card and had Trilobyte crouch down to defend with its armor. "Let's go... And remember, you have to guess how many Spell Cards you're going to play during the Standby Phase."

'Alright, I'm down to 14 cards after this,but luckily I can make the most of this move,' Claudio thought as he drew his next card. 'Hmm... No monsters, but I can satisfy the requirements for the Magical Alms...' He then announced, "I'm only using one Spell Card this turn!" He and Erika gained a faint aura around themselves.

Erika: 4800

Claudio: 3800

"And here's the spell card, my Single Neck Guitar to boost my War Machine by 300 points," He announced as War Machine's left arm was attached with a blue six-string guitar with the emblem of the Jukebox Heroes grafted on it. (11/3800-4100/3000) "And then, I'll attack Trilobyte and Perfect Machine King with AC Missile Rocker!" Once again, the launchers fired the missiles that headed straight for the machines.

"I activate my monster's effect to negate one attack on Trilobyte," Erika countered, as her monster made another crystal dome around itself. (7/1150/1350-675) Once the missiles impacted, Erika's field was again surrounded in an explosion, being damaged for the battle against Perfect Machine King.

Erika: 4400

Claudio: 3800

"Yes, now Claudio can get rid of Trilobyte if he summons another monster." Jethro cheered. But once the smoke cleared, they saw that the Perfect Machine King survived! "Or not..."

"How did it prevent itself from being destroyed?" Hassleberry wondered.

"It was thanks to my trap card, Soul Anchor!" Erika announced, pointing to the activated trap. "Inside the explosion, I activated this trap and attached it to Perfect Machine King. And thanks to this little maneuver, I can protect both monsters from being destroyed, and if I don't have the monsters to boost the attack of Perfect Machine King, I'll only sustain minimal damage."

"Now she's got field advantage," Sheppard pointed out.

"Yeah, and it's aside from the fact that she's a former Pro duelist," Fonda added.

"I end my turn," Claudio concluded.

"My turn then," Erika announced, drawing her next card. "This time, I'll use no Spell Cards this turn and then summon my Maverick Wolfang in attack mode!" She declared, summoning the frostbitten wolf machine that howled to the ceiling. (4/1900/1200) "And then, his presence gives Perfect Machine King another 500 ATK!" She stated as the silver aura strengthened and brightened up. (8/3700-4200/1500)

"Now it's powerful enough to beat War Machine," Melody gasped.

"Perfect Machine King, destroy War Machine and show him who the ultimate machine monster is!" the Maverick duelist commanded as several missiles fired from the giant machine, heading straight for the Fusion Monster and then ripped him to shreds.

Erika: 4400

Claudio: 3700

But since War Machine left, Perfect Machine King lost some ATK. (8/4200-3700/1500)

"Now we'll get to Wolfang taking down some life points!" Erika continued as Wolfang brandished its claws.

"Not quite," Claudio countered, revealing his facedown card showing off a group of priests shedding their robes to reveal their various T-shirts with various rock band logos on them. "Since you destroyed my monster, I activate the trap card: the Saints are Coming! Since I lost a Jukebox Hero to the graveyard, I can special summon some from my hand equal to the level I lost +1. And now I can summon 12 levels worth thanks to War Machine!"

"That's right, bounce right back," Allyson cheered as Claudio held up three monsters.

"I special summon Level 3 American Idiot, Level 2 Cool, and Level 7 Prince of Darkness!" Claudio announced, playing his three monsters onto the field, bringing out the bass guitarist and drummer of Punk Revolution and the black cloaked Spellcaster. (3/1700/100), (2/1000/150), (7/2500/2200) "And because of Cool being Summoned to the field, I can special summon Jukebox Hero – Armstrong from my hand along with them!" He continued as the lead singer and guitarist of Punk Revolution appeared. (5/2100/1900)

"Wow, four monsters for the price of one," Alister gasped. "He's determined alright."

Erika saw this too and smiled, "Well, I'll have to stand down for now. Still, I'll have Wolfang's ability to use... freezing your Prince of Darkness where he stands!" She announced as the wolf Maverick blew a harsh blizzard at the Prince of Darkness, turning him into a human block of ice. "Now I end my turn with two facedown cards."

"Claudio needs an upper hand to get the best of Erika now," Masaki said, "With four monsters he can get his monsters out with a vengeance."

"But still, he needs to get Perfect Machine King off the field," Aster pointed out.

"My turn now," Claudio announced, drawing his next card. "Alright, for this turn, I'll say I won't use any Spell Cards for Magical Alms." He then got a mischievous smirk, "But I'll go ahead and use it now, my Fusion Recovery Spell card to bring Polymerization and Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire to my hand!"

"But he'll take 1000 points of damage at the end of his turn!" Sartorius pointed out.

"Why didn't he take advantage of the life point gain?" Sarina wondered.

"That was dumb of him," Hanabi pouted.

Makoto gasped, "No... it's brilliant... remember what those three monster creates and the effect one of them when used as a Fusion Material, Hanabi?"

The Fortune Fairy duelist gasped, "Uh oh!"

"I thought you weren't going to use any Spell Cards?" Erika wondered with a smirk.

Claudio shrugged, "I lied... anyway it kept from you getting any life points... I plan on beating you, not keep you alive any longer."

The Maverick duelist giggled and nodded, "Clever, but you know that Apollo won't help you from getting at my monsters... thanks to me freezing up your strongest monster. All you can do is, make use of the special ability of when it leaves the field."

Now it was Claudio's turn to start laughing a bit, "He's not the one I'm summoning," the Ra stated, as he played his Polymerization and allowed Armstrong, American Idiot, and Cool to be absorbed by the fusion, letting the three monsters combine. "I Fusion Summon Jukebox Hero – Punk Revolution!" He announced as the three monsters reappeared but now wearing their new attire, with Cool and American Idiot in colorful jumpsuits, while Armstrong was with a new haircut. (10/3500/2500)

"Yeah, I remember this guy," Masaki smiled, but then frowned, "But still it won't have another attack to use, even with the special ability."

"Not only that, he's losing 2000 since Polymerization was played," Aster added. "He'll survive if his other cards are not Spells."

"Before I get to Punk Revolution's effect, I activate the effect of Jukebox Hero – Cool!" Claudio announced, "When he's used for a Fusion Summoning and sent to the graveyard because of it, I get to damage you for the ATK of one of your monsters. And it means Perfect Machine King's ATK seems promising!"

Soon, a blue light shined from Claudio's graveyard and blasted through Perfect Machine King and nailed Erika with mighty blow.

Erika: 700

Claudio: 3700

"She's down to 700!" Roxanne gasped.

"And if anything, Claudio's not done yet..." Matthias added.

"Now, for Punk Revolution... I reveal my hand and with any Jukebox Heroes in it, they gain 500 ATK for each one!" He then revealed his four-card hand to show off Jukebox Hero – Black Angus, Thunderstruck, Destruction Ring, and Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire. "And with two Jukebox Heroes in my hand, Punk Revolution gains 1000 ATK!" He announced as the punk rock band absorbed a bright light that came from the two Hero cards in question. (10/3500-4500/2500)

"Alright, he can take down all of Erika's monsters, aside from Perfect Machine King of course," Melody cheered.

"But Trilobyte can block the first attack," Alexis pointed out.

"Yeah, but the fact is that Claudio never Normal Summoned this turn," Kenji added, "And with the monster's he got on the field, Claudio will have his band to destroy Erika's machine army."

"Next, I summon Jukebox Hero Bon-Fire in defense mode!" Claudio continued as he brought out the shirtless, mic –swinging J-Hero of Fire. (4/1800/300) "And then, because you froze my Prince of Darkness and I have at least two Jukebox Heroes on the field, I'll sacrifice him to Special Summon Jukebox Hero – Black Angus!" the Prince of Darkness vanished into darkness as the school uniform wearing guitarist jumped out of it and power slide his way to the field. (6/2400/1500) "Next, I activate one of his effects, the second to Special Summon Jukebox Hero Kill Master!" He declared as Black Angus played the opening solo to the song, Thunderstruck, using its call to bring back the bass playing healer. (6/2400/1700)

"Four monsters," Erika stated, "Now you're really paying me back from the first turn."

"You know it," the J-Hero duelist shouted. "First, Black Angus attacks Maverick Trilobyte!" Bon-Fire as his leading guitarist strummed his guitar to create black sound waves to attack the defending machine.

"Trilobyte, defend!" the Maverick duelist countered as the Maverick created another crystal dome around itself, blocking the microphone's flames before shattering. (7/1150/675-337)

"Kill Master, go and finish the job!" Claudio commanded as the J-Hero's bass solo started to have a negative effect on Trilobyte, making it cover the ears.

"And then, I'll activate the trap card, Altar for Tribute to sacrifice my Trilobyte and gain Life Points equal to its original ATK," Erika announced, revealing her trap card. "And its original ATK was 2300, meaning I'm getting a lot for blocking another attack!" She stated as Trilobyte vanished into white healing stars that surrounded Erika, revitalizing her points but weakening Perfect Machine King. (8/3700-3200/1500)

Erika: 3000

Claudio: 3700

"Now she's making a comeback," Alister said, relieved that it wasn't over.

"I'll then, have Punk Revolution attack Wolfang!" Claudio continued as the punk rock band started to rock out, with Cool about to slam on one of his cymbals...

"I activate Negate Attack!" Erika announced, revealing her second facedown card that created a vortex that absorbed Punk Revolution's joint attack. "Now the attack is negated and the Battle Phase has ended!"

"This is getting stressful," Bonaparte sighed.

"Powerful monsters and then powerful attack negations, I agree," Crowler added.

"Looks like we're going to continue this battle," Claudio said as he inserted his two cards into the disk. "Now, I end my turn with two facedown cards and then activate the effects of my Bon-Fire, dealing 300 points for every Jukebox Hero I have, and Kill Master who gives me 600 life points with every Jukebox Hero I have! So that means 1200 damage to you, and 2400 life point gain for me!"

"Don't forget to add in the damage you took for lying on Magical Alms," Erika smirked, "That's 2 spells for 2000 points of damage, meaning you really only gain 400 life points!"

Soon, Bon-Fire swung his mic to launch fireballs at Erika to damage her score while Kill Master healed Claudio, but was interrupted by Magical Alms' glowing power to weaken the healing.

Erika: 1800

Claudio: 4100

"It's my turn," Erika announced, drawing her next card. She then smiled at her find, "I predict no cards, but unlike you, I plan on keeping that word." She then held up the card she just drew. "But for now, I play my best card!"

"Oh boy," Claudio muttered.

"I sacrifice my Maverick Wolfang to summon the Maverick Leader - Lumine!"

The Maverick machine broke down into scrap metal and then flew into the sky and created a new figure in a dark purple light. Everyone expected a bigger and more dangerous machine, even more so than the Perfect Machine King.

He was the size of the average human adult male, which was on the small side of average for most of Erika's Mavericks and machine monsters, for that matter. He had white and purple armor with green on his shoulder pads and a blue crystal on his chest. His light purple hair flared out on either side of his helmet, and nearly covered one of his dark violet eyes which gave him that effeminate look. (5/1700/1000)

"I wondered when she would bring this guy out," Alister said.

"Who is that?" Yugi wondered.

"Lumine, an evolved android that is not a Maverick, yet it can become one at any time it wants," Pegasus declared.

"How's that possible?" Mai asked.

"He's based off the evolution of his kind, Reploids, where if a virus struck it, that Reploid becomes a Maverick," the I2 president stated. "Lumine created to have a DNA chip that has Maverick data and develop immunity to all viruses."

"That sounds good," Serenity said.

"But it wasn't," Pegasus interrupted. "Because of that same DNA chip, he now had a choice to become a Maverick on his free will. This result caused him to eradicate everything old and replace it with everything new."

"So that DNA chip warped his mind?" Will asked.

"He became smart enough to come up with a plan of his own," Pegasus stated.

"A monster that weak and it's her best card?" Jeremy muttered, "Not good..."

"And if it has any other nasty surprised, that's even worse," Lily added.

"The only way Claudio's having a chance to beat it is to see what it does," Alex noted.

"Alright Claudio, your final monster is this little guy," Erika said, pointing to her new monster. "But let's see what happens then... First, thanks to us destroying and sending off my machines into the graveyard, I can give him one Orb Counter for every Maverick I have in the graveyard. And there are at least 8 of them, so I can just add the max 8 counters." Soon, Lumine floated up in the air with eight colored orbs surrounding him in an ellipse formation. (MLL: 8 OCs) "And the special thing about him is that he can use two effects each turn..."

Claudio braced himself, "So what's up with the effects?"

"I'll introduce you to the some of the bad ones you'll hate," the Maverick duelist smirked, "First I'll remove one counter and allow him to remove your Jukebox Hero – Punk Revolution and place it back into the Fusion Deck since it is a Fusion Monster!"

The audience gasped as a green orb flew into Lumine's diamond and then turned himself green. With an evil smirk, he created a sudden tornado that blew the Fusion Band off the field.

'And I did not have them removed from the game, so I was sunk!' Claudio figured. 'This is not the time to screw up, man!'

"And then," Erika continued, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I activate the second effect, removing a counter to allow Lumine gain 1000 ATK!" She continued a white orb entered Lumine next, turning his armor all white to amplify his power. (5/1700-2700/1000) "Now, attack Black Angus!" She commanded as Lumine held up both hands to collect Solar Energy and then fired them both at the school uniformed guitarist, obliterating him from the field.

Erika: 1800

Claudio: 3800

"Next, Perfect Machine King will destroy your Kill Master!" She announced as the tall machine launched a shock rocket fist that slammed into the bassist, shattering him into pixels.

Erika: 1800

Claudio: 3000

"And then, I'll end my turn which will stop the effects of my monster for now..." She announced as Lumine's armored returned to normal. (5/2700-1700/1000)

"Okay, a bunch of surprises..." Claudio muttered. "But now I got to get rid of it... who knows what those other surprises will give up..." He then drew his next card. "I'll predict two spell cards with Magical Alms!" He announced as he and Erika gained as slight boost.

Erika: 2800

Claudio: 4000

"But now, I activate Destruction Ring on my Bon-Fire destroying him and deal us both 1000 points of damage!" He continued as a ring of fire surrounded Bon-Fire and shattered him into pixels, spreading flames to both duelists.

Erika: 1800

Claudio: 3000

"So, he just announced it just to activate a trap that puts them at the same score," Joey wondered. "I don't get it."

"I do," Alister announced, as Claudio revealed his second trap.

"Since Bon-Fire was destroyed, I can activate Thunderstruck!" Claudio declared, "Now I can Special Summon Jukebox Hero Brian-Thunder!" Soon, a thunderbolt launched from the ceiling and brought out Bon-Fire's electric-based replacement. (6/2400/1200)

"Now I activate Lumine's third effect to negate the effects of Brian-Thunder for the turn," Erika interrupted as Lumine's third orb entered the diamond, turning him light blue. (MLL: 5OCs) It then created a small blizzard that nearly froze the J-Hero.

"At least it's not stopping him from destroying Lumine!" the Ra shouted as Brian-Thunder threw his electricity-charged mic at Lumine, who didn't seem the least bit worried.

"Here comes the fourth counter, to negate your attack!" Erika countered as a brown orb entered Lumine. (MLL: 4OCs) Then, he created a crystal shield that bounced the mic right back to the owner.

"Well, I place this facedown and end my turn," Claudio concluded.

"Man, Claudio can't get a hit," Jaden said, snapping his fingers.

"It's my turn," Erika announced, drawing her next card. "Now, I'll activate the fifth and sixth effects together since they both going to affect your life points, and not in a good way."

"Uh oh," Melody gasped.

"First, I can damage you for 700 points of damage and then I can attack you directly!" the Maverick duelist announced as Lumine flew off towards the J-Hero duelist, surrounded by flames that blasted his duel disk and then continued with a dark aura and slugged Claudio with a punch. (MLL: 2OCs)

Erika: 1800

Claudio: 600

"Now it's bad because Claudio can get hit with those other effects!" Allyson gasped.

"Perfect Machine King, destroy Brian-Thunder!" She announced as the giant machine launched another barrage of missiles...

"I activate Feathers," Claudio countered, revealing the trap and a barrage of black feathers blocked the attack and immobilized the machine. (7/3200-2400/1500) "Now your monster can't move and is down 800 in attack points."

"Alright, my turn's over with," Erika concluded. "Looks like topdecking's paying off..."

"And will continue to," the Ra announced, drawing his next card. "First, I'll use one Spell Card and that will be Monster Reborn!" He declared as his and Erika's life points went up.

Erika: 2300

Claudio: 1100

"Now I'm safe from the damage effects, and then because of my Spell I'll revive Coheed Cambria that you sent during my first turn!" He continued as his double-neck wielding guitarist revealed himself. (8/3300/3000)

"But she'll negate it," Lyra pointed out. "It won't matter if she attacks or not..."

"Unless it's only once every turn," Allen figured.

"Brian-Thunder, attack Lumine!" Claudio began as another electric microphone headed straight for the Maverick.

"Lumine, negate the attack!" Erika called out as Lumine created another crystal shield to block the attack. (MLL: 1OCs)

"Now Coheed Cambria can finish the job," He continued as his favorite monster launched a storm of sound waves that picked up Lumine and launched him up in the air and left him suspended.

Erika: 700

Claudio: 1100

"Man, this is too intense and it hasn't reached the main event yet," Jethro whistled.

"Yeah, if Claudio and Erika can bring the house down, what will happen when Yugi and Melody clash?" Hassleberry added.

But then people started to see Lumine started to shine stark white and leave white feathers in his wake, the more he stayed above ground.

"Okay, what's wrong with that?" Syrus wondered. "Lumine should have been destroyed!"

"Unless..."

"Unless I have another special ability of Lumine's to activate," Erika finished for Yugi, "And it happens when he's defeated. You see, Lumine's not the leader of the Mavericks for nothing, even with his lower level! This form that you defeated, Claudio, was just him saying 'hello'."

"So, he has another form?" Claudio asked.

"Yup, and it's in my hand!" the Maverick duelist announced, replacing the initial Lumine's card with her advanced card. "Meet the True Maverick Leader – Seraph Lumine!" She announced as Lumine's illuminated form broke free of the sound waves and then turned dark while the whole world went white as he was raising his arms with six, huge, cyber wings erupted from his small body and then absorbed the whiteness around.

Soon, the Clockwork Battlefield was transformed into the inside of a cloud with the battlefield still on the ground where everyone was still sitting in the seats and the duelists on the ground. Before anyone could voice where Lumine had gone, white feathers fell from the sky and they were coming from Lumine's new form... he gained a new armor with silver and dark purple colors and a blue helmet and visor covering his face. Finally, his wings were glowing green and giving off the fallen feathers he was spawning. He pointed his new wings at Claudio and his monsters, poised to attack. (8/2600/1900)

"Okay, I wouldn't be worried by the life points... but if the first form gave me trouble, who knows what this guy does in this form..." Claudio said, signaling the end of his turn.

"Yeah, we've seen how dangerous Erika is ever since she got those Mavericks," Melody noted. "But what can this one do?"

"I'll show you all what this form can do," Erika announced, drawing her next card. "First, I'll use announce the use of four spell cards this turn with Magical Alms!" She declared as both players gained the life points spawned from her declaration.

Erika: 2700

Claudio: 3100

"Next, I place two more cards facedown and use Emergency Provisions to send both Magical Alms and Soul Anchor to the graveyard to gain 4000 more points!" She declared as all four spell and trap cards vanished and gave her more life points to use.

Erika: 6700

Claudio: 3100

"Whoa, she's not going to stop gaining points!" Alex exclaimed.

"But now, I activate the special ability of Seraph Lumine!" Erika continued, "I pay half of my life points to activate the effect of... Paradise Lost!" Soon, Lumine spread his wings and emitted a dark orb that spread across the field.

Erika: 3350

Claudio: 3100

Then Lumine covered himself with the wings like a protective cocoon.

"Now, I can just wait for the end to come..." Erika stated. "After paying the points, Lumine remains untouched by battle and then after three of your End Phases pass... I win!"

Claudio was unfazed, "I can just destroy it with a ..." He then cut himself off, remembering the Field Spell in play.

"That's right, you can't destroy him with Spells or Traps," the Maverick duelist wagged her finger. "And from being untouched by battle, there's only one route to go... Monster Effects or trying to get at my life points from other monsters... but I won't summon anything else or have anything to make sure my life points are in jeopardy!"

"That means she'll win unless Claudio can get a monster whose effect will take Lumine out or at get to her life points." Spencer stated. "And given Claudio's deck, he hardly has anything despite the flexibility."

"Whoa, Claudio's only got three turns left to drop her life points or drop Lumine," Kenji said.

"And given all of Erika's cards to prevent that, it can't be beaten so easily." Alexis added.

"Now, I wouldn't win this way, but I know you can find a way to bypass it," Erika admitted. "So, I'll end my turn and let's see you try and stop him."

"Then, I'll try," Claudio announced, drawing his next card. _'But first, I need to get rid of those life points... and I can't do much even with destroying Perfect Machine King.'_ He then looked at his card. _'But this will give me the fighting chance..._ ' "I activate Half Shut which will take the ATK of Perfect Machine King and cut it in half, but keep him in the game!" He announced as the giant machine rusted over a bit, making it hunch over. (7/3200-1600/1500) "Now, tear that bucket of bolts apart!" He announced as both Coheed Cambria and Brian-Thunder charged in and went to town on the weakened machine, severely damaging Erika's points.

Erika: 850

Claudio: 3100

"Keep it up!" Melody cheered on.

"But for now, it's all I got for this turn so, it's all you Erika." Claudio concluded as Perfect Machine King's points returned to 3200, but then he was startled when the room began to darken a little. "Hey, what's with the lights?"

"That's Paradise Lost in effect," Erika explained. "For every turn, you fail to beat me, the darkness sets in... and when those three turns are up... everything, including your life points will become pitch black!" (Paradise Lost: 2 turns left)

"It's not going to be easy," Atticus muttered.

"And it's my turn." Erika drew. "With Paradise Lost in play, I can't make any other moves except for this one... Perfect Machine King, destroy Brian Thunder!" She commanded as missiles launched from the machine and bombarded the singer into oblivion.

Erika: 850

Claudio: 2300

"And that will do it for me," She concluded.

"She sure is calm," Serenity pointed out.

"Who can blame her?" Tea asked. "If Claudio can't beat her in two turns, it's her win."

"But the fact of the matter of is that she doesn't want to win this way," Alister added, making everyone look to him. "She wants Claudio win..."

"What for?" Mai wondered.

"It's because like the way I was making sure Melody was ready and I was opening up when I had her stare down Dreadscythe, Erika's trying to have Claudio beat the impossible... I mean with what she's got, nothing can virtually stop her." The Guardian duelist replied. "I mean, Erika and I made it to the big times... Melody and Claudio still have potential... reason why we battled them during their first year."

"Rite of Passage," Will deduced, "Smooth man, real smooth."

"It's my turn," Claudio announced, drawing his next card. _'Not a good card... crap...'_ "Coheed Cambria, destroy her Perfect Machine King!" He declared as his guitarist strummed out more sound waves that shattered the machine into debris, never to return.

Erika: 750

Claudio: 2300

He then sighed and said, "I end my turn." Once again, the room got darker with only a faint sight of everyone left. (Paradise Lost: 1 turn left)

"Alright, Claudio," Erika said, her voice showing the sternness behind it as she drew her next card, "You have one turn left... if you don't do something, it's all over."

Claudio took a deep breath as he looked at the top card of his deck, "Yeah," He muttered to himself, "And now I'm not looking so hot... To think, I was trying to calm Melody down for her match against Yugi, now I'm afraid of losing by an automatic win. And seeing Erika, I can tell she doesn't want to win this way either..." He then placed his fingertips on the top of the deck _, 'Which is why she won't win this way, and I won't lose this way! But can I draw the card to help me out...'_

"Come on, Claudio..." Melody pleaded, "Just draw it..."

"It's getting tense in here," Alexis noted.

"Yeah, and it's not the constricting darkness," Kenji stated.

"I draw!" Claudio shouted, taking the card off his deck. He looked at it with blank eyes, while everyone waited for him to say something. "The duel's over..."

Everyone gasped at the outcome.

"No way, he can't give up!" Jaden shouted.

"Nobody's ever surrendered the duel like this because they were afraid of winning," Chazz also shouted.

"Who said I was surrendering?" Claudio asked, confusing everyone.

"So then, he's just going to let the damage happen?" Jachin wondered.

"Nope, I got the card I needed..." Claudio smirked, revealing the card he drew. "I play Soul Mic!" He announced as the silver microphone appeared in his hands. (1/300/200)

"You can damage me, but you won't be able to take my life points," Erika pointed out.

"Which is why, I'm going to do this," the Ra continued, playing another card into his disk. "I activate Gift of the Martyr! With it, I can sacrifice Coheed Cambria and give his points to Soul Mic! And with enough points, I can damage those points down to 0!" He shouted as Coheed Cambria's body vanished into a white ghostly form that surrounded Soul Mic, pumping it up. (1/300-3600/200)

"So that's why he had a bad draw!" Melody exclaimed. "He could have used it earlier, but his other hero got destroyed!"

Erika was relieved at the outcome, "I was getting a little frightened that I would win in an automatic victory... but I knew that would get you going..."

"Yup," Claudio shrugged, "Now I should take your life points down, despite your last duel here."

"Hey, win some, lose some," Erika shrugged back, "Glad you're ready to overcome the obstacles... now give your best shot..."

"I'll even do you one better, the only way I know how," He replied, as he grabbed his guitar from his back. "Think of this as how Jaden and I defied the Light of Destruction so you all could have a good time for the tournament, plus able to have your wedding tomorrow, and anyone overcoming any obstacles!"

"By all means..." She offered.

(Monster Magnet – Live for the Moment)

Claudio started off with a small guitar intro, with a few simple chords before he started singing about everything he was learning about the Society of Light. About how the future can't be told to someone and that person being told can't just follow along. He should make the future for himself. That's what Jaden and Claudio faced, having to deal with people trying to control Duel Academy's and the whole world's future.

As he kicked up his music, he also remembered that he had the power to stop this and succeeded with the help of Jaden, Neos, and the Ironheade Crew.

Once he reached the ending, he kept repeating the last verse, Soul Mic's sound waves reached past the Maverick leader, and blew past Erika, taking down her life points to end the game.

(End Music)

Erika: 0

Claudio: 2300, Winner

The crowd cheered as the holograms disappeared and the light turned back on with Lumine's departure.

"That was almost symbolic," Alister stated.

"How so," Yugi wondered.

"That's how he and Melody beat Erika and I the last time," the Guardian duelist replied. "Basically, beating us with nothing but him on the field; that's how his Soul Monsters function."

"I see," the King of Games nodded.

"At least his deck wasn't at random and they fit together like an actual rock band," Tea stated. She then looked to her husband. "Now you're going to face Melody... any strategies planned?"

"Quite a few," Yugi smiled, "And from Melody's deck, it'll take nearly every card in my deck to stand up to her."

"'Stand up?'" Matthias wondered.

"You really think you'll have a tough time against her," Alister smiled.

"You all learned not to underestimate the students of Duel Academy," Yugi stated. "I was never any different from every duelist in the past."

"Just like you to say that," Mai smirked.

Yugi then stood up from his seat and walked away from the stands, "Time for me to Duel again..."

"Good luck," Tea said.

Over on the other side of the audience...

Melody sighed in relief, "That was close... after seeing him make that draw during Lumine's second turn, I thought he'd lost."

"At least he had three turns," Isaac stated. "Otherwise, that would have been it..."

"Still, I loved the suspense!" Jaden exclaimed.

"You loved every part of it," Allyson smirked.

"Didn't you," Alexis asked.

"Of course," the Spirit duelist exclaimed.

"So Melody, any game plan against Yugi?" Kenji asked the Spellcaster duelist.

"After seeing Claudio beat Erika, I'll just play the game," Melody shrugged.

"Just play?" Aster wondered. "You do realize he's the best duelist in the world, right?"

"And if I treat him like that, putting him on a pedestal, how can I fight him on equal ground?" Melody asked back.

"There's no chance," Chazz stated, "He's the best!"

"She's right," Jachin replied. "If she focuses how he's a duelist who's rarely been beaten, and known to make effective strategies in the critical moments, then she'll definitely lose badly."

"Exactly," Melody pointed out, "All I should do is duel him, like I dueled any of you guys... just seeing the duelist across from me."

"Well put," Alexis smiled.

"And now, I think I should get to fulfill that dream of dueling him," the Spellcaster duelist smiled, as she stood up and walked away from the stands."

"Knock 'em dead, sis," Isaac called out to her.

* * *

Yugi reached the eastern hallways leading to the arena, and met up with Erika.

"Hey Yugi," She greeted.

"How was it?" Yugi asked.

"He's ready to push past his limits," Erika stated. "He just needs to realize it more. Still, he was the perfect choice for the final duel here, even without personal reasons."

"Alister said the same thing about Melody," Yugi replied. "But I think with my dueling her, she'll do everything to stand against me. And I know she will..."

"Well then, let's see it happen," the Maverick duelist stated, patting the King of Games on the back before she headed to the stands and he headed to the arena.

* * *

Melody reached the western hallways leading to the arena, and met up with Claudio.

"Always must upstage yourself, don't you," Melody scolded playfully.

"Only way to keep fighting on," Claudio grinned.

The Spellcaster duelist lost the playfulness in her demeanor, "I noticed how angry you were when Erika used your monsters against you. The same when X made you discard them all. You hid the way you normally would express it, but I could tell in your eyes you hated every moment of it."

"Yeah," the J-Hero duelist sighed, "But then, there are a lot of people who would try using those tactics to beat me. Like Jeremy and his Alien cards, after remembering that, I just learned to let go and play. I'm still going to be mad in the future, but Erika was right about how any duelist will use what their decks are capable of to win."

"Glad you're calm now," Melody replied. "Don't want you upset during my duel against Yugi, and when we go to Alister and Erika's wedding tomorrow."

"Right, right," Claudio smiled. "First, just show the King of Games you have the potential to be a future Queen of Games, alright?"

"I hear you," Melody smiled as they embraced and kissed. "Cheer me on."

"I always will," Claudio replied as her headed to the stands, and Melody headed to the arena.

* * *

Soon, both Yugi and Melody walked out of hallways and into the arena where the crowd was now going wild... Especially since Yugi was the one getting most of the acclaim.

Erika took her seat next to Alister.

"Nice duel, out there," He said to his fiancée. "Really loved the suspense with that giant Maverick time bomb you had going."

Erika giggled, "Thanks."

Claudio took his seat next to Isaac.

"Good job, out there man," the Toon duelist said, patting Claudio on the back.

"Thank you," Claudio replied. "Now let's see how our girl battles against Yugi."

The two players stood against each other.

"I wish you the best of luck, Melody," Yugi announced, "As a duelist, I will use every card I have to defeat you."

"I say the same to you," Melody replied, "Right now it's not the GX Champion facing the King of Games, or a female duelist against the male duelist... It's Melody Hikarii facing Yugi Moto!" The audience stared in awe as the Spellcaster made that statement. "Even though it's unheard of that a girl duelist not winning the big tournaments, I still see myself as a duelist first, and I bet that was what all the girls wanted to say. But now, it's just you and me, and whether I win or lose, I plan on showing you my power as a duelist! I'll carry the moments of every duelist I've faced and fight you with all my strength!"

The audience cheered for Melody's declaration.

"Then, I'll face Melody Hikari the duelist!" Yugi declared. "And I'll show you my power in kind!"

Both players then activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"GAME ON!" Melody shouted.

"IT'S TIME TO DUEL!" Yugi shouted.

Melody: 8000

Yugi: 8000

"Here we go!" Melody shouted, drawing her sixth card. "I activate my Arcane Barrier Spell Card!" She began as a large statue of a magician appeared behind her and then a magic seal appeared beneath her field. "Whenever Spellcaster Monsters are destroyed, this card gains a Spell Counter."

 _'And her deck makes it so no matter what, I'll set off that Spell card,'_ Yugi thought, as his opponent placed another card on her field.

"Next I add Apprentice Magician to the field in defense mode!" Melody continued as the young blonde apprentice mage magically appeared and kneeled with her staff to defend. (2/400/800) "And with her summoning, I can place a Spell Counter on any card that takes them, and that means my Arcane Barrier!"

Then, the mage waved her staff to place the black and yellow orb on one of the four slots in the statue. (AC: 1SPC)

"Finally, I set a card facedown to end my turn," She concluded, as a set card appeared in front of her.

"A good start because she started off with a Spell Counter on the go," Isaac noted.

"Yeah, and if Yugi pulls off any multiple attacks, she'll be ready," Claudio added.

"It's my turn now, I draw," Yugi announced, drawing his sixth card, "I start off with Polymerization and fuse Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon from my hand to call forth Swift Gaia the Dragon Champion!" He announced as Gaia appeared on his war horse and then Curse of Dragon appeared in the sky. Once the dragon flew in close the ground, the knight jumped off the horse and mounted the dragon that flew back into the skies. (7/2600/2100)

"A big start coming from Yugi," Joey whistled, "Now he's making sure Melody will bring out the big guns later..."

"Not only that, Swift Gaia will attack directly to stop Melody from having her monsters destroyed," Roxanne continued, "Half damage, but she won't get any more counters."

"Swift Gaia, attack with Double Dragon Lance!" the King of Games commanded as the Dragon Champion flew in to drive the lances into the Ra...

"I don't think so... I activate the Attack Guidance Barrier Trap Card!" Melody countered, revealing her facedown card. "This redirects your attack to my monster in defense mode, while giving her 600 DEF!" She announced as the statue's staff created a barrier that energized Apprentice Magician. (2/400/800-1400) Gaia fired an energy blast from his lance, bounced off the statue and then shocked the mage, shattering her into pixels.

"She blocked the attack," Tea said in surprise

"Apprentice Magician's effect now activates and Sets a Level 2 or below Spellcaster from my deck," Melody continued as she searched through her deck to take out the choice card and set it face down, in defense mode on her field before shuffling her deck. "Also, because the first was destroyed, Arcane Barrier gains another Counter." She continued as another orb appeared in the second slot. (AC: 2SPC)

"I'll end with two cards facedown," He concluded as two cards appeared in front of his feet. "It's your turn, Melody. Good move."

 _'Figures he would not go for my monster, thinking I would keep the Apprentice Magician going for the Arcane Barrier to fill up..._ ' Melody thought, 'Good that I have that trap to end the Battle Phase, so I can get his Fusion Monster out of the way...' She then drew her next card. "I reveal my facedown monster, the Old Vindictive Magician!" She announced, as an elderly man in dark red magician robes appeared carrying an oak staff. (2/450/600) "And when he's Flip Summoned, I can destroy a monster on your field, like your Swift Gaia the Dragon Champion!" She announced as the old mage raised his staff and then fired a red blast at the Dragon Champion.

"Now, I activate my De-Fusion Spell Card!" Yugi declared, revealing his spell card. "This splits my fusion monster into the two used to summon it in defense mode!"

"Aw man... that means Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon are both coming back!" Syrus gasped as the Fierce Knight jumped right off of the dragon and landed back on the war horse that returned to the field. (7/2300/2100), (5/2000/1500)

"Now he's got two monsters to defend himself, so he won't lose any life points," Jaden added. "He's got it figured out.

"Yeah, but I want to see what Melody's going to do next," Allyson stated.

"I sacrifice my Old Vindictive Magician and summon the Dark Red Enchanter!" She announced as the elder magician vanished into red sparkles and brought out a taller, younger magician with red robes and golden shoulder and head armor appeared. In his right hand, he carried a scepter with a red jewel inside. (6/1700/2200) "Once summoned, he gains two Spell Counters, each giving him 300 ATK each!" She announced as two orbs entered the shoulder armor, powering his magic. (6/1700-2300/2200) "Now attack Swift Gaia!" She commanded as the Enchanter charged his scepter and struck the knight with a dark red energy blast, obliterating him from the field.

"One monster down and she took out the best one, too," Claudio cheered.

"Now she needs something for that Curse of Dragon," Isaac nodded.

"I end with a facedown card of my own." Melody concluded.

"Now it's my turn," Yugi announced, drawing his next card. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn." He stated, setting only one monster.

"Just one monster," Allen wondered, "He's up to something."

"Yeah, but it must have something to do with that facedown card of his as well," Lyra figured. "And then he only has one card in his hand from fusing Swift Gaia the Dragon Champion."

"My move," Melody announced. "I set one monster of my own, and then I'll have Dark Red Enchanter attack your Curse of Dragon!" She declared as the dark red mage fired another spell at the defending dragon, blasting it to pixels.

"I activate my trap card, Soul Rope!" Yugi announced, revealing a trap depicting a grey-haired man absorbing energy from Warrior Dai Grepher through a soul rope. "By paying 1000 life points, I can Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from my deck he announced as a red aura translated the payment.

Melody: 8000

Yugi: 7000

Then, Yugi took out his deck and searched for his choice monster and placed on the field. "I summon Blockman in defense mode!" He declared as a monster made of multicolored building blocks appeared. (4/1000/1500)

"I remember that card," Tea said, "It's from the deck he used against Atem..."

"And that monster alone can help him get some high-level monsters on the field," Joey added.

"I'll end my turn," Melody declared. 'Okay, Blockman has a special effect to summon more tokens to defend and sacrifice for the number of turns it stays on the field... I just need to limit the number..."

Yugi drew his next card, and nodded at his find, "First, I use the spell Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." He declared as he drew out his two cards.

"By playing that Spell Card, you allowed Dark Red Enchanter to gain another Spell Counter and 300 ATK," the Spellcaster duelist declared as another orb entered the Enchanter. (6/2300-2600/2200) (DRE: 3SPC)

"I'll end with two face-down cards." He concluded, inserting two face-down cards.

"That's one turn," Sartorius noted. "But he needs to be careful of playing Spell Cards."

"I draw," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "I summon Magical Exemplar in attack mode!" She began as she summoned her black-haired, green-robed spellcaster. (4/1700/1400) "And then, I equip Dark Red Enchanter with Fairy Meteor Crush, which will allow him piercing damage plus give him a Spell Counter and Exemplar two for playing this card!"

The audience cheered as a fourth Spell Counter entered Dark Red Enchanter (DRE: 4SPC) (6/2600-2900/2200), and another two surrounded the Exemplar. (ME: 2SPC)

"Now Dark Red Enchanter, attack his Blockman!" She declared, as the Enchanter charged at the toy monster.

"I activate my facedown cards," the King of Games countered, "The first is Waboku, and the second is Turn Jump!"

"With Turn Jump he can advance the Battle Phase by 3 turns," Sarina noted as the giant, silver pocket watch appeared and started spinning the minute and hour hands quickly before it vanished as well. As the time passed, Dark Red Enchanter and Magical Exemplar gained more counters. (DRE: 5SPC) (6/2900-3200/2200) (ME: 4SPC)

"And then, by activating Waboku before that, the effect resolves and blocks the damage, right this instant," Makoto added as the three priestesses appeared from the trap and blocked the attacking spellcaster's spell.

"It'll take more than that to damage my life points, Melody," Yugi declared.

"Okay, you asked for it," the Ra announced as two of Magical Exemplar's Spell Counters flew into the air. (ME: 2SPC) "With Magical Exemplar's effect, I can give up a number of Spell Counters she holds and Special Summon a Spellcaster monster from the graveyard, and I choose my Apprentice Magician!" She stated as two counters combined and revived the apprentice mage from the dead, kneeling down on the field. (2/400/800) "And because of her summoning, I place a Spell Counter on Arcane Barrier!" She stated as another Counter appeared on the statue. (AC: 3SPC) "And then, I'll use Dark Red Enchanter's effect to remove two of those counters and then discard the last card you have in your hand!"

Yugi willingly discarded his last card, before Dark Red Enchanter released two of his own counters. (DRE: 3SPC) (6/3200-2600/2200)

"It's Melody's four monsters to Yugi's two," Jason pointed out.

"But with that Blockman's effect and Turn Jump, he'll have five monsters to use," Shion added.

"I end my turn," Melody declared.

"Very well," Yugi stated, drawing his next card. "Now, I use the special ability of Blockman, sacrificing it to summon Block Tokens for every turn it stayed on the field. Thanks to Summoning it with Soul Rope and Turn Jump, that's four and gives me four tokens to Summon!" He announced as Blockman broke apart into individual block pieces and then reformed into a group of four monsters. (4/1000/1500) x4 "Next, I reveal the facedown monster, Morphing Jar!" He continued as the Set monster flipped over to show the one-eyed fiend peering out of an old jar as it grinned. (2/700/600)

"Now he can gain a hand again," Will smiled as both players were forced to discard whatever cards they were holding and drawing a five card hand.

"But now I send it and one of the block tokens to Summon the Dark Magician of Chaos!" He declared as one block token and Morphing Jar vanished and gave way to the blue skinned, dark clothed Chaos Magician who waved his scepter around. (8/2800/2600)

"He's actually more famous with the Ritual Monster version of this monster," Spencer stated as the audience cheered. "So, it looks like he's getting in with the times..."

"Yes, because up until now, he's played cards from years ago," Sheppard figured.

"Of course Yugi-boy would change up his deck," Pegasus chuckled. "It's not like the same deck would win every duel, even if it is him..."

Melody gave a slight smile, 'I wondered when he'd bring one out...'

"First, when Dark Magician of Chaos is Normal or Special Summoned, I can select any Spell card from my graveyard and place it into my hand..." He announced, as his discard slot pushed out one. "And I've chosen the card you placed in there with your Enchanter's special ability."

"I bet it's something good from the smile of his face." Alexis muttered.

"I agree," Kenji nodded. "He's known for having some of the best spells in the game for any situation."

"Now my Dark Magician of Chaos, destroy Melody's Dark Red Enchanter with Chaos Scepter Blast!" Yugi commanded as the dark mage collect the powers of darkness into his scepter and volleyed it to the Dark Red Enchanter, sending him off into the dark abyss. "And when he destroys a monster, it is then removed from the game."

Melody: 7800

Yugi: 7000

"I still get that final Spell Counter for Arcane Barrier since my monster was destroyed," Melody pointed out as the final orb was placed into the statue. (AC: 4SPC)

"She finally took a hit," Chazz stated, "But it's bigger since she lost the strongest monster she had."

"Still, she's got a chance of winning," Claudio pointed out. "A strong monster and a 200-point loss are not going to shake her."

"For Main Phase 2, I activate Pot of Greed to draw another two cards from my deck and give your Magical Exemplar another two Counters," Yugi announced, as he inserted the spell and drew another two cards and another two orbs circled Magical Exemplar. (ME: 4SPC) "I then end my turn with two facedown cards."

"About time you hit me," Melody stated as she drew her next card, making six. "And I figured you'd use your Chaos Magician, so I had this ready to use!" She then revealed her facedown card, showing off a trap card. It depicted the D.D. Survivor jumping out of the Different Dimension and into a graveyard. "I activate Escape from the Different Dimension to bring back the DARK attribute Dark Red Enchanter in defense mode!" She announced as a dimensional rip opened from the sky, with the Dark Red Enchanter crossing through and landed with his scepter up front. (6/1700/2200)

Yugi gasped, _'Now she can use it for Arcane Barrier's effects...'_

"Now, Dark Red Enchanter will be put to rest into the graveyard to fulfill the requirements of Arcane Barrier, allowing me to draw four new cards!" Melody continued as Dark Red Enchanter offered himself up to the Magician statue and they both shattered, letting her draw four cards, for a total of a 10 card hand.

"Her hand's stacked up now," Joey looked on, "But she needs to play them, in order to avoid discard."

"Yeah, but if Yugi tried to destroy it later, then she would have missed out on an opportunity to use some of those cards when it mattered," Mai stated.

"Now, let's get to the battle of Magicians as I sacrifice my facedown monster and Apprentice Magician to the graveyard to Summon my own Dark Magician of Chaos!" She declared as the weaker magicians vanished into a dark void which released the double of Yugi's current Magician on the field. (8/2800/2600)

The audience was shocked to see the two doubles of the Chaos Magician facing off.

"I was thinking they would wait for the original Dark Magicians and Dark Magician Girl to do something like this," Syrus said in awe.

"Still, this duel is starting to live up to the hype," Allyson said, not hiding the excitement on her face and in her voice.

"And it would be out of this world to see them go at it!" Jaden exclaimed as well.

"Now, I'll use his effect to bring back Fairy Meteor Crush from the graveyard and then Equip it to him again!" Melody declared as the sparkling aura surrounded her Chaos Mage and granted Exemplar two more counters. (ME: 6SPC) "Next, I use the Spell Diffusion Wave-Motion to pay 1000 life points and let my monster attack every single one of yours!" She declared as a red aura surrounded her for the payoff. (ME: 8SPC)

Melody: 6800

Yugi: 7000

"And that would severely damage his life points, with having his defenses penetrated as well," Serenity gasped.

"Even worse, I bet Melody's planning to beat out Yugi's Chaos Magician with her own," Joey added.

"But will Yugi know when to counter it?" Mai wondered. "I mean he has two cards facedown..."

"Alright, Dark Magician of Chaos will attack every single one of your monsters... including your Dark Magician of Chaos!" Melody commanded as her Magician raised its scepter high and sent shockwaves across the field...

"I activate my trap cards," Yugi announced, revealing his two facedown cards. "First, Imperial Iron Wall will make it so that any cards won't be removed from play! So, that makes it safe for me to use Mirage Ruler!"

As he finished declaring his move, the three block tokens were completely shattered by the mage's advanced spell, leaving Yugi kneeling on the ground.

Melody: 6800

Yugi: 3100

Before the drop in the King of Games' points caused the uproar, his Chaos Magician dodged the oncoming shockwaves, yet failed to dodge that last one. However, he was able to fire a surprise dark spell towards Melody Chaos Magician, destroying him as well.

"Alright, he's down to almost three grand," Claudio cheered. "Keep it up, Mel!"

"Whoa, that was very surprising that she did all of that to drop Yugi down by almost four grand in points," Alister gasped.

"Melody's bringing the business, that's for sure," Erika nodded, surprised as her fiancé was.

As the smoke cleared, Yugi stood up from the assault and wiped the dust of his knee. "Nice attack, but now I can use the ability of my Mirage Ruler... after all of my monsters are destroyed during the battle phase, I regain the monsters I lost from the graveyard and then regain all of the life points I lost from the battles!"

"That means he gets everything back!" Jeremy exclaimed in shock.

"No, he can't get those tokens back," Alex pointed out. "But thanks to Imperial Iron Wall, he can get back Dark Magician of Chaos!" As he finished the sentence, Yugi's Chaos Magician returned to the field and he gained his points. (8/2800/2600)

Melody: 6800

Yugi: 7000

"Finally, the last effect of Mirage Ruler causes me to pay 1000 life points," Yugi concluded as the red aura translated the payment.

Melody: 6800

Yugi: 6000

"You got your Magician back, so let me get back mine by using Magical Exemplar's effect to send those eight Spell Counters away and bring back my Dark Magician of Chaos!" Melody announced, as Exemplar used her counters to create a portal from the graveyard to revive her Chaos Magician. (ME: 0SPC) (8/2800/2600) "And since you Missed the Timing because of your trap card, you couldn't get your Spell since the 1000 point payment was the last part of your trap. But I can still get mine back, and I'll have the spell card you made me discard with Morphing Jar." She declared, retrieving her card from the graveyard. "But to keep my cards, I'll place three cards facedown and switch Magical Exemplar to defense mode to end my turn." She concluded.

The audience started cheering for the action to continue from the Duelists.

"It's getting too close," Pegasus commented. "They have only 800 life points separating the scores, and both with an effective monster on the field that can destroy each other and make a game changer."

"Melody even has one more monster than Yugi does," Sheppard stated. "Having Magical Exemplar could help or hurt her chances of winning."

"What a duel," Lily gasped. "The action hasn't let up ever since Melody started her first turn."

"And then all the action has probably been at Yugi's expense," Juli stated. "I mean, the only life points he truly lost was paying from his trap cards to keep monsters on the field. Melody only paid 1000 and lost 200 points from a battle."

"But what we know from Yugi is that he'll make a comeback," Shion added.

"Well played, Melody," Yugi smiled. "I'm impressed with how well you're playing."

"Well, I am trying not to fall way behind," Melody stated, rubbing the back of her head.

"From the looks of things, I'm the one who should be worrying about falling behind," the King of Games stated. "I can see that Duel Academy has done well for you and your friends." He then drew his next card, "Now it's time I worked on getting back in the game. For my turn, I Set one monster in defense mode," He began, placing a monster on his field next to his Dark Magician of Chaos. "Next, I'll have my Chaos Magician attack Magical Exemplar!" Then, his Chaos Mage fired another Chaos Scepter Blast attack that absorbed and destroyed the Exemplar. "Now you won't be Summoning any more monsters from your graveyard."

"Not from her, anyway," Melody said, drawing her next card. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode!" She announced, bringing out her red robed and armored magical swordsman. (4/1600/1000) "And when he's summoned, he gains a Spell Counter with 300 more ATK!" She announced as the orb shined within the Spellcaster's shield. (4/1600-1900/1000)

"She'll need to power up one of her monsters, to contend with Yugi's magician," Alexis stated. "Otherwise it'll be destroyed."

"Probably use something to power up her Chaos Magician, to destroy that and go ahead and attack the facedown monster," Kenji figured.

"And then, I'll use that counter to destroy your Imperial Iron Wall!" Melody continued as Breaker thrust his shield at Yugi's trap and fired the Spell Counter at the trap card. (4/1900-1600/1000) "And then, now your monster's able to be destroyed and set out of play, so I'll add my facedown Spell Card Magician's Unite!" She announced as she revealed her facedown card, showing off her spell depicting two magician silhouettes crossing wands over the Spellbinding Circle. "Now since I have two Spellcaster monsters in attack mode, I can make one of them 3000 ATK instantly... and that will be Breaker!" She announced as Breaker and Dark Magician of Chaos crossed their sword and scepter, with the former gaining power. (4/1600-3000/1000)

"She's in business now," Allyson grinned.

"But it doesn't stop there," the Spellcaster duelist continued, revealing second facedown card. "I have Pitch-Black Power Stone next, filling it up with three Spell Counters." She declared as the black stone emerged from the trap, with three orbs embedded within. (PBPS: 3SPC) "And then, I'll take one from the trap and give it to Breaker for 300 more points!" One of the orbs inside the stone flew out (PBPS: 2SPC) and then attached itself into the Magical Warrior's shield, powering him up more. (BtMW: 1SPC) (4/3000-3300/1000)

"That's why she chose him, and got rid of the earlier counter!" Isaac figured out. "Smart thinking, even for the single attack she has."

"Now Breaker, destroy Yugi's Magician and remove it from play!" She announced as Breaker charged and slashed Yugi's Magician, shattering into pixels.

Melody: 6800

Yugi: 5500

"Yeah, that's showing him," Claudio cheered. "If only she could keep on the attacks, so that her other mage could get at the facedown monster."

"I end my turn," Melody announced as Breaker's power reduced. (4/3300-1900/1000)

"And begins mine," Yugi declared, drawing his next card. "Now, I sacrifice my facedown monster, Witch of the Black Forest, and summon the dragon, Des Volstgalph!" He announced as the facedown monster revealed the black dressed, three-eyed witch before vanishing and then bringing out a vicious looking dragon a blue body, covered with sharp, red scales. The scales over its face, gave it the vicious and menacing look as it stared down the Magicians. (6/2200/1700)

"Bad news," Lily stated, "Now Yugi can take advantage of Melody playing Spell cards, too. It'll gain 200 ATK for every Normal and Quick-Play Spell used until the End Phase of that turn."

"Now I activate the effect of Witch of the Black Forest, allowing me to move a monster with 1500 DEF or less from my deck to my hand, and I'll choose the Tricky!" Yugi announced, taking out the monster card before shuffling the deck and returning it to the duel disk. "Next, I activate the Equip Spell Mage Power to it and give him 500 ATK and DEF for every Spell and Trap I have on the field. And with an added facedown card, that's 1000 extra points!" He declared as a white smoke surrounded the dragon, after Yugi played the Equip Spell and inserted the facedown card. (6/2200-3200/1700-2700)

"Not good," Syrus gasped.

"Finally, I discard once card to Special Summon the Tricky," He added, discarding another card to bring out a jester-like monster wearing a yellow and black outfit with a dark blue cape attached, and red question marks on its face and chest. (5/2000/1200) "Now destroy Breaker the Magical Warrior!" He announced as the jester threw a ball of wind that shattered warrior into pixels

Melody: 6700

Yugi: 5500

"And then, I'll have Des Volstgalph attack the Chaos Magician!" He continued as his dragon breathed a dark fireball, incinerating the Chaos Mage and reduced him to ashes.

Melody: 6300

Yugi: 5500

"And then when Des Volstgalph destroys a monster in battle, you lose another 500 life points," He continued as Melody's points took another drop.

Melody: 5800

Yugi: 5500

"Once again, they're matched!" Erika gasped. "They're going back and forth!"

"We knew Melody would give him a hard time, if she played right, but Yugi's pulling out almost every trick and he hasn't used his Dark Magician yet." Alister said, equally shocked.

"I'll end my turn," Yugi concluded.

 _'Darn, that facedown card has to be a Quick-Play Spell or something that could bring out one to set,_ ' Melody thought _, 'So using any Equip Spell to power up Dark Magician of Chaos is out of the question. But what about my next draw...'_ She then drew her next card and saw it. _'That's_ a little better, and I can stand up to that dragon.' "I activate the Field Spell card, Magical Citadel of Endymion!" She announced as the arena transported to the large Citadel with the night sky and stars blanketing the ceiling. "Then, I'll transport one of the Counters from my trap and place it inside the Field Spell!" The second counter flew from the stone (PBPS: 1SPC) and then launched into the Citadel's first torch, igniting the black flame. (MCoE: 1SPC)

"Now she can keep it safe," Fonda noted.

"Now, I summon Defender the Magical Knight!" Melody continued, bringing out the blue armored knight who kneeled and blocked with his shield, with a Spell Counter inside it. (4/1600/2000) (DtMK: 1SPC) "And then, I'll switch my Magician to defense mode and end my turn here."

"She's got enough to defend three times unless she got something else," Masaki noted. "But Yugi could have something else up his sleeve."

"Without a doubt," Aster added. "He could make sure that Melody's chances of defending are reduced."

"It's my turn now," Yugi announced, drawing his next card, "I activate the Spell Card, Card of Demise to draw five new cards!" He declared, drawing a new hand. (MCoE: 2SPC) "Next, I activate Counter Cleaner!"

Melody gasped as her opponent inserted the spell card, depicting Pot of Greed used as a vacuum cleaner, taking in all the counters off the ground. 'This is the worst thing that can happen!'

"By paying 500 life points, I can remove all counters on the field," the King of Games announced. "So say goodbye to all of the Spell Counters!"

Melody: 5800

Yugi: 5000

Soon, a storm kicked up over the city and started to suck in the Pitch-Black Power Stone and Defender's Shield, but the flame of the Citadel still stood.

"Why didn't the Field Spell's counter go away?" Serenity asked.

"Because Yugi played a Spell Card," Will replied, "It actually got rid of the counter it originally had, but after the effect resolved, it gained another counter. So in way, the field spell lost nothing and Melody can only use Defender's effect once now."

"Next, I reveal my facedown trap card, Blast with Chain!" Yugi continued revealing his facedown card depicting an explosive rocket with a chain attached. "With it, I can equip the Tricky with this card and it gains 500 ATK!" Soon, a small chain wrapped around the jester and it held on to the explosive. (5/2000-2500/1200) "Now, attack Defender!" He commanded as the jester launched another wind ball at the Magical Knight...

"I activate his special ability to give up the Field Spell's counter and defend him from your attack," Melody countered as the torch was blown out (MCoE: 0SPC) and launched the Spell Counter at the Tricky, pushing it back to Yugi's side.

"Des Volstgalph, destroy Defender." He continued as his dragon charged up another dark fireball, destroying the armored knight.

Melody: 5300

Yugi: 5000

"I then end my turn," Yugi concluded.

"And it's my turn," Melody announced, drawing her next card. "I activate my Lightning Vortex Spell Card, and I discard one monster to the graveyard to destroy all monsters on the field!" She quickly stated as a large storm cloud loomed over Yugi's monsters and then zapped them both into dust. (MCoE: 1SPC)

"Oh man, Yugi's out of cards!" Jaden exclaimed. "If Melody can get a big monster, she can score a big hit to damage Yugi's life points!"

"And that's just what I'm going to do with Monster Reborn," the Spellcaster duelist announced, inserting the next Spell Card and placing another Spell Counter in her field spell. (MCoE: 2SPC) "And I'll resurrect the monster I just discarded... my Dark Magician Girl!"

The audience cheered as Melody's favorite monster appeared on the field, but with a slight boost. (6/2000-2300/1700)

"Finally, Melody's looking to end this now..." Claudio exclaimed.

"And she probably has Dark Magician or Illusion Magician in the graveyard." Isaac deduced, "Probably from when she had to discard from Morphing Jar's effect."

"But it doesn't stop there!" Melody continued, with everyone waiting on her next move," I activate the Sage's Stone Spell Card from my hand!" She continued as a small, crystal appeared in the young mage's hand. (MCoE: 3SPC) "Now with her on the field, I can Special Summon my very own Dark Magician from my deck!" She continued as the Sage's Stone floated up from DMG's hands and then materialized itself into the pale faced, dark purple robed wizard, and landing next to his apprentice. (7/2500/2100)

"This is getting good," Allyson exclaimed. "She brought out her magicians before he could!"

"And combined they deal 4800 points of damage," Jaden added, equally excited. "If she's got anymore cards to use, now's the time!"

All the while, Yugi stayed calm against the overwhelming odds of being defenseless.

"Just like Yugi, if he's not on the verge of losing every life point, he knows he'll be alright," Tea smiled.

"Can't go wrong with that," Joey added. "Every time we lose something major, we nearly fall to pieces... especially when I first started."

"Dark Magician Girl, attack Yugi directly!" The Spellcaster duelist announced as the apprentice charged in, spinning her scepter and launching a dark pink orb...

"I discard Kuriboh to negate the battle damage," Yugi announced as he discarded the named monster, and then created a wall of Kuribohs that absorbed the impact of DMG's attack.

"I'll then let Dark Magician strike with Dark Magic attack!" She announced as the magician thrust his staff towards the King of Games, launching the powerful spell and turned Yugi into a screaming photo-negative before he staggered.

Melody: 5300

Yugi: 2500

"She's almost done with the duel!" Claudio exclaimed, "All she needs is one more major attack!"

Hearing that, Yugi chuckled, "But that will have to wait, as I activate the effect of another monster in my hand!" He announced.

"Another monster," Melody wondered. She then gasped, "Oh no..."

"I Special Summon Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness!" Yugi declared as he placed the next card on the field, bringing out a red-haired warrior decked out in black armor that covered everything except his shoulders, a visor over his eyes, and a red cape attached to the back. He pulled out his forearm blades and crossed them. (7/2700/2500) "Next, I activate his second effect... it lets me summon an Emissary of Darkness Token to the field with the same ATK and DEF scores as the amount of direct damage you've dealt to me, Melody!" He continued as a light pillar descended from the sky and brought out a female warrior wearing silver body armor over a red dress, and carried a long silver blade in her right hand. (7/2500/2500)

"Uh oh, now I see why he let the strongest attack hit him..." Jeremy muttered. "Not to mention, he saved himself from having to block with one monster."

"Looks like the King of Games, strikes again," Lily noted.

"I end my turn with a facedown card," Melody concluded. 'He got me again... even with higher life points, he's one step ahead of me... no telling how effectively he'll use those two monsters.'

"It's my move," Yugi announced, drawing his next card. "I activate Dark Magic Curtain!" He declared as he inserted the spell card, and a skeleton with a pentagram within its chest, wearing a large, red curtain that covered below the waist. (MCoE: 4SPC) Yugi then smiled, "Since you brought out your Dark Magician, it's only fair that I bring out mine... after paying half my life points of course..."

Melody: 5300

Yugi: 1250

"Now Dark Magician, reveal yourself!" He shouted as the skeleton pulled back the curtain with both arms and revealed the Spellcaster in question. This signature magician came out with purple robes, purple hair underneath the hat, and carrying his weapon of choice, a lime green scepter. (7/2500/2100) The Academy crowd cheered as the original Dark Magician stood next to the Emissaries of Darkness.

"There it is, the original Dark Magician," Isaac stated.

"Also meaning that Yugi wants to see through this match," Atticus added. "Even paying off half his score to summon his..."

"Next, I use Spider String!" Yugi continued, bringing out another Spell Card that depicted a small spider on its web, launching another string from its abdomen. (MCoE: 5SPC) "Now, I can add one Spell Card to my hand that you've used in your graveyard! And I select Lightning Vortex!" He announced as the spell image launched a thread of spider string into Melody's graveyard and pulled out the Spell in question.

"He can destroy Melody's monsters with that card!" Claudio gasped.

"And with the monsters he has on the field, he can end this now!" Jaden added.

"Now, I discard one card to activate Lightning Vortex and destroy your monsters!" the King of Games continued, discarding his last card and then launched the Spell's violent storm over Melody's monsters. (MCoE: 5SPC)

"I activate my Interdimensional Matter Transporter," Melody countered, revealing her facedown card. "I remove Dark Magician Girl from play until the end of turn!" She announced as a dimension rip opened and sucked in her signature monster before the thunderstorm took out her Dark Magician.

"It still means that you are defenseless!" Yugi announced, "Go my monsters, attack her directly!" He declared as the Emissaries and his Dark Magician charged into the fray with everyone gasping.

"Reveal my next trap card," Melody announced, "I use Call of the Haunted to bring back my Defender, the Magical Knight!" She declared as the armored knight reappeared and unsheathed his dagger to fight. (4/1600/2000)

"But he's weaker than any of them," Isaac stated.

"But he can use those Spell Counters to defend Melody!" Claudio pointed out as Defender absorbed three of the Citadel torches' power and placed it into his shield. (MCoE: 2SPC) Soon, Dark Magician, Gorz, and the Emissary Token all struck the Magical Knight, each one leaving a damaging mark on his armor, leaving it battered up and falling apart.

Melody: 2400

Yugi: 1250

"She really saved herself back there," Sheppard stated. "Even if she brought back Dark Magician, she would have lost a lot more."

"And Yugi would have lost either his Dark Magician or his Emissary Token." Pegasus added.

Alexis sighed in relief, "I really didn't want to see Melody lose like that..."

"Combined, that would have been 7700 points worth of damage," Kenji noted. "And the worst part of it is that all monsters still needed to attack in order to deal those points."

"A wise choice," Yugi praised, "Since your Spell Counters are still on the field, you used a monster that could defend most of your life points."

"I'm not easy to get rid of," Melody smiled, "Even to a veteran duelist like you! And because of your tactics, you gave up your hand."

"That I did," the King of Games nodded. "But I have a defense to use, while you'll only have two monsters by the end of this turn."

"And I can't wait until you declare it," the GX champ replied, "I'm still ready to go and willing to show how strong a duelist I am."

"Then go ahead and show me," Yugi declared, "I end my turn..."

"Thanks, and that means my Dark Magician Girl returns and with 300 more ATK because of the Dark Magician card in my graveyard," Melody said, as her magician returned with a stronger aura. (6/2000-2600/1700) The Ra then drew her next card. "I activate my own Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" She declared, drawing out her next couple of cards, smiling at one. "Now it's time for me to show how far I've gotten and even how far the Dark Magician Girl has gotten!"

As Yugi contemplated on that, Isaac figured out, "She's going to summon the monster that took Bastion out of the Society!"

"Say what?" Claudio asked.

"I activate the Spell Card, Magical Graduation!" Melody announced, inserting her spell card. (MCoE: 3SPC), "Now it's time for Dark Magician Girl to earn her Master Magician status by evolving into the Dark Sorceress!"

Everyone watched as the Dark Magician Girl flew up to dark skies and raised her scepter, surrounding herself in a bright pink energy that left her silhouette inside. She began to grow into an older, mature woman and her scepter became a longer staff. Once the energy faded away, everyone saw the new face of Dark Magician Girl, now a Master Magician. (7/2500/2100) The audience was at a loss for words, while Pegasus smiled.

 _'So that's where it ended up...'_ He thought, and then looked to Yugi, equally shocked as the rest, _'I see even Yugi-boy is surprised.'_

"No way," Joey gasped, "There's another version of the Dark Magician Girl?"

"Yeah, we've seen nearly every form of the Dark Magician," Tea added, "But now we're seeing a grown-up Dark Magician Girl..."

"Wondered how Melody came into that?" Matthias asked.

"I guess that story they told about the Dark Magician Girl becoming a great magician after her master's death, worked out for the best," Claudio smiled.

"This is sweet," Jaden exclaimed, "Who knew they made another card for her?"

"And if she has a special ability like her original form, Melody's going to make a comeback!" Allyson added.

Yugi's Dark Magician stared in awe at the face of Dark Sorceress as she landed on the field. They looked at each other with equal acknowledgment, and even the master bowed in respect to his former pupil, making her smile and bow right back.

"And then, Dark Sorceress' special ability is like Dark Magician Girl's ability, except she gains 200 ATK for every Spellcaster in the graveyard and on the field!" Melody announced as the Sorceress raised her staff to and gained energy from the eight Spellcasters in Melody's graveyard, the two in Yugi's, and then from being in the presence of her master, Defender, and herself. (7/2500-5100/2100)

"No matter what monster receives the damage, Yugi's done for," Roxanne stated.

"Looks like another person to Yugi's short list that defeated him," Chumley added.

"Dark Sorceress, attack Gorz with Dark Searing Magic Attack!" Melody commanded as the Sorceress charged her attack and fired a dark pink flash that was going to engulf the strong Emissary...

"I activate the effect of a monster in my graveyard," Yugi announced, as the card slipped out of his graveyard. "I remove Electromagnetic Turtle from the game to cancel the Battle Phase!" Finally, an electric current flashed in front of Gorz and blocked the attack.

"He stopped it," Mai said.

"But how can he stop it next time," Joey wondered.

"So I see the story came true," Yugi smiled, and turned to Melody, "I see you are also a master of the Dark Magician, helping your Dark Magician Girl achieve her status."

"Me?" She asked.

"You respect your Dark Magicians, and in return, they've respected you," the King of Games replied. "More so, I believe that the Dark Magician Girl chose you to be her partner."

'You could say that again,' the Spellcaster duelist thought, as Mana appeared beside her. "Well, let's see how you get me next time," Melody stated as she inserted her last facedown card and switched Defender to defense mode.

"Let's," Yugi agreed, drawing his lone card. "I activate Card of Sanctity to allow us both to draw until we're both holding six cards... and since both of our hands are empty, let's draw those six cards!" He declared as both players drew out their six cards. (MCoE: 4SPC) "Now, I summon the Dark – Hex Sealed Fusion!" He announced, bringing out a large, black rock with bronze and red tentacles coming out of it. (3/1000/1600)

"Aw man," Joey moaned, "When did he get a gross monster like that?"

"Gross or not, he's got a reason," Tea added, feeling disgusted as well.

"Any idea?" Mai asked.

"No clue..."

"I activate the effect of this Hex Sealed Fusion card..." Yugi continued, "First, he can substitute himself for another Fusion Material monster for a Fusion Summon. And as you know, he has two different types of Fusions he takes part in... With Buster Blader, and my choice, the Flame Swordsman!"

Melody gasped, "With that he's trying to summon the Knights..."

"But instead of using Polymerization, Hex Sealed Fusion can sacrifice itself and the monster it will fuse with, and treat it as a Fusion Summon!" the King of Games announced. "So now, I fuse both Hex Sealed Fusion as Flame Swordsman and my Dark Magician to Fusion Summon the Dark Flare Knight!"

Dark Magician stood on the Hex Sealed Fusion, as it engulfed the former in dark matter. It then spread itself to solidify the Dark Magician inside a new armor of black with dark red streaks around it, like flames and a black cape. Instead of the scepter, he carried an intense orange-red blade, giving the appearance of fire on the hilt. (6/2200/800)

"2200 ATK?" Jaden wondered, "Is he just planning on destroying Melody's Defender?"

"Dark Flare Knight, attack Dark Sorceress with Dark Flare Blade!" Yugi commanded as the knight ignited his sword with black flames and charged at the powerful Sorceress.

"I know your game, Yugi!" Melody shouted, revealing her facedown card, "I activate my facedown card, Spellbinding Illusion! I know your monster doesn't allow damage to be dealt, so with this trap, I can negate the effects and drain him of 500 ATK!" He stated as a magic seal appeared on the front of Knight's armor, draining his power. (6/2200-1700/800)

"She got him!" Claudio exclaimed.

"Not quite," Yugi announced, inserting a card from his hand, "I play Half Shut, which will drain your monster of half of her ATK points but keeps her in the game!" He stated a red aura surrounded Dark Sorceress, draining half her power. (7/5100-2550/2100) (MCoE: 5SPC) Then, Dark Flare Knight clashed his sword with the Sorceress' staff, but even with the latter's power loss, she knocked sword out of the Knight's hands and shattered him with a powerful spell.

Melody: 2400

Yugi: 400

"Barely made it," Joey sighed in relief.

"Next, Dark Flare Knight's effect activates when he's sent to the graveyard!" the King of Games continued, "When he's destroyed in battle, I can now summon my Mirage Knight in my hand!" He declared as a bright light erupted from the field and brought out another knight, wearing black clothes underneath some golden armor with a blue cape. In his hands, he carried a long, golden scythe. (8/2800/2000) "And then I'll attack your Dark Sorceress once again!" the Knight charged into the sky, leaving afterimages of himself and headed straight for the Sorceress. "And when he attacks, he gains the Original ATK of the monster he battles with!" He stated as Mirage Knight's armor shined. (8/2800-5300/2000)

"And I activate my next trap, Covering Fire!" Melody countered. "Since my Sorceress is not alone, I can have her gain ATK equal to Defender's ATK!" She declared as her Sorceress and Magical Knight charged into the fray to meet Mirage Knight head on. (7/2550-4150/2100) The three monsters clashed weapons, resulting in a power surge that pushed them all back, but damaging Melody from the difference.

Melody: 1250

Yugi: 400

Soon, all monsters landed on the field with Sorceress losing her temporary boost. (7/4150-2550/2100)

"Now, I switch Gorz and Emissary Token to defense mode and play Dimensionhole to remove my Mirage Knight from the game until my next Standby Phase!" Yugi announced, as her Emissaries kneeled and blocked with their weapons, while a dimensional portal opened from below the knight and sucked him in. (MCoE: 6SPC) "Now I place three cards facedown and end my turn."

"And that means Dark Sorceress has all of her power back!" Melody reminded him as the red aura disappeared. (7/2550-5100/2100)

"This just got more exciting," Jaden cheered. "Both stopped each other from ending this duel."

"It's too good to end now, that's for sure," Allyson added. "But now it is Melody's turn to see it through and she better have something to deal with Mirage Knight, if she can't win this move."

"That was exhilarating," Melody stated, as she drew her next card, "But now I got the pieces to end this duel..."

"And I'll use my Battle Mania Trap Card!" Yugi interrupted, revealing his facedown card, "Now all of your monsters are forced to wage battle against my monsters..." Everyone then gasped as Defender the Magical Warrior was forced to stand back up.

"He must have something up his sleeve," Pegasus said. "Looks like a winner is in sight this turn..."

"Alright, I'll start off with summoning my Skilled Dark Magician!" Melody announced, bringing out the black robed mage appeared next to Defender. (4/1900/1000) (7/5100-5300/2100) "Next, I play Magical Dimension since I have at least a Spellcaster on the field!" Melody announced, as a golden and black coffin appeared behind Skilled Dark Magician. "Now I can sacrifice him to the graveyard and Special Summon my Disenchanter!" The coffin opened as Skilled Dark Magician went inside, letting it close. After a flash, it reopened a brought out the elder Magician of Faith. (5/2000/2300) (7/5300-5500/2100) (MCoE: 7SPC) "And then, I can destroy your Gorz with its final effect!"

Gorz was then pulled into the coffin by the Spellcasters and locked inside, letting it sink into the ground.

"This is it, only one monster left on Yugi's side!" Tea gasped.

"Dark Sorceress, attack the Emissary Token!" Melody commanded as her monster charged at the female emissary.

"Reveal facedown card, Return from the Different Dimension," Yugi announced, revealing a trap card depicting several D.D. monsters jumping out of a dimensional rip. "By paying half my life points, I can return all of my monsters that were removed from the game and Special Summon them to the field!" He then reached into his pocket and pulled out two cards. "Return, Mirage Knight and Dark Magician of Chaos in defense mode!" A dimensional rip opened from the sky and dropped both the golden armored knight and the blue-skinned Dark Magician. (8/2800/2000), (8/2800/2600) (7/5500-5700/2100)

Melody: 1250

Yugi: 200

"Wait, I get Dark Magician of Chaos, but why Mirage Knight?" Claudio wondered. "His special ability gives him more ATK, not defense!"

"My attack is still going on, because of your trap card!" Melody continued.

"But because of my facedown card, this duel is over!" Yugi replied, revealing his last card. It depicted, Yugi, Joey, Tea, Tristan, and another friend of theirs, Duke Devlin, all putting their hands together.

"Hey, it's our card!" Joey exclaimed.

"Finally, he got around to playing it," Tea smiled.

"My Unity Quick-Play Spell Card activates," Yugi announced, "Now my Emissary Token gains the combined original DEF of all my other monsters on the field!"

Melody gasped as both Mirage Knight and Dark Magician of Chaos came to the aid of the Emissary Token, blocking with their scepter and scythe. (7/2500/2500-7100) But then she closed her eyes and smiled a bit, "Looks like it ends here..."

Soon, Dark Sorceress was flung back by the three defending monsters nullifying her attack, and backfired on the Spellcaster duelist, ending the game with a pink flash surrounding her.

Melody: 0

Yugi: 200, Winner

Everyone rose to their feet, as they watched as the pink flash was cleared away, and they could see what had happened to Melody. Instead of being knocked to the ground, or even on one knee, she was standing there with a proud smile on her face, not minding the loss she took. One by one, a student, faculty member, friends and relatives in the stands began clapping for the duel, and for the incredible duelists that showed them what they could do. But most of the applause was for Melody, almost defeating the King of Games.

 _'Wow, I almost did it...'_ Melody thought, listening to the acclaim she earned for her match. _'I stood up to the best, and gave him the best duel I had in me... all in just my second year of the Academy.'_

"Melody..." She then snapped out of her thoughts to see Yugi right in front of her. "Well done."

"Thank you," She smiled. "I knew it was a long shot trying to beat you, but hey, couldn't help but try."

"All of your skills were impressive, fitting for a champion duelist like yourself," He continued, "And most importantly, you made your dream come true by taking me to the limit of my dueling career." He then took out a card from his pocked and handed it to her. "And for that, I thank you."

Melody accepted the card, and gasped at what she saw. "It's the Dark Magician Arkana had!"

"Right," Yugi nodded, "And I have a feeling you will have his respect like you gained from many others." He then gestured to the audience who were still applauding for them. Melody eyes fell on Claudio and Isaac, both showing more enthusiasm in their cheers as well. She knew, as well as everyone else, that no one else would be forgetting this moment.

* * *

I DID IT! 20,000+ Words, baby! I am worn out! And this was also about 50 pages, too. It ain't over yet though…

Maverick Metal Shark

Attribute: Dark

Type: Machine

Level: 4

ATK: 1700

DEF: 1400

Effect: By removing one card from your hand, you can summon one monster from your opponent's graveyard and treat it as a Machine. If this card is destroyed, destroy all other monsters summoned by this effect.

Clockwork Battlefield

Field Spell

Effect: All machines on your side of field are unaffected by any spell and trap that destroys them or negates their effect. (Only the controller of this card can apply this effect)

Art: an abandoned battlefield with gears in the dirt, rusted barbed wire and a giant clock tower under a beautiful full moon.

Maverick Leader- Lumine

Type: Machine

Attribute: Light

Lv: 5

ATK: 1700

DEF: 1000

Effect: For each Maverick Monster card with a different name in your graveyard, add one Orb counter to this card (Max.8) Twice per turn (During yours or your opponent's) you can remove an Orb Counter activates a special ability:

Gain 1000 ATK until the End Phase of the turn

Negate one of your opponent's attacks

Remove one card from your opponent's side of the field and place it back in their hand

Select one monster on your opponent's side of the field. Until the end of the next turn, the selected monster cannot attack or change its battle position

Your opponent takes 700 points of damage

This card can attack your opponent directly

Should this card be destroyed, special summon True Maverick Leader- Lumine from your hand or deck.

Art: A man with long light purple hair wearing purple and white body armor

True Maverick Leader- Lumine

Type: Machine

Attribute: Light

Lv: 8

ATK: 2600

DEF: 1900

Effect: As long this card is on the field, monsters cannot be set. Pay half of your Life Points to have this card stay in defense mode and cannot be chosen as a target for attacks from your opponent's monsters. If this card remains on the field until 3 of your opponent's End Phases, then you win the duel.

(The top four cards were created by RoyalShowstopperXIII. Creative card rights go to him, while character rights go to Capcom.)

Magical Alms

Continuous Spell

When you activate this card, gain 1000 Life Points and guess how many Spell Cards you will activate this turn. During each player's Standby Phase, the turn player must guess how many Spell Cards they will use that turn. Each time a player makes a guess with this card's effect, both players gain 500 Life Points x the number of Spell Cards guessed. During each player's End Phase, if the turn player used less or more Spell Cards than guessed, that player takes 1000 damage for each Spell Card they activated that turn.

(This card was used by Zigfried von Schroder in the second series anime episode, One Step Ahead, Part 2. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Mirage Ruler

Continuous Trap

Activate only when a monster your opponent controls declares an attack. When all monsters you control are destroyed during your opponent's Battle Phase, you can send this face-up card to the Graveyard to Special Summon all monsters you controlled that were destroyed during this turn's Battle Phase and increase your Life Points by the amount of Battle Damage you took during this turn's Battle Phase. Then, pay 1000 Life Points.

(Used by Yugi Moto in the second series anime episode, The Final Duel, Part 2. All rights go to the creators of the anime.)

Next Chapter: The final day is a wedding day, and the final day for this year. Let's end this!

Please Read and Review! Later!


	81. Blessed Union

Final Chapter of the season and for this one RoyalShowstopperXII takes the reins, since it's his characters' final appearance in the stories. But they will be mentioned in future stories, just to make sure how much they impacted on the stories. So the reviews are more for him than they are mine for helping revising the chapter, still this is all from his mind! Let's end this season!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise or any music in this story, I own Claudio Osbourne and the Jukebox Hero Archetype, aside from a select few made by all the authors/readers who submitted them. The music is owned by the singers/bands and their record labels. And all other OCs and cards submitted © original creators.

Chapter 81: Blessed Union

* * *

Inside the main Academy building, on the day of the wedding, Pegasus had called up Kenji to return his Ninja God monsters to him. Alexis had joined him as they were heading to Alister and Erika's wedding together.

"Here are your cards, Mr. Yuuyami," Pegasus said, handing him the four cards.

"Thanks," Kenji replied, receiving them. "I couldn't go back home without them."

"Yeah, it would be bad if the protector returned home and didn't have the cards on hand," Alexis added.

"So, can you tell me why these cards are so different than any other ninja cards?" the Ninja Duelist asked. "And how it ended up with my clan?"

"It was request made to me from a wandering ninja duelist some time before the Orichalcos Incident and after I recovered from a... illness," Pegasus recalled. "Back then, the Ninja cards weren't too much in excess aside from the ones Jean-Claude Magnum used in Battle City. Anyway, it was then I decided to work on Monsters that didn't have Egypt on its background and moved on to cards that needed some more bases covered. So, I turned to Japan, and the Ninjas were first needed. Going back to that request, I focused on the story of Guardian Deity of the Azure Flames from that wandering ninja. That's when I overseen its creation. Once done, I gave the ninja the cards and received the payment. When I asked what they were going to be used for, he responded that a rightful protector can use them in a time of need... like the Egyptian Pharaoh who used the Egyptian Gods."

"He must have saw Yugi and Kaiba duel in the Battle City Finals," Alexis deduced. "No one knew about the cards except the ones who faced them, and they mostly saw Obelisk."

"And then I guess that rightful protector became you, Kenji," Pegasus pointed out. "It could have been the ones filling you with enough darkness to repel the Light of Destruction's hold on you."

"Yeah, that explains a lot after how Kenji could derail some of their plans," the Cyber Girl duelist smiled.

"But it doesn't explain how Obelisk possessed me," the Ninja duelist wondered.

"Wait a sec," Alexis said, snapping her fingers. "It could have been Obelisk combining itself with White Veil, and when you destroyed it with the Ninja God of the Azure Flames."

Kenji widened his eyes, "I did feel something... it was during the blast. The Light of Destruction left me, but then I felt more darkness going into me. I thought that was my Ninja God, but it turned to be Obelisk's essence possessing me."

"And in that time, Obelisk used you to lash out in resentment for what my card designers have done to them with the Mound of the Bound Creator Field Spell." Pegasus added. He then got a cheerful smile on his face, "Well, all of that is behind us! And I think we have a wedding to go to!"

"Right!" Alexis and Kenji nodded as the three of them headed out of the building.

* * *

Inside a room in the Obelisk Girls Dorm (where also the wedding takes place) Erika was having a talk with Mai and Melody with her current statement.

"I'm so nervous about this." Erika said as she took one last look in her wedding dress; she was wearing a long, flowing and beautiful platinum basic wedding dress with a tiara on her head. As she was trying to get rid of the "traditional" pre-wedding jitters, her maid of honor walked in and calmed her down a bit.

"Relax Erika I'm sure this is normal." Melody said. "I've seen some of movies where the bride or the groom is scared but I'm sure it'll go away in a while but I wouldn't eat or drink anything till the reception, okay?" She said with a wink.

"I'm sure you gonna do fine, kid." Mai added. "I was nervous when I married Joey, but after that we painted the town red or should I say ran him red with all the after-wedding shopping." The girls laughed as Erika got up and grabbed her bouquet. "Okay guys, wish me luck."

* * *

In a large room, Alister was waiting with Claudio as a duel simulator was placed in the altar, with Guardian Cathedral set inside it.

"I have to admit, I've never seen a wedding like this." Claudio gasped as he looked around the marvelous sight of the cathedral. "I've seen weddings in like churches, wrestling rings, backyards but never have I seen one inside a field spell inside a school."

"Well, we've been planning this for a while. And while you had gone, me and Erika were testing it if it was gonna work in the first place and it did." Alister replied with a smile. "Besides...I'd do anything for Erika just as you would do anything for Melody, right?" he asked.

"Of course!" the J-Hero replied with a slight blush.

"Well it's almost Showtime so get ready." Alister told Claudio as the guests started to come in and the two of them went to prepare but then Kaiba's personal assistant/advisor Roland approached the groom. He was clad in his black business suit and his dark shades that covered his eyes. Even after years of servitude in Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, he stood looked in good health.

"On behalf of the Kaiba brothers and everyone at Kaiba Corporation, they extend their deepest wishes towards the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Gates." he said.

"Uh... thanks Roland, so where are they?" Alister asked him.

"Unfortunately, they are away on business considering innovative ways of dueling but they offer you this small token of their appreciation and I am also here to record the event for them to view once they are done." Kaiba's assistant handed him a regular white envelope before making his way to his seat.

"Wow, Seto Kaiba actually being nice?" Claudio said sarcastically knowing of Kaiba's lack of emotions except rage and pride from the tales from the Pro Duelist and everyone they knew them. "Well, I'm sure this just a modest little..." As Alister opened the envelope he saw a check that made him almost faint. "Well, how much was it?" the Jukebox Hero duelist wondered.

"Um... I'll tell you at the reception." the Guardian Duelist sheepishly said as the rest of the guests started sitting down.

* * *

Then the ceremony started...

Alister made his way back towards the altar then followed the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle which consisted of some of their new and old friends from Duel Academy. Most of them were in traditional wedding attire save for Lyra who was dressed a black gothic Victorian dress and Allyson whose dress was a light blue dress and wearing strapless heels. Afterwards, the best man and maid of honor who were Claudio and Melody were at the altar with Alister and the minister. Claudio was wearing a black rock star-style tuxedo jacket over a white t-shirt, black pants, black dress shoes while Melody was wearing a dark purple dress that reached down to her ankles and dark purple heels.

Allen played the piano for the Wedding March and then all the guests stood up as Erika made her way down the aisle. Everyone was smiling and especially Alister as he saw his soon to be wife looking so beautiful. She soon stood next to him and they took a glance at each other and they were beaming with happiness and then it started.

"We are gathered together on this beautiful afternoon to share a joyous ceremony with Erika and Alister as they exchange vows of their everlasting love." said the minister. The two felt goosebumps as they stood before their friends and family.

When they met for the first time, they were opposites as he was all about style, honor, and respect while Erika was just trying make her way to the top and didn't care how she won her duels whether it was by deck out or beating her opponents but over the years they found ways to work together and it shows all the hard work they have done over the past several years. As the two were reciting their vows in their head repeatedly just to make sure they wouldn't forget, and the priest looked at him cueing him to recite his vows.

Before he spoke, Alister took a deep breath and began. "I, Alistair Gates, do take you, Erika Ashelyn Parks to be my wife through the good and the bad and I promise to be there for you as long I can. At first, I just you of another duelist and nothing else but as we dueled more and more my thoughts changed and instead of seeing this girl who just wanted to be greatest girl duelist I saw a woman who just wanted to be known for other than being another girl dueling. And I promise to take care of you through both in sickness and health, for riches and poverty, and to be there for each other. And I take you for your strengths and weaknesses as you will take me for my strengths and weaknesses. When I need help, you are the first person I go to and I choose you to be the woman to spend the rest of my life."

Then It was Erika's turn to take a deep breath as she started her vows. "I, Erika Ashelyn Parks, do take you, Alistair Gates to my husband throughout this rollercoaster that we call life. You are a sweet, gentle and charismatic duelist who's able to put smiles on our fans and our friends and families but more importantly me. As I look back at my life and fascination of machines I see that if I've invented anything I have invented a perfect relationship that will never rust, break down, or needs replacing at any point in the future. You are my knight in shining armor and I will help you when you need help, and will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."

"Do you have the ring for the bride?" The priest asked and Alister nodded as Claudio handed him the diamond ring, and the Guardian duelist slipped it on Erika's finger. "With this ring, I wed thee." Al said. Erika felt the tears in her eyes but could hold them back as the priest asked her the same thing and she also nodded as Melody gave her the ring and the Maverick duelist placed it on Alister's finger. "With this ring, I wed thee." she said.

"Let these rings be given and received as a token of your affection, sincerity and fidelity to one another." The priest declared. In as much as Erika and Alister have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and pledged their vows to each other, by the authority vested in me by the city of Domino I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!" The priest before the two embraced each other and shared a passionate kiss as the crowd stood up and applauded and cheered for newlyweds.

* * *

**Duel Academy Auditorium- The Reception**

Everyone was taking a seat as while the newlyweds along with their parents and closest friends sat the main table when Jaden stood up and raised his glass towards the couple. "To Alister and Erika!" he said.

"To Alister and Erika!" everyone else repeated as they all took a sip of the champagne (for this I assume everyone is 18 or close to it save for most of the Slifers, Ras, Obelisks who just drank water) and started to eat from the feast which was made by Satyr and Dorothy.

The reception went off with Claudio playing the first dance for the newlyweds. Everyone nearly shed a tear seeing how happy they were together. Of course, they were many other chances for the others to sing and many couples to dance. Even Atticus got his minutes of fame before having to be dragged off for soaking up the praise so much.

After a while, the staff was taking down the stage, Claudio was sitting down drinking some water as Erika was ready to toss the bouquet. As she tosses it behind her back, it looked like it was going towards Alexis or Melody. But it bounced out of their hands and it somehow landed in Claudio's hands as the J-Hero duelist barely noticed and did a spit take.

"Wow, so uh...how does it work if a guy catches it?" Syrus wondered.

"Duh! It means Claudio's gonna get married next to a girl." Chumley said. "But I wonder why girls only do that?"

With that most of the students had a good idea on who Claudio was gonna marry and Melody and Claudio blushed fiercely.

* * *

After a while, everyone in attendance took pictures with the bride and groom and helped with tearing down the stage and everyone stood outside to see the Guardian and Maverick duelists on their way back to Domino City.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Claudio asked. "You could just after the honeymoon, stay here as teacher aids."

"As much we love to we can't, we have places to go, people to meet and duel." Erika said sadly. "But everyone is welcome to visit and duel."

"Yeah, and besides you have the last year to look forward to" Alister said as he put an arm around Erika. "Like we said, we had a hell of a time here. We got pushed to our limits, we've learned so much here and now it's time to put that knowledge to the test…"

"Well I'm sure we'll visit you guys during a break so we catch up and maybe have some duels?" Melody asked.

"Of course! Well we better leave before the boat leaves." Erika said but handed their friends some bags. "Consider these as farewell gifts." The couple along with rest of the duelists from the past got on the boat which had a banner which said "Just Got Married!" and they left.

* * *

"So any plans for our honeymoon?" The guardian duelist asked as he loosened his tie. "I was thinking Vegas, or maybe Paris. I hear it's awesome to go now."

"I don't know, how about Niagara Falls or New York?" Erika wondered as she was going through the wedding presents. "I'd love to see the falls or catch a show."

"Hm, we'll think about it when we get home."

And that is all folks! The second season is over and done! Whew! But it's not over for the rest of the story, though! There are two more seasons I want to finish! Even the 4th that didn't make English dubbing.

First, everyone that submitted their OCs, I thank you for coming together and making this the best Season 2 fic ever... couldn't have done that without ya'll!

Next, to all my reviewers, thanks you for your praise and constructive criticism that helped me improve on my word format!

RoyalShowstopperXIII, It's been a blast with Alister and Erika, but you won't hear the last from them, I'll still make comments about their lives from time to time, just so no one forgets them. Thanks for the use of these characters.

Final Word: Once I gather up all the OCs of the next season, I'll post them as the first chapter of the Season 3 fic. Also, for Halloween, I got another chapter special that I will post in a different story. Until then, read and review... share your words with RoyalShowstopper XIII since this is more his chapter than mine, and I'll see you all in a while. I need the week to finish some personal stuff before I get back to story writing biz!

LATER!


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